Brushed Away 3: Hearts Entwined

Chapters

Chapter One: A New Morning
Chapter Two: Return of The Clawstons
Chapter Three: Sweets and Suites
Chapter Four: Catching Up To Do
Chapter Five: Surprises on Both Ends
Chapter Six: Baby Talk
Chapter Eight: Taking Care of Business
Chapter Nine: Midnight Train to Manehattan
Chapter Ten: A General Discussion
Chapter Eleven: No Way Like Bridleway
Chapter Twelve: A Familiar Mare
Chapter Thirteen: The Auction
Chapter Fourteen: Going Once... Going Twice...
Chapter Fifteen: Next Morning Plans
Chapter Sixteen: Donations and Debacles
Chapter Seventeen: A Matter of Trust
Chapter Eighteen: The Blade's Edge
Chapter Nineteen: The Omnivore
Chapter Twenty-One: Lows and Highs
Chapter Twenty-Two: The Bachelor Parties (Part One)
Chapter Twenty-Three: The Bachelor Parties (Part Two)
Chapter Twenty-Four: Jailhouse Talk
Chapter Twenty-Five: The Rehearsal Dinner
Chapter Twenty-Six: The Wedding Day (Part One)
Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Wedding Day (Part Two)
Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Wedding Day (Part Three)
Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Ceremony
Chapter Thirty (Finale): The Reception
Chapter Seven: The Letter
Chapter Twenty: Big News Before A Big Night

Chapter One: A New Morning

According to official Equestrian records, the Winter months were actually some of the coldest recorded in over a decade. After countless nights of temperatures reaching far below freezing, there wasn’t a single being in the land of Equestria that was disappointed by the time Winter Wrap Up arrived. Eventually, the thick sheets of white that covered the lands melted away, and the luscious colors of spring reemerged with the start of another beautiful year. While a lot occurred within the span of one year around the seemingly quaint (but undoubtedly active) town of Ponyville, all of the changes just seemed to happen in the blink of an eye.

Of course, those changes were prevalent even outside of Ponyville as well. Along the outer road that lead to Sweet Apple Acres, the large barn that was formerly boarded up and abandoned looked completely different by the time spring arrived. Along with being renovated and deemed livable again, the barn was also painted with a wild array of colors and patterns along all of its walls, which gave the variety of flowers along the forest behind it a run for their money. And at both ends of the front of the massive barn, two flags were hanging from opposite poles and waving along the spring winds proudly: one of the standard Equestrian flag, and the other of the flag of the Gryphon Kingdom.

And between those two poles, a newly-painted addition was placed on the wall above the front doors of the barn: the words Canvas Creations in white font, along with the logo of a painter’s pallet underneath.

Inside of the barn, everything seemed completely still as it laid in darkness. However, with the sunlight beginning to beam in through the windows of the studio at the front of the barn, it could be easy to see the loft that hung above the space at the back of the home. Within the loft, a massive pile of bedding that resembled a nest covered most of the floor, which held three different beings who were sleeping in the massive space.

The first was the Gryphon with silver feathers along the top half of its body, and a darker grey fur along the back, who most ponies in the region knew as Troius Clawston. Troius, also known as Troy, had his yellow beak agape as he slept soundlessly while sprawled out across half of the nest. Laying on his back, his massive wings of silver feathers covered even more of the space, although one of them helped to cover the pony that was sleeping beside him.

While contrasting with the Gryphon’s silver and grey hues, the stallion’s aqua fur was barely noticeable within the darkened space of the bedroom. On his flank, the Earth pony’s cutie mark of a paint pallet showed that he was the owner of the studio at the front of the barn, and that he went by the name Canvas. A strand of the stallion’s shoulder-length, chestnut colored mane was lazily over his muzzle, and flew upward for a second with each breath Canvas made. With his left hoof, which had a white gold band wrapped around it, rested on top of Troy’s slowly rising and receding chest, Canvas had his head pressed against the Gryphon’s side while spooning beside him.

And resting in a free space of the bed right between the two, a small Saint Bernard was just beginning to wake up as the barn brightened from the morning light. A small thud could be heard from the ceiling, but only the dog’s ears twitched from it. Opening its beady brown eyes, the puppy blinked a couple times before making a large, yet silent yawn. After stretching strongly, showing just how much the puppy had grown after only four months, he quickly got on his paws, and shook his fur out of its formerly matted state. The Saint Bernard looked over at the two still sleeping, and quickly began to pant with a smile on its brown and black-spotted face.

Without a second thought, the dog crawled on top of the stallion’s chest to get a better view of his face. Of course, after just a couple licks against the pony’s cheek, Canvas’s face scrunched in surprise as he awoke from his formerly pleasant slumber. “Ugh… c’mon, Tenor! Really?!”

Not catching his owner’s annoyed tone, Tenor barked cheerfully while on top of him. Troy, who woke up after hearing the dog’s enthusiastic wakeup call, slowly opened his golden eyes before peering over at the stallion with a smirk. “Heh heh… He seems to like waking you up more than me, doesn’t he?”

Canvas just gave an unamused stare when he looked back at the Gryphon. “Well, I think that’s because he learned he can’t wake you up as easily.”

Troy just made a playful shrug and replied, “Well, it’s not like he can use his tongue as well as you can.”

Despite the blush that exploded across the aqua pony’s face, he still let out a small giggle before turning his attention back to the puppy. Canvas wrapped both forelegs around Tenor’s body while giving him a nuzzle. “Awww, c’mere!”

Tenor’s tail wagged wildly as he returned the gesture, licking at the stallion’s face and nuzzling him as much as he could. While Canvas giggled at the now pleasant wake up call, Troy just laid on his side while looking at the two with a smile. If someone told the Gryphon a year ago that he would eventually end up in a home on the ground with a stallion as his fiancè, and raising a Saint Bernard puppy (instead of something like a Doberman or a Rottweiler), he would’ve assumed that they were absolutely insane. But now, with those very things happening in his life, all that Troy could do was lie back and savor the moment without any regret on his mind.

Less than a year ago, Troy didn’t even know the pony who was lying in the nest with him. Some might’ve called how the two met to be fate, since a million circumstances could’ve happened which would have kept the stallion and Gryphon from ever meeting. But despite all the ‘maybes’ and ‘what-ifs’ that could’ve occurred, Troy still considered that day he met Canvas to be the most unavoidably significant moment of his life. While all he did was save a badly injured Earth pony from a serious thunderstorm, it still set the Gryphon on a path in his life that he never would’ve even considered in his wildest dreams.

Canvas paused while nuzzling the Saint Bernard when he noticed how Troy was staring at him. With his blush still apparent, he smiled towards the Gryphon and asked, “So… should I ask what you’re thinking about?”

Troy made another shrug and said, “Oh, nothing much…” Looking into the stallion’s beaming blue eyes, the Gryphon took a moment before adding in a happier tone in his voice. “I just… I can’t help thinking how lucky I am right now.”

Hearing the tone of sincerity that Troy gave with that statement, Canvas’s smile became warmer as he leaned in towards him. With Tenor still laying on his chest, the stallion bent in to give a kiss to his fiancè’s beak, which was returned just as quickly by the Gryphon. The kiss lasted for a few seconds, but it was apparently too long for the puppy as he made another enthusiastic bark.

Canvas pulled back from Troy’s beak with a sigh. “Alright, alright…” He turned to Tenor to ask in a playful tone. “I’m guessing someone needs a walk?”

Tenor brightened up at the mention of the word “walk”, and yelped happily with a jump on top of the stallion. Even though he was still a puppy, the fact that Tenor was now the size of most moderately-sized adult dogs made his landing strong enough to leave Canvas winded. While the stallion groaned slightly, Troy pulled the Saint Bernard off so his fiancè could get the chance to roll out of bed freely. “You okay, hon?”

“Hnnnggg… Mmmhmm…” Despite his strained expression, the pony was able to nod his head as he rolled out of the nest less than gracefully. After managing to catch his breath enough to get on his hooves again, Canvas got the leash off of the nightstand with his muzzle. “C’mon boy,” he said while his own end of the leash was in his mouth. “Leth go.”

Tenor quickly sprung out of the nest, clearly wide awake as the the two walked down the steps by the loft’s entrance. Even though Troy wanted to lay back and relax on one of his few mornings off, he decided to do a quick stretch of his own before getting out of the nest too. After all, given how much work was still needed to be done in the next week alone, the Gryphon wanted to get into a habit of waking up earlier than usual.

Especially if he and Canvas wanted their wedding to go without a hitch.

Even though it was weird for the Gryphon to think about, one of the first things to go through his mind as he walked down the stairs was just how long he and Canvas have been engaged. Technically speaking, the time that Troy and Canvas spent as an engaged couple was now longer than when the two were just good friends. But even when considering how close the two were back then, Troy still wouldn’t have ever thought that it would blossom into love in such an instant.

However, when he was halfway down the stairs, and caught one last glance of Canvas before he left the door from their living space with Tenor, all that the Gryphon could do was smile contently. Yeah, he might have fallen for the pony remarkably quick, but at the same time, Troy knew that it most likely would’ve occurred no matter what.

The Gryphon sighed with a shrug of his shoulders and walked into the kitchen, already having a good idea of what to make for breakfast. He pulled a carton of milk and some eggs out of the fridge, and then went to the cupboard when he heard splashing outside. Since Canvas’s dog-walking usually took around ten minutes (which almost felt like a miracle after having such a hard time training Tenor to go to the bathroom outside), Troy figured that he could get--

Troy paused as his head perked up in confusion. The tufts of his ears twitched at the sounds of splashing outside, which was now accompanied by laughter. Whatever was happening out in the backyard certainly wasn’t from his future husband or the dog. Since he already had a good idea who could be in their hot tub again, Troy quickly opened the kitchen window to stick his head out and yell, “THUNDERLANE!! What did I tell you abou…”

The Gryphon stopped yelling as soon as he saw who was in his hot tub. While he was glad it wasn’t Thunderlane and his “marefriend” again, Troy still had his jaw agape in surprise at who was sloshing around in the tub like a group of rowdy frat-boys. Three huge Gryphons, with brown feathers and tan fur, all turned their heads to Troy while crammed in the hot tub.

Most ponies would’ve been terrified to see three massive Gryphons hanging in their backyard. But for Troy, the sight of his older brothers left him speechless for only a second before he grew a huge smile. “Guys?!”

“TROY!!!” Shouted the three Gryphons at the same time, obviously happy to see Troy after the long winter. One of them, who had his head shaved so he had a buzz cut instead of any feathers, turned around so he was facing Troy. “There you are! We were wondering when you’d be up! The doors were locked, so we placed our stuff on the ceiling.”

“It’s not even seven!” Troy stuck a foreleg out the window and pointed up to the sky. “It just became morning! What did you guys do, take an all-nighter train or something?!”

“Yep,” replied the older Gryphon with a smug grin on his massive, jagged beak. “The conductor was a huge Storm-Ball fan, so when he saw the name ‘Blaze Clawston’ on the ticket, we got an upgrade to one of the nicer cars! I mean, the train ride still sucked, but at least we got free drinks.” Thinking it over, Blaze added while pointing back to the largest of the three Gryphons in the tub, “But Blane here probably screwed us over on getting that kind of treatment again.

“Hey!” shouted Blane defensively while taking up nearly half of the hot tub. “It wasn’t my fault they ran out of tequila!”

“But it WAS your fault that the wall collapsed!”

“It was faulty anyway!” Blane then huffed with a wave of his claw before using it to pull his wet feathers back. Since the feathers on his head had a style similar to Troy’s, a couple of them were still coming down over his golden eyes. He then leaned back against his forelegs which were propped against the wall of the tub, and looked towards Troy with a cheerful smirk, “You mind telling us where your stallion is, Teddy Gryphon?”

“Well, he just went out to walk Tenor, so-HEY!!!” as soon as he caught what his brother called him, Troy’s smile quickly became replaced with an enraged scowl as he pointed a talon at Blane. “What did I tell you about calling me that?!”

“Awww, what’s the mattah?” The third Gryphon next to Blane in the tub, who was much thinner and had a braid of feathers over the front of his face, whipped it away with a flick of his neck before adding in his still-unconvincing Trottingham accent, “Does the Teddy Gryphon need his fluffer again?”

While Troy’s glare became stronger alongside his increasingly reddening face, the triplets just cackled at the skinny Gryphon’s comment. Of course, after making a long hiss of an exhale, Troy narrowed his eyes on him and asked, “Blade, are you still talking like that?!”

“Why not?” asked Blade with his claws raised in confusion. “It’s me natural voice!”

“Oh yeah,” replied Blaze as he rolled his eyes. “And Chaka was naturally a woman.”

“YOU DON’T BRING UP CHAKA, YOU TOSSER!!!”

The sound of approaching steps made the triplets turn their attention to the side of the barn. Tenor was excitedly trying to run towards the new guests with his tongue sticking out, but Canvas’s grip on the leash was strong enough to keep the puppy temporarily in control. Canvas grunted while holding the leash in his mouth when he came around to the back of the barn. “Ugh… Whaf all the freaming out here? Is Funderlane--”

As soon as he noticed Troy’s older brothers in their hot tub, Canvas let go of his end of the leash due to his jaw dropping in surprise. Tenor ran towards the tub as quickly as he could, but Canvas became too cheerful to really mind. “Oh my gosh, what are you guys doing here?!”

He trotted up towards the hot tub as well, where Tenor was already barking wildly and standing against the outside of it. While Blaze scratched the Saint Bernard’s head with his talons, Canvas leaned up to the side of the hot tub as well. “I wish I knew you were coming in early! I would’ve thawed out some more meat for breakfast.”

“Nah, that’s fine,” assured Blane with a smile pointed at the pony. “We already ate before coming here. Besides…” Blane then pointed towards the other corner of the barn, which made both Troy and Canvas gasp when they saw what was propped up by the wall: Two huge, metal cages, which had about a dozen live chickens in each of them. “We figured we could bring some live take-out.”

Troy ran out of the kitchen to exit the barn fast enough to risk making a fire trail, but his expression was anything but happy when he made it to the backyard with Canvas. “What is wrong with you guys?!” hissed the silver Gryphon in a hushed and infuriated whisper, “Do you remember what happened the last time you stole chickens around here?!”

“Whoa, whoa, WHOA!” shouted Blaze in an outright offended tone as he lifted his claw from behind Tenor’s ears. Even though the puppy whined softly in disappointment, the muscled brown Gryphon kept his gaze on Troy and said while pointing at the cages, “We didn’t steal those chickens! We bought them back in the Gryphon Kingdom and brought them here! We have the paperwork and everything!”

“Yeah!” added Blade, who decided to add emphasis to his brother’s words by splashing some water at Troy. “In fact,” he added more firmly, “We were plannin’ to give the chickens in the right cage to those Apple Family blokes! You know, as an apology gift.”

“Wait, really?” asked Canvas in a pleasantly surprised tone of voice. Even Troy seemed impressed (albeit a bit skeptical) as he tilted his head at the three Gryphons with narrowed eyes.

“Well, yeah,” answered Blane. He used one of his talons to pick at something from his ear as he explained, “A while back I leant a room at my flower shop to this guy, but I didn’t realize until a couple weeks later that he was holding a cock-fighting ring in it! I didn’t want cops swarming the place, mostly since I had some flowers in my basement that weren’t exactly legal. So, I threw the guy out with a few less teeth than when he moved in, and I had a vet look over the chickens before bringing them here. I figured that since those guys were so protective over their own chickens, that maybe they’d be the best ones to raise them.”

For a few seconds, only silence passed between Troy and Canvas since both them were too stunned to say a word. But before either of them could say anything in response to Blane’s story, he unfortunately added, “Oh, and we found out they sell some good booze, so we wanted to get on their good side while prepping the bachelor party!”

Blaze and Blade both gave enthusiastic “Woos!” to the words ‘Bachelor Party,' and Troy just groaned and face-clawed. “Why am I not surprised there’s a catch like that?”

“Oh, stop being such a sourpuss,” jeered Canvas teasingly. The stallion then turned towards Blane to add, “That’s still a very noble thing to do.”

While Blane perked up in the hot tub a little more with a proud smile, Canvas looked over at the other two to ask, “So, so you guys know when Lyle and your parents are going to be here?”

Both Blaze and Blade grew confused, and stared at each other for a moment before turning their attention to Canvas. “Ummm… didn’t you get the letter?” asked Blade with a hint of worry. “They said they were going to be at the airship station today.”

“WHAT?!”

From the look of shock on both Canvas and Troy’s faces, which made their dog look at both of them worriedly, it was clear that Blade’s question was just answered. “So…” Blaze blinked a couple times with narrowed eyes and asked, “did you get the letter or not?”

“NO!!!” shouted both of them at the same time. Troy ran back to the barn in a panic while shouting, “They said they’d be here in four days! When did that cha-”

“Oh, hey there!”

As soon as Troy ran out of sight to the side of the barn, the sound of Derpy’s voice could be heard. Due to the surprise of Troy’s older brothers showing up unannounced, they almost forgot that Derpy usually showed up to their place around this time to drop off the mail. After hearing the sounds of paper rustling, Troy walked back to the backyard with a deadpan groan while the grey Pegasus flew up into the skies. When she saw the triplets, Derpy smiled and waved down at them. “Oh, hey guys! I’ll be sure to tell Fluttershy you’re in town, Blade!”

Blade’s face lit up like a freshly-installed bulb, and he enthusiastically waved back and gave a “Thank you!” before Derpy left. Meanwhile, Troy held the received letter in his claws, which informed him of the change in schedule from his parents. “Ugh…” the silver Gryphon muttered under his breath, “They run a friggin shipping business, but this was something they couldn’t send a little sooner than today?!”

“Yeah, tell me about it,” said Blaze with a scoff. He turned the knob on the side of the tub to increase the amount of bubbles, and then settled in his spot and sighed deeply. “It’s like those guys think they can burst in at any time and do whatever they want.”

With that, all three triplets relaxed deeper in the hot tub, not seeming to notice the deadpan stares that Troy and Canvas were giving them. After a moment of silence, Canvas sighed and picked up Tenor’s leash again. “Alright, I’m going to finish walking Tenor before starting on breakfast.”

“Oh, I can get breakfast done,” said Troy in response. As he walked back towards the barn, the Gryphon shook his head and groaned under his breath. “Celestia knows I’m going to need the energy before flying to that station.”

Without opening his eyes, Blade piped up with a raised claw, “Hey, while you’re in there, can you get us some beers?”

The other two spoke up in agreement, which left Troy to stop and stare at them in befuddlement. “It’s seven in the friggin morning!”

Canvas chimed in with a sarcastic, “Do you guys need back massages too?”

Despite catching the stallion’s tone, Blaze shrugged and replied with, “Well, if you can rub my back as well as Troy says you rub his paws, then sure! Just don’t go licking it.”

Canvas instantly shot a shocked and furious glare at his fiancè, who was standing frozen and wide-eyed.

“Troy…” With the leash in his muzzle, Canvas bit down on it hard as he asked in a stern tone of voice. “... when did you tell them about that?”

For about five seconds, Troy was absolutely still, and unable to say a word. After looking around anxiously, his beak opening and closing without anything coming out, he made a very nervous and shaky laugh as he tried to say, “W-well… I think the wind conditions are g-going to be k-kinda tricky, so I’ll… I’ll just head to that station now and hopefullymakeitbeforetrafficbacksupseeyoulaterhoneyLOVEYOU!!!”

Troy shot off into the skies like a rocket, leaving his brothers, his dog, and his upset fiancè back on the ground. Canvas stayed silent with a bitter glare up at him, but was interrupted in his thoughts of revenge by the sound of Blade’s voice. “Well? Where are our beers, mate?”

“UGH!” Canvas then stormed away from the hot tub with Tenor in tow, hoping that walking the puppy will help him calm down.

Chapter Two: Return of The Clawstons

Right on the outskirts of the mountains that held the city of Canterlot, the Equestrian Airship Port was standing proudly against the unmovable mountainside. Even though most of the ponies that came to this port were fairly wealthy, mostly due to how much a single airship ticket could cost, the port and accompanying shops were surprisingly crowded by the time Troy arrived. Canterlot might have been closer to Ponyville than any other township, but that didn’t mean flying there was that simple. Despite the flight taking less than an hour, the strong wind currents and difficult terrain on the way left Troy completely exhausted when he finally got back on his paws.

After checking to see when the airship from the Gryphon Kingdom was scheduled to arrive, Troy sighed tiredly and rested on a vacant bench. Even though he didn’t bring any books or magazines to occupy his time (or any breakfast, for that matter), the Gryphon was alright with just watching the countless ponies of varying colors and shapes walk past him. Most of them were unicorns, which made sense given how close this place was to Canterlot, but every single pony stood out in their own odd way. Of course, at the realization of how that observation sounded, the Gryphon tried not to chuckle at thinking he was acting more like Canvas.

Troy wasn’t sure how long he was sitting at the bench, but the skies were a bright and cloudless blue when the airship began to be seen from the distance. Many ponies, most being small children, ran towards the observation deck of the port to see the blimp-like marvel of machinery glide closer towards them. As he grunted while getting out of his seat, the Gryphon couldn’t look away from the airship either. Ever since coming to Equestria, the only time that Troy could recall seeing one of those things was when he first arrived from the Gryphon Kingdom to get his papers verified in Cloudsdale; and even then, he only caught a slight glance of the airship from his train window.

But now, the purple and gold-colored machine looked like something from a grand painting of older times when it slowed its descent into the port. Some of the younger ponies were cheering at its arrival, obviously having never seen one before in their lives. While Troy himself was impressed at the grand size of the ornate machine, his smile was kept at a more subdued level when he walked towards the gate where the departures would exit from.

The first dozen or so passengers were ponies, so Troy stepped back courteously so they could have some space when greeted by their loved ones. While most of them looked to be very well-off with their fancy bags and jewelry, it was clear that seeing their family and friends was more valuable to them when hugging and nuzzling in their grasps. Troy kept his distance, but his own beak cracked into an anxious smile when he saw the first few Gryphons begin to exit the airship. Upon seeing the off-white feathers and light grey fur of a certain Gryphoness, he raised his claw to wave and yelled out, “Mom!”

Hearing her son, Angela perked her head up and beamed when she saw him at the gate. Even though she would’ve ran to hug her son, she had to settle with just shuffling with the line of fellow Gryphons at a slightly quick rate. Holding only her pale green purse at her side, the Gryphoness was quick to return the hug that Troy gave her when she got off the airship. “Oh, Troy! It’s so nice to see you again!”

Troy could’ve easily given her a stronger hug, but he didn’t want to crush her after that long of a flight. After letting go of her, Troy kept his smile as he looked past Angela to ask, “So, where are the others?”

“Oh, your Father went to get our luggage,” she said as she went to pull something out of her purse. “You know how he is about others handling his things. I think Lyle went with him to get his bag too.”

“Oh, alright.” Troy turned his attention back to his Mom and asked, “So, how have things been? You only wrote me a couple times this winter.”

“Well, now you know what it’s like to not receive information that often,” jeered the Gryphoness with a small smirk and a raised brow. She had a thin, wrapped item in her claw which she used to point at Troy with while adding, “But I still wrote more often than you did when you first came here.”

“Hey, come on,” said Troy defensively. “I was getting used to living in a new country! I had to adjust to a lot of things.” Of course, after thinking it over for a second, the silver Gryphon sighed apprehensively and made a guilty shrug. “But… yeah, I guess I should’ve written more. And I’m sorry for that.”

Despite still looking peeved by that reminder, Angela was quick to give her son a small peck on the cheek. “Well, I’m glad you’re at least aware of that. And those gifts you sent on Hearth’s Warming were very nice.”

Troy rubbed the back of his head with a smile. “Thanks. Canvas really enjoys that cookbook, by the way.”

“Well, that’s good to know…” Angela waited a moment with both brows raised, like she was expecting to hear something else from her son. However, at realizing what she was probably wanting to hear him say, Troy just returned a flat stare back at her.

“Mom, are you expecting me to say something about that disturbing catalogue?”

“Disturbing?!” Angela’s expression turned to a soured tone of surprise as she asked, “What do you mean disturbing? I figured you’d appreciate that!”

“Mom, Canvas and I aren’t even married yet!”

“So?”

Troy narrowed his eyes on her with a bitter huff. “Mom… Canvas and I don’t want kids. We’re perfectly fine with Tenor.”

Upon hearing that name, it was Angela’s turn to give a deadpan stare. “You mean that puppy you used for my card that brought my hopes up?"

Troy looked away to muffle a giggle with his claw, having forgotten what he and Canvas did. After receiving the catalogue, his fiancè thought it’d be funny to dress Tenor up like a baby, and place a picture of him in a card with the phrase, “Look at our New Arrival!” on the front. Even though it was mostly meant to convey a clear message to his folks, Troy had to admit that it was also pretty damn hilarious.

“Don’t laugh about that!” Snapped Angela more firmly. “That was mean!”

“What, were you seriously expecting us to have a kid?!”

With that, Angela paused for a second before making a meager shrug. She looked away while unwrapping her item to mutter, “It would’ve been nice if it was…”

Troy sighed with a roll of his eyes, barely noticing that his Mom was holding a long, chocolate-covered stick that she took a bite out of. “Mom, I would really appreciate if you didn’t keep pestering me and Canvas about kids. It’s not going to happen, so it’d probably be best to get babies out of your mind.”

Angela stopped chewing as she peered back at her son from the corner of her eye. She stayed silent momentarily, but slowly grew a smirk when she replied, “Well, I have a feeling that might not happen for a while.”

“Ugh!” Troy clenched his beak shut after that groan, not wanting to say anything else and risk getting a smack over the head from blurting anything involuntarily. He finally noticed what was in her claw as his eyes widened in worry. “Ummm… Mom, what is that?”

“Hmm?” Angela looked down at where Troy’s eyes were pointed, and saw that the wrapper’s labeling was clearly visible. She rolled her eyes and moved one of her talons down so the word “Jerky” was out of sight. “Oh, don’t worry. Nobody is going to notice as long as it’s covered in chocolate.”

“You brought--” Troy stopped himself long enough to get his voice under control, and then restarted with a more hushed tone as he bent his head in. “Mom, you seriously brought chocolate-covered beef jerky to Equestria?!”

Another voice spoke up before Angela could swallow her bite. “Don’t worry, Troy. She has a doctor’s note for them.”

Troy peered up at the source of the voice, and widened his eyes at the sight of his Father behind Angela. The Gryphon was just big as before, but his dark brown feathers seemed a bit less frazzled than usual. Even the huge scar that ran down the right side of his face seemed a bit less obvious, although it was still clear as day. When his jagged beak cracked into a subtle smile, Troy almost didn’t recognize him in comparison to the last time they met. But still, it didn’t keep Troy from smiling back at him before leaning in. “Hey, Dad!”

Due to the two massive duffle bags that he was carrying, Jonas couldn’t lift both claws for a hug. Fortunately, the one-clawed “Bro hug” he gave to Troy was able to suffice. When Troy pulled back, he had to re-track his train of thought while saying, “I was wondering where you were. But…”

Troy turned back to his Mother to ask, “What do you mean, a doctor’s note?”

“Oh, it’s nothing!” Assured the Gryphoness with a wave of her claw. “Jonas’s surgeon friend Peter was able to write up some documentation for us. Just in case we got caught with anything.”

Hearing that, Troy narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “Why would you risk doing something like that?”

Jonas retorted with a blunt, “What, in comparison to what we send you in the mail?” This is nothing!”

Troy wanted to open his beak to say something in response, but nothing could come to mind that could actually counter what his Dad just said. Realizing his point, the Gryphon took a second before shrugging his shoulders. “Eh, that’s true.”

“Hey Troy!”

The unfamiliar voice caught Troy’s attention enough to make him look past his parents. As soon as he saw who was waving at him while leaving the airship, the Gryphon’s eyes nearly shot out of his head in shock. “LYLE?!”

The Gryphon only grinned in response, as if that would change how different he looked. Even though the black and white feathers on his chest and head were the same as before, it was clear that he grew a couple feet over the winter months. And when he ran down the walkway to the gate with his luggage strapped to his back, his voice was noticeably deeper when he shouted out, “C’mere, man!”

Troy was quick to lunge towards his younger brother with gusto, and the two nearly crushed each other as they hugged at the gate entrance. Despite his massive growth, Lyle was still about a foot shorter than his brother, so Troy was able to use his foreleg to lay an easy noogie on top of his head. “What the buck has Mom been feeding you?! Steroids?!”

Angela rolled her eyes while behind the two. “Oh, very funny. Your growth spurt happened pretty fast too, you know.”

“Hey, c’mon!!” Lyle said while giggling. He finally managed to pull himself out of his brother’s grasp to say, “I didn’t grow THAT much!”

Troy only gave him a baffled stare in response to that comment. “Are you kidding?! Canvas is gonna freak when he sees you!”

As soon as he heard his brother mention that name, Lyle’s smile instantly grew bigger. “Dude, please tell me he’s somewhere around here!”

“Ah, sorry bro,” said Troy with a disappointed tone of voice. “He’s back at the house. The triplets just showed up with two cages full of chickens, so we couldn’t exactly leave them alone.”

“Aww…” Despite the pained slump that Lyle made with a pout, he eventually sighed before shrugging. “Eh, I suppose that might be best.”

“Wait, they actually brought those chickens?!” Asked Jonas surprisedly. “I thought they were joking about that!”

“Hey, I got the feathers in my backyard to prove it.” A loud gurgle interrupted anything else that Troy was going to say, which prompted him to wince while putting a claw against his stomach. “Urgh… why did I skip breakfast?”

“You skipped breakfast?!” With the way Angela yelped that response, it sounded like she just heard Troy say he lost his wings or something. She went to grab one of the luggage bags resting on Jonas’s back while saying, “Well, that certainly won’t do! I’m just glad I was able to bring--”

“Hey, HEY!” Jonas pulled back from Angela before she could zip open her bag. “At least wait until we get in a train or something! Those doctors notes can only go so far.”

Despite that brief outburst from her husband, the Gryphoness let his point sink in before complying. “Oh, alright…” She pulled her claw away and turned back to Troy with a grin on her beak. “It might be worth waiting for the train anyway.”

“The train?” Asked Troy in confusion. “Why don’t we just fly back?”

Jonas answered with, “Your Mother and I wanted to visit that Ponyville town and get some errands done. Plus, she figured it’d be better to catch up in a private car as opposed to shouting over wind currents.”

Troy raised his brows in surprise, having figured his Dad would fight beak and talon to go into town the cheapest route possible. But before he could ask why, Angels chimed in while standing closer to her husband. “Also, your Father promised he would make some due apologies before helping with your wedding plans.”

Angela’s gaze turned up towards Jonas, her eyes giving a silent but very apparent “Right?” Without opening her beak. The larger Gryphon may have been a Brigadier General, but he still nodded timidly while trying to avoid his wife’s stare on him. “Y-yeah… That’s the plan.”

Lyle tried to stifle a snicker, and made a soundless whip-cracking motion towards Troy out of Jonas’s line of vision. But as soon as Troy covered his beak with a claw, Jonas noticed enough to turn his head towards Lyle with a knowing stare. Of course, despite the way he was peering down at his youngest son like a peeved hawk, Lyle just raised a brow with a flat stare back at him. “What?”

Jonas didn’t say anything, but his eyes narrowed enough to show he definitely had some words in mind. But instead of opening his beak, the General exhaled strongly like an aggravated bull before turning away. “Let’s just get a train ticket,” he muttered in a low tone.

As Jonas walked away towards the ticket booth of the adjoining train depot, Troy walked alongside his mother as they followed. “Umm… is everything okay?”

Angela sighed briefly. “You really shouldn’t worry about it. He’s just trying to get used to changing his attitude about things recently.” While walking, she looked to her son with a pleading expression and added, “I really don’t want you two to repeat any discrepancies, so can you please promise to not push him? Lyle’s given him enough trouble as it is.”

“Hey,” barked Lyle from Troy’s other side, “if I was giving him any real trouble, you would know. I’ve been holding back just as much as he has.”

Troy’s beak skewed uncomfortably, not needing to ask what the tensions were about. Even though things were resolved partially the last time they were all in Equestria, it was clear that a lot of things might still be below the surface. Of course, given everything that was said and done between them and Jonas, he couldn’t necessarily blame Lyle for any lingering feelings.

After a deep breath, Troy turned his attention back to his Mom to say, “Well, as long as he doesn’t start anything, neither will I.”

“Thank you,” said Angela sincerely, “and just so you know, he’s not the only one who’s trying his best. I’m doing my part too.”

“Yeah, I know.” Troy gave a warm smile towards the Gryphoness. “I read about what you’ve been doing in your letters, and I’m really proud of you.”

Angela smiled back with a caring blush on her cheeks. But still, she looked away from her son with a wave of her claw. “Oh, that was nothing! Believe me, I have even bigger things planned aside from a simple change in workplace reform. You’ll see.”

“Oh, really?” He asked with a skewed brow. “Like what?”

Angela didn’t say anything for a few seconds, like she was contemplating her words. But after a brief shrug of her shoulders, she gave a glance back at Troy to say, “Well, I did manage to bring something from Highmount which you can eat on the train. From a little place called… Burger Box?”

The very instant she said those last two words with a raise of her brows, Troy’s eyes shot wide open. Having been in Equestria for over a year, hearing that statement made his tail wave around sporadically and nearly smack Lyle several times. “Mom, you better not be joking.”

Seeing the wide-eyed, serious stare he had on her, Angela could only giggle in response. “Well, I figured you would miss some local cuisine, so… I may have gotten some of those taco things you like so much.”

Troy’s eyes nearly popped from their sockets as his face lit up like a Hearth’s Warming tree. Lyle, on the other claw, just looked away with a groan. “Ugh, you mean those ‘Two for One Bit’ things?! Even I can’t eat that crap.”

“ShutupIlikethem!” Snapped the silver Gryphon in a split-second turn towards his brother, before looking back at Angela to ask, “How many?”

“You’ll see on the train,” she answered with a smirk. However, that vague answer was still enough to get her lifted off the ground by the massive bear-hug Troy pulled her into. Before he could give his Mom an especially tight squeeze, Angela became wide-eyed and shouted “NOT TOO TIGHT!”

Since that scream sounded way more frantic than expected, Troy quickly let go of her worriedly. But before he could ask anything, Angela put up her claw when she was put back on the ground. “S-sorry, I just... “ She took a step back with a quick breath before saying, “I kinda had a big breakfast on the ship, so I’d rather not get squeezed too tightly.”

“Oh, of course.” Feeling guilty about what he did, Troy didn’t notice his Mom’s skewed beak as he said, “I really didn’t mean to--”

“No, it’s alright,” assured Angela with a smile on her beak. “At least I know I got something you like.” She then lead the way towards the train and said, “C’mon, let’s meet up with your Father for the tickets.”

While she walked ahead of them, Troy turned to Lyle with a raised brow. “You know what that was about?”

“Beats me,” answered the younger Gryphon with his shoulders raised. “They’ve both been acting weird lately. Probably just trying to act more ‘PC’ before meeting Canvas again.”

Even though he wasn’t sure how that would fit with how Angela just acted, it was the only answer that kinda fit. So, Troy shrugged before walking alongside Lyle once more. “Well, maybe…”

Seeing the way Troy was looking at the ground while walking, Lyle gave him a little nudge from the side and said, “Hey, cheer up, man. At least they’re actually trying, aren’t they?”

“Yeah, I guess…” Troy’s head slowly raised up before turning his gaze to Lyle. “How about you? Are things going alright?”

To that, Lyle made a brief sigh and looked back ahead of him. “It isn’t about me. Just focus on yourself for now. I’m fine.”

Given the firm tone of Lyle’s voice, Troy was sure that he was lying. But instead of trying to push things any further, Troy took a breath to alleviate his nerves before lifting one of his wings. He draped it across Lyle’s back, and looked down at him with a smirk to say, “Well, I certainly hope that’s true. Because I don’t want my Best Man to flake out on me.”

That statement was enough to make Lyle return a genuine smile up at Troy and say, “Hey, there’s no way I’m gonna do that to you. ‘Birds of a Feather Flock Together’, right?”

Troy’s smile widened as his wing tightened around his brother. “Right.”

With that, the two brothers walked towards the train depot with their heads held high, and their minds only occupied with the catching up that needed to be done.

Chapter Three: Sweets and Suites

By the time Celestia’s sun peaked at Noon, the train from Canterlot was only a few minutes away from the Ponyville station. Inside one of the private cars, the four Gryphons were seated rather comfortably. While Jonas and Angela sat next to one another on one of the bench seats, Lyle and Troy were seated on the bench opposite of them. Of course, all of them were just gawking at Troy, who was finishing the final taco from Angela’s bag like a starved mutt who found a discarded sandwich.

After Troy finished the final “taco” (even though it’s highly debated even in the Gryphon Kingdom what kind of meat is used for them), the Gryphon slumped back in his seat with a satisfied grin while licking the heavy coating of grease from his talons. Lyle seemed the most unnerved as he said, “Jeeze, dude! How can you eat all thirty of those things?!”

Not caring one bit, Troy patted his swollen belly with his freshly-cleaned claw and muttered, “Cause they’re good…”

Despite looking uncomfortable with her son’s eating habits as well, Angela couldn’t help chuckling towards her husband. “I gotta say, that was fifteen bits well spent.”

Jonas made a cackle of his own, which included a smile on his jagged beak which was wider than expected from the General. Since Jonas barely ever cracked a smile during most of Troy’s childhood, the silver Gryphon paused for a second in surprise when he noticed it. Of course, Troy able to move again when Jonas asked him, “So, how have things been going since we left?”

Even though Troy didn’t expect his Father to be the one asking him that, he figured it was just one of Jonas’s small attempts to get on good terms with him again. So, the younger Gryphon shrugged and answered, “Well, things have been going pretty good. Aside from getting a dog and doing the Winter Wrap-Up this year, not that much happened over the winter…”

After balling up the last taco wrapper, and tossing it in the already overfilled wastebin at the corner, Troy put up a talon and added, “Oh! Actually, there is one thing to bring up: Rarity’s been putting a lot of work into her second boutique in Canterlot, so Canvas and I let her put most of her focus on that. Twilight agreed to look over some of the wedding plans, and there’s this tailor in town who can get our suits finalized.”

“Wait, really?!” Asked Angela in wide-eyed shock. “Twilight herself?!”

“Well, she does have experience,” replied Troy in a more casual tone than expected. “She was actually the main organizer for Shining Armor and Cadance’s wedding, and that was all done within a couple days. She assured me herself that it wouldn’t be an issue to look over a couple details when it was months in advance.”

Angela may have looked slightly less worried after hearing that, but she still pointed a talon at Troy to state sternly, “Well, I hope you’re not taking advantage of that kind of offer. Who knows what could happen if you try to use a Princess for your own personal gain?”

Troy, Lyle, and even Jonas gave equally dead-panned stares at the Gryphoness. Noticing how they were all staring at her, Angela looked around and shouted annoyedly, “What?!”

“Honey,” stated Jonas rather bluntly, “do I need to bring up how you rebranded the company after we got back?”

Angela froze, her eyes widening while her cheeks grew a slight shade of pink. After a couple seconds, she made a quick, albeit shaky scoff as she turned away from her husband’s gaze. “Well, ummm… this isn’t about us. This is about Troy.”

Troy rolled his eyes with a scoff in disbelief. But before he could bring up how quickly his Mom tried to veer the subject elsewhere, she peered back at him to ask, “Speaking of which, are you seriously telling us that nothing else happened over the four months we were gone? Because I highly believe that when you had so many things to plan out!”

Troy wanted to simply say no, but he only blinked when he realized that would mostly be a lie. As the train began to slow its descent on its way into the Ponyville station, the Gryphon smirked with a shrug before saying, “Well… I might have something big to tell you guys, but I think it’ll be better when we’re all together before saying anything.”

“Oh?” Asked Angela inquisitively. After Troy nodded with a knowing grin, which just made Lyle and Jonas look confused, Angela made a low chuckle with a smirk of her own as she replied, “Well… I suppose that makes two of us, then.”

Troy raised a brow, but it wasn’t as evident as the way Jonas turned his head to give a narrowed stare and smirk at his wife. The Gryphoness made a quick glance back at her husband, and Troy could’ve sworn he saw her wink at him. However, the train’s vibrations became stronger, stopping Troy’s thoughts as the station came into view from the windows. But before he could get out of his seat, he heard his Dad ask him, “So, should we just leave our luggage at your place? You never said how the sleeping arrangements were going to go.”

Troy’s eyes widened in a sudden, unsettling realization. When the train came to a complete stop, and the steam from the engines started to creep past the window, the Gryphon gave a worried smile as he lifted a talon. “Uhhh… about that…”

It was now the middle of the day in Ponyville, when the town was the most active with ponies going to the various shops or the marketplace for their daily errands. However, over at the small shop which was painted mint green and pink, with the sign Bon-Bon & Lyra’s Confectionaries on top, it didn’t seem like a single pony was inside. In a very rare gap in customers during the lunch rush, all the brightly colored isles of sweets were void of ponies while the mint-colored unicorn Lyra sat behind the counter. Of course, when the other mare popped out from the back room with a fresh tray of lemon drops on her back, she seemed more relieved than upset that the store was empty for the moment.

“Whoo!” The cream-colored mare known as BonBon sighed heavily as she placed the tray in the display shelf underneath the glass counter. She wiped the sweat from her brow with a hoof so her poofy blue and pink mane wouldn’t be caught in it. “I gotta say, it’s nice to have a little down-time between sales to restock.”

“Yeah, I agree.” Even with her smile, Lyra seemed a bit tired while resting her head against her foreleg propped on the counter. “Although I think we have to get some up-time before we can say we have down-time.”

“What? We got some customers today.” Bon-Bon was a bit more optimistic, and kept her chipper tone of voice as she began to wipe the top of the counter with a rag and some glass cleaner. “Besides, we’ve gotten way more sales than expected for the last two days alone! I think we both deserve a little time to ourselves while on the clock.”

That statement seemed to perk Lyra up more than expected. One of her brows raised towards her wife with a light smile. “Oh? Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?”

When Bon-Bon turned her attention back to the unicorn, she stopped wiping the glass when she saw how her wife was perking her brows repeatedly with a toothy grin. Of course, all that Lyra got from that was an unamused stare from the other. “Lyra, I already told you a dozen times. We are not having sex in the store while it’s open!”

“Why not? It’ll be fun!” Even with the way Bon-Bon was glaring at her, Lyra’s smirk only became more lustrous as she leaned back against the counter. “C’mon… We’ve been talking about doing something more exciting, haven’t we?”

“Yeah, I said exciting! Like hoofcuffs or a saddle or something! Not breaking at least twenty health code violations with some exhibitionist fantasy of yours.”

“We’d only be breaking those codes if we got caught,” responded her wife with a more determined tone to go alongside her smirk. While Bon-Bon groaned and turned away from the unicorn, she tried not to react when Lyra got out of her stool to nuzzle up beside her. The mint mare’s voice turned to a whisper as she put her muzzle close to Bon-Bon’s ear. “C’mon, think about it… Wouldn’t the risk of getting caught make you a little excited? Maybe it’ll get your heart racing more tha--”

Before she could continue trying to turn her wife on, Lyra’s ears perked up at almost the exact same time as Bon-Bon’s. The two of them heard voices coming closer to the shop, and Lyra instantly pulled back to sit on her stool like a school-filly trying not to get caught staring at her classmate’s paper. While Bon-Bon went back to wiping the glass like nothing happened (and to also hide the heavy blush on her cheeks that Lyra gave her), the voices became clearer outside the door.

“I already told you I’m sorry, okay?! How was I supposed to know that letter was supposed to be sent express?!”

“Because I specifically told you to send it express! I made that very clear when I emphasized how important it was!”

“Guys, guys!” Both the mares recognized that third voice as being Troy’s. “Can we please stop arguing about this? What happened happened, and it’s not the end of the world.”

The door then opened with a “Ding!” from the bell above the frame. Troy was the first to walk in with an annoyed look on his face, which he was able to extinguish with a deep sigh before giving a smile to the couple. “Hey girls!”

“Oh, hey there Troy!” said Bon-Bon cheerfully as she placed the rag and cleaner behind the counter again. “What brings you here today?”

Angela was next to walk into the shop and answer before Troy could open his beak. “Oh, he was just showing his loving parents around town.”

At the sight of the Gryphoness and her cheeky smirk, both mares gasped in pleasant surprise. “Oh my gosh!” Bon-Bon looked especially happy as she trotted up to Angela first. "What are you guys doing here?! I thought you had a few more days!”

Bon-Bon went in to give Angela a friendly, but still reserved hug. Fortunately, unlike her past visit to Equestria, the Gryphoness was now comfortable enough to return the hug without acting weird about it. “Well, we originally planned that,” answered Angela after pulling back from the mare, “but our schedules opened up a bit, so we wrote to Troy about coming a little earlier than expected.”

“Yeah…” Jonas walked into the shop behind his wife, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably with a claw. “I forgot to send the letter express, so he apparently didn't get it until today.”

“Ooh,” replied Lyra with a wince while behind the counter. “I've done that before.” After a shake of her head, she tried to change the subject and ask the couple, “So, did you guys see Twilight's new castle yet?”

Jonas stared at the unicorn like she just asked a kindergarten-level question to him. “Are you kidding?! How could we NOT see that thing?! You could actually see it from the airship station!”

Lyra shrugged her shoulders at the realization of how that question sounded. “Yeah, I suppose that's true. It really is nice, though. Twilight gave me a tour inside, and it's amazing!”

The last Gryphon to enter the store heard enough of that comment to respond with, “Well, that's not surprising at all! I mean, it is a castle!”

Lyra tilted her head in slight confusion as she stared at Lyle, and her eyes narrowed on him with a smile. “Ummm... hello there! Are you a friend of-HUUUUUHHH!!!”

As soon as she realized who it was, Lyra gasped in shock just as loudly as her wife. “LYLE?!” they both shouted in unison.

“I know, right?!” said Troy as he pointed towards his now blushing younger brother. “He grew like bamboo!”

“No I didn't!” snapped Lyle back in a flustered tone.

Not caring about his attitude, Lyra leaped over the counter like it was nothing to go over and hug the Gryphon first. “C'mere, you!” Despite his size, Lyle still made a squawked-sounding wheeze when the mint mare lifted him up with an especially tight squeeze of a hug. After she put him down, Lyra peered up at the panting Gryphon for a second and said, “Man, puberty hit you like a shovel!”

That comment made everyone else laugh, except for Lyle who pouted away from them. “Oh, shut up.”

“Hey, I’m just having a little fun.” Lyra tried to alleviate Lyle’s mood by mussing the black feathers on top of his head with a hoof. “Sorry if I got under your skin a little. You want anything?”

“Nah, I’m fine,” answered Lyle in a low tone, but Lyra was able to see that the Gryphon had a small smile on his beak when she put her hoof back down.

Angela added while peering at the display counter, “We were actually just wanting to catch up with some ponies around here before getting settled in.” She then shot a glance back at her husband while including in an aggravated tone, “Of course, we also need to figure out lodging since we can’t go back to that hotel in Cloudsdale.”

Jonas thought she was going to bring up the letter again, but that reminder was enough to make him turn his head away to hide his cringe. Lyle also tried to avoid being seen with his smile deflating to a bitter scowl. Troy tried to save the mood as he walked up to the counter, “But, we still have plenty of time to get you guys somewhere for the night. I’m sure the hotel here in town has some rooms.”

“Oh, no…”

Bon-Bon’s involuntary mutter was audible enough to catch everyone’s attention. All eyes were peered at her as Jonas asked, “Umm… what?”

The mare bit her lip worriedly, and she looked out the window while explaining, “Well, I think there’s a big bowling tournament going on…”

Lyra groaned and slapped her own forehead with a hoof in recollection. “Ugh, that’s right! A lot of out-of-town ponies have been around lately! That hotel is probably packed solid!”

“Oh, great…” Angela rubbed her temples with her talons as she tried to control her breathing. When she put her claw back down, her eyes narrowed as she looked down the ground and thought analytically. “Well… I suppose we could get some clouds together if--”

The bell ringed once more as the door opened again. But this time, a purple and green drake walked in while wearing a matching backpack. “Oh, hey Spike!” said Bon-Bon cheerfully, obviously going back into retail mode as she trotted back behind the counter with a smile. “You here for that ghost pepper candy I was working on?”

Spike readjusted the straps of his backpack while answering, “Well, that and some licorice for Twilight. She was craving them, so I figured why not?” Before he could go up to the counter to make his purchase, the baby dragon paused when he saw the four Gryphons also in the shop. “Oh! Well, ummm… I guess the wedding is sooner than I thought.”

Troy turned quizzical while Spike walked past him to the counter. “What, like you forgot or something? I’m surprised Twilight hasn’t filled an entire wall with notes about the planning!”

Spike scoffed with a smirk and put his bits on the counter for Bon-Bon. “Are you kidding?! She filled up two!” After getting his items and giving a quick “Thank you” to Bon-Bon, the drake began putting his candies in his backpack when he admitted, “But to be fair, I kinda tone out when it comes to that stuff. It’s sorta hard to make weddings interesting, you know?”

Lyra narrowed his eyes on him skeptically. “... You mean aside from the one in Canterlot, right?”

“Well, duh!” Spike threw his backpack over his back while glancing back at the unicorn. “After that happened, it kinda makes any other wedding seem a bit dull.”

Troy and Lyle both shrugged as they looked back at each other in agreement. “He’s not wrong,” admitted the younger.

“Of course, it’s not like I’m not happy about you an--” When Spike turned his head to Troy to finish his statement, he paused when he caught a glance at Lyle. His head tilted for a second before his eyes widened.

“Yeah, I know,” said Lyle with rolled eyes. “I grew a little.”

Spike looked the Gryphon up and down, clearly having a different word to say than “a little,” but he just shrugged before muttering to himself, “Lucky…”

Lyra’s eyes instantly shot wide open as she got an idea. “OOH!! OOH, OOH!!”

With both her forelegs raised and waving to get everyone’s attention, the unicorn waited only a second for the group to look towards her before pointing at Troy’s parents. “I just got an idea! You two were looking for a place to stay, right?”

Angela and Jonas looked over at each other with confused looks and nodded. “Well… yeah…” Angela turned back to Lyra to say, “I think we made that fairly clear.”

Lyra’s smile was wide enough to look like something Pinkie Pie would have as she exclaimed, “Well, why not the castle?!”

Both of the older Gryphons stood in shock at the unicorn’s suggestion. Lyle was the first to respond with a skeptical, “Ummm… are you serious?”

“Of course!” Feeling giddy about her idea, Lyra hopped up on the counter that Bon-Bon just cleaned, seemingly not caring that she was walking on glass as she paced up and down while speaking. “I mean, think about it! You guys need a place to sleep, and you can’t all just hang around Troy and Canvas’s place. Like, the studio’s big, but definitely not that big…”

“Lyra, please get off the counter!” Shouted Bon-Bon in a scared tone of voice. “I really don’t think the weight limit--”

“Plus,” interrupted Lyra as she continued pacing, “Twilight is helping you guys with the festivities anyway, so I’m sure she wouldn’t mind! Especially when she’s living in that giant castle now! Seriously, there are like, a million rooms in that place! There has to be at least a few guest rooms that aren’t being used, right?!”

She looked down at Spike with that last question with a huge grin, hoping to get the answer she was looking for. The drake pondered her idea for a second with a claw to his chin, and his brows raised at the realization that she wasn’t wrong. “Well… There actually are some rooms on the second floor…”

Lyra was becoming giddy enough to start bobbing up and down on the counter with a wide grin. Meanwhile, Bon-Bon waved a hoof up at her to grab her attention. “Umm, Lyra?”

“So it’s settled!” chirped the unicorn cheerfully. “Spike will see if Twilight can let the Clawstons stay with them for the week--”

“Lyra?”

“And I suppose the triplets can stay there too, unless they already have something set up.”

“Lyra!”

“OOH! And they can see what Twilight’s friends did the remains of the old library--”

“LYRA!”

“Alright, alright!” Not wanting to her her wife’s voice raise any higher, Lyra hopped off the counter before the glass could risk breaking. “The glass didn’t break, see?! I’ll just wipe it off and we’ll be fine.”

“No, it’s not about that!” With her aggravated tone pointed at her wife, Bon-Bon took a calming breath and spoke up before Lyra could get the rag and cleaner. “I was just trying to say…”

Bon-Bon paused momentarily, looking back at Jonas and Angela in contemplation of how to word her point correctly. With a slightly uncomfortable look on her face, she peered back at Lyra and asked, “Don’t you think that… maybe things could be awkward between them and Twilight?”

Lyra looked back at her quizzically. “What do you mea…” The mint mare stopped her words briefly, and was silent for a couple seconds before her eyes widened. “... Oh.”

Jonas and Angela both cringed, turning their faces away from the other married couple in the shop. While it was clear that Lyra actually had a good idea, they also knew that the Clawstons’ last encounter with Princess Twilight Sparkle wasn’t exactly proper. Even though they already did a lot to make amends with her since then, they both knew that asking for a favor like that may have been pushing it.

Fortunately, Troy spoke up before anyone else could. “Well…” Despite looking uncomfortable himself, the Gryphon maintained his composure while rubbing the back of his head to say, “I know that they were planning to talk with some ponies today and make apologies.”

“Mostly him,” stated Angela with a quick nudge toward her husband. Jonas returned the gesture with a narrowed stare on the Gryphoness.

“Well, yeah,” admitted Troy with a shrug of his shoulders before continuing, “but I think they were already planning on talking with her today anyway. I don’t see why she wouldn’t help them out after everything they’ve been doing.”

Even though both of the Clawstons seemed surprised at their son’s optimistic answer, Angela was able to grow a faint smile on her beak while looking back at him. “Thank you, Troy.”

While Troy looked away with a smile of his own, Spike shrugged and said, “Honestly, she probably would be cool with it. I mean, the castle is huge, so I doubt a few Gryphons would make it feel cramped or anything. Plus, I know Twi better than anypony else! She’s forgiven ponies for a LOT worse than an argument, believe me.”

Even though Jonas still seemed unconvinced with the way his beak was skewed, Lyle asked Spike in curiosity, “Really? Like what?”

Spike bit his lip and winced a little. “Uhhh… I’d rather not go there.”

“Still, it wouldn’t hurt,” said Lyra while wiping her hoofprints off the glass counter with a rag. “I bet she’d like an excuse to have some more faces in that castle anyway.”

“Oh, definitely!” piped Spike in agreement. He rolled his eyes and added, “I mean, I’m not a hundred percent used to it either, but I swear she’s getting cabin fever in that place! Or… castle fever? What would you call that?”

Bon-Bon giggled and raised her hooves. “Beats us.”

“Eh, whatever.” Spike said with a wave of his claw to disregard his thoughts. He looked back to the Gryphons to say assuredly, “I’m just saying, I’ll go back to the castle and ask Twi if it’s alright to let you guys stay. Although I’m about ninety-nine percent sure she will.”

“Well, that’s good to hear.”With a gracious smile, Angela extended a claw down to Spike for him to shake. “Thank you very much, Spike.”

Spike shook Angela’s claw with his own and replied, “Hey, it’s no problem. And who knows? Knowing her, she’ll most likely get you two a VIP suite for all those crates of free quills you sent us!”

Even though she still had her smile, Angela’s eyes shot open in apparent worry. Jonas’s glance toward her narrowed in suspicion. “Crates?” He asked in a befuddled tone. “As in… more than one?”

After pulling her claw back, Angela took a deep breath while meshing her talons together. She looked back to her husband with a more professional tone to say, “Our sales raised by forty percent this quarter alone, and I wanted to give her our thanks for that. Besides, it was only right to help out after what happened to their old home.”

Angela’s beak then skewed a tiny bit, just enough for Jonas to notice and narrow his eyes on her even more. His wife averted her eyes from as she added meekly, “Aaaaannnnd… I may have offered her some extra crates after she wrote to us about the new logo.”

Spike turned away to hide a chortle that broke out. “Mmmph! Oh yeah! I think that’s the only time I saw her get bought out by someone.”

“How many crates was it?!” asked Jonas in a more aggravated tone.

Angela stayed silent for exactly four seconds, like she was preparing herself for the number. After another breath, her eyes widened as she looked past Jonas’s shoulder at the corner of the shop. “P-Princess Celestia?!”

“What?!” As soon as Jonas turned his head to see an empty corner, Angela bolted from the shop with the kind of speed expected from Rainbow Dash. “HEY!!!” Screamed her husband before he ran out as well, intent on getting those details.

Looking out the window worriedly, Spike cringed a bit and turned back to the others. “Uhhh, I better try to stop anything bad from happening. I have a feeling he won’t be as happy as Twilight is about the ‘Quill Room’ at the castle.”

The drake then left as well, leaving only Troy and Lyle present while Lyra and Bon-Bon stood in awkward silence. The two Gryphons turned to each other, neither of them able to think of much to say. Behind the counter, Lyra turned to her wife with a cocky smirk. “Told you Twilight would have a Quill Room.”

“Oh, whatever,” muttered Bon-Bon in an annoyed tone. Without looking over at her wife, she handed her a small bag of bits. “It was a stupid bet anyway.”

Chapter Four: Catching Up To Do

“Wait, you’re serious?!”

Troy was walking alongside his younger brother through one of the less-traveled streets of Ponyville when he asked him that question. Fortunately, since most of the ponies were either in stores or near the market district, Troy and Lyle were able to chat more openly without the risk of eavesdroppers while having a walk through town. Despite the surprised expression that Troy had, Lyle just gave a befuddled smirk back at him and answered, “I’m telling you the truth, man! He actually ran off with Ms. Beakman!”

“Like, as a couple?!” Troy’s face turned more disgusted as he looked away from his brother. Since he was having a nice day so far, he really didn’t want to think of one of Lyle’s classmates leaving with someone so much older. “Ugh! How did that even happen?!”

That question left Lyle looking a bit more uneasy. His beak skewed as he paused and said uncomfortably. “Well, uhh… I think I was partially the reason for them running off. I mean, I did make that commission of her for him. Apparently it got the two talking afterward, and… yeah.”

Troy shuddered, not wanting to ask for any details deeper than what Lyle just said. “So, now the two are in Zebrica?”

“Yep,” answered Lyle with a meager shrug of his shoulders. His face winced as he struggled to make his explanation sound somewhat reasonable despite the circumstances. “I mean, it makes sense since that country has no major age of consent laws. Of course, everyone thought it was a kidnapping until I got that postcard from them.”

“A postcard?!”

“Yeah. They wanted to personally thank me for 'bringing them together as lovers'.” However, with the memory of that card on his mind, Lyle cringed hard with his eyes clenched. “Ugh, I did not need to see a picture of her in a friggin’ thong!”

“Ewwww!” Troy gave his brother a much needed push at his side from giving him that mental image, but was still able to make a befuddled chuckle to himself and shake his head. “I swear, guys with old-lady fetishes are weird!”

“What, like you know any?!” asked Lyle with a suspicious stare.

Troy looked back at him and stated bluntly, “As a matter of fact, I do.”

“Who?!”

Bright, shimmering moonlight illuminated across the Equestrian skies and caught against the dew of the grass to leave a nocturnal and almost supernatural glow across Troy and Canvas’s backyard. Aside from the chirping of the first grasshoppers of Spring, the only sounds which could be heard were from the water splashing and bubbling in the open hot tub. Steam was emanating from the surface and making an intoxicatingly welcoming motion to enter and escape from the chilly night.

Troy and Canvas, who were in their matching bathrobes, had giddy smiles on their faces while walking towards the tub to partake. They hung their robes at the side of the tub and quickly got themselves inside. Both of them gasped from the intense change in temperature as they descended into the hot and welcoming brew. Of course, the tub wasn’t the only thing getting hotter as the stallion and Gryphon moved in closer to one another.

Troy and Canvas let the heat and steam envelop them as beak and muzzle meshed in growing ecstasy. It wasn’t clear how long their tongues sloppily played with one another, or how low claws and hooves have went, but it was clear that the mood was only going to get more lustrous for them. Canvas’s muzzle briefly pulled away from Troy’s beak, a brief line of saliva connecting them as he said in a pant, “Mmm… this was a great idea~”

“Mmmhmm,” moaned Troy in an equally enticed tone. After giving his fiancè another deep, longing kiss to explore more of his muzzle, he pulled back as well to add, “It really is. Thanks for turning on the tub, babe.”

Canvas giggled while bending in for another kiss. “Hehehehe, it was.” Canvas blinked and looked up at Troy with narrowed eyes. A sudden quizzical look crossed his face. “Wait, what? I didn’t turn the hot tub on.”

Troy was still turned on, but he paused when that statement was able to register in his head.

“You… you didn’t?” Now Troy was looking confused as well. “But I didn’t do it.”

“Then who did?”

A splashing sound which was louder than the bubbles answered their question. Troy and Canvas quickly turned their heads to the sound at the other end of the tub, and saw a stallion’s head pop out from under the water. The dark grey Pegasus’s fur was now almost pitch black, and his Mohawk of blue and silver was now matted and hanging from the left side of his head. Of course, that wasn’t as noticeable as the wide-eyed look of fear he had while staring at the couple in front of him.

“THUNDERLANE?!” Troy’s eyes shot wide open in a mix of shock and anger. While Canvas sat beside him in stunned silence, Troy asked in a with his eyes widening and a vein appearing though the feathers on his head, “What the BUCK are you doing in here?!”

Thunderlane’s pupils were shrunken in as his muzzle tried make any noise louder than a creak. “Uhhhhh…”

Unfortunately, Troy’s question was answered when another head popped out from underneath the water’s surface. A wrinkly green mare appeared next to Thunderlane and his instantly more worried expression. Without her hairnet, she almost looked unrecognizable with her white mane now matted and hanging down past her shoulders. But still, seeing Granny Smith was enough to make both Troy and Canvas’ jaws go agape in pure shock.

“Ummmm…” Granny Smith was better able to speak than Thunderlane, and said to the other couple meekly, “... Sorry ‘bout this. We… we’ll be outta here…”

Without saying another word, Thunderlane quickly popped out of the hot tub before Troy could have the chance to strangle him. The Pegasus bent back in to help his marefriend out, and made the unfortunate choice of lifting up one of her hindlegs up to over the hot tub wall.

“GAAAAHHHH!!!” Shouted Canvas and Troy at the same time, their eyes covered from having caught a glance of Granny Smith’s hidden orchard.

“Oh, don’t be actin’ like that!” Granny grumbled before finally being pulled out of the hot tub by Thunderlane. “It ain’t like you two never seen a…”

Thinking it over, the mare’s brows raised as she realized who she was saying that to. She then giggled with a guilty blush before looking back at them apologetically. “Oh wait, Ah guess you two never have! He he he he heeeee!!”

“Ugh!” groaned the Gryphon as he shouted with his eyes covered. “Please, just LEAVE!”

While Thunderlane tried to escort the mare away with an extremely heavy blush, Granny Smith called out to the stunned couple as she walked away, “Sorry ‘bout spoilin’ yer fun! Ah’ll make you guys some apple fritters t’morrow!”

After the two walked out of sight, neither Troy or Canvas could say a single word while sitting in the tub bubbling with Celestia-knows what fluids. Thunderlane sheepishly came back into view before either of them could speak, and said with a nervous smile to Troy, “Ummm… I’ll pay to clean the tub… And I’ll cover your weekend shift. Sorry, bye!!”

Thunderlane then ran off once more. After another moment in silence, Canvas quickly pulled himself out of the hot tub with a bitter scowl. Troy looked over at him and asked, “So… we’re not gonna…”

“Oh, BUCK NO! Not in THAT!!” shouted the stallion as he grabbed his bathrobe and stomped back into his house angrily. Of course, Troy couldn’t argue with his fiancè, which prompted him to do the same.

“Oh, MAN!!” Lyle was rightfully grossed out, but that didn’t stop him from cracking up. “That sucks!”

“Eh, yeah. It did,” admitted Troy awkwardly. After another second, he added with a shrug. “But to be fair, Thunderlane did get the hot tub cleaned the next day. And those fritters Smith made were amazing!”

As Troy’s mood became more carefree after that last detail was mentioned, Lyle asked in clarification, “Wait, is that the same mare who put a pitchfork against Blade’s throat?”

“Yep,” answered Troy while looking back ahead of him as the crowds became thicker in town. “Hopefully those chickens they brought over will help with that.”

The two Gryphons reached the market district of Ponyville, which was crammed with dozens of ponies on the massive street alone. Along both sides, rows of tents and tables were set up for merchants to sell whatever they had for a quick bit, which ranged from various foods to small trinkets or household items. There used to be a time where being in an area like this made Troy feel completely alien in comparison to everything else. But after spending almost a year in this town, the Gryphon didn’t feel different from any other pony as he walked around with his brother.

Unfortunately, that feeling only lasted for a brief moment while shopping. While Lyle stood at the vending booth for a pony who was selling peppers, Troy overheard a frantic flapping of wings above him in the sky. He looked up to see a flash of brown and tan zoom past him and the other ponies below, and quickly disappear behind a row of houses. After a couple seconds, Troy shook his head and pondered whether or not he was seeing things; but when he looked up again and saw Blaze and Blane circling the skies like hawks, each of them holding rather large tree branches like clubs, Troy could only sigh and cover his face with a claw. “Ugh… dammit.”

Suddenly, a claw gripped Troy’s shoulder from behind and pulled him back with surprisingly strong force. The silver Gryphon was nearly flown back into an alleyway, where he was face-to-face with a very worried-looking Blade.

“Uhhh… h-h-hey, Troy…” Blade tried to give a smile to make himself look fine, but the width and shakiness of it just made the Gryphon look like he was about to do some unnameable act from one of Lyle’s comic books. Troy flinched a little, but Blade didn’t seem to notice as his eyes darted back and forth. “L-l-listen, I… I kinda need your help on something. D-do you happen to know any p-place where I can lay low for a while?”

Troy’s eyes instantly narrowed on him in suspicion. Knowing what his brothers were capable of, he was instantly worried that several cops or pissed off mares were going to be coming into the alley for Blade as well. “What did you do?”

“Nothing! Nothing, I swear on me Mum!” Blade’s claws were raised in sincerity as he made that outburst, but they slowly began to tap each other’s talons as he kept talking. “B-but, I… I may have said something to make my brothers come looking for me.”

Troy made a painful groan with his face in his claw. “Urgh… okay… what did you say, then?”

“Well,” began Blade as he kept looking up in the skies for his pissed-off brothers, “after we went to that apple farm and gave them our chickens, we went back to your place, and… Fluttershy was there…”

After he put his claw down, Troy’s brows began to raise in understanding. “Oh… so…”

“Yeah,” finished Blade with a wince in his nod. “She saw the second cage and was being all nice to them. And then she saw us, and started sayin’ how we were so noble to save their lives. And then she asked if we were taking them to a farm or sanctuary, and…”

Blade was starting to sweat as his eyes were pinned to the sky, hoping Blaze or Blade weren’t too close. Troy decided to ask while his brother’s words were frozen, “So, Fluttershy took in the chickens you were planning to eat?”

With his beak firmly clamped shut, Blade looked back at Troy to make a feeble nod of his head.

Troy gave a more relaxed sigh. “Dude, I already told you we had plenty of meat at the house. You shouldn’t be freaking out about that.”

“Well, tell THEM that!” shouted Blade with his talon pointed to the sky. “They’ve been chasin’ me around like bloody loons! You gotta help me, mate!”

“Alright, alright!” Troy put his claws on Blade’s shoulders in an attempt to calm him down. “Just take a breath and hear me out. Sugar Cube Corner is only a couple blocks away. Rainbow Dash mentioned that there’s a cave underneath it where Pinkie stores all her party stuff. I’m sure she can let you hide in there until they calm down.”

Blade paused as he processed Troy’s plan, but the way his face scrunched in indicated that he wasn’t too happy about that option. “Ugh, I dunno… The last time I met up with a dame who had her own cave, it ended with me chained up and… wearing stuff.” The Gryphon then shuddered and looked away from Troy’s weirded-out face, not wanting to reveal anything more than that.

Troy quickly shook his head clear and assured Blade, “I promise you, Pinkie Pie is not like that.” After a couple seconds of reflection in regards to his words, Troy shrugged and added, “At least, I’m pretty sure she isn’t. I’m just saying, that’ll most likely be less dangerous than Blaze or Blane getting to you.”

Blade nodded his head firmly at that point. “Okay, fair enough. Wish me luck!”

The older Gryphon then bolted out of the alley so he could “blend in” with the marketplace. However, Troy overheard Blade shout out, “Oh crap!” before running right back into the alley to hand him a piece of paper. “Oh, I almost forgot. Your stallion wanted you to pick up some groceries while you’re in town. Okay, see ya!”

Troy groaned and muttered, “Yeah, thanks,” after snatching the list from his brother.

Blade then disappeared out of the alley once more, passing Lyle on the way. While the younger continued walking towards Troy in the alley, he looked back at Blade while asking, “Umm, what was that about?”

“Eh, nothing huge. He just gave me a grocery list from Canvas.” As Troy scanned the page to see what they needed, his tone turned flat when he noticed the last few entries. “Aaaaannnnnnd I have a feeling the triplets tried to ‘improve’ it…”

Lyle peered in to see what his brother meant, and tried not to laugh at the less-than-subtle changes to the list. Along with many of the vegetable items being crossed out, several items were scribbled at the end with clearly different claw-writing. Troy’s eyes strained as he struggled to comprehend what their older brothers were trying to get him to buy. “You gotta be kidding me… beer, nuts, more beer, cheese cans, purple stuff? What the… a pallet of cream cheese?!”

Troy just groaned and shook his head before putting the list down. “Whatever. At least they didn’t cross out Canvas’s stuff completely.” He then turned to Lyle with a smile and asked, “You wanna help me get the stuff? We can drop them off for Canvas before seeing Twilight’s castle.”

At the prospect of seeing his future brother-in-law again, Lyle smiled back with a nod. “Sure thing.”

Even after cutting out the triplets’ additions to the shopping list, the two Gryphons were straining by the time they finally flew back to the house. With both of them struggling to hold three shopping bags each, Troy was barely able to grip the doorknob with his tail to walk into the living space.

“Canvas?” Troy said with a grunt as he tried to stay on his hindlegs with his claws full. “We’re back with the groceries.”

“Ooh, perfect!” Canvas ran out of the kitchen with a relieved smile to grab Troy’s bags, not even noticing Lyle coming in through the doorway behind his brother. “I was just about ready to start sauteeing!”

Troy’s ear tufts raised up when he caught the scent of the welcoming aroma coming from the kitchen. “Oooohhhh…” When he got back on all fours, Troy tried to to ask before Canvas could disappear into the kitchen again. “Should I ask what you’re making for dinner?”

“It’s a secret,” piped the stallion happily while lugging his bags through the doorway while on his back hooves. “And no peeking!”

While Lyle hobbled over to the dining table to place the remaining bags, Tenor eagerly ran down the stairs from the loft while barking loudly. The puppy ran straight towards Troy to try and jump into him, but the Gryphon grabbed him with his claws while he was in midair. “Hey there, little guy!”

Lyle turned back to Troy while Tenor was licking at the Gryphon lovingly. Troy couldn’t help giggling while saying, “Lyle, this--hehehehe… This is Tenor!”

“Awww, he's pretty cute!” Lyle smiled and began to scratch the puppy’s back with his talons. As soon as he realized there was an extra claw, Tenor stopped lapping Troy’s face to turn his head and see the new Gryphon. Of course, this just made the Saint Bernard pant with his tongue out when he saw him.

“So this is the new dog, huh?” asked Lyle as he began to scratch behind Tenor’s ears, which the puppy clearly enjoyed with his eyes becoming half-lidded. “I gotta admit, I wouldn’t have expected you two to get a dog. Canvas always seemed like a cat guy to me.”

“HOLY SHIT, LYLE?!”

When Lyle turned around to the source of that shocked reaction, he only smiled wider when he saw Canvas at the doorway with wide eyes and a dropped jaw. Lyle put on a huge grin as he stood on his hindlegs and held his claws out for him. “C’mere, dude!”

Canvas didn’t even hesitate to run towards him. When the two hugged each other tightly, Canvas was pulled off the ground due to the height difference. Of course, the pony didn’t seem to mind one bit when he was put back down; instead, he just looked up at the younger Gryphon with a baffled smile and exclaimed, “Lyle, what happened?!”

“What do you think happened?” asked Troy as he put down Tenor and leaned against Lyle’s shoulder with a foreleg. “Little Lyle here got a visit from the Puberty Fairy!”

Lyle’s expression instantly soured, which wasn’t helped by the way Troy and Canvas were both laughing. Due to all the commotion, Tenor was still yapping and hopping around the three like crazy. Canvas was the first to stop giggling and give some attention to the excited pup. “Aww, someone’s getting antsy, isn’t he?”

“Well, can you blame him?” Troy asked with a smirk. “The place already smells amazing, and seeing a bunch of new faces is gonna make him go nuts!”

“Yeah, probably.” Thinking it over, Canvas looked back up at the two Gryphons while petting Tenor’s back with a hoof. “You two mind looking after Tenor while I cook? It might take a while, so it’d be good to get him some exercise before dinner.”

“Sure thing!” Lyle bent back down to scratch behind Tenor’s ears again. “Is he good with being flown? There’s a good chance Twilight could take us in at the castle, so we were planning on going back to Ponyville.”

“Oh really?!” Canvas asked in pleasant surprise. He looked up at Lyle with a smile and said, “That’s great! At least I know you don’t have to use the couch again.”

Lyle snickered. “Yeah, you and me both!”

“Well,” Canvas pondered Lyle’s original question, and had a bit lip before answering, “As long as you two don’t try to fly around with him too high, I suppose a walk through Ponyville would be good for him.”

Tenor made an excited bark as soon as Canvas said the word “walk,” and his tail wagged even stronger than before.

“Alright then.” Troy grabbed the leash that was by the door and snapped it into Tenor’s collar. “So, what time should be back by?”

Canvas shrugged, “Eh, probably around seven would work.” He then made a relieved huff as he trotted back to the kitchen. “Honestly, it’s just good to know we could have sleeping arrangements already taken care of! Those triplets definitely wiped me out more than they did Tenor!”

At remembering what happened before going to pick the rest of his family up from Canterlot, Troy’s whole body seemed to tense up in guilt. Even though he didn’t want to stick around after that awkward reveal, he certainly knew better than to leave his future husband alone with his older brothers after that bombshell. As Canvas disappeared into the kitchen, Troy turned back to Lyle and handed him the leash. “Uhhh… could you wait outside a second? I needed to ask Canvas about something.”

Lyle’s eyes slowly narrowed on him suspiciously. “This isn’t for something dirty, is it?”

“No!” Troy snapped in annoyance. “I just….” Troy paused as he looked back at the closed kitchen door, and then pered in closer to Lyle to say in a hushed tone, “I may have… messed up when I left Canvas alone with the triplets.”

Lyle’s brows immediately raised in understanding. “Ooohhh… Yeah, that’s worth apologizing for.”

“Thanks,” said the older with a nudge of his claw against Lyle’s shoulder. Even though it wasn’t exactly the response he wanted to hear, it was certainly the one that needed to be said. Lyle took the suggestion to leave Troy alone for a minute, and took Tenor’s leash to lead him outside. “Alright, just let me know if you need anything, alright?”

“Yeah, thanks.” After Lyle and the puppy exited the living space, Troy made an uncomfortable exhale and walked towards the kitchen door. Even though he wanted to go inside to make his apology, Troy didn’t want to do so after Canvas specifically said not to go into the kitchen before dinner. So, the Gryphon reluctantly knocked on the door to catch his attention. “Ummm, Canvas?”

The stallion replied from the kitchen in a positive tone, “Yeah?”

“Listen, ummm... about what happened this morning…”

The other side of the the kitchen door became eerily silent, aside from the sound of a large pot bubbling. Troy cringed at knowing his fiancè was aware what he was referring to, but still continued after a slight pause. “I’m really, really sorry. I swear, I didn’t tell those guys anything too personal, alright? Blade wrote to me asking about those toys he gave us on Hearth’s Warming, and I may have replied back and--”

“Troy, it’s okay,” replied Canvas’s voice in a surprisingly calm tone. “I’m not mad at you about that. I know you didn’t mean to say too much, and I completely understand. Besides, a lot of little secrets like that slip out from time to time.”

Troy sighed with a relieved smile, and nodded after giving the door an approving knock with his claw. “Thanks, hon. I’m really glad tha--”

The Gryphon was just about to walk away from the door, but that last sentence Canvas said made Troy freeze with ice in his veins. He peered his head in closer to the door as his tone became more fearful. “Canvas… what did you tell them?”

A very long bout of silence passed before Troy heard the stallion reply, “What do you mean?” Of course, the way that question was said just made the Gryphon more nervous. He could’ve sworn that he was able to catch the smile on Canvas’s muzzle when he said that.

“Canvas, what did you tell my brothers while I was gone?!”

For almost twenty seconds, the stallion didn’t say a word. Before Troy could burst into the kitchen for answers, he heard Canvas say in a sing-song tone much closer to the door:

“...Nothiiiiinnnngggggg…”

That statement was enough to make the Gryphon wince strongly. While the pony giggled in the kitchen and went back to work on dinner, all that Troy could do was slowly walk outside with a panicked and uncomfortable look on his face. He muttered to himself, “Ugh… what did he say?!”

Chapter Five: Surprises on Both Ends

“Man, I think I overdid it.”

That was the only thing that Canvas could say while looking at everything he prepared in the kitchen over the course of an afternoon. The aqua stallion didn’t plan to spend so much time nor effort on cooking today, but he had to admit that it was a surprisingly calming activity. At least, calming juxtaposed to to his recent commissions and wedding plans. However, as he stared at everything he cooked during the afternoon, Canvas made a disheveled huff with a shake of his head.

“Ohhhhh, Troy is doing the dishes tonight,” muttered Canvas as he covered his hooves with oven mitts and went to pick up the massive pot, which was simmering on the stove as it had been for several hours. “No doubt about it. He will be cleaning.”

Meanwhile outside, the skies were beginning to change from the tranquil yellow of dusk to a dark and almost neon-looking orange. Because of Jonas and Angela’s talks with Twilight Sparkle earlier that day, all of the Clawston family’s luggage were moved to several of the vacant guest rooms of the castle. Also, when Troy and Lyle took Tenor around Ponyville and the castle, Blaze and Blane became too preoccupied with the puppy to care about where Blade may have been hiding. In fact, the two almost forgot what they were mad about when Blade returned to find them wrestling with Tenor outside Troy and Canvas’s home.

Troy tried to ask his older brothers what Canvas told them while he was gone, but none of them said a thing. Unfortunately, the smirks they had as they all said “Nothinnnngggg” at the same time just made Troy more nervous than before.

Jonas and Angela were strangely the last ones to arrive at the barn. When the two landed at the front of the home where the stallion’s studio was, Jonas looked at the massive muraled walls with a disapproving groan. “Hnnnn… I really don’t understand why he would decorate like this.”

“Well, he is an artist,” chimed Angela with a more positive tone. She paused to stare at the front doors with admiration as she said, “When you run a business from home, it doesn’t hurt to make yourself noticed, and this definitely helps to advertise his skills. No pony who’s looking for him would be able to miss all this.”

“I suppose.” Jonas shrugged his shoulders, and then his brows raised when he looked up at the two adjacent flags hanging from the roof. “Huh. I will admit, the flags are a nice addition.”

Angela giggled and rewarded that statement with a peck against the General’s cheek. “There you go. Isn’t it nice to say something positive?”

“What are you talking about?” Jonas asked in a slightly baffled tone as the two walked to the side of the barn where the living entrance was. “I say a lot of positive things! You remember when I was complimenting Princess Twilight’s castle during her tour?”

A coy smirk was on Angela’s beak when she said, “I remember your first statement was that the tree was more fitting for her.”

“I didn’t say that to her face! And besides, you saw how many books she owns! That library was a more appropriate home for her. I wasn’t being insulting!”

Jonas wanted to say more, but he begrudgingly closed his beak with an exasperated sigh. When the two went to the side yard of the barn, both of them were surprised to see Blaze and Blane lying on the ground panting in exhaustion. Tenor was passed out between them, clearly having gotten his workout for the day. Meanwhile, Blade was leaned against the side of the house with a beer in his claw. “Oi, don’t look at me,” he said as he put his other claw up in innocence. “Those two knocked themselves out on their own.”

“We’re not knocked out,” muttered Blaze with his head still in the grass. “Just tired.”

Jonas just stared down at his two sons briefly. Considering that it was because of a puppy and nothing they drank or smoked, the General was just content with the idea of a peaceful dinner. Meanwhile, Angela grew an enamored smile when she saw the puppy. “Awwww, come here, widdle guy!”

While Blade’s brows skewed from hearing his Mom’s tone of voice, the Gryphoness picked up Tenor gently with her claws. The puppy made a surprisingly large yawn which made Angela giggle sweetly. She turned towards her husband and asked, “You know what this dog reminds me of?”

Surprisingly enough, Jonas chuckled as well as he scratched the back of the puppy’s ears. “You mean back when we were stationed up in the mountain base?”

Angela seemed impressed that her husband remembered that with her brows raising. “Yeah, exactly!” She then went back to nuzzle Tenor as he began to wake himself back up. “Awww… I missed seeing all those Saint Bernards up there.”

Neither of them were aware that the door to the living space was now open. Troy and Lyle were both looking out from the doorway with the same baffled expressions that Blade had.

“Ummm, Mom?” asked Troy in a tone which implied he may have suspected Angela of being a Changeling. “You alright there?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Angela pointed a genuine smile back at her sons and put the dog back on the ground. “Just admiring your little puppy before dinner.”

Jonas looked towards Troy and added, “Speaking of which, what have you been feeding him? I hope Equestria is letting dogs eat more than protein pills!”

Troy just rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry, Dad. Equestrian dog food contains more than enough animal protein for him. Plus, I’m not the only one eating meat from the packages you two send…” Troy’s words began to fade as he focused his attention on what Tenor was going. Now fully awake, the puppy had a peculiar expression as he sniffed around Angela’s midsection.

The Gryphoness quickly realized what the puppy was doing and snatched him back up. “Ooh! I guess this little scamp was curious!”

Lyle’s head tilted with his eyes narrowed on her. “Ummm, what for?”

“Nothing, nothing,” said Jonas as he looked back his wife and motioned her to follow him to the house. He turned back to Troy and asked, “Is dinner ready yet?”

“Actually, yeah.” Troy pointed a talon back to the inside of the barn. “We were just helping Canvas set the table.”

Canvas’s voice called out from inside. “Okay, you guys can come in! I have beer in the cooler!”

Blaze and Blane shot right up from the ground at the mention of beer. The two tried to rush into the house first, but Blade’s quick turnaround was timed so the three ended up jammed in the doorway at the same time. As the three began to push and squirm against one another, clearly not thinking to pull back from the door, Jonas face-clawed with obvious disappointment. “Ugh… why does this always happen?”

“C’mon, guys,” said Troy as he shrugged and motioned the remaining Gryphons to follow him to the front. “We’ll go in through the studio.”

Even though Troy and Canvas were fairly unprepared for the Clawston family’s early arrival, the couple did manage to get one necessity in advance: an extra large dining table that was big enough to seat everyone comfortably. The living space may have felt a bit smaller after lugging the massive round table inside, but it was clearly needed after Canvas and all seven Gryphons got themselves seated. Plus, the hardwood table was just the right size to hold all the food needed for their impromptu feast. Among the various bowls and trays of side dishes, a gargantuan pot sat proudly in the middle of the table, which held a massive amount of chili.

There wasn’t much talk for the first ten minutes as everyone gorged on Canvas’s cooking, although the sounds of beaks smacking and loud grunts definitely filled any void. While the stallion was fine with eating his own dish of baked potatoes and broccoli with cheese, there wasn’t a single complaint from the rest of the family while they tore through multiple helpings of his main dish. Despite being a strict vegetarian himself, the pony felt rather proud that his concoction of ground beef and sausage was good enough to make a family of Gryphons attack it like a pack of hyenas.

Meanwhile, Tenor was happily eating from his own dish of high-quality kibble (with chunks of beef flank added for good measure). But instead of eating his meal at his usual spot by the record player, Tenor actually pushed his dish over so he was eating right beside Angela’s chair. The Gryphoness didn’t seem to mind one bit, but the puppy’s behavior was definitely still unusual.

Blaze scooped up a claw full of tater tots from one of the dining dishes to put on his plate. “Okay, I gotta ask,” he said while topping his plate with a ladle of chili, “where did you learn to cook chili like this?! Seriously, most Gryphons couldn’t make a pot this good!”

Canvas smiled with a proud blush on his cheeks. “Well,” began the stallion with a bashful shrug, “to be fair, chili is pretty similar to curry in a lot of ways. Just a lot of spices combined with a good broth. The only major difference is adding meat and beans to the mixture.”

“Oh, you shouldn’t be so modest, Canvas,” said Angela with a sincere smile on her beak, “This really is great.” She was already halfway through her second helping of chili with rice, and she turned her attention to Troy to add while pointing at him with her fork. “I think you have yourself a keeper.”

Troy and Canvas’s eyes both widened in surprise. Considering how frazzled the Gryphoness acted about their relationship the last time she was in Equestria, hearing her say a comment like that was nothing short of jarring. Fortunately, Troy was able to smile back and reply in a slightly flustered tone. “Wow, umm… thanks, Mom.”

“Yes,” added Canvas with a grateful smile on his muzzle. “Thank you for that.”

Blane, who was too preoccupied with with fifth bowl of chili to say anything before, wiped his beak with his foreleg while staring at his Mother with his eyes unusually wide open. “Ummm… Mom, are you dying?”

“What?!” shouted Angela and Jonas at the same time with shocked glances at their son.

“Yeah, what’s going on?” added Lyle in agreement. His eyes darted between his Mom and Dad like he was trying to peer for any reasons behind their confused expressions. “Because you two have been acting really weird since this morning!”

“Oh, so what?” Jonas asked condescendingly with a brow arched upward in Lyle’s direction. “Your Mom and I can’t look happy being with our whole family again?”

Lyle merely returned his Dad’s gesture with a deadpan stare and replied, “Well, it’s kind of a big contrast compared to how you guys acted last time you were here.”

Lyle wasn’t trying to purposely make a scene. Unfortunately, that statement was enough to turn the room eerily silent. While Angela looked away uncomfortably, and Jonas just narrowed his eyes on Lyle with his beak tightly shut, Tenor pulled his head up from his dish to stare up quizzically.

“Lyle, c’mon,” said Blade in a surprisingly held-back tone while nudging him from the side. “Don’t try to bring anything up right now. A lot of shit hit the fan the last time we had a fight during dinner here.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Blade actually has a point,” said Troy as he uncapped another bottle of beer from the cooler. He ignored his brother yelling “OI!” at him as he turned his focus towards Lyle. “Besides, I was wanting to hear what’s been happening while you guys were gone. Mom told me that you were working for an internship now.”

Canvas chimed in with a smile. “Oh yeah! For that comic book company, right?”

Angela’s previously tense mood began to relax with a relieved smile on her beak. Hoping that the tone in discussion was able to change from that unwelcome reminder earlier, Jonas drew a deep breath to himself and stayed silent.

“Hey, it’s nothing that huge.” Lyle tried to dismiss Canvas’s happy attitude with a swipe of his claw, despite the small blush he had on both sides of his now smiling beak. “I’m mostly just making coffee for the staff and stuff.”

“Oh, don’t you lie to me,” said Canvas with a smirk while pointing a hoof at the teenage Gryphon. “Angela said that you actually helped them out with some character designs!”

Lyle whipped his head over at his Mother to gripe. “MOM!”

“Well, it’s true,” stated Angela with a smile on her beak. “You know, you really shouldn’t try to downplay your contributions over there. I might not like the story they’re doing, but the fact that you’re helping out really is something to be proud of.”

“So come on,” added Canvas in a more persuasive tone of voice, “I really want to know more about it.”

“It’s really nothing much, okay?” Despite the roll of Canvas’s eyes, Lyle shrugged as he tried to explain himself. “I just offered some character suggestions! I have no idea if they’ll actually use them! Besides, even if they did, I really doubt that you would want to read the end result.”

“Oh, and why not?” Canvas jeered with both brows raised at Lyle.

Lyle just returned the stare and said, “Because the comic they’re working on is part of the Scarred series, called Scarred: Equestrian Nightmare. And if I remember, that was the comic you refused to read more than one page of.”

Canvas reeled back from Lyle with a look of shock. Even though he knew from the letters that Lyle was part of a comic publisher that dealt with more mature stories, he wasn’t expecting a Gryphon his age to be a part of that particular comic. “Wait, really?! Like, are you even allowed?!”

Lyle shrugged again. “Technically, they’re not paying me, so they’re not breaking any laws.”

Blaze stopped eating and pointed a talon at Canvas. “Wait a minute. How do YOU know about those comics?! Aren’t they illegal here?!”

Canvas shuddered and tried to go back to his plate and ignore any bad memories of that comic. “Lyle brought an issue of it with him, and I didn’t listen when he told me not to read it. All I can say is that I can totally see why it’s illegal.”

Blaze, Blade, and Blane’s eyes all narrowed on the stallion. Blaze was the first to ask with a smirk, “Which scene was it that made you stop? The family on the beach?”

“Was it just one of the cover pages?” asked Blade curiously. “Because a few of those are pretty hardcore, mate.”

“Ooh!” Blane raised a claw to add, “Was it the nursery!?”

Canvas just winced, not even wanting to know the context of those events. Before any other guesses could be made, Lyle turned to the triplets and just said, “The dolphin.”

All three of the the Gryphons cringed and stopped asking. “Yikes,” muttered Blaze as he went back to his plate. “That’d do it.”

Angela huffed and threw her napkin on the table in irritation, “Okay, if we’re done trying to ruin our appetites, I think we have more things to discuss.” After taking a breath, she turned her head to Troy with a more optimistic smile. “Starting with what it was you wanted to tell us tonight?”

Troy took a second before his eyes widened in sudden realization. “Oh, right!” A smile grew on the silver Gryphon’s beak as he looked towards Canvas to ask, “You want me to tell them?”

“Of course,” said Canvas with a warm smile back at him. “It is your accomplishment.”

“Alright, fine.” Troy began to blush, and he looked back to the rest of his family to begin. “Well, you guys remember a few months back when I had that audition in Canterlot?”

Jonas looked up from his plate while his beak was half-full. “You mean the one you lost?”

Troy’s happy tone instantly dropped as he glared back at his Dad. “I didn’t lose. They just didn’t think I was right for the role.”

Jonas’s brows raised for a split second before going back to his bowl. “Potato, potahto.”

Troy just groaned and tried to get his announcement back on track. “Anyway, about a week after that audition, I found out that one of the ponies judging sent my details over to Manehattan, and I did some auditions over there.”

That statement grabbed the rest of the Clawstons’ interest. Troy’s smile grew more giddy while all eyes were on him. “And unlike in Canterlot, I actually got a callback for a particular show on Bridleway. So, if things go right on my final audition in two days…”

Canvas was bobbing up and down in his chair, with his muzzle tightly shut to keep from blurting anything out. Troy was almost squirming in his seat as well, and took a brief pause before announcing with a blush on his cheeks. “I very well could be the very first Gryphon to have a lead role in Hinny of the Hills!”

Lyle and Angela both gasped in surprise, and the rest just became wide-eyed. “Oh my gosh!” shouted Angela before she rushed out of her chair. While Tenor barked loudly and chased after the Gryphoness, she ran around the table to give Troy a celebratory hug. “Congratulations!”

“Holy crap!” shouted Blade with a wide smile at him. “That’s bloody awesome! You know how many Bridleway mares I banged?!”

Blaze scoffed while downing his beer. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure that one who was over three-hundred pounds really wasn’t the lead for Witches, dude.” While Blade huffed and glared at him, Blade finished his bottle and added towards Troy, “But that really is awesome! I mean, I want to say I’m shocked, but the whole ‘gay’ thing makes getting a Bridleway role seem kinda feasible.”

That made Troy’s smile falter momentarily with a roll of his eyes.

“Plus,” added Blane with his own beer raised towards Troy, “you can sing like a mother-bucker! If anyone can be the first Gryphon on Bridleway, it’d be you!”

Despite that middle comment, Troy’s thankful smile back grew back for the three when he saw that none of them were lying at all. Canvas leaned in towards Troy’s seat and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I agree one hundred percent.”

While Angela went back to her seat, Jonas shrugged his shoulders and said, “Well, I gotta admit, Troy. That’s…”

His beak stayed shut for a brief moment, but Jonas eventually sighed as Troy turned his attention towards him. “That’s really nice to hear, son. Good job.”

Troy stayed frozen briefly, like he was waiting for his Dad to add something negative to his statement. However, nothing else followed that remark. Even though the grizzled brown Gryphon didn’t have much of an expression on his face, his eyes didn’t give any hint of dishonesty with what he just said. Because of that, Troy let out a quick breath and said, “Umm… thanks, Dad.”

Blane decided to ask again, “Okay, are YOU dying?!”

“BLANE!” yelled Jonas angrily with both claws hitting the table. Everyone else jolted, but luckily nothing was spilled or toppled over. “Can you quit asking that?!”

“I’m sorry,” blurted Blane sincerely with his claws up in defense, “but I’m kinda with Lyle here! You and Mom are acting really weird!”

Jonas sunk his head into his claws and groaned long enough to practically say he was getting too old for this. Angela sighed as well and turned towards him. “Should we just tell them?”

“Tell us what?” asked Troy curiously. His brothers also looked towards Angela, clearly wanting to know too.

Seeing how they were acting, Jonas dropped his claws as he sighed in a more relaxed-sounding tone. “Oh, why not?” He looked to his wife with a gentle smile and gave an approving nod. “We might as well say it.”

Angela chuckled lightly with a grin on her beak, and took a breath before getting a third helping of chili. “Well…” As she piled the chili and rice onto her plate, the Gryphoness carried a chipper smile while saying, “Jonas and I found out something earlier this month. And even though I wanted to tell all of you at the same time, I was a little worried since it’s so close to the wedding. So before I say anything, I just want to assure you all that we’re not trying to steal Canvas or Troy's thunder on their big day.”

Unfortunately, as soon as Angela put her plate back down in front of her, Blaze shook his head and scoffed in disbelief. “Damn, Mom! You’re getting thirds?! You never eat that much in one sitting!”

“Yeah,” added Blane with a huff of his own. “It’s like you’re pregnant again.”

Angela dropped her fork. Both she and Jonas became silent as they stared at Blane wide-eyed. After about three seconds of silence, Canvas loudly gasped and covered his muzzle with both hooves while staring at Angela. “Ohmigosh!”

Jonas slammed his claws even harder on the table and shouted, “DAMMIT, BLANE! YOU RUINED THE SURPRISE!!!”

The streetlights in Ponyville were shining brightly enough to completely illuminate the cobblestone streets. Because of that, Lyra and Bon-Bon felt quite safe as they walked side-by-side on their way back to their shop. Bon-Bon carried a content, albeit tired smile on her face as her head leaned in lazily against her wife’s side. “Mmmm… I’m really glad we had a night out to ourselves.”

“Yeah,” hummed Lyra in agreement as she nuzzled Bon-Bon sweetly. “We really need to make that a more common thing.”

“What are you talking about?” Bon-Bon lifted her head back up to stare at her wife with a baffled furrow of her brows. “This is the second night this week that we went out somewhere nice.”

“Well, to be fair,” replied the unicorn with a roll of her amber eyes, “that first time was to help make up for that argument we had a while back. This one was just to--”

A thunderous crash from Sugar Cube Corner made both mares quickly jolt and duck in cover. While they laid down in the middle of the street with their hooves over their heads, they saw a bright flash of pink zoom past them with the accompanying sound of an overjoyed, screeching babble of noise.

“BabybabybabybabybabybabybabybabybabybabybabybabybabybabybabybabybabybabybabyBAAAAABYYYYYYY!!!”

And just as quickly as she appeared, Pinkie Pie was out of sight and within the darkness outside Ponyville. Bon-Bon looked over at Lyra silently, mostly in confirmation that what they saw was real. Meanwhile, Lyra paused briefly before growing a sweet smile and going, “Awwww… someone’s having a baby.”

Chapter Six: Baby Talk

“WHAT?!”

Despite the shocked looks everyone else around the table had, Angela and Jonas just chuckled with giddy grins on their beaks.

“That’s right,” said Angela while gently patting her stomach. “We found out about it a month ago. We’re having another baby.”

“Holy crap, Mom!” Troy was the first to get out of his seat. With a huge smile on his beak, the Gryphon rushed around the table and gave Angela a caring hug. “Congratulations, you guys!”

“Oh, thank you Troy!” Angela hugged Troy back tightly, but pulled back when she saw the triplets start to get out of their seats as well. Meanwhile, Lyle seemed oddly silent while staying in his chair. Angela was too busy getting hugs from her other sons to notice, and Jonas was sitting upright in his chair with a proud smile while watching them. Only Canvas saw the vacant, yet still uneasy expression that was on the teenage Gryphon’s face.

“Ummm… Lyle?” asked the stallion with a raised brow. He put a hoof out in front of Lyle’s face and moved it around to see if he was able to focus on it. Lyle quickly shook his head clear, almost as if his mind had been frozen for a brief moment.

“Oh! Ummm.” With his beak clenched shut, Lyle turned his attention towards his smiling Mother. Even though he had a smile on his beak, it seemed somewhat shaky as he said, “That... That’s great to hear, Mom. Congrats.”

“Awww!” Angela looked touched by that statement, and reached across the table to give Lyle’s claw a thankful squeeze. Lyle may have smiled back at her in support, but Canvas narrowed his eyes on him suspiciously. He didn’t want to say anything about it, but the stallion could’ve sworn that Lyle’s reaction sounded a bit off. But before Canvas could ask anything about it, his ears perked up when he heard Troy smack himself over the head with a claw.

“Ohhhh!” Troy had his claw in his face like he just got the punchline to an old joke. “This explains so much! The doctor’s note totally makes sense now!”

Angela chuckled with a shrug. “Well, yeah,” she admitted with a guilty smirk. “Being pregnant has its perks when it comes to international travel.”

“Honestly, I’m surprised the chocolate-covered jerky didn’t do it,” added Jonas with a grin of his own while pointing at Troy. “She ate those things all the time when she was carrying Lyle.”

“Oh YEAH!” shouted all three of the triplets at the same time. As they got back to their seats, Blaze nudged Blane’s side and said, “Didn’t she get a discount at that shop for a while because she bought so much of that stuff?”

“Well,” replied Blane in thought as he slumped back in his seat (and almost broke it), “I thought it was because she was the only one to buy it there, so they just gave it all to her for cheap.”

Angela brought up a claw and waved it around back and forth. “Eh, it may have been a little of both,” she said in an unsure tone of voice.

Tenor, who was watching everything happen from the floor excitedly, eagerly hopped up so his front paws were on Angela’s lap. While she scratched the top of the puppy’s head, Canvas sighed loudly in sudden realization. “Oh, this explains Tenor too! I remember reading a study that said certain animals are able to detect when someone is pregnant!”

Jonas made a brief huff while staring back at his wife. “That’s actually true. Cats kept following her around whenever we went to work! I think that was when she realized something was up.”

Angela shrugged and added, “Well, that and the vomiting every morning.”

That got a couple chuckles from the rest of the table, especially from Canvas. Blade decided to ask in a curious tone, “So, do you two know what the sex is yet?”

“No,” answered Angela with a hint of disappointment in her voice. She made a brief sigh and added, “We probably won’t know for another month or so. But I am hopeful I’ll finally get a daughter this time.”

Jonas cackled surprisingly loud before taking a swig from his beer. As soon as he put down his bottle, he noticed his wife’s bitter stare on him before he responded. “You’ve said that every time you got pregnant! I think it’s clear the Clawston streak isn’t breaking.”

“We don’t know that as a fact, honey.” After shaking her head with a small huff to herself, Angela glanced back at Troy for a brief moment before grabbing her glass of iced tea. “Although, even if the streak doesn’t break for me, I could always hope for a granddaughter…”

Even though she didn’t look at Troy or Canvas while saying that, both of them gave annoyed and deadpan stares in her direction. “We are not having any children!” said the two at the same time.

Lyle tried to slowly push his chair away from either of them in fears of a heated argument brewing up. Angela merely exhaled strongly through her beak and said, “Well, you two are still pretty young. I’m just saying--”

“NO!” snapped Troy angrily while pointing at his Mother. “I swear to Celestia, if you say ‘We’ll change our minds one day,’ I will get myself a vasectomy!”

Angela gasped with her claws over her mouth, looking like Troy just admitted to murder. “You wouldn’t DARE!”

“Guys, GUYS!” shouted Jonas while glaring at Troy and Angela. “Can we NOT argue about this?” He pointed a talon at Troy and stated firmly, “Troy, do not make threats like that! She’s still upset about the triplets getting that procedure!”

“Wait, what?!” Canvas whipped his head to the triplets for clarification. “You guys got vasectomies?!”

“Yep,” said Blaze nonchalantly while pulling another bottle of beer from the now almost empty cooler. “We all did it after that pregnancy scare Blade got with that Diamond Dog bitch.”

“Yeah,” said Blade with a brief shake of his head in disbelief. “I really didn’t expect that from Gold Digger.” He then shook his head a second time to add, “But anyway, after I proved it wasn’t mine since we only did your guy’s kind of sex, we figured that it would be cheaper to get snipped now than face a million child support payments later.”

While Angela huffed with a bitter scowl on her beak, Blane turned to her and added in a higher-emphasized tone of voice, “And we ALSO went to a sperm bank before that! It’s not like we’ll never have kids, Mom!”

The Gryphoness scoffed and muttered under her breath, “Oh, goodie. Maybe one day I’ll have popsicle children.”

“Well, you better get used to that idea,” said Troy flatly, “because Canvas and I aren’t planning on ever having kids.”

Angela asked with a befuddled scowl still on her beak, “Well why not?!”

“Honey,” interrupted Jonas in a calmer tone towards his wife. When Angela paused to turn to him, the General waited for her to settle down before saying, “If Troy and Canvas don’t want children, then that’s their choice as adults. You’ve been on my ass about accepting Troy for what he does with his life, which I’ve been doing! And if I have to accept that he’s never getting a wife, then it’s only fair that you accept the two don’t want any damn kids.”

Angela just stared at her husband, completely wide-eyed and unable to say a single word. Of course, she wasn’t the only one at the table who was speechless at Jonas’s little speech. Even Tenor looked around the room from Angela’s lap, noticing how nobody was saying anything.

After a few seconds, Lyle finally spoke up while staring at his Dad in surprise. “Wow, Dad. That’s probably the smartest thing I ever heard you say.”

While he should’ve been happy to hear that, Jonas instead glared at Lyle and replied, “And what’s THAT supposed to mean?!”

“I think what he’s trying to say,” chimed Canvas in a quick attempt to keep the discussion in a positive light, “is that we’re glad you’re able to understand our views on this subject. And for that, I want to say thank you.”

When Jonas turned his attention to Canvas, he saw that the stallion had a legitimately thankful smile on his muzzle. So, after a soft exhale, Jonas nodded to him and relied, “Well, you’re welcome.” As he went back to his bowl, he added before eating, “Besides, we should be glad they’re able to make that choice. It’s not like Troy can accidentally knock up a stallion.”

Angela dropped her face into her claws with a groan. Troy just stared at Jonas with a dropped beak and strained eyes, looking like he was struggling to comprehend how his Dad would think that comment was a good addition. Unfortunately, that wasn’t as bad as what Canvas absent-mindedly said while going back to his plate:

“Not for a lack of trying.”

The stallion instantly shot his hooves up over his mouth. The triplets all spat out their drinks at the same time, which was quickly overshadowed by the sounds of their howling laughter. While the remaining Gryphons all just stared at Canvas in shock (especially Troy, whose left eye was twitching uncontrollably), the pony’s aqua fur turned an extremely deep shade of red from blush. Canvas tried to speak through his hooves, but the only thing that came out was a mortified creak. “Uhhhhh…”

SLAM!!!

The sound of the roof hatch door opening immediately got everybody’s attention. The triplets all stopped laughing as they looked upward. A brief moment of silence passed before something came floating down from the bedroom loft. A large plate of chocolate cake, with four pink balloons tied at each corner of it, gently glided down into the dining room. The cake rested right on top of the pot of chili, where everyone could see the message written on top in pink frosting:

Congratulations On The New Baby, Clawston Family!

While most of the Gryphons just stared at the surprise dessert like it was about to explode at any moment, Troy just craned his head around to shout up towards the ceiling, “Thanks, Pinkie Pie!”

“No problem!” shouted Pinkie right back at him. And with that, the roof hatch closed once more.

Angela curiously swiped some of the frosting off with her talon. After giving it a small lick, her face lit up as she exclaimed, “OOH! It’s my favorite too!”

After dessert, the triplets were the first to fly off back to Twilight’s castle (conveniently before Canvas could ask for help cleaning up). Fortunately, Troy and Lyle agreed to do the dishes, and Jonas and Angela left soon after to get some well-deserved rest. The dishes themselves only took less than half an hour to finish, but both were fairly exhausted by the time Troy placed the final claw-full of silverware in the drying rack.

“Whew!” Lyle made sure that all of the cast iron pans were properly heated and oiled up, and then turned off all the burners underneath them. “So, what’s the plan for tomorrow?” he asked as he turned back towards his older brother.

Troy shrugged and tried to remember. “Well, we were going to go over a few last details about the ceremony and reception with Twilight. Also, we were planning on getting an overnight train for Manehattan.”

“Oh, nice!” Lyle had an optimistic smile as he asked, “You think maybe we could come along?”

“Eh, I dunno.” Even though he didn’t want to dampen his brother’s mood, Troy seemed apprehensive as he wiped the sweat from his forehead with a dishrag. “Canvas and I were only gonna be there for one night. He actually has a small art expo he’s attending after my audition.”

“Really?” Lyle asked in surprise with his brows raised. “After what happened last time?”

“Hey, he was judging that one,” said Troy sternly for clarification. “This is just a small gathering of artists for some fund-raiser. It’s not huge or anything, but Glimmer Heart said he’d be a good face in attendance for the press. I think he has, like, three pieces made for it.”

“Oh, that’s pretty cool.” Lyle then went over to the false wall by the fridge and opened it. He pulled a couple of the packages of chorizo from the hidden meat freezer, and placed them in the sink so they could thaw overnight. “I was just asking because I was planning on taking pictures of some Equestrian landscapes for my internship. When I told them I was coming around here, they thought it would be good to get some references for more realistic artwork for the comic.”

“Urgh.” Troy may have been happy that Lyle was actually doing something important in his internship, but he didn’t even want to know what kind of things were going to be drawn with whatever Lyle was taking pictures of. “Well, I suppose Manehattan could make for some… interesting pieces.”

“Exactly!” said Lyle in a more enthusiastic tone than his brother’s. “I mean, I already got a couple good shots around Ponyville, but some stuff of the train systems or Manehattan could totally get me in good with the staff back home!”

“Alright, alright,” Troy said with a smirk and a roll of his eyes. “I’ll see if Canvas would be alright with you or the others coming along. Just don’t expect it to happen if Manehattan hotels are too overcrowded.”

“Hey, no sweat.” With a claw held up in sincerity, Lyle added . “It was just an idea, but I won’t be upset if I can’t make it with you two. Besides, I already have a great cover page idea involving that playground at the schoolhouse!”

Troy looked back at his brother with a very worried look on his face. But instead of saying anything against whatever Lyle was planning, Troy just put a talon up to say, “Okay, I have two things to point out. One: Never show either of us what you’re going to draw. And two: please don’t take any pictures of the playground in the daytime. I don’t want you getting in trouble for being around kids with a camera.”

Lyle wanted to ask why Troy would give that suggestion, but stopped while his beak was open. He thought it over for a second before shrugging in understanding. “Okay, yeah. That’s good advice.”

While the two Gryphons continued to clean up and have meat ready for breakfast tomorrow, Canvas was already up in the loft and relaxing in the nest. The stallion’s back was propped against a couple of pillows while he sketched in his notebook. His pencil was strapped tightly against his hoof, which allowed him to scratch lightly against the paper without fear of it slipping off half a dozen times. Meanwhile, Tenor was resting beside Canvas soundlessly, with his ears twitching with each scratch that the stallion’s pencil made above him.

For a while, Canvas was completely entranced in his work. On the white backdrop of his paper, the drawing was coming to life more with each line and curve which flowed from his mind and onto the page. Even though this was a practice piece before he could move on to an actual canvas backdrop, the stallion was determined to get the body proportions correct as the menacing dragon atop a rock became more detailed in front of him. Canvas stopped for a second, contemplating whether the creature should have something in his mouth to emphasize he was recently attacking someth--

“Wait, they told YOU?!”

Canvas and Tenor’s heads both perked up when they heard Troy yell that. The sound of Lyle’s paws running out of the kitchen quickly overpowered that as he escaped the house. By the time Canvas and the puppy ran to the edge of the loft to see what was going on, Troy was out of the kitchen when he shouted, “Lyle, what did they tell you?! What did Canvas tell THEM?!”

Lyle, who was already at the open door, turned back to his brother for a single second to say with a sly grin. “Nothiiiiiingggg.”

“GAHHH!!!”

Canvas giggled when he saw both Gryphons rush out of the house in a heated chase. By the time the stallion and Tenor got back into bed, Troy had a nasty scowl on his beak when he came back home. After turning off all the lights downstairs, he went up the stairs alone while glaring at his fiancè. Canvas just returned the gesture with a cheeky grin as he asked, “So, you have a good talk?”

“Urgh.” The Gryphon just crawled into the nest in withheld silence, not wanting to mutter anything he knew he was going to regret. As he laid on his side, allowing Tenor to walk over to him for some much-needed nuzzling, Troy’s eyes peered back up at Canvas with an almost pleading tone. “Seriously, what did you tell my brothers?”

“Nothing,” said the pony in a matter-of-fact tone as he placed his notebook and pencil on the nightstand. “But even if I did, it would be fitting considering what you told them about me.”

“That was an accident! I didn’t mean to mention it!” Even as the Gryphon groaned painfully and turned to lie on his back, he still scratched at Tenor’s belly with a claw. While the puppy laid on its back blissfully, its elated face didn’t change Troy’s mood as he muttered under his breath, “I swear, if you told them about the movie theater thing--”

Canvas stated firmly, “I didn’t.”

“But still!” Troy looked towards his future husband for any hint at what he could’ve told the triplets, but wasn’t able to gather anything from the pony’s neutral expression. So, the Gryphon just sighed and dropped his head back into his pillow. While Troy breathed out heavily through his beak, intent on keeping his focus on scratching Tenor, his mind was still seething in thought on how to respond. Canvas began to settle in his bed as well, and the Gryphon turned his head with a smirk of his own. “Well, at least I’m not the only one to blurt stuff to family tonight.”

Canvas whipped his head strongly enough to risk whiplash. Even though the pony was considerably smaller than his mate, Troy’s brows raised in worry when he saw that burning glare Canvas gave him. “Do not bring that up.”

Despite the stallion’s firm tone, Troy just chuckled and replied, “I didn’t need to, since you already did.”

That just made Canvas growl and turn himself around. While his back was facing Troy in the nest, the stallion seethed with a particularly nasty grumble. “Shut up, Troy!”

Despite Troy not wanting to upset his fiancè, Canvas’ reaction drew a chuckle from him. But still, the Gryphon turned to his side again to add in a more optimistic tone, “If it means anything, I don’t think that was as surprising as what Dad said about us.”

“... You mean about us not needing to have kids?”

“Yeah.”

That made Canvas sigh and turn back around. Now on his back again, the pony looked up at the ceiling as a small smile appeared on his muzzle. “Yeah, that was pretty cool of him. Although it might just be his way of him saying he doesn’t want to see a kid raised by two Dads.”

“Eh, maybe,” Troy admitted with a shrug. “But still, I’m glad he’s able to take the hint before Mom.”

Canvas's face soured up at that reminder. He breathed out deeply through his nostrils and muttered, "I really wish she would stop doing that."

Troy's mood began to dampen as well. “Yeah, but you can’t blame her for trying, right?”

“I know, I know.” Canvas rolled his eyes as he said, “You already told me about how much Gryphon culture values child-bearing, which puts our relationship in a different standard in their light. But still…” The stallion bit his lip while his hooves went behind his head. His pause lasted a few seconds as he exhaled slowly, only to be followed by a meager statement:

“I just… I really wish she understood why I don’t want to be a Dad.”

Troy looked at the stallion with a knowing glance, and used a free claw to trace his talon along the stallion’s mane and ear. “It’s okay, Canvas. I don’t want to be a parent either. Not now, and most definitely not ever.”

Canvas had to take a brief moment before a smile came back up on his lips, and he stared back at Troy with a thankful tone. “Thank you, Troy.”

“No problem.”

After Troy smiled back and turned his attention back to Tenor, Canvas bit the inside of his cheek in throught. He turned his head to his fiancè and asked, “So, uhh… did Lyle seem kinda weird tonight?”

Troy’s face turned confused as he looked back at Canvas with a raised brow. “Huh?”

“You know, during dinner.” The stallion sat upright in the nest, but kept his eyes pointed down at the Gryphon as he continued. “I mean, everyone else seemed really happy about your Parents having another baby, but Lyle was just sorta… vacant?”

“Vacant?” Troy stopped scratching Tenor and used his claws to prop himself up as well. When he got himself seated upright too, he sighed and tried to reassure Canvas by saying, “Oh, come on. Lyle isn’t like that. He was probably just too surprised to react that much. You know how some kids get when they hear that kind of news.”

“But Lyle isn’t a kid! At least, not anymore.” Canvas added that second part with a small shrug of his shoulders. His head turned down to the bedding while his tone turned more concerned. “I dunno. It just felt like he was… upset or something.”

“Nah, I doubt it.” Troy gave Canvas a small smile as he wrapped a foreleg around his back to pull the pony in against him. Tenor got himself up from the bedding and sat on the stallion’s lap. “Listen, I know Lyle. If anything, he might just need a little time to adjust. I mean, he was the youngest one in the family for a while. It’s probably a little jarring to find out our parents can still have a kid after so long, you know?”

Canvas wasn’t sure what to think about that answer. It didn’t sound wrong, but it didn’t feel one hundred percent correct either. However, after a brief sigh in through, the pony merely settled in against the Gryphon’s side and smiled lightly. “Alright, fine. I guess you have a point.”

Troy kissed the top of Canvas’ head with his beak. “Seriously, don’t worry about it. If there is any problem, he’ll tell us. You know he’s good like that.”

“Yeah, he is.” As Canvas looked up at the Gryphon with a light smile on his muzzle, Troy instinctively bent down to press his beak against it. Canvas returned the gesture lovingly, letting his lover’s embrace help ease his mind before they could go to sleep. He pulled back his lips to say with a gentle smile, “Good night, Troy.”

“Night, Canvas,” said Troy lovingly. He then bent over and turned off the lamp on the night stand, letting the moonlight from the windows be the only illumination in the room. As the two settled into bed, with Tenor resting between them like usual, everything turned silent within the barn house.

“... Seriously, what did you tell my brothers?”

“Go to sleep, honey.”

“Urgh!”

Chapter Eight: Taking Care of Business

In the space of only a few months, it’s been estimated that tens of thousands of ponies have already visited Princess Twilight Sparkle’s newly built Castle of Friendship. Of course, given how massive it was, it was hard to blame visitors for wanting to come and see the ornate and beautiful structure in all its glory. Crystal walls of pink and purple gave the entire space a royal and powerful vibe for anyone who walked down its gigantic hallways. And inside the main dining hall of the castle, the many faces who were inside weren’t enough to make the room feel slightly understaffed.

The main table, which was usually covered with decorations provided by Rarity, was now flooded with various papers and lists. In the middle of it all, an impressive-looking diorama showed two different seating arrangements erected from cardboard and scrap-paper. One was for a wedding ceremony, of which was fully completed with all the seats promptly labeled and organized. The other depiction was for a reception, and a purple aura constantly swished around as notecards went towards each tiny table.

“Alright,” said Twilight Sparkle as she bit her lip in focus. She floated two notecards over towards a table by a piece of construction paper labeled the Stage Area. “This table can be the first one for your friends. Since each table seats four, I have this one for Peppermint, Gretchen, Froey, and Madeline.”

Canvas was standing next to Twilight as he scanned the notes with narrowed eyes. His lips were pouted out slightly, and it was clear that the artist was taking in every detail as diligently as he could. “Okay,” he said with an accepting nod. “I think that can work for the first one.”

Meanwhile, Troy was flipping through the rest of the notecards with an exasperated huff. “Man, I didn’t expect to have so many friends in this guestlist. And here we were wanting a small ceremony.”

“Hey, we still have a smaller list than Cranky and Matilda’s wedding,” replied Canvas with a smirk to his fiancè. As he looked back at the small tables that still had no names on them, he sighed before adding, “And honestly, we should be glad for that. I wouldn’t know what to do if we had to include Royalty into this!”

Twilight’s horn stopped glowing as she turned a raised brow towards the stallion. “Well, how about me?”

Canvas scoffed with a smile and a roll of his eyes. “Well, besides you!”

“Well, technically,” added Troy towards the stallion while motioning towards the nearby fireplace. “I’m pretty sure Twilight’s element friends are considered Royal Family too.”

Canvas raised his brows in quick realization before looking to the lounging area as well. “Oh yeah.”

Meanwhile, the rest of Troy’s family (barring Tenor, who was being watched by Lyra and Bon-Bon at their shop) were seated comfortably on the massive couches that were arranged around the immaculate crystal fireplace. The only Gryphon who was standing was Angela, while Rarity cheerfully got her measurements written down for her dress. Along with the unicorn, Fluttershy also showed up to the castle to catch up with Blade, which prompted Rainbow Dash to come along as well.

Magical green flames, courtesy of Spike, made the crystal logs crackle and give the space an enchanting warmth and amber glow. The triplets were all crammed on one of the couches, with Fluttershy seated at the very end beside Blade. Of course, despite how little space she had, the mare seemed quite comfortable while smiling with a light blush.

Because of the welcome heat from the fireplace, Angela had her feathers ruffled out with a pleased smile while standing upright for Rarity’s measuring tape. The unicorn carried a rather giddy smile of her own, mostly from still beaming about the Gryphoness’ earlier announcement. “Ohhhhh, my goodness!” squealed Rarity while carefully getting Angela’s midsection measured without any squeezing. “I’m so happy for you, Missus Clawston! Do you know when the due date is?”

Angela shrugged her shoulders as she guessed, “Well, most likely by the end of the fall season. But honestly, it’s hard to tell sometimes.” She smirked as she pointed a talon over at Lyle, who was on one of the loveseats next to Rainbow Dash. “Little Lyle there ended up coming out a month earlier than expected! It was actually during a huge board conference while I was giving a speech! All the CEOs were there, and they got a full view of me on my back while I was on the stage giving birth--”

“MOM!” shouted Lyle as he looked up from his sketchbook with a scowl. “Don’t tell them about that!”

Troy had a devilish grin of his own as he spoke up while looking back at the remaining lists. “Hey, if Mom can tell a Princess about that story of me in the hardware store, I think you’re fair game as well!”

“DUDE! Shut up!”

Rainbow Dash snickered a little as she asked Angela, “Wait, seriously?! Like, you laid an egg in front of everyone?!”

While Lyle groaned with his head sunken into his claws, Angela merely chuckled with an embarrassed blush on her cheeks. “Unfortunately, yes,” she admitted as she looked back at the Pegasus. “To be fair though, if it didn’t happen then, Lyle probably wouldn’t have the name he has now.”

Jonas was sitting in one of the armchairs, and reading the newest issue of the Foal Free Press while listening to his wife’s words. Even though there was an interesting rumor exposè regarding Prince Blueblood with some Canterlot Socialite, he put down his paper to add to the discussion. “She’s not wrong,” he said while motioning towards his wife. “There was only one pony in that entire convention center, and it was pure dumb luck that she happened to be a medical student. She knew exactly what to do, which saved us a lot of worry since we were pretty far from any hospital.”

“That’s right,” added Angela while Rarity’s measuring tape floated away from her. “I was so grateful about her help, that I knew exactly what to name him when she told us her name: Lyla Peachcream.”

Rarity and Fluttershy both let out sappy “Dawwws” at Angela’s reveal at the end. “Oh, that’s so sweet!” said Fluttershy with a touched smile on her face.

Meanwhile, Lyle just hunched a little lower on his seat with his forelegs crossed together. His aggravated mood wasn’t helped when Rainbow Dash nudged him from the side. “Heh heh, they named you after a mare?”

Lyle just grumbled something inaudible under his breath.

“What?” asked Angela while the measuring tape floated away from her. “It’s only inspired by a mare. Lyle is clearly a boy’s name.”

“I know, I know,” assured Dash with a wave of her hoof before pointing it towards Jonas. “I’m just kinda surprised that your husband was okay with that.”

Jonas seemed perplexed by that point as he looked towards the mare with a skewed brow. “What’s there to be surprised about? That pony did more for us than any of those Gryphons that night! Plus, she had a cool head I haven’t seen outside of a battlefield! I was with Angela on the name!”

After a couple seconds, the Gryphon’s jagged beak skewed a little as he briefly added, “... Aaaaand it wouldn’t be like I had much of a choice anyway. I'm sorta banned from naming the kids.”

“You are?” asked Rarity after she made sure all the measurements in her notebook were accurate. “Whatever for?”

Angela’s expression turned deadpanned as she pointed a talon to the triplets on the couch. “That’s why.”

The unicorn’s brows raised as she nodded slowly. “Ah.” She then walked over to her supply bag while adding, “That’s a fair decision.”

“HEY!!” shouted the triplets in unison.

Jonas groaned as he rolled his eyes. “Angela, I already apologized for that over fifty times! Why are you still hung up about that?!”

“Because you named them while I was asleep!”

“Oh, are we seriously going to go over this again?! You were NOT asleep! You were unconscious! For TWO days! The doctors kept griping at me about needing names for them! What was I supposed to do?!”

Troy and Canvas both looked back at the lounging area, clearly worried that a fight was going to break out. Fortunately, Fluttershy was able to extinguish any conflict as she looked up at the Gryphons beside her. “I think their names are nice,” she said sincerely with a warm smile. “They fit the three really well.”

“HA! See, Mum?” Blade wrapped a wing around Fluttershy’s back with a smug grin, not seeming to notice how the mare made a tiny “Eep!” and blushed deeply. “This lass gets it!”

“Hey, lover-boy,” stated Rainbow Dash flatly with an unamused expression. “You mind not touching my friend like that?”

“What?” asked Blade with his claws raised. Even though he did pull his wing away from Fluttershy, he still stared back at the cyan Pegasus to ask, “What’s the big deal? It’s just a wing!”

“Yeah,” added Blane with a scoff. “What do you want him to do, wear a friggin full-body condom?”

“HEY!” snapped Twilight as she whipped her sights to the triplets angrily. “What have I told you guys about talking like that?”

Blaze tried to calm her down by saying, “Relax! Spike isn’t in the room right now!”

“But he could still overhear, so don’t assume he won’t!”

After the Princess huffed and returned to finishing the organization with Canvas, Troy looked back at his family to say, “How about we change the discussion to something else? You know, something appropriate for ponies?”

The triplets all groaned in annoyance while rolling their eyes. As Angela rested herself in the empty armchair next to Jonas’, Lyle remembered something which made his head perk up quickly. “Oh yeah!” He turned his attention to Rainbow Dash and asked, “Didn’t you visit Griffinstone a while back?”

“Huh? Oh yeah.” Dash rested herself against the edge of the couch and put her hooves behind her head. “Pinkie and I had to go there for a Friendship Quest thing, and I was a little iffy about going since I knew Gilda lived there. I mean, I was glad I did since I got to make friends with her again, but the place itself was kind of a dump.”

“Yeah, we know,” said Jonas while reading his paper once more. “We actually built our second shipment facility over there. The entire region was in horrible shape before we showed up.”

“But,” added Angela with a more optimistic smile on her beak, “we managed to get a lot of the community's financial and social issues improved drastically in the first month of the plant’s opening! And when I met one of the new employees we hired, it inspired me to make one of the best decisions for our company.”

Rarity involuntarily giggled and asked, “Are you talking about putting Twilight’s face on the company logo?”

She then pointed a hoof toward several boxes that were in stacked in the corner of the room next to Twilight. Each of the boxes boasted the new logo for Highmount United Quills, which was of the Princess’ smiling face and the statement “Tested and Approved by Princess Twilight Sparkle!” on the bottom. Fortunately, Twilight only groaned briefly when her friend brought attention towards them.

“Oh no, not that!” Angela said with a wave of her claw. “Although that did get us a lot more customers in Equestria, but that’s not what I’m talking about. While I was inspecting work conditions at the Griffinstone plant, I saw one of the workers getting harrassed by some of the other girls. I quickly put a stop to it, and those hens had the audacity to say they had every right to act that way because the girl was a lesbian!”

Rarity and Fluttershy seemed rather shocked at that last detail, and Rainbow Dash winced uncomfortably. “Ooh… Gilda mentioned that sort of thing happens a lot over there.”

“Exactly,” said Angela in a disapproving tone of voice. “And after what happened with Troy, I didn’t want to see other Gryphons get harassed for that sort of thing! Heck, it was a pain to just get those three girls suspended because there was no protection of that sort of abuse! So, I managed to convince Jonas to help me pass a new regulation that would include orientation and gender identity in non-discrimination ordinances.”

“Which I am really proud to hear about,” said Twilight with an honored smile towards Angela and Jonas. “If my face is going to be used for a company, I’d rather it be one that’s able to make progress in the Gryphon Kingdom.”

While Angela sat proudly while beaming at Twilight’s praise, Jonas squirmed in his seat a little. “Yeah, but it also almost got both of us fired!”

“What?!” While many of the ponies seemed shocked, Canvas was the most vocal as he finally pulled away from the remaining planning details to ask, “How could they fire you guys?! Aren’t you the heads of the company?”

“Yes,” answered Jonas bluntly, “but we also have a board of directors for all company decisions. They were already upset about the logo change, so Angela suggesting us being the first company to implement that sort of change made them all try to remove us by petition and unanimous vote.”

Rarity was the next to speak in an outraged tone. “But how could that be?! Why would anyone try to remove you two for doing that?!”

“Because it’s the Gryphon Kingdom,” said Lyle with a scowl. “Most of the heads in charge of things are as stubborn and nasty as Dad used to be.”

Jonas didn’t say anything to that, but he still stared at Lyle with a strong glare in his eyes. Blane looked over at Jonas to say, “You know he’s not wrong, Dad.”

That just made Jonas groan and look away again, “I know,” he grumbled bitterly, “but that’s still a cheap shot.”

“Anyway,” interrupted Angela as she attempted to bring the discussion back on track. “Yes, our board members did try to have us removed. But even though they did everything by the book so we couldn’t sue, they didn’t count on one little thing…”

Angela then grew a wide, treacherous grin that Jonas recognized immediately. Knowing that his wife was going to tell them what happened, he just sat back with a chuckle while the Gryphoness finished her statement. “... Those Gryphons were messing with me.”

“THIS IS BULLSHIT!!!”

Jonas slammed a claw against the mahogany table hard enough to make part of the framing underneath it crack loudly. Meanwhile, Angela just stared in shock at the two rows of stoic Gryphons that filled the dozen seats along both sides of it. The Gryphoness blinked several times, seemingly trying to register what they just informed her and her husband. After shaking her head, she breathed out in almost a gasp as she asked, “I’m sorry, but are you guys serious right now?”

A gangly brown and orange Gryphon of a tremendously skinny build was seated closest to the standing couple. He silently slid a clipboard towards them with a thin, fragile-looking talon. On it was a sheet of paper filled with signatures. “The petition has already been signed,” he said before sliding his thick glasses up to the top of his beak. “Due to the actions you two have proposed in recent months, we have no choice but to remove you both.”

“YOU THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH THIS?!” screamed Jonas with a rage made Angela’s feathers ride up along her back. With the way he was leaned in at the front of the table with murderous eyes, it looked like he was going to paint the walls of the boardroom with everyone’s blood. “WE WERE THE ONES WHO BUILT THIS COMPANY!!! WE WERE THE ONES THAT GAVE ALL OF YOU THESE JOBS!!!”

“Mister Clawston,” said one of the Gryphons at the right side of the table, who had a muscular build and black feathers which contrasted with his light grey suit. “I know this news might be upsetting to both of you, but it’s already been done. If you’re not willing to accept this respectfully, then we’re more than willing to bring security in here!”

Even though the Gryphon made that statement in a surprisingly confident and condescending tone, it was nothing short of a miracle that he didn’t even twitch when Jonas’ claws dug deep into the immaculate wood. “I swear,” growled the General in a tone venomous enough to make fresh produce rot, “If you think security will help you in time-”

“Jonas, please!” said another Gryphon from the other side of the table. This one wasn’t as large, and was much older as his tan feathers started to turn grey at the tips. “This isn’t pleasant for anyone,” he said with narrowed eyes, “but we have no choice! The logo was one thing, but trying to undermine this company’s morals is not something we can tolerate!”

“He’s right,” added a purple Gryphoness who was sitting beside him. “None of us feel that the measure you two are suggesting will do any good for the heart of this company. If we seriously allow this kind of addition to our rules, then we’re risking workers getting away with whatever they want without even proving they have a reason to be discriminated!”

“What do you mean, ‘Getting away with whatever they want?’” Asked Angela in a baffled tone.

Another Gryphoness, this one with grey and green feathers, cleared her throat before explaining. “Well, how can we prove if a Gryphon is a homosexual? Or better yet, how can we prove a Gryphon isn’t just lying about it in order to get special privileges? All this measure will do is encourage loopholes in our company, and cause a lot of heartache when perverts and liars clog up the system!”

“Besides,” added the black Gryphon with a scoff, “it’s not like our company will get much respect if we allow deviancy to go unpunished. I’d rather lose both of you as opposed to my own dignity.”

“YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF SH--”

“Jonas!”

At the very end of the other side of the table, an elderly Gryphon with light blue feathers and an immaculate white suit finally spoke. Despite his near-boiling rage, Jonas stopped talking when he heard the colleague’s brash tone of voice. “This decision is unanimous,” he said in a cold tone of voice. “It’s clear that you two are going in a direction the rest of us refuse to go. And no matter how many times you try to use buzzwords like ‘progress’ or ‘change,’ all that you’re doing is jeopardizing the very values that all of us abide by. I know that your trip to Equestria gave you both a lot of ideas, but we every right to refuse using them.”

The Gryphon’s tone was completely professional as he spoke, almost making his words sound like they weren’t spoken with the clear bile that both Clawstons knew was lingering below the surface. When Jonas’ talons came off of the table and left very deep marks in the mahogany, the seething look of disappointment and fury in his eyes looked like they could easily burn out of his skull. However, Jonas wasn’t able to open his beak before his wife:

“Very well.”

“WHAT?!” shouted Jonas as he turned to Angela wide-eyed. The Gryphoness paid absolutely no attention towards her husband, and kept her pose surprisingly elegant while standing in a professional light.

“I will admit,” began Angela with a shrug of her shoulders so small that it didn’t even crease her magenta business jacket, “I certainly didn’t expect all of you to be so strongly against a simple measure that I suggested.”

She then reached into her purse, and pulled out the ordinance which she had printed out earlier that day. “Nevertheless, if this one little addition to our anti-discrimination ordinance is the only thing which would make all of you break ties with me and my husband, then we won’t try to argue against it. You all made your points in professional manners, so I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t do the same.”

Jonas had his beak agape in stunned silence. He knew his wife usually wasn’t confrontational, but this was something he never would’ve expected her to take lying down. Angela picked up the petition listing as well, and sighed before beginning to slowly walk around the table. “It really is a shame though. Despite my husband’s tone, he really is right. We did help bring this company up from nothing, and I really felt that I developed deep bonds with each and every one of you.”

The purple Gryphoness sighed deeply with a hint of slight regret. “I know this is hard. The last thing we wanted was to lose you. But-”

“I know, I know,” interrupted Angela with a light smile on her beak. “Believe me, I completely understand. All of you are sticking your ground due to your morals, which I can respect.”

She continued to walk around the side of the room behind one of the rows of Gryphons. “I’m just upset because of all the memories Jonas and I made around here. And in all the years we spent in this company, I was present for so many of your accomplishments.”

She looked towards the purple Gryphoness to say, “Like when I showed up to the birth of your first child.” That statement made the hen cringe and look away from Angela with a skewed beak.

Angela then turned to the greying Gryphon beside her. “Or when I helped give your son his first job here as a security guard.” Again, an upset look swept across the Gryphon’s face as he tried not to wince at her.

By now, it seemed that the smile on Angela’s face was from nostalgia, or a similar feeling at recalling those moments with her former colleagues. She then turned her attention up to the blue Gryphon at the head of the table. Her smile remained as warm as before, but her eyes narrowed slightly on him before she opened her beak.

“Or when I walked in on you injecting Aurora into your bloodstream last year on company grounds.”

Due to her innocent tone, it took a few seconds before most of the Gryphons caught what she said. Jonas had his eyes strained in confusion for a moment, not knowing what the buck his wife was doing. However, the Gryphon in context was already staring at her wide-eyed before anyone could be heard gasping. His beak trembled a little when he tried to speak without sounding worried. “Wh… what?”

“Aurora,” repeated Angela as she kept smiling. “You know, the highly illegal drug which you keep in your desk? I know I should have said something about it, but I didn’t think it was appropriate to risk putting you in prison before you could witness the birth of your great grandchildren.” Her eyes narrowed on him even more, and her smile was now starting to look more sickly sweet. “Plus, I figured secrets like that shouldn’t be exposed between coworkers. But now that I’m no longer one…”

The blue Gryphon’s feathers seemed to slick down to the point where he looked like a terrified and soaking wet owl. Jonas widened his eyes, instantly realizing what his wife was getting at. Even though he wanted to smile, he was more concerned with how the rest of the board members would take that sort of threat.

“W-Wait a minute!” The purple Gryphoness quickly turned her seat around to face Angela directly. “I don’t know what it is you’re trying to do, but this is not appropriate behavior!”

“For who? For employees?” Angela’s smile pointed right at her now, the grin now looking as sharp and menacing as a poison dagger. “But I thought Jonas and I were no longer employees. Which means neither of us have to act civil for the sake of the company anymore.”

Angela’s gaze also went towards the greying Gryphon beside the seated Gryphoness when she added, “Which, I must say, I think we’ve done much better than either of you. I can’t say Jonas or I ever committed adultery by sleeping with each other in the utility closets.”

Both of them gasped and nearly fell out of their chairs. The Gryphoness was shaking when she struggled to open her beak to stammer out a statement. “Y-you… you d-don’t have any--”

“Proof?” finished Angela with a smirk as her head tilted even further. “You mean like security footage which pointed right at those doors you two went into? Or still images from those tapes which show you two making out in various spots around the building?” She chuckled faintly when she saw both of them squirm while bug-eyed. “Oh, isn’t it interesting? I know so much about both of you, but it seemed like both of you forgot I used to be head of security around here! Oh, and speaking of security, I think I still have the contact information of BOTH of your spouses!”

“YOU WOULDN’T DARE!” screamed the Gryphoness as she tried to get out of her seat. Luckily, her colleague and now exposed secret lover was able to hold out a foreleg to keep her from touching Angela.

“I wouldn’t dare what? Show both your spouse's what you two have been doing for years? Oh, no, of course not.” Angela’s smile slowly dropped, and her eyes narrowed on the two with the intensity of a lioness eyeing her kill. “I’ll tell your children.”

With the way the Gryphoness’ jaw dropped underneath her welling eyes, it looked like Angela admitted to murdering them. The muscular black Gryphon stood up and leaned in from the other side of the table with a nasty glare on her. “ANGELA CLAWSTON! If you think that committing blackmail will keep you or your husband’s jobs, you have another thing com--”

Angela stared up at him with the same venomous smile she had before. “You better sit your ass back down, diaper boy.”

The Gryphon did just that, with his black feathers now turning a ghastly pale white to accompany his petrified face. Angela merely chuckled in slight amusement at how quickly that shut him up. “Oh, you didn’t expect me to know about your adult hatchling fetish? Well, I do! In fact, I know a lot more than that, including who your ‘Mommy’ is. But does your wife know about her?”

The Gryphon was frozen, but his chest came in and out quickly as he struggled to breathe. Meanwhile, Jonas just stood back in astonishment and watched his wife continue to go around the room.

“Oh, what am I saying? Of course she has no idea about that!” Her gaze turned towards the grey and green Gryphoness as she continued with a growing grin. “Just like how your husband has no idea that four of his seven kids aren’t even his!”

The Gryphoness’ claws shot up over her beak as she gasped in horror.

“Oh, and before you ask how I know that, you should really make sure that the paper shredder is on when you decide to put your test results in it. Of course, you should be glad that I was the one to find them and take those out. I mean, what if someone else got a hold of those and tried to use that information against you? Wouldn’t that be horrible?”

The hen trembled, looking like she was about to throw up. But that didn’t seem to keep Angela from continuing to speak while walking. “But don’t worry. At least you’re not the only one having an affair in this room! In fact, I have proof that over HALF of you are! As well as records of drug use, money laundering, fraud, tax evasion, misuse of company funds. I can go on all day.”

Angela stopped for a second to peer at an especially small, green Gryphon who was seated at one of the corners of the table and shaking in fear. “Wouldn’t you agree, Changeling?”

The Gryphon gasped and tried to sputter out a defensive statement. “N-NO!!! She… SHE’S LYING!!!”

“Oh, am I?” Angela looked around at the others with a smile. “Anyone else want to accuse me of lying about their secrets?”

None of them said a thing. Instead, they all just sat completely still like they were avoiding being seen and singled out in the nightmare that Angela created. By now, she was looking quite pleased with herself by the time she walked to the other side of the boardroom table.

“I know a lot, and I mean a LOT of things, ladies and gentlemen. Both from my security work, and just by being at the right place at the right time. I’ve learned a lot of interesting facts about each and every one of you in the years that we’ve worked here. And due to all the friendships I made in that time, I wouldn’t have even fathomed using any of those things to my advantage. But…”

Angela made a full circle around the table as she spoke. During that time, not a single Gryphon made a peep, but it was clear that all of them were beyond worried. By the time she returned to her original place at the vacant end of the table, the white Gryphoness had a fairly content smile on her beak as she finished her speech.

“Given recent circumstances, I just want to clarify what my husband and I are capable of doing. If you really feel that the two of us aren’t suited for the company we helped found, then so be it. We’ll leave the company we helped built for the sake of your guy’s idea of ‘morality.’” She pointed a talon to the door behind her as she kept her professional tone. “As soon as Jonas and I walk out of that door, we will no longer be connected to this company. And we’ll leave with no hesitation, no ill will towards any of you, and no obligation to keep any of your secrets hidden from your loved ones.”

Even with every Gryphon staring at her wide-eyed, not a single pupil was able to be seen among the countless seas of white. Keeping her smirk, Angela held up the clipboard holding the signed petition. “And lucky for you guys, I even have a LIST of names! So nobody will be forgotten! Isn’t that convenient for us?”

After peering down at the names listed, her brows raised in amusement. She turned her head to the first Gryphon, whose brown feathers were now a deathly white. His glasses were teetering at the very tip of his beak, and they fell off just as Angela bent in beside his ear. “Hmmm, how interesting,” she said in almost a whisper as her tone turned more deadly. “It shows that YOU were the first one who signed this. I would’ve thought that you would be the most loyal to me, especially considering I never told Jonas about what you did at last year’s Hearth’s Warming Eve Party--”

The Gryphon shot out of his chair and screamed out, “ALL IN FAVOR OF REPEALING ANGELA AND JONAS’ TERMINATIONS SAY AYE!!!”

“AYE!!!” roared the rest of the room without a millisecond of hesitation.

Angela then slammed slammed her ordinance down on the table hard enough to make the floor shake. “Sign it!”

As the anti-discrimination ordinance was passed around the room at a lightning pace, with each board member hastily signing it like it was the only thing keeping them alive, Jonas just stared at the spectacle with a gaping beak. When he looked back to his wife, he saw Angela clear her throat before regaining her professional voice. “Well, I think this has been a very productive meeting, don’t all of you? You all get to bring real progress and change to this company, and none of your lives will be ruined! I think that’s a win-win right there!”

She held up the petition still in her claw and added, “Oh, and don’t worry about losing this. I’ll be sure to keep this little shitlist for future reference. That way, if even one of you ever tries to cross me or my husband again, all of you will burn.”

Her eyes widened at that last part for real emphasis, and the ordinance was slid back at her with every signature on board. After picking it up and giving it a quick inspection, Angela smiled in satisfaction. “Well, it looks like everything is in order!” She looked back at her terrified coworkers and nodded thankfully. “Thank you all so much for changing your minds! Now if you excuse us, Jonas and I need to talk with finance about this year’s bonuses. Ta-ta!”

Angela lead the way back to the door, and Jonas couldn’t help carrying the biggest shit-eating grin as he followed her. With her claw on the knob, Angela paused for a second to look back at the table and say with a smile:

“Have a wonderful day.”

With that, she was out, leaving the board room completely silent and unbelievably tense. As the married couple walked down the empty hallway towards the elevator, Jonas just stared at his wife like she sprouted a horn on her forehead. It wasn’t until Angela pressed the button that Jonas decided to say something.

“A-Angela,” he said as he struggled to get himself to speak normally again. He looked ahead at the closed elevator door instead of his wife. “Before I say anything else, I just want to point out that what you did was absolutely insane and wrong on so many levels.”

“I know,” stated Angela with a smirk as she watched the door as well.

Jonas then sighed briefly and added without hesitation, “And thank you very much.”

“You’re welcome, honey.”

The elevator door opened, and the two walked inside with the shared relief that it was empty. However, while Jonas was mostly happy to not deal with anyone else after that spectacle, Angela was relieved for a completely different reason. The sounds of gears turning and the elevator dinging were quickly forgotten when Angela turned to her husband. “Jonas?”

“Yes?” he asked while still looking ahead.

“... Are you as turned on as I am right now?”

“...”

Jonas didn’t say a word, and just slammed the emergency stop button with a clenched claw. In less than ten seconds, both of them had their suits off, and were on the floor of the elevator like primal beasts.

“GAH!!!” All of the Clawston sons tried to cover their ears in a poor attempt to forget that last detail of their Mom’s story. “MOM!” shouted Troy with a disgusted sneer. “We did NOT need to hear that!”

Even with how uncomfortable the rest of the Gryphons looked, the ponies in the room all giggled alongside Troy’s parents. “Well, that was what happened,” said Angela with a prideful smile before patting her stomach. “And that’s also how this came along.”

“That’s still nasty!” griped Blaze loudly. He then shuddered violently and looked like he was going to vomit. “Ugh, I’m gonna think of that next time I see an elevator!”

“HEY!” shouted Blade and Blane. Both of them smacked Blaze over the head. “Thanks a lot, ya chode!” said Blade angrily. “Now I’m gonna be picturin’ that!”

Fluttershy decided to slip out of the couch and avoid any more awkwardness. “Ummm… I’m going to see if Spike needs any help with that coffee.”

The yellow mare hastily scampered toward the door, but paused for a second as her muzzle skewed. She turned back to Angela and asked with a raised brow. “So… did you really have a Changeling in your company?”

“Hm? Oh!” Angela quickly shook her head as she answered honestly. “No, no, of course not! At least, I don’t think Gerald is a Changeling. I just said that because he was the only one I didn’t have any dirt on.”

“Yeah,” said Jonas with a brief sigh of relief. “Believe me, we’re a bit more effective in tracking Changelings than you ponies.”

"And what’s that supposed to mean?” asked Twilight with a disapproving stare at the General.

Jonas just returned the stare and asked bluntly, “Well, whose country got invaded and had a major Changeling infiltration during a time of high alert?”

Twilight wanted to make a snappy retort, but only paused for a second before huffing and returning to her work. “Touchè, General.”

Jonas sat in his seat with a cocky grin, but it was immediately extinguished by a single stern glance from his wife. Fluttershy was happy enough with the answer she received to find Spike, but not before looking to Angela with a smile, “And congratulations, Missus Clawston. I’m really glad that things worked out for you two.”

“Thank you!” said the Gryphoness gratefully before Fluttershy left the room.

“I must say, I’m with Fluttershy on that last part,” added Rarity in an honored tone of voice. Despite the fact that the only free seat was where Fluttershy previously was, the unicorn showed no aversion to sitting beside the triplets as she continued. “While I certainly wouldn’t approve of blackmail in most circumstances, I have to give you credit for going about a situation like that so eloquently.”

“I have to agree!” said Canvas with an stunned smile on his face. He was staring at the Gryphoness with the utmost respect as he tried to fathom what she told everybody. “Like, how were you able to keep your cool like that?! I probably wouldn’t have had half the self-control that you did!”

“Well, it wasn’t like I had much of a choice,” admitted Angela with a small shrug. “They did everything by the book, so I couldn’t really defend myself on their level. It was either go low and have the chance to win, or take the high road and have a guaranteed loss.”

She then added with a talon pointed right at the artist. “That’s just something to remember, young man. No matter what happens in your life, or what you have thrown at you, there’s always a way to win a fight without raising a single hoof.”

Troy and Canvas both stared at Angela briefly. While Troy seemed surprised that his Mom would give that sort of advice to his fiancè, Canvas just let her words sink in before nodding softly. “Thank you, Missus Clawston,” he said with a sincere tone of voice.

Rainbow Dash had an impressed smile pointed at Angela that looked as wide as when she talks to a Wonderbolt. “Okay, I gotta say it! You’re almost as badass as Spitfire!"

“Dash!” shouted Twilight with a disappointed expression towards the mare.

“What?! It’s true!” Rainbow then looked back at Angela and said, “Seriously, let me know when that kid pops out so I can buy you a beer.”

“Oh, you!” Angela blushed a little as she brushed aside Rainbow’s statement with a claw.

“Coffee’s ready!” yelled Spike from the doorway of the dining hall. Wearing his trademark pink apron, the cheerful dragon wheeled in a large cart that was packed inch-by-inch with steaming hot coffee pots. Fluttershy followed with a smaller cart which held all the various creams and sugars.

After handing Troy his pot (and a can of Red Manticore for Canvas since he disliked coffee), Spike rolled the cart over to the lounge area. “So, what’s everyone talking about?”

“Oh, nothing,” answered Angela honestly with a warm smile. She picked up the single pot of tea from the cart and motioned towards her husband. “We were just telling everyone how the baby came along.”

“Ugh.” The drake’s face scrunched in with disgust. “Don’t tell me about it, alright? I’d rather not hear that fru-fru romance stuff.”

“Oh, don’t be so crass,” jeered Rarity while floating several pots towards the triplets. “It really is a nice story, albeit a bit mature for your age.”

The unicorn snuck a glance back at Twilight, who nodded back at her in approval of her wording.

Jonas decided to add to the discussion while placing a claw over his wife’s. “Well, I don’t think the little details really matter. The important thing is that we still have our company, and we’re more than secure for our family.”

“That’s right,” responded Angela with a caring smile and a peck against Jonas’ cheek. She started rubbing her belly as she relaxed in her chair. “Mmmm… I really hope this one will be a girl.”

While Angela rested her claw on top of her stomach, which was just barely showing a hint of a small bump, Jonas gently placed his claw on top of it. “You’re really set on having a daughter, aren’t you?” he asked with a tiny smirk on his jagged beak.

“Well, of course!” Angela looked down at her belly and sighed deeply. “I mean… this’ll probably be our last one...”

Fluttershy’s ears drooped down a little while she finished placing the items from her cart on the coffee table. Rarity seemed a bit downtrotten as well, although she did manage to hide her expression from any of the Gryphons. Lyle, who was staying silent on his side of the couch, just watched his parents as his talons tapped against the armrest.

Jonas took some time to think Angela’s point over, clearly understanding her concern. But instead of dwelling on the idea, the Gryphon just gazed at his wife with a smile and said, “Well… if it does turn out to be our last, at least we know we can make it count, right?”

Angela looked back up at her husband as he added with a shrug, “I mean, we have a good streak going on with the first five, don’t we? I don’t think this one will be any different.”

“Well, probably not the hatchling,” admitted Angela as she tried to smile at her husband’s words. But she was quick to add with an insistent stare back at him. “But that doesn’t mean we won’t be different this time.”

Jonas nodded his head firmly. “Of course, of course,” he said with an honest sternness which made Troy turn his head around. Seeing the sincerity in his Dad’s expression, Troy couldn’t help smiling a little when he heard him say, “Things will be different this time. I promise.”

Angela smiled warmly before bending in to give Jonas a proper kiss on the beak, which was rewarded with several enamored “Awwws” from most of the mares in the room. However, Rainbow Dash, along with Spike and the triplets, all just looked away from the mushy affection with rolls of their eyes.

But when Rainbow Dash turned her head away from the couple, her expression changed to a more cautious observation when she looked over at Lyle. Since everyone else was either busy with wedding plans or getting their coffee ready, nobody but Dash was able to notice the brief, but very bitter scowl that Lyle carried on his face.

While the teenaged Gryphon sat with his forelegs crossed, and his beak tightly shut while pointed at the floor, Rainbow Dash nudged his side a little with a hoof. “Yo Lyle, you alright there?”

Lyle instantly shook his head clear, as though he were getting rid of his sullen look when his feathers became slightly ruffled. “O-oh, uh, yeah…” He then made a small stretch of his back and began to rub his feathers down with a claw. “I think I just need to walk around or something. I’d rather not get cooped up in this room all day.”

Rainbow’s eyes narrowed in him suspiciously. Troy pointed at Lyle and said, “That’s probably a good idea. Canvas and I still have a lot to do, so maybe you and Dad should talk with that tailor about your suits.”

“I’m okay with that,” said Jonas as he groaned and lifted himself out of his chair. “Is his shop nearby?”

Spike was pushing the now empty cart out of the way when he decided to answer. “Actually, I think he’s with his friends at the bowling alley. They have tournaments there a lot, so they basically live there sometimes.” While Lyle and Jonas both took their pots of coffee, which they drank down like most ponies would a cooled down coffee mug, the drake added with a shrug, “I can take you guys there if you want. I already finished all my chores, so it wouldn’t be a problem.”

“Oh, cool.” Lyle downed the last of his near boiling pot like it was nothing, and placed it back on the coffee table as he got up from the couch. “Thanks, Spike!”

“Ummm, Spike?” asked Twilight worriedly before her assistant could walk out the room with the two. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Don’t worry, Twi,” replied Spike with a wave of his claw as he already started to walk to the doorway. “I’ll just drop them off and come back. I won’t go near that guy with the hairnet, I promise.”

With Lyle and Jonas following in tow, the three made their quick goodbyes before leaving the room. Rainbow Dash bit her lip, and made a mental note to talk with Troy and Canvas about Lyle before their trip to Manehattan. Meanwhile, Blane looked over at Rarity and asked, “Uhhh… what’s that about the guy with the hairnet?”

Chapter Nine: Midnight Train to Manehattan

“Are you sure?”

When he asked that question, Canvas’ face carried a look of worry. The sun was beginning to set outside, which gave an amber glow that shone through the window and provided enough illumination for them in the train car. Because of that, the stallion was able to see the sincerity in Troy’s expression as he nodded.

“Yeah,” said the Gryphon in a concerned tone of his own, “I’m telling you the truth. Rainbow Dash thinks there might be something up with Lyle.”

“Well, do you agree with her?”

Even though Canvas wasn’t trying to sound apprehensive about Rainbow Dash’s claim, Troy still paused for a second in uncomfortable silence. The Gryphon shrugged his shoulders a little as his beak skewed in uncertainty. “Well, he did seem a bit off when I picked him up at the airship station. I thought something may have been wrong, but I figured it could have just been hormones or something.”

Canvas bit the inside of his cheek, and looked away from his fiancè before letting out a long exhale from his nostrils. He then began to tap his chin in thought. The stallion couldn’t help shrugging as well. “Well, I suppose I can see your point,” he admitted meekly before looking back up at him. “But if there is something up with Lyle, then one of us should try to talk with him about it.”

“I agree,” said Troy without hesitation. Before he could say anything else, the Gryphon’s thoughts were interrupted when a small bump from the tracks jolted both of them in their private room. The bump also caused Tenor, who was previously sleeping soundlessly on the bench opposite of the couple, to stir awake groggily. The Saint Bernard blinked a couple times slowly with a whimper as he looked around with his ears perked up.

“Oh, it’s okay,” cooed Canvas as he bent in and scratched the puppy’s ears sympathetically. “It’s just the train, you can go back to sleep.”

While Tenor nuzzled against the stallion’s aqua hoof, Troy looked over to the door and huffed briefly. “You know what? I’m gonna see what’s going on with him. I know he said he’d tell if there was anything wrong, but…”

The Gryphon wasn’t sure what else he could add to that statement, and just sighed as he got out of his seat. “I dunno. I just don’t need this on my mind before the audition.”

Canvas nodded, but his brows raised as he thought about something important. Before Troy could leave the room, Canvas turned to him and quickly said, “Wait! Ummm…”

When Troy turned around, he saw that the stallion was biting his lip apprehensively. “Uhhh,” began Canvas with a more timid tone than expected. “Listen, ah… about what I told your brothers…”

The Gryphon’s eyes widened a little, the words enough to stop him in his tracks and peak his curiosity. However, the stallion tapped his hooves together in nervousness as he admitted with a small blush. “I… actually didn’t tell them anything. All I did was tell them to say ‘nothing’ when you asked them about it.”

Troy’s beak dropped. “What?!”

“I was going to tell you before the audition!” said Canvas sincerely while holding Tenor in his hooves. “Seriously, I didn’t want you to freak out over that before your show! I just thought that…” The stallion then made a guilty shrug as he winced in realization of how his plan may have sounded. “I thought that maybe freaking you out for a little while was good enough payback for what you told them.”

“Dude, that’s messed up,” stated Troy flatly while staring at the pony in disbelief. “Like, seriously. That’s reminding me of that crazy wife in that movie we saw.”

“Oh, come on!” Canvas rolled his eyes with a shake of his head. “That’s not even a fraction as bad as that girl in Missing Mare! I didn’t even reveal anything to your brothers, unlike you!”

“Ugh… whatever.” The Gryphon just shook his head and went back to the door in brooding silence. He muttered under his breath, “All I mentioned was the paw thing, jeez…”

After Troy left the private room and closed the door behind him, Canvas sighed worriedly before looking down at Tenor. By now, the puppy was panting happily while looking up at the pony. “You don’t think I went too far, do you?” asked Canvas with a raised brow pointed at the Saint Bernard.

Fortunately, Tenor responded by reaching up to lick at the pony’s face, which prompted Canvas to giggle while holding him securely.

It took over ten minutes of searching around the train before Troy could find his younger brother. Most of the passenger cars just had ponies in them, and a lot of those passengers weren’t pleased when the Gryphon’s wings kept hitting them as he shuffled through the narrow aisles. When he checked the dining car, all he saw were the triplets taking advantage of a fairly small buffet; he decided to leave that car as quickly as possible when he saw just how enraged the cooks were looking.

And when he went around to the private sleeping cars again, he avoided his parents’ room as soon as he heard moaning from the other side of the door.

When he reached the caboose of the train, Troy groaned when he found nobody there either. However, the Gryphon figured that if his brother wasn’t in the train, then there was one place where he could’ve been. So, after putting a claw out to test the winds, Troy shot out from the back of the train, quickly taking to the skies. He then turned himself around and landed on the roof of the moving train car.

Fortunately, Troy was able to see a figure sitting on the roof several cars ahead of him. Figures, thought the Gryphon to himself as he walked along the top of the train with steady footing. Due to still being a little annoyed by what Canvas told him, his thoughts then became a little heated. Why didn’t I just come out here first?! It would’ve saved me somg friggin’ time!

Nevertheless, Troy kept that to himself as he reached the same train car Lyle was sitting on top of. Without saying a word, Troy sat down next to his brother to admire the view they had. Both were seated on one side of the car, where the setting sun was right in front of them and descending into the distant hillsides.

“Man,” said Troy to himself as he stared at Celestia’s sun with an impressed smirk on his beak, “it certainly doesn’t look that great back in the Gryphon Kingdom, does it?”

All that Lyle did was give a strong huff. “What do you want?” he asked with a clear tone of aggravation, not even turning his head towards his older brother.

Well, at least Rainbow Dash wasn’t wrong, thought Troy as he turned his attention towards Lyle. “Okay, can you tell me what’s going on?” asked Troy in a stern tone towards the teenaged Gryphon. “And don’t try to say it’s nothing, because right now it’s pretty clear that something’s up.”

Lyle just sighed in obvious aggravation, not saying anything before looking away from Troy’s gaze. “Well,” he began in a tone that made it clear he would’ve preferred to stay quiet, “I don’t think it’s anything for you to worry about.”

“Well, right now it is.” With the way that response sounded, Lyle didn’t need to turn around to know that Troy was becoming a lot firmer with his tone and stare. Of course, Troy didn’t wait for his brother to turn around as he continued. “I already have a lot to do in the next week alone, not to mention in the next twenty-four hours! I have a play audition, an art show, AND a wedding to think about! And unless you want to add even more stress to that by acting all broody, I highly suggest that you tell what the buck is going on!”

“UGH!” Lyle finally whipped his head back at Troy with an accompanied glare in frustration. “Nothing is wrong, okay?! There’s nothing to get worked up about!” He then looked away again as his voice turned to more of an upset mumble.

“Nobody has any problems, so why should I? Everything is just fine and bucking dandy, isn’t it?! Everyone in the family is acting ‘normal’ again, despite the fact that you and Dad almost ripped it apart. Mom is getting a new kid, which Dad is gonna treat with respect! Because yeah, NOW he understands things enough! What’s there to complain about?!”

Troy’s brows were raised quite high after hearing that bitter rant from his brother. As he blinked a couple times in surprise. He shrugged as he looked away from Lyle. “Well. Ummm… okay then.”

Luckily, it seemed that Lyle realized how he sounded as he groaned and face-clawed. “Sorry, I’m sorry,” he quickly said while his eyes were covered. “I just…”

After another brief sigh, Lyle dropped his claw and looked up to his brother to ask, “Why aren’t you pissed off?! I mean, doesn’t it upset you a little that Dad is just NOW going to stop being an asshole?!”

Even though he understood Lyle’s point, Troy could only reply with a deadpan stare back at him as he asked, “Compared to what? Him still acting like an asshole?”

“Ugh! No! I just mean…” Lyle had to look down at his claws as he took a quick breath. He calmed down a little before continuing. “After all that he did to us, and after all the things he said the last time we were here, don’t you think it’s a little unfair that our next sibling isn’t going to know about any of that? I mean, that kid is going to spend his life with a ‘proper’ Dad, while all of us will remember how shitty he used to be!”

Troy sighed, and instinctively wrapped a wing around Lyle’s back. “Hey, I get it,” he said in a sympathetic tone. “I mean, it does kinda feel like we’re getting the raw deal, huh? I mean, at least when you put it in that way.”

“Yeah,” stated Lyle when he looked up at him, “exactly.”

“But,” interrupted Troy as he glanced back down with a stronger tone than before, “are you seriously just going to think of Dad like that?! I mean yeah, he did act like a prick, but he’s not anymore! And even if he’s acting nicer now, it doesn’t mean he NEVER acted that way when we were growing up!”

Lyle just huffed and averted his eyes from Troy. “Oh yeah? Like when?”

That statement pissed Troy off, and he pulled his wing away from Lyle’s back. Without skipping a beat, his tone turned nasty as he answered, “Oh, I dunno. How about two years ago when you almost died from Grover Pox?!”

Lyle instantly shut up. His beak clenched tightly as he looked away and scratched the back of his awkwardly. “Ermmmm…”

“Seriously, we were ALL freaked out!” Troy said sternly while glaring down at him. “There was like, an EIGHTY percent chance that you weren’t going to make it! And who stayed in the waiting room for over two weeks straight to make you sure you were gonna pull through?!”

“Okay! Okay!” shouted Lyle as he quickly tried to stop Troy’s rant. “I get it, alright! Dad was there for me during that time! You don’t need to bring that up!”

“Well, I think I do when you ask a question like that!”

Lyle openly cringed, but still nodded his head feebly. “Y-yeah… point taken.”

“And that’s not the only time either!” added Troy as he continued his rant. “How about when he confronted the school after you got scratched by the Principal’s kid? Or when he took time off of work to teach you to fly because you weren’t getting it?”

“Yeah, okay!” Lyle was getting fed up as he tried to keep Troy from listing any more points. “You’re right! He did a lot of good things, you don’t need to list them like a friggin’ presentation!”

“I’m just making a point!” As he looked away from his brother, Troy sighed as he tried to keep his tone calmer before adding, “Listen… I know he said a lot of shitty stuff to you, and you have every right to still be mad about it. But you can’t just focus on that! Especially when you know he’s trying to be a better Dad to all of us!”

Lyle paused for a moment, and leaned back on his claws which were behind his back. He made a low, long exhale and said, “Yeah, I know. But…”

“But what?” asked Troy when Lyle didn’t say anything after that.

“I just…” After shaking his head in frustration, Lyle kept his head down as he tried to think of the right words to say. “I know that he’s doing a lot for us, alright? And I know he’s getting better. But… but the only reason he has is because Mom threatened to divorce him! It’s like… it’s like if a dog bites a kid, and it ends up being chained to the yard with a muzzle! If it isn’t for that chain, it would most likely just do it again, right?!”

Troy sighed and wrapped his foreleg around Lyle’s back. “Dude, come on. You gotta give Dad more credit than that!”

“But you know it’s true!” Lyle turned his gaze up to him and said, “If it wasn’t for that threat, Dad never would’ve tried to change, right?”

“So?!” Troy’s expression turned quizzical before adding, “What’s wrong with that?! Sometimes you need to a push to learn something! Like when you burn yourself on the stove to know it’s hot.”

Lyle paused momentarily before shrugging. “Okay, yeah. That’s true.”

“And just because he acted that way before doesn’t mean he’s guaranteed to do it again! You have to at least give him a chance.” Troy looked back out at the hills ahead of them, seeing that the sun was almost completely out of view now. “Seriously, if anything, you’re luckier than any of us.”

Lyle blinked a couple times as he glanced up at Troy confusedly. “What?”

“I mean,” began Troy as his stature slumped a little, “it’s not like we’re able to see the changes as much as you will. The triplets are all moved out, and I live here in Equestria. You’re the only one still living with Mom and Dad, so at least you have a chance to have him raise you differently than he did us. Even if it's only for a couple more years. And plus… you’re the first one to actually get a chance to see what Dad’s gonna do as soon as that kid is born.”

Lyle didn’t say anything in response to that. But from the way his eyes widened slowly, it was clear that the Gryphon was definitely thinking about his brother’s words.

Troy continued with a slight smile on his beak, all while his eyes looked towards the last glimmering light from the soon darkening skies. “I’m not gonna try and bullshit and say things are gonna be perfect. They probably won’t, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he does something stupid again. But at the same time, I think we should be hopeful that things aren’t going to get as bad as they were before.” When he looked back at Lyle, Troy kept his smile as he finished his statement. “I’m just saying that it’s never wrong to give someone a second chance, or even a third chance sometimes. Anyone is capable of change, and I think it’s pretty damn clear that Dad is doing what he can to be worthy of that.”

Lyle’s beak was closed shut, but he still made a silent nod of his head. After a couple seconds, Lyle looked back out at the now dark skies and sighed. “Y… yeah. I think so too.”

Troy smiled even wider and pulled in his brother with his foreleg. “That’s the spirit,” he said with a thankful hug. After a couple seconds, Lyle couldn’t help smiling as he pressed in closer against Troy in acceptance of it. The teenager only did so for a brief moment before pulling away with a huff.

“So,” asked Lyle as he looked up at the now evening skies. “What do you think? Should we get something from the dining car or what?”

Troy shrugged his shoulders indifferently. “Eh, I suppose. Although I probably wouldn’t recommend going near Mom and Dad’s private car on the way ther--”

A heavy crash from up ahead interrupted Troy’s words. Despite the heavy chugging of the engine, as well as the strong winds which muted almost everything else, Troy and Lyle still quickly heard glass shatter before seeing the triplets shoot out into the skies like panicked bats. A furious voice bellowed out from the broken window of the car they just escaped from. “AND DON’T YOU COME BACK, YOU BUZZARDS!!!”

Troy could only blink silently as they saw their brothers rushing away from who was most likely the enraged cooks from the dining car he saw earlier. Knowing that their dinner plans were most likely changed due to that, he turned back his brother with an alternative. “So… jerky from my luggage?”

“Jerky from your luggage,” repeated Lyle with a nod.

Chapter Ten: A General Discussion

Due to the massive disturbance in the snack car, there were quite a lot of ponies that were disappointed about their meals being changed for the night. Among those was Canvas, whose previously chosen order of spinach and mushroom fettuccine was replaced with a bag of zucchini chips with sour cream and onion dip. Even though he had no idea what occurred, or why he and everypony else got such large changes in their dinner menus, he was about ninety percent sure that the triplets had something to do with it. Nevertheless, the stallion was overwhelmed with other thoughts at that time, not to mention the bad taste from his “dinner” that was lingering on his tongue. So, he decided to take a walk outside his room.

Troy was already resting on the bench with Tenor on his chest and his headphones on, listening to a rare opera cassette on his walkman. Because of that, Canvas was easily able to leave the cabin without disturbing either of them. Unlike his fiancè, the pony decided to just head back through the rear cars and avoid any of the disgruntled passengers seated ahead of him. Despite how late it was, the stallion needed to move around so his anxiety (as well as his restless legs) could get a little relaxation from a change of scenery.

Each time he walked between the cars, Canvas couldn’t help pausing briefly to take in the mystical view. Due to the weather feeling more like an early Summer than it did late Spring, the stallion didn’t feel the slightest shiver while standing outdoors despite the rushing winds that brushed past his fur. In fact, the weather felt nice enough to lighten the pony’s mood by the time he reached the caboose of the train.

However, it seemed that Canvas wasn’t the only one who decided to relax in the back patio of the speeding train. When he opened the door to the car, Canvas was greeted by the sight of Jonas. He had a large cigar in his beak, which seemed to go along well with his stoic expression. Even though the only sources of illumination outside were the moonlight, and the red ember from the tip of the Gryphon’s cigar, Canvas still noticed the large bucket of ice and glass bottles that were rested beside Jonas’ seat. After making a long exhale of the strong-smelling smoke, the brown Gryphon took notice of the stallion with a turn of his head.

“Nice to know I’m not the only one awake,” said Canvas as he admired the view that the back of the caboose gave that night. Even with how quickly the train was moving, making the tracks look like a blur underneath them, the nocturnal landscape of Equestria’s deserts in front of them seemed almost as still as a painting. Jonas didn’t make much of a vocal response to Canvas’ statment, but he still motioned to an empty stool that was sitting at the other end of the patio. Canvas nodded with a smile and silently accepted the gesture.

While the pony pulled the stool in closer beside the chair and took a seat, Jonas took the cigar out of his beak and asked, “Have you seen the triplets anywhere?”

“Nope,” Canvas answered with a shake of his head. He took his art bag off his his shoulder and placed it beside his stool. “And I’m not going to ask why you’re asking that question.”

“Why, because you already know?” The tone didn’t sound too playful, but Canvas could tell that Jonas had the slightest hint of a smirk on his beak.

”I have an idea or two, but I don’t want to be too informed about it if I get questioned.” Canvas’ answer was enough to make the Gryphon chuckle in a surprisingly deep tone. Meanwhile, the stallion looked in the bucket, and his muzzle skewed when he saw all the bottles were expectedly various crafts of booze. Canvas merely shrugged and picked up an ice cube to pop in his mouth. After a couple chews to break apart the ice to melt in his mouth, he asked curiously, “You think they’re on the roof?”

Jonas shook his head while looking outward. “Nah. I saw Pegasus staff flying around not too long ago. Those three might be dumb, but they’re not THAT dumb.”

“You got that right,” said Canvas in a more cheeky tone. As he popped another ice cube into his mouth, his voice became muffled when he spoke. “Sho, where do you fink dey are?”

“Beats me,” said the Gryphon before pulling a bottle of hard cider from the bucket and uncapping it with his talon. “We probably won’t see them until Manehattan though.”

Canvas nodded before swallowing his ice. “Yeah. I bet Twilight is gonna regret getting you guys those hotel rooms when she hears about it.”

Jonas shrugged in objection. “I dunno. I think she wanted those guys out of the castle pretty quickly. The triplets got really damn excited when that Spike kid mentioned he was fireproof.”

Canvas laughed a bit, and he made sure his stool was close enough to the back wall before leaning against it. “In that case, maybe they went to find a twenty-four hour firework stand or something.”

That made Jonas crack up as well. “Or a whorehouse.”

If he hadn’t have swallowed his ice, Canvas would’ve most likely choked on it due to his laughter. After it died down a little, Canvas looked back at him with a grateful smile. “Thanks, Jonas. I kinda needed that.”

The Gryphon turned back at him with a raised brow. Of course, it was unclear whether it was from the second statement Canvas made, or the fact that the pony called him Jonas instead of Mister Clawston. “Why?” he asked with a hint of caution. “Something wrong?”

“Eh, not really,” said Canvas as he leaned forward in his seat. While Jonas dug a claw back into the bucket for another bottle, Canvas sighed and scratched the back of his head. “I just needed to clear my head a bit.”

“What for?” Jonas asked with the cigar in his beak. When he looked back at Canvas, Jonas held out a dark glass bottle towards him. Before the stallion could try to politely refuse, the General added, “It’s non-alcoholic. Troy already told me you don’t drink.”

“Oh.” With that affirmation, Canvas shrugged before taking the bottle. “Thanks.”

After he uncapped his own bottle with the bottom of his hoof, Canvas shook his head as he leaned back in his stool and sighed. “I’m just a little unnerved about where we are, that’s all.”

“What do you mean?” asked Jonas before pulling out his cigar and taking a swig from his bottle.

Canvas followed suit after saying in an upset huff. “Well, we just passed Gallop Creek a half hour ago…”

Unfortunately, as soon as the stallion took a sip from his bottle, he violently spat it out.

“BLEH!!!” Canvas coughed a couple times and tried to spit that bitter taste out of his mouth. “What is that?!”

“What?! That’s not alcoholic!” Jonas pointed his cigar at Canvas’ bottle and added, “See? It says it right there on the bottle: Non-Alcoholic beer!”

“UGH!!!” Canvas instantly put down his bottle in disgust. “What the buck, man?! I don’t drink beer, period!”

“Hey, I wasn’t gonna drink it.” Even though he didn’t want to be seen laughing at Canvas’ reaction to the drink, the Gryphon still chuckled to himself and took another swig. “Sorry about that. You can blame the tailor and his friends. They gave me some of their extra bottles when I helped them win a game.”

“Well, as long as you and Lyle got your appointments.” Shaking his head, Canvas groaned and picked up another ice cube to hopefully cleanse his tongue with. While the pony chewed on a new cube, Jonas looked over at him and decided to ask a question.

“So, what was that about the Gallop Creek thing?”

Canvas stopped chewing for a second, and made a sharp exhale through his nostrils before swallowing. “Ugh, it’s nothing,” he said in a less than convincing tone. “I just don’t like being reminded of that place.”

Jonas nodded silently, and focused on finishing his bottle instead of saying anything. Meanwhile, the pony leaned back against the wall while seated and added, “It was like… as soon as I heard the intercom say that town was ahead, I just instantly got reminded of all the crap I went through back there. Not just when I left, but…”

Canvas stopped after that brief mention, and closed his eyes with a bit lip in a small effort to keep that memory out of his train of thought. After taking a breath, the stallion continued as he looked up at the late-night skies. “But like, everything just comes trickling back like a bad leak, you know? I just keep thinking about stuff like the names I was called, or how none of the teachers gave me the time of day when I needed them. Heck, even the bucking art teacher acted like he never saw any of those spitballs hit me!”

The artist quickly leaned back forward in his seat. His head rested in his hooves with a low and painful groan. “Urgh! Sorry, I… I just don’t want to think about it.”

“No, it’s fine,” answered Jonas while looking away from Canvas. He puffed from his cigar deeply before saying in affirmation, “I won’t try to press you about it.”

“Thanks.”

For a while, neither of the two said anything as the train chugged along the silent landscape. Of course, due to the vibrations of the train, along with the sounds of the steam engine, it really couldn’t be considered a “silent” moment. It wasn’t until Canvas picked his bottle of non-alcoholic “beer” back up that he decided to speak. “Heh. You know, this wasn’t the first beer I ever tried.”

Jonas turned back at him with a curious raise of his brows. “Really?”

“Yeah.” The stallion swirled the contents of the bottle a little with his hoof, but he put it back down instead of trying to take another taste. “Back before I graduated, my Dad took me to Dodge Junction to celebrate when he found out I got Valedictorian status.”

Canvas’ muzzle slowly crept a smile as he looked out at the desert landscape that was becoming smaller in front of them. “I remember when I came home, the first thing that happened was my Dad hugging me and saying how proud he was. And I didn’t even expect him to be home at that time. He usually worked late or was already passed out by the time I got home. But that day, he just acted… normal. Like, not drunk, or depressed or anything. It was hard for me to even remember when he was like that after Mom…”

The artist stopped momentarily, biting the inside of his cheek as tried not to dampen the mood he was getting himself into. After a couple seconds of silence, Canvas sighed and kept going while the General smoked.

“Anyway, he… actually got time off of work after finding out, so we took a vacation out to Dodge Junction for the weekend. We went out to a couple of restaurants, took in the sights, and… and it just felt like I actually had my Dad again. Like… like nothing was lost.”

Canvas then chuckled briefly. “Before we headed back, we ended up camping out in the desert. It was a really nice night, and we were able to talk about a lot of stuff. I mentioned some of the things I did research on to get in my advanced classes, and he told me a bunch of stories about what Mom was like when he was my age. And he… just looked so happy when telling me about her. After a while he handed me one of his beers, telling me that I earned it for never settling for less in my studies.”

When he looked down at his hooves, Canvas struggled not to laugh when he finished his story with, “I drank about half that bottle before I threw up in the fire.”

Jonas bursted out laughing louder than ever before. One of his claws covered his face as he cackled wildly, and it took a little while before he could calm down enough to speak. “Oh man! At least he knew you weren’t sneaking drinks on the side or anything.”

“Yeah, that’s true.” He glanced back at Jonas with a smirk and asked, “I take it you learned that the hard way?”

“Yep,” answered the General with a meager shrug. “Angela and I should’ve known something was up when we took the triplets out to celebrate them reaching drinking age. The bartender knew them by name the moment they walked through the door.”

It was Canvas’ turn to laugh that time. He pulled his mane back with a hoof as he tried to speak through his giggles. “Woo, you got me beat there! Definitely worse than throwing up.”

“You got that right.” After putting out the nub of his cigar on the arm of his chair, Jonas grabbed himself another beer and uncapped it with ease. He downed a hearty amount before turning back to Canvas. “Still, that sounds like a pretty nice thing for your Dad to do.”

“Yeah…”

Canvas turned silent. While he bit his bottom lip tightly, the pony kept his gaze down to the ground instead of anywhere else. His front hooves rubbed against one another timidly, obviously a form of distraction so the pony wouldn’t think too much about it. However, Canvas made a brief huff and decided to ask something to his future Father-In-Law. “So… how much do you know about what happened?”

Jonas didn’t say anything at first, but it didn’t seem like he needed any context in regards to Canvas’ question. It wasn’t until Canvas glanced up at him that the Gryphon sighed and answered. “About as much as what you told Lyle.”

Canvas nodded his head faintly. He wasn’t particularly surprised that Lyle brought it up to Canvas’ future family, so he merely shrugged and said, “Well… at least I don’t need to explain anything then.”

“Hopefully not.” Jonas downed the rest of his bottle and put it away. As he sighed and settled in his chair, the Gryphon took a moment before glancing back at the pony with a sympathetic skew of his beak. “Listen, uhhh… I know it probably doesn’t mean much coming from me, but--”

“D-don’t,” said Canvas with his hoof raised insistently to interrupt the General’s words. “Just… don’t. I’d rather not think too much about that right now.”

“I understand.” Jonas quickly turned away respectfully, not wanting to pry. However, he still sighed and added, “Don’t worry, I get it. It’s not like I’m any better.”

Since the Gryphon was looking away, he didn’t notice Canvas’ head look up at him with a surprised expression. “What?”

“I already know what you’ll say,” clarified Jonas as he lit himself up another cigar. “I’ll try to give my sympathies and say how shitty your Dad’s actions were, and you’ll say something like, ‘Pot to the kettle,’ or ‘Like you’re one to talk.’”

While Jonas sat silently and began to smoke, Canvas just stared at him in bafflement about that assumption. The pony cleared his throat and responded with, “Actually, that’s… not what I meant at all.”

Jonas glanced back at him with a skeptical look, which prompted Canvas to add, “I probably would’ve stopped anyone from trying to say sorry about what happened. Not just you.” The artist then huffed and looked back to his hooves as his tone turned more somber. “Seriously, after half of Ponyville saw me fighting with him, I couldn’t go into town for over a week without a bunch of ponies saying sorry or hugging me or whatever. They had no idea what happened to me, and they were just saying sorry like they did it themselves. I know they were just trying to make me feel better, but... after a while, it kinda became less comforting and more… numbing.”

Jonas blinked a couple of times, and he took another drag from his cigar before giving a brief response. “I wouldn’t have thought that.”

Canvas sat in thought to the Gryphon’s earlier statement, and began to rub his hooves together when he added, “Also, I… really wouldn’t have said ‘Pot to the Kettle’ or anything like that if you told me sorry.”

Both of Jonas’ brows raised in slight surprise.

“I mean, it would definitely be a fitting comeback,” the artist bluntly added with a guilty shrug, “but honestly, I… I really wouldn’t put you on the same level as him.”

Canvas didn’t look up at Jonas as he said that, but he hoped that statement was sincere enough for the General to appreciate. However, what he didn’t expect was the Gryphon’s reply.

“Why not?”

The stallion peered up at him confusedly. “Hm?”

Jonas was looking back at Canvas with a serious stare of curiosity. “Really, I want to know… why don’t you?”

That question left Canvas utterly confused while his mouth stayed halfway open. After a couple seconds, Canvas slowly looked back out to the shrinking landscapes as he tried to say something. “Well, I… I can’t really say for sure.”

That unclear answer was enough to make Jonas look out from the platform as well. After taking a deep puff, the General watched the plume of smoke quickly disappear against the winds of the train. In that time, Canvas was able to say, “I mean, it wasn’t like I was the one to choose whether or not to forgive you. Troy was. It wasn’t really my place to decide.”

Even though Canvas didn’t intend for that answer to sound too blunt or harsh, it still made Jonas look back at him and ask, “So, you wouldn’t have?”

“I didn’t say that,” said Canvas insistently. “I’m just saying the circumstances were different.”

Canvas breathed out slowly through his nostrils while his muzzle was shut. He turned his attention back to the view in front of them before continuing in a bleaker tone. “I… I was completely alone when my Dad threw me out. I didn’t have any other family to go to. No friends. No… no pony to try and tell me things were going to be alright. All I got were stares and shut doors. My Dad was the only real friend I had, and he… he almost killed me when I came out.”

The stallion closed his eyes briefly, hoping that they weren’t welling too much to let any tears stray. “When you reach a low as bad as that, it’s not easy to accept any kind of apology from the pony who put you there. No matter how much they say they regret it.”

Jonas just nodded silently, not opening his beak an inch to say anything in response.

“And,” continued the stallion with his eyes pointed down at the floor, “...and when Troy went through that same thing, he wasn’t alone like I was. He had his brothers that night. He had a lot of friends to make sure he was okay the next morning. And… and I made sure I was there for him the entire time.”

Canvas wiped his eyes to make sure they were dry as he kept talking. “Troy… he was the first one to find out what happened to me after I got out of the hospital. He was also the first one who found out it was my Dad a couple months later. And both times I opened up to him, he didn’t even hesitate to comfort me and make sure I wasn’t alone.

“And when he dealt with that same kind of thing, I just… I wanted to make sure he wasn’t as alone as I was that night.”

Jonas’ cigar was down to the nub when Canvas finished, and the Gryphon put it out on the chair silently. Even though he wasn’t sure what he could say, the General still broke the silence by saying faintly, “I see…”

Canvas took a breath to make sure his throat didn’t feel hoarse, and turned his head to add insistently, “I know you’re trying to do better, and you have my utmost respect because of that. We may have had some issues before, but all that matters to me is that Troy and his brothers are happy. So as long as you don’t mess with that, I have nothing against you personally.”

Hearing the sincerity in Canvas’ words, Jonas nodded with a content expression on his face. “Well, I really appreciate that, Canvas. Thank you.”

However, the Gryphon’s smile slowly disappeared as he looked down to his claws and huffed briefly. “You know, I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re the only one to have that mentality towards me right now.”

Canvas could’ve asked what Jonas meant by that, but he had a good feeling that he already knew the context. “You shouldn’t think like that,” said the stallion sympathetically. “If anything, you should be lucky you didn’t lose anyone because of what happened.”

“Yeah, but now I feel like a dog that just got neutered!” Jonas grumbled as he leaned forward in his chair with a bitter scowl. “I swear, sometimes I feel like Lyle is just waiting for me to blow up again. Just so he can have an excuse to leave me for good. I know I hurt him bad enough to justify him feeling that way, but…” The Gryphon sighed as he lowered his head in shame. “I just wish he could trust me again.”

Seeing how hurt Jonas looked, Canvas actually felt pretty bad for the guy. He considered putting a hoof on the Gryphon’s back in assurance, but he decided against that and instead tried to catch his attention by saying, “Just give it some time, okay? Troy was just talking with him earlier today. I think Lyle’s just feeling a little upset because of the baby, that’s all.”

Jonas looked back at him with a surprised glance. “Really?”

“Yeah,” nodded Canvas sincerely. “Honestly, I don’t think it would hurt to do something with him before the baby comes along. You know, like when my Dad took me on that vacation.”

It seemed that Jonas wasn’t against that idea. When he looked down at the ground, the General was silent for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. “Hmmm. I guess that could be worth a shot.”

While Canvas smiled in appreciation, the Gryphon looked back towards him and said in an honest tone, “I’m really grateful that you talked with him after everything that happened. I know I never said it before, but… thank you.”

The pony felt his heart grow a little warmer, and he blinked a couple times in surprise before realizing he was silent for a couple seconds. “Oh! Umm…” He looked away while rubbing the back of his mane bashfully. “It’s was nothing, really.”

“Don’t give me that,” Jonas retorted sternly. “If it wasn’t for you talking with him after I apologized, there’s a good chance he would’ve left me like you did your Dad.”

Canvas was frozen for a brief moment. He bit his lip apprehensively until finding the right words to say in response. “Well… All I told him was that he should think about whether keeping someone in his life was better than keeping them away.” Even though he wasn’t sure if that statement was worded the best way, he still made a quick breath and added when turning back to Jonas, “I made my choice back then, and Lyle made his. I think that says enough about whether or not he really cares about you.”

Despite the brash tone that statement may have carried, it was enough to make the Gryphon grow a small smile in understanding. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right,” he said as he leaned back in his seat. “I’m just glad I have a chance to make that choice count. And not just for the baby.”

Canvas nodded and quickly added, “That’s something you should really let Lyle know sometime.”

“Duly noted.” The General then got himself one last beer while the night’s skies became darker above them. As he looked up at the stars which were shining brighter against the Equestrian night, he sighed as he said to himself, “I’ll see if I can do something in Manehattan for him.”

“That’s a good idea.” Canvas decided to chew on one last ice cube while the Gryphon downed his bottle. While he broke apart the cube of ice with his teeth, the stallion realized that this was the longest he ever talked with Troy’s Father by himself. And despite their history, Canvas actually wasn’t that uncomfortable about that revelation.

After finishing his ice cube, the artist decided to take advantage of this moment as he reached for his art bag. Jonas heard Canvas’ bag open, and he looked down just as the pony found what he was looking for. An old photograph was held in Canvas’ hooves, slightly worn at the edges from how often he carried it around. The stallion stared at it for a moment before handing it towards Jonas. “Here. It’s… actually one of the only pictures I have of my Mom and Dad together.”

Jonas picked up the photograph, peering in closely enough to see it underneath the moonlight. The picture showed Canvas as a young colt in front of his old home, with his parents standing by both sides of him proudly. The Gryphon tilted his head a little when he saw how the dark blue Pegasus mare looked. “Huh. Your Mother was a Pegasus?”

“Mmmhmm,” nodded Canvas. “Her name was Blowing Winds. She worked weather patrol back in Gallop Creek, and she and my Dad actually met back when they were in middle school. They used to be friends for a long time, but I think they became a couple after high school after my Dad’s parents…”

Canvas kept talking about them, but Jonas’ focus on the pony’s words faded when he noticed the green stallion in the photograph. The guy may have had darker fur and a much younger-looking appearance, but the General’s eyes still widened as soon as he recognized that faint glimpse of the golden leaf on his flank.

I would’ve given anything to keep my son in my life.

While he stared down at the familiar face in the photo, all that the General could think about where the words that he recalled the pony saying back at that bar.

I loved him with all my heart, and I still do.

Copper Fields. That was the guy’s name. And the more that Jonas thought back to that night, the more he understood various elements from that encounter. The way that Copper was laughing wildly when he found out who Jonas’ son was marrying. How dedicated he became to helping the Gryphon get on better terms with his own family. But most of all, the experiences that Copper shared suddenly rang clear as a bell in the General’s mind.

I would’ve sold my soul to Discord for the chance that you have right now. My son was the only family I had, and I lost him because I acted like the ignorant bastard you’re being right now. And unless you want to end up in the same spot I’m in, you’ll grow enough brain cells to realize how much you need your family in your life.

“... I guess I always sorta admired how well Troy can fly because of that.”

Jonas quickly came back to reality soon enough to catch the end of Canvas’ now nonsensical ramblings. “I mean, I wouldn’t consider myself into wings or anything, but I’m not gonna lie. It’s really nice to see Troy’s wings fully out, making him look big and powerful--”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Jonas instantly put a claw out to stop whatever Canvas was going on about. “I don’t need to hear that!”

Canvas stopped talking long enough to quickly realize what he was doing, and covered his muzzle with a hoof as he blushed deeply. The Gryphon just groaned and handed Canvas his picture back. “Here, uhh… they’re a nice-looking couple.”

When Canvas took his photo back, he sighed as he placed it back into his bag. “They really were…”

Jonas could tell that there was a clear hint of sadness in the pony’s voice when he said that, but he didn’t say anything about it. Instead, he just finished his final beer while Canvas said in a playful tone, “Honestly, I’m not sure how Mom would’ve reacted to me marrying a Gryphon.”

“How do you think I feel about it?” asked the General before putting down his bottle. Jonas chuckled with a befuddled shake of his head as he looked away from Canvas. “Jeeze, I never imagined I would be an In-Law for a pony!”

“Well, get used to it,” jeered Canvas sternly while keeping his smirk.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever,” the Gryphon scoffed as he waved a claw at Canvas. “Just be glad you didn’t have MY Father-In-Law!”

Canvas raised a brow towards Jonas skeptically. “Oh really? Are you forgetting that you tried to strangle me the first night we met?”

“First off, I apologized for that,” retorted the Gryphon as he looked back at him to make that claim. “And secondly, the first time I met Angela’s Father was when he broke into my apartment and put a spear up to my throat.”

Canvas reeled back in surprise with his eyes widened. “What?!”

“Yeah,” said the General with a confirming nod, “and I was still in bed at the time! It wasn’t until Angela came in after him that I realized who he was.”

After blinking a couple times, the stallion decided to ask, “So… how did you react?”

Jonas huffed with a faint smile on his beak. “The very first thing I said to that bastard was, ‘She’s pregnant, isn’t she?’”

Both of them cracked up like crazy after that punchline. In fact, if anyone were to walk out to that caboose without any context, they would’ve thought that Jonas and Canvas were actually good friends. And in a weird way, maybe that fact wasn’t exactly false.

Of course, the laughter died down when the door to the caboose actually did open. Angela came out and strolled over towards her husband, not even noticing the stallion when she wrapped her claws around the General’s chest from behind. “Come on, baby,” she cooed in a very lustrous tone of voice. “I found Lyle’s earplugs, so do we don’t have to wait for him being away from our room agai--AHHH!!!”

Angela was just about to lick at the tuft of Jonas’ ear when she caught sight of Canvas from the corner of her eye. When she bolted back from both of them in shock, all that Canvas could do was sit in an awkward stillness on his stool. “Uhhh… Good evening, Missus Clawston.”

Angela could only blink in her temporarily frozen state. “...uhhhhh…”

She then shot back to the door while shouting “HELLOCANVASGOODNIGHT!!”

Canvas cackled again after that door slammed shut. Jonas tried his hardest not to be caught chuckling as well, and picked up his bottles and bucket before getting out of his seat. “Well, I guess I should check up on her.”

“Alright,” said Canvas with a wave of his hoof. “Goodnight, Mister Clawston.”

“Night,” echoed Jonas as he opened the door with his things. However, instead of just leaving the open space, the Gryphon paused for a moment before looking back at Canvas. “And, uhh…”

Canvas was looking back into his bag as soon as Jonas said “Night,” so it took a second before he realized the General said something else. When he looked back to his future Father-In-Law, Jonas huffed slightly and said, “You can… call me Jonas if you want.”

Canvas’ eyes widened in surprise. Jonas didn’t wait for a reply, and just nodded with a smile before leaving the pony alone at the back of the train.

For almost twenty seconds, Canvas had no idea what to think of that moment. It almost felt like if Princess Celestia were to swoop down right now and smack him on the rear: even he got to tell anypony about it, he doubted that no one would actually believe him.

After a long moment of silence, Canvas went back to his art bag with a newfound smile on his muzzle. All that he expected to do tonight was take a walk and clear his head. And along with achieving that goal, the pony actually managed to get on (slightly) good terms with Troy’s Dad.

With that thought on his mind, Canvas’ smile didn’t disappear for a while that night. Instead of going right back to his room, the artist waited for a while out on that beautiful night, drawing in his sketchpad while the flawless night sky laid draped above him.

Chapter Eleven: No Way Like Bridleway

Troy sighed roughly while struggling to lay back in his seat comfortably. Despite having a good night’s sleep on the train, the gryphon still felt just as tired as he was jittery. The morning sun had just barely peaked a while ago, but the newfound light gave just enough illumination to show their destination in the distance. Even though it was just a speck from the train’s window, the glimmering city of Manehattan could be seen coming closer with each passing second.

Seeing that his stop was coming soon, Troy took another shaky breath as he felt his heart grow heavier in his chest. He already knew that he was just getting pre-audition jitters, but that didn’t make the gryphon feel any less hesitant about having such an important appointment. It was weird that despite how many times he performed on a stage or in front of ponies, Troy still had that same anxiety lingering before each performance. No matter how many eyes it was, or where the stage may have been, it always strangely felt as though it was his very first time.

Of course, the fact that this audition was for a lead role in one of Bridleway’s biggest shows didn’t exactly help either.

The gryphon sunk his face into his claws as he tried to settle his breathing. Troy knew that it was ridiculous to feel this way when the audition was still hours away. Nevertheless, his mind was becoming too frazzled to think coherently, let alone realize when his fiancè and dog were beginning to wake up. On the bench opposite of Troy, Canvas was the first to stir awake as his muzzle wrinkled in discomfort.

“Urgh… what the…” When he opened his eyes, Canvas realized that Tenor was not only laid on top of his chest lazily, but that the Saint Bernard’s muzzle was open and panting right in front of his nose. The stallion tried not to gag as he struggled to pull himself away from his not-so-light puppy. “Gughhh! For crying out loud!”

Troy was brought back to reality when he heard his fiancè coughing from the unholy mix of morning breath and dog breath invading his nostrils. When he saw how helpless the pony looked while underneath their undisturbed dog, the gryphon couldn’t help giggling guiltily. “Good morning, honey,” he said in a sickly sweet tone.

“Troy!” Canvas tried to roll himself off the bench, but his position made it impossible due to Tenor’s weight on him. He gagged once more as he craned his head as far away from the puppy’s panting muzzle as he could. “Troy, help me out,” he gasped as his voice became more hoarse. “I can taste his breath!”

Meanwhile, Tenor was just sleeping like a log, completely unaware of the discomfort he was giving his owner. Troy sighed with a smile and got out of his seat. “Alright, alright,” said the gryphon in a more sympathetic tone, “just give me a second.”

“Thankyou,” the pony quickly said before clenching his muzzle shut.

Canvas waited a few seconds, but realized that Troy wasn’t pulling Tenor off of his chest. Before he could look around or try to ask where he was, Canvas was greeted by the sight of the gryphon grinning evilly above with with Lyle’s camera. “Say cheese!”

“TROY DON’T YOU DARE!!”

Click!

Even though it was just barely morning, the Manehattan Train Station was still more densely crowded with ponies than Ponyville’s station was during their busiest times. Manehattan was known as ‘The City That Doesn’t Sleep’ for a reason, since many businesses and modes of transportation stayed running twenty-four hours a day. Because of that, it wasn’t uncommon to see various vagabond or migrant ponies resting in the train station for a quick roof over their heads. However, what was uncommon was the sight of three huge gryphons sprawled and passed out against one of the back walls by the platform.

Despite lying asleep with their backs against the tiled wall, the triplets were still large enough to take up a considerable amount of space. Because of that, it was surprising that none of the gryphons’ brown feathers were being scorched off from the burning glares they got from the crowds of Manehattanites who had to shuffle around them. Blane was snoring loudly for at least an hour, and the only sound that could overpower it was the chugging of the train engines that came in and out of the station. Blaze and Blade were leaned in against both sides of Blane, keeping the largest triplet sitting completely upright while their paws were sprawled out and constantly making ponies trip over them.

It wasn’t clear how long those three were asleep on the floor of the train station, but they were finally awoken by the sound of a familiar grunt directed right at them. “Ah-Hmm!”

Due to their upbringing, the sound of their Dad’s unmistakable grunt was enough to make the three shoot up and stand on all fours like a military platoon. Of course, only a second passed before the triplets’ eyes turned half-lidded and groggy once more. “Gah!” hissed Blaze as he rubbed his eyes with a claw. He winced as he struggled to adjust to the brightness of the sun coming in from the glass ceiling. “Ugh, what’s wrong with you?!” he groaned in an obvious whine. “We were sleeping!”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” said Jonas sarcastically with an obvious roll of his eyes, “where are my manners? It’s rude of me to disturb my children while they’re sleeping in a train station like BUMS, isn’t it?!”

Blade quickly shook his head to jolt his mind to a more conscious state, which also ruffled out his feathers in a way that resembled an alarmed cockatoo. “Uhhh,” he began with a talon raised towards Jonas, “you’re not supposed to call ‘em bums, Dad. That’s rude. The proper term is Graduate Students.”

“Just get away from the damn platform!” commanded Jonas with the intensity and professionalism of his military background. As he kept his foreleg raised with a talon pointed directly towards the exit, he watched with a stern eye while the triplets quickly scurried away from the space and through the passengers like their lives depended on it. With a bitter groan, Jonas followed the three in tow through the crowded platform; unexpectedly; the General seemed to show the best behavior by actually saying “Excuse me” and “Sorry” whenever he bumped against somepony (which was fairly often).

When the triplets finally exited the platform area and entered the main lobby, they were greeted by the sight Angela, Troy, and Lyle all giving flat stares towards them. Even Tenor, who was leashed and sitting next to Troy, had his head tilted while looking up at the triplets. Blane tried to lean to the side to see past them and asked, “So, you guys get our luggage bags or what?”

“Your luggage?!” shouted Angela in an angered shriek that instantly shut Blane up. Her eyes narrowed on him and the other two like she was contemplating getting her belt. “Young men, what do you have to say for yourselves?!”

Blane looked between Blaze and Blade worriedly, none of them looking confident with any answer that came to their heads. Blaze was the first to try while he scratched his buzz-cutted head timidly. “Uhhh… can you be more specific?”

Jonas bent in from behind and bluntly yelled, “She’s talking about the dining car you destroyed!!”

“No we didn’t!” quickly retorted Blane as he whipped his head back to face his Father. “Technically, the train was destroyed by the oven blowing up, so all the blame should be on the cooks!” He soon realized how knowing that detail may have sounded, which prompted him to turn back to the rest of his family and add meekly, “Ummm, or so we heard from… sources?”

Troy’s brows furrowed in annoyance. “Guys, Lyle and I both saw you fly off after the explosion! What happened?!”

Blade was the first to answer with an exasperated sigh. “Well, the sign for the buffet clearly said ‘All You Can Eat,’ alright?! It’s not our bloody fault those guys didn’t keep their word!”

Lyle face-clawed with a deep sigh. “Dammit, how many buffets do we have to get banned from because of you guys?!”

Blane said with a bold tone, “Until we find one that’s HONEST, that’s when!”

“Oh, for crying out loud!” Jonas moved past the triplets while his patience grew thinner by the second. “We have three taxis with all our luggage waiting for us outside, and we already wasted enough of their time looking for you bozos!”

“Oi! What are you talkin’ about?!” shouted Blade with a hint of confusion in his voice. He pointed a talon back at the platform he and his brothers came from. “We waited by the train platform so you guys would see us as soon as you got off the bloody train! We were tryin’ to be convenient!”

The triplets watched as their family began to walk away alongside Jonas. All of them shouted back to the three at the same time, “You were in the wrong terminal!”

Blaze, Blade, and and Blane all stood silent momentarily. Before the three began to walk out of the lobby towards their cabs, they looked back at each other for some clarification. Blaze grew a disappointed glare up at Blane while walking. “Dude, you said that was where the train was gonna be!”

“No I didn’t!” shouted Blane back at him. He then pointed towards Blade. “He said that!”

Blade stopped quickly shot his claws up in defense. “I thought that was the right one! You can’t blame me for being distracted by those two graduate students fighting in the lobby!”

“GUYS!!!” bellowed Jonas from the distance.

By the time the triplets finally rushed out of the lobby, Canvas was finished tying his crates of artwork on top of the roof of one of the carriage cabs. When he turned and saw that the three were finally found, Canvas sighed and wiped his head with a hoof. “Thank goodness! We were starting to worry where you guys went!”

Despite Canvas’ chipper attitude, it seemed that Troy’s older brothers were too preoccupied with the sight of the Manehattan cityscape above them to respond. Much like when Troy and Lyle first came to the city last year, the triplets’ eyes were aimlessly scanning the massive buildings which wrapped around the tightly packed cobblestone streets. The spotless glass walls that covered each skyscraper seemed to soar endlessly to the morning skies, and all of them lead back down to the ground where hundreds of ponies could be seen wherever they looked; all of which were dressed immaculately in some form of clothing to help them stand out in such a densely packed and diverse city.

Needless to say, it was clear that this was anything unlike what they’ve seen back in the Gryphon Kingdom.

“Maaaaannn.” Even though Blade toured in regions of Equestria before with his band, he looked just as wide-eyed as his brothers when he saw just how huge and seamless Manehattan’s cityscape appeared while on the ground. “This is definitely makin’ Trottingham look kinda daft.”

Troy huffed with a smirk and asked him, “Does that mean you’ll stop with that stupid accent?”

“No.”

While Troy grumbled at Blade’s answer (and just how quickly the gryphon said it), Jonas tried to motion the triplets towards the cabs impatiently. “C’mon, c’mon, we need to get to the hotel! You guys already wasted enough of our time sleeping!”

“Okay, fine! Jeez!” griped Blaze as he was pushed to one of the taxis by his Father. “You need to take a friggin chill pill!”

“WHAT WAS THAT?” asked Jonas in an especially peeved tone.

Angela was quick enough to round up the triplets to their carriage and away from their Father while saying, “Let’s go, guys. We are NOT causing a scene in the first five minutes in Manehattan.”

While his older brothers were being begrudgingly lead towards their taxi, Troy sighed as he looked to see where Lyle was. Fortunately, one glance upward was enough to see the younger gryphon hovering about twenty feet in the air with his camera. Lyle kept a determined stare through the camera’s focus as he snapped several pictures down the middle of the Manehattan roadway.

“Hey, Lyle!” shouted Troy loud enough to catch his attention. “We’re about to head out, come on!”

“One second!” The black and white Gryphon swooped around to take a couple quick pictures of the other side of the roadway. Satisfied with his camera angles, Lyle smirked before quickly floating back down to the sidewalk. “Sorry about that,” he said while stuffing his camera back in his art bag. “I just wanted some good Manehattan shots for the comic guys.”

“Well, you can do that after you guys get checked in at the hotel.” Troy then gave his brother a quick hug before heading back to his and Canvas’ taxi with Tenor. “I gotta get ready for my audition, so I’ll see you guys later!”

Blade poked his head out of the carriage window to shout out, “Break a leg, Teddy Gryphon!”

Troy whipped his head around quickly enough to risk whiplash. His bitter scowl intensified when he heard the triplets cackling loudly from their cab.

Jonas blinked a couple times while looking confused. “Teddy what?”

“GAH!” Troy pulled at the feathers on his head in aggravation.

“Don’t listen to them, honey,” said Canvas as he nudged his fiancè from behind. “Bridleway should be on your mind right now.”

“Listen to the stallion,” said Angela insistently. Before Troy could disappear into his and Canvas’ carriage, the gryphoness went over to hug him reassuringly. She kissed him sweetly on the cheek and said, “Just try to have fun, alright? You already proved yourself good enough for a callback, so there’s no reason to get all tense.”

Despite still feeling a weight pulling himself down from within his chest, the gryphon still nodded meekly and returned a nuzzle to his Mom. “Th-thanks. I’m gonna need all the luck I--”

“Don’t say the ‘L’ word!” snapped Angela with a talon prodded against Troy’s feathered chest. “I know enough about theater to know that’ll jinx you.”

Troy scoffed a little, but that statement was still enough to make him smile a bit more wholeheartedly. “Well, thank you for that detail, Mom.”

Tenor, who was already seated in the carriage happily, barked several times in excitement. “Okay, I really gotta go!” said Troy as he and Canvas jumped into the carriage along with their puppy. “We’ll meet you for lunch!”

With the city of Manehattan currently in full swing in the morning hours, the three carriages were quick to leave the front of the train station. While Troy, Canvas, and Tenor rode off towards the Bridleway District, Jonas looked over at Lyle while seated between him and Angela in their own cab. “So,” began the General with a skewed brow, “would you mind telling me what that ‘Teddy’ thing is about?”

Troy was tapping his legs anxiously with both claws, hoping that doing this action while sitting would be less bothersome than if he started tapping his paws against the waiting room floor. The gryphon was seated beside his fiancè in a massive room that was just outside the theater’s main ballroom and stage. The carpet and cushions of the benches, along with the walls, all carried the same dark, almost blood red tone which gave the space a much more menacing tone than it probably intended. The wooden bench wrapped around the entire room, holding about a dozen other ponies who were either reading scripts or doing various breathing exercises. A couple of attractive stallions were performing stretches in the middle of the room, which made Troy contemplate doing something similar as a means to calm himself down.

Tenor, who was bombarded with ponies petting and scratching him as soon as he was brought to the waiting room, was now asleep in a small doggy bed on the bench next to Canvas. Even though he was worried that bringing their dog would’ve been a bad idea, Troy was actually quite glad they decided to do so; without having a puppy around to lighten the mood, the gryphon was sure that most of these theatrical ponies would be staring at him more than anything else. Although, Troy could’ve sworn that he saw a few stallions quickly turn their head away when he glanced around the room anxiously.

Canvas nudged him lightly from the side and whispered, “So, how are you feeling?”

“Well…” As he looked around the room, Troy exhaled worriedly and said, “right now, I really wish I wasn’t the only gryphon in this room.”

“Oh, don’t be so worried,” said Canvas confidently while nuzzling against him. “That just means you’ll stand out for the judges. It doesn’t hurt to get that kind of attention, you know.”

“Yeah, unless it’s for all the wrong reasons,” muttered Troy uncomfortably.

Canvas huffed through his nostrils sharply at his fiancè’s response. While he didn’t want to see Troy act this way before his big audition, he certainly couldn’t blame him for it either. So instead of continuing to give reassuring statements that would bounce off the gryphon like a rubber ball to a brick wall, the artist decided to do a different route. Canvas nestled in closer to Troy as he started looking around the room as well. “Hmmm… who do you think is the biggest competition?”

“Hm?” asked Troy in a puzzled manner when he looked down at his mate.

“Who do you think will be your biggest competition?” repeated the pony while glancing back up at Troy. Since the two were by one of the corners of the room, Canvas wasn’t that worried to ask his fiancè in a hushed tone of voice. “I saw you staring at everypony in here, so what do you think?”

Troy didn’t feel comfortable asking that kind of question, but he figured it would be better than just letting his thoughts continue piling on like backed luggage in an airship. So, the gryphon glanced around the room once more like a falcon who was scanning a field for it’s next meal. A lot of the ponies in this room looked quite eloquent with their meticulously-styled manes, posh postures, and nicely dressed choices of clothing. And given the fact that half of the stallions were seated closely to somepony else, Troy had a feeling that not many straight guys were in this room.

The Gryphon’s beak skewed a little as he peered around slowly. He finally nudged his stallion silently before notioning his head towards one. “Honestly,” he whispered, “that guy.”

Canvas looked in the direction Troy’s beak was pointed at, which was towards a fat stallion who was sitting by himself across the room. The pony had a dark purple coat with a brown mane, neither of which seemed to go with the lime green vest or blue cap he was wearing. He also donned a pair of headphones on while listening to something on a portable radio, thus making him unaware of anypony watching him. Due to the hat and vest, it was unclear what kind of pony he was.

“Really?” whispered Canvas curiously. His head tilted to the side as he pondered why Troy was more worried about him than anypony else.

“Well, think about it,” said Troy quietly back towards Canvas. “Most of the ponies in this room are really fit and stuff. Maybe that guy has a really good singing voice or something.”

Canvas thought that answer over, and shrugged with a pout as his brows raised slightly. “Huh. That’s actually a good point.”

The grand door to the theater opened, and a very exhausted orange pegasus stumbled out of the room while panting heavily. His fur was matted with sweat, showing that he decided to go the more athletic route with his audition performance. Troy’s ear tufts pulled downward a little in worry, and he silently pondered if he should do the same. Unlike the past audition, which was just rehearsing a small scene with an accompanying song from this show, this one was meant to showcase each participant’s best qualities. That meant they could do any scene, or any song, if they felt it was the best representation of who they are for the role.

Troy gulped nervously, and he was suddenly wondering whether his plan was as foolproof (or foalproof, as ponies put it) as he had originally thought. Nevertheless, a petite, tan, unicorn mare came out of the theater behind the auditionee while holding a clipboard with her magic. “Okay, ummm… Troius Clawston?”

The gryphon instantly froze up in a panic, and his claws dug into the bench’s cushion strongly enough to risk tearing up the velvet. Canvas rubbed a hoof against Troy’s back and whispered, “Troy, it’s going to be fine.” He then bent in to kiss his fiancè on the cheek, and said reassuredly, “Just do what you do best, alright? I’ll be proud of you no matter what.”

Even though he only froze for less than five seconds, Troy was able to get his body to move again as he nodded his head faintly. When the gryphon pulled himself off the bench, struggling to keep his limbs from shaking in apprehension, he saw a lot of the ponies in the room look towards him with looks of surprise and curiosity. Troy closed his eyes and took a quick breath, letting himself breathe out in a cool exhale before walking towards the mare. “Th-that’s me.”

Even though his heart was pounding in his chest like a jazz drum, Troy still walked through the theater doors in a silent and confident manner. As the doors closed, Canvas saw everypony looking around the room and whispering to one another. The artist’s ears perked up as he heard statements like, “Wait, the Gryphon is the one auditioning?!” and “Is this a new direction?!”

Even the chubby stallion took off his headphones after seeing Troy stand up, and shook his head as he said to himself, “Man, he’s gotta be good if he’s up for consideration.”

That made Canvas grow quite a giddy grin while sitting next to his pup.

Troy was already feeling flustered about this audition in the first place, but the fact that the aisle toward the stage was pitch black really didn’t help. Luckily, the massive lighting that illuminated the stage was enough to show enough of the walkway and the steps, so Troy was able to walk towards his destination without the fear of tripping over anything. The gryphon took a breath as he neared the stage, already aware of what he needed to do since his previous Bridleway audition. He didn’t turn to look at the table of ponies pointed at the stage, and he focused on just walking up to the polished hardwood floor that shone under the heavy stage lighting.

When he reached the ‘X’ mark on the center of the stage, Troy stood fully upright to face the muted darkness in front of him. He wasn’t able to see the casting ponies out in the sea of empty seats, so he had no idea where to look. Fortunately, he quickly saw the bulb of red light that was just to the left of his line of vision, which he recognized instantly. Instead of any of the casting ponies just telling someone to stop their performance, the red light would come on to do it silently.

Even though it was a simple system that worked, Troy had to wonder what the case was for any blind ponies who auditioned for Bridleway. But then again, he couldn’t think of a single blind pony in any of the shows--

“Mister Clawston?” asked a female voice from the wall of darkness in front of the gryphon.

“Y-Yes!” blurted Troy as his posture stiffened momentarily.

“Do you have your music prepared?”

Troy already knew the procedure, and nodded to the darkness. “Yes I do. I gave the sound guy my tape when I checked in.”

“Excellent. Just let us know when you’re ready and we’ll begin.”

Troy nodded a second time. The gryphon closed his eyes, and took several seconds to practice his breathing exercises. While it may have not been too long, that brief moment was just enough to get him to feel his heartbeat settle by a tiny bit. When he reopened his eyes, Troy looked upward slightly and put out his talon to motion the sound pony who was somewhere up top. In an instant, the red light turned off, and Troy heard his tape begin.

A simple piano melody started to play, which was soon accompanied by a beautiful orchestral section that went alongside it like fresh silk. Troy breathed in as he heard the music play, already knowing where to begin at hearing the song thousands of times before. For a millisecond, the gryphon could feel his throat seizing up just before his part. This happened to him several times before, and each one makes Troy’s heart race in terror at thinking he’s going to become silent as soon as he’s supposed to sing.

But after closing his eyes, just like every time before, the gryphon felt his voice come out right at the part he was supposed to sing. His eyes slowly opened as he began the first verse, letting the practiced words come out of his beak like it was as natural as breathing. Despite the lyrics being completely foreign to Troy, he still sang them with ease as he felt his confidence grow by the second.

By the time he finished the first section, letting the music take the lead once more, Troy didn’t feel a shred of anxiety or fear in his heart. His eyes stayed open with his beak pointed upward, and his voice belted out the next section with as much heart and dedication as he could muster. His heart may have been racing, but it was from the pure excitement and joy he was feeling from letting his voice be heard. Much like Canvas with his paintings, Troy could feel himself breaking free from his mental restraints as he continued the song, and felt the same kind of freedom he would’ve experienced when flying on the clearest day. The light still hasn’t come on, so the gryphon didn’t hesitate to finish the song with the same commitment he would’ve had back in his own home.

He had no idea what the ponies in front of him thought of his song, but he couldn’t have cared less by the time his track finished playing. When the orchestra and piano finally faded into silence, a smile came across Troy’s beak before the red light shone. He knew that he did his best, and the gryphon bowed his head thankfully to the blackened space in front of him. “Thank you.”

Unfortunately, that silence was interrupted by a loud and obnoxious chorus of “WOOOOOO’s” that bellowed out from the ceiling. Troy darted his head up to see an open window at the top of the theater, and he gasped at the sight of the triplets all perched on top with huge grins. The three started to pump their fists as they chanted “TROY! TROY! TROY! TROY! TROY!”

While he heard the casting ponies screaming for security, Troy rushed out of the theater as quickly as he could with his face as red as a beet.

Chapter Twelve: A Familiar Mare

When the front doors of the theater opened, a large crowd of ponies began to tiredly shuffle out to the streets . Most of the stallions were still sweating heavily, and many could be heard sighing when they were greeted with a welcoming Manehattan breeze that wafted past them. While the group of ponies slowly dispersed in opposing directions to return to their homes or jobs, Troy was one of the last to leave the theater with an upset scowl on his beak. His head was hung low, and it was obvious that even his fiancè and dog were unable to do much to brighten his mood.

Nevertheless, Canvas still nestled against the gryphon’s side in an attempt to ease Troy’s tension. Tenor was on Troy’s other side and looking up at him with an open, panting muzzle. The stallion cooed sympathetically, “Awww, come on, Troy. You know they didn’t mean to do anything bad, right?”

Troy huffed bitterly and looked away from Canvas. “Yeah, sure,” he said in a sarcastic and flat tone. “Me brothers just wanted to completely embarrass me while I tried to give the biggest audition of my life!”

“They were trying to give you some support,” clarified the pony with both brows raised. He also nudged Troy’s side with a hoof and added, “Seriously, it’s not like they were making fun of you! They just wanted to give you a confidence boost, that’s all.”

Troy sighed with a roll of his eyes. “Oh, right. And I’m sure the judges who called security on them thought that too.”

“Troy,” began Canvas more sternly as he stared up at his mate, “I seriously doubt that an outside interruption will affect your audition. Bridleway might not be easy on performers, but I don’t think they’ll be that unfair.”

Despite the nagging feeling that was clawing at the back of his mind, Troy was still able to see Canvas’ point fairly clear. So, the gryphon decided to try and let go by closing his eyes to exhale slowly. “A-Alright,” said Troy meekly with a faint nod. “If you really think so, then I’ll try to keep that in mind.”

Canvas really didn’t want his fiancè to say he’ll “try” and do something in such an unconfident tone, but that statement was still enough to lay off the Gryphon’s anxiety. “Thank you,” said Canvas as he laid a small peck on Troy’s cheek.

Tenor barked and got on his hind legs to do the same. “Gahh!” Troy quickly giggled as he felt the puppy start lapping his other cheek, and he tried to pull his head away from Tenor’s affections. “Tenor, come on! He he he he he! That tickles!”

Tenor tried to give the gryphon a couple more licks, but was able to take the hint before getting back on all fours while panting happily. Fortunately, the Saint Bernard’s actions were more than enough to make the smile on Troy’s beak much wider and more natural. “Aw, jeez,” said the Gryphon while wiping the slobber off of his cheek, “I can only imagine how he’s gonna be when he gets fully grown.”

“I know, right?” Canvas giggled as well while rubbing the back of his head. “We really need to invest in some drool rags when his face starts to loosen up.”

Troy laughed and replied, “At this rate, maybe we'll need some beach towels.”

It was already reaching close to noon by the time the Bridleway auditions ended, so Troy and Canvas had more than enough time before their lunch date with the rest of the family. The couple and their dog had a fairly relaxed walk through the city, and the two made sure to visit Middle Park to see Tenor’s reaction. After walking past countless buildings and concrete structures, seeing such a large and open sea of green right in the middle of the city was quite an exciting discovery for the puppy. So for a while, Troy and Canvas just watched like two proud parents as their Saint Bernard ran around like crazy. By the time they needed to leave, Tenor was passed out on Troy’s back after chasing every squirrel he saw.

Canvas and Troy already prearranged to meet the rest of the Clawstons in Greenhoof Village, mostly since they already knew where they wanted to have their lunch. When the engaged couple finally arrived at Roy’s Pizza, the two were happy to see that everyone already had themselves seated at the tables with their orders outside the building. Angela was the first to spot them as they came to the patio to join the group. “Oh there you guys are!” She pointed to an empty table beside hers and Jonas’, which already had a fresh pizza laid out for them. “I hope you don’t mind, but we preordered for you two.”

“Oh, thank you so much!” Canvas looked quite happy with what was on their table, but Troy’s focus instantly went to the other occupied table on the patio. The triplets, along with Lyle, were already finished with what looked to be half the appetizer menu as evidenced by the empty baskets covering their table. The group were still chatting and laughing over some story before Lyle noticed the couple first.

“Hey guys!” shouted the teenager while Canvas got into his seat. “How was Bridleway?”

Troy didn’t say anything, but the burning glare he had pointed at the triplets was enough to make Lyle glance back towards the three. He muttered under his breath, “Uh oh…”

When the triplets finally realized that Troy was staring at them, Blaze turned around first with an eager smile on his beak. “THERE’S the songbird! So, how did your audition go?”

Troy’s silent glare only intensified, making him look like he wanted to wring his older brother’s neck like a chicken. Blaze’s smile slowly went away as his expression turned cautious. “Uhhh… is something wrong, bro?”

“Is something wrong?!” hissed the silver Gryphon as his eyes narrowed on Blaze nastily. He walked towards his brothers’ table as his tone turned more savage. “Are you seriously needing to ask that question?! I just came back from the biggest audition of my entire life, which may have been my only shot in getting a role in Bridleway, AND YOU THREE--”

Troy instantly shut his beak and clenched his eyes shut. The sound of Tenor walking up with a whimper could be heard from behind the gryphon, which prompted him to make a very long and shaky exhale to conceal his growing rage. Canvas quickly went to get the puppy from Troy’s back before his fiancè could say anything else. “Shhh, it’s okay,” cooed Canvas as he picked up Tenor to place him on one of the chairs. “Just get your rest.”

When Troy reopened his eyes, his teeth were gritted shut when he finally spoke in a venomous whisper. “If Tenor wasn’t here right now, I would be much… MUCH louder towards you guys for interrupting my audition and possibly costing me that role!”

“Whoa, WHOA!” Blane got out of his seat and motioned his claws perpendicularly like a coach calling a time-out. “Hold up, Troy! You seriously can’t say that we interrupted you!”

“Yeah!” added Blade with an offended expression. “We waited until AFTER you finished your song, remember?! And then we cheered you on because you did a bloody good job!”

Blaze then added with a raised talon, “WHICH! Showed those casting ponies that your performance was not only good enough to warrant positive feedback from the general public, A.K.A., their largest source of revenue, but that your music can attract Gryphons to Bridleway! Thus, could help to bring more cultural diversity towards an industry that has been desperately trying to expand their horizons for larger multicultural audiences for years!”

After his speech, Blaze waited with a stern stare towards his baffled-looking brother. Their parents both had gaped beaks, and could only blink after hearing Blaze say something that poignant in such a surprisingly intelligent tone. While Jonas’ eyes narrowed on his son suspiciously, Canvas asked puzzledly, “Ummm… should we ask how you know about that kind of stuff?”

Blaze glanced over at Canvas confusedly for a brief second. “What? They had a magazine about Bridleway on the train. Figured it’d be good to know what my bro’s getting into.”

“So let me get this straight,” began Troy in a still-peeved tone of voice to catch his older brother’s attention. “You guys decided that the best way to get the judges on my side wasn’t to just let me perform and let my talent speak for itself. But instead, you three interrupted them and treated a very delicate audition process like a bucking stormall game?!”

Blaze looked back at Blade and Blane, who had equally puzzled looks on their faces before turning back towards Troy. “Uhhh… well, yeah. Duh!”

Troy struggled not to pull out his own feathers as he growled like a rabid hyena. Meanwhile, Jonas groaned in his seat and decided to ask, “Troy, did they really cost you your audition?”

Even though he wanted to say yes, Troy just sighed and rubbed the back of his head. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they did, but I won’t know until they finish the rest of the casting applicants. That might take a week at most.”

“Then you shouldn’t be worrying about it until you know for sure,” said the General sternly. “Now I’m not saying that what they did was that smart of an idea,” he added while pointing at the triplets (which caused the three to reply with an insulted and unified “Hey!”), “but you can at least wait before saying it was a complete screw up on their end.”

Seeing his Dad’s point, Troy made a long and reluctant exhale before nodding his head. “Ugh… Okay, yeah. You have point.”

“Ah-Hem!” Blaze, Blade, and Blane all had their forelegs crossed while seated and staring expectantly at Troy. From the way their eyes were narrowed on him, it was clear they were waiting for an apology.

Jonas saw how they were staring at Troy and barked, “And that means you three have to wait as well! Regardless of showing support to your brother, you could’ve easily costed him that role!”

That was enough to make the triplets look away with guilty expressions. Meanwhile, Lyle decided to ask them curiously, “So, how good was Troy’s performance?”

Blade was the first one to smile as he looked back at Lyle to answer. “I can honestly say I couldn’t have done it better myself, mate.”

Considering how successful Blade’s own music career was, albeit in a much different genre than Troy’s, that statement was quite a high mark of praise for him to say. Troy could tell from that hone how honest his older brother was, which made him grow an honored smile on his beak. “Wow… Thanks, dude.”

While Blade shrugged from Troy’s statement and got himself the last of the mozzerella sticks, Tenor’s ears perked up when he heard a new pair of hoofsteps approaching closer towards them. The puppy turned his head around to see a pink unicorn mare with a green mane strolling up to the patio.

“Ah, there you are!” she said cheerfully with a rather large smile as and walked towards Canvas. “I was expecting to find you here!”

As soon as Canvas saw the mare, his face lit up like a Hearth’s Warming tree. “Glimmer Heart!”

The stallion quickly got out of his chair to greet Glimmer, whose green mane was in the same short-cropped style she had the last time he and Troy met her in Manehattan. The unicorn didn’t hesitate to hug Canvas warmly as she said. “I just saw the pieces you left at the art show, and they look amazing!”

“Oh, thank you!” said Canvas thankfully after pulling back from the hug with a smile. He then rubbed the back of his head with a bashful smile as he added, “Honestly, I was worried my contributions would be seen as a little too on the nose.”

“Oh, don’t you worry about that!” quickly dismissed Glimmer with a wave of her hoof. “I think they’re really fitting for the charity being held. I mean, it is for funding music programs, so the art should show appreciation towards that.”

Canvas chuckled before putting his hoof back down. “Yeah, I suppose you have a point there.”

Seeing the new guest, Tenor was standing upright in the chair as he barked loudly enough to catch her attention. As soon as she saw the Saint Bernard, Glimmer Heart squealed in glee. “Ohmigosh! He’s so cute!!”

Of course, that overly girlish reaction was quickly followed by the mare blushing and covering her embarrassed smile with a hoof. “Heh heh… Sorry, I just have a weak spot for puppies.”

Troy was now in one of the vacant seats at the table as he said, “It’s perfectly fine, Miss Glimmer Heart. Tenor’s really good with strangers, so you can pet him if you want.”

Glimmer made another overjoyed jolt as she went to accept the offer. As she went to pet Tenor and make him pant happily, Canvas got back in his own chair as he pointed to the others. “Glimmer, I’d like you to meet my future In-laws. They’re staying as guests at Princess Twilight’s castle for the time being, so she was able to get them rooms in Manehattan for tonight.”

After getting a good fix from petting Tenor, Glimmer kept her smile at a more professional level as she greeted the five new Gryphons. “Well, this is certainly a pleasant surprise!” She extended her hoof out towards Jonas first, who shook it firmly as she introduced herself. “My name is Glimmer Heart. I’m an art dealer by trade, as well as Canvas’ promoter.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” responded Jonas in an equally professional tone. He motioned towards his wife and the triplets after putting his claw down. “This is my wife Angela, and those three over there are my sons Blaze, Blade, and Blane. And I think you already met Lyle once before, right?”

“Yes I have,” she said with a smile as she turned to see Lyle. However, her eyes widened in surprise when she realized just how different he looked now. “Oh! Wow, umm… hello again, Lyle!”

“Hey,” Lyle meekly said with a wave as he looked away from her timidly with a blush. “Yeah, I know I grew a lot.”

While Glimmer merely shrugged in response to that statement, Blade looked over at her curiously and said, “Oi! I couldn’t help overhearing you and Canvas talkin’. What’s that about funding music stuff?”

Glimmer brought her attention towards the skinny gryphon and answered, “Oh, it’s just a small charity event to help keep music programs in Manehattan schools. A lot of districts are risking losing funding to keep them afloat, so Canvas offered to help contribute some art for an auction tonight.”

“Well, bloody Tartarus!” replied Blade with his claws raised in revelation. “Sign me up to help too! Music was the only class I got A’s in back in high school! And I doubt I’m the only one either.” He then leaned back in his chair with a cocky smirk and added, “Besides, a little celebrity exposure might be good for the press, if you know what I mean.”

Troy groaned and face-clawed while hunched over in his seat. While Glimmer Heart blinked a couple times in confusion, Canvas got out of his seat to lean in and discreetly whisper into her hear, “He’s lead for one of the biggest metal bands in the Gryphon Kingdom.”

“Oh, is he?” she asked in surprise when she faced the stallion. After he nodded, Glimmer looked back at Troy’s family for a moment before tapping her chin with a hoof. “Hmmm… you know what? We have been worried that our attendance list for the art show was a little too exclusive. And having some Gryphons in attendance could help add some variety for the presses.”

Troy immediately pulled his head up in worry. “Wait, what?”

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” asked Canvas with a curious smirk.

Glimmer looked back at him with a more confident smile. “Well, why not? They are your future family, after all. If they’re already out here, I don’t see the harm in having them attend our little soirè.”

“You do not know the triplets!” shouted Troy in warning.

“Hey, come on, man!” yelled Blane back towards Troy. “Let the MILF trust her judgement!”

“Why thank you, Mister--Wait, what was that?” asked Glimmer confusedly.

“N-N-Nothing!” quickly blurted Canvas as he tried to keep Glimmer from thinking to much about Blane’s poorly chosen words. “Uhhh, it’s a Gryphon term, I think. So, what were you suggesting?”

“Oh, umm…” Glimmer turned back to Jonas and Angela first as she asked with an optimistic smile, “How would you guys like to attend a charity art show tonight? I’m sure you would have a fun time.”

Even though Angela looked pleased with the offer, Jonas leaned back in his seat and asked with a raised brow, “Well, that depends. Is this one of those stuffy deals where we have to be dressed up? Because I don’t have my uniform with me.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” assured Glimmer warmly. “This isn’t a suit-only event. You can just come as you are.” She then decided to add with a more cheeky grin, “There’ll also be free food and an open bar.”

“We’re in!” shouted the triplets at the same time.

Troy heavily groaned and sank his face into his claws again. He also muttered to himself, “Well, they’ll be getting in tomorrow’s newspaper.”

Meanwhile, Angela happily responded to Glimmer Heart’s offer with a thankful, “We would be honored to attend your charity tonight, Missus Glimmer Heart.” She then extended her claw out for the mare to shake as she added, “And if you need any help for the auction, please don’t hesitate to ask us for assistance. Jonas and I have helped organize events like this before for our company. Also, our son Blane is an expert florist.”

Glimmer looked quite surprised by that last detail while shaking Angela’s claw. “Wait, really?”

When she glanced back at the massive brown gryphon, he answered honestly with a roll of his eyes, “Yeah, I am…” He then looked away with a meek smile as he added, “Also, your white rose perfume smells really nice.”

The unicorn reeled back a little before bending down to sniff her chest. When she looked back up at the gryphon, she huffed with a small smirk. “Wow. You’re good.”

Of course, the rest of the Clawston family members just stared at Blane with befuddled expressions for a brief moment. Lyle was the first one to make an audible response. “Dude, that's friggin’ creepy.”

While Blane scoffed with a wave of his claw, Canvas regained Glimmer’s focus and asked, “So, is there anything I should know before tonight? I know you sent me the details in the mail, but I just want to make sure I'm prepared.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. You’ll be fine,” she said in kind assurance. “All you have to do is introduce your pieces, schmooze with some of the ponies and smile for the press. Nothing you’re not familiar with already.”

After a couple seconds, Glimmer’s brows raised like she remembered something especially important. “Oh! I almost forgot!” She then grew an especially large grin as she poked at Canvas’ chest and added, “I’ve been in contact with some very special ponies who were planning to be at the show tonight. I can’t say who they are because they wanted to keep things discreet, but I really think it would be great publicity if you were to meet with them during the event.”

While he wanted to ask who Glimmer may have been referring to, Canvas merely shrugged in acceptance. “Well, I certainly don’t see why not.”

“Excellent!” After giving Canvas another small hug, Glimmer lit her horn to pull a piece of paper from her purse. “Just give this to security when you arrive, and they’ll let you in with no problems. And I’ll make sure all your family is included on the list as well.”

“Alright. Will do.” Even though he tried to keep his response casual, a small blush grew across the pony’s cheeks while nodding to Glimmer’s statement. Even though he wasn’t going to mention it out loud, actually hearing somepony call the Clawstons his family made him pause momentarily to let that idea sink in. It may have not been a new thought to creep into Canvas’ mind, but it was certainly one that still felt new to him regardless of how normal it may have sounded.

“... Uhhh, Canvas? Canvas?”

“Huh?” The artist didn’t even realize he trailed off until he felt Troy poking his shoulder. When he looked around, Glimmer Heart was already gone. The rest of the Clawstons were going back to enjoying their lunch (including Tenor, who somehow got a hold of one of the slices while nobody was watching), so only Troy was the one to notice how Canvas veered off into space. The pony quickly shook his head clear and said, “Oh, uhh, sorry about that. I was just thinking, that’s all.”

“About what?” asked his fiancè as they went back to their seats.

“Oh, nothing,” assured Canvas when he got back into his chair and grabbed a slice of pizza. “Just thinking about tonight, that’s all.”

Troy narrowed his eyes on him, clearly seeing that Canvas wasn’t giving him a straight answer. However, instead of trying to press him about it, the gryphon decided to just focus on eating as well. While chewing on his own slice of pizza, Troy glanced over at Tenor, who was now gnawing on a bare pizza crust quite happily. “So… Do you think we can bring Tenor into the event with us?”

Canvas paused briefly and stared at the dog too. While Tenor finished his helping of pizza, Canvas shrugged with a smirk. “Eh, it’s cool. I brought his little outfit with us. As soon as Glimmer Heart sees him in it, she’ll let him in with no problem.”

“Are you sure?” asked Canvas’ fiancè with an apprehensive tone. “Because I’m not sure if a sweater vest is good enough to get a puppy in an exclusive charity eve--”

A very loud gasp interrupted Troy before his Mom shouted out, “YOU HAVE A WIDDLE SWEATERVEST FOR TENOR?!” The gryphoness looked like she was about to melt in her chair while dawwing at the puppy. “Ohhhhh, lemmesee, lemmesee, lemmesee, lemmesee,
lemmeseeeeeee!”

Both Troy and Canvas seemed pretty surprised by Angela making such an abrupt reaction to hearing about that info. Meanwhile, Jonas just sighed while picking up a breadstick. “Aaaaaand there are the mood-swings,” he said before taking a bite. “Right on time.”

Chapter Thirteen: The Auction

Even after the sun set in Manehattan, the bustling metropolis was still shining just as brightly as it did in the day. Every building was illuminated with rows and columns of lights beaming through each of their windows; of course, the massive billboards and neon signs that were hanging alongside them outshone even the brightest-lit rooms. While Starswirl Square was clearly the brightest region of city with its countless billboards and ads reaching the skies, the quaint neighborhood of Greenhoof Village didn’t fare much lesser with the strings of lights that were tastefully adorned over its cobblestone streets.

On one particular block was a small, contained outdoor park which was between two especially large buildings. While it could barely be considered a “park,” since it only took up the same amount of space as a single building, the lines of trees and well-maintained plants helped to give the space a much larger-feeling vibe. Lines of festival lights were overhanging from the trees, which illuminated the dozens of ponies who were conversing within the small patch of nature within the concrete jungle which was Manehattan.

Among that small but dense crowd, Canvas was standing happily while wearing his blue dress shirt and lime green tie. While it was clearly too dark out to wear sunglasses, the stallion still had his purple aviators tucked in one of his shirt pockets just in case. The party has just begun, but Canvas was already talking with several ponies who took notice of him as soon as he entered.

Of course, the fact that Canvas had his dog sitting beside him in a bright yellow sweater vest may have added to the attention he was receiving.

A couple of mares were giving their attention towards Tenor, but most of the others in the small group kept their focus on Canvas as he spoke eloquently.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is that I don’t think that one specific medium should discredit other forms of art. Even though I prefer oil paintings myself, I’ve seen some extremely impressive work done in forms like colored pencil, charcoal, or even sticker-bombing!” After that last example, the stallion chuckled in recollection before adding, “Actually, I remember seeing this piece back in Baltimare, by a stallion who made this amazing landscape piece of the city completely out of newspaper and magazine clippings! If I had an extra zero or two in my bank account, I may have considered buying it for the price he offered.”

That got most of the group giggling alongside him. One of the stallions, who was a unicorn with a dark teal coat and a vibrant silver mane, lit his horn to lower the violet shades he was wearing. “I actually know that stallion!” he exclaimed with an elated smile. “I think his name is Copy-Paste, from what I remember. His collage and paper machè works are absolutely divine!”

“That was the name!” Canvas looked quite happy that the pony knew the name for him to remember. “Thank you, Fashion Plate.”

“Oh, it’s quite alright,” said Fashion Plate with a daintily thrown dip of his hoof. “When you work for Cosmare, remembering names is essential to keeping contacts at the tip of your hoof!” Thinking it over, the stallion shrugged and reopened his muzzle with a slight smirk. “Although if you ask me, having a name like Copy-Paste in the art world is just begging for plagiarism claims.”

Another round of laughter overcame the group, but it was surprisingly contained within the small, upscale gathering. Nearby one of the large snack tables, Troy was looking around with a curious eye while holding a long glass of Tall Island Iced Tea. While sipping from his glass, the gryphon’s ear tufts twitched when he overheard hoofsteps coming up towards him. Glimmer Heart, who was how donned in a tasteful summer gown of green with yellow highlights, strolled up beside Troy while holding a martini in her magic. “Hello, Troy,” she said in a welcoming tone while swirling the contents of her drink. “How’s Manehattan holding up for you?”

Troy shrugged his shoulders as he gazed around the confines of the park. He could see Lyle in the distance chatting with Fancy Pants, most likely talking about the younger gryphon’s future plans. Meanwhile, the triplets were all perched at the open bar, and seemed quite satisfied with their pitchers of what was probably some upper-scale artisan beer. And from the look of an especially large crowd of ponies by one of the corners, Troy was sure that his either his Dad was going into one of his stories about how he got that scar on his face, or his Mom was talking about her expecting child.

“Honestly,” answered Troy with a smile on his beak, “I was kinda worried about how my family would react to this city. But it looks like everyone is doing really well.”

“Well that’s great to hear,” said Glimmer happily while looking up at Troy. She took a sip from her drink before continuing. “I just hope you’re not planning to be a wallflower all night while everyone else is enjoying themselves.”

“Oh, no. It’s not like that.” Troy glanced back at Glimmer Heart while keeping an insistent tone. “I’m having a great time too. I mostly just wanted to make sure none of my brothers would start any trouble at a party like this.”

Glimmer chuckled with a smirk. “I suppose I can understand your concern. I actually found one of your brother’s records before the party, and…” The mare looked away with a bit lip as she shrugged uncomfortably. “Let’s just say it wasn’t exactly my taste.”

“Wait really?” Troy looked surprised as he looked down at her to ask, “Which album?”

“Oh, I was barely able to remember since the cover itself was so graphic. Uhhh…” Glimmer glanced upwards and blinked repeatedly in an attempt to remember. “I think it was… Alicorn Harem or something?”

“Ooohhh!” Troy winced as he chortled with a scrunched-in face. “Even he’s not proud of that one!”

Glimmer openly laughed at that response, which caused Troy to do the same. While he tried to maintain his composure, Troy glanced back to the sight of his fiancè, who was still happily conversing with the crowd of ponies gathered around him. Even though the gryphon couldn’t hear what they were saying, he saw nothing but the purest look of joviality on Canvas’ smiling face. After learning about all the time the stallion spent on his own, seeing Canvas in his element among ponies who respected him just made Troy’s heart feel warmer.

Glimmer was able to see where Troy’s sights were directed at, and she smiled when she looked over at Canvas too. “I swear,” said the mare in a proud and almost motherly tone of voice, “it’s so hard to find a pony that young who’s able to socialize with this kind of clientele so naturally.”

“I know, right?” Troy sighed with a smile as he stared at his stallion, his voice barely able to contain how happy he was for him. “Just think, a year ago he was still in high school. And now… now he’s one of the best artists that Equestria has to offer.”

Glimmer glanced back at him with a warm smile on her muzzle. “You must be really glad you snagged him when you did, huh?”

“I wouldn’t say I snagged him,” replied Troy with a playful roll of his eyes. “But… yeah. I really am glad that I found him when I did…”

Thinking it over, the gryphon’s head lowered a little as his smile widened in remembrance. “I honestly never would’ve imagined that in less than a year I would find a stallion out of chance, become friends, fall in love, and plan to get married to him.” Even though that statement was supposed to be more quirky than anything else, it still made Troy pause for a moment with his beak skewed. “Honestly, it... it kinda makes me wonder if we’re going too fast.”

“Oh, don’t be thinking like that!” jeered Glimmer with a poke against Troy’s side. “I actually think it’s really sweet that you two are so committed to each other.”

Troy looked at her and asked, “Really?”

“Well of course!” Her eyes narrowed on the gryphon when she asked, “Troy, do you remember the first time I met you and Canvas together?”

Troy tapped his glass a couple times and tried to think. “Uhhh… it was after that thing with your Ex, wasn’t it?”

“That’s right,” she said with a nod. “And Canvas mentioned to me how you stayed with him that whole night after that altercation, and how you also helped clean up the next morning. I don’t know about you, but it’s hard for me to think of that many friends who would go that far for someone.”

“Well what was I supposed to do?! Just leave him while he was sobbing and covered in paint?!” Troy immediately stopped himself and looked around, hoping that nopony overheard him saying that. Luckily, it seemed like he and Glimmer were the only ones within earshot, and he sighed in relief before looking back at the mare. “But… you’re not wrong. I really did care for him even back then.”

“Exactly.” Glimmer Heart placed a hoof on the gryphon’s shoulder as she spoke sincerely. “Troy, I’m not going to lie and say this isn’t going fast. Heck, Hot Shot and I were friends for years before he decided to propose to me. But while time for growth is a big thing to have in any relationship, I think you and Canvas have something a lot more important than that.”

While Troy stared down at her, Glimmer Heart smiled back at him when she said that key detail: “Dedication.”

One of Troy’s brows lifted slightly in confusion, which prompted the unicorn to sigh and explain. “Seriously, do you know how hard it is to find someone that you can truly say you’re committed to? You’ve both seen each other at your lowest points, and you were still able to help one another like it was nothing while still staying closer than most friends ever could. I know that your relationship may have started quick, but I honestly don’t see how you two couldn’t stay together. You’re more dedicated to one another than most ponies I know, and you have each other’s backs each step of the way. And in the end, I think that matters more than anything.”

After Glimmer Heart finished with a truthful smile, Troy just stood in a momentary lapse while letting her words process. When he looked back towards his fiancè, the gryphon let what Glimmer said reverberate through his mind while he finished his drink. Troy may have only been silent for a few seconds, but that moment was more than enough to make him smile again at the sight of Canvas. Even with what he was thinking before, the mare beside him was absolutely right; Troy would give his life for that stallion, and he knew that Canvas would do the same.

“Y-yeah,” said Troy in a faint but thankful tone towards Glimmer. “I think you’re right, Glimmer Heart.”

“Pssh! I know I’m right!” replied Glimmer in a more confident voice to go along with her smirk. “Believe me, I’ve been in relationships long enough to know what I’m talking about.”

As she looked away, the mare’s eyes widened when she glanced down at her watch. “Oh, shoot! The auction is about to start soon!” Before she could trot away to make sure everything was ready, she turned back to Troy and asked, “Could you get your family ready? I don’t think they want to miss what I have planned.”

“Absolutely,” said Troy with a courteous nod. “I’ll round them up for you.”

After he and Glimmer walked away from each other for their separate tasks, Troy decided to go towards his younger brother first. By now, Lyle had his sketchbook open while Fancy Pants and a couple other patrons glanced at the contents inside. Fancy’s mustached muzzle was skewed in a mix of curiosity and uncertainty, which was still more positive than the looks a couple of mares had beside him while seeing Lyle’s work. When Troy approached the group, he heard Fancy Pants ask, “So… is that character supposed to be Prince Blueblood?”

Troy craned his neck to see the page, and winced when he saw the drawing. Even though it was a really well-drawn reference page for the character, he couldn’t blame Fancy or the mares’ reactions when the pony is portrayed with severe burns along most of his body, including half of his face. Although, despite the gaudy appearance, the pony’s body shape and remaining golden mane did resemble the Prince quite a bit.

“Well, kinda,” admitted Lyle in an uneasy tone. “Since it’s set in a version of Equestria where society was destroyed by the infected, there’s no way to tell for sure with his Cutie Mark being burnt off. And since he has no ID or proof, the survivors kinda have to take his word because of his voice and Royal Spear.”

One of the mares beside Fancy asked, “Well, why couldn’t he just prove it with his magic? Prince Blueblood has a very distinctive aura that could easily be identified by any unicorn with no problem.”

“Actually, she’s right,” added Fancy as he lit his own horn. He used his amber-hued aura to highlight the section of Lyle’s sketch which showed that the character’s horn was fully intact. “Even though I can’t believe I’m saying this,” admitted the unicorn in an apprehensive tone, “considering the tone you say this comic is going for, it might not hurt to give the character a broken horn of some sort. You know, for authenticity of course.”

Lyle’s brows raised as he glanced back down at his drawing. After making a brief “Huh” in reflection, the gryphon took out a pen from his bag to add a small note to the bottom of the page. “Alright,” he said in acceptance of Fancy’s suggestion, “I guess I’ll add ‘broken horn' to the character description too.”

“Ummm, Lyle?” asked Troy in a perplexed tone. “Do I need to ask why you’re showing these ponies stuff from that comic?”

“I’m not!” returned Lyle as he glanced up at his brother and said in clarification, “I was showing Fancy Pants what I was making myself, which could possibly be added to the comic.” He motioned towards the stallion and added, “And considering he wrote that letter of recommendation for me, it seemed only fair when he asked to see what I was doing.”

Troy looked back towards Fancy Pants, who nodded his head. “Your brother isn’t wrong, Mister Clawston,” said Fancy in his distinct Canterlot tone. “I insisted on seeing his work, even after he warned me of the contents.” He then glanced back towards Lyle with a smile to say, “And I have to say, his talent certainly isn’t going to waste! In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if his internship got him a spot at the Manehattan Technical Institute if he wanted.”

Lyle quickly turned his face away from that flattering statement, hoping to hide the shade of red that was coming through the white feathers on his cheeks. “Aww, come on,” Lyle said in an obviously bashful tone. “I think you’re reaching a bit there.”

Troy was just about to open his beak to say otherwise, but another voice interrupted him before he could speak. “Don’t try to undermine the stallion when he’s giving you a compliment,” stated Jonas sharply. None of them were sure how long he was standing behind Troy, but he made himself present in the conversation while keeping his focus on Lyle. “He was the one that helped you get that internship, right? Because if so, he probably knows enough for his opinion to carry some weight.”

Fancy Pants looked up at the General with a thankful nod and replied, “Thank you very much.”

While Jonas nodded back to the stallion respectfully, Lyle sighed and admitted, “Oh, alright. I…” The gryphon huffed briefly and returned his attention towards Fancy Pants to say, “Th-thank you for telling me that. I’ll be sure to remember it.”

Despite the shaky smile that Lyle had on his beak, Troy was happy to see that his brother was being able to take positive critique easier than before. The unicorn smiled in satisfaction and gave the younger gryphon a nod of his own. “Excellent. Now if you excuse me, I’m going to see where Fleur is. I’ll let you get back with your family.”

After giving his adieus to the other two gryphons, Fancy Pants made his leave with most of the ponies following him. Seeing how most of the high-class ponies were hovering around Fancy as he walked, Troy was reminded of those birds who perched themselves on top of rhinos for protection while eating bugs off their backs. Of course, that comparison quickly escaped Troy’s mind when he tried to get Jonas and Lyle’s attention. “Hey listen, the auction is about to start, so Glimmer Heart wanted me to get you guys for attendance.”

“Oh, alright,” said Jonas as he glanced back to where he came from. “I’ll try to get Angela settled down so she can join us. She saw some pigeons perched together and started crying a couple minutes ago.”

“Eh, I’ll go get the triplets,” added Lyle as he began to walk past Troy. He gave his older brother’s back a couple pats as he said, “Just hang out with Canvas and we’ll get everything settled out, ‘kay?”

Troy was planning to try and round up the triplets themselves (especially since he could overhear the three singing something off-key at the bar), but he decided to let his brother take the reins if he wanted to. Besides, being with his stallion sounded a lot better than being alone, so Troy nodded with a smile pointed at Lyle. “Sure thing, dude. Thanks.”

And with that, Troy sauntered back towards his fiancè. While his family were being gathered for the main event, the gryphon stood beside Canvas with a prideful smile. Even though he didn’t say a word and risk disturbing the conversation, he felt surprisingly entwined with the group of ponies that the artist was speaking with. Especially when Canvas nestled in closer beside his mate as he spoke, his voice not changing one bit despite the blush that was growing on his aqua cheeks.

In only a couple minutes, all the attendees were gathered around a large, open section of the park that was lined with various items draped in white sheets. Glimmer Heart’s horn was brightly lit with her pink aura of magic carrying a microphone. “Good evening, fillies and gentlecolts,” she began in a cheerful tone, “I’d like to welcome you all to this event, and thank every one of you for participating in this auction to help our city’s schools!”

A large round of applause swept across the crowd, which sounded surprisingly louder than the size that was in attendance. Glimmer looked towards Canvas, who was standing in the front row beside his fiancè, and gave him the nod to step forward. “Now as you all may know,” continued the mare as she spoke to the crowd, “we have gotten a lot of exceptional pieces tonight for our charity auction. Not only do we have artwork and clothing from all over Equestria that were donated from generous patrons, but we are very fortunate to feature several pieces of art made specifically for this event.”

Another round of applause came afterward, which just made Canvas blush deeply as he walked out to stand beside Glimmer Heart. The mare brought a hoof out towards him and said, “And these contributions wouldn’t have been possible without our star artist! Coming all the way from Ponyville, we are honored to have received the assistance of Canvas: the very artist who made history by being the first Earth Pony to have his work featured in Canterlot Castle.”

While he wasn’t exactly a huge fan of being pulled out into the open to be praised for his work, Canvas still smiled wide as he heard the applause from everypony in attendance. Despite how powerful the claps and stomps of countless hooves sounded, Canvas was still able to overhear Tenor barking loudly, as well as some distinct whistles which he knew were coming from one of Troy’s brothers. While Canvas giggled and lowered his head timidly from the crowds, he almost didn’t notice when Glimmer finished her opening speech. “And to start tonight’s auction, I think it’s only appropriate that Canvas presents his pieces for our opening sales.”

The microphone was floated towards the artist, who took it with a nod while ponies clapped once more. After taking a deep breath, Canvas looked out to the crowd and opened his muzzle. “Umm… H-hello,” he began shakily, but a brief sigh was enough to get him to continue in a more confident tone. “For tonight’s auction, I decided that the paintings being sold tonight should reflect on why we’re all here in the first place. Many of Manehattan’s schools are facing the risk of losing their music programs, which could seriously affect the artistic drive and inspiration that young ponies need in their developing years.”

Canvas smiled a bit wider after finishing that statement. Internally, the stallion was happy that he was able to recite that prepared speech without flubbing it. “So,” continued the pony as he went towards a row of three separate covered pieces, “in an effort to keep the artistic spirit alive in our schools, I wanted to share some artwork which was inspired by musicians who have helped countless lives over the years that they lived through their music. Without these artists, it’s hard to say just how many lives would be different, or how much bleaker the world would be without their art being shared with the world.”

Canvas grabbed the sheet for the first piece, and pulled it away to reveal the painting underneath. Many ponies could be heard giving enthusiastic “Ooohs” and “Ahhhs” at the portrait, which was of a pegasus stallion with a coat of vibrant purple. His mane was pitch-black and distinctly curled, and his expression was of stoic determination as he looked outward while standing atop a snowy hillside. The distinct symbol that represented his stunning music career was meticulously well-painted as it laid on his flank. After letting the reactions and applause die down, Canvas took a breath as he looked back out to the audience with his microphone.

“For this first painting, I wanted to give tribute to one of the largest icons when it came to combining music with artistic and visual style. Many ponies remember him for his stunning progressive pop and rock, but he represented so much more than that outside his music. He showed the bravery that came with being different with your appearance and behavior. He helped break down barriers when it came to the ideas of masculinity in our society. And for this painting, I wanted to encapture the very essence of how his music inspired millions of ponies to be okay with being different from the norm.”

While ponies clapped and applauded at his first painting, Canvas stopped for a brief moment to give the painting one last look, sighing in satisfaction at the work he made. He then walked over to the next covered piece as he continued. “For my second painting, I wanted to pay tribute to a musician who I wasn’t personally aware of, but who inspired many listeners who did. Including a close friend of mine, who recently organized a large tribute show in his honor. He was an inspiration and a mentor to many musicians in his homeland, and showed that you can live a long and prosperous life doing what you love most.”

Canvas pulled the sheet from the second painting, revealing a portrait of a gryphon who was standing on top of a stage with waves of electric colors zig-zagging in the background. The gryphon had one claw raised with his talons giving the rock-horns, and his beak open while screeching into a microphone. Even though the thick sunglasses and black cowboy hat covered a lot of the gryphon’s face (aside from the two very noticeable moles that were on his left cheek), the painting still conveyed tons of energy and excitement from the subject. With the way the gryphon’s long feathers came out wildly from underneath his hat, it was clear to see how much movement the figure was shown to have had in Canvas’s portrayal.

While the crowd applauded the second painting, Blade had a trembling smile as he wiped his eyes with a talon. “Hardcore, mate,” he said in a shaky tone. A red handkerchief within a yellow aura of magic floated up towards Blade’s face, which he was able to notice and pick up to wipe his tears. “Oi, thanks man,” he said while looking down at the unicorn who gave it to him.

“Oh, it’s no problem at all,” said Fashion Plate with a wave of his hoof. After the handkercheif was given back to him, the stallion waited until Blade looked away to stare up at him with a smirk and a bit lip. Luckily, the sounds of the crowd were enough to cover the sound of Fashion Plate making a faint “Unf” while marveling at the gryphon beside him.

Meanwhile, Canvas walked over to the third covered piece and began his final description. “This last painting is… Well, it’s something that hits really close to home for me.”

While he didn’t want to falter when he was almost done, Canvas could feel his heart growing heavier about what he was going to show. This painting was the first one that he made, even before Glimmer Heart told him about this charity. And even though it hurt to let go of something that became so personal to him, the artist knew that it needed to be shared.

So, Canvas took a deep breath before continuing towards the crowd with a heavier-sounding tone. “Growing up, I… I listened to a lot of music as a means to help with my art. And… I also used music to help cope with things I was feeling when I was younger. I didn’t have anyone to talk with back then, and it left me feeling confused and… well, mostly upset about not being able to have a clear answer to things.”

He then gripped the corner to the sheet as he kept talking. “But, there was one musician who helped me overcome a lot of the stress and anxieties I felt back then. He helped me to understand that not everypony is the same, and that we all have differences underneath that help define us and shape who we are. And even though those differences might be seen as the best to others, this pony’s music helped me to understand that I shouldn’t keep denying who I really am, and to be proud of what I’m able to accomplish as myself. He... “

Canvas clenched his eyes shut for a split second so he wouldn’t start welling up in front of the dozens of ponies listening. “He… helped me to realize how important it is to not let others bring me down for who I am. And to know that no matter what, time will change things for the better.”

After making a shaky exhale, the stallion smiled as he said before pulling the sheet, “And in my case, he was absolutely right. Things can change for the better.”

When the final painting was unveiled, the reaction and applause was much louder than ever before.

The background was a wild array of various splattered colors, with each shade being as wild and radiant as the white stallion that took the focus in front of it. The tall, thin unicorn was standing on his hindlegs in glory, showing his flawless stature and the zigged, yellow stars that adorned his flank. His spiked auburn mane shone in the forefront, which matched the red lightning bolt that was painted on the right side of his face. Unlike the other two paintings, this one stared directly out at whomever viewed it, practically entrancing the viewer with his differently-colored eyes without needing to say a single word.

Canvas proudly stood beside his creation, his heart filling with joy as he tried his hardest not to cry. Alas, it wasn’t long before a tear or two came out while he smiled to the crowd. After the applause died down, Canvas quickly wiped his cheeks while Glimmer pulled the microphone from his hoof. She gave Canvas a thankful nod as she said, “Thank you very much, Canvas. We couldn’t be happier for your contributions for tonight’s charity.”

While the crowd clapped loudly, Glimmer put up a hoof to get them quiet enough to begin. “Alright, let’s get this started! For the first painting, let’s start the bidding at fifteen hundred bits! Do I hear fifteen hundred--FIFTEEN! Do I hear sixteen? …”

For almost an hour, the auction went off swimmingly well. Not only did Canvas’ contributions each become huge sellers (with Blade himself buying his second painting for a whopping seven thousand bits), but the charity’s total goal was met and exceeded by the time half of the items were sold! And since Glimmer Heart was doing such a good job with the auctioneering process, all that Canvas had to do was stand next to his fiancè and Tenor with a smile within the crowd. Of course, the artist couldn’t resist making a bid or two to raise the price of some specific items.

Meanwhile, Blade carried an especially large smile as he held his newly purchased item by his side. Blaze and Blane haven’t bought anything yet, which may have been a good thing judging by the near empty fishbowls of some cocktail that both of them had in their claws. Blaze hiccuped as he glanced down at Blade’s covered art piece. “Man, I can’t believe you spent that much on a friggin’ painting!”

“Yeah!” added Blane in an equally slurry voice. “You could’ve bought like, a dozen hookers with that kind of money! Or at least three escorts!”

“So what?” asked Blade as he stared at them in an annoyed tone. “I can’t have something classy in my flat? Besides, I was needin’ something fancy for my living room anyway.”

Blaze and Blane looked especially insulted after that last sentence. “Wait a minute!” snapped Blaze angrily. “What about that painting we got you for your housewarming party!?”

“We thought you loved that!” Blane added with offense.

“I do! I swear to Luna I do!” retorted Blade insistently with both claws raised. He then took a brief breath as he looked away from them. “But… I kinda promised Fluttershy I’d let her see my place if she ever came to the Gryphon Kingdom. And if she ever does, I don’t want her to see ‘Sombra’s Circumcision’ hanging over my couch as soon as she walks in.”

On any other night, Blaze and Blane would’ve torn into Blade for saying something so implicit about his “friendship” with Fluttershy. However, the two of them just shrugged indifferently as they realized his point. “Alright, yeah,” admitted Blaze, “that might not be appropriate for her to see.”

“But you’re still keeping it, right?” asked Blane sharply.

“Well of course I am! I’d have to be a bloody loon not to keep something that nice!”

It was at that point that Fashion Plate walked through the crowds to be next to the triplets again. His horn was lit as he carried one of the newest sales of the night: A Zebrican metal sculpture of what looked to be a famous warrior. He also carried a light smile on his muzzle as he glanced over at Blade and his purchase. “Why hello again,” he said with the slightest hint of sultriness in his tone. “Congratulations on your big buy.”

“Oi, thanks mate,” Blade said kindly back towards him. “And same to you, Mister, uhhh…”

“Fashion Plate,” he finished with an extended hoof out towards him. While Blade shook his hoof, the stallion couldn’t resist looking over at the other two gryphons with his grin growing in slight curiosity. “And I take it these are your brothers?”

“Yep,” chirped Blade after letting go of Fashion’s hoof. “I’m Blade, and these two are Blaze and Blane. We’re future brothers-in-law to Canvas.”

“So I heard,” Fashion Plate said as he redirected his attention back towards Blade. “I must say, Canvas has quite a marvelous taste in gryphons~”

“Yeah, we know,” replied Blade innocently with a shrug. “Canvas is a really cool bloke.”

“Holy crap!” shouted Blane loud enough to make Fashion Plate turn back around. Blane and Blaze were staring underneath the metal statue with gawked expressions. “This guy has a huge dong!”

Fashion Plate giggled with a guilty blush. “It’s a fertility statue, boys. It’s meant to give luck in the name of love.” With a randy smirk, the stallion relit his horn to pick up Blaze and Blane’s now empty fishbowls. “And if you three promise to look after my sculpture for a bit, I’ll have your drinks refilled.”

While the triplets absent-mindedly agreed to the stallion’s proposition, the sound of Glimmer Heart shouting “Sold!” resulted in another round of applause. She was standing next to an immaculate crystal statue of a pigeon as she pointed out to the sculpture’s new owner, “To the lovely gryphoness in the white feathers!”

Angela looked absolutely giddy with a huge smile on her beak, and she quickly sauntered her way through the crowds to pay for her new item. Lyle had a perplexed look as he glanced up at his Dad, who was rubbing his temples with his claw in a desperate attempt to not get overworked over the price Angela raised that sculpture up to. He muttered under his breath bitterly, “Why did I let her hold the bucking checkbook!?”

“Alright, everypony,” declared Glimmer with an excited grin. From the look of all the tables behind her now being empty, it was clear that whatever she had planned was most likely the finale of this auction. “We have one last item up for our charity auction tonight! And believe me, this is quite a special one.”

She looked over towards Canvas and brought her hoof out. “Canvas? I have a bit of a surprise for you.”

While the audience clapped and stomped in approval, Canvas smiled brightly towards Glimmer. Before walking towards her, Canvas made sure to give Troy a small kiss for good luck. Glimmer Heart waited until Canvas was next to her in front of the crowd before continuing. “Now, as most of you may know, Canvas is still quite young. And despite having graduated from high school only last year, this artist has managed to do so much with his talents in such a small amount of time.”

Canvas blushed and dragged his front hooves a little from Glimmer’s praises. “Aww, come on,” he muttered bashfully.

“And in celebration of your achievements,” continued Flimmer Heart in an enthusiastic tone, “our last item up for auction has been donated to us from some very special ponies who you might remember.”

Glimmer gave Canvas a cheeky little wink, which was returned with a smile and a raised brow from the stallion. She then brought a hoof out to the space behind her, where some figures could be vaguely seen from behind the staging lights. “To present our final auction item, please help me welcome three ponies who came all the way from Gallop Creek…”

Canvas’ smile vanished in an instant, as did Troy’s in the crowd. The stallion’s eyes slowly widened in an unwelcome mix of shock and growing worry. “What?”

Despite how low and blunt Canvas’ tone sounded, Glimmer Heart didn’t seem to notice as she introduced the special guests. “Here are three of the faculty members from Canvas’ old high school! His art teacher, Mister Turpentine, his Gym Coach Stroma, and Principal Edelweiss!”

All of the ponies cheered and applauded as the three guests came into the light with bright smiles; of course, none of the attendees seemed to notice how shocked and appalled the gryphons in the audience looked.

Meanwhile, Canvas was absolutely frozen with his muzzle firmly shut. The last time he saw these three ponies was back on graduation night the previous year, and he intended to keep it that way for the rest of his natural born life. Unfortunately, while Glimmer and everypony else clapped in celebration, Canvas’ right eye twitched uncontrollably as the three came up to him.

Leading the group was the silver mare Edelweiss, whose smile almost looked as fake as the jet black highlights that were now in her mane. To the principal’s left was Stroma, who was donning an obviously fake-looking toupè alongside his equally phony and toothed-smile. And to Edelweiss’ right was Turpentine, the faded yellow stallion who Canvas remembered especially well; after all, it’s pretty hard to forget when the stallion who’s supposed to teach art tells you your art would never amount to anything in front of an entire class.

Canvas’ muzzle was moving slightly, just barely covering how hard his teeth began to gnash behind his stoic expression. As the three came closer, all that Canvas could think about where the things he remembered hearing from them back in high school.

“Do you want to make that TWO weeks out of school suspension?!”

“It doesn’t matter if he hit you first, we have Zero Tolerance for a damn reason!”

“Well, HE said that ya hit him back! Ah don’t need any more proof than that!”

“Why can’t you just act normal?!”

“I didn’t hear him say anything! Sit back down!”

“If you want to argue about your grade, I’m not afraid to make it even lower!”

“They won’t bother you if you just ignore them!”

“I’m telling you I didn’t hear a damn thing! Stop trying to start a scene!”

“Stop actin’ like a damn pansy!”

“Stop trying to make this about you, you SELFISH FRUIT!!”

“NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOUR DAMN PAINTINGS!!”

Canvas didn’t even feel the pain when he bit his tongue, but he certainly caught the strong taste of copper flooding the inside of his muzzle. It was nothing short of a miracle that his face hadn’t contorted to a look of pure rage, but he wasn’t sure how much longer that was going to last when he saw Edelweiss’ hoof reach out towards him.

“Hi, Canvas!” said the principal in a cheerful-sounding tone. “It’s so great to see you again!”

Author's Note

And now for two of my favorite returning friends: Shit and Fan

Chapter Fourteen: Going Once... Going Twice...

Time felt as though it was standing completely still. After all the horrible things Canvas went through just a year ago, seeing one of the ponies responsible right in front of him made his bulging eyes start burning a fury he hadn’t felt in a long time. With the way that Edelweiss’ smile that was practically painted on her face, it took everything within Canvas to not bring up his hoof and punch her teeth straight down her throat. But instead of giving in to his deepest impulses, the artist just stood in place without moving a muscle.

Which meant that Edelewiss’ hoof was the only one raised for a respectful shake.

“Ummm...” Edelweiss waited a couple seconds before looking toward the crowd. The applause was beginning to die down, so she glanced back at Canvas with an expectant look as her smile lessened. “Canvas?” she asked with both of her drawn-in brows raised. “Aren’t you going to shake back?”

Canvas’ face was finally beginning to show. His muzzle’s previously frozen state was starting to melt, revealing a faint but very evident scowl. When his muzzle unfroze, he felt his teeth loosen their iron grip on his tongue, but his lips were still tightly pursed shut and unable to give any reply back towards the mare.

Glimmer Heart quickly stepped in with the microphone as she kept her unaware smile. “Well, somepony looks surprised!” she said in a chipper enough tone to get a lot of the ponies in the crowd to laugh. She looked over at Canvas and asked, “So, you’re probably wondering why they’re here, right?”

When Canvas turned his head toward Glimmer, her smile dropped as soon as she saw the very upset and intense glare in his eyes. All that he did was make a silent nod of his head, practically screaming at her through his expression for an explanation.

Glimmer didn’t have enough time to react before her microphone was pulled away from her magic by Edelweiss’ hoof. “Well,” began the principal with a glance back at the audience, “as soon as we learned that our very own star graduate was coming out here for this event, we knew that we had to do something special to commemorate this night.”

Stroma and Turpentine waved out to the audience as well with big smiles. When Canvas looked outward at the crowd, he immediately saw why she and the other teachers were here. Along the sidelines, several journalist ponies were out with cameras drawn and recording devices running beside them. His eyes widened, and his nostrils flared out while breathing through them rapidly.

They weren’t here for him. They were here for the exposure. And his name was their bucking meal ticket.

“So.” When Edelweiss turned back towards Mr. Turpentine, the pale yellow stallion reached back into his saddlebag to pull out something. In his muzzle looked to be a rather thick book, which Edelweiss pointed towards with her free hoof. “We would like to present for this auction, a special edition yearbook from Gallop Creek High School, from the year that our talented Canvas graduated!”

A loud uproar of applause came across the crowd from all the ponies; of course, all the members of the Clawston family were absolutely silent. Canvas’ gaze turned towards that book, and he quickly saw that the spine and cover were colored a very familiar looking bluish-green hue. He wasn’t even able to see the title yet, but he didn’t need to be told what the inside of that yearbook probably contained. In all honesty, it could’ve been a really nice gesture if it wasn’t crafted by the ponies who turned his high school years into a living Tartarus.

“As you can see,” continued Edelweiss as the book was handed towards Stroma, “We were lucky enough to get this book signed and written by every faculty member and student in the entire school, including all his friends and his graduating class!” Stroma smiled and opened the yearbook up towards the audience where everyone (particularly the journalists with cameras) could see it. Not surprisingly, the internally fuming Canvas wasn’t able to see what they were showing, nor read what any of his “friends” had written.

Turpentine then leaned in towards the microphone to add, “And in addition, we’re also proud to announce that as of next year, we are in the works to rename our school after our star student!” His hoof pointed right at Canvas as he made that announcement out towards the audience. Troy and his family members all gasped in shock, but weren’t heard over the sounds of ponies around them applauding. If it wasn’t for his mouth being full of blood, Canvas’ jaw would’ve dropped in stunned rage.

When Edelweiss turned her attention back towards Canvas, her vacant-looking smile grew as she held the yearbook again. “And for this charity auction,” she said while looking right at him with a smile which would’ve seemed completely innocent to the crowds, but what the artist could tell was as empty and false as a shopping mall ponnequin, “I think this item could be a big seller if we had our favorite student add his signature to it!”

Despite the applause that was ringing through his ears, and the spotlight that was pointed on him and the teachers who caused him so much pain in the past, Canvas wasn’t able to move a single muscle. By now, Glimmer Heart could see that something was up, and softly tapped the stallion on the shoulder. “Uhhh, Canvas?” she whispered worriedly. “What is it?”

Canvas’ sights were pointed back at the three “guests”, who were all now looking back at him with very large and expectant grins. None of them were genuine, and he could tell that they weren’t smiling out of generosity or sincerity to his accomplishments. It was all to help their own image, despite how cruel each of them were towards Canvas just a year before.

Canvas’ lips began to tremble, and his breathing started to become hyperventilated from the growing anxiety and anger building up inside of him. He wanted to to leave. He wanted to scream. He wanted to beat each of those hooved pieces of garbage within an inch of their lives. But most of all, all he wanted was Troy.

He wanted his family.

“Canvas?” asked Glimmer a little louder with her tone now noticeably alarmed. Canvas’ eyes were reddening, and it was clear he was about to start tearing up at any moment. “Canvas, is something wrong?”

Canvas clenched his eyes shut and turned away form her voice. With the stallion’s face grimacing in fury and disgust, the only thing that Glimmer heard was a heavy gulp. She didn’t realize that Canvas just swallowed a muzzle full of his his own blood. However, the iron sting of the taste of his blood was barely lessened by the worsening sting of his eyes. Glimmer couldn’t make a response before Canvas pushed past her “Ineedtobealoneforasecond!”

Glimmer Heart was shocked to see Canvas rush away from the staging area so quickly. While the audience began to murmur amongst themselves at such a hasty exit, Troy and the other gryphons pushed through the crowds and ran in Canvas’ direction as quickly as they could.

Canvas only ran off about fifty yards from where the stage and crowds were at, but it was as far as he could go before hurling at a nearby bush. Troy and the rest of the Clawstons quickly ran up to him while he was throwing up. Tenor, whose nose was twitching in worry, bent in to sniff the pony and make sure nothing was wrong. When Canvas finally finished vomiting, he spat out a couple times while struggling not to cry. “What… what is wrong with them?!”

Troy came to the stallion’s side in an instant to nuzzle him. “Canvas, they’re not going to get away with this,” he said assuredly while holding him close. “We’ll come up with something.”

“LIKE WHAT?!” Canvas pushed Troy away from him after that outburst, and was panting with an enraged snarl while tears came down his cheeks. “WHAT THE BUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?!”

Angela went in and pulled the stallion’s head in close with her claws, making sure that he was looking directly at her. “For one thing,” she began sternly enough to shut him up, “we can try to come up with a solution without screaming loudly enough for everyone out there to hear!”

Canvas didn’t say anything, but his face still scrunched in even tighter while he sobbed. That was when Angela pulled the pony in for a hug, leaving Troy to rub the back of his head and try to think with his eyes clenched shut. While Canvas hugged the gryphoness back, Jonas stepped in to add his opinion. “Angela is right,” he stated bluntly towards the artist. “I know you want to get physical against them, and you have every right to feel that way. If it were me I’d give them a major beatdown, but that probably wouldn’t be the best option during a charity auction.”

Jonas looked back to where the stage was and huffed bitterly. “And I’m guessing they know that too. They’re clearly trying to look good for the press, so it wouldn’t do us any good to hurt them right now.”

Blaze, Blade, and Blane all stopped wrapping their claws in masking tape and slumped down in disappointment. “Awww!”

Lyle looked especially peeved as he looked towards his parents. “But we have to do something! We can’t just let them act like they were good ponies and LIE to everyone!”

Canvas fell away from Angela’s hug and fell on his flank in the grass. As he sniffed with his head hung low, he barely even registered when Tenor came up to lick at his face to help. “I just,” Canvas’ voice was a strained and hurt whisper when he tried to speak in a logical manner. “I already caused one big incident the last time I was in Manehattan, and I can’t risk doing that again. If I leave, I’ll just look like the jerk while they keep buttering everyone up for their own gain… I…”

The artist sank his face into his hooves as his voice became shakier. “I can’t let them get to me again...”

While Canvas sobbed into his hooves, Troy swooped in to pull the stallion into his fluffed chest. As the gryphon’s chin rested on top of Canvas’ head to fully enclose himself around him, Jonas went in to place a claw on the stallion’s shoulder. “Canvas,” stated Jonas in a low and serious tone of voice, “I need you to look at me.”

Even though Troy clearly wanted to say something towards his Dad about leaving them alone, Canvas still sniffed before begrudgingly pulling away from Troy’s chest to stare up at him. Despite how hurt the stallion looked with his cheeks matted in tears, Jonas’ stern expression didn’t falter as he laid down the facts. “I get why you’re so upset at them. And believe me, so am I. But you can’t be acting like you’re completely hopeless! They may have had the upper claw--er, I mean hoof, back in high school, but they don’t have that anymore.”

Canvas narrowed his eyes up at him and shook his head confusedly. “What are you talking about?!” he said while trying not to blubber out his words. “They have a whole crowd of ponies and the bucking press eating up all their words! What makes you think they don’t have the upper hoof?!”

“Because you have something now that you didn’t have back then.”

Jonas then took a couple steps back from Canvas, and looked around to motion the other Clawston gryphons to come in. Canvas blinked a couple times when he saw the group come in closer together next to Jonas. When the General looked back at Canvas, his voice was as confident as it was truthful as he said, “You have a family who has your back.”

Troy’s eyes shot wide open, obviously in shock that his Father had actually said that. However, Canvas’ reaction was much more apparent as more tears stemmed from his eyes; of course, those tears were accompanied by wide and grateful smile on his muzzle. As he looked around, seeing everyone else nod in agreement to Jonas’ words, Canvas felt absolutely touched as he wiped his cheeks with a hoof. “W… wow,” said the artist in a weak-sounding voice. “I… I don’t know what to say.”

“Well right now, I don’t think we have enough time to say too much.”

Canvas understood that Jonas meant, and quickly tried to get on his hooves while wiping his legs and shirt clean. Jonas carried a tone that sounded more like it was meant for a battlefield while waiting for Troy and Canvas to gather around the rest of the family. “Okay,” began the General while looking around sternly, “it’s clear that they’re using their own story to make themselves look good for everyone out there, but that doesn’t mean we can’t change that. But every second we spend away from that stage, those three ponies are going to use to their advantage. So if we’re going to fix things, we have to come up with a plan now.”

With that mindset in mind, Canvas and Troy joined in with the other gryphons for what looked like a group huddle for hoofball game. The only one who wasn’t in the discussion was Tenor, who was happily preoccupied with the sight of a butterfly resting on a nearby flower. By the time Glimmer Heart was finally able to get away from the stage to find Canvas, all she saw were a bunch of gryphon backsides arranged in a tight circle. A lot of whispers and hushed tones could be heard, but nothing that the unicorn could actually make out. “Uhhh, hello?” she asked loudly enough to try and catch their attention. “Is Canvas alright?”

“One second!” shouted Canvas from inside the huddle. A few more seconds passed, and Glimmer could hear their whispers becoming louder and more enthusiastic about something. She was able to catch a couple of them hissing “Yeah!” about something, but was quickly followed by Jonas clapping his claws together in conclusion. “Okay, let’s get this going!”

With that, Canvas and the gryphons immediately dispersed to head towards the staging area. Glimmer Heart tried to get a word in as she stood in a baffled state. “W-wait a minute!” she shouted while most of the Clawstons walked right past her. “What is going on!? What happened back there?!”

Canvas was the only one to stop and answer Glimmer Heart. After pulling his sunglasses out of his pocket, Canvas placed them over his still-reddened eyes as he looked up at her, “Miss Glimmer Heart, there is a lot that I want to say to you right now…”

Given the cold stare that he was giving behind those purple aviators, Glimmer could see that he was definitely ticked off at her. But instead of going into any more detail, the stallion took a deep breath to relax himself before continuing. “But right now, I have a charity auction to finish. And I’m fairly certain that you’ll understand why I’m upset at you by the time I’m done.”

Canvas then trotted away to the stage with Tenor by his side, leaving Glimmer Heart in a frozen state of confusion. “W… what?” it took her a brief moment before looking back to the stage, but Canvas and the others were already there.

Edelweiss decided to use the brief interruption of the auction to show off some pages of the yearbook to the audience, all while telling some story into the microphone. “... Of course, I think a big reason for his Valedictorian status was due to all the assistance we gave him during his senior ye--”

The sudden sound of applause was enough to interrupt Edelweiss and the other two teachers, and they turned around to see Canvas come back into the spotlight with a rather large smile on his face. He waved his hoof out to the crowd as they cheered, and quickly snatched the microphone from Edelweiss’ hoof before she could say anything else. “Thank you! Thank you!” he shouted enthusiastically before the applause could die down. “First off, let me apologize for running off like that. I know that was unprofessional, and I’m sorry. It’s just…”

He then sighed and turned his attention towards the three ponies, and kept a grateful-looking smile in front of his viciously gritted teeth. “It’s just that I was so touched that these three ponies would be generous enough to come visit me during such a big event.”

That caused another round of applause, and the three ponies clapped their hooves as well. Of course, due to seeing such an abrupt change in the artist’s behavior, it was clear that Edelweiss, Turpentine, and Stroma seemed a little suspicious from the way their eyes were slightly narrowed. Canvas kept his grin wide and pointed a hoof to the rear of the staging area. “Of course,” he continued as he turned back to the crowd, “I think it’s only fair that I introduce some other important figures in my life. Fillies and Gentlecolts, allow me to present my fiancè Troius Clawston, and his family!”

Troy and the other gryphons walked into the spotlights with big smiles, which caused an even louder array of applause. However, the sight of several large gryphons was enough to make the teachers’ smiles drop rather quickly. None of them were able to show any looks of regret or fear before the Clawstons came in towards them.

While Blaze and Blade stood at both sides of Turpentine with their forelegs around him, Jonas and Blane made sure to stand particularly close to Coach Stroma. “Why hello there!” said Angela in a sickly sweet tone as she gave Edelweiss an especially big hug. However, even though all the crowds saw was a perfectly innocent meeting between two groups of Canvas’ friends, the artist could see Edelweiss’ eyes grow in fear at how hard the gryphoness’ talons were pressing into her back. “It’s so good to finally meet you guys after all the stories Canvas told us!”

By now, all three of the ponies were afraid, but it was difficult to see any evidence of that from the way they kept their wide, albeit shaky smiles. When Edelweiss turned to glance over at her allies, her eyes stayed widened when she saw just how they were being held by the gryphons beside them. It may have looked innocent from the front where the crowds were, but the paling silver mare could see how their claws were tightly wrapped around the backs of their necks.

Just like she felt her own being tightened by Angela’s claw while she stood beside her.

Lyle pulled the yearbook from Edelweiss’ grasp and handed it over to Canvas. “Here you go, Canvas,” he said with a chipper smile as his eyes began to narrow. “I’m sure you want to talk about the yearbook yourself, right?”

Canvas happily nodded as he opened the yearbook with his free hoof. Meanwhile, Glimmer Heart was back at the stage and tried to make sense of what was happening. Of course, Troy was quickly by her side as Canvas scrolled through the pages. “Oh my goodness!” said the artist while looking through some of the quotes left behind by fellow students in his honor. “I must say, you got quite a lot of nice statements from ponies about me! So many quotes, and so many testimonies!”

Canvas’ muzzle skewed a bit as he huffed. “Huh. That’s interesting.” He flipped through a large portion of the book, and then glanced back at the principal to ask, “Is there a reason why there are no pictures of me?”

Even though he knew exactly why there were no pictures from his high school years in there (mostly since they most likely didn’t exist), he still asked that with a smirk to see Edelweiss’ reaction. The silver mare faltered a little, but her pause was short-lived when she responded, “W-Well, we… figured that our words would mean more.”

“Oh, okay,” said Canvas with a faint nod. Of course, a few ponies in the audience seemed confused at that detail being pointed out. A few whispers in the crowd could be heard, but Canvas paid no heed as he went back to the yearbook. “Well, there certainly are some nice words. In fact, this one from Magenta Star is especially flattering…”

He walked back towards Edelweiss with the book, and let her see the page while holding the microphone. “Would you mind reading what she said, Principal?”

Edelweiss was worried when she saw Canvas’ suspiciously big smile, but she still nodded faintly with a smile of her own back at the audience. “O-Of course,” she muttered meekly before beginning to read the quote. “Canvas and I have always been great friends during our senior year. We ate lunch together, shared the same math class, and even exchanged jokes from time to time! It’s a shame that he left our school so soon, but seeing how much he accomplished since then is more than worth it!”

Much of the audience made touched “Awwws” to that statement. The Clawstons did so too, but theirs sounded a little more exaggerated while pulling in their ponies closer. Edelweiss and the teachers looked uneasy, but they kept their squirms to a minimum before Canvas pulled away from them and said:

“Honestly, I’m a little surprised she would say that about me. If I remember correctly. the only time she ever spoke to me was when she stabbed my foreleg with a pencil and called me a ‘queer’ in the middle of math class.”

Despite the shocked gasps that followed that statement, Canvas kept his smile pointed right at Edelweiss and the teachers. Glimmer Heart had her muzzle covered with a hoof, but was unable to stop Canvas while Troy’s claw was in front of her.

“And before you ask why Magenta did that,” continued Canvas as he turned back to the audience, “I remember that it was because we were taking a test, and she tried to cheat by looking at my paper. And then she stabbed me when I told her to focus on her own page.” He turned back to Edelweiss to add, “You remember that? I mean, you were the one to write ME up and give me three days In-School Suspension for ‘causing a scene in class’. Meanwhile, she didn’t even get a day of detention! Funny how that worked out, isn’t it?”

If Edelweiss had any color in her coat, it would’ve been completely drained by now. Even though she wanted to speak in defense, she could feel that one talon of Angela’s poking right against her jugular vein while being “hugged” by her. Nopony in the audience said anything, but the distinct clicks of cameras could be heard beginning to go off randomly.

“Of course,” said Canvas as he began to pace around the stage with the yearbook and microphone, “that wasn’t even the most heinous thing I had to experience at that school. I mean, I get that being a closeted gay stallion in a small town would be hard for anypony to go through, but the fact that I was constantly belittled by my own teachers didn’t make it any better.”

Canvas looked away from the gaping spectators in the audience to stare back at the very ponies in question. “Especially when they try to make a whole yearbook saying otherwise.”

By now, Glimmer Heart’s head was hung low in immense guilt and shame, realizing just why those ponies seemed so odd when they asked her to come to this event. It didn’t even cross her mind that they were being dishonest, but now she could only listen while Canvas continued to list off untrue details from the yearbook. “Like for example,” he began while scrolling a page displaying the Gallop Creek High School’s hoofball team, “how there seems to be a lot of positive things said about me from Coach Stroma’s star hoofball team…”

Stroma tried to lunge away from Jonas and Blane to defend himself, but was quickly jerked back by the gryphons’ combined brute strength. While the stallion quickly tensed up, undoubtedly feeling an unseen talon poking him in a sensitive area, Canvas continued to speak while reading, “Like this one statement from Pig Skin, saying how he ‘Always had my back.’ Huh.”

Canvas glanced back at the frozen coach to clarify, “Wait, wasn’t Pig Skin the one who called me a gelding during gym class that one day?” Stroma winced at how bluntly Canvas asked that question while wearing that smile, which didn’t seem to falter the slightest despite all the gasps from the audience. “You remember, right? That was when I got FIVE DAYS of Out of School Suspension by you AND Principal Edelweiss, under the guise of me ‘swearing in front of staff,’ ‘disrupting class,’ and ‘questioning authority officials’!”

Edelweiss tried to turn her head away from Canvas’ toxic smile, but she couldn’t move much while being held in Angela’s iron-like grip. She also wasn't able to move away from Canvas as he came up to her with the microphone to ask, “And just so the audience knows, how many days of suspension did HE get for calling me a gelding, huh?”

He brought out the microphone and placed it right in front of her muzzle. Angela’s grip around the principal’s neck lessened a little, but the mare was still held tightly in place to give an answer. When she looked out at the audience, all she saw were shocked and appalled faces. She also saw a lot of the press ponies standing in wait.

Edelweiss’ head lowered with a trembled muzzle, and she huffed in shame as she answered honestly. “N… None…”

Her eyes were clenched shut, but she could still tell from the sounds of shutters flashing that cameras were going off after that admission. Canvas then walked over towards Stroma, who had a much more bitter-looking expression pointed at the artist. Before Canvas could even bring the microphone up to him, the coach had his teeth gritted as he tried to spit out, “You really think this is how you should treat ponies?! We tried to give you a GIFT, and you come out spouting out all of these LIES about us?!”

“Lies?!” Despite how harsh that response sounded, Canvas’ expression seemed more curiously surprised from how little his smile changed. After glancing back at the crowds to gather their reactions (which seemed mostly confused and uncomfortable), the artist looked back at Stroma to say confidently. “So you’re telling me that when Pig Skin and his friends dragged me out of the shower after gym class to take turns hitting me, and then throwing my sketch book in the toilet, that you DIDN’T stand and watch while laughing as I cried for a full minute? And that after you finally dismissed them, you told me that you ‘didn’t see anything’ and didn’t punish ANY OF THEM?!”

Even though he had his sunglasses on, it was clear that Canvas’ eyes were bulging out at that last brief outburst. But despite the stares that Canvas and everyone else had on him, as well as how hard those talons were pressing into him, Stroma replied in a cold, albeit hesitant tone with, “It don’t matter what you try to make me say, I didn’t do a damn thing wrong.”

A couple more flashes could be seen hitting against Stroma’s blank, bitter expression, and Canvas just nodded with a pert stare of his own. “Of course you didn’t,” said the artist in an equally cold tone before walking away from him.

Meanwhile, Turpentine was standing completely petrified with his muzzle tightly shut. Maybe he thought that not giving any attention to himself would make him less susceptible, but he was quickly proven wrong as Canvas came towards him. Turpentine tensed up, but Blaze and Blade were quick to tighten their grips on him. The yellow stallion’s head was pointed downward like a guilty dog while Canvas turned to a specific page. “Oh, wow!” began the pony with raised brows. “This quote you gave is particularly nice! You said that ‘Throughout the senior year that Canvas was here, I had the honor of helping him with his art studies and skills. I can honestly say that it was a privilege to help him throughout that wonderful year.’”

Not surprisingly, Turpentine gave no reaction to what Canvas just read, and just stayed silent with his head hunched low. That was when Canvas decided to ask, “So, you said that you taught me throughout the WHOLE year?”

Turpentine openly winced, which didn’t falter Canvas as he bent in closer. “Because I’m pretty sure that my school records would say otherwise, Mister Turpentine. Especially since I asked to be removed from your class for unfair grading after how many months?”

Canvas brought the microphone out to Turpentine’s muzzle after asking that question, waiting for his answer. A couple seconds of silence passed before the stallion timidly answered, “... T-Two months…”

“TWO MONTHS!” shouted the artist as he turned his focus back out to the shocked audience. “That’s right! While I was being taught by Mister Turpentine, I could barely even get a C in his class! Of course, he also didn’t seem to ‘notice’ whenever any of the other students…”

He looked back at Turpentine with an especially nasty glare as he said, “including his SON harassed me in plain sight of him!”

Canvas turned back to the audience to continue. “In fact, I even printed out a copy of one of the most notable and respected paintings from the Manehattan Art Museum, and turned that in as something I made. Not only did he not notice what painting it was, but I STILL got a C minus on it! That was when my Dad came to the school and threatened to sue if I wasn’t transferred to a more FAIR teacher! Honestly, if I had stayed in that class, I really doubt that I would’ve gotten a GPA good enough to receive the Valedictorian status these teachers claim was THEIR doing.”

For about fifteen more minutes, the stallion kept going for all the attendees to hear, going through various pages to describe how every quote mentioned were complete and utter lies. Even though the teachers could have been able to defend themselves for the first few examples (that was, if the gryphons next to them allowed them to speak freely), the sheer volume of experiences and stories that Canvas shared began to be more than a little overwhelming. He went into immense detail of many events, including many punishments he received as a result of the school’s blatant bullying under the guise of ‘Zero Tollerance’ Policies. He even mentioned how he was once forced to pay and clean up the vandalism when a student painted the words ‘Colt-Cuddler’ on his locker.

Needless to say, every recording device was running that entire time. And not a single one got any rebuttal from the Gallop Creek staff on stage.

In fact, not a single word came from any of the ponies that the artist was talking about during his rant. Turpentine was too ashamed to even show his face, and just stayed hunkered low between Blaze and Blade. Stroma’s face was a deep shade of red from anger, but his muzzle was tightly shut while avoiding the appalled faces he saw staring at him from the audience. In fact, the only one who tried to speak was Edelweiss; fortunately, the mare was respectable enough to wait for Canvas to finish before opening her muzzle. “If I may, Mister Canvas?”

Edelweiss’ tone was especially hoarse as she spoke up, but it took Canvas’ notice enough to make him look back and motion towards her, “Yes, Principal?”

The silver mare cleared her throat and said, “I get that you’re upset, and I know that school can’t always be fair…”

Despite how much Canvas’ muzzle pursed in with anger at her use of such a light adjective, he let Edelweiss keep talking. “But even if all those stories you claim are true, can you really try saying that WE’RE the bad ponies here?!”

Canvas tilted his head curiously. “How so?”

After taking a deep breath, Edelweiss looked to the other teachers before asking, “Can you seriously say, without lying, that anything that we did was worse than what your Father did?”

Canvas narrowed his eyes on her with a sharp pout. Even though he was slightly surprised that the mare would even go there, the stallion merely shrugged his shoulders. He handed the yearbook back to Lyle so that he only had the microphone in his hoof when he answered, “Honestly, I kinda do after tonight.”

As he walked over toward Edelweiss, he removed his sunglasses as his glare became much more intense. “I don’t think I need to explain what I had to go through after that graduation night,” he began while his tone turned more vicious, “especially since YOU saw exactly what happened…”

That was when Edelweiss started to look worried. Her pupils started to shrink as she listened to the stallion continue. “While it is true that what I had to deal with from my Dad was technically worse, at least he apologized to me afterward. He had the decency to try and find me after it happened, and admit that what he did was wrong. He was at least self-aware enough to realize when he made a mistake, and went out of his way to try and rectify that and say he was sorry!”

He walked in within inches of Edelweiss’ face, carrying the strongest glare imaginable as he said, “So yeah, I do think that what you guys have done tonight is worse. Because even though you all saw what I had to go through and did NOTHING!” His eyes narrowed on Edelweiss’ before saying, “Especially you, who lived right across the street from me...”

Edelweiss hung her head while wincing, not able to even look back at the stallion she knew she wronged. While her lips trembled painfully, Canvas didn’t stop talking in an increasingly angry tone. “You all could’ve easily done this right. You could’ve came here with a simple apology, and admit that you all hurt me immensely in the years I went to your Tartarus of a school. You could’ve owned up to how badly you treated me, and try to show SOME semblance of remorse by saying you were sorry. In fact, I possibly could’ve even agreed to have the school named after me if you did that…”

That made Edelweiss look back up at him in surprise, but was only met with a powerful glare from the stallion as he said, “But instead, you three decided to come to this charity event and pretend to be close friends of mine. You not only lied to me and everyone here, but you managed to get the entire school to go along with it. You tried to sweep every nasty thing you guys have done under the rug, and try to use my name as a means to make yourselves look better. And despite how poorly all of you treated me just one year ago, you figure that not being the ones to have hit me would make me forget enough to let you come here and ride my coattails.”

By now, Canvas was less than an inch from Edelweiss’ face as he snarled out one final statement:

“How. Bucking. Dare. You.”

Edelweiss couldn’t even look Canvas in the eye. Turpentine was equally silent, and just he kept his sights pointed to the ground. Stroma still had his glare pointed at Canvas, but it was clear he was contemplating a lot as he kept glancing over at the increasingly angry crowd of Manehattanites in the audience. Canvas then grabbed the yearbook back from Lyle, and then looked over at Glimmer Heart to ask politely. “Glimmer? Considering how we already raised so much money for this charity, would you mind if I did something different for this item?”

Glimmer could only shake her head while it was hung low, not wanting him to see how she was tearing up from guilt. “N-no,” she muttered shamefully. “Do what you want.”

Hearing how distressed she sounded, Troy sighed and pulled in Glimmer Heart for a more comforting hug. Meanwhile, Canvas looked back out at the stage to proclaim, “Everypony! Due to reaching our top goal and then some for the Manehattan School fund, I think that this yearbook should be sold for a much different cause!”

While a lot of murmurs could be heard from the crowd over what Canvas has planning, the artist let Lyle hold the book while he put his signature on the front with a pen in his mouth. Canvas then spat the pen away and retook the book to say, “For our final item for auction, all the proceeds that go towards buying this yearbook will NOT go to the main charity fund, but instead…”

Canvas grew an especially evil grin when he glanced back at the ponies on stage and said, “Any money that goes towards this yearbook will go to the athletic department of Gallop Creek’s RIVAL high school! The River Trail High School Catfish!”

The three ponies all gasped in terror while staring at Canvas wide-eyed. The artist merely chuckled and looked back to the crowd. “You see, Gallop Creek thrives on their hoofball team. It's the one thing the town really prides themselves on. They even went to nationals a couple times, which was why nopony cared if any of the team’s members harassed me. So, I figure that it might be fitting to give as much funding as possible to their rival school in order to change that!”

Canvas held the book up high and started the bidding. “Who wants to start the auction at a thousand bits?”

Even though he expected an awkward pause, the stallion was pleasantly surprised when several hooves came up quite quickly. “One thousand bits! Do I hear two thousand?”

For several minutes, Canvas carried a large smile as he took in various bids which raised immensely. To much of Edelweiss, Turpentine, and Stroma’s horror, the numbers didn’t stay in four digits. The numbers were around seven thousand bits when Fancy Pants raised a hoof from the back.

“TEN thousand bits!”

“Ten thousand!” shouted Canvas with glee. “Do I hear twelve?!”

Even more bids came flooding in, with many of the richer ponies getting in on the action like a sadistic swarm of piranha at the smell of blood. Ten became fifteen, which then turned to twenty in a matter of seconds. It seemed that the highest bid was going to be twenty seven thousand bits from a hoof near the back. However, that was quickly changed as a yellow aura lit up at the front.

Fashion Plate carried a strong glare on his face, and his checkbook in his hoof as he yelled out, “FIFTY! THOUSAND!”

Even Canvas was floored by that number, but only huffed with a surprised smile and motioned to the unicorn. “F-fifty thousand!” proclaimed Canvas as he tried not to laugh. After a second, the stallion looked around and said, “Going once… Going twice… SOLD!”

A large round of applause roared within the park, and Fashion Plate was already writing out his check with a pen as he came towards Canvas. Meanwhile, Edelweiss and the teachers were all on their flanks, completely drained in defeat. As soon as Fashion Plate handed the check over to Canvas, he picked up the yearbook with his magic with a grin. “Thank you very much!” said Canvas with a grateful smile towards him.

“No problem, honey,” said the stallion back with a wink. And after glancing back at the Gallop Creek ponies, he made sure they were looking back when he lit his horn especially bright. And in an instant, the fifty-thousand bit yearbook was up in flames, leaving only a pile of ash that dropped to the ground in front of Edelweiss’ gaped jaw.

Due to all the commotion that came from the auction’s unexpected finale, Canvas and his family weren’t able to get away from the attendees and the press until late into the night. Even though Edelweiss and the teachers tried to escape, many of the journalist ponies were on them like locusts as soon as they got away from the stage. Glimmer Heart was especially apologetic after the show, and managed to talk with Canvas in private for over half an hour away from everyone. She was also able to take most of the questions from the press after their discussion, which allowed Canvas and his family the chance to make their leave.

However, as they left the small park, Canvas quickly noticed Fashion Plate waiting by a street corner and looking at his watch. “Oh! Mister Fashion Plate!” Canvas ran up to the unicorn and pulled out the check from his art bag. “Umm, here,” said the stallion in a thankful tone as he held out the payment. “Listen, I really appreciate you doing that, but I don’t think you needed to--”

“Oh, please!” scoffed Fashion Plate with a smirk before handing the check back. “You don’t have to do that! I wrote that check for real, and believe me, I have more than enough to cover it. Besides, chances are good a few of those journalist ponies are gonna check to see if that school gets the money, right?”

Canvas wanted to retort, but paused as he realized Fashion’s point. He reluctantly took the check back and shrugged. “Huh. I guess that’s true.”

“And besides,” added the unicorn with a more sympathetic glance at Canvas, “it’s not like I don’t understand. I mean, Canterlot has a pretty open school system, but…” Fashion Plate shrugged apprehensively before continuing, “I know how it can feel to be perceived differently by teachers.”

Canvas nodded, and had a bit lip as he smiled at Fashion Plate. “Yeah, I suppose so…” After putting the check back in his bag, Canvas extended his hoof out to give the stallion a respectful shake. “Well, it really was a nice gesture,” said the artist gratefully, “and if there’s anything you need, just let me know.”

While returning the shake, one of Fashion Plate’s brows rose curiously. “Anything?”

The pony looked past Canvas to where the Clawstons were. All of them were gathered around a carrot dog stand, and Jonas could be overheard saying while staring at the menu, “Who the buck eats carrots like that?!”

Fashion Plate chuckled in a low tone and turned his attention back to Canvas. “If it wouldn’t be too much trouble,” asked the unicorn with a light grin, “would you be opposed to me asking your triplet brothers-in-law out to dinner? My treat of course.”

Canvas blinked a couple times, and turned to see the triplets from where he and Fashion Plate were. Even though he was a little hesitant, the artist thought it over briefly before shrugging. “Well… if they agree to dinner, then be my guest.”

“Oh, thank you soooo much!” Fashion Plate gave Canvas a large hug in gratitude, and quickly trotted over to the group of Gryphons.

Canvas couldn’t help giggling at the sight, and sighed before saying to himself, “Huh. I guess I’m not the only pony to lik--”

A red hoof pulled at the back of Canvas’ shirt and threw him against the wall of the nearby alleyway. All the wind was thrown out of his lungs, so the pony could barely even breathe, let alone scream, when Stroma pinned him against the brick wall with both hooves.

“You lousy little FRUIT!!!” screamed Stroma with a murderous look of rage on his face. His hairpiece was long gone, and the top of his head was shining as brightly as the gleam of fury in his eyes. “You think that you could hide behind your little gang of gryphons and RUIN ME!?! We came all this way to try to help our school, AND YOU HAD TO--”

A large pair of talons immediately gripped around Stroma’s neck, clenching his throat shut and stopping his words in an instant. While the coach was pulled back and left dangling in the air, Canvas was finally able to breathe as he saw Troy holding Stroma up like a captured rat. While the red stallion wheezed and writhed in the gryphon’s grip, his cheeks started to turn purple from the lack of oxygen.

“Troy!” barked Jonas as he ran up towards Troy. The rest of the family, along with Fashion Plate, followed suit while the General eyed his son. “Troy, put him down!”

“What?!” Troy stared back at Jonas like he just donned a flowery pink dress. He motioned between Stroma and Canvas before spouting off, “Did you not SEE what he tried to do?!”

“I did,” answered Jonas sternly, “but I think I have a better solution for him.”

With the way the General placed emphasis on that last word while glaring at the stallion, Troy realized that his Dad had something planned. So, he reluctantly let go of Stroma’s neck, letting him fall ungracefully to the concrete on his flank. Before the coach could even try to scramble back on his hooves, the triplets were circled around him tightly. Despite the snarl he had on his muzzle just a few seconds ago, the coach’s face became a deathly pale as his expression melted to a look of instant regret.

Jonas stepped up towards the stallion with a brooding glare of his own pointed right at him. Stroma stood in a hunched-down stance while the triplets stood around all sides of him, and he could only look up at the General to hear him speak. “Well,” began Jonas in a cold and emotionless tone, “I never thought I would meet someone who would end up being more stubborn than me. That’s quite an accomplishment.”

It was clear that Stroma was still afraid, but he still gritted his teeth while glaring up at Jonas without saying a word.

“However, “ continued the military Gryphon with a tilt of his head, “If I’m able to change, then maybe you can too.” He pointed a talon over at Canvas, who was now standing beside Troy and Tenor with a nasty glance towards Stroma.

The coach’s glare intensified towards Canvas, but Jonas’ voice made his ears perk up in worry. “I’m going to give you a choice. You can either apologize to my future son-in-law for all the shit you pulled, and mean it; and if you do, you can walk away without a single scratch on you.”

Troy and Canvas both stared at Jonas like he was crazy. Stroma scoffed when he returned his glance up at him as well. However, the feel of two heavy claws gripping his shoulders quickly stopped the stallion from saying anything back. While Blaze and Blane held the increasingly worried stallion down, Jonas leered in with a snarl of his own as he continued.

“Or… if you’re not able to give a simple apology, then I’ll have no problem with letting my three sons here beat the living shit out of you.”

That statement made all three of the triplets smile particularly wide while looking down at the pony like buzzards on an injured rabbit. From the way Stroma shook with his legs trembling, it was actually surprising that he didn’t pee himself from the intense stares he felt on him. After a few seconds, Blaze and Blane pulled their claws off of him in wait. Jonas motioned towards Canvas again, and it took a moment before the coach could shakily turn his head to see the pony in question.

Canvas stood directly in front of Stroma’s line of vision with an expectant stare and a raised brow. “Well?”

Stroma shakily looked back at the triplets, who were already reapplying bandage tape to their claws while smiling at him. The coach shuddered in growing dread, and gulped before turning back to Canvas. “I… I’m…”

Canvas bent in a little closer with his eyes narrowed, clearly wanting to see the words come out of Stroma’s mouth. The red stallion wanted to appear angry, but the sound of the triplets cracking their joints behind him quickly made him tense up to say, “I-I’m sorry! I’m sorry, okay?! I’m sorry for tryin’ to hit you, and… I’m sorry for everything else. I know that I was… mean. It wasn't right, and I didn't do my job as well as I should! B-But I hope you can look past anything I said to you in the past…”

After finishing, the coach stood in place while shaking in growing worry. Canvas didn’t say anything in response, and Jonas looked towards him and asked, “Well? How’s that for an apology?”

A couple more seconds passed, and the slightest hint of a smirk crept at the corners of Canvas’ lips as he turned to Jonas. “Apology? What apology?”

Stroma’s red coat was now a deathly white, and he was absolutely paralyzed when his former student looked back at him. While his former coach stood frozen at the spot, Canvas looked him dead in the eyes and said:

“I didn’t hear anything.”

That was when Stroma peed. Of course, only a trickle came out before Blane grabbed the pony by the neck and threw him across the alley like a ragdoll. The coach flew straight into a wall of trash cans, and the triplets quickly flew after the stallion after he landed. However, before the sounds of Stroma’s panicked screams could be replaced with repeated punches and laughter courtesy of the Clawstons’ oldest sons, Canvas called out towards them, “Don’t send him to the hospital! Just get a few hits in before sending him to the police for assault!”

Even though he heard the three give off some disappointed groans, Canvas smiled when he heard Blaze shout out, “Okay, fine! No broken bones!”

Of course, Stroma still yelped in terror as the three pulled him from the trash cans for a “light” treatment. While the punches flew, Troy and Lyle winced at seeing the beating they were dishing out and began to make their leave with their parents. “Eh, come on guys,” said Troy as he grabbed Tenor’s leash tried to lead the way. “I think I saw a twenty-four hour takeout place nearby.”

As the Clawstons and Tenor started to disperse and leave the triplets to their fun, Canvas and Fashion Plate stayed for a while to watch the action. Canvas was clearly pleased at seeing one of old tormentors getting his face rearranged, but could only stand about a minute of the sight before making his leave. However, Canvas paused when he looked over at Fashion Plate. Despite his background, the unicorn seemed absolutely enthralled by the display the gryphons were dishing out against Stroma. He had a large grin on his face, and seemed to really enjoy seeing how brutal their actions were.

“Where do you think you’re going?!” shouted Blaze as he dragged Stroma by his hindlegs when he tried to escape.

“Uhh… Fashion Plate?” asked Canvas loudly enough to get his attention. “Are you sure you want to take those guys out to dinner?”

“Are you kidding?!” Fashion Plate had the hugest grin of excitement on his blushed face when he looked back at Canvas. “Just look at them!”

The unicorn turned back to watch the fight, and his whole body shuddered in anticipation. “I swear, this is the hottest thing I’ve seen in a long time!”

Canvas officially became weirded out, and he cringed a little as he decided to leave the unicorn alone to watch the brawling finish. “Uhhh… alright,” said the stallion awkwardly as he walked away from Fashion Plate. “Have fun, I guess.”

“You too!”

After Fashion Plate waved Canvas goodbye, he waited until the artist left the alley before trotting over towards the triplets. By now, it was clear that Stroma wasn’t able to fight back much, so Fashion Plate seemed content with lighting his horn to grab their attention. “Alright, alright! I think he had enough, boys! Now, who wants tacos?!”

While the injured and bloodied Stroma laid face-down on the ground coughing up blood, the triplets quickly stopped and raised their claws to the unicorn. “ME!!!”

Chapter Fifteen: Next Morning Plans

Even though there was only a brief night’s sleep between the art show and their departure by train the next morning, it seemed that Troy and Canvas were rather refreshed as they happily strolled to the station. Of course, while neither of them got much actual sleep, the time spent in their hotel room was more than satisfying for the both of them. Due to everything Canvas had to deal with (both during and after the auction), Troy wasn’t surprised in the slightest when his fiancè asked his parents to look after Tenor for the night. If the Saint Bernard was in their hotel room, chances were good that he would be making just as much noise as the couple were that night.

Plus, since Troy’s family had booked rooms at a different hotel, none of them had to know about the multiple noise complaints the couple received from their auction “afterparty.”

Of course, due to their limited amount of sleep, Canvas had his purple shades on in an attempt to hide the small bags underneath his eyes. Troy wasn’t fortunate enough to have a pair of sunglasses himself (mostly since pony vendors didn’t sell any with a beak bridge), but he still looked significantly less tired than his fiancè. So, the gryphon didn’t seem that concerned when he and Canvas finally reached the train station for their morning departure back to Ponyville.

When they entered the station, the couple saw five familiar faces standing still among the constantly moving crowd of ponies within the grand lobby. Tenor perked up when he saw the two, and barked loudly before breaking apart from the gryphons to run towards Troy and Canvas. An exhausted Lyle kept himself leaned against a wall beside both of his parents. Next to the three, Glimmer Heart was standing awkwardly beside them in wait while biting her bottom lip.

“Canvas!” As soon as she caught glimpse of him, Glimmer Heart quickly ran up to the stallion with a worried look on her face. Canvas and Troy stopped petting their dog when they overheard her. She slowed her pace as she approached Canvas and his fiancè, and it was clear from last night’s events why she still looked so distraught. When she finally stopped, Glimmer was about a foot away from Canvas as she lowered her head timidly. “Canvas, I… I really don’t know what I can say about what happened. I really wish I--”

Canvas brought up a hoof to pause her words, but his expression seemed a lot less upset than what she probably expected. “Glimmer, it’s alright,” assured the artist with an honest tone in his voice. “Believe me, you’re the last pony I would get mad with over what happened.”

Glimmer Heart sighed, but it sounded more like an anxious huff than it did anything relieving. Troy was able to see how she looked, and took a couple steps back with Tenor so Canvas would be able to talk with her himself. Glimmer looked away from Canvas as she tried to reply rationally. “I know, and… and I believe you, I swear.” It was clear that despite what she said, the mare seemed less than sincere about her words. After a small pause, Glimmer exhaled a bit more painfully before admitting, “It’s just… I should’ve known something was wrong! I had a bad feeling when I first talked with those guys, but I still went along with making the whole thing a surprise for you and I just--”

“Glimmer!” Before the unicorn continue her ramblings and risk feeling any worse about what happened, Canvas put a hoof on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. “Glimmer, look at me.”

Canvas waited sternly, and it took a couple seconds before Glimmer Heart slowly looked back up at him. From the guilty pout she still had on her face, it wouldn’t have surprised Canvas if she started tearing up for inviting those teachers to last night’s auction. Fortunately, the stallion kept his voice as caring as possible as he said, “I don’t blame you for what happened. I know you were trying to do something nice for me, and I really respect that. Those guys are pretty much experts at manipulating ponies and trying to make things look good in their own light. You didn’t do anything wrong by listening to them, I swear.”

Glimmer’s frown didn’t lessen much by Canvas’ statement, but she still nodded faintly after giving off a small sigh. After she looked down to the ground once again, her voice still sounded shameful when she finally made a response. “Still, I… I’m really sorry, Canvas.”

“It’s okay,” said the stallion as he decided to take action. He wrapped his hooves around Glimmer’s back to give her a proper hug, which made the mare startle a little in surprise. Nevertheless, Canvas held her tightly and said, “You’re still my friend, Glimmer.”

Even though it took her a couple seconds, Glimmer Heart was still able to hug the artist back and muster a brief smile across her muzzle. When she finally pulled back, the unicorn quickly wiped her cheeks with a hoof before Canvas could see anything. “Well! Umm,” she began in a blatant attempt to try and change the subject, “so the wedding is in four days, right?”

“Yep!” piped Canvas happily. He then looked past Glimmer to glance at the wall of train departure times that was beside the ticket booths. “Speaking of which, Troy and I still have a lot to get ready for, and I don’t want to miss the train back to Ponyville.”

“Oh! Of course.” Glimmer then gave Canvas one last hug as a farewell, which was happily returned by the stallion before she said, “Well, I wish you two the best of luck. And I’ll be sure to look my best for your big day.”

When he pulled back, Canvas had a coy smirk as he retorted, “Hopefully not better than me.”

Glimmer huffed with a more relaxed smile and gave his shoulder a playful smack. “Oh, whatever!”

Troy chuckled alongside his fiancè as he came back in to brush against his side, “Honestly, I don’t think there’s anyone who can outdo him on our big day.”

Canvas was clearly flattered by that comment, but he still eyed the gryphon beside him and said in response, “Well, you’re certainly a big contender for that spot.”

Seeing how cheeky the two were getting, Glimmer just giggled with a shake of her head while making her leave. “Alright, I’m not gonna get in the middle of this,” she said as she walked away. “You two have a safe trip home.”

“You too!” said Troy and Canvas at the same time as they waved the mare goodbye. After Glimmer disappeared within the crowd of ponies on her way to the exit, the couple regained their focus and went towards the three gryphons still standing by the ticket booths.

Lyle was the first to look past Troy and Canvas to ask, “So, is Glimmer alright? She looked pretty freaked out when she was waiting with us for you guys to show up.”

“Yeah, don’t worry,” assured Troy. He nudged Canvas’ side before adding, “Canvas knew she wasn’t the one to get mad at, and he made sure she knew that too.”

While Canvas smiled and blushed a little, Lyle sighed briefly in relief and said, “Well, that’s good to know. I think she was worried you were gonna blow up at her or something.”

That made Canvas’ smile drop rather quickly. He exhaled strongly and rubbed the back of his mane with a hoof. “Yeah, I figured,” he admitted with a skewed muzzle. “To be fair, she has seen me act out more than anypony else. She probably thinks I still have a short fuse.”

“Oh, I highly doubt that.” Troy nuzzled against the pony’s side and added in a more optimistic tone of voice, “Honestly, I think the fact that you didn’t punch any of those teachers yourself proved you have some good self control. I think she’ll remember that more than anything else.”

Canvas smiled at that sentiment, and returned the nuzzle to his mate. Tenor, who was standing at Canvas’ other side, didn’t want to feel left out, so he quickly reached up to lick at the stallion’s cheek. Canvas groaned for a second before it became a more relaxed giggle. “Oh, come on!” he said as he tried to pull the dog away from his face. “Why do you always do that?!”

Lyle snickered as well and suggested, “Well, maybe he’s jealous and wants to join in.”

While Canvas rolled his eyes, Troy was the first to notice Jonas pulling away from the wall to walk towards them “I don’t think Lyle is wrong there,” said the General bluntly while staring down at the panting pup. “He wouldn’t stop trying to get in the damn bed to sleep between me and Angela!”

“Wait, you didn’t let him?!” asked Canvas in an offended tone when he glanced up at Jonas. “Troy and I let him sleep in our bed all the time!”

Jonas’ head reeled back with a disgusted expression on his face. “What!? Why would you allow that?!”

Even though he wasn’t sure what they were talking about, Tenor still whimpered a little from the tone of Jonas’ voice. Fortunately, Troy spoke up in Canvas’ defense with an indifferent shrug. “We do have a pretty big nest, Dad. It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Well, what do you think would happen if he gets fleas?! Or ticks?! Dogs can attract a lot of filth, which is why they’re supposed to have separate beds!”

“Jonas, Jonas,” said Angela while pulling away from the wall with a brief huff. She was just as tired as Lyle looked, so she wasn’t putting up with any argument as she spoke towards her husband. “If they want the dog to sleep with them, that’s their choice. Besides, remember when we had that Rottweiler?”

Troy and Lyle sighed at the same time with a mix of nostalgia and slight sadness. “Oh yeah,” said Lyle as his smile grew immensely. “Hooter was an awesome dog.”

“She was,” said Angela in agreement, “And she only had fleas ONCE in all the years we had her! The triplets contracted fleas more times than her.”

Jonas looked back at Angela with a sigh of defeat as he nodded in acceptance of her point. “Alright, I get it.” He then turned back to Troy and Canvas to add, “I didn’t mean to insult either of you guys. I’m just saying that it’s not something I would’ve done.”

“Eh, it’s alright,” said Canvas as he went to scratch at the back of Tenor’s head lovingly. “Believe me, we make sure this little guy is clean before bringing him to bed. We should’ve told you about his sleeping habits, though.”

“Oh, it’s fine, Canvas,” assured Angela before Jonas could say anything in opposition. “He liked sleeping next to me more than he did Jonas. And I thought he was a nice little companion.”

Even though Angela had a pleased smile on her face while saying that, Jonas just turned his head away with an upset grumble. While he wasn’t going to say anything about it, the General wasn’t happy that his plans for last night were ruined because of the dog insisting to sleep between him and his wife.

“Well, thank you guys for looking after him,” said Troy as he kept a hold on Tenor’s leash. “That really means a lot to us.”

“No problem,” replied Jonas with a less than enthused exhale. He then handed his travel bag over to the two before saying, “All I ask in return is to look after my things while Lyle and I are gone.”

“What?” asked Troy and Canvas at the same time in confusion. Canvas looked over at Lyle and asked, “What’s he talking about?”

Lyle had a chipper smile on his beak as he motioned over at his Dad, “Oh, Dad and I got our tickets exchanged for ones that are leaving for Ponyville this afternoon. We just wanted to let you guys know before we take a tour at the Manehattan Tech Institute.”

“Really?” asked Troy with a surprised and impressed smile pointed towards his Dad. “Wow, that’s a really nice idea.”

Jonas shrugged with a relaxed smile, not giving any hint as to where he may have gotten that idea. Of course, the old gryphon was still able to see the knowing smirk Canvas had on him. After giving the slightest nod of his head for the stallion to notice, Jonas turned back towards Lyle to say, “Well, that Fancy Pants guy said a lot of good things about that college. And if their multicultural programs are as good as he says they were, I figure it might be a good option to look at.”

“Plus,” added Lyle with a shrug, “I did a little research and found out they have a really good graphic design program. That might be pretty helpful after I complete my internship.”

“I have to agree,” said Canvas when he turned his attention to Lyle with a smile. Of course, thought it over for a second before glancing back at Jonas. “So, did you guys sign up for a tour or something? Or are you just gonna walk around the campus all day?”

“Don’t worry, I already got things set up with Fancy Pants after the auction.” He then went to grab at Lyle’s art bag hanging from the side, giving it a couple good shakes so rattling could be heard. “We even have protein pills for when we go to the dining hall, just so none of those ponies will get suspicious.”

“Good idea,” replied Troy with a talon pointed at him. “I still keep my pills on me when I go to work.”

“Well, anyway.” Lyle then went to give Troy and Canvas hugs as he said, “Dad and I were wanting to get there early, so you guys have a safe trip, ‘kay?”

“Hey, no problem,” said Troy while hugging him back. “I guess I’ll be seeing you tonight?”

“That’s what we’re hoping,” responded Jonas. He then waited for Lyle to finish hugging both of them before motioning for him to follow. “Come on, we can probably fly there in ten minutes if we’re quick enough.”

“Ten?” With the way Lyle’s smirk skewed up higher at one side, it seemed like he knew a little more than his Dad. “I was able to fly across all of Middle Park in five minutes! I think we can get to MTI quicker than ten.”

Jonas was able to catch the cocky tone his son had, and turned back with a growing smirk of his own as he asked, “Oh? Is that supposed to be a challenge, young man?”

“Oh jeez,” muttered Angela with a smile and roll of her eyes, already knowing what was going to happen.

After making sure his art bag was secure against his side, Lyle kept his eyes on his Dad as his wings came out slightly. “Five bits says I get there before you.”

Jonas only let out a low chuckle in response, with his own wings unfurling in silent acceptance. But before he could do anything else, the General turned back to his wife and said, “See you tonight, Angela.”

Angela kissed Jonas kindly on his jagged beak and replied, “You better, honey.”

Unfortunately, as soon as Jonas went to turn back to his kid, all he saw were a couple stray black and white feathers falling to the ground. He quickly looked up to see an open window at the ceiling, and Lyle quickly disappearing into the Manehattan skyline. “DAMMIT!” shouted Jonas before he shot up through the window as well, letting a couple of his own feathers come off in the process.

Even though a lot of ponies stopped briefly when those two flew off from the train station’s roof like a couple of trained hawks, Angela just giggled happily. “I have to say,” she said while glancing up at the window, “I think they’re really getting closer now.”

Troy and Canvas were looking up at the ceiling as well, and Canvas was the first to nod when he turned back down at her. “Yeah, I think you’re right.”

When Troy finally looked away from the roof, his sights were focused on something else. Blaze, Blade, and Blane were finally walking through the main lobby of the station, but the three gryphons were completely stoic and silent as they walked in a unified row. Their faces were completely wide-eyed and vacant, and most of the color was drained from their faces. The triplets didn’t say a word to their Mother, Troy, or Canvas, and just walked past them to sit at an empty bench.

It was clear that something was up, but Angela and Troy were legitimately unsure what could’ve happened which would lead the triplets to be sitting completely still and silent like three students outside a principal’s office. Canvas raised a hoof towards them in a tiny effort to grab their attention as he said, “Uhhh, guys? Is something wro--”

“NOTHING HAPPENED!!!” shouted the three at the same time when they turned their heads in his direction. They then immediately turned back to staring out at nothing, like nothing else was needed to be said.

Canvas, Troy, and Angela all exchanged looks to each other at they began to worry. However, none of them knew what to say to one another. Canvas looked especially concerned, and he was beginning to wonder whether or not Fashion Plate had something to do with it.

Unfortunately, Canvas’ suspicions were pretty much confirmed when he and the others overheard the triplets squawk out in unified fear. The three gryphons jumped out of their seats like a group of startled cats and ran away screaming. One of them could be overheard shouting “Run! Run! RUN!!!”

Fashion Plate came into view while wearing a red Ascot and sporting a vintage travel bag on his shoulder. Even though his violet shades did nothing to cover how heavy the bags under his eyes looked, the stallion kept a very content smile on his face. Since the triplets already ran off in a panic, the unicorn settled on trotting towards Canvas and his family.

“Oh, there you are!” said Fashion Plate in a chipper tone, seemingly unaware how uneasy the artist looked due to the triplets’ reaction to the unicorn entering the station. While Canvas blinked a couple times worriedly, Fashion looked around and curiously asked, “So, did your boys already leave?”

“Uhhh…” Canvas glanced back at Troy and Angela, and could see that neither of them were comfortable with letting the stallion know about their whereabouts. When he turned back to Fashion Plate, one of Canvas’ brows was raised as he asked, “What exactly happened last night?”

A delighted shudder crept across Fashion’s back, making his smile grow immensely for a brief second as he giggled with glee. His shoulders crept up as he said innocently, “Nothiiiiing~”

Troy and Angela both cringed hard at the unicorn’s answer. Canvas was instantly regretting letting Fashion take those three out to “dinner,” but he wasn’t able to ask anything else before Fashion Plate floated something out of his bag. “Just let them know that I really enjoyed dinner with them last night,” he said as he handed a small envelope to Canvas with his magic. “Also, here are some ‘free night’ vouchers for a hotel that’s near my place. I figure they might appreciate it since they got so... flustered after waking up in my bed this morning.”

Fashion Plate giggled once more, but settled himself down to give the gaping Canvas a thankful pat on the shoulder. “Just give them my thanks, honey-buns. I know you of all ponies will understand.”

With that being said, Fashion Plate trotted off to leave the station. When Canvas finally glanced back at Troy and Angela, both of them were staring at the artist with looks of shock and confusion. Even Tenor had his head slightly tilted while looking up at the stallion.

After trying to see where the triplets ran off to, Canvas turned back to his fiancè and Mother-In-Law and said, “I swear to Celestia, he just said he was going to take them out to dinner.”

Troy couldn't help thinking of whatever it could've been to make his older brothers act so skiddish about that stallion, and winced as he replied, "Ugh... It sounds like he got dessert too."

"TROIUS!" shouted Troy's Mother before smacking him over the head.

Chapter Sixteen: Donations and Debacles

The train from Manehattan to Ponyville was chugging smoothly along in the midday sun. The weather outside was surprisingly decent, so many of the ponies inside the cars were quite comfortable in their seats. Even though the cabin the triplets were in was eerily silent, the other Clawstons tried to focus on something more positive during their train ride. Canvas, Troy, and Angela were looking over a couple of organization binders with wedding plans that were prepared by Princess Twilight Sparkle. Tenor was lying on the floor in their cabin, chewing on a large rubber dog toy that his owners had gotten for him back in Manehattan.

While flipping through one of the binders with a skewed beak, Angela sighed before closing the book and placing it on her lap. “Well, you have to give the Princess of Friendship some credit. She certainly left no stone unturned.”

“I know, right?” said Canvas enthusiastically as he scanned the final pages of the binder he and Troy were looking through. “She really went all out on helping us get everything ready. She didn’t even try to change any of the specifics we wanted for our ceremony or reception.”

Troy shot a glance towards his mother and added, “Unlike certain others…”

Catching her son’s obviously directive tone, Angela huffed and rolled her eyes. “Oh, don’t look at me me that! All I said was that a wedding reception shouldn’t have pizza as the main course!”

“Why not?” asked Troy with his claws raised. “There is literally nothing wrong with pizza! Everyone likes it, including both of us!”

Angela groaned in an almost pleading tone, “But this is a wedding!”

Despite how much his future In-Law was dragging her paws about this subject, Canvas just chuckled and closed his own binder. “Well, you can complain about it to Rarity if you want. She was the one who suggested that idea.”

While Angela stared at the couple with a befuddled look, it took everything within Troy and Canvas to not start snickering uncontrollably. Even though Canvas wasn’t technically wrong, they could only imagine what would happen if Angela actually went to confront Rarity over what was obviously a sarcastic suggestion. Nevertheless, Troy was able to speak first and said, “But seriously, Mom. Is that really what you’re going to complain about?”

“Well, it’s just weird!” shouted Angela defensively. “Like, why would you choose pizza as your first meal as a married couple?! Don’t you guys think it’s a little untraditional?”

Troy and Canvas turned to look at each other, and both of them carried deadpanned stares. Canvas was the first to ask, “Should I point it out, or should you?”

“Point what out?”

Following Angela’s question, Troy looked back at her while his straight-faced expression remained. “Mom, I’m going to marry a stallion. Are you really saying that what we’re going to eat is going to make our wedding untraditional?”

Angela didn’t open her beak, but it was clear from her pause that her son’s question made her think for a moment. After her eyes blinked a couple of times, the gryphoness shrugged and placed the binder next to her on the bench. “Well, alright then. Point taken.”

Troy smiled fairly wide after hearing that, secretly happy that he was able to win an argument with his mother so easily. Of course, the gryphon hid his smirk when Angela looked back at him and said, “Well, since we’re on the subject of plans, when do you think you’ll hear from Bridleway about that Hinny of the Hills role?”

Thinking it over for a second, Troy sighed while looking up at the cabin ceiling. “Well, I’m not sure how long the rest of the callback auditions will go. It might take a week before I hear back from them, but it could be less.”

“That’s what I thought.” After making a brief exhale herself, Angela looked between Troy and Canvas before asking, “So, hypothetically speaking, what would happen if he were to get that role?”

Troy glanced back down at his Mom with a quizzical look. Canvas tilted his head and asked, “What do you mean?”

“I mean, how would you two work that out?” Angela had both brows raised, looking genuinely curious as she waited for a response. “It’s not like Troy could take a train from Ponyville to Manehattan for every rehearsal and show. Wouldn’t there be a lot of separation?”

The last thing that Angela wanted to do was cause any uneasiness between her son and his future husband, but she still felt like that question needed to be brought up for the sake of their future. Given the fact that they’re getting married so young, the idea of them being apart for long periods of time during the beginning of their marriage could be a rather large hurdle. Plus, considering how she knew about that sort of thing herself with Jonas’ military leaves, Angela was hoping that she could bring some much needed discussion over this.

However, after her question was asked, Angela didn’t see any hint that the couple looked worried or apprehensive. In fact, Canvas sighed with a wave of his hoof and said, “Oh, we talked about that weeks ago! We agreed that if Troy got a Bridleway role, then we would get ourselves an apartment in Manheattan as a second home.”

Angela was taken aback from that answer, not just because of how casually the stallion said it, but just from how simple he made such a big decision sound. “W-what?” she blurted out in a surprised tone. “W… What do you mean a second home!?”

Troy was able to answer his Mom’s question with, “Well, we're certainly not planning to ever move from Ponyville. We have a lot of close friends there, and Canvas would probably have my hide if I ever suggested we move from it.”

Canvas giggled at the sentiment, but still nodded his head with a smile. “Plus,” added the stallion with a shrug, “it’s not like we can’t afford it. Troy still has most of his inheritance, and I’m making a ton of bits with my art. In fact, I was considering building a second art studio in a more populated city, and Manehattan would be perfect for that! If Troy has the chance for a real music career there, then it wouldn’t be much of an issue to get a second place with our shared incomes.”

Angela just stared at Canvas with a baffled look, unsure how to process the stallion’s clearly thought-out plan. When she glanced over at Troy, the gryphon just smiled back at her while wrapping a wing around his mate. “Yeah, I know,” said Troy with a light chuckle. “Pretty cool, huh?”

Even though she was happy that her son and future son-in-law had a plan in check, Angela still huffed with a shake of her head as she leaned back in her seat. “Wow. Ummm… I honestly wasn’t expecting you two to already know what to do.”

Realizing how that may have sounded, Angela’s eyes widened before she quickly added, “Not that it isn’t a good thing! I just mean that a lot of couples might not see that as such an easy decision to make.”

Canvas and Troy glanced back at each other again, clearly understanding the gryphoness’ point. Troy was the first to redirect his attention back towards Angela with a shrug of his shoulders. “Well, you might be right there,” he admitted honestly, “but it isn’t like we have much in the way to stop us from doing it. We have the funds, neither of us have many restrictions with our work, and it’s not like we have to think about any kids to support besides Tenor.”

Angela’s feathers ruffled out as she pouted from that last sentence. Tenor perked his head up at the mention of his name, his tail wagging while he laid on the floor. Canvas giggled and added towards Angela, “See? Being a Dink has it’s advantages sometimes.”

Angela narrowed her eyes on Canvas, but her upset look slowly changed to confusion before blinking a couple times. “Uhhh… a what now?” She then went into her luggage bag and asked, “Is that a new gay term or something? I could’ve sworn that book Twilight gave me was comprehensive enough on all the lingo.”

While Canvas covered his muzzle with a hoof and laughed out loud, Troy struggled not to snicker as he said, “Uhh, Mom? Dink is an anagram. It stands for Double Income, No Kids.”

After pausing from looking inside her bag and letting that answer register, Angels huffed and pushed her luggage away with a scowl on her beak. She crossed her forelegs as she leaned back in her seat and pointed her pout at the still giggling couple. “Well, thanks a lot for that reminder,” Angela said with a tone of bitter disdain.

Tenor was able to sense that the pregnant gryphoness was upset, and quickly got on his paws so he could lay his head down on top of her lap. With the way the Saint Bernard looked up at her while providing comfort, it didn’t take long for Angela’s bitter expression to melt and make her sigh. “Awwww…” She scratched the top of Tenor’s head as a smile resurfaced on her beak. “How can I be upset when you’re looking at me like that?”

Tenor’s head lifted up a couple inches so his muzzle could open and allow him to pant happily.

Because of what happened at the end of the Manehattan art auction, Canvas had to make sure that his own train ticket to Ponyville included a brief stop at River Trail. While Angela and the triplets stayed on the train and continued without them, Troy and Canvas brought Tenor along when they made their way to the high school. Even though the town itself was barely big enough to even warrant a train station, Canvas rather liked the quaint coziness of it; of course, the fact that River Trail was Gallop Creek’s athletic rival made any differences between the two towns quite welcoming to the stallion.

Canvas was originally worried what this school would think of him making such an impromptu appearance, especially given what he had on him as a surprise gift. However, while Troy waited outside the school with their dog, Canvas had quite an interesting chat with the principal and head coach inside. Most of that time was spent explaining not only everything that occurred at that auction, but also why the artist was compelled to make such drastic means. By the time the stallion was finally able to leave (after receiving a hug from the hoofball coach that nearly shattered his spine), Canvas was sporting a brand new letterman jacket which went swimmingly well with his sunglasses and pleased smirk.

Troy had to do a double-take when he saw the new getup Canvas had on. “Ooooh…” The gryphon’s grin was quite apparent as he scanned the pony up and down and said, “Wow! I’m guessing either that meeting went really well, or you became an expert in stealing things.”

Canvas giggled as he looked down at his green, faux-leather sleeves. Given how the torso of the jacket was a fairly nice white fleece, the stallion was happy that his gift from the school went so well with his coat. “Yeah, I know!” said Canvas in an especially pleased-sounding tone. “The principal actually got their home-ec teacher to make this fit my size as soon as I handed him that check!”

Troy chuckled as well while feeling the soft material on top of Canvas’ back with a claw. “Well, that’s pretty cool. At least they actually believed you and didn’t assume that check was a fake.”

Canvas shrugged a little while rubbing at Tenor’s belly while the dog laid on his back. “Yeah, I know,” admitted the stallion as he looked up at his mate. “I had to tell them a lot about my old school before I even got to what happened at that auction. They didn’t seem to mind the long story, though.”

Troy’s smirk grew devilishly as he replied, “Something tells me they’re gonna have some interesting chants the next time Gallop Creek comes to this school for a hoofball game.”

“Oh, definitely! I think the coach was practically drooling at one point!” After he finished rubbing Tenor’s belly, Canvas tried not to giggle in a shared guilty pleasure while the dog got back on his paws. “But anyway, all that matters is that the check is delivered. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if the school names their hoofball field after Fashion Plate.”

That made the gryphon laugh out loud. “Jeez, that would be weird to see!”

Even though Troy had a smile on his beak, it slowly started to dissipate while he rubbed the back of his head with a claw awkwardly. By the time Canvas noticed, Troy’s expression was more uneasy than anything else while his eyes looked away from his fiancè and Tenor. “Ugh… Now I’m just wondering what the buck that guy did to my brothers.”

“Oh, don’t think too negatively about that!” said Canvas as he tried to nudge the gryphon into a lighter mood. “I seriously doubt that Fashion Plate did anything too… forceful to them, if that was what you were thinking.”

“But he did something!” Troy was bug-eyed as he stared back at the stallion worriedly. “Those guys never acted that weird before!”

“So, what? You think Fashion Plate drugged them or something?”

“No! I just…” After putting his claw back down, Troy sighed deeply while keeping a concerned look on his face. “I… I don’t want to think my brothers got hurt, that’s all.”

Troy wasn’t sure how Canvas would respond to an answer like that, mostly due to how sappy it may have sounded. However, instead of hearing the stallion try not to giggle or point that out cynically, the only reaction Troy got was the feeling of Canvas’ hooves wrapping around his back for a tight hug. “Awwww!” said Canvas in a touched tone of voice. “You really care about those guys!”

“Oh, stop it,” blurted Troy with a deep blush that went swimmingly well with the way his feathers ruffled out in response to Canvas’ hug. Of course, that only made the pony nuzzle Troy’s face and involuntarily giggle at the way it tickled his muzzle. Tenor barked enthusiastically and tried to hop up to nuzzle him as well.

“Alright, alright!” After Tenor managed to lick at Troy’s face a couple times, Canvas was able to pull the excited dog down. While petting the top of the Saint Bernard’s head, Canvas looked up at his fiancè and said, “Well, if anything bad did happen from their night with Fashion Plate, I’m sure that the triplets will tell one of us so we’d know. Right?”

While wiping the slobber off his face and rubbing his feathers down, Troy took a second before exhaling with a small smile in agreement. “Alright, yeah,” admitted the gryphon reluctantly. “Those guys would tell us if something happened.”

“We can’t tell ANYONE what happened last night!”

Blade and Blane nodded firmly at Blaze’s statement, even though both of them looked equally as fretful as their brother. Since their final stop in Ponyville was coming up, it was clear that none of them wanted to look so frazzled when they got off the train. So, Blade was the first to look around in their cabin and ask, “So what do we tell Mum when we get off, huh? You know she thinks somethin’s up! And she’d know if we lied to her too!”

Blaze and Blane looked at each other awkwardly, realizing their brother wasn’t wrong. Blane was the first to look between the other two and come up with a suggestion. “Well, uhh… maybe we could just say we got drunk and broke something in his apartment? I mean, we technically did, so it wouldn’t be lying, would it?”

Blaze’s brows rose in slight surprise before glancing over at Blade. “That’s actually not a bad idea.”

Blade shrugged indifferently and tried not to wince. “I suppose so…”

Because of the skinny gryphon’s tone, it didn’t take long for all three of them to appear apprehensive once more. Blane was leaned forward while his head sunk into his claws. He let out a deep groan before muttering loud enough for his brothers to hear. “Guys… we really need to talk about what happened.”

“NO!!!” Bellowed Blaze and Blade at the same time to make their brother jolt up from his position. Blaze pointed a talon at Blane while saying threateningly, “NOTHING HAPPENED LAST NIGHT!! We just got drunk, broke some stuff, and fell asleep! That. Is. IT!!!”

Even with the emphasis Blaze made with those last three words while prodding at Blane’s chest, it didn’t keep either of them from looking any less paranoid. When Blaze finally pulled back to rest against the corner of his cabin, he sighed while looking away from the other two gryphons. “Look, we all had a LOT of absinthe last night. Heck, Fashion Plate downed just as much any of us! It’s not like we all just decided to let him take pictures while sober! It was just a stupid drunk joke that went too far, so technically we shouldn’t say we did anything with him!”

Blane looked down at the floor with a sorrowful scowl on his beak. The train cabin was silent for only a brief moment before Blade said timidly, “He’s the only one I don’t remember doing anything with.”

“SHUT UP!!!”

Despite how loudly the other two screamed that at the same time, Blade still looked at both of them in a panic. “WHAT?! Am I the only one with the bollocks to say it?! Where was he on the bed, huh?! WHERE WAS HE!?”

“He WAS there!” shouted Blane angrily towards Blade. “I specifically remember he was with us at one point!” Upon realizing what he inadvertently implied, the gryphon fumbled briefly as he spouted, “TH-THE WHOLE TIME! Or… most of the time. I think…”

Blaze seemed much more panicked as he tried to emphasize his words with his shaking talon. “H-He was there, okay?! He was in that room, so it wasn’t just us!!”

Blade was promptly freaking out. “HE WAS SITTING IN THE CORNER WITH A CAMERA!!”

About ten seconds of silence passed through the cabin after that, with only the sounds of the train’s chugging engine being heard from outside. Unfortunately, the silence was broken when Blane gasped at the sight of something at the now open cabin door:

A very uneasy-looking brown stallion, who was wearing a staff vest and hat while holding a snack cart. He blinked a couple times, clearly frozen in fear as all three gryphons stared back at him with equally freaked-out looks. Without saying a word, the stallion closed the door of their cabin slowly, not bothering to ask if they wanted anything.

After about another minute of silence, mostly spent with the three looking back at each other awkwardly, Blaze was the first to speak up after clearing his throat. “Ahem, well ummm… We’re all in agreement, right? None of us are ever drinking absinthe again.”

“Deal!”

After the three reached forward to do a fist-bump in the middle of the cabin, the triplets reverted to their corners of the space without touching or looking over at one another. By the time they finally reached the city limits of Ponyville, they could safely say that their trip was the quietest ride they ever took.

Chapter Seventeen: A Matter of Trust

Overcast skies loomed over Ponyville the following morning, which fit the mood surrounding the Clawston family fairly well. After Troy and Canvas returned to Ponyville by train, they were certain that Lyle and Jonas would be just a few hours behind and back in town before night came. Even after the sunset, most of the Clawstons were certain that nothing was amiss. However, after the last train arrived at the station and left, everyone began to wonder why the two were still unaccounted for.

Unfortunately, Angela seemed to be the only one acting officially freaked out the next morning. So while the skies were painted with an overcast of pale grey over the lands, Angela preoccupied herself with pacing around the castle with a panicked look on her face. “Where are they?” she muttered to herself in a tone that sounded like she was imagining the worst possible scenarios. “Where are they?! Why aren't they back yet?!”

Since her distressed voice could be heard reverberating throughout the massive rooms and halls made of crystal, it wasn’t long before Twilight trotted into the room the gryphoness was in to make sure she was okay. “Angela,” began the Princess in a calm but wary tone, “you really should try to sit down for a while.”

“But where ARE they?!” cried out Angela as she turned towards Twilight. With the way her breathing became heavy and rapid, it looked like she was about to either cry or hyperventilate. “It’s not like Jonas to ever be this late without sending a message!”

“I’m sure that everything is alright, Missus Clawston.” Twilight then brought out a wing to wrap around Angela’s back and lead her towards a nearby fainting couch. “Rainbow Dash told me that there was a pretty big storm scheduled outside of Baltimare, so there’s a good chance that it affected Jonas and Lyle’s trip and simply delayed them.”

Even as she sat down, Angela was becoming more frazzled while fidgeting her talons. “B-But what if something bad happened?! If their train was delayed, Jonas would’ve sent me a message to let me know by now!”

Despite understanding the panicked gryphoness’ point, Twilight sighed as she tried to contemplate some alternatives to soothe Angela’s mindset. “Well, Equestrian messaging is still fairly limited for those without magic, and the distance between Manehattan and Ponyville is almost twice the amount of space that all the Gryphon Kingdom occupies! For all we know, a message is on its way right now as we speak.”

With her anxiety building up with each passing second, Angela hunched downward while sitting with her claws behind her head. “Oh, what if one of them got hurt?! Or BOTH of them!? Or what if they got in a fight in Manehattan?! I don’t want to even think of those two fighting again, but this is just building up and I don’t know what’s going on so I’m just thinking worse and worse things--”

“ANGELA!”

The last thing that Princess Twilight wanted to do was to actually yell at a pregnant woman, so she cringed hard when she saw how much Angela jolted from that interrupting outburst. While the gryphoness just stared up at her in fear, Twilight managed to get over brief bout of guilt quickly enough to continue speaking. “I’m sorry for yelling, but you need to get yourself settled down. We don’t know what happened to them, and while that is a legitimate reason to be concerned, making yourself a nervous wreck about it isn’t going to solve anything! You need to stay optimistic for the time being. Not just because of your own well-being, but for the baby’s as well.”

Angela’s eyes widened, and her claws instinctively came down to cradle her stomach. While looking down at her barely protruding belly, she sniffed faintly before exhaling in a long and shaky breath. With her eyes closed, Angela nodded her head and responded in a scared whisper of a voice. “I… Okay… Th-Thank you…”

Twilight knew what she had to do, and took the initiative to wrap her hooves around the gryphoness for a much-needed hug. While Angela hugged the Princess back, neither of them noticed Spike walk in through the doorway with a giant jar of pickles. After Cadance's visit and reveal about her foal, Spike learned that he had a pretty good sense of pregnancy cravings (which Twilight was still unable to figure out). So without saying a word, the dragon placed the jar beside Angela’s seat and walked away. Twilight saw Spike leaving the room first, but didn’t realize what he did before hearing Angela gasp in surprise.

“Oooh!” The gryphoness quickly snatched up the jar like it was nothing, and had it opened in an instant to snag herself one of the thicker pickles inside. If it wasn’t for her reddened eyes, it may have been hard to tell that Angela was acting like a nervous wreck less than a minute ago. After taking a bite, Angela glanced back at the confused Princess and said insistently, “Don’t let go of that assistant of yours. He’s worth his weight in gold.”

Twilight sighed with a relaxed smile and a roll of her eyes. Unfortunately, that reaction was interrupted by the sound of a thunderous crash from the other room. Both girls jolted and turned to the direction of the noise. “What was that?!” shouted Twilight loud enough for Spike to hopefully give an answer.

After a brief bout of silence, the triplets replied with a unified, “Spike did it!!”

“NO I DIDN’T!!” yelled Spike back at them.

Twilight then groaned and got out of her seat. “I better check on them and make sure it wasn’t anything too valuable.” Before she could make her leave towards the source of the noise, Twilight turned back to Angela from the doorway and asked, “Is there anything you need in the meantime?”

Since the gryphoness was preoccupied with finishing her pickle, the only answer she could give to Twilight’s question was, “Garlic salt, please.”

Glad that Angela wasn’t panicking anymore, Twilight responded with an amused smile before leaving the room. It wasn’t until the pregnant gryphoness reached her third pickle that she overheard two new figures entering the castle. She glanced over at the other doorway quickly, hoping that it was her husband and youngest son. However, Angela’s reaction soon turned to worried disappointment when Troy and Canvas walked into the room.

“Hey, Mom,” said Troy with an optimistic smile on his beak. However, with one glance at his Mom’s downtrodden look, his tone became bleak as well when he asked, “So, I take it they’re not back yet?”

“No!” she shouted bitterly before taking another bite. “And Ah haf no idea where dey couldef gone!”

Canvas, who was wearing his new jacket due to the weather outside, scratched the back of his mane as he tried to think logically about Jonas and Lyle’s disappearance. “Well, there are several routes that a train could go to get from Manehattan to Ponyville. Maybe they missed their scheduled one and had to take one with a longer route.”

Even though he wasn’t half as worried as his Mom was, Troy seemed apprehensive about Canvas’ theory. “Maybe, but that doesn’t sound like Dad. If there’s one thing I know about him, it’s that he never misses a trip when he has a paid ticket for it.”

“That’s true,” added Angela after swallowing. “He once broke his foreleg when falling down a flight of concrete steps, and he still insisted on getting our tickets refunded instead of going to the hospital first. Of course, he passed out halfway to the station, but still.”

“Alright, alright.” After pausing with a sigh, Canvas’ muzzle skewed for a moment before both his brows raised upward. “Actually, we haven’t checked the train station today yet. Troy and I came right here in case they showed up before us.”

“Well what are you waiting for?!” Troy and Canvas flinched a little from her outburst. Angela pointed to the doorway they just came from with an annoyed expression as she motioned her claw to shoo them away. “Go check it out!”

Before either of them could even move an inch, the rumble of scurrying paws broke their attention as the triplets barreled past the room in a panic. Blaze was the only one to speak as he ran past Angela, Troy, and Canvas.
“We’llcheckthetrainstationwewerejustabouttoleaveanywayseeyoulater!!”

The three were already long gone before anyone else could get a word in. Twilight flew through the room as well with a livid expression as she screamed out in fury, “YOU THREE GET BACK HERE AND CLEAN THAT UP!!!”

Alas, the triplets were already gone before Twilight could catch them. Several seconds of silence passed, which was first interrupted by the sound of Angela’s beak crunching into another pickle. Of course, what truly ended the awkward silence was the sight of Spike walking back into the room. He had a very upset look on his face, but it was hard to tell since he was covered head to toe in what looked to be strawberry jelly.

All three of them were gawking at the sight of the jam-coated dragon, but Canvas was the first to ask the obvious. “Spike, what the heck happened!?”

“They wanted to make a sandwich,” said Spike with great disdain as he walked past them towards the nearest bathroom.

Since everyone except Spike was out of the castle, Canvas and Troy decided to stay with Angela in one of the sitting rooms in case Lyle and Jonas returned. Even though the conversation was fairly minimal due to the unwelcome mixture of Angela’s anxiety and pregnancy hormones, it seemed that the castle itself broke the silence at random moments. Whether it was the crystal chandelier jingling above them, the sound of Spike’s bare feet stepping along the spotless floors, or the occasional moment where they swore they heard a pair of hooves somewhere, little interruptions like that somehow made the wait for Twilight’s return feel quicker than it should’ve been.

Even though she looked downright furious when she left the castle, Twilight Sparkle had quite a wide smile on her muzzle when she finally returned with her horn lit. Of course, the fact that a large bubble of magic containing the triplets was floating in the air behind her may have been the reason for that. The Princess was pleased to see that the three were still in the sitting room, and trotted in to say, “Well, I’m happy to tell you that Jonas and Lyle are perfectly fine!” She then looked back at the doorway and added, “While chasing your sons, I ran into the two of them as they left the station!”

Jonas slowly walked through the doorway first, looking more tired than anything else before his beak grew a faint smile. “Hey, honey,” muttered the gryphon in a low, but still genuine tone. However, Angela didn’t look nearly as happy when she got out of her seat and stormed towards him.

“Jonas! Just what on Earth happened to you two?! Were you trying to make me overstressed while pregnant?!” Jonas was barely able to get a response in, but that last sentence made him instantly look guilty while his wife glared at him. After a few seconds, Angela glanced past him and asked, “Wait, where is Lyle anyway?”

Almost on cue, Lyle had his luggage over his back as he stomped down the hallway past Angela’s line of sight. As the teenage gryphon headed for the stairs, Jonas turned around to call out to him. “Lyle, please come back here! You can at least let your Mom know--”

“SHUT UP!” Carrying a tone of malice that wasn’t heard since the last time he was in Equestria, Lyle angrily stormed up the stairs without looking back at his Dad. “Just stay the BUCK away from me!!!”

“HEY!” Upon hearing that curse word, Twilight instantly dropped her magic grip on the triplets, which made the three fall to the floor ungracefully. Meanwhile, a door slammed upstairs that practically made the whole castle shake in intensity.

Lyle may have been a teenager, but Twilight wasn’t going to tolerate that kind of behavior while a baby dragon is in the castle. Before the Princess could storm up the stairs to confront Lyle, Jonas stopped her by placing a claw over her shoulder. “Just let him go,” he said in a defeated, but still slightly pleading tone of voice. “He went through a lot yesterday.”

Twilight huffed before glaring back at the General. “Mister Clawston, with all due respect, I’ve made it very clear that I don’t tolerate that kind of language while Spike is around.”

It was at that moment that Spike walked back into the room to give Twilight one of her scheduling parchments. “Oh, please,” said the dragon while Twilight picked up the scroll with her magic, “Just because I’m a baby dragon doesn’t mean I’m an idiot, Twi. I have lived in libraries for most of my life. I’m pretty sure I know every swear word there is.”

Twilight stared down at the drake with a mix of befuddlement and slight shock. She honestly wasn’t sure how to respond to what Spike said. Of course, any reply she may have had was paused when Blane, who was the first triplet to get himself off the floor, looked over at Spike and said with a curious grin, “Prove it!”

However, that smirk was quickly extinguished with one strong glare from the Alicorn to shut him up.

“Okay,” began Angela as she turned her attention back towards Jonas to ask, “what exactly did you do to set him off? And don’t try telling me it’s nothing!”

Jonas didn’t look happy that his wife automatically assumed he had something to do with Lyle’s behavior; however, he also knew she wasn’t wrong either. So, the General just sighed painfully and rubbed the back of his head. “Before you get upset, I want you to know that what I did wasn’t intentional, okay? It wasn’t like what happened last time we were here.”

Angela’s angered glare intensified, making her look like she was just a second away from slapping him across the face. Luckily, Troy stepped in to ask, “What did you do?”

“It was an accident, alright?!” Before he could say anything in addition to that, Jonas huffed briefly and turned to Twilight. “Ummm, Princess? Would it be okay to ask you to use that sound-proofing thing?”

“Hmm?” Twilight looked up from her parchment before nodding her head. “Oh, of course!”

Before floating her scroll back to Spike, the Alicorn looked towards the triplets. “If you three could step in closer, it would be easier to make my--”

“Oh-HO-noooo!” Blaze threw his claws up before walking out of the room. “I am NOT going in that bubble thing again!”

Blaze and Blane followed their brother with equally insistent looks, clearly not happy with how they were brought back to Twilight’s castle after a massive lecturing from her. Jonas merely shrugged and admitted, “Actually, that’s probably for the best. I’d rather not have those three hear what happened and make fun of Lyle about it. He’s already mad at me as it is.”

Seeing that Jonas’ wife and the couple would clearly want more details after that comment, Twilight didn’t bother to try asking what the General meant from that. Instead, she quickly emitted a sound-bubble from her lit horn. Troy, Canvas, Jonas, and Angela were soon underneath a large dome of purple magic, which gave off a light, pulsating glow. After Jonas turned around to give the Princess a talon’s-up in approval, Twilight nodded with a smile before going back to looking over her schedule with Spike.

Canvas was the first one to speak. “Okay, what happened?”

Jonas closed his eyes as he exhaled deeply. “Let me just reiterate that what happened was an accident. I’m sure that any one of you could’ve made the same mistake. And as for the tour itself, it went really well, and Manehattan Tech looks like a good school. But…”

The gryphon looked at the three in front of him while carrying a guilty expression on his face. “The reason Lyle and I were gone was because… I needed to take him to the hospital.”

Everyone gasped. “The hospital?!” shouted Angela in horror.

Troy looked equally shocked as he asked, “Is he alright?!”

Jonas turned towards Troy after that question with a deadpan look. “No, Troy. He’s in a full body cast and currently in a coma. Couldn’t you tell when we walked in?”

While Troy grew an agitated look at that unnecessarily sarcastic comeback, Canvas asked worriedly, “Why did he need to go to the hospital, Jonas?”

Jonas’ head slumped even lower, with his face barely visible as he uttered, “Because I… I accidentally packed the wrong pills.”

“What?!” asked Angela in surprise. “What are you talking about? Those protein pills were the only ones we had packed, wasn’t... “

Angela’s words trailed off for a moment, and it wasn’t long before her narrowed eyes quickly shot wide open. She gasped horribly while covering her beak with both claws. “Oh, NO!”

“WHAT?” asked Troy frustratingly towards both his parents. “What was it?”

Jonas groaned with his head lowered as he explained. “Well, when we went to the dining hall for lunch, Lyle was the first to finish and take a pill. But when I went to take mine, I realized that it was... blue...”

Troy tilted his head in confusion, knowing very well that the protein pills Equestria provides aren’t blue in any way. However, it only took a second for Canvas to realize what it could’ve been as he widened his eyes. “Wait… did they have a ‘V’ on the front?”

That got Troy’s mind to start connecting the dots as well, and his eyes shot open when he saw his father make an uneasy nod of his head. “Y-yeah,” admitted Jonas in a sullen tone.

Canvas and Troy both cringed. Hard. Even though neither of them had to use those particular pills, they knew enough about them to be aware of their purpose, as well as what they’re supposed to do. Jonas looked away from them as he continued. “He had to hide in the bathroom for a while because of… things. But we had to leave and see a physician when the… side effects lasted longer than four hours.”

Angela looked absolutely hurt at the realization of what happened to her youngest son. “Oh, noooo…” She kept her face covered as she shook her head. “So you mean they had to…”

Jonas once again nodded. Troy looked at him curiously to ask, “Wait, they had to do what?”

Since Jonas was looking fairly upset by now, Angela put her claw down to speak for him. “Well… when someone has to take those pills, and they last longer than four hours, the doctors have to give them an injection. And in order for it to work, it has to be given directly on the…”

Angela didn’t finish her sentence, but hoped that Troy and Canvas were smart enough to know what that last word was supposed to be. Fortunately, the gryphoness didn’t need to say it when she saw both of them wince hard while their hind legs buckled involuntarily.

“Yeah,” mumbled Jonas in understanding. “And I’ve had to deal with that before, so I know just how unpleasant it can be. Lyle hasn’t spoken to me since we left Manehattan, and I can’t blame him.”

Angela bent in to give her husband a much-needed hug. “It’s okay, honey,” she said in assurance. “It was just an accident. I’m not mad at you, I swear.”

Jonas sighed deeply, and had his eyes clenched as he hugged his wife back. While he wasn’t going to openly admit it, it was obvious that he needed to hear that from her.

Troy and Canvas nodded as well. “Do you want us to talk with Lyle?” asked stallion.

“Well, not right now. But… Yeah.” When he glanced over at the couple, Jonas nodded with a reluctant, but still thankful look on his face. “If either of you could, I would really appreciate that. One of you could probably get to talk with him sooner than I could.”

Troy and Canvas both smiled at the gryphon’s sentiment, happy that he was actually wanting their help for something this delicate. Since both of them helped with Lyle a lot recently, it meant a lot to know that even Jonas was aware of it. Troy nodded proudly and responded with, “Don’t worry, Dad. We’ll get things settled out for you.”

Jonas smiled faintly back at them. However, Angela looked upset as she asked, “Hey, wait a minute! Why can’t I talk with him?! He’s MY son, you know!”

All three guys turned to look at the gryphoness with straight-faced stares. Troy opened his beak first. “Mom, don’t you think that maybe this is something that would constitute as ‘guy-talk’?”

Fortunately enough, that question was able to make Angela realize their point in an instant. Instead of saying anything, the gryphoness just looked away with a blush and nodded silently.

Since she didn’t have much to do, Angela felt like she needed to be away from the castle for a while. Despite how amazing Twilight’s castle really was, the gryphoness had to admit that Ponyville had a really eclectic charm which made her want to walk around. She eventually stopped at Lyra and Bon-Bon’s sweet shop, and the couple were more than happy to let Angela rest in their kitchen behind the storefront.

Lyra’s aura of magic floated a pitcher of lemonade towards the table, and poured into the glasses with ease while she sat across from the gryphoness. Even though the first sip was quite nice, Angela still seemed upset when she put her glass down. “Ugh, I just feel so awful,” admitted the gryphoness with a guilty sigh. “As soon as he said something bad happened between him and Lyle, I automatically assumed that it was something like… like before.”

Lyra put her own glass down and gave Angela a sympathetic look. “Oh, you shouldn’t feel bad about that,” said the unicorn with a sincere tone of voice. “It’s clear that he had issues like that in the past, so it’s not that hard to think it would happen again.”

“But I promised myself that I wouldn’t think like that!” Carrying a shameful gaze back at Lyra, Angela leaned her head in against one of her claws that was propped on the table. “I mean, I know that Jonas is doing his best, and I couldn’t be happier to see how well he’s been getting. Heck, I think he’s even starting to like Canvas a little! But when I saw how upset Lyle was today, the first thing I thought was that he was going back to his old ways! It just…”

The gryphoness then sunk her head in against both her claws as she groaned stressfully. “It just made me think for a second that I still didn’t trust him. Even though I do!”

“I know you do,” assured Lyra while putting a hoof out against one of Angela’s claws. “Nopony is saying otherwise. We all have random thoughts like that from time to time. It doesn’t mean anything.”

“But what if it does?!” When she pulled her head back up to stare at the mare, Angela looked like she was about to start tearing up from anxiety. “Like, what if I’m never able to completely trust him to be a good parent again!? I don’t want to have this mindset when the hatchling comes!”

“Angela, please.” Despite how tightly she was gripping Angela’s claw to keep her focus, Lyra’s voice was still calm and nurturing. “All relationships have these kinds of moments. Sometimes after a rough patch, some time has to pass before you can look past it completely. What’s most important right now is that he is making an effort, right?”

Angela nodded, but her face was still painted with a look of apprehension. “H-He is… and I know that he won’t act like he did again. I know that, and I shouldn’t have to keep reminding myself!”

“But it’s okay if you do sometimes.” Despite how much she was trying to help, Lyra could tell that her words may have not been as helpful as she would’ve hoped. So, after glancing past Angela to make sure her wife was still tending to customers at the front, the unicorn sighed before turning back to Angela. “Just so you know, I… I kinda know what that feels like.”

Angela blinked a couple times while staring back at Lyra. “Wh… What do you mean?”

“Well, ummm…” Even though she knew she would be stepping on eggshells if she said anything too confidential, Lyra still sighed as she began to speak honestly. “Well, a couple months ago, I learned something about Bon-Bon while we were tending to Cranky and Matilda’s wedding ceremony. She never mentioned it to me before, and…”

The mare bit her lip during that pause before finishing. “It definitely made me see her in a different light.”

Seeing how Lyra was looking away from her, Angela started to look concerned. “Was it an affair?”

“No!” blurted Lyra quickly while looking back at the hen. “No it wasn’t that! Thank Celestia…”

Although she definitely could’ve given her profession, the mare thought to herself with a twinge of guilt. Nevertheless, she shook her head clear and continued towards Angela.

“However… it was something really big. I mean, I completely understood why she hid it from me, but it was still something she never told me about before that day. And… while it didn’t change how I felt about her at all, it still lingered in my mind for a while after that.

“Like… I remember a few times when she had to leave the shop for something, and the first thing I thought was something like, ‘I wonder if it’s something related to that again.’ And even though I knew she wasn’t involved with it anymore, part of me kept thinking whether or not she was being truthful. It wasn’t even anything that affected our relationship, but it still made me worried from time to time.”

As Angela listened, shouldn’t help but wonder what kind of secret would leave her friend feeling this way. Of course, the gryphoness could tell from Lyra’s body language that whatever it was was staying a secret. So, she kept her beak shut while Lyra finished.

“What I’m trying to say is, I do know how you’re feeling, Angela. I wish I could tell you when you’ll be able to stop thinking like that, but I know it’s different for everyone. All I can tell you is that this will pass. I was able to move past it, because I know that Bon-Bon is too important to lose over one little incident. All it takes is a little time, and effort from both sides to make things work. Your husband is doing his best to move forward, so I doubt it’ll take long for the past to really be in the past. That goes for you too.”

Angela nodded her head, her beak clenched shut as she mustered a shaky smile. Given how drastically her own viewpoints have changed since the last time she and her husband visited Equestria, Angela knew that what her friend was saying was the utmost truth. Heck, if she could be able to befriend a lesbian couple after spending so long being against that sort of arrangement, then it wasn’t crazy to think she could trust Jonas again as well.

“Y-Yeah,” said Angela in a cracked voice. “Th-Thank you, Lyra.”

Seeing how the gryphoness was beginning to start crying, Lyra quickly floated a box of tissues over to their table. “Here you go,” she said with a warm smile on her mint muzzle.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Angela grabbed several tissues to try wiping her eyes with. “I know I shouldn’t be this emotional right now.”

“It’s perfectly fine, Angela.” After giggling lightly, Lyra added with a playful smirk, “I mean, you are pregnant, after all. Plus, you have a lot on your plate right now.”

“Yeah,” admitted Angela with an exasperated breath like she was trying not to laugh. “It seems like as soon as one issue is resolved, another one comes popping up with one of my other kids!”

“Well,” retorted Lyra, “you have a lot of kids to worry about, including one on the way. Heck, I saw Fluttershy and Blade earlier walking together. It was so weird to see that!”

Angela blinked a couple times while staring at the unicorn. While her smile stayed on her beak, the way her eyes widened made it look like the top half of her face was changing in regards to that statement. “Uhhh… what?”

“I'm not saying I'm against it or anything,” added the mare with a roll of her eyes, clearly not seeing the change in Angela’s look. “Plus, it is sorta chilly outside, but I wouldn’t consider it cold enough for him to wrap a wing around her while walking. Of course, she seemed alright with it while they were leaving town, so who knows?”

By now, Angela’s eyes were fully wide, and her frozen smile was skewed in a way that made it look like she was ten seconds from freaking out. However, her voice was still strangely unchanged when she finally made a response.

“What?”

Chapter Eighteen: The Blade's Edge

The skies were quickly blanketed in shades of grey, and it seemed as though a looming rainstorm was eminent. Despite the risk of a stray lightning bolt coming out to strike at any winged creature that flew too close to the cloud-line, Blaze and Blane were zooming low through the Equestrian countryside as fast as they possibly could. From the ground, most ponies would’ve assumed that the two gryphons were just having a heated race before the scheduled rainstorm came. However, to any pegasus ponies hovering in the skies, just a single glance at their faces would’ve shown they were flying for fear instead of sport.

Neither of them could say they knew Fluttershy that well, aside from knowing she was obviously Blade’s latest piece of eye candy. Fortunately though, both of them happened to know where her cottage was, which was where they were headed. As the darkening skies became a darker shade of grey with each passing second, time was of the essence for the two to reach her house before anyone else could.

When the two soared to a lower altitude, and their eyes widened in shock at seeing they weren’t going to reach the cottage first. Their Mother was already storming up the walkway with her feathers ruffled out, and she didn’t look happy at all. Honestly, given the fact that Angela stopped by the castle first to see if she packed her belt, it was a fairly huge shock that the pregnant gryphoness got here before Blade’s brothers could with a head start.

“Oh crap!” shouted Blaze. He pulled his legs in tighter to his body, hoping to reach the house even faster by lessening any wind resistance. Blane did the same, but his gargantuan size made the action fairly pointless as he saw his brother shoot ahead of him like a bullet.

Both of them were only a few feet above the grassy fields, but it didn’t seem like they were going to beat Angela to the house. In fact, by the time Blaze and Blane finally landed and made fairly impressive skidmarks in front of Fluttershy’s cottage, their Mom was already banging on the door furiously. They tried to run towards the pegasus’ house, but both of them stopped before they could get within their Mother’s reach to smack either of them. Nevertheless, the two could clearly hear what sounded to be music from Talon Ripper’s third album playing from inside the cottage loudly.

“BLADE CLAWSTON!” screamed the gryphoness with tone and volume that made any of Fluttershy’s pets outside quickly scatter like Lord Tirek was back. “YOU OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!”

A few seconds passed, but the music still played like nothing was said. In fact, Blade’s vocals from the song came out in what sounded like a response to Angela’s yelling. “You shut your mouth, before I EAT! YOUR! FAAAACCCCCCEEE!!!”

“BLAAAADE!!!”

Alas, it was clear that Angela’s own shrieking wasn’t going to overpower her son’s vocals. So, after letting out a low and venomous growl that made Blaze and Blane reel back in fear, the gryphoness barreled her fist through the door in one punch like it was made of tissue paper. She then stormed into the cottage, which was darkened with all the curtains closed. Fortunately, there seemed to be enough candles burning along the floor for the pregnant gryphoness to find the record player. As soon as she lifted the needle so the record could stop blaring ‘Your Face Is My Dinner,’ she heard Blade shout out from the other room, “Oi! Who turned off the music?!”

“YOUR MOTHER!” yelled Angela before storming to the source of Blade’s voice. She went into the dining room with a murderous look in her eyes, which only intensified when she saw what Blade and Fluttershy were doing.

The dining table was completely cleared off, besides Fluttershy who was lying on her stomach on top of it. Of course, as soon as Angela came in, the mare gasped at the sight of her and covered herself up with a tablecloth. Meanwhile, Blade had an equally shocked look on his own blushed face while his claws were up in innocence. Unfortunately, the candlelight in the darkened room showed that both his claws were glistening with foal oil.

Blaze and Blane ran into the dining room too, and both of them stopped with surprised looks when they saw the position their brother was in. Blaze instantly tried not to laugh at the sight. “Dude, talk about Deja Vu.”

“I know, right?” added Blane with a cheeky smirk back at him. “It’s just like what happened with Mom’s friend before that dinner party--”

“SHUT UP!!!” screamed Angela back at both of them. Blaze and Blane immediately cowered back from her in an attempt to avoid her wrath. “And why are you guys here?!”

“What? We can’t make sure our brother doesn’t get hurt by you?!”

“Wait, Mum!” shouted Blade as he tried to grab her attention. “Whatever you’re thinkin’, this is not what it looks like!”

“Oh, really?” asked the gryphoness with a wide-eyed stare on her son while her head tilted sideways. “So you’re NOT rubbing down a girl in oil on a dining room table again?!”

Fluttershy winced in mortified silence as she shriveled up tighter inside her cloth. Upon seeing the mare’s reaction, Blade turned angry while pointing a talon towards his Mother “OI! Don’t you DARE be comparin’ that to this! I was just givin’ her a massage!”

Even though he didn't want to take their Mom's side, Blaze couldn’t help saying from the doorway, “That excuse didn’t work last time, dude! Remember?”

Blane made a small shrug while making a leveling motion with his claw. “Well, yeah, but technically he was already banging Miss Featherfield that time.”

Angela’s glare shot back at the two while growling through her clenched beak. But before she could say anything to either of them, her ear tufts twitched when she heard some light sniffles behind her.

Due to the obvious embarrassment and shock of the situation, it took everything within Fluttershy to not turn into a sobbing wreck. With her body crawled in a fetal position while sitting on top of her table, the pegasus had her eyes clenched as she spoke in a frightened whimper. “M-Missus Clawston, p-please… just g-get out of my house…”

Angela’s eyes widened in instant regret at seeing how upset the mare looked. “Oh no,” muttered the gryphoness while wide-eyed. She tried to step towards her to say apologetically, “Fluttershy, I swear, I didn’t mean to--”

“G-Get out…

“I was just making su--”

“I SAID GET OUT!!!”

Fluttershy broke out in tears after that outburst, but Angela wasn’t able to say anything before Blade pushed her out of the room. Even though the skinny gryphon wasn’t violent in any way while getting his pregnant Mother out of the house, it was clear that he was beyond pissed when she and his other brothers were back outside. Blade paused momentarily to stare at the now broken door before his ear tufts twitched, overhearing Fluttershy’s crying inside. When he turned back to Angela, his glare was enough to make the gryphoness not even fathom saying anything audible.

“Mum…” Blade’s tone was especially bitter as his eyes narrowed on Angela. “What the buck were you thinking?”

Angela was legitimately afraid of what her son was going to do if she said the wrong words at that moment. Even Blaze and Blane were staring at the two cautiously in case another Lyle/Jonas incident occurred between them. Trembling a little, Angela’s beak opened shakily before saying, “I-I-I… I thought you and Fluttershy were…”

Blade’s expression wasn’t softening in the slightest, even at seeing how remorseful his Mom sounded. Blaze decided to speak up in her defense. “Come on, dude! You have to admit that it looked pretty damn suspect!”

Blade yelled intensely towards his brother, “YOU stay out of this!”

“Whoa, whoa!” shouted Blane with a raised claw so Blade could pause his ranting. “Don’t bring this out on US, dude! You were the one who decided to give a girl a private massage in her home. That’s like, one of your top five hook-up moves!”

Blade groaned with his claw in his face, not noticing that Angela calmed herself down enough to ask properly, “Blade… Can you at least explain why you were giving Fluttershy a private massage?”

After sighing and putting his claw down, Blade rolled his eyes and answered, “Jeeze, Mum, it was her idea! She saw how tense I was lookin’ since Manheattan, and offered to give me a massage to help calm my nerves.”

“Wait,” asked Blaze confusedly, “she wanted to give you a massage?”

Blane looked just as puzzled and said, “So, why did you go to her house for that? There’s a friggin spa in town!”

Blade was quick to retort with, “Yeah, and she told me how a lot of their products use walnut oil! I’d rather not go to the bloody hospital because of my allergies!”

Angela shrugged in understanding of that point. “Okay, that makes sense,” she admitted before her tone turned insistent again, “but that doesn’t change the fact that YOU were massaging her instead of the other way around!”

“Well, she… she…” Blade seemed a little uneasy as his words trailed off, and he turned around to peek inside the hole in the door that Angela made. After making sure that Fluttershy was hopefully outside hearing distance, Blade turned back to the others and peered in to whisper, “She really wasn’t that good at it.”

Blane scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on! Remember how bad those girls at Yakyakistan were at foreplay? You can’t tell us Fluttershy was worse than that!”

Due to Blane’s blunt tone and volume, Blade instantly tried to shush him so Fluttershy wouldn’t overhear. He then groaned and replied, “I just mean that hooves as a whole aren’t exactly good at getting the knots in my back! After I explained that to her, I offered to show her that claws are better at giving massages.”

Blaze nodded his head with a cocky smile. “Nice~”

“Not like THAT, you bloody goon!” By now, it was clear that Blade was getting fed up with how his family was treating his relationship with Fluttershy. So, after a deep breath, he kept his annoyed stare on all three gryphons as he tried to state the facts. “Alright, how many times do I have to explain that I am NOT interested in Fluttershy like that?! She is my FRIEND! F, R, E, N, D!!! I mean, is it really that bucking hard to think that maybe, just MAYBE I can be friends with a girl without tryin’ to shag her?!”

Despite how sincere his point may have sounded, the only response that Blade received were three equally flat stares pointed right back at him. After a few seconds of silence, which could’ve easily been replaced with a unified “Yes” to signify their answer, Blade growled angrily and shouted in addition, “Well I’m NOT!!”

“Alright,” began Angela with a huff that sounded like she’d rather agree with her son than try to argue and escalate things any further. “I understand that you’re upset, and I’m sorry for making an unfair assumption about you and your friend.”

After that, her professional tone soured as she added, “But! Considering how many times you’ve been with women who either hurt you, or the other way around due to your actions, I didn’t want to take any chances regarding you and one of the ponies involved with Troy's wedding ceremony when the wedding is in three days!”

“Wait, WHAT?!” Blade was completely befuddled as he tried to comprehend what Angela meant by that. “What are you tryin’ to say?!”

”I’m saying that ever since you hit puberty, there have been multiple instances where you did something with a girl which ended up ruining things for others! And I didn’t want that to happen with one of the mares helping with your brother's wedding!”

Blade blinked a couple times with a gaped beak, seemingly fathoming why his own Mother would tell him such a thing. While their brother was silent, Blane decided to speak up first. “Well, uhh… she’s not completely wrong, Blade.”

“Yeah,” added Blaze in a hesitant tone. “And we’re not just talking about that dinner party thing either. You remember when we had to switch schools because you almost knocked up our history teacher?”

“Oh, don’t bring THAT up!” griped Blade with an angered pout pointed at his brother. “She came onto ME!”

“Yeah,” replied Blane, “but you came into her.”

“NOT APPROPRIATE!!!” After that enraged roar, Angela took a breath and continued back towards Blade by adding, “But… I feel like I should also mention the interactions you had with the mail-lady, the butcher’s sister, all those groupies who tried to claim maternity suits on you…” With each example she listed off, Blade’s Mom was growing angrier by the second until taking a breath. “... and do I need to bring up what happened with the school nurse?”

Blade groaned as his glare intensified on his Mom. However, both of them were interrupted when they heard Blaze and Blane blurt out at the same time, “You slept with her too?!”

Angela whipped her head back at her other two sons with a dropped jaw. Frozen in embarrassment at what they just said, Blaze quickly pointed a claw back at Blade. “He rubbed Fluttershy in baby oil! Yell at him!”

“YOU KNOW WHAT?!”

They all flinched before turning back to Blade, who was now looking absolutely furious at all three of them. “First off, it shouldn't be any of your damn businesses what I do with who! And just because I don't do conventional romance shouldn't make me some untrustworthy pervert! And secondly, for one of the first times in my life, I actually made friends with someone who gets me as an artist! Not a sex symbol, not an easy paycheck, and not someone to help with their own career! I mean someone who actually likes me for ME! But instead of bein’ happy for me, like I expect family to do, you all just assume that I’m humping another hussy I found backstage! REAL bloody classy!”

Blaze and Blane’s ears slumped low in guilt, seeing that their attempts to keep Angela from going physical just ended with their brother mad at all three of them. Angela looked especially shameful with her head hung low, looking like she was about to cry.

As Blade reopened the door to Fluttershys cottage to go back inside, he stopped to look back at his Mom and say, “Oh, and nice job of making my friend cry. I hope you’re happy.”

SLAM!!!

A long, painful bout of silence passed after the door closed, and none of them tried to overhear what was going on inside anymore. Instead, Angela was the first to walk away slowly, staring only at her claws as she made a couple heavy sniffs to hold back the tears. Blaze and Blane were quick to walk along both sides of her with their wings over her back. “It’s alright,” said Blaze in as calming of a tone as he could muster. “He just needs to calm down, alright?”

Blane nodded while helping walk their Mother. “Yeah. At least you didn’t hit him with the curling iron like that one time--”

A hard smack from Blaze shut the larger gryphon up. “Don’t remind her of that!”

If the Equestrian dictionary featured pictures of particular terms to give emphasis to their meanings, then the dinner that was held at Canvas and Troy’s home that night would’ve fit perfectly for the entry of the word ‘Awkward.’ While it was nothing short of a miracle that Blade agreed to show up for dinner, but it almost felt like a mistake due to the mood it brought to such a nice meal.

Most of the dinner was silent, despite the fact that Canvas worked hard to make panko-fried porkchops to go along the rice and the curry recipe he got from Zecora. Unfortunately, the reason for the lack of conversation was eminent with who was seated across from one another. Blade and Lyle sat next to each other on one side of the dining table, while their uncomfortable-looking parents sat directly across from them. Neither of the younger gryphons even looked up at their parents, and just focused on their food like there was going to be a hidden message somewhere on their plates.

Blaze and Blane wanted to say something to lighten the mood, but both of them knew that their brother was just as mad at them as he was at their Mother. Since Troy and Canvas were seated across from both heads of the table, they both felt separated like islands within a vast sea of bitterness and sour looks. In fact, the only happy face seemed to be Tenor, who was gnawing on his fried pork while beside Angela’s chair like nothing was wrong.

About five minutes of eating passed since dinner started, with the only “conversation” being a couple compliments to Canvas’ cooking. Other than that, most of the table refrained from saying much due to the tension that could be cut with a knife. So because of that, the sound of Jonas’ voice was kinda jarring as he asked towards Lyle, “Uhhh… can you pass the soy sauce please?”

Even though the bottle was right next to Lyle, the young gryphon kept eating like he was deaf to his Father’s question. Jonas’ beak clenched in briefly in anger, but he was able to calm himself down after a small huff and repeated himself. “Lyle, please? Can you pass me the soy sauce?”

Lyle let out a low and bitter growl, but his only response was nudging Blade’s side with a foreleg. Blade sighed before reaching for the bottle and handing it over to their Dad. Troy and Canvas both cringed individually.

Despite having to keep himself from going off on Lyle for his behavior, Jonas still muttered a brief “Thank you” when he took the bottle. Angela, who was picking at her porkchop with a fork, hesitated for a moment before deciding to ask, “Umm, Blade? Can you pass me a napkin?”

The rack of napkins were right in the middle of the table, with Blade being one of the closest to them. After a couple seconds of silence, Blade returned the gesture his brother gave him by nudging Lyle to do it.But before Lyle could get the napkins for their Mom, Troy stopped him by yelling, “Okay, this has to stop!”

Lyle scoffed and slid the rack towards Angela. “What? I gave her the napkins!”

“She asked Blade to do it!”

“Oh, so what?” asked Blade towards Troy, “I’m the designated napkin tosser now? I didn't think I was trusted with anything with the risk of molesting it.”

Troy had to grip his own head-feathers to keep from going ballistic. “For crying out loud, you’re acting like a damn hatchling right now!”

“Oh really?” Even though he was directing his words towards Troy, Blade still peered right as his Mom and said, “I guess that’s better than acting like someone who can’t be left alone with a girl.”

Angela winced while looking down at her lap. Blane had enough and said, “Dude, stop treating Mom like that! I get you're mad, but she doesn’t deserve it!”

“Yeah,” responded Blade with a furious turn of his attention to Blane, “and Fluttershy didn’t deserve to have her door broken down so she could be treated like a WHORE!”

“Blade, PLEASE!” cried out Angela on the brink of tears, “I said I was sorry!"

All Blade did in response was make a rude “Pssh” while looking away from her.

“OKAY, THAT’S IT!” roared Jonas while glaring at both Blade and Lyle. “I am getting SICK of this behavior from both of you! Your Mother and I are BOTH aware we screwed up, but that doesn’t mean you two have to act like little pricks about it!”

That one word set Lyle off as he lifted himself from his chair. “Oh, you want to talk about a LITTLE PRICK?!”

The table erupted in yelling instantaneously. While Blade and Lyle both bickered at their parents, the remaining Gryphons tried their best to get between them with words of their own. Tenor whimpered fearfully and ran from the dining room in a panic. However, through all the commotion, nobody seemed to notice Canvas running towards the chest by the front door. Even though it was meant to hold Tenor’s toys and leash for easy access, one particular item was pulled out which the stallion really didn’t want to use. Regardless, Canvas held a bright green airhorn in his hoof and blared it loud.

FWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Everyone stopped in an instant and covered their ears while wincing. After a five-second blast from the horn, Canvas tossed it aside and pointed at everyone furiously. “Everyone just SHUT UP! I know tensions are high right now, but I am NOT going to tolerate this under my own roof!”

Canvas sat back down in his chair while everyone stared at him in surprised worry. After taking a deep breath, Canvas looked over at Lyle and began to speak in a held-back but still firm tone of voice. “Lyle, I get why you’re mad at your Dad, okay? What you went through was really bad, and I can’t even begin to imagine how painful it was. But are you really going to act this way about something that was clearly an accident?! Like seriously, it wasn’t like he did it on purpose!”

Blaze looked between the two of them and said, “I still don’t know what Dad did.”

“Blaze,” said Canvas in a stern voice at the muscled gryphon, “please don’t say anything right now.” The stallion turned back to Lyle and continued. “Lyle, look at me. What if it was me who accidentally gave you those pills? Or Troy? Would you seriously be acting like this right now if it was one of us?”

Lyle paused briefly and looked down at his table before shrugging uncomfortably. “I… I don’t know…”

“Then why are you treating your Dad like that?”

That statement was enough to make Lyle look at the pony with a surprised and confused look. Meanwhile, Jonas glanced at Canvas with an expression that seemed both shocked and slightly touched by that sentiment. While Lyle looked back down at his claws in thought, Canvas added bluntly, “I want you to think that over while I’m talking to Blade.”

Canvas then took another breath as he turned his attention to the skinny gryphon. Blade had his forelegs crossed as he sat silently with his pouted beak pointed at his half-finished meal. “Blade,” he began firmly, “I heard about what happened, and I can understand why you’re upset. Technically speaking, Angela was in the wrong for how she reacted.”

Angela sunk her head lower with a shameful pout on her beak. “But!” continued Canvas as he kept his eyes glued on Blade. “The only reason she acted like that was because she was worried for the sake of the wedding! It wasn’t for selfish reasons! She just wanted to make sure nothing was happening which could affect the wedding! And right now, both you AND Lyle are making things worse than she did!”

Blade and Lyle both turned to stare at their future brother-in-law in shock. However, any retorts either of them could’ve said were quickly forgotten when they saw how the pony was looking. Canvas was still clearly upset at them, but the tears that were welling in his eyes were more evident than anything else. The stallion kept himself from sniffling too hard, but he still couldn’t keep a couple stray tears from escaping as he spoke in a hoarse tone.

“This… this is the first time in a long time that I… I actually have something like a family in my life. And I don’t want to lose the chance of having that a second time when it’s so close. Especially because of something like this.”

Lyle and Blade slumped in their seats in guilt, not needing to say anything to show they clearly felt bad. Troy got out of his seat to to go Canvas’ side of the table, not wanting him to be by himself. After a long bout of silence, Angela was the first to speak in a sincere tone towards her son. “Blade… you have to believe me on this. I am so sorry I didn’t trust you. And I promise I’ll do everything I can to make things better for you and Fluttershy.”

Blade nodded guiltily before finally giving his Mom some needed eye contact. “A-alright,” he said faintly. “Th… thank you.”

Lyle was the next to say something as he looked over at Jonas. “Ummm… I’m sorry, Dad.”

“No, it’s fine.” said Jonas with a sigh. “Believe me, I’m not mad at you. Just as long as you’re still not mad at me.”

Lyle may have not had a smile on his beak, but he was still able to nod to his Father sincerely in response. Meanwhile, Canvas wiped his eyes dry with a napkin while smiling shakily. “Th-thanks guys,” said the stallion in a cracked voice while Troy hugged him with a wing. “That’s all I needed to hear.”

Lyle and Blade nodded softly, and Blade was the first to say for both of them. “Hey, we’re sorry, mate. We didn’t mean to mess up dinner.”

“It’s alright,” said the stallion before Troy let him go. While his fiancè went back to his seat, Canvas sighed with a more relaxed smile and a shake of his head. “I’m just glad that--”

“HEY!!!”

At hearing Troy’s outburst, everyone looked over to see the gryphon try to rush over to his chair. Unfortunately, Tenor took advantage of the tender moment at the table to snag Troy’s porkchop while nobody was looking. As the Saint Bernard ran out of the dining room with his prize, Troy chased after him and yelled, “NO! Bad dog! BAD!!!”

Chapter Nineteen: The Omnivore

Breakfast wasn’t held at the Clawston house like usual the following morning, since Troy and Canvas’ wedding was only two days away. Because lot of work still needed to be done before the ceremonies, the family instead gathered at dining hall in Twilight Sparkle’s castle so a second couldn’t be wasted. The Princess herself had quite a proud smile as she and Spike got the delicacies prepared and sent to the waiting gryphons.

“No friggin way!” shouted Blaze when he saw the arrangement that the Princess floated out towards the table. Along with a large platter of freshly baked ham, there were also plates of bacon, sausage, and other staples like eggs and toast. Blaze was the first to stab an especially large slice of ham with his fork to put on his plate. “Is this actual meat!?”

Twilight’s smile may have had an uncomfortable skew, but she still answered with a nod of her head. “Yes it is. Granted, it was a little awkward asking Celestia for a shipment to be brought to this castle, but Angela’s doctor’s notes were more than enough for her help to get these from the Gryphon Kingdom.”

“Oh my goodness!” Even Angela looked surprised as she carefully pulled some link sausages from the platter, seeing just how high quality the pork really was. “You really went above and beyond for us, Princess!”

“Oh, it was nothing,” said Twilight with a small blush as she shrugged bashfully. “I already said I’d make the proper amenities for your health when you showed me that note. Plus, learning how to cook meat was a fairly interesting experience.”

Spike chortled a little while rolling a cart full of coffee pots behind the Princess. “Interesting? You almost threw up while cooking!”

“No I didn’t!” snapped Twilight with a stern stare down at the dragon. She then exhaled briefly before clarifying to the family. “I really didn’t throw up! The food was properly prepared in a clean environment.”

Blane swallowed a beak full of ham and bacon when he said, “Hey, I don’t taste barf!”

Even though he was upset by his son’s words, he kept his tone more sympathetic as he said to the Princess, “Well, you didn’t have to prepare the meat yourself, Your Highn--I mean Twilight.” He coughed a little as he tried to recover from that accidental slip of a term he knew the Alicorn disliked hearing in private. “I’m just saying that any of us could’ve helped out if it was too uncomfortable for you.”

Canvas nodded while pouring himself a hearty helping of what looked to be mushroom gravy on top of his biscuits. “Yeah, definitely,” he said as he put the gravy boat back at the middle of the table. “The smell of bacon is pretty hard to get used to.”

Upon realizing what he just said, the stallion almost fell out of his chair when he jolted upright and added, “I-I mean, from what I heard about it! Heh heh heh… I wasn’t implying th-that I know personally or anything! I… I read about it somewhere and--”

“Canvas,” interrupted Twilight as she put out her hoof to silence him. Luckily, she also kept a surprisingly calm smile as she said, “you don’t have to explain it to us.”

“Yeah,” said Spike as he got into his seat before Twilight. “I’m pretty sure the whole town knows you two have meat at your house!”

“WHAT?!”

From the looks on Troy and Canvas’ faces, their response seemed more fitting to if Spike just confessed to murder. The rest of the Clawston family looked worried as well, but all of them stayed frozen in case any of the blame shifted to them. However, Twilight had a smile just as relaxed as Spike’s as she got into her seat as well. “Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration,” admitted the Princess while floating some eggs to her plate with her magic, “but there have been a lot of talks about whether or not that rumor is true.”

Spike chuckled at the sight of the couple’s paling faces. “And guessing by how both of you look right now, I’m guessing those rumors are true.”

Troy tried to sputter out a response while his feathers remain slicked down in unease. “Wh-what do you mean?! I mean, who’s been saying that about us?! And how would they know?!”

“If they were right,” added Canvas insistently.

“Oh, you two don’t have to act so worried! Nopony is judging you two in the slightest.” After she got her plate prepared, Twilight kept her attention on the two while floating her fork around. “And to answer your question, I think the first pony to figure it out was your pharmacist, Troy. If you didn’t want ponies to think you started eating meat again, then you probably shouldn’t have stopped picking up protein pills a couple months ago.”

Troy felt like he was shrinking in his seat in that realization. Canvas just stared his fiancè with a confounded look. “You really stopped picking those up?”

“W-Well I kept carrying the pill bottle around!” blurted Troy back at him. “I thought that was enough!”

While Canvas groaned and face-hoofed at the gryphon’s excuse, Twilight continued with a casual tone of voice. “Honestly, that wasn’t the only reason. The Cakes mentioned how you got their old deep freezer around the same time Angela had a large delivery come in from the Gryphon Kingdom. And from what Lyra and Bon-Bon told me, that freezer is mysteriously vacant in your house.”

Twilight sported a cocky smile after finishing her analysis, secretly wishing she still had Pinkie Pie’s detective hat. Spike finished chewing on a doughnut stuffed with emeralds and said, “Plus, you keep getting huge deliveries from the country on a regular basis. I mean, it’s pretty clear you aren’t just getting art supplies from there.”

Canvas winced openly as he sucked air in through his teeth. Twilight then sighed before adding one final detail to the two. “And just for the record, just because we’re vegetarian, doesn’t mean we don’t know what meat smells like. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie visited the Gryphon Kingdom a while back, remember? Dash could smell bacon coming from your house every morning!”

“Ugh... “ Troy hung his head low in a mix of guilt and stupidity as he realized just how obvious their cooking habits really were. “I should’ve known you guys were catching on.”

Blade huffed with an impressed smirk while staring at the Princess. “Wow! It’s probably hard for ponies to recommend you a good mystery novel, huh?”

“Are you kidding?” asked Spike as he tried not to snicker. “She drove Rarity nuts because she kept guessing the killers in her mystery novels correctly!”

“Well, the writer made the foreshadowing pretty predictable in the first five chapters of each story!” Twilight then sighed pertly before returning the conversation back to Troy and Canvas. “All we’re saying is that we don’t really mind. Even though meat is a taboo subject in Equestria, most of us understand that it’s necessary for a lot of non-Equestrian species. So as long as the meat you have isn’t Equestrian-based, you two have nothing to worry about.”

Even though that information was definitely a relief for the couple, they both seemed rather silent as they came down from the overwhelming thought that they were going to get in major trouble for their actions. As the two tried to get themselves together, Angela spoke up in a feeble and apologetic tone. “Ummm… yes,” admitted the gryphoness guiltily. “They have been getting meat, and it was entirely my idea. So if anyone is going to pay fines for illegal transport, I’ll do it with no question.”

“ANGELA!” shouted Jonas in shock.

Twilight spoke up before Angela’s husband could say anything else. “That won’t be necessary, Missus Clawston. All that I ask is for your assurance that what you send is non-Equestrian meat. I’ll even provide the paperwork for the proper licenses if necessary.”

Both Angela and Jonas were surprised to say the least. Even though they were worried that they would get under hot water for their involvement, Angela was the first to speak thankfully. “W-Well, ummm… We couldn’t be more thankful for that, Princess. And rest assured, we have only sent Gryphon Kingdom products.”

“Yeah,” blurted Jonas with a strong and rapid nod of his head. “Definitely! No animals with that Equestrian enchantment thing are harmed.”

Twilight nodded to both of them, not needing to further clarify that the two were being truthful. Blaze blinked a couple times before saying, “I was meaning to ask something. That enchantment thing Equestria has which makes animals talk… is that the same one that has you guys singing musical numbers at random?”

Twilight peered at Blaze with a confused expression. Spike nodded after finishing his plate. “Yeah. Believe me, I find it just as weird, and even I get affected by it sometimes!”

While Spike took a drink from his glass of milk, Twilight scoffed with a roll of her eyes. “Oh please!” said the Princess playfully. “I doubt it’s that much different from you singing showtunes in the shower.”

Spike violently spat out a mouthful of milk while the triplets started laughing. “TWI!”

After breakfast, the preparation work that still needed to be done for the wedding was handled by the family within the castle. Twilight was looking through a well-detailed list she made that contained the remaining details, and went around to make sure everyone was doing their part. She decided to check up on Blane first, who was lying on one of the plush couches napping. The Princess cleared her throat annoyedly to get his attention. “Blane?”

“Yep!” The massive gryphon pulled himself up to make himself appear awake and coherent. Of course, if Angela was in the room, she would’ve seen that he was giving the same faux-conscious vibe that he’d use every morning before just falling back into bed.

Nevertheless, Twilight looked back at her list and asked, “Do you know when your shipment of floral arrangements is due to come in?”

When she looked back at the gryphon, Twilight grew irritated when she saw that Blane fell back against the couch while she wasn’t looking. She grew an upset scowl and shouted, “Blane!”

“Tomorrow,” muttered Blane without opening his eyes. He turned himself around so he was facing the back of the couch. “The… the flowers are gonna…grrrgbr... and then I’ll… rrabbabla... lime goes in the coconut…”

Twilight just stared with a befuddled look, not understanding what his tired mumblings were adding up to. After less than ten seconds of silence, she got fed up when she heard him snoring. “BLANE!”

“I told you already!” groaned the gryphon before lifting himself up again. After making an exasperated sigh to momentarily clear his grogginess, he looked up at her and “repeated” himself. “Don’t worry about the flowers, Princess. I got them processed at the shipping depot before coming out here. They’re scheduled to arrive tomorrow at noon, and those mares in the florist district already have a place to store them until the wedding.”

Even though she wasn’t exactly a fan of the gryphon’s lazy demeanor while answering her question, he was at least detailed enough to make her smile and nod. “Well, that’s all I need to hear. Thank you.”

“Mmmhmm.” After giving a tired wave of his claw, the gryphon settled back in his chair with a satisfied groan. Twilight sighed and went over to the table where Troy and Canvas were going over their own lists.

“So guys,” began the Alicorn while checking off the floral details, “do you know when the caterers Angela hired will be here?”

Troy didn’t even look up from his binder and said, “Dad is at the station right now waiting for their train to come in.”

Canvas added, “And Angela said the Cakes already have all the necessary ingredients for Gryphon Scones, so the two gryphons coming in should be prepared.”

“Hmmm…” Twilight tried to recall the plans that Angela sent her before she and Jonas arrived to Equestria, but she was drawing a big enough blank to make her ask, “Do you know who she brought out here to help?”

“Eh, one of her employees at the plant, I think.” Troy then looked up from his paperwork to clarify. “You know, the one that made Mom start that ordinance for the company. I don’t remember her name, but it’s her and her girlfriend.”

“That’s alright. I was just wanting to ask.” Twilight checked the next item off the list, and her muzzle skewed as she realized there was a lot she wanted to ask Angela about. However, due to some misunderstanding that occurred at Fluttershy’s yesterday, she and Blade were there to help the Pegasus fix her door and feed her animals. So, the Alicorn had to put her questions on hold as she went to see what Blaze and Lyle were doing.

Both gryphons were huddled at an end table, scribbling items into some scrap paper like resistance fighters planning their next attack. The Princess peered over their shoulders to see what they were up to. “So… is this for the bachelor party?”

“Yep!” chirped Lyle as he turned around towards Twilight. “I mean, these are mostly just small ideas about what we could do. Blaze here already got the big details rolled out.”

Blaze grinned wide as he picked up his paper to tuck underneath his wing. “That’s right! We already got the booze and venues specced out, so we’re pretty much solid.” He then glanced up at Twilight with a thankful nod as he added, “And since you said most ponies around here are alright with the whole meat thing, we were thinking of trying to get the materials for a good barbecue smoker!”

Twilight’s expression quickly soured at that idea. She shuddered before saying authoritatively, “Listen, just because most ponies understand, doesn’t mean that you guys can just go all out with meat cooking. I don’t want to receive a bunch of complaints because you guys decided to cook a whole pig where ponies can see or smell it!”

Blaze and Lyle’s eyes both shot wide open, which Twilight assumed was due to realization or something. Unfortunately, their frozen looks soon turned to excited smiles as they looked back at each other. “Dude a roast pig sounds WAY better!” shouted Lyle enthusiastically.

“Yeah, totally!” Blaze leaned out towards Troy’s direction to ask, “Yo Troy! You still got that pig in your freezer?”

Twilight’s mouth was hung open in shock, and she wasn’t able to stop them as she heard Troy shout, “Actually yeah, we do! I haven’t been able to do anything with it yet, so that’d be perfect!”

Canvas sighed in a brief bout of relief while leaning his head against one of his hooves. “Hey, as long I don’t have to see that dead pig in the freezer anymore, do what you want with it. Just leave me out of it.”

“Deal!” Troy happily put his claw in a fist in front of his fiancè, and Canvas rolled his eyes with a smirk before giving him a hoofbump of approval.

“Ahh, marriage,” said the stallion in a sarcastic tone while going back to his papers. “How romantic.”

Twilight was in a stunned state which left her completely speechless. When Spike came in from the kitchen with what looked to be a bunch of gems wrapped in a tortilla, he noticed how she looked and asked, “Ummm… what did you do?”

“I’m asking myself that same question,” said the Princess in a faint and nervous tone of voice.

“Hey, Spike!” shouted Blaze. “You know which bathtub here is the biggest?”

Spike took a bite from his wrap and pondered while chewing. “Hmmm…”

“Wait,” said Twilight in a much sterner tone as she stared at Blaze and Lyle. “Is that question related to the pig in any way?”

Blaze’s excited smile seemed to lessen a little from that question. Lyle quickly intervened with a follow-up question, “Uhhh, do you know where we can find a bathtub? Like, to buy?”

“That’s better,” said the Alicorn with a threatening point at both of them.

After swallowing, Spike shrugged and answered honestly, “Well, I don’t know any place around here that sells them, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the junkyard had some--”

The sound of Troy sniffing made Spike stop his words. When he looked over at the gryphon, Spike’s heart shot to his throat when he saw Troy staring right at him. The drake tried to turn around to avoid Troy’s wide-eyed glance.

“Wait a minute!” shouted the silver Gryphon before Spike could take a single step back to the kitchen. “Why do I smell bacon?”

Twilight turned her attention towards Spike confusedly, seeing that his face was starting to turn red. While Blaze and Lyle stared at him as well, the dragon shakily looked around and tried to make a fake chuckle. “Uhh… heh heh heh, I… I guess I still smell like it after making breakfast! I better go and wash myself off right now!”

Spike attempted to make a run for it, but Twilight’s purple aura of magic swooped him off the ground before he got the chance. “Spike, what are you hiding?” asked the Princess suspiciously.

While floating in the Alicorn’s magic, Spike put his claws behind behind his back and blurted, “N-Nothing! I’m not hiding anything, I swear!”

Canvas leaned back in his chair with narrowed eyes while seeing Spike’s behavior. “He said while clearly hiding something behind his back.”

Twilight didn’t bother to ask Spike what he had, and instead just pulled it from his claws with her magic. While the dragon stayed suspended in her aura helplessly, the Princess floated his snack over to her and had it unwrapped. She gasped when she saw more than just gems inside that tortilla. “SPIKE!”

Lyle and Blade covered their beaks and tried to cover up their low, shocked sounding snickers at the sight of what the drake had. Troy and Canvas looked surprised as well, not expecting to see a half-eaten strip of bacon in the middle of that gem cluster. Meanwhile, Spike just stayed floated in the shocked Princess’ magic, fiddling his claws together with a timid smile. “Uhhh, heh heh heh… Oops?”

“Spike, why in Equestria are you eating BACON?!”

Blane woke back up and rose from the couch. “Mrgh, wuzzat about bacon?”

“Alright, alright!” Even though he looked beyond mortified, the drake sighed painfully as he realized he wasn’t going to get out of this so easily. So, he kept his composure in check as he spoke to Twilight from within the aura. “It… It’s exactly what it looks like…”

Spike cringed as he saw Twilight’s shocked expression intensify after that confession. As he was lowered to the ground by her magic, the dragon tried to add pleadingly, “But I swear, this isn’t a regular thing, alright?! I really don’t consider myself a meat eater!”

“Hold up!” Lyle had a particularly narrow stare on the dragon as he asked, “Are you saying you’ve eaten meat before?”

Twilight’s eyes widened in fear, not wanting to think that question needed to be asked. Unfortunately, Spike’s growing blush was as good of an answer than anything that could’ve came out of his mouth. After making a very feeble nod, he lifted a claw with two digits raised. “T-twice…”

Canvas covered his muzzle with a hoof, which helped to hide the gaped expression which seemed to mimic Twilight’s at that moment. Meanwhile, Blaze turned over to where Blane was at and shouted, “Dude! Blade owes us money!”

“TWICE?!” screamed Twilight in horror. “Wh… Why did you… Where did you get meat in the first place?!”

“Let me explain!” shouted Spike back at the Princess before she could freak out any further. “I never killed any animals, and I never will! Both times I tried it were when I was offered it!”

“By who?!”

By now, Twilight looked more upset at the dragon than she did shocked. Spike meekly tapped his claws together again as he struggled to keep from looking worried. “W-Well… The first time was back when we lived in Canterlot and… Celestia had those Gryphon Dignitaries staying at the castle…”

Twilight’s brows rose, remembering when that happened. It wasn’t that long before she and Spike were sent to Ponyville in the first place. From what she recalled, those gryphons were given meat by Celestia as an offer of peace, and greatly helped to strengthen their nations’ bonds.

“I…” Spike continued in a more guilty tone as he looked down to the ground. “I was offered a piece of bacon by one of them, and… You always say yourself that I should be open to more things…”

Twilight covered her face with a hoof as she groaned, not wanting to explain to her assistant that her statement wasn’t meant to be used in that context.

“But…” Even though it was obvious he didn’t want to keep going, Spike shrugged his shoulders and said, “Honestly… it really wasn’t that bad. It was kinda like a saltlick, but… savorier. Plus, it had a really good smoky aftertaste that lingered for a while. And the crispiness really went well with that soft fat that almost melted on my to--”

“SPIKE!” barked the Princess as her blushed demeanor became impatient. The dragon instantly realized how he have have looked as he blushed in shame.

“Hooo, boy,” muttered Troy as he saw how much Spike was biting his lip. “I guess that left an impression.”

Twilight ignored Troy’s words and asked her assistant, “When was the second time you did it?!”

Spike was looking timid again as he answered, “Umm… during that trip to the dragon lands?”

Twilight lowered her head and sighed. “You mean with those dragons you were with?”

“Y-Yeah,” confessed the drake with a nod. “They were cooking up some stuff, and I didn’t want to refuse and look rude, so…”

Twilight nodded understandably, knowing personally that Spike had a lot of peer pressure that day. “Okay, I get it.”

Seeing how upset his friend looked, Spike felt especially bad with his head bowed in front of her. But before he could try to say anything, Twilight spoke first. “So… you like meat?”

A couple seconds passed, but Spike was able to reply by nodding reluctantly. “Well… I like bacon, at least.”

Despite the awkward tone regarding Twilight and Spike’s conversation, Blane and Blaze could still be heard snickering at the dragon’s expense. “Oh man,” said Blane while still sitting on the couch, “even Equestrians like bacon!”

“Guys!” barked Twilight in a threatening enough tone to make them both shut up. She then sighed briefly before turning her attention back to Spike. Her face showed more remorse than anything else when she saw how guilty he looked, which made her take the initiative to make things right. “Spike…”

Spike didn’t look up to see her face after hearing her words, but he did react when he heard her hoofsteps come towards him. When he finally glanced up at her, it was only a second before the Princess wrapped her hooves around him for a comforting hug. “It’s okay, Spike,” assured Twilight with a more motherly voice. “I’m not mad at you, okay? If you like meat, then I won’t try to stop you. It doesn’t make me love you any less.”

Spike’s eyes were widened in surprise, much like everyone else’s. Nevertheless, he still took a moment before hugging Twilight back tightly. Troy and Canvas both made “Awwws” at the sight of it, but it seemed to be ignored by the Alicorn and the drake. When she pulled back, Twilight made sure to add in a more insistent tone, “But! I’d like to do some experiments first, just to make sure it won’t affect your anatomy or anything.”

Spike huffed with a deflated look. “Oh, come on!”

“Don’t ‘Oh, come on’ me, young dragon! After that dragon greed incident, I’d rather not take any chances on unknown variables.”

Even though he wanted to say something against it, Spike knew he didn’t have much leeway when it came to Twilight’s scientific prowess. So, he just sighed in defeat with a roll of his eyes. “Okay, fine!”

While Twilight smiled in satisfaction and hugged Spike again, Blane looked over at his brothers confusedly. “Uhhh…” He bent in closer towards them and tried to whisper, “What kind of experiments do you think she does?”

Blaze looked over at the Princess while she was hugging and shrugged. “I dunno. Probably not the same experiments I’d fantasize about.”

Twilight’s ears perked up rather quickly after he said that. By the time the Princess whipped her head around with a concerned look, all she saw were brown feathers where Blaze and Blane were seated. Lyle was still in his chair, but blinked a couple times in surprise while looking around the vacant spaces.

Troy looked befuddled as well, and he turned to see Canvas giving him a cheeky stare. “Jeez," said the stallion, "and they accused Blade of being a perv.”

Later that day, Troy and Canvas were finally able to get out of the castle to check up on one of the final details of their wedding: the catering. Since Jonas picked up the two gryphons Angela hired, the couple decided to check up on them while they were at Sugar Cube Corner. However, while the two walked down Ponyville’s main street side-by-side, they were stopped when overhearing Rainbow Dash’s voice from above. “Hey guys!”

Troy and Canvas looked up to see the technicolor-maned pegasus swoop down from the skies, and landed with a perfect and unnecessary loop in front of them. After she flicked her mane back with a practiced crane of her neck that seemed more expectant of Rarity, Dash looked over at Canvas as she said, “I was just looking for you guys! Well, I guess you, mostly.”

“Me?” asked the stallion puzzledly. While he certainly considered Rainbow Dash to be a friend, he honestly thought that she would want to talk with Troy about most things. Before Canvas could ask what she wanted to see him for, he saw her pull out a newspaper that was tucked under one of her forelegs.

“I just got this issue from Cloudsdale,” began Dash as she handed the newspaper to Canvas, “and there was an article about that art auction you guys were at.”

Canvas opened the newspaper to the page she was pointing at, and his eyes shot wide open when he saw the article name. Troy bent in to see as well, and was equally surprised when he read the title:

Gallop Creek High School Under Major Investigation After Canvas Controversy

“Whoa!” Troy tilted his head as he tried to read the article alongside his fiancè. “Is this for real?!”

“It looks like it,” replied Canvas before he narrowed his eyes on the piece. A particular paragraph caught his attention as he started to read it out loud. “Along with the countless bullying claims which were proven to be true by staff and townsponies, many members of the Gallop Creek school board have resigned after allegations of money laundering surfaced during investigations...”

Canvas continued to read, but kept his words to himself as he scanned the rest of the exposè. Troy’s beak opened on its own when he saw just how much damage the school was under. Along with Principal Edelweiss and over half the faculty resigning from their jobs, it seemed that the district itself may bottom out completely due to the shady dealings listed. “Holy…”

Dash huffed with a nod. “Yeah, I know. I read it on the way over here. Makes Flight Academy look like a walk in the clouds.”

“Yeah, I bet,” muttered Canvas as he kept most of his attention on the article. When he reached the end, his eyes widened when he caught a quote from Edelweiss herself at the ending paragraph.

Despite refusing to hold an interview, Edelweiss was recorded making a statement as she left the school with her belongings. “Canvas was never a student of this school. Any of the allegations made in relation to him are false, and this district will not connect ourselves with his name in any way.”

Following this quote, it has been revealed that the Gallop Creek district will undergo an emergency restaffing over the summer. A new staff and faculty are expected to take the school’s place in the fall, who will hopefully help to move past the tarnished reputation the community has given itself following Canvas’ words.

When Troy finished reading as well, he looked over at his fiancè to make sure he was alright. Fortunately, the stallion looked like he was trying not to laugh with delight while a large smile was plastered on his face. “Wow!” blurted the stallion with a chuckle while rereading Edelweiss’ quotation. “I guess I don’t have to worry about getting any more of those stupid letters!”

“Seriously?” asked Rainbow in surprise. “You mean you’re not, like… mad or anything?”

“Why would I be mad?!” Canvas looked up at Dash with a baffled expression before saying, “That school was a living Tartarus for me! This is one of the best things I’ve seen all month!”

Canvas then giggled as he glanced down at the article and added, “Honestly, after all the time I spent wanting to leave that place behind, it’s good to know that the feeling is finally mutual.”

Despite still being surprised he was so happy about what was said in the article, Rainbow Dash shrugged while Canvas placed the paper in his art bag. “Thanks, Dash!”

“Yeah, thanks, Rainbow,” added Troy with an appreciative smile of his own. “I’m really glad you found that for us.”

“Actually, Derpy found it. But still, I’m glad I could help.” While rubbing the back of her head, Dash stared at the two and asked, “So, I take it you’re done organizing stuff at Twi’s place?”

“For now,” answered Canvas with a small huff, “But we still wanted to check on the caterers Angela hired for the wedding. They’re actually the first gay couple she met back home, and she wanted them to help prepare things before the ceremony.”

“Yeah,” added Troy as he motioned to the bakery nearby. “They’re supposed to be at Sugar Cube Corner right now getting things organized. We figured it’d be good to meet them and see if their Gryphon Scones are as good as Mom said they are.”

Dash’s brows raised in slight suspicion. “Gryphon Scones?” Before either of them could nod, the pegasus’ head whipped around to the bakery with her eyes widening. “No… way…”

“Urgh!” Despite how much she tried to knead the dough, the tan and white gryphoness was growing more aggravated by the second as her claws felt practically glued with the mixture. “For crying out loud, what kind of flour is this?! Greta, did you switch the bags or something!?”

The other gryphoness, who had a green tint over her face feathers instead of purple like the first one, was walking behind her with a bowl of acorns. “Come on, Gilda. We talked about this,” said Greta in a quiet and slightly accented tone. “You promised you wouldn’t blow up like the last time you were here.”

“I’m not!” groaned Gilda with a huff before turning around to face her. “I’m just saying that this dough is WAY stickier than the stuff we had back home!”

“Then add more flour!” Trying not to undermine her girlfriend’s anger, she walked away from Gilda while hiding her smirk and added, “Seriously, you’re supposed to be the expert on these. Not me.”

“Oh, hardy har har!” Even though she was glad to even be allowed back in this place after her last trip to Ponyville, the gryphoness sighed as she got back to fixing her dough with more flour. “I’m just saying, these ingredients have to be a different brand or something! I don’t know what Pinkie Pie buys, but th--AAHHH!!!”

The partified squawk from her girlfriend made Greta turn back to her in a panic. Gilda was frozen while the dough was stuck to her talons, and her beak hung open when she saw a familiar face staring at her from the serving window. Greta saw who it was too, and tilted her head at the sight of Rainbow Dash and her shocked expression. The pegasus had her muzzle hung open momentarily before finally responding with:

“Oh… My… GOSH!!!”

Author's Note

Before anyone asks, this story is obviously in a different universe than my story Mother Fluffer. Still, I recommend checking it out if you want to read a good crackship.

Chapter Twenty-One: Lows and Highs

“Urgh… Wha… What the…”

Canvas’ eyes opened slowly, mostly due to how bright the lights suddenly felt. When the stallion tried to sit up, he realized he wasn’t on the tiled bathroom floor anymore. In fact, he wasn’t even in the bathroom. By the time his eyes finally adjusted to the light, he quickly saw that he was on the couch in Lyra and Bon-Bon’s living room.

Canvas blinked a couple times and began to look around, wondering how the heck he ended up here. The last thing he remembered was having a freakout in the bathroom after getting that scroll from the Crystal Empire, and he knew he didn’t get up to crash on this couch. However, his train of thought froze when he saw what was on the coffee table in front of him. His eyes widened in worry, seeing that very scroll carefully placed on the table.

Lyra slowly walked into the living room with a tea kettle and two cups in her aura, but she also carried a worried look on her face as she glanced at the stallion. She made a few steps into the living room before Canvas noticed her, but he couldn’t say anything when she floated the items to the table next to the scroll. After taking a breath, the unicorn sat beside Canvas and asked, “Canvas, are… are you feeling alright?”

“H… how…” Canvas looked between her and the scroll, his mind still trying to process what was going on. “How long was I out?”

“Only a couple minutes, I think.” Lyra then began to pour herself and Canvas some tea with her magic. “Don’t worry, Bon-Bon is still tending to Tenor. Troy and Lyle are still outside.”

“O-Okay…” He hated to admit it to himself, but Canvas was glad that Troy wasn’t here to witness him passing out from overwhelming stress. Unfortunately, he could feel it coming back in an unwelcome trickle when he looked back at that scroll again. He blinked before asking Lyra, “So… did you read what’s in that?”

Lyra bit her lip for a second and reluctantly nodded. “Y-Yeah… I kinda wanted to see what got you like that, you know?” After seeing Canvas nod, she looked at the scroll as well and added, “I feel like I should say congratulations, but I have a feeling that isn’t what you want to hear.”

Canvas sighed and rubbed his temple with a hoof. “No, it’s fine,” he said sincerely. “I mean, it really is a great offer to get! It’s just that…”

The artist was beginning to feel that familiar pressure on his chest again, which prompted him to clench his eyes shut and stop talking. Lyra took a couple seconds before taking the reins to finish his statement. “Is it because of when they want you to go there?”

Canvas nodded his head while slumped forward on the couch. “Yeah.” Desperate to keep himself stable, the stallion took his cup of tea from the table and took a sip to alleviate his frayed nerves. “But it’s not just that. If I do go up there, it could be a long time before I can get the painting finished! And a train from the Crystal Empire takes over a day to get to Manehattan! I couldn’t be able to do the painting, AND help Troy out with Bridleway!”

“Well, why would you say that?” asked Lyra in a curious and slightly confused tone. She didn’t want to undermine Canvas’ worries, but she couldn’t help asking from a more logical-sounding state of mind, “I mean, it’s only for a month, right? Is it really that hard to think of being away from him for that long?”

“It’s not just emotional, okay?!” Canvas instantly regretted how that came out, and sighed while putting his cup down. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell…”

Lyra placed a hoof over his shoulder affectionately to pull him in for a sideways hug. Even though the gesture was needed, Canvas’ thankful smile was short-lived as he tried to explain in a more hushed tone. “I just… we had a plan for what to do if he got that role. I was supposed to look for a place for us that could be a second studio, and be a living space for him between shows. And I… I don’t want to leave him completely alone to do all of that by himself.”

Lyra tried to think of something to say, but she could also understand Canvas’ point a little clearer. While she never lived in Manehattan herself, she knew that finding real estate out there was nothing short of a nightmare. In addition, finding an adequate space for both business and housing out there would be a job all in itself; trying to do that alongside working in a Bridleway show would run even the strongest gryphon completely ragged.

So, Lyra took a moment before nodding her head in reluctant agreement. “Yeah, I… I can see how that could be an issue.” She pursed her lips shut momentarily, and thought it over as she glanced at the stallion. “So, does that mean you have to turn down their offer?”

“Well, I…” Canvas looked down to the floor as his words trailed off briefly. “I honestly don’t know. I mean, I know it would make things easier for both of us, but it’s also a huge job opportunity that could pay me a lot! If I did the job, then I’d have more than enough to cover staying in Manehattan for a long time. Like, we have enough to get a place now, but I’m not sure if it’d last us a year at most.”

Once again, Lyra understood Canvas’ conundrum. After pulling her foreleg away from Canvas’ back, she sighed and tapped her hooves together in thought. “So, the issue is whether to take the job and have a hard time now, or don’t take the job and have a hard time later?”

Canvas nodded his head while taking another sip of his tea. “Pretty much, yeah.” He then added while holding his cup, “Not to mention how much I could hurt Troy if I accept the offer.”

“Oh, I don’t think you’ll be hurting him that badly. You should know better than anypony else how strong he really is.” Despite Lyra’s optimistic retort, it was clear that Canvas wasn’t completely convinced as he kept his skewed muzzle away from her. The mare whinnied faintly after taking a sip from her own cup. “You know, I really do think this is something to talk with Troy about.”

Canvas nodded again, but his worried glance went to the window as he said, “Yeah, I know. I really do need to talk with him, but… but he’s so happy right now. I don’t want to mess with that when--”

“Canvas,” interrupted Lyra as her tone grew sterner. “Take it from a married pony, you do NOT want to keep important information hidden from your spouse until the last minute! Yes, it might dampen his mood a little, but I think it’s a lot more important to keep him informed of something this big.”

While looking back at her, Canvas seemed surprised that the unicorn was carrying such a strong resolve in her tone and expression. Usually it was Bon-Bon who was able to keep things firm and grounded. Regardless, the artist still understood that Lyra was right. He sighed before saying, “Yeah, you’re right. You’re absolutely right.”

Canvas put down his cup and got out of his seat. While picking up the scroll, the pony tried to get himself ready by talking to himself. “I just gotta… find Troy and get him to stop flying around… and then I’ll get him somewhere private and talk about this scroll.”

“That’s right,” added Lyra with a firm nod. “And don’t be worried about what he’d think. He’ll be glad you told him in advance.”

“R-Right…” Canvas was still apprehensive, but it was clear that he wasn’t going to back down as he looked back at her to say, “Especially with how little time--”

CRASH!!!

The thunderous crash from outside made both ponies startle and look to the window. Lyra rushed to the window first to open it, with Canvas close behind as they looked to see what it was. It looked like a fresh crater was imbedded in the middle of the street now, with several ponies running over to survey the damage. The cloud of smoke and debris from the crater kept anypony from seeing what made the impact. Lyle coughed a couple times from the dust, being only a couple dozen feet from the blast.

Before any of the ponies around could peer in and see what was inside, a yellow claw emerged from the dust and dug into the dirt road. A couple of ponies screamed from the emergence, but were quickly silenced when Blane stumbled from the crater coughing. “Man,” he groaned as he rolled out to his back on the street, “that was harder than I thought.”

Canvas sighed and covered his face with a hoof. As the dust settled, most of the ponies could see that the crater wasn’t caused by anything supernatural or town-threatening (which was a welcome surprise given what Ponyville usually goes through). Instead. The reveal of the crash turned out to be Troy and his older brothers, who were currently binding up the silver gryphon in some rope while a blindfold was over his eyes. Canvas gasped as soon as he saw what was happening, and Lyra poked her head out of the window. Troy could be heard grunting and struggling in his bondage. “Guys, come on! This isn’t cool!”

Lyle was the first to speak up before Lyra or Canvas could. “Wait, are you guys serious?!” he asked in a befuddled tone. “I thought we weren’t going to start the bachelor party until the sun went down!”

“Change of plans, my man!” shouted Blaze happily while making sure the bindings on Troy’s wings were secure. “This isn’t just a party to celebrate his last moments as a single gryphon anymore! Now we’re celebrating his new job in Bridleway too!”

Lyra shouted out, “Ummm, guys?!” When Troy’s brothers all looked up at the mare, she exhaled before asking, “Could you please explain what you’re trying to do?!”

“Oh!” realizing how this may have looked from an outside perspective, Blade stood up while inside the crater. “It’s alright, ponies,” said the gryphon in a more authoritative tone while looking around, “this is just gryphon tradition! We kidnap the bachelor before the big day and give him the party of a lifetime! It’s nothing to freak out about, he’s fine!”

“You wanna bet?!” cried out Troy as he continued to wriggle out of his ropes. “Get me out of this thing! At least give me the chance to tell Canvas abou--MMMMPH!!!”

A large tennis ball was shoved into the gryphon’s beak by Blaze to shut him up, followed by his opened and gagged beak being locked in place with duct tape. Blane continued the assurance towards the growing crowd. “Again, this is just tradition! Ask our parents and they’ll tell you.”

Even though he was feeling second-hoof (or second-claw) embarrassment from how his brothers were “kidnapping” Troy, Lyle shrugged and glanced up to the window Canvas and Lyra were gawking from. “Actually, it kinda is,” admitted the youngest gryphon while rubbing the back of his head. “Usually it isn’t this public, though.”

“Now wait a minute!” shouted Canvas from the window angrily towards the triplets. “I need to talk with Troy abo--”

“Too late, dude!” Blaze didn’t even try to let Canvas get a word out before hoisting the thrashing Troy over his shoulder like a luggage bag. “We have plans tonight for Teddy Gryphon here! And we know you have plans too!”

With that, Blaze shot up into the sky while Troy let out a muffled scream through his tennis ball. Blade and Blane flew outward as well, leaving most of the ponies on the street looking very confused and worried. Lyle saw how upset Canvas looked, and floated up to his window to say, “Listen, I’ll make sure they don’t do anything too crazy with him, alright?”

“That’s not the problem!” yelled Canvas with growing unease, “I really need to talk with Troy about something!”

“Well…” Lyle looked out to where Troy and the triplets were flying off to, and sighed before turning back to Canvas. “Do you want me to tell him? I mean, I will if you want me to.”

Canvas appreciated the offer, but he shook his head as he rubbed his closed eyes with a hoof. “No, no. I… I need to talk with him about it myself…” Even though this was important news, the stallion knew it was probably a lost cause to try and get Troy now. So, instead of taking Lyle up on his offer, the stallion reluctantly said, “Just… just make sure I talk with him in the morning, okay? It’s important.”

Seeing the serious glance the stallion had as he said that, Lyle nodded firmly back at him. “You got it, Canvas.” As he began to fly away, the black and white gryphon paused to look back at them and add, “Just try to focus on your party for now, okay? You look like you could use one.”

Canvas nodded faintly, which was good enough for Lyle to make his leave and meet up with the other gryphons. The stallion didn’t bother to see Lyra’s reaction, and just slumped down on the floor in guilt while the scroll fell from his foreleg. “Go ahead,” muttered Canvas in shame. “Tell me how I messed up.”

Lyra, despite what Canvas may have been assuming, wasn’t upset about his decision; however, she was peeved enough by that statement to scoff and roll her eyes. “Oh, don’t be like that,” she said in a calm tone of voice. “It wasn’t like you could’ve done much with those guys around anyway. I’m not blaming you for a second.”

That statement may have been appreciated by the artist, but it was clear he was still angry with himself when he groaned and sunk his face into his hooves. “Urrrgh! What am I supposed to do?! Just wait until the day before the wedding to let him know about this?!”

“Well,” admitted Lyra after a little thought, “it’s not like waiting until two days before the wedding is that much better.”

Canvas dropped his hooves, and turned his head to look up at Lyra with a strong, flat stare.

“What? I’m just saying!” Lyra then sighed and helped to pick Canvas up from the floor. “But I do think Lyle has a point, though. You have your own bachelor party to think about, and I’m sure that Troy would want you to be happy for tonight. Right?”

It may have taken a couple seconds to give an answer, but Canvas finally did so with a meager nod of his head. “M-Maybe,” he said with his face pointed away from the optimistically smiling mare, “but I can already tell that this is going to be on my mind for most of the night. It’s kind of hard to want to party when you’re under a lot of stress.”

While Lyra sighed with her expression deflated, Canvas walked away from her to take another sip from his cup of tea. The unicorn walked towards the coffee table as well and said, “Well, I’d hate to tell you this, but I’m not sure how helpful tea can really be.”

Canvas finished his cup and nodded with an upset look on his face. “Yeah, I know.”

Lyra’s muzzle skewed in thought, pondering the options she could use to help her friend. She already knew of his past, so recommending alcohol was completely out of the question. The spa was probably closed, so she couldn’t go that route. Yoga might help, but she was sure that Canvas would most likely end up in pain if it was his first time. And Lyra wasn’t even going to think of recommending some of the forms of stress relief she does in private or with her wife--

Suddenly, her brows shot upward as an idea popped into her mind. It was definitely risky (especially with Twilight Sparkle slated to come by soon), but Lyra figured it was worth a shot. She slowly walked up to Canvas and said in a more hushed tone, “So… I know you won’t touch alcohol, but…”

Canvas glanced towards her with an apprehensive look, hoping she wasn’t going to try to coax him into drinking wine or something. Luckily, that didn’t seem like the case as she mare looked back at the doorway for a moment, and then used her magic to close the window. “What if I told you,” began Lyra while looking back at Canvas and studying his reaction, “that I happened to have something that can relieve stress, which I… happen to have a legal prescription for?”

Canvas narrowed his eyes on her in confusion. “Like… pills or something?”

“No,” stated the mare firmly. “I’m talking about something that’s completely natural, relatively low risk, and... “ The unicorn’s eyes darted around briefly to make sure they were alone before finishing with, “... smokeable.”

The artist’s eyes shot wide-open, instantly reading between the lines after that last adjective. It took him a couple seconds before he realized she was being serious. “R… really?”

“Mmhmm,” nodded the mare with a tiny smirk. “I get it from a certain zebra in the Everfree Forest to help with my insomnia, buuuuut… I wouldn’t mind sharing a little of it to help you relax a bit.”

An apparent blush began to creep across the pony’s cheeks, making Lyra realize he was actually considering it. Even though Canvas never believed in using drugs (except maybe caffeine, but even that was a stretch), he was smart enough to know that certain ones weren’t as bad as others. And compared to alcohol or bath salts, Lyra’s suggestion actually seemed quite feasible at the moment.

Plus, given his growing curiosity, the stallion glanced to the empty doorway as well. “W-Well, I…” His words trailed off before looking back at the mare. “Do you… really think it’ll help?”

“Believe me,” said Lyra with a knowing smirk and a nod, “it does wonders.”

Canvas bit his lip, and let out a long sigh through his nostrils as he came to a decision. Even though his cheeks were quite red, the stallion seemed insistent when he said, “I… I guess it’s worth a shot.”

“Great!” chirped Lyra as she took him by the hoof and lead him to her bedroom. Seeing how timid the stallion was looking, she couldn’t help giggling as she said, “You know, I would’ve thought that you of all ponies would’ve already done this, given your occupation and all.”

Lyra quickly dismissed her thoughts with a wave of her hoof as she let Canvas into the bedroom. “Oh, never mind that. I shouldn’t be making assumptions, after all.” After closing the door behind the nervous looking stallion, Lyra lit her horn with a grin and pulled out a small wooden box from underneath the bed. “Since this is your first time, I’ll try to make things as easy as possible…”

She then glanced back at Canvas with a smile and said, “Just come here on the bed and I’ll get you set up.”

Tenor looked fairly upset while laying beside the front counter with a short leash tied to him. Despite his whining though, Bon-Bon didn’t pay much heed to it as she finished mopping the floor of her shop. “Oh, don’t give me those puppy eyes,” said the mare as she looked back at him and placed the mop back in her bucket. “You should be glad I didn’t get the newspaper.”

Tenor whimpered a little and lowered his head guiltily. After pushing the mop and bucket away so the floor can get a chance to dry, Bon-Bon went back to the dog and undid the end of the leash tied to the underside of the counter. “Now,” she began with a sigh while keeping the leash held in her mouth, “how apout weh fine your owner, huh?”

Tenor begrudgingly got on his paws and began to walk behind Bon-Bon on her way to the living space. Even though the setup itself was much smaller than the one at Sugar Cube Corner, the housing behind Lyra and Bon-Bon’s sweet shop was adequate enough for the couple to live quite comfortably. The mare made her way down the narrow hallway, wondering where the heck her wife and Canvas went to. “Guyth?” she called out while the leash was between her teeth. “Hello?”

Bon-Bon paused when she reached the closed door to her bedroom, seeing a thin veil of smoke coming out from underneath. Tenor saw it too, making his eyes widen as he barked wildly. The mare quickly shushed Tenor and tried to keep him from making a scene. “No, it’s okay,” blurted the mare as she blushed and looked between the dog and the door. “It’s not a real fire, okay? It’s just…”

Bon-Bon blinked a couple times, and turned to the door with a confused look of growing concern. She put down the leash and went to the door, knocking on it a couple of times. Tenor stayed in place while watching the smoke under the door worriedly. “Lyra?” asked Bon-Bon firmly through the door. “Why are you doing that now? You are aware a Princess is going to be here in twenty minutes, right?!”

All that she heard in response was the sound of something bubbling, along with a couple of high-pitched giggles. Unfortunately, Bon-Bon’s ears perked up when she realized it wasn’t just one pony giggling inside. Her jaw slowly dropped as she made a slow gasp of realization. “Lyra?!” shouted Bon-Bon as she banged on the door again. “Please do NOT tell me you did what I think you did!”

The door slowly opened, letting out a large plume of smoke that made Tenor start barking again. Lyra emerged from the strong-smelling fog, her eyes clearly reddened while smiling lazily at her wife. “Did what?”

Bon-Bon was shocked to say the least, and looked past Lyra to see Canvas sitting on the bed. Next to him was Lyra’s box of “medicine”, along with a large glass bong that was held in his hoof. His eyes were even redder than Lyra’s, but it may have just looked that way because of how wide-open they were at seeing Bon-Bon. After a long bout of silence, Canvas could only think to say one thing; unfortunately, it was accompanied by a long plume of smoke that came out of his muzzle as he said it:

“Uh ohhhh…”

Lyra fell to the floor and burst out laughing.

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Bachelor Parties (Part One)

Because of the commotion that was happening behind the store, the storefront of Lyra and Bon-Bon’s sweet shop was completely empty. Even though it was convenient that nopony came in while Bon-Bon confronted the two high ponies in her bedroom (especially while the floors were still drying from her mopping), it gave the vacant space an eerie feel as voices were heard from outside.

“Why should we get him a gift for getting a job?!” said a male voice with an annoyed tone. “I never got a gift for getting a job! Besides, we already got him those gifts for the wedding!”

A female voice retorted “This isn’t just any job, Jonas! Our son is going to be on Bridleway! That’s a history-making accomplishment, and we should get him something to celebrate it.”

A low and rumbling groan was all that was heard before the front door finally opened, and the bell ringed against the frame. Jonas was the first to step in, and politely kept the door open for his wife to follow. “Okay, fine,” he said in acceptance and defeat. “We can get him something from Sugar Cube Corner tomorrow to celebrate. Will that work?”

“I believe so,” said Angela sweetly, and rewarded her husband with a loving nuzzle after walking into the shop. “And thank you for keeping the door open for me.”

Bon-Bon’s voice yelled out from the living space, “Just a second! I just need to--NO! Canvas, get out of that drawer!”

Some rustling and galloping hoofsteps could be heard, along with what sounded like a stallion giggling. Jonas and Angela glanced at each other worriedly, neither of them sure what was going on behind the storefront. After a brief moment of silence, Bon-Bon came out to the counter to greet them with a genuine, albeit shaky smile on her muzzle. “Hello guys,” she said while pulling her mane back with a hoof. “I’m guessing you two are here to pick up Tenor?”

Angela was the first to nod. “Well, yes,” she said before overhearing more things crashing around behind Bon-Bon. She leaned to the side with narrowed eyes to see if she could sneak a glance through the half-open doorway. “Ummm… Is everything alright, Bon-Bon?”

“Oh, definitely!” exclaimed the mare in a tone that was enthusiastic enough to match her smile, but with a clear undertone of insincerity beneath it. “Tenor got a little excited in the shop when he saw Troy flying around, so Canvas is in the back calming him down.”

Just as she said that, they all heard Canvas’ voice from the back in an overly affectionate baby-talk voice. “Oooohhhh, you’re such a soft piiiillow-pet! Squishy squish-pup…”

Jonas and Angela’s expressions became more confused at hearing their future son-in-law talking like that. Both of them turned back to Bon-Bon, whose muzzle was tightly shut while looking at the two with slightly wider eyes. “You know what?” blurted the mare as she pointed back to the doorway and began to back away from them. “I think I better check to make sure the pup’s okay. Okay?”

Before either of them could respond, Bon-Bon darted back to the living space and stumbled into the kitchen. The mare’s eyes shot wide-open when she saw Canvas lying on his back on the kitchen floor, hugging Tenor and rolling around with him. Tenor seemed more than a little confused as he laid on top of the pony, although Bon-Bon wasn’t sure if it was because of the pony’s behavior, or because the smell of pot was so strong that it was nearly clinging to his fur. There was also an opened box of taco shells next to Canvas, with a couple of broken shells and lots of crumbs scattered on the tile floor.

“Ugh!” Bon-Bon made sure the oven wasn’t turned on, and cautiously left the stallion alone so she could find her wife. “Lyra!” she shouted angrily as she stormed down the hallway. She quickly found the unicorn in the bathroom, trying her hardest to use her hooves to apply some eye drops while in front of the mirror. Despite being upset with her, Bon-Bon was patient enough to wait for her wife to hydrate her eyes properly before saying in an annoyed whisper, “Lyra, do you have any idea how stupid that was?!”

“Bon, relax. Relax…” Lyra’s voice was much calmer while carefully placing the eye drops back on the counter. “I kno-- I know it’s a little odd,” she said with a tilt of her head before turning back to her wife with her eyes half-lidded, “but I… I only did it to make sure Canvas wouldn’t be freaking out during the party.”

“Yes, yes I know,” said Bon-Bon with a disgruntled voice while rubbing her closed eyes with a hoof. Even though her wife was usually hard to talk with while baked, Bon-Bon was able to at least get a grasp as to why Lyra did what she did. After finding the scroll and seeing the dates, Bon-Bon couldn’t really blame Canvas for feeling overstressed. Nevertheless, Bon-Bon still had a bone to pick with Lyra as she said, “I can understand you wanting to help, but was giving him marijuana REALLY the best option?!”

“Well, why not?” asked Lyra back at her with a quizative tone and both brows raised. “Seriously, why not? He wouldn’t drink, I couldn’t take him to the spa, and I didn’t want to go into the sexy fun drawer without asking you first! Besides, he was okay with it.”

Bon-Bon groaned with a grimace towards her wife. “That doesn’t matter! What do you think Twilight is going to say when she shows up and finds--”

“Canvas?!” shouted Angela from what sounded like the kitchen. “Why are you eating taco shells off the floor?!”

“... Uuuhhhhh…”

Bon-Bon face-hoofed with an embarrassed sigh. Her shameful expression wasn’t helped when Jonas appeared in the hallway with a strong glare pointed at the two. Lyra tried to back herself out of the gryphon’s sight by hiding in the bathroom. Bon-Bon noticed and tried to grab her, but froze when she overheard the gryphon say, “Ladies, can I get an explanation for why Canvas is high right now?!”

Bon-Bon could only reply with a shameful exhale as she lowered her head. Unfortunately, Lyra thought it was a good idea to reply from the bathroom, “What do you mean? You have no proof!”

Jonas’ eyes widened as his head tilted from that answer. “Oh, really? Because it seems pretty damn clear when he smells like Blade’s house, is giggling like an idiot on the kitchen floor, and has eyes redder than my dick!”

“PBBBTTT!!!” Lyra covered her muzzle with both hooves, but it didn’t stop the uproar of laughter that escaped. Canvas could be overheard cracking up too.

Bon-Bon decided it was best to step forward towards him, hoping to explain as the only sober pony in the establishment. While Lyra tried to calm herself and her head slowly creeped out from the bathroom (with her eyes glancing down at Jonas’ lower half after hearing his statement), Bon-Bon took a breath before stating, “Okay, I get that you’re upset, but I swear to you that I had nothing to do with it. Lyra saw tha--”

“Oh, come on!” shouted Lyra before darting back inside the bathroom. “Narc!”

Bon-Bon groaned before returning her attention to the unamused gryphon. “As I was saying, Lyra noticed that Canvas was going under some stress after getting a job offer which could collide with Troy’s Bridleway rehearsals. So, she used her prescription cannabis to help ease his nerves.”

Jonas narrowed his eyes on her with a confounded look. He blinked a few times as he tried to process what she said. “There… there’s prescription cannabis?”

“Mmmhmm,” replied Lyra with a nod. “I mean, it’s not the easiest to get, but it is completely legal in Equestria.”

After a raise of his brows, he turned around to look towards the kitchen and give off a surprised huff. “Huh.”

Angela came into view as she peered at Lyra and Bon-Bon with a leer. “Well, regardless of the legality of the product,” she began in a condescending tone, “I’m fairly sure that giving a pony someone else’s medication is still a risky and illegal move.”

Lyra winced and looked away from the prying gryphoness with a bit lip. “I know that,” replied Bon-Bon with a roll of her eyes. “Believe me, this isn’t the first time I confronted Lyra about sharing her stash. One time she made a batch of brownies, which Pinkie Pie ended up using for--”

“Okay, okay!” shouted Jonas while interrupting Bon-Bon. “So let me get this straight. Because our son got that role, and Canvas got a job offer at the same time, that makes it a good excuse to give him drugs?!”

Bon-Bon sighed bitterly and turned to the doorway of the bathroom. Lyra quickly shut the door before seeing her wife’s unpleasant reaction. “Like I said,” began the mare with a turn back to the two gryphons, “I wasn’t the one who did it. Lyra happened to have some medicinal herbs for insomnia, so she figured it could help since he was freaking out about what to do.”

Jonas and Angela glanced back at Canvas, who was currently picking at a curled piece of wallpaper in the hallway with his hoof. Both of them tilted their heads at the sight before Angela replied, “Well… It looks like it’s helping.”

Jonas was the first to turn back to Bon-Bon with an upset scowl still on his beak. Bon-Bon spoke up before he could and said, “I swear to Celestia, I would not have done something that drastic!” To add validity to both her claim and Lyra’s decision, the mare quickly went to snag the scroll, and handed it to them as she explained. “Lyra was only trying to help. I was at the front when Canvas was dealing with anxiety, but I trust my wife when she said he needed something to calm down.”

Jonas stayed silent, but it looked like his stoic gaze lessened a tiny bit as he looked through the details of the job offer. He then handed the scroll to his wife, whose brows raised when she saw the dates as well. Angela stared back at Bon-Bon and asked, “So… Was his reaction really that bad?”

Bon-Bon shrugged her shoulders. “I mean, it is a big offer to receive, especially so close to the wedding. It seems like something that could keep them separated for a while, and he was apparently upset to not tell Troy before his bachelor party.”

Canvas groaned out with an exaggerated tone while picking at the wallpaper. “It suuuuuuucks!”

Jonas made a disappointed groan after hearing what Lyra said. “Oh, the capture already happened?! I was gonna help with that!”

“Honey,” snapped Angela with a blunt nudge against his side. After regaining her composure, the gryphoness sighed and said towards Bon-Bon. “Well, I… I suppose I can understand. While I don’t approve, I do know how hard separation can be. Even if it’s only for a month or two.”

RIIIIIIIIIPPPPPP!!!

Bon-Bon gasped when she saw that Canvas pulled away a rather large strip of wallpaper, and was staring at it blankly while in his hoof. “CANVAS!” shouted Bon-Bon, which made the stallion jolt and stare at her worriedly. “Why did you do that?!”

Canvas blinked slowly, and glanced between her and the paper while his brain struggled to function. “Uhhhhh…”

“Oh, for crying out loud!” Jonas rolled his eyes and began to make his leave. “We’ll talk with both him and Troy in the morning about this. In the meantime, I’m not going to deal with another stoned nitwit!”

While the gryphon went to grab Tenor’s leash, and Canvas was giving his dog an affectionate hug with extra nuzzling, Angela looked back at Bon-Bon to say, “Never mind him. He had a bad encounter with the triplets being high once.”

Bon-Bon winced in understanding. “Ho boy. Should I ask?”

Angela sighed painfully in response to that question. “They tried to make a bonfire.”

“In the living room!” added Jonas before giving the leash a gentle tug. Tenor gave Canvas a couple more licks across his face before heading out with the gryphon, which left the stallion to slump on the floor with a saddened face. “C’mon, honey,” said Jonas as he looked back at his wife. “The Cakes aren’t gonna wait all night for us.”

“Oh, alright then.” Considering how badly things went the last time they were in Equestria, Angela wasn’t wanting to make a bad impression for the game night they had planned. She turned back to Bon-Bon before leaving to say worriedly, “Just… promise you’ll keep an eye on him tonight?”

“Absolutely,” assured the mare with a warm smile. “Honestly, Canvas might be easier than Lyra since he doesn’t have a horn like--”

CRASH!!!

Tenor could be heard barking from the front of the shop after that thunderous crash, which was followed by Canvas’ meek voice. “Ummm… What did I do?”

“Ugh!” Bon-Bon dragged her hoof down her face in exasperation. “Or maybe not.”

“Well…” After making a quick glance to see what Canvas may have done, Angela sighed with a shake of her head before hugging Bon-Bon goodbye. “I’m sure you’ll be fine, dearie. Good luck!”

With that, Angela walked back out of the hallway, being careful to avoid whatever was spilled on the kitchen floor. After the gryphoness disappeared, Bon-Bon was just about to check on Canvas when she overheard her wife through the door.

“You think they noticed I was high?” whispered Lyra in a paranoid voice.

By the time the sun was fully set, the bonfire was roaring brightly enough to illuminate the open field in a warm amber glow. A smaller, more contained fire was a small distance away, and was clearly meant for a purpose as a dead pig skewered on a large metal rotisserie spinner laid on top of it. A few other items were visible under the bonfire’s glow: a large porcelain tub which looked to be filled with some indiscernible fluid, two massive speakers between a battery-powered stereo system, and two barrels of Sweet Apple Acres’ high-quality hard cider.

Even though he was left alone with two giant kegs of alcohol, Lyle didn’t even try to sneak a drop of it. Instead, the gryphon kept his focus on the tub as he stirred the contents with a large wooden pole. He wafted up the smell of vinegar and various spices, shuddering with a grin before collecting some in a large turkey baster. Carrying a look of focus he usually had when drawing, Lyle brought the baster over to the pig, and slowly drizzled the marinade along the flesh while spinning the pig over the fire. “Ooohhhh man,” he muttered with a hungry grin as the sauce’s smell intensified from the added heat.

Of course, the gryphon’s focus changed when he overheard wings flapping from the distance. When he looked up, Lyle saw that Blaze and Blade were each carrying an end of the still bound and gagged Troy. Even though he stopped thrashing his body around, Troy could still be heard trying to yell through the tennis ball shoved in his beak. Blane was flying behind them with a massive cooler, and was the first to land with the supplies.

“Man!” Blane wiped some sweat from his brow as he looked up at his brothers. “Y’know, I could’ve used some help with this friggin thing!”

“Yeah, says you!” As Blaze and Blade lowered Troy to the ground, Blaze peered down at his brother to reply, “You know how much this guy tried to move around while we were carrying him?!”

Blade touched the ground first and added, “Seriously, most of the girls I’ve banged thrashed around less when they orgasmed!”

Lyle came up to get Troy untied after the two dropped him to the ground. “Well, what did you expect?” he asked as he got the blindfold off of Troy first. “Canvas was wanting to talk with him, and you guys did this way earlier than expected!”

Blane raised his claws. “Well, duh! That’s what a surprise is supposed to be!”

Lyle rolled his eyes and sighed. Before he could untie his brother (who was already trying to squirm out of the restraints himself), Lyle bent in within Troy’s eyesight to say, “Listen, I talked with Canvas, and I promised him you’ll be alright to talk with him in the morning. Cool?”

Troy paused momentarily, and let out a brief exhale before nodding his head.

“Alright then.” With a smile, Lyle ungagged Troy, and used a swipe of his talons to cut the rope free like it was nothing. Troy sighed as he finally able to breathe without restriction, and rubbed his wrists with his claws while groaning.

The triplets pulled back a respectable distance from him, and motioned to the roast pig as they gave an enthusiastic “Ta-daa!”

Despite the barbecue being prepared, Troy looked less than enthused as he gave a flat glare to the three. “You know,” he began as he took a breath that still tasted like tennis ball, “usually when someone you’re getting married to wants to talk with you, you take the time to listen before going out! You guys REALLY should’ve at least--Holy crap that smells good!”

Troy wanted to be mad at his brothers, but the smell of that pork was enough to make him stop midway and groan in hunger. Blaze cackled in response and pointed towards Blane. “You can thank him for the marinade he whipped up. That bucker knows his spices!”

“Awww, come on,” said Blane with a bashful wave of his claw. “It was nothing, really.”

Troy quickly shook his head clear to get back on topic. “A-As I was saying! You should’ve let me talk with Canvas first!”

“Why?” asked Blade with a playful smirk. “So the mood could be messed up before the party even began?”

Blaze swept in towards Troy and put a foreleg around his back. “Okay, listen. Yes, we got out a bit prematurely, and we apologize for that,” he began in a rushed by still honest-sounding tone, “But! We only did it because we love you, bro! This party is not only to celebrate your last remaining days as an unmarried gryphon, but also to celebrate you making friggin’ history! You’re gonna be on Bridleway, dude! That deserves a drink!”

“YEAH!!” shouted the other two with their fisted claws in the air.

While Troy let out a seething sigh with his claw over his face, Lyle came in to reaffirm what he said earlier. “Listen, I promised Canvas that you can talk with him first thing in the morning. And since we’re already here, there’s not much that can do. So right now, let’s just focus on our own party, and let Canvas have fun at his. Okay?”

Even though he could still feel that nagging twinge of nervousness creeping in the back of his mind over what Canvas wanted to tell him, Troy knew that his brother wasn’t wrong. So, after taking a moment to get himself calm, the gryphon sighed and nodded faintly. “A… Alright. I’ll… try to not think about it.”

“That’s the spirit!” shouted Blaze happily while giving his brother a good squeeze. “Now c’mon! We got a tap of booze with your name on it!”

By the time Ponyville’s street lamps turned on to illuminate the town’s vacant walkways, there was a clear ‘Closed’ sign hanging in front of the glass door of Lyra and Bon-Bon’s shop. However, that didn’t stop Twilight Sparkle or her three friends as she approached the door with a smile on her face. With a saddlebag full of supplies hanging on her back, the Princess happily knocked on the door and waited.

Only a few seconds passed before Bon-Bon opened the door. “Hey girls,” said the mare with a happy, albeit slightly nervous smile as she let the Alicorn in. “Come on in! Lyra and I just got the food ready!”

“Ooh!” before Twilight could even get a hoof in the shop, Pinkie Pie hopped over her excitedly while balancing several boxes of baked goods on her back. “Oh my gosh, this is so great! I organized a TON of parties before, but this is the first time I get to help for a bachelor party!”

Twilight rolled her eyes with a smirk as she walked past her towards the kitchen. Rarity followed the Princess, not paying much heed to Pinkie who was still hopping around like a ponified embodiment of a sugar rush. However, Applejack paused as she glanced over at the pink mare and said, “Now wait a minute, Pinkie! Don’cha do bachelor parties all the time?”

Pinkie froze in midair and gave her friend a confused stare. “Ummm, no? I only got to help with bachelorette parties before! This is the first time I get to do it for a bachelor!”

“Ohhhhh!” Recognizing her mistake Applejack shrugged and walked past her. “Never mind then. Ah was just thinkin’ of when ya did Matilda’s bachelorette party!”

Remembering that event very clearly, Bon-Bon struggled to keep her snickering concealed while following Applejack. “Oh, that party was wild! I still can’t believe they used that picture in the paper without a censor bar!”

Applejack giggled with a shake of her head. “Ah can’t believe Matilda threatened ta call the cops on Pinkie!”

Pinkie stopped hopping and followed the two. “Yeah, that was a real bummer,” added the mare with a slightly deflated tone. “I mean, who doesn’t want a mechanical bull in their front yard?”

Bon-Bon shot Pinkie a glance while smirking. “Pinkie, you know very well why she freaked out.”

Pinkie merely rolled her eyes and looked away from the two. “Oh, whatever! She didn’t react that way to the cake being shaped like a penis! So why was the bull any different?”

“Cause it was six feet long an’ sittin’ in her gat-dang yard!”

Despite Applejack’s point, Pinkie Pie just rolled her eyes and went into the kitchen with the others. Twilight and Rarity were already seated at the table, which contained several trays of various snacks that Lyra and Bon-Bon prepared. With one flawless flick of her tail, Pinkie tossed all the boxes from her back onto the vacant spaces on the table, letting the large phallic-shaped cake and accompanying cupcakes plop down with nearly impossible-looking ease. Twilight couldn’t help shaking her head as she said, “I swear, I don’t know how you can do that without magic.”

While the rest of the girls got things prepared in the kitchen, Lyra and Canvas were preoccupied in the bathroom. Because Canvas’ eyes were still noticeably red from the unicorn’s “medicine,” Lyra tried her best to get his eyes clear with her eye drops. After the second eye was hydrated. Lyra gave him a towel while opening the door. “Alright,” said the mare while Canvas dried his eyes, “I happen to know from experience that Twilight is kind of a wet blanket when it comes to, umm…’recreational herbs.’ So for the sake of the party, maybe you should try to keep yourself grounded for a bit.”

Canvas nodded, but his half-lidded eyes and droopy smile made it clear that Lyra’s advice was easier said than done. “Alright, alright,” said the stallion as he picked up a spray bottle to fumigate the smell off of him. After making a large cloud of the floral-scented fragrance, Canvas strolled through it like how some mares walk into perfume. However, Lyra tried not to giggle when she waited for him to finish to say, “Ummm, Canvas? That was hairspray.”

Canvas blinked and looked down at the can in his hoof, seeing that she was right. His face scrunched in with a wheeze before he started cracking up. Lyra giggled too, but she was able to take the hairspray from his hoof and get the air freshener that was on the counter. “Canvas, come on,” said the unicorn more seriously as she spritzed him with the overbearing scent of lavender. “We need to be serious here. You act good for the night, and I’ll get you in touch with Zecora so you can get your own stash. ‘Kay?”

That made the stallion nod firmer than before. Lyra smiled back before taking the lead to the hallway. “Good! Now, when we get to the kitchen, just act aloof, and positive, but still normal. Just treat it like you’re acting in a play. If you believe you’re not high, it’ll show.”

“‘Kay, ‘kay…” As he followed Lyra to the kitchen, Canvas took a couple deep breaths as he tried to keep himself from acting too giggly. By the time the two reached the kitchen, Canvas kept a big smile on his face when he saw all the mares.

Pinkie Pie hopped on top of her seat as she shouted with the others, “Happy Bachelor Night, Canvas!”

Canvas got on his hindlegs in response so he could make 'jazz-hooves’ and shout out, “HOORAYYY!!!”

Of course, his coordination was clearly off as he fell on his back after that reaction. While Lyra struggled not to snicker, Bon-Bon just covered her face with her hooves while groaning. The rest of the mares looked either confused or worried, except for the still excited-looking Pinkie Pie.

“OOH!” shouted Pinkie as she beamed towards Lyra. “Did you make brownies again?!”

By the time Rainbow Dash and Thunderlane found the bonfire for Troy’s bachelor party, it was clear the shindig was already in full-swing. Along with the pig being fully cooked and the kegs in operation, the stereo was blaring Blade’s metal music from two massive speakers. And underneath one of the barrels, Troy was lying on his back as a massive funnel was crammed in his beak to pour cider down his throat. The triplets were holding him in place as they repeatedly chanted in unison, “CHUG! CHUG! CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!”

Even though she wanted to get a closer look at Troy’s chugging, she couldn’t necessarily do so while holding a platform with a massive cake on top; plus, she couldn’t risk dropping the party favor after she and the others got so far with it. With her wings straining and her hooves starting to feel numb, Dash kept her focus on the corner she was holding as the cake was slowly lowered to the ground. Even though she was worried that Thunderlane would give out with his own corner, the cake was lowered with surprising grace to the ground. While Thunderlane and the other two who carried the cake groaned and stretched their limbs, Dash quickly made her way to the barrels just as Troy emptied his funnel.

“YEAAAHHH!!!” After the funnel was taken out of his beak, Troy rolled over and gasped while the triplets claw-bumped one another. Rainbow Dash helped him get back on his paws before brushing some stray pieces of grass off his back.

“Jeeze, dude!” said Dash as she made sure he was okay to stand freely. “You could’ve at least waited for me before tapping the cider!”

Troy had to take a couple breaths before he could chuckle at his friend’s response. Even with the limited light from the bonfire, Dash could clearly see that the gryphon was already growing a small blush on his cheeks as a side effect of the alcohol. “You know what?” said Troy in a playful and slightly slurred-sounding voice. “I kinda understand why you were so obsessed with that cider stuff. It’s delicious!”

Troy stumbled a little with a giggle, but not enough to make him fall over. Rainbow Dash sighed and tried to reply in defense. “I’m not obsessed with it! It’s just really hard to get sometimes.”

Thunderlane walked towards the two as he overheard the mare. “She’s not wrong, you know,” said the stallion with a shrug. “I was just barely able to get a mug during their last--GAAAHHH!!!”

Thunderlane reeled back in shock as soon as he saw the pig that was being roasted over the fire. Lyle was spinning it on the rotisserie as he shouted out, “You better call your piece, Troy! We’re just about to cut it!”

“RIBS!” yelled Troy back at him. Meanwhile, Thunderlane was just staring at the roasted meat in shock as his quivering jaw hung low.

“Hey. c’mon,” said Dash as she nudged his side, “you said you’d be cool!”

“I-I am!” blurted the stallion before looking back at her to whisper, “but you didn’t say they’d have a dead friggin’ pig over a fire! What’s Smithy gonna say--”

Rainbow quickly shushed him by popping a hoof into his muzzle. “Dude!” she hissed angrily. “Don’t spoil it!”

When she looked back to make sure Troy didn’t overhear anything, Dash was relieved to see that the gryphon was stumbling over towards the pig. She wiped her forehead with a relieved “Whew!” Before she could try to chastise Thunderlane for what he said, her focus changed when she glanced back at the cake. “What the… Where are Gilda and her girlfriend?”

Thunderlane turned around, seeing that the two gryphonesses weren’t by the cake anymore. Even though the two didn’t say much as they helped the ponies lug the cake to this spot, it seemed off for them to disappear like that. “Huh,” said the stallion in confusion. “Do you think they went home or--”

Both Thunderlane and Rainbow Dash’s ears perked up when they heard girly giggling from the other side of the bonfire. The two turned to see that Gilda and Greta didn’t wait long to meet up with a specific gryphon. The girls were standing at both sides of Blade with enticing grins as they tried their hardest not to act overly fangirlish.

Dash could overhear Gilda saying excitedly, “You know, I’ve been listening to your stuff since the first album came out! I honestly had no idea Greta’s boss was your Mom!”

“Me neither,” added Greta as she began to slowly rub one of Blade’s forelegs with a claw. She giggled as she stared up at the gryphon with a heavy blush forming across her cheeks.

Blade chuckled in response as he looked between the two with a growing smirk. “Well, I must say. It’s always great to meet fans of my work…” His eyes darted between them before asking curiously, “So… you two are the couple Mum was talkin’ about?”

“Yeah, but we’re open-minded,” blurted Gilda like she had that answer prepared for a while. Her claw began rubbing Blade’s other foreleg as she added with a blush of her own, “Very open minded~”

Dash and Thunderlane both saw Greta nod her head in agreement, which just made Blade’s grin grow wider. Dash face-hoofed and tried not to laugh. “Oh, jeez! It’s like the stormball team all over again.”

Blaze was walking past her with a massive piece of pork belly in his claw as he overheard that. “Wait, really?” Before Dash could turn around to confirm her words, she saw the gryphon grow a cocky smirk and rub his head feathers back with a claw. Unfortunately, that only smeared barbecue sauce over his head as he sauntered up to them. “Hello, ladies…”

Thunderlane shook his head and said, “You know what? I’m gonna go check on the cake. Let me know when you guys’ll be ready.”

“Sure thing,” said Dash with a smile back at him. As the stallion went back to the cake (most likely to avoid smelling that pig over anything else), Dash turned around just in time to see Troy return with a rack of ribs in one claw, and a big mug of cider in the other.

“Here ya go, Boss,” said the gryphon as he passed her the mug. Dash gave a “thanks” and a thankful nod as she accepted it, and downed nearly half of it in one go greedily. After the mare exhaled with a satisfied sigh from that sweet and bitter brew, she wiped the foam from her upper lip and glanced up at Troy.

“So,” began Dash with a prideful smile, “I heard you got that Bridleway role. Congratulations, dude!”

She gave the gryphon a playful tap on the shoulder after saying that. Troy’s face blushed a little as he looked away bashfully. “Awww, thanks Dash. I gotta admit, it’s gonna be a huge change for me.”

“Hey, it’s not just a huge change for you,” said Dash insistently. “Canvas is probably happy as hay you got that role too. Plus…” During a brief pause, Dash bit her lip as she sighed and looked away for a moment. “Well… it’s gonna be a lot different not having you on the weather crew anymore.”

Troy’ eyes widened in surprise, clearly not having thought of that detail until just now. Realizing that he really would have to quit his job in weather patrol, the gryphon’s shoulders slumped as his mood dampened. “Ugh… I wasn’t even thinking about that.”

“Hey, come on,” replied Dash as she gave a more supportive smile up at him. “Don’t act so down about that! We all knew you wanted to do this, and we couldn’t be happier for you! Just because you’ll be gone doesn’t mean we can’t move clouds anymore. We’ll be fine, and so will you.”

Troy blinked a couple times, and saw that Rainbow Dash’s expression was nothing but sincere. A touched smile grew across his beak as he tried to speak. “Wow, I… thanks, Dash.” After turning away to take a bite from one of his ribs away from Dash’s sight, he turned back to add in an honest tone of his own. “Well, just so you know, Rainbow Dash… I can honestly say that you’re the best boss I ever had.”

Now it was Rainbow’s turn to raise her brows in surprise. However, it was followed by her asking cheekily, “How many bosses have you had before me?”

Troy sighed and closed his eyes briefly. “Well, two. But that doesn’t mean you’re not a good boss.”

“I know, dude,” replied Dash with another nudge, “but I really do appreciate that. Just let me know when your show premieres, okay?”

“Sure thing,” said Troy as he pointed a rib bone at the mare, “and I’ll be sure to get you guys some good seats.”

“You better,” replied the mare with a threatening but playful smirk. Neither of them said anything for a brief moment, and the two looked around before realizing how this conversation had to end. Dash was the first to take initiative, and got on her hind legs to give Troy a strong hug. Troy immediately hugged the mare back, keeping his eyes clenched shut so he wouldn’t start tearing up.

Unfortunately, the mood was broken when they overheard Blane shout out, “Put on a condom!”

Troy groaned and was the first to pull away and shout back, “Really?!”

“Hey, protection’s important,” replied Blane while gnawing on what looked to be a pig leg. “Sausages are in those sleeves for a reason, bruh.”

Before either Troy or Dash could say anything in defense in regards to their hug, Thunderlane yelled out loudly enough for the triplets to hear, “Hey, guys?! You wanna get Troy’s special thing done now? It’s getting kinda late.”

“Late?!” shouted Blaze as he stared over at him with a confused look. “The sun just set!”

Thunderlane reluctantly nodded and replied, “I know, but…” He then motioned over to the cake, his eyes widening in hopes that the gryphons would get the hint.

Blaze’s brows raised in quick understanding. “Oh, right! I almost forgot.” He looked over towards Blade, who was currently preoccupied with Gilda and Greta being much closer to him that before. “Yo, Blade!” he shouted. “Get the music changed! Were doing the thing!”

“Wait, what?” asked Troy as he glanced at Blaze, not noticing Dash backing away with a knowing grin. He also didn’t see Blane sneaking behind him with a chair and a bundle of rope. “What are you talki--UMF!”

Before Troy could protest, he was once again tied up with rope while Blane held him down into a wooden chair. The metal music stopped playing, and the cassette was quickly changed to something else. Troy could hear maniacal laughter from his brothers and friends as he struggled in his restraints, but there was nothing he could do before being turned around to face the cake.

“Fillies and Gentlecolts!” shouted out Thunderlane with an excited smile as everyone gathered around Troy. While standing beside the cake, the stallion carried a professional tone of voice as he introduced his gift for Troy’s bachelor party. “May I present to you, a very special performance which I had arranged for my good friend Troy to celebrate his last day as a free gryphon.”

While he appreciated the gesture, Troy was getting peeved as he tried to jump himself out of his chair. Unfortunately, it only got him and the chair legs to hop up a couple inches each time. Meanwhile, Thunderlane continued to speak while motioning back to the large cake. “Straight from Equestria’s very first burlesque troupe, here’s one of the sexiest performers to give her special thanks after a fifty year-long retirement…”

Troy’s eyes widened in horror quickly realizing what his former coworker had arranged for him. While the muffled laughter began to grow, the sound of burlesque music began to blast from the speakers as Thunderlane finished. “Let’s give a big round to the one… the only…

“Granny Smith!”

The top of the cake bursted open, and the wrinkled green mare revealed herself with her hooves raised. Unfortunately for Troy, this action also revealed the very skimpy, dark pink lingerie she was wearing. She also had what looked to be two bright pink tassels hanging from the top of her chest. “Ta Daa~”

Troy let out a disgusted scream at the sight, which was barely heard over everyone else howling in laughter. After Thunderlane carefully floated her off the top of the cake (while sporting a very heavy blush and a randy grin), Granny Smith slowly sauntered up towards Troy in a seductive manner in sync with the music. Troy tried to look away from the sight, but there was nothing he could to keep the elderly mare from turning around and backing up towards him.

“Oh man!!” shouted Lyle as he pulled out his camera. “I gotta get proof of this!”

“YOU BETTER NOT!” screamed Troy furiously. Unfortunately, the flash went off just as Granny Smith was gyrating her flanks in front of his lap. Troy clenched his eyes shut and pointed his beak away while groaning loudly at what was happening. However, he heard the laughter becoming wilder before Granny pulled herself up onto his lap.

Lyle kept taking pictures, but it was hard to keep it in focus while laughing so hard. Meanwhile, Granny Smith continued her “enticing” lap dance for the bachelor, making sure to get her backside especially close to Troy’s face a couple times. “Ugh! Oh, come on!” yelled Troy, but it seemed that his words couldn’t stop the mare’s actions; in fact, it may have only made her want to do more.

For Granny’s ‘grand finale,’ she pulled back for a brief moment while still on top of Troy’s lap. With Lyle’s camera ready, the mare somehow pulled herself forward to stand upright on her front legs. Most of the laughter stopped briefly as the group let out several impressed “Oohs”. Her hind legs then spread apart surprisingly wide, doing an almost perfect ‘Spread Eagle’ right in front of Troy’s shocked face. And then, on one fell swoop, Granny Smith flung herself back, planting herself right into Troy’s face as the chair fell back.

Just as the song ended, Troy was dropped onto his back while still bound up, with Granny Smith sitting on top of him as she shouted out, “Ta Daaa!”

A massive roar of applause came from everyone as they clapped and whistled at the sight. Rainbow Dash wiped some tears from her eyes as she said, “Now THAT’S what I call a show!”

“You got that right!” added Gilda as she struggled to stop laughing. She glanced over at Greta and said with a small smirk, “Although I think it gave me a few ideas…”

Greta noticed the smirk and nodded back. Both of them then looked towards Blade, who was still cheering while Granny Smith tried to get herself off Troy’s face. Thunderlane helped pull the mare off of him, which was followed by Troy gasping for air with his face fully red and frozen in shock. Granny couldn’t help cackling out loud as she walked away from him. “Ah hope you have a nice night, Troy-Boy!”

She then glanced up at Thunderlane and added in a more sultry tone, “But right now, Ah think Ah need somepony ta take me home an… run me a hot bath.”

Thunderlane giggled as a massive grin spread across his muzzle. He hoisted up Granny Smith in one flawless swoop as he hovered a few feet above the ground. “Oh, I think I can do that quite easily~” he said while practically undressing her with his eyes. “Can I ‘tuck’ you into bed too?”

“If ya promise ta put this outfit on, ya got yerself a deal~”

The rest of the partygoers seemed more than a little uncomfortable with how the two were looking at each other, and Dash was the first to say while looking away, “Alright, alright! Just take her home already, jeez!”

“Will do!” said Thunderlane with a salute. After he and Granny Smith waved goodbye, everyone else waved back with various “Thank yous” as the two soared off into the night’s sky. By the time the two disappeared from sight, Blane walked back to Troy who was still tied and lying on his back in the chair. Blane peered down from above with a cheeky grin on his face.

“So, what's it like being with a mare for the first time?”

“I HATE ALL OF YOU!”

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Bachelor Parties (Part Two)

Despite Canvas’ odd behavior, the bachelorette party that Lyra and Bon-Bon threw was quickly getting into full swing. Fortunately, the stallion was kept occupied enough by the food to appear somewhat normal, mostly because he couldn’t say many stupid things with his muzzle full of cake. Bon-Bon was especially happy that she decided to make so many snacks to go along with Pinkie’s baked goods, since they seemed to occupy Canvas and Lyra’s time nicely. However, the mare did regret making a large crockpot of nacho cheese, since the two stoned ponies were using it as a condiment for nearly everything they could get their hooves on.

Canvas was dipping some apple slices into a little bowl of cheese he made for himself, not seeming to notice how Applejack was staring at him like he was committing pure blasphemy. Rarity and Twilight both looked apprehensive as well, but it was a more pleasing sight than Lyra dipping chocolate chip cookies into her bowl. Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie had an impressed smile while chewing on the combinations both the baked ponies created. “Mmmm!” she piped happily after swallowing. “That’s actually pretty good!”

“Ugh!” groaned Rarity as she turned her head away from the eating habits her friends were displaying. “I seriously do not want to know what would possess you ponies to do such a thing to your bodies!”

Twilight peered over at Bon-Bon with narrowed eyes, clearly suspicious of what was going on. The Earth Pony returned the glance with a very worried-looking smile which was way wider than it needed to be. “Uhhh…” After darting her eyes around desperately, Bon-Bon quickly went to the kitchen counter to find something to use. “Party game!! L-let’s play a party game!”

“Yeah!” shouted Lyra enthusiastically while her mouth was still full of cheese and cookie.

Pinkie added in a cheerful voice of her own, “OOH! We should play ‘Never Have I Ever!’”

“Uhh, Pinkie?” piped Applejack while staring at her with a raised brow. She pointed a hoof towards Canvas as she asked, “Do ya really think a drinkin’ game is appropriate with a dry pony in the house?”

Pinkie paused for a second, and blinked two times before shrugging. “Well, he doesn’t have to drink alcohol to play it, does he?”

Applejack took a moment to think that over, realizing that Pinkie had a fair point. Canvas swallowed a muzzle full of food as he asked, “Ummm… what game are you talking about?”

Pinkie looked towards him in surprise. “What?! You mean you never played it?” she asked in a tone that suggested he said something completely unorthodox. After Canvas shook his head, Bon-Bon returned to the table with several red plastic cups, as well as a couple bottles of alcohol.

“Well,” began Bon-Bon as she decided to set up the game early, “the point of ‘Never Have I Ever’ is kinda like Truth or Dare. Each pony starts off by saying ‘Never have I ever,’ followed by something they never did. Then, any ponies who have done it have to take a drink.”

As she prepared the cups for everypony (including one with just soda for the stallion), Canvas’ brows raised in understanding as he nodded slowly. “Ohhhh! I think I heard of that game before.”

“Don’t worry, it’s super easy,” said Lyra as she leaned over to give him an encouraging nudge from the side. “So, whaddya say? You wanna try the game out?”

Even though he wasn’t exactly keen on a drinking game, the artist lazily shrugged as a smirk grew across his muzzle. “Oh, what the heck?” said Canvas as he took his cup of soda. “It sounds kinda fun.”

“Excellent!” chimed Rarity as she lifted her cup of what looked to be vodka and cranberry juice with her magic. When she looked around, it seemed that everypony was on board. Even Twilight took her cup without much protest, although it was clear she was still looking at Lyra and Canvas suspiciously. Rarity took a preliminary sip of her drink before nodding in acceptance. “Mmm! Alright, who wants to start?”

“OOH!” Pinkie Pie threw her hoof up like an excited school-filly who has the answer for a big question. “Pick me! Pick me!”

Rarity just sighed and silently motioned for the mare to continue. Pinkie’s smile widened greatly, and she stood on top of her chair before clearing her throat. “A’hem! Never have I ever…”

Pinkie then grew a devilish grin while looking around the room. “... Got caught reading Fifty Shades of Hay!”

Canvas covered his mouth with a hoof to try not to laugh. Of course, that move turned out to be futile when he saw Rarity, Twilight and Bon-Bon all reluctantly take sips from their cups. Applejack chuckled as she glanced at the three in surprise. “Jeez Louise! Why the hay were ya readin’ that for?!”

Rarity’s face was a deep shade of red as she looked down at her lap embarrassingly. “I… I heard good things from ponies about it…”

Twilight seemed more annoyed than anything while putting her cup down. “I was just curious since it was a top-seller at the bookstore.”

Bon-Bon just giggled and replied with a shrug, “I just wanted to read something that would make me laugh!”

“Surrrre ya did,” chimed Lyra cheekily while leaning in towards her. Bon-Bon’s smirk quickly soured while everypony else giggled at her reaction.

“Okay, okay,” began Applejack as she raised her cup. “Ah got somethin…”

Applejack looked around the room while her muzzle grew a smirk of her own. “Never have Ah ever… got caught wearin’ panties.”

Pinkie Pie shrugged and took a drink casually.

Rarity scoffed and took another drink, “Okay, now I’m feeling singled out righ--PTOO!!!”

The fashionista violently spat out her drink as soon as she saw that Canvas was meekly taking a drink too. Everypony else saw and gasped in surprise as well. “Well, Ah’ll be!” shouted Applejack while blinking a couple times at him. “Ah wasn’t expectin’ ta know that!”

Canvas grew a deeply embarrassed blush on his face, and he giggled while hiding his face with his cup. “Hehehehe… It was surprise for Troy one day when he came home. But he left the door open, and… D-Derpy came by and saw us…”

The stallion then erupted into a giggle fit while the rest of the girls laughed in surprise and second-hoof embarrassment. “Oh my goodness!” shouted Rarity while gawking at Canvas. “I hope it wasn’t anything too revealing!”

Canvas’ face grew even redder as he curled up in his seat and giggled.

“Idon’twannasayanymore!”

“Okay, okay,” said Twilight in an understanding tone as she raised her glass, “let me do the next one.” After thinking it over briefly, the Princess’ eyes widened as an idea sprouted. She smiled and decided to say, “Never have I ever… slept-walked into somepony else’s bed!”

“Aw, great!” Applejack groaned grumpily before taking a sip and looking away from Twilight. “Ya ain’t never gonna let that go, are ya?”

Twilight chuckled as she shook her head. Bon-Bon took a sip as well, and gave a cheery glance over at Lyra as she giggled. “Our first weekend vacation.”

Lyra giggled and bent in towards the table to whisper loudly, “That was also when she licked my horn!”

“LYRA!” shouted Bon-Bon in shock. While the rest of the mares laughed, Lyra realized her mistake with a blush.

“Oops! I didn’t mean to do that!” She then tried to rectify the situation by raising her cup to bring up that point properly. “I mean… Never have I ever licked somepony else's horn!”

“No, Lyra! That’s not what I meant!”

The laughter around the table grew louder, and Bon-Bon just groaned in aggravation while taking a big sip from her cup. Pinkie drank too. Applejack waited until no eyes were on her (besides Twilight’s knowing glance towards her) before taking the quickest sip she possibly could.

“Ummm…” Lyra stared at her wife meekly and said in a sad voice, “I’m sorry, Bonnie…”

Bon-Bon knew that Lyra didn’t mean to give out that detail (especially while high), and just sighed before looking back at her. “It’s alright, honey. I forgive you.”

The two then bent in to give a small nose-nuzzle to one another, leaving Canvas’ smile to lessen at seeing them like that. All he could think about was being with his fiancè, and he imagined what Troy was doing at that moment. He missed him. He wanted to see him. He wanted to hold him down and hug him and nuzzle those soft pillow-feathers while--

“Canvas?” asked Applejack loudly enough to jolt the pony out of a stupor he was unaware he was even in. “Ya’ll okay there?”

Canvas blinked a couple times and looked around, realizing that he must’ve been in thought for a while. All the girls were looking at him worriedly, which made him quickly smile and nod. “Oh yeah, yeah,” replied the stallion as he rubbed the back of his head and looked around. “I was just thinking about things, and Troy, and…” His words trailed off as he looked up at the top of the refrigerator, and he giggled when he saw a rubber duck up there.

“H-Hey, Canvas!” Lyra nudged his side strongly as a means to get him back to reality. “How about you say something?”

“Hm? Oh!” Canvas picked up his cup and cleared his throat, trying his hardest to appear “normal” while thinking of a good suggestion. “Let’s see, uhhh… Never have I ever…”

Due to his body and mind process feeling rather soft and loosely-hinged, it was fairly tough to think of a good suggestion. Fortunately, a sudden thought crossed the pony’s mind that made him smirk and say:

“... kissed a stallion!”

Bon-Bon made an impressive “Oooh” while glancing around the room. “This might be interesting.”

“Wait a minute,” said Applejack confusingly. “Whad’ya mean ya…” After pausing, the mare blinked before her eyes widened in realization. “Oh yeah. Ah guess Troy ain’t a stallion.”

Pinkie was the first to take a sip, once again not caring who saw it. Lyra also took a sip before saying nonchalantly, “Well, I did have a coltfriend before meeting Bon-Bon.”

Applejack took a drink and answered with her face pointed away from them, “Family reunion when Ah was a kid. Don’t ask. It was just practice.”

Rarity tried not to guffaw to that statement, and merely shrugged as she took her own sip. However, her focus immediately changed when she saw Twilight pick up her cup for a moment, and then quickly put it down with a blush. “Oh my word!” shouted the unicorn, prompting Twilight to illicit a worried “Eep!” when she saw Rarity’s eyes on her. “Who was it?!”

“N-NOPONY!” shouted Twilight as she leaned back in her seat in apprehension. “S-Seriously! It wasn’t any pony!”

Applejack’s muzzle slowly opened when she let out a long, knowing gasp. “Was… was it that human guy ya met in that mirror world?”

Lyra shot out of her chair. “THE WHAT?!”

Bon-Bon got out of her seat to try and restrain her wife from pouncing on Twilight. “P-PLEASE SAY IT WASN’T!” yelled the mare in a desperate voice while staring at the Princess wide-eyed. “Please! Don’t give her that ide--”

“I BUCKING KNEW THAT HUMANS EXISTED!!! I KNEW IT--MMF!!!” Bon-Bon promptly shoved her hoof in Lyra’s mouth as she tried thrashing out of the mare’s grip.

Canvas was staring at Lyra in horror while clutching his bowl of nacho cheese tightly against his chest. Applejack was looking just as worried as she blurted out, “A-Ah meant ducks!!! Ah… Ah didn’t mean ta say humans! It was the duck world! Heh heh… where did that come from?”

Lyra was frozen while her wife kept her restrained, and her eyes narrowed squarely on Twilight. While the Alicorn sat in worry, she watched as Lyra slowly settled back in her seat. When Bon-Bon finally pulled away from her, the unicorn pointed at her eyes before pointing her hoof straight at Twilight. “I’m gonna remember that…”

Twilight gulped while squirming in her chair uncomfortably. Rarity leaned in towards her as she kept her curious grin. “Soooo…” Her brows pointed upward a couple times before she asked, “Was it that guy?”

Twilight immediately blushed and looked away from her. “U-Uhhhh… W-Well… It wasn’t a kiss on the lips. Just… on the cheek. Close to the lips, but not exactly on it, a-a-and he wasn’t a stallion! S-So… it doesn’t count.”

Twilight then looked around the table with a highly exaggerated smile in hopes that the party wouldn’t ask any further about Brad. It was clear that both Rarity and Applejack wanted more details, but decided to let it slide with a unified roll of their eyes after looking at each other. Rarity then took the moment to raise her own glass to ask the next question. “Since I haven’t gone yet, never have I ever…” She gave a sly grin over in Twilight’s direction and finished her statement with, “... fantasized about someone of a different species?”

Twilight groaned and lowered her head in shame. Meanwhile, Canvas, Lyra, and Pinkie Pie were already taking sips. After the others finished, Twilight sighed deeply and made a reluctant sip herself. Rarity and Applejack didn’t hide their snickering one bit while watching her.

However, the focus changed when Lyra nudged her wife and said, “C’moooonnnn… Take a drink too!”

Bon-Bon jolted and tried to reply in a sputtered, “Wh-What do you mean? I-I… I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

The mare obviously looked worried, but that didn’t explain why her blushed expression was accompanied with her glancing over at Canvas a couple times worriedly. Of course, that just made Lyra’s grin grow wider. “Oh?” she asked pertly with her brows raised. “Are you saying you forgot whose name you yelled out in bed one night?”

“SSHHH!!!” Bon-Bon promptly tried to shush her stoned wife, but everypony else was staring at the two curiously. The mare angrily leaned in close to Lyra’s ears and tried to whisper as subtly and firmly as she could, “Lyra, you are not going to make me tell them about that! It was one time!”

“Oh, don’t be such a prude!” replied Lyra in a more carefree tone. “I’ve shouted out a lot of names before! Plus, it’s hard to blame ya for thinking of Angela while--MMPH!!”

Despite how quickly Bon-Bon tried plugging her wife’s mouth, the dropped jaws from everypony else made it clear that they all heard that statement. Canvas brought his hooves up to his face and blurted out, “You fantasized about my Mother-in-law?!”

Bon-Bon made a long, pregnant pause while in her seat, and was only stopped so she could pick up her cup and take a meager drink. That made the entire table burst out into laughter, all while Bon-Bon slumped in her chair with a venomous glare towards Lyra. The mint unicorn seemed especially giggly as she convulsed with her eyes nearly glued shut, so she wasn’t able to notice Bon-Bon keep her glass up and make her contribution:

“Never have I ever fantasized about Shining Armor!”

Lyra instantly stopped laughing and gasped in shock towards her wife. However, her gasp wasn’t nearly as loud as Twilight’s was. The Princess sat with her jaw almost touching the table, which wasn’t helped when she watched Lyra’s next action. After a few seconds frozen and stunned, the mare huffed and took a drink…

Along with everypony else else at the table.

“WHAT?!” screamed Twilight as she saw everypony except Bon-Bon take a drink.

Pinkie was the first to put down her cup and shrug. “What? Your brother’s a hunk!”

Canvas silently nodded, but didn’t dare say anything to risk facing the Princess’ wrath. Twilight glared in Rarity and Applejack’s direction. Rarity was rubbing along the outside of her cup timidly with a hoof while her muzzle was pointed away from her friend. When Twilight’s sights went to Applejack, the orange mare’s shoulders shrugged similar to Pinkie’s. “Well, he is,” admitted Applejack honesty. “Cadance is a lucky lady!”

“I can't believe you girls!” yelled Twilight in an appalled and disappointed tone.

“Oh, come on now!” responded Applejack with a roll of her eyes. “Are ya really gonna get all worked up about that? It’s just a game, Twi! Ya need to loosen up about that sorta thing.”

Twilight paused for a brief second, and huffed before settling back in her seat. “Well, I suppose you have a point…” After a split-second decision, the Princess raised her glass again and said while pinning her eyes straight at Applejack, “Never have I ever fantasized about Big Macintosh!”

Applejack’s muzzle hung open in an instant. Unfortunately, it stayed there for quite a while after seeing everypony else take a drink silently. Twilight just smirked as she looked around the room before turning back to see Applejack’s reaction. “WHAT THE BUCK?!” shouted the farm pony in a fit of rage.

Bon-Bon avoided eye contact with her and answered meekly, “Your… your brother’s really hot, okay?”

Lyra just giggled and added, “Yeah! Heck, one time we even considered asking him--” Luckily, one dangerously strong glare from her wife was enough to shut her up before saying anything too revealing.

Instead, Applejack’s sights went towards Canvas, making the stallion shrink in his seat while she narrowed her eyes on him. “... You too?”

Canvas cringed and tried to turn her head away from her in growing unease. “Uhhh… well, he…”

He quickly shut his muzzle before he could utter anything else while still baked. Applejack’s head tilted to the side as her sights narrowed on him even more. “Canvas.... When we were helpin’ fixin’ up yer house, were ya purposely droppin’ all those nails just to watch him pick ‘em up!?”

Canvas stared at the mare wide-eyed, unable to fathom how she came to that seemingly random (and very correct) question so quickly. His face became a very deep shade of red, and his muzzle shakily opened as he tried to give his answer.

“I-I-I… I want to play a different game now…”

While the rest of the table cracked up, Applejack just kept staring daggers at the baked stallion.

By the time the pig was fully devoured and the bonfire was extinguished, Troy’s bachelor party took to the skies. As the group reached Cloudsdale’s city limits, it seemed that three of the gryphons (more specifically, one gryphon and two gryphonesses) were more occupied with each other than the rest of the party. It was unclear what Gilda and Greta whispered to Blade on their way to the cloud city, but it was apparently enough to make him give Troy an early goodbye for the night. While Blaze and Blane weren’t exactly happy that their brother would flake out so early during Troy’s bachelor party, they also knew better than to try to keep him from knowing the catering girls a little better.

When the remaining group reached the club, they were surprised to find that there wasn’t much of a line out front like expected. Unfortunately, it seemed that the triplets’ party plans weren’t exactly thought thoroughly. If they had talked with Rainbow Dash beforehoof (or any pony for that matter), they would’ve found out that Cloudsdale had a rather strict curfew when it came to their bars. Unlike other cities in Equestria, Cloudsdale’s night clubs shut down at ten PM instead of one AM.

Because of that, a rather heated fight was brewing outside Cloudsdale’s Wyngs establishment between the triplets and the club bouncer. “What the buck do you MEAN we only have fifteen minutes left?!” yelled Blaze in a tone that sounded distinctly like his Father’s. “Are you aware how much money we paid to reserve the VIP room?!”

The muscled Pegasus only shrugged, not seeming to mind too much that a huge gryphon was staring him down murderously. Of course, perhaps the thick beard and sunglasses covering his face helped a bit. “Sorry, it’s city policy,” said the stallion, not caring that Blaze’s face was growing redder by the second. “If you want, you can talk with the manager for a possible partial refund, but I can’t--”

“A PARTIAL REFUND?!” screamed Blaze before lunging towards the guard. Blane was lucky to pull his brother back at the nick of time, saving the stallion from nearly getting his face slashed by Blaze’s claws. Even though his reaction appeared nothing more than a slight raise of his brows, the bodyguard was still peeved enough to point his hoof away from the club.

“Okay, that’s it!” yelled the guard firmly enough to make his tone apparent. “Your group can leave right now!”

“Wait, wait!” Rainbow Dash was quick enough to swoop in towards the pony, choosing not to stand at the sidelines like Troy and Lyle were. While the guard let out a brief and almost unheard groan, the mare sighed before trying to rectify the situation. “Okay, I’m sorry about my friends back there,” she said while pointing back at Blaze (with Blane still trying to keep him restrained). “They weren’t aware about Cloudsdale’s curfew, alright? They just wanted to celebrate their brother getting married.”

Before the bodyguard could say anything in opposition, Dash put her hoof out and added, “Plus, the guys went through one and half barrels of hard cider. They’re not exactly in the best state of mind.”

After a small huff through his nostrils, the guard took off his sunglasses and began with, “Listen, I know for a fact that it would take more than a barrel of Equestrian alcohol for gryphons to--” About halfway through his spiel, the stallion froze as his eyes widened. “Wait a minute! Are… are you Rainbow Dash!?”

Due to the stallion wearing sunglasses at night, it was hard to recognize the Element of Loyalty before taking his shades off. While Blaze settled down and watched from the side, Dash quickly took the opportunity to nod and say in a friendlier tone, “Yeah! And believe me, I’d be just as upset as you if they did that to me. But they’re just trying to have a good bachelor party. We’re not wanting to cause any trouble, I swear.”

The bodyguard peered between Dash and her entourage, his muzzle skewing as he weighed the options. After a few seconds of silence, he looked back at the club and sighed before saying towards Rainbow, “Listen, I’ll see if I can talk with the manager, but like I said, a partial refund is all we can do here. If you want, there’s a good club outside Canterlot that stays open until two am. It’s called the Allure. Can’t miss it.”

Dash smiled and nodded at the stallion’s suggestion. “That sounds good, dude. Thanks.”

After nodding back at her, the pony retreated into the club. As she turned back to her friends, Dash’s smirk was quite evident. Troy and Lyle clapped lightly at her impressive display. “Wow!” blurted Troy with a thankful tone of voice. “I gotta say, I didn’t think you could schmooze ponies like that!”

“Oh, it was nothing,” she replied humbly with a light shrug. “I don’t like using my royal status all the time, but I may have used it to get a free drink or two around town.”

Blaze still seemed upset, and looked away from Dash as he muttered a brief, “Yeah, thanks.” He then let out a low and bitter growl in frustration before adding, “I still think that curfew thing is gay as shit-- Oh, dammit!”

Blane pointed at his brother with accompanying “Aaahhh!!” while grinning. While Troy stared at him in slight disbelief, Blaze groaned and rolled his eyes. “Alright, alright!” he said annoyedly. “You don’t need to remind me, I’ll put a bit in the jar when we get back!”

Troy tilted his head with his eyes narrowed. “Ummm, what jar?”

Lyle stared at Troy with a confused look of his own. “What, you didn’t know? The triplets have this ‘Swear Jar’ thing back home, but it’s for whenever they use the word ‘Gay’ like that.”

“Yeah,” said Blane in addition while looking towards Troy. “Where’d ya think we got the money for your Hearth’s Warming gifts?”

Troy’s eyes widened in surprise, unsure whether or not to find that statement to be touching. “Umm… huh.”

The bodyguard came back out from the club’s front doors, holding a small bag of bits in one hoof. “Here ya go,” said the stallion as he handed Dash the partial refund. “That should probably be enough to pay the cover charge over there.”

“Awesome,” said Dash as she shook the bodyguard’s hoof, while also subtly pulling his sights away from the two older gryphons making mocking gestures of the guy behind his back. Before she could give the two a quick glare to stop them, she said to the stallion, “Thanks for understanding.” Blaze and Blane instantly appeared “casual” when the stallion turned back around to keep watch outside the club again.

Troy sighed briefly as he looked up at the club. While Blaze and Blane took to the skies, Dash paused and asked Troy, “Hey, what’s up?”

“Nothing. Just…” Troy’s beak skewed a little before he exhaled faintly. “I’m just kinda wondering what Canvas is up to, that’s all.”

“Oh, don’t worry about him,” assured Dash with a nudge against his side. “Believe me, Pinkie’s bachelorette parties are usually just them playing games and eating a cake shaped like a stallion’s dingus. He’s fine!”

“I know, I know,” replied Troy with a shrug. Lyle came up beside him to see what was up, and saw his brother blush a little and admit, “I just kinda… wanted to see him again, that’s all.”

Rainbow scoffed with a jeer. “Jeeze, dude! One night on your own, and you already miss him?”

“Yeah,” added Lyle as he opened his wings, “that’s kinda overdependent, dude.”

“Oh, shut up!” said Troy, keeping an angered look as he soared up into the skies with Dash and Lyle. He refrained from saying much else, and the gryphon’s beak was clenched as he thought to himself:

Man… I hope he’s going to be okay...

The Allure, which was notorious for being one of the most popular clubs for Canterlot ponies, had no problems attracting lots of prospective clientele despite being outside the city limits. In fact, due to being outside city ordinances, the nightclub didn’t have to adhere to most of the standards that most clubs in Equestrian cities had to follow. So because of that, it was no surprise that it became the hot spot for multiple big gatherings that night.

In fact, while Rainbow Dash and the remaining four gryphons took flight towards the nightclub, it seemed that they weren’t the only party headed to that location. On the ground, a pony-drawn carriage was on the road towards the Allure with Canvas’ bachelor party inside laughing it up. Due to the copious amounts of alcohol consumed by the mares in attendance, Canvas and Lyra no longer seemed like the odd ponies out. Even Twilight Sparkle had an evident blush on her cheeks after having one too many mimosas during the ride.

While most of the group laughed and exchanged stories, each one being raunchier than the last, Canvas was occupied with a sketchpad and a pencil strapped to his hoof. He was still feeling the effects of Lyra’s stash, and was taking advantage of the moment as he gained a sudden bout of artistic inspiration. Even though Lyra was worried he was acting like too much of a wallflower, none of the others seemed to mind that Canvas was more focused on his art than the story of Rarity’s Nightmare Night incident.

Applejack couldn’t stop giggling as she tried to tell the story. Rarity constantly tried to shush her friend, but it was to no avail as the tipsy farm pony reached to the conclusion of it. “N-Now, that’s… that’s when Rare here started ta get really grabby wit’ me, so Ah tried ta get her away from the cider before she tried flirtin’ with anypony else! But as soon as Ah l-looked away for one second, she ran off and started whisperin’ a bunch of dirty stuff into Zecora’s ear!”

That was when Rarity tried to cover Applejack’s muzzle with her hooves, ignoring the uproar of laughter from everypony else in the carriage. “Applejaaaaaack!” moaned Rarity in a slurred voice. “I told you, I didn’t say anything to her! I was just…. Just complimenting her mane!”

Applejack pulled Rarity’s hooves from her mouth and replied with a smirk, “So why was her face redder than my brother’s?”

Rarity didn’t have a valid response in a timely enough manner before hearing more laughter from her friends. Her embarrassed blush deepened as she looked away from Applejack with an upset pout. “Oh, whatever,” muttered the unicorn bitterly. “You have no proof.”

“Ah got enough proof from past experience,” stated Applejack confidently. “Whenever ya get drunk, ya either start cryin a bunch, or ya get hornier than a cage full of rhinos!”

“Shut UUUPPPP!” whined Rarity pleadingly. In an attempt to get the target off of her own back, the fashionista turned over to Canvas and tried to peer into his sketch pad. “Sooooo, what are you--MY WORD!”

Rarity’s outburst caused everypony to glance over at Canvas, whose blush was accompanied by a guilty smile on his face. He giggled to himself before turning the sketchbook around for the girls to see. “I wanted to make something special for myself…”

The group of mares peered in, and all of them seemed confused at Canvas’ choice of artistic inspiration:

A very well-detailed sketch of Troy’s butt.

“Oooohhh!” Pinkie had a wide smile as she pointed a hoof at the sketch. “That’s a good-looking tooshie!”

“Ummm…” Lyra tilted her head confoundedly and asked, “Was that what you were drawing this whole ride?”

“That’s not it!” After he closed the sketchbook to go back to the first page, Canvas held it out while flipping the pages for them to see. “I was doing this!”

All of the pictures in Canvas’ sketchbook were of Troy’s butt, each one just as detailed as the last. And as the pages were being flipped through, it revealed Canvas’ animation skills as he showed the gryphon’s rump shaking around and swishing his tail.

Despite how surprising that was to see, the entire party was cracking up wildly at Canvas’ surprisingly impressive artwork. While giggling like mad, the stallion went to the last page before beginning to flip the pages in the opposite direction. “Hehehehe… I also made one of him from the front stroking his--”

“HO-KAYYY!” Bon-Bon quickly stopped the stallion from revealing too much as she closed his sketchbook for him. “Canvas, I think we’re almost at the club now, okay?”

“Ooh! We are?” Canvas turned around to look out the window of the carriage along with everypony else, seeing the nightclub’s neon-colored spotlights just up the road. Despite the fact that the road itself was on a fairly desolate and empty-looking stretch, there was still a long line of ponies that could be seen leading to the place. As the carriage passed a thick line of trees, the surprisingly modern-looking club stood alone in the Equestrian wilderness like some odd sort of mirage. The marble walls and matching columns boasted a flawlessly bright white, which made the multicolored neon lights bounce off of it to give the building a wild and unrelentless vibe.

Canvas and Lyra’s eyes widened as they made a unified, “Whoooaaaa,” at the sight. Bon-Bon groaned worriedly at the two.

As the carriage made a stop right in front of the club, Twilight winced as she saw how long the line outside the club was. “Urgh… maybe we should’ve made a reservation or something.”

“Oh, pish-posh!” stated Rarity with a confident wave of her hoof. “You’re a Princess, Twilight! Do you really think we have to wait in line?”

Even though she wasn’t as enthused about the idea, Applejack shrugged in reluctant agreement. “Rare kinda has a point. Ah mean, half of us are Guardians of Equestria. Seems like VIP status right there.”

Twilight sighed pertly and looked away from them. “Well, perhaps.” After using her magic to open the carriage door, the Princess stepped out first as she said, “But I don’t want to use my royal status to inconfier, uh… inconvenience others.”

Even with that slurred correction, Twilight was able to make herself look relatively sober as she appeared in front of the club, creating a lot of attention from ponies who seemed surprised and thrilled by her presence. The Princess nervously walked to the front of the club where the bodyguard was, hoping she wasn’t taking unfair advantage of her status as her party followed suit. Fortunately, before Twilight could even say a word, the pure-white unicorn lowered his shades as he peered at the Alicorn and her group.

“Wow!” he said in an impressed voice as a smirk grew on his face. “I gotta say, I wasn’t expecting the other Elements to be here tonight too!”

Twilight tilted her head with a baffled look. “Wait, what?”

Meanwhile, the interior of the Allure was throbbing with excitement as the dance floor was flooded with dozens, if not hundreds of dancing ponies. With the strobes and multicolored lights spinning around the ceiling of the grand building, it made the sea of multicolored ponies below look even more vibrant and sensual than before. On one of the massive balconies along the back wall of the establishment, the award-winning DJ Vinyl Scratch (or as she’s more commonly known on stage, DJ PON3) could be seen behind her turntable, flawlessly putting her talent to use as she spun the records of her track with only her hooves. The bass of the dubstep sent the entirety of the club into constant vibration, making the building feel just as alive as the ponies inhabiting it.

Troy’s group was already in the club on the second floor, with all of them perched within a booth table soaking in the club’s energy. Blaze looked around the crowded space with a grin, and pulled out a black bottle from underneath his wing. “Alright guys!” he shouted loudly enough for the others to hear over the music’s thunderous bass. “Let’s get some shots!”

While Blane got the shot glasses he swiped from the bar ready, Rainbow Dash peered in at the bottle Blaze brought, which she immediately recognized as a Gryphonian liquor. Even though she never had it before, she knew that Gryphon booze was supposed to be MUCH stronger than any Equestrian alcohol. However, her eyes still shot wide-open when she saw the number listed for its alcohol content. “Three hundred proof?!”

“Yep!” chirped Blaze as he popped the bottle and poured the shots. The liquid that came out was as black as tar, and smelled like paint-thinner. “This is one of the Gryphon Kingdom’s finest liquors on the market: Black Death!”

Dash blinked a couple times in shock before glancing up at Blaze. “Ummm… it’s literally impossible for alcohol to be three hundred proof! That’s like, one hundred fifty percent alcohol!”

“Well well well,” said Blane mockingly with a roll of his eyes, “Who invited Little Miss Math-Head to the party?”

While Rainbow shot an annoyed stare towards the massive gryphon, Blaze added with a smirk of his own, “Hey, you ponies aren’t the only ones with magic, you know!” After the four shots were prepped, he pushed the other three towards his brothers. “Alright, look alive, boys!”

“WHOA!” Dash put her hoof out in protest before pointing at Lyle. “What the hey, man?! Lyle’s a kid!”

“Teenager,” corrected Lyle as he picked up his shot glass.

“Besides,” added Blane while planting a claw on Lyle’s shoulder, “he’s only having one shot. We made that clear with the little bucker.”

After sighing with a roll of her eyes, Dash blinked as she realized they only made four shots. “Wait a minute!” shouted the Pegasus angrily. “How come I don’t have one?!”

All four gryphons cracked up like Rainbow Dash just told a great dirty limerick at the table. “Dash,” said Troy with an amused smile and a firm shake of his head, “believe me, you can not have a shot of Gryphon liquor.”

“Yeah,” said Blane in addition, “like, ponies have died from just one shot of his stuff!”

“Oh, come on! I’m not a friggin’ lightweight! Ask Troy!”

Troy openly scoffed and shook his head again. “Noooooo! You are totally a lightweight!”

“Oh, BUCK YOU!” In a poorly thought-out means to prove her point, Rainbow Dash snatched Blaze’s shot glass before any of them could stop her, and downed the shot in one second flat. The booze tasted just as much like paint thinner as it smelled, and the pony nearly gagged while coughing afterward. While the four gryphons stared at her with their beaks gaped in shock, the mare mustered a tiny smirk after regaining her breath, and slammed the glass back on the table in front of them.

“See?!” she said with a cocky grin with her hooves up in the air. “What did I tell you? Totally--”

WHUMP!!!

Just as quickly as she took that shot, Dash was out like a light as she fell face-first into the table. Blane instinctively leaned forward and put his talons against her neck to find a pulse. After a brief moment of worry from the others, Blane smiled and pulled his claw away. “She’s fine!” he said in surprising assurance. “She’ll wake up in about twelve hours!”

Blane may have not been the brightest bulb in the pack, but he was always strangely right about estimations like that. So, after Blaze refilled his glass, the four decided to get the party going with a unified shot. Even Lyle, who rarely drank booze before that night, was able to down the shot in the same time as the others, even though he coughed sporadically because of it.

Blaze and Blane cackled at Lyle’s sputtering, but Troy patted his back firmly and said, “Hey, don’t worry! You downed it better than my first time!”

After Lyle nodded with a thankful smile, Troy and the other two made follow-up shots of the infamous Black Death. The taste may have lived up to its name, but Troy took it like a trooper as the booze began to take effect. He could his head spinning after the second shot, and he wasn’t able to keep up while his older brothers took their third.

Even with how loud the club was, the group still overheard Pinkie Pie’s distinct voice shout out, “Oh my gosh, you guys ARE here!!!”

None of the group could even turn their heads to the source of her voice before they were pulled into a massive hug from her hooves. “This is so amazing!” yelled Pinkie with overwhelming glee as she sat in the middle of the booth, nearly strangling the four gryphons with her grip. “We didn’t know you guys would be here too! This is so unexpected and--Wait, why do you guys smell like pulled pork?”

“Wait a minute!” shouted Troy as he managed to pull himself from Pinkie’s hug. His mind was getting hazy, but he still tried to ask in an increasingly slurred-sounding, “Are… are you saying that Canvas is here too?!”

“Well, duh!” stated Pinkie like that was a stupid question to ask. “Of COURSE he is! This is only the most happening club within carriage distance! He’s down on the dance floor right now!”

Troy whipped his head around to look down from the balcony and see for himself. But because of the vast crowd accumulating the space, it would’ve been impossible for Troy to find Canvas down there while sober. So clearly, he was in no shape to try that while the alcohol continued to surge through his bloodstream.

“Uhhhh…” Troy was feeling dizzy as he turned back to Pinkie and asked, “D-Doyou… do you know where he could be?”

“Hey, hey, hey!” Blaze was starting to sound drunker too, and quickly grabbed Troy’s foreleg so he wouldn’t leave the booth. “Come on, man! W-We’re supposed to have the night away from your colt-toy, remember?!”

“I don’t care!” slurred Troy as he pulled himself away from Blaze’s claw. “I want to see my stallion!”

Before any of them could protest, Troy bursted from the booth and went to lumber his way down to the dancefloor. Pinkie looked back at his brothers and said, “Just wait here! I’ll make sure he doesn’t do anything silly!”

Of course, before Pinkie could disappear to help Troy, she paused as she saw the unconscious Rainbow Dash. She blinked a couple times in thought, and decided to place a party hat on her head before leaving.

Unfortunately, that prompted Blaze and Blane to have the same idea at the same time. They glanced over at Lyle before Blane asked, “Hey, you got your markers on you?”

Instead of answering, Lyle lunged his head from the booth and vomited on the floor.

Down on the dancefloor, Canvas felt like electricity was flowing through his brain as he danced among the varying lights and colors. He may have not been dancing as fast as the other ponies, but he couldn’t have cared less while wearing several glow-stick rings around his neck.

Right now, all that the stallion could feel was an immensive force of... immersion. Yeah, that’s the word! Canvas felt immersive among this crowd of ponies dancing. He didn’t feel like an outcast, or like some freak who was destined to be completely different from everypony else. Instead, he was actually one within the crowd. Able to entangle himself within the group and help contribute to it, like he was helping to make a single living being of dance and pure happiness. A being which happens to be made of hundreds of other dancing ponies.

Canvas froze in the middle of the dance floor for a second, realizing that could make for an amazing painting if he could remember that detail. He pulled out his sketch pad among the dancing crowd and tried to scribble that detail down, not seeming to notice the other various words and symbols he already jotted down every ten minutes or so. If he did, he not only would’ve realized he already wrote this idea down, but he also sketched ideas ranging from a “Dog army” (literally what he wrote) to a city being attacked by Troy’s butt.

After Canvas stuffed the sketch pad back in his bag, he looked to see Pinkie Pie hopping through the crowd like a rabbit through a tall patch of grass. Without even touching a single other pony, Pinkie landed in front of Canvas with perfect precision. She had an especially giddy smile as she asked him, “Guess whaaaaat?”

Canvas’ eyes were slightly glazed as he giggled. “What?”

“No, I want you to guess!”

The smile Canvas had slowly melted, making him look confused and slightly worried while thinking of a guess. “Uhhhh… wait…”

Pinkie just laughed and covered her mouth with a hoof. “Oh, never mind, silly filly!” She then turned around pointed her hoof towards the figure stumbling through the dance floor less than gracefully. “I found the best kind of surprise you could’ve asked for!”

Canvas’ eyes widened as he gasped, “You found pretzels?!”

While Pinkie glanced back at him with a confused “What?”, Troy came into Canvas’ view as soon as he pushed through the last pony to find him. Canvas gawked up up him silently, his glazed eyes brightening at the sight of the beautiful gryphon underneath the neon lights. Time began to slow down for the artist, and his vision turned clouded at the sides while peering up at Troy. His silver feathers bounced the colors of the technicolor lights off of him, making his fiancè’s heart start racing with overwhelming feelings. To the pony, Troy looked just as amazing as that painting Canvas made of him so long ago…

The painting he showed Troy on the night they fell in love.

Troy’s eyes widened as well, staring in awe at the pony in front of him. The stallion looked so tranquil and happy among the wild dancing ponies around them, like the one boat that was somehow still afloat among a blistering storm. Troy had no idea why he was even thinking of that right now, but he didn’t care either. All he knew was that Canvas looked absolutely perfect.

However, Pinkie Pie started to look confused as she stared at both of them. Troy looked absolutely lovestruck at the sight of his stallion, which was super-duper cute to see. But when Pinkie glanced at Canvas’ reaction, his face started to change slowly. While looking up at his Teddy Gryphon, the pony’s wide eyes began to sadden a bit, like he remembered something really sad. His breathing started to turn rapid and panicky before he quickly tried to bolt away from him.

Pinkie and Troy both looked surprised when the stallion tried to push his way past the dancing ponies behind him to leave. Troy immediately made chase, which just made Canvas try to push through the crowd faster. Unfortunately, as soon as he broke free of the dance floor, the stoned stallion accidentally ran into a unicorn’s aura which was carrying a tray full of drinks.
Canvas crashed head-first into the tray, spilling various mixed drinks all over himself before falling to the floor.

“HEY!” yelled the stallion that Canvas ran into. The yellow unicorn’s face became as red as his mane as he turned absolutely livid. “What the buck is your problem, man?!”

Despite the thundering club music, the stallion’s outburst caused a few ponies nearby to take notice while Canvas tried to get back on his hooves. “I-I’m sorry!” blurted the artist sincerely while wiping some vodka-based drink off his face with a hoof, “I didn’t mean to--”

Canvas was pushed to the ground by the stallion in a fit of rage. “You think this is a bucking joke?!” he yelled down at him. Canvas was starting to look scared as his mind tried to desperately process what was going on. “You know how much those drinks costed me?!”

“I-I-I said I was sorry!” Canvas reached a hoof into his art bag, hoping to find some bits inside for compensation. Just as Troy managed to lumber through the dance floor, he caught sight of Canvas just as he was being knocked to the ground again. The unicorn used his magic to snatch Canvas’ art bag, which instantly set the artist off. “HEY!!!” screamed the pony as he lunged after him. “GIVE THAT BA--”

The unicorn may have been just as small as Canvas was, but that didn’t keep him from delivering a surprisingly strong punch towards the artist’s face to shut him up. As the pony fell to the floor, the unicorn’s horn lit even brighter. The aura around Canvas’ bag intensified, and the bag’s sides began to stretch apart. Even though the bag was made of a fairly durable canvas, it wouldn’t take much effort for the stallion to tear it in half like tissue pap--

SMASH!!!

The stallion couldn’t even get a single seam of the art bag broken before Canvas gave a returning blow to the unicorn’s face. Canvas didn’t even know how he got hold of a beer bottle so quickly, but it was effective enough to explode across the pony’s face and make his horn stop glowing in a second. While the stallion screamed and gripped his now bloodied face, Canvas snatched his bag that fell to the floor and tried to run for it. Unfortunately, he could only get a couple steps before the unicorn gripped Canvas’ tail with his magic and reeled him back in. “YOU MOTHERBUCKER!!!”

Canvas felt like the next three seconds went by in super slow motion. First, he saw the unicorn lunge in towards him, his drunken eyes seething with rage while his bloodied hooves went out to grab him. The unicorn was in midair during that lunge, and it was clear he was going to make Canvas bleed just as badly as he was. Just as the unicorn was less than a foot from from, Canvas saw something come into view in front of his face. A large, familiar claw barreled its way towards the unicorn’s face, colliding with it perfectly from the side. From the look on his face, he didn’t even realize he was hit until his muzzle was knocked several inches to the left.

By the time Canvas saw time move at a normal pace again, the unicorn was thrown across the room from that single punch that Troy delivered. After a massive crash against the wall, breaking a neon sign in the process, the stallion fell limply to the floor like a bag of potatoes. But before Canvas could even process what just happened, he felt Troy wrap his forelegs around him for a strong hug. Due to his inebriated state, the artist had no idea how long that hug felt, but it was more than long enough to make his heart warm up while hugging him back.

Unfortunately, that hug was realistically only a few seconds long before several auras of magic pulled both of them apart and restrained them. Even though it was obviously too late, several security ponies were on the two as they were pushed to the ground and cuffed.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Jailhouse Talk

Troy grimaced with a low, gurgling groan as his eyes clenched tightly shut, not wanting any sunlight to risk coming in to blind him. His head was throbbing, but he wasn’t sure if the headache was from last night’s drinking or this morning’s bad sleeping position. The gryphon wanted to move his head up, but he knew that any slight movement could affect the crippling nausea he felt in his gut. Although, given how strong the taste of vomit was in his beak, he wasn’t sure how much he could throw up right now.

Since he couldn’t turn to his side, Troy had no choice but to remain on his back while keeping himself balanced on the small wooden plank that was supposed to be a “bed.” Even though he knew he could’ve just rested on the concrete floor of his cell, the gryphon heard enough stories from his older brothers about jail to know that even the strongest bleach couldn’t clean what was most likely spewed or splattered down there. So, Troy just sighed and stayed put in wait, hoping that his and Canvas’ stint wasn’t going to last longer than one night.

In the cell next to Troy’s, Canvas was completely sober while seated on his bench quietly. He had a small bandage over the bridge of his snout, along with two small bruises at the corners of his eyes, but he honestly couldn’t say he felt much discomfort. While he was glad that he and his fiancè were placed in individual cells instead of some group setup full of thugs or junkies, the stallion really wished there weren’t a row of metal bars between himself and his gryphon. He also really wanted his sketchbook and pencil, but the guard refused even after being asked politely. The stallion huffed and leaned his head back against one of the bars, unable to even think of sleeping right now.

In retrospect, Canvas knew that hitting that guy with a beer bottle was a huge mistake. Yes, the stallion punched him first. Yes, he was also just about to tear apart one of the most sentimental items Canvas owned. And yes, that pony probably had anger issues long before coming to the club wasted. However, Canvas was still aware that he was probably going to be in deep water over this.

Canvas wasn’t sure how long he was sitting completely silent in a mix of boredom and worry, but his looming thoughts were thankfully skewed when he heard Troy groan deeply. The gryphon struggled while gripping the bars with one claw, hoisting himself to a seated position on his board opposite of Canvas’. His eyes stayed shut while keeping his head lurched forward, taking deep breaths to keep himself from vomiting again. After taking a few minutes to pull himself together, Troy swallowed some excess bile in his beak and tried to groan out, “C… Canvas?”

“Yeah?” asked the pony as he turned his head around. “You okay, honey?”

Troy lifted his head up slowly, but his compulsory attempt to nod quickly changed to a faint shake instead. “Ugh, no,” he muttered sickly while leaning his face into one of his claws. “I feel like shit.”

Canvas sighed and nodded in agreement. “Well, I don’t exactly feel like a ray of sunshine either.” As the pony turned back around to glance down at the floor, he exhaled while thinking over last night’s events in regret. “Why the buck did I let Lyra give me pot?”

“... You smoked pot?” Troy, despite his hungover tone, still sounded fairly surprised.

Canvas nodded with his lips pursed shut in cringe. “Y-yeah,” he admitted while rubbing the back of his head. “She thought it would help me calm down, so I figured it was better than nothing.”

“Yeah, well…” Troy rubbed his eyes with his claws and yawned deeply. When he was finally able to open his eyes, they were deeply red and bloodshot behind his strained eyelids. “I guess I shouldn’t judge,” said the gryphon in a tired grunt. “I ate a quarter of a pig and drank enough alcohol to kill a pony.”

“And yet, I’m still going to marry you tomorrow.”

Troy managed to chuckle briefly at that, happy that his fiancè still had a sense of humor despite their situation. “Yeah, maybe,” he replied with a twinge of worry lingering in the back of his mind. He sighed as he added, “That is, if we’re able to.”

“Mmhmm.” Canvas was just as worried as his fiancè and he looked around the bare jail cell he was in with that troubling realization sinking in. It was literally the day before their wedding, and they were stuck in a Canterlot jail awaiting possible criminal charges. Even with their connections with the Princess of Friendship, the pony knew that last night was most likely going to badly affect both of their futures. Canvas hunched in his bench and groaned sadly. “Goddess… Why did this have to happen?”

“Hey, it’s not your fault,” stated Troy in a firmer-sounding tone while turning his head around to see his fiancè. “It was self defense.”

“Yeah, but still!” Canvas huffed in anxiety while his voice started to sound more strained. “I shouldn’t have gotten stoned last night! I was always told my whole life to not do any drugs, and I just went and did it because I was too freaked out to--”

Despite the pony’s panicked ranting, his words trailed off when he heard Troy making some weird groan. Canvas rolled his eyes and said, “Troy, come on, this is serious!” However, that was when Troy ran to the toilet in his cell. Canvas quickly stopped as soon as he heard Troy hurl loudly with his face inside of the metal bowl. While the gryphon expelled himself of the previous night’s consumables, Canvas covered his face with his hooves in growing shame. “Oh…”

Even though he knew he shouldn’t feel this guilty, he couldn’t help it when he looked back at everything that happened.

If only I insisted on talking with Troy before his brothers made him leave.

If only I didn’t freak out so much to make Lyra resort to calming me down with that stuff.

If only I didn’t run away from Troy on the dance floor like that.

If only I didn’t pick up that bucking bottle!

So many other ‘If Onlys’ ran through Canvas’ mind in constant succession, leaving the stallion to cringe and try not to cry. He couldn’t stop thinking about this being his own fault, even though he knew that Troy would strongly disagree. The growing feeling of dread was continuing to dig into Canvas’ psyche, leaving him too preoccupied with his own thoughts to realize that his fiancè was finished vomiting. When Troy lumbered back to his bench and sat down, he glanced back at Canvas and frowned strongly.

“Canvas, please,” said the gryphon as he leaned in against the bars and spoke sympathetically. “I don’t want to see you act like this. It wasn’t your fault.”

“Yes it is!” Canvas couldn’t take it anymore as he sank his face into his hooves and sobbed. As his sniffles echoed in his cell, the pony’s voice came out strained and hurt as he started babbling. “I… I-I wanted to talk to you last night b-because… Because I got a letter the same time you got yours…”

Troy’s brows raised in surprise, clearly unaware of that detail.

“A-And,” continued Canvas as tears started to shed, “it said that I w-was asked to make a painting for Princess Cadance and Sh-Shining Armor up in the Crystal Empire! And… And if I take the job, then… th-then I wouldn’t be able to help you out in Manehattan during your rehearsals!”

Canvas winced before covering his muzzle with his hooves, hoping to muffle his sobs enough to not warrant too much attention from anypony who could hear them. “But… but now I bucked everything up! Because I didn’t know how to handle it, I got high like an idiot and got us both in jail! You could lose your Bridleway job, and I could lose my painting offer, and then all the worries I had will be for nothing because I ruined both our lives!”

While Canvas continued to cry in overwhelming guilt, Troy just sat frozen as he tried to process everything he just heard. His mind was still a bit frayed, so it took a considerable amount of time for him to let his fiancè’s words sink in. After almost a minute or so, Troy shook his head clear and blinked a couple times. “I, uhhh… huh.”

Canvas was able to stop crying long enough to pull his face away from his hooves, showing his face with his cheeks matted in tears. “I know,” croaked the stallion in a weak voice. “I ruined us.”

“N-No you didn’t!” said Troy quickly while looking back at him. “Canvas, do NOT blame yourself for this!”

“Then WHO am I supposed to blame, huh?! Who!? Should I blame Lyra?! That guy at the club? I was the one who screwed up the most last night, so who else could there be?!”

The gryphon paused momentarily, unsure how he could answer that question. He huffed before replying, “Well… I don’t think there really is any specific one to blame here. It was just a bunch of bad luck and stuff.”

Canvas groaned in an angered tone and kept his face away from Troy. Tears were still rolling down his face, but the stallion now just seemed irritated as he sat with an annoyed scowl on his muzzle. Troy wasn’t able to see his fiancè’s face, but he could still tell that something was wrong. “Canvas, come on,” said the gryphon in a caring tone of voice, “you know I’m not mad at you.”

“Well, why aren’t you?!”

Troy reeled back a little in surprise from that outburst. Canvas turned back around to peer at his future husband with an upset look on his face, not bothering to wipe any of his tears away. “Seriously, what would it take for you to get mad at me?! I got both of us arrested, and you could very well lose your Bridleway job because of me! Most guys wouldn’t be this bucking calm about that sort of thing!”

Troy was now feeling legitimately confused, and blinked a couple times while thinking of a suitable reply. “W-Well…” After a brief moment, the gryphon shrugged and said, “I think I made it clear I’m not like most guys.”

“But this is still a big thing, Troy! We’re in a really bad situation, and you’re treating it like you just stubbed a bucking toe!” After exhaling in exasperation, the stallion lurched back forward in his bench and groaned again. “Urgh! Why is it so damn hard for you to get mad at me?! I swear, it makes me feel like I’m the only one to start fights between us! And I already have an anger problem, so the fact that you’re so bucking passive doesn’t help!”

Even though he was beginning to understand Canvas’ point, Troy was still on the fence about knowing how to resolve this issue. He was still looking through the bars at his upset fiancè, and thought it over before trying to say, “I mean… It’s not like we get in many arguments in the first place. I think the last time we actually got in a fight was when I almost lost your bag that one time.”

Canvas sighed and sunk his head into one of his hooves. While he knew that Troy wasn’t technically wrong, that point wasn’t what the stallion wanted to hear. “I just… it just worries me, okay?”

“Why?” asked Troy in a puzzled tone. “I mean, isn’t it good that we don’t fight that much? Unless you count those little arguments every now and then.”

Canvas slumped back against the bars of his cell, biting his lip as he struggled to think of a way to explain his issues more clearly. He knew that Troy was trying, but it didn’t feel like the gryphon really understood. The pony leaned his head back and huffed briefly. “It just scares me, you know? Like… Lyra and Bon-Bon get in arguments a lot, and I’ve overheard a few from the Cakes when I visited their shop. And it just… it makes me wonder if we’re not experienced enough to handle that sort of thing, you know?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean…” While Troy listened intently through the bars, Canvas sunk his head forward and sighed. “I just worry that somewhere down the line, we’re going to end up having a huge fight that both of us will regret. And when that happens, neither of us will know how to react because we never dealt with that sort of thing before. Everything has been going along so fine, and now I’m just terrified that something could come along that’ll ruin all of that.”

As the pony lowered his head even more, keeping his eyes closed to stop himself from crying any more than he already has, Troy just sat in reflection while thinking over his fianceè’s point. After a few seconds, the gryphon remembered a detail from earlier that made him ask, “You mean like… that painting offer you got?”

Canvas sniffed and nodded his head. “Yeah,” he croaked while wiping his face with a hoof. “I mean, it could be a great job for me to do, and could get us a lot of money for a good place in Manehattan, but it would also mean leaving you alone for at least a month right after our honeymoon.”

Troy blinked a couple times before lowering his head as well. “Oh…” Realizing Canvas’ reason for being so worried, the gryphon’s ear tufts lowered while thinking about the consequences of that option. “So… that would mean I’d have to look for a place on my own, unless I just blew all my cash on a crappy hotel room the whole time I was there.”

“Exactly,” stated Canvas in equal uncertainty. “And I also wouldn’t be there to help you after your rehearsals. As soon as we come back from our honeymoon, we’d both be on our own in completely different places.”

Troy was staring down at the bare wood on his own bench as he added, “Plus, it would probably worry Tenor a bit if one of us was gone for a whole month.”

“Oh, I didn’t even think about that!” Canvas grabbed the sides of his head as he groaned with added worry from Troy’s point. When he put his hooves back down, Canvas couldn’t bear looking back at his fiancè as he said, “I… I could never forgive myself if I tried to keep you from your passion, and I’m not going to even consider it. You deserve Manehattan more than anything, but… but it’s really hard for me to think of a good outcome with my own job offer. If I take it, it would be really hard for both of us right as our marriage begins. But if I turn the offer down, we could have problems down the line when it comes to keeping a place in Manehattan as our second home.”

Troy and Canvas were both silent after that, thinking over their options with a looming uncertainty over their heads. Of course, the silence was broken when a pony from a few cells away shouted out, “Yeesh, talk about a first world problem!”

Troy stood up and shouted out, “Hey, shut up!”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” said the voice back at him, “am I interrupting your little therapy session?! I’m stuck in this cell for another week, AND have to be on a list because I peed too close to a playground! But go ahead, talk about how troubling YOUR lives are! ‘Ooh, I’m worried about getting a second home!’ ‘What’s our dog going to do while we make shit-tons of money?’ ‘Why don’t we fight enough?’ Do you guys REALLY hear yourselves right now?!”

A couple of loud clangs interrupted the voice’s ramblings as a guard shouted out, “HEY! Keep it down, you guys!” A unicorn guard came into view with a nightstick in his aura as he walked past Troy and Canvas’ cells. “Than means you guys too! Save it for couple’s therapy.”

As the guard walked away and out of sight, about a minute of silence passed while Troy and Canvas sat against the bars that stood between them. Canvas was the first to say something after exhaling faintly. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but that guy kinda has a point.”

Troy sighed and rolled his eyes. “No he doesn’t,” he stated bluntly. “Your reasons to be worried are perfectly valid, Canvas.”

“No they’re not, Mister Yuppie!”

“I SAID SHUT UP!”

“HEY!” shouted the guard’s voice again. “I’m NOT going to warn you guys again!”

Troy groaned as he tried to calm himself down, not wanting to rattle any more cages than he has already. He eventually turned back around and said in a more hushed tone towards his fiancè, “Listen, I… I get what you’re trying to say, alright? I mean… yeah. We really don’t seem to fight that much, do we?”

Canvas shook his head faintly before turning around to face him. He looked scared as he asked, “Is… is that a bad thing for us?”

Troy’s beak was clamped shut as he pondered that question, and his answer came after a small exhale. “Honestly,” he said while trying to rub any stray feathers back with his claw, “it’s kinda hard to feel that way after all that we’ve went though. I mean, I literally met you when you were beaten and exhausted. It’s kinda hard to think about fighting with somepony who already fought so much before.”

That response made Canvas' expression change to a more offended look. "So... so what, you don't fight with me because you pity me?"

"No!" shouted Troy in sincerity. "No, I didn't mean it like that! I just mean... That last thing I would ever want to do is hurt you. Even in something as small as an argument."

Canvas lowered his head away from Troy’s gaze as he thought about that. The gryphon continued while rubbing his feathers down some more. “And it’s not like we have many reasons to fight either. We were already good friends before we became a couple, right? We already knew a lot about each other, and we used that to make sure we didn’t have that many conflicts. I know that having those sorts of fights can help strengthen a relationship, but I don’t think it’s necessary either.”

Troy waited until Canvas looked up at him, seeing the gryphon’s sincere (and still fairly bloodshot) eyes as he said, “Canvas, I… I’ve already seen you at your lowest points before. Heck, that was how I first met you. It was also how I realized I was falling in love with you. And… and you’ve seen me at my lowest points too.”

Canvas nodded as he started to tear up again, knowing exactly the moment that the gryphon was referring to. And just like that night he hugged him after his parents left the sweet shop, all that Canvas wanted to do was hug Troy as tightly as he could.

“I know I don’t get angry that easily,” said Troy in an honest tone as he stared back at his love with growing admiration, “but that’s just because you’ve done so much to make me happy. Even when we were just friends, you went out of your way to be there for me, even though I was supposed to be helping you. After everything we went though, I can’t even begin to think of hurting you. I just… I can’t be mad at somepony who I know would never stop making me happy.”

That made Canvas grow a small, grateful smile at the corners of his muzzle for a brief moment. However, his saddened expression slowly returned as he asked in uncertainty. “S-So… what if things don’t go well today? Like… what if you lose your job over this?”

“Canvas,” said Troy with a loving smile as he looked through the bars at him, “there is nothing that would make me hate you, even for a moment.” His head peered in closer to the bars until his beak poked through them into Canvas’ cell. “And even if things go bad today, I already know you’d do everything you could to try and make things better. Just like I would for you.”

Tears were streaming down Canvas’ face again, but he was also smiling back at his gryphon. His face moved in closer to Troy’s as he said, “Troy… I love you so much…”

With Canvas’ lips only a couple inches from his beak, Troy had just enough time to say sincerely in response, “I love you too, Canvas…”

Canvas kissed Troy on the beak, although it was only a small peck due to the bars between their faces (not to mention that Troy’s breath wasn’t exactly something he wanted to be near). Still, the limited range didn’t phase the gryphon that much as he kissed his fiancè back as best as he could. However, he was upset when the guard banged at their bars with his night stick and made them jolt back. “Alright, alright!” said the guard in an annoyed tone towards the two. “None of that until your hearings!”

Canvas and Troy both groaned as they sat back in their benches with glares pointed at the guard. Of course, the unicorn didn’t seem to care and just walked away to inspect the rest of the cells. Troy sat in thought for a while before turning towards Canvas to say, “So… about that painting job you were gonna do?”

Canvas looked back at him with a nervous expression.

“You said that you would never forgive yourself if you made me give up my passion, and…” Troy’s beak clenched shut for a couple seconds before he exhaled to finish. “And I know I’d feel the same way if you turned down that job for my sake. I know it’ll be hard, but my Grandparents always told me that the hardest things are usually the ones worth the most.”

Canvas’ eyes widened in surprise, not expecting the gryphon to have an answer so quickly. “So… you mean that…”

Troy nodded his head while smiling at the pony. “Y-Yeah. I mean, if this’ll help us financially, then I don’t see why not. We’ve already dealt with a lot, and we’re still going strong, aren’t we? Besides, it’s not like we couldn’t ask for help getting a place in Manehattan.”

As Canvas let his fiancè’s assuring statement sink in, all he could think about was whether or not this was a good idea. Despite Troy’s confidence, there was always a chance that it could be a mistake for the two. Of course, almost anything could be seen as a risk if put in the right perspective.

“Are…” Canvas took a breath before asking, “Are you sure about this?”

“Well…” A hint of apprehension appeared in Troy’s face as she shrugged. “I mean, not a hundred percent, but… Hey, you know what they say: the bigger the risk the bigger the reward, right?”

Canvas was just as hesitant as the gryphon, but he was still able to nod timidly while forcing a smile on his muzzle. “I-I… I guess so…”

Troy sighed briefly before sliding his claw between the bars. “So, what do you say? If we’re getting married, we might as well make our first big decision. If we still have our jobs after this, we both take them?”

Canvas stared down at the claw for a moment, pondering how big of a choice this really was. Even though he really didn’t want to make such a huge decision within a jail cell, the pony still thought about it seriously before deciding on an answer. “Well…”

After a millisecond of hesitation, Canvas looked up at Troy with a confident nod and shook his claw. “O-Okay,” he said as the two shook on it. “If you’re on board, then… so am I.”

As soon as the two finished their shake, they heard the sound of a large metal door opening. This was followed by multiple steps coming towards their cells. Troy pulled his claw back in time to see his Father come into view in the hall, with the Guard standing beside him to make sure nothing happened. The older gryphon stared at the two with disappointed looks, and spoke towards Troy first with a shake of his head.

“You know, I figured that at least one of my sons would end up in jail during your bachelor party. But I never would’ve bet my money that it’d be you.”

Troy sighed and lowered his head. “Yeah, I know,” he said in a low tone of his own. “I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be like that,” replied his father insistently. “I heard it was because of Canvas, so I’m not judging you completely.” Jonas then looked over at Canvas and asked in a more befuddled voice, “But you! Exactly how many times have you gotten in fights since meeting my son?! You’re like a friggin’ magnet!”

Canvas looked over at Jonas to say something in defense, but paused before anything could come out of his muzzle. A couple seconds passed before he looked away with a pout. “I-It’s just coincidence, okay?”

“Yeah, sure,” Jonas said with a roll of his eyes. “Listen, I just wanted to check up on you two before your hearing. From what I heard, I might not be so bad, but I wouldn’t count on it.”

His focus went towards Canvas as he added, “So, did you get a chance to talk with Troy yet? You know, about why you did what you did?”

The stallion nodded. “Yeah,” he answered while motioning over towards Troy. “I told him about it, and we just finished talking it over.”

The pony from earlier yelled out, “First world problem!”

Jonas ignored the unneeded commentary and said, “Well, that’s good to hear. I’ll let Angela and the others know you two are okay.”

"Alright." Troy nodded with a thankful smile. “Thanks, Dad.”

Jonas took one last look at both of them before sighing and making his leave. While following Jonas, the Guard looked back at the incarcerated couple and said, “Your trials are in fifteen minutes.”

The Guard then left after Troy and Canvas nodded their heads in understanding. After he and Jonas left, Troy sighed and glanced over at his stallion. “So, what do you think?”

Canvas shrugged his shoulders and said with a huff. “Well… right now all I’m thinking about is whether or not we’ll be able to get a refund if we can’t make it to our rehearsal dinner.”

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Rehearsal Dinner

The sun was just starting to set while Lyra and Bon-Bon waited outside the restaurant, causing both of them to look worried in wait. It was less than twenty minutes before the rehearsal was supposed to begin, and Troy and Canvas were still nowhere to be found. Even though neither of them were still in jail anymore, it was still a risk to keep the dinner on schedule like planned. One of Lyra’s rear hooves tapped at the ground impatiently as she looked up at the skies.

After hearing the unicorn groan in growing frustration and nervousness, Bon-Bon sighed and turned her attention towards her wife. “Lyra, come on,” she said assuredly, “Jonas said himself that they got out of the courthouse pretty quickly. I’m sure that they’re fine.”

“Well, maybe,” said Lyra meekly before glancing back at her wife, “but don’t you think it’s a little odd that they haven’t shown up yet? I mean, Troy’s family is already here!”

“Not the triplets! Besides, Troy and Canvas still have a while before they need to be here.” Thinking it over, the mare smirked with a huff and added, “Heck, even Twilight hasn’t shown up yet! I think that should say something, right?”

After a brief exhale, Lyra nodded with a meager shrug. “Yeah, I suppose…”

Of course, given how the unicorn’s head hung low, Bon-Bon didn’t need to see her wife’s face to notice the look of guilt. She placed a hoof on Lyra’s shoulder and said sympathetically, “Honey, it isn’t your fault that they got arrested. It wasn’t like you forced Canvas to smoke that stuff.”

“Yeah, but still…” The mare pouted while trying to keep herself from sulking any further. “I still gave him a lot. Especially for a first-timer.”

“You were just trying to help him relax. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Lyra’s bottom lip trembled a little, and she looked up at Bon-Bon to ask meekly, “R… really?”

Bon-Bon nodded with a warm smile before bending in to nuzzle her. “Absolutely. Despite what happened, I know you only had the best intentions in mind. And I can never blame you for that.”

Lyra’s muzzle shakily grew a faint smile from that statement, and she thanked her wife by returning a nuzzle of her own. “Awww, thanks,” she said sweetly as a small blush appeared on her cheeks. She sighed after pulling back, hoping that Bon-Bon wasn’t the only pony who felt that way. Nevertheless, both of them noticed the sight of Twilight Sparkle as she walked up the road towards the venue. Behind the Princess were the engaged couple and Tenor; apparently, Troy and Canvas were able to get their matching suit jackets from home, as well as the one specially fitted for the Saint Bernard.

Bon-Bon and Lyra’s hearts practically melted at the sight of Tenor’s outfit as they gave a unified “Awwww.” The puppy excitedly ran up towards the couple, and Bon-Bon was the first to start petting him. Lyra quickly turned her attention towards Twilight and the engaged couple as she asked, “So… How did everything go?”

The unicorn was clearly nervous to learn the outcome, but Twilight was the first to answer assuredly. “It’s alright, Lyra,” she said while motioning towards Troy and Canvas. “The club had enough security footage and witness accounts to make sure neither of them got in much trouble for what happened.”

Troy nodded hesitantly, but still seemed upset while rubbing the back of his head. “Yeah…” He huffed with discomfort with his eyes pointed away from Twilight. “I didn’t get any charges pressed against me since I acted in defense, but I still had to pay for the guy’s medical bills.”

Canvas didn’t look that happy as well, but he still shrugged indifferently and added. “Well, you did break a couple of his ribs.”

“I still think he was playing it up for the judge to get a bigger payoff,” retorted Troy insistently.

Lyra turned her attention towards Canvas and asked nervously. “So, Canvas… are you alright?”

Canvas looked back at the mare and nodded his head. “Yeah, I guess…” Canvas winced uncomfortably as he avoided giving Lyra eye contact out of guilt. Tenor noticed and walked back to him, nuzzling the stallion’s chest and prompting himself to be petted. Canvas exhaled and began scratching the Saint Bernard while explaining, “Well, since it was proven that he hit me first, I was able to avoid any major assault charges. However, I still had to pay a pretty big fine for damages. Plus, the two of us apparently no longer allowed at that club.”

Lyra’s eyes widened in surprise, not expecting that their punishments would be so light given what occurred. Bon-Bon seemed to feel the same way as she paused petting Tenor. “Wow,” said the mare with a smirk as she turned to Twilight and asked in disbelief, “What did you do, Princess? Get your Dad to reside over the case?”

“No,” retorted the Princess with a roll of her eyes, “it was really just a simple case. The unicorn who attacked Canvas had a warrant out anyway, so--” Catching what Bon-Bon said, Twilight turned curious and asked, “Wait, how did you know my Dad was a judge?”

Bon-Bon momentarily froze with a nervous look, unsure what answer she could give with her muzzle open. Luckily, Lyra stepped in for her wife before her identity could be compromised. “Oh, we overheard your friends talking about your parents once. They seem like really nice ponies.”

“Oh!” Twilight sighed with a smile, obviously believing that excuse with a wave of her hoof. “That makes sense. And yeah, they really are.”

Bon-Bon made a quick nudge against her wife with a thankful smile while Twilight wasn’t looking.

“So, what happened while Canvas and I were in jail?” asked Troy towards the mares. “Like, is Rainbow Dash okay?”

Twilight looked over at the mares with a concerned look too. “I think so,” answered Lyra in a less-than-confident voice as she shrugged her shoulders. “Although it was kinda hard to tell what was going on after all that craziness last night. I do remember your older brothers flying her back to her house, so they might be better to ask than me.”

“Also,” added Bon-Bon with a small cringe, “I’m pretty sure that Lyle is dealing with a hangover right now. The last I checked, he was half asleep and leaning against the walls in the restaurant.”

While Twilight’s eyes shot wide open with a shocked glance back at the gryphon, Troy just groaned painfully. “Ugh, I should’ve known.”

Canvas turned to Troy and asked worriedly, “Wait, how much did they give him last night?!”

“It was only one shot of Black Death, okay? I mean, it was a potent shot, but I--”

“You gave an underaged gryphon alcohol?!” Twilight quickly turned angry while narrowing her eyes on Troy.

“Hey!” returned Troy with a talon pointed at the Princess, “I said it was only one shot! It’s not like we gave him a beer bong or anything! Besides, it’s not like his hangover will last longer than a day! He’ll most likely be alright by tomorrow before the wedding.”

Canvas didn’t want to think about his future brother-in-law being ill, so he exhaled and nodded faintly to Troy’s claim. “Alright then…” With Tenor sitting beside him, the pony looked back at Lyra and Bon-Bon and asked, “Are the triplets checking up on him, at least?”

“We have no idea,” answered Bon-Bon with her hooves raised. “We haven’t heard from any of them after the cops showed up.”

Twilight winced worriedly. “Well, let’s hope that they’re not in too bad of shape. That goes for Rainbow Dash too.”

Coincidentally enough, that was when the pegasus herself came into view from the skies above. Rainbow Dash made a quick landing away from the five, and brushed some dust from her blue cocktail dress while keeping her face away from them. Twilight rushed up towards her with a relieved smile. “Oh, thank goodness!” said the Princess with a sigh. “We were just talking about you and…”

Twilight’s words quickly trailed off as soon as she noticed something off with the mare’s face. Even though Dash tried to keep her head pointed away from the Princess, the smallest glance was enough to make Twilight gasp in shock with her hooves covering her mouth. “Sweet Celestia!”

“Shut. Up.” Even though she muttered that response, it was clear that Rainbow Dash was beyond pissed. When Troy made a quick swoop overhead to catch a peek, he almost crashed to the ground while struggling to keep himself from laughing.

“Rainbow, what happened?!” shouted Twilight in shock, ignoring Dash’s efforts to avoid looking at her. “Is it able to come off?”

That question set the pegasus off, and she whipped back around to glare at Twilight and yell, “What do YOU think?!”

Rainbow pointed at her face angrily, not caring that now the others could see what happened after she passed out the previous night. Even though the cyan mare’s nostrils were flared and panting like an enraged bull, it was nearly impossible for the other ponies to keep from giggling at the sight. It may have not been a surprise that Troy’s brothers would mess with her while she was unconscious, but it was surprising how much detail the gryphons gave when it came to drawing on her face with a black marker.

Even though Canvas didn’t say anything, he was clearly impressed that they did so much in such a small amount of space on Rainbow Dash’s face. Along with the basic mustache and unibrow, Blaze and Blade were also able to include a matching goatee, crossed eyes drawn on the mare’s eyelids, a large tongue hanging from the side of her mouth, their signatures on each of her fuming cheeks…

And even underneath Dash’s thick technicolor mane, the word ‘POOP’ was clear as day on her forehead in large, bold letters.

Rainbow’s stare was pointed straight at the shocked Princess, but her ears still twitched when she heard the others start cracking up. It was clear that they were trying their hardest not to laugh, but Troy and the other three ponies were practically crying at the sight of Dash’s vandalized face.

“Alright!” shouted Twilight before lighting up her horn, placing both herself and her friend in a sound bubble so the laughter could be muted. As she walked Rainbow Dash toward the front doors, she tried to be supportive when she said, “It’s going to be okay, Dash. Rarity probably has enough makeup to cover all of that.”

Rainbow sighed bitterly, but she still nodded without looking back at her friend. “Okay, fine…”

As the two mares disappeared into the venue, Lyra and Bon-Bon were the first to stop their laughter long enough to breathe. “Oh my gosh!” exhaled Lyra as she shook her head in shock. “I can’t believe they would do that!”

Troy was still giggling while landed on the ground, but was still able to reply with, “Honestly, I’m just surprised they didn’t draw any dicks on her face!”

Bon-Bon winced at that thought, and looked back at the doors worriedly. “Eurgh… I hope that doesn’t make things awkward tonight.”

“Eh, I wouldn’t worry about it,” assured the gryphon. He walked up to his fiancè while saying towards the mares, “If I know Rainbow Dash, and I do, chances are good she already got them back somehow.”

Both Lyra and Bon-Bon turned back at Troy with curious glances. “Like how?” asked Lyra with a raised brow.

Before Troy could answer, one look up at the skies was enough for Canvas to provide a response when he saw the three gryphons slowly soar in. “I think I have an idea…”

Since the actual wedding was planned to be an outside venue, a quick rundown on the ceremony’s seating and organization were done in the private room at the back of the restaurant. The party itself only had most of the local attendees for the wedding, including the catering and the Elements. The rehearsal had to be done in a fairly short amount of time, since the space itself was rather cramped after everyone showed up. Fortunately, it seemed that Twilight Sparkle was relieved that no major issues or fights interrupted the proceedings this time. Although, it wouldn’t have been much of a shock if Twilight wasn’t the only one surprised by that fact.

Lyle could barely stand while in position for his placement, and it was nothing short of a miracle that he didn’t throw up in his groggy state. Rarity did happen to have some concealer on hoof that matched Rainbow Dash’s coat, so all the markings were temporarily covered on her face; however, the pegasus still looked nothing short of upset because of her predicament. Nevertheless, Dash didn’t say anything about it, especially after seeing how the triplets came in. In fact, she had a rather subtle smirk pointed at the three, which was much less obvious than the gawked stares everyone else gave them.

During the entire rehearsal process, two of Troy’s older brothers looked like they wanted to murder Rainbow Dash while standing in their spots. Unfortunately, from the way Blaze and Blane’s fur and feathers were dyed a bright shade of pink, they just ended up looking like a couple of peeved flamingoes in matching black suits. Meanwhile, Blade just had a chipper smile on his beak the entire time, not getting any dye on him like his brothers had. Angela would’ve given Dash a brash chewing-out for what she did, but it was hard for the gryphoness to blame her when she found out about her two sons’ antics.

Luckily, the two pissed-off gryphons kept themselves from making any scenes during the rehearsal process, and just stayed quiet by the time everything was completed. Of course, Twilight still had to intervene afterward to make sure any disputes between them and Dash would be resolved away from dinner and without any violence. So while a “colorful” discussion was held outside the restaurant (and within a sound barrier courtesy of Twilight), the rest of the party were just getting their appetizers.

Troy and Canvas were seated at the main table alongside the gryphon’s family (with Tenor seated at the side beside Angela protectively), and Troy was enjoying a decently-sized order of cocktail shrimp. Canvas wanted to enjoy his mozzerella sticks, but he was rather distracted by the sight of Lyle trying to soothe his headache while sipping a cup of ginger ale. Jonas and Angela were seated next to the youngest gryphon, but neither of them gave much sympathy to his hangover. In an effort to try and ignore his future brother-in-law’s sickly groaning, Canvas turned his attention to Troy and asked, “So... how’s your cocktail?”

Troy popped another couple pieces of shrimp into his beak before giving a smile to the stallion. “It’s way better than that Prench place we went to! Of course, I think Mom's and Twilight’s connections may have helped a little.”

Canvas shrugged and looked past Troy to see Blade at the far end of their table. Since Blaze and Blane were still outside, their seats were occupied by Gilda and Greta, who were being increasingly flirty around the skinny gryphon. And judging by their smirks, it was obvious that whatever they did the previous night was more than satisfactory. Canvas looked back at Troy and replied, “Yeah, I suppose. I’m kinda surprised that those two got out of the kitchen so quickly to be with your brother.”

Troy playfully scoffed with a smirk. “Are you kidding? I’ve seen girls do everything they can to be next to Blade. I don’t know how he does it, but he’s a natural.”

Canvas giggled, and then bent in to nuzzle his fiancè’s neck. “Well, I guess being a magnet for admirers runs in the family then.”

“Yeah, I suppose,” replied Troy with a chuckle of his own as he nuzzled him back.

By the time most of the appetizers were finished, Blaze and Blane returned to their seats, prompting Gilda and Greta to go back to their own table disappointedly. Of course, considering that neither of the pink-dyed gryphons had any black eyes from their chat with Rainbow Dash (or the other way around), nobody tried to ask what happened. Jonas lifted himself from his seat, and tried to get the attention of the room by tapping at his wine glass with a talon.

“GAH!!!” Lyle covered his ears with his claws and winced at the faint ringing from his Dad’s glass. “Dad, come on!”

Jonas just rolled his eyes with a sigh and began his statement to the attendees. “Well, considering the fact that my son Troy is getting married tomorrow, it seems only fair that I say a few things before the ceremony.”

Blaze looked away with an uncomfortable look and muttered, “Ho boy…”

Jonas’ expression flattened briefly at overhearing that, but he paused for only a second before continuing. “I… guess I shouldn’t be surprised if a few of you weren’t expecting me to say any encouraging statements first. After all, I didn’t exactly react to Troy’s partner in the most appropriate way when I first met him.”

That sentence gartered a few uneasy glances, both from the ponies listening and from his own table. Mister and Missus Cake, who were seated nearby beside Twilight’s table, couldn’t help shrugging silently in agreement.

“However,” Jonas continued in an effort to avoid any awkwardness, “I suppose that’s just how life goes, doesn’t it? You can never predict what’s going to happen, and things will always change to keep you on your toes. You can either try to adjust and roll along with those changes, or you can stay where you are and likely get your ass run over like a steamroller.”

Jonas was glad that he got a few chuckles out of that, which gave him the motivation to keep going with a small smile on his beak. “In fact, if I were to see their relationship just a year ago, I probably would’ve described it like… Well, I’m not going to say any specific words, but I will say that it would most likely get me punched in the mouth again.”

Angela was the one to laugh hardest at that description, prompting Jonas to roll his eyes away from her. “Anyway, that’s all in the past, and I wanted to talk about the present. And with that being said, how I’d describe Troy and Canvas’ relationship now would be a lot different than what I would’ve said a while back…”

After sighing with a hint of guilt from that admission, the gryphon looked towards Troy and Canvas as he kept speaking. “Even though it took me a bit longer than I’d like to admit, I really do see what kind of relationship the two of you have for each other. It’s completely different from what I would’ve expected, but at the same time, it’s… it’s something I can understand and kinda relate to with my own life.

“You two see each other as equals, and there isn’t any obvious ‘one does this and the other does that’ dynamic between you two. I don’t know if that’s just a same-gender thing or whatever, but you guys really do work together like a team. Neither of you acts dominant over the other, and you actually talk things out like Angela and I do. Even though I hate to admit it, it took me a while to figure that out after I got married.”

Jonas never considered himself to be a gryphon to make others laugh (unless he drank a lot first), but he was happy that he was able to get ponies smiling from his speech. Nevertheless, the General kept his attention on the engaged couple while they listened. “Anyway, my point is that it wasn’t what I expected to see from you two. And not because of the whole interspecies or homosexual thing either! What I mean is, it’s rare to see a couple that much in sync with one another in such a short amount of time. Heck, Angela and I both know couples who have been together just as long as we have, but don’t have nearly the same levels of symmetry that you two have.”

Both Troy and Canvas’ eyes widened, not expecting to hear such a profound statement from the gryphon. Jonas continued with tone staying as sincere as it was at the beginning. “I know that I wasn’t the most accepting of this whole thing at first, and it’s still something that’s hard to process with a clear head, but I can still say that I understand it now…”

Jonas smiled as he turned his focus to Troy solely. “Son, I… when I thought about who you would be marrying when you were younger, this was not what I had in mind at all. However, I…. I can clearly see how dedicated you are to him. And I’ve also seen how devoted Canvas is to you. You treat each other with equal amounts of love and respect, and your Mother and I know that no gryphoness we could’ve imagined would make you as happy as you are with him.”

Troy smiled gratefully as his eyes began welling up, but he didn’t try to hide them from his Dad. Angela was looking at Troy as well with a smile as warm as her husband’s as she nodded in agreement with him. “So,” said Jonas in conclusion with a deep breath, “I think I can say for both Angela and myself that when it comes to who you’re marrying, you… you really picked the best possible choice.”

A heartfelt round of applause swept around the room, and Troy was the first to lunge forward and give his Dad a strong hug. Jonas hugged his son back, and didn’t even mind when he felt Canvas hugging him from the side with an equally thankful and teary smile. After they let go, Angela came in to hug the duo as well. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was desperately trying to cover her eyes with a napkin while looking away from the Clawston table. Rarity was seated beside her as she smirked and whispered, “Do you need more concealer, darling?”

After Canvas and Troy got back in their seats, the gryphon raised his own glass to say something as well. “Ummm…” Since the ponies in attendance were still looking towards their table, Troy didn’t need to tap his glass with a talon before beginning to speak. “I… I kinda wanted to say a few things too…”

The silver gryphon stood back up from his seat, and cleared his throat as he looked between the ponies listening and the pony beside him. “First off, it… really means a lot to hear that,” he said with his voice cracking a little at first. “A-And… Dad is absolutely right. I really did pick somepony great for me. And we make an amazing team when we put our minds together.”

Blane couldn’t resist muttering loudly enough for Troy to overhear, “Along with other body parts.”

Troy shot his fuschia brother a quick glare before continuing. “Anyway… Like I was saying, Canvas and I do work really well together. I honestly can’t say we fight that much, and when we do, it’s not anything major…” Troy’s tone then started to sound more apprehensive as he shrugged one of his shoulders uncomfortably. “But… that has lead us to worrying a little bit recently.”

Canvas tilted his head to the side with a hint of nervousness on his face while listening.

“Like, just today we were talking about why we don’t get into any major fights, and… whether or not that was a good thing for the long run. And after we talked about it, I started thinking about something my brother Blade told me a long time ago. I asked him once why he didn’t believe in traditional romance for himself, and he told me that once someone falls in love, they end up in a situation where it’s like wearing rose-tinted glasses. And once those are on, any red flags that come along just end up looking like flags.”

Blade scratched the back of his head uncomfortably and tried to clarify, “Well, to be fair, I got that advice from this owl chick I met once at a club. I’m not sure if it fits now.”

“No, it does,” assured Troy towards his brother. He then took a breath before returning his attention to the rest of the ponies listening. “I mean… After he told me that, I always assumed he meant that once you fall in love, you end up choosing to ignore any negative traits about your mate, and keep yourself in denial about how happy you really are…”

Canvas was now starting to look legitimately worried. Fortunately, Troy then looked back at his fiancè with a reassuring smile as he added, “But after being with you, I realized that wasn’t what Blade meant at all.”

Blade grew a puzzled look, but chose not to say anything in response.

“After I fell in love with Canvas, I never felt like I ignored anything negative I saw with him. I just continued to love him despite it.”

The gryphon then huffed as he looked around and admitted guiltily, “Like, we both do things that bug each other a little, and sometimes it’s hard to realize at first. For example, I sometimes got peeved when Canvas would let the trash pile up in the kitchen without taking it out. Or when he eats in his studio for days on end, but leaves his plates in there without taking them to the sink.”

“Hey!” shouted Canvas in an offended tone.

“But at the same time,” continued Troy insistently back at his fiancè, “I know that I do those little things too. Like, sometimes I put groceries up on the top shelves of the cupboards, forgetting that you can’t reach those that easily. Or, I end up closing jar lids really tight by accident, and you end up not being able to open them when you want pickles or something.”

Canvas reluctantly nodded with a shrug. “Yeah, that’s true,” he admitted faintly. He then glanced up at the gryphon and added while pointing at him, “And you also drink straight from the carton instead of just getting a glass to pour it in.”

“Oh, so I have to dirty up a glass for one drink?” retorted Troy annoyedly. “I still don’t get why that’s a huge deal for you.”

“Because it’s unsanitary! Drinking straight from the carton can spread germs!”

Troy just shot his stallion a flat stare and replied, “Dude. The lid of a juice or milk carton is not the grossest thing we’ve put our mouths on.”

“Alright, alright!” shouted Jonas while waving his claws to stop the two. Many of the ponies listening were giggling while the General said, “We get it, you two bicker like any other couple, get on with it!”

“Okay!” After taking another breath, Troy returned his attention towards Canvas and said, “All that I’m trying to say is that even if we were wearing rose-tinted glasses, I don’t think they held us back as a couple by any means. We still saw each other as real beings, with flaws and with differences as varied as we could get. But it didn’t change how we felt about each other at all.”

Canvas cracked a small smile at the corners of his muzzle as he nodded faintly. Troy turned back to the rest of the room as he finished his speech. “All I’m saying is that I know things could get hard for us. There could be bigger fights in the future, and there are things coming up that could really test us as a couple. But at the same time, I still think about what can happen despite those worries…

“We have our whole future ahead of us, with nearly limitless possibilities on what we could do. We’re both achieving our dreams, and there’s barely anything that can stop us from doing so much more. And the more I think about it, I… I just can’t help thinking how lucky I am to get the chance to do those things with someone as amazing as the stallion I’m going to marry…”

Troy was starting to tear up again as he looked at his fiancè with a warm smile. “Canvas, you… you’re the greatest friend I could’ve ever asked for. For every time I helped you out, you returned the favor for me without hesitation. We’ve been dependable for each other since day one, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. And no matter what happens, whether bad or good, I know that having you by my side will make anything we face worth doing together.”

Canvas smiled widely back at the gryphon, not seeming to be phased by all the “Awwws” coming from the other tables. He got out of his seat to give Troy a tight hug, his eyes clenched shut to keep any more tears from coming out. “Troy, I love you so much!” creaked Canvas in a squeaky tone due to his emotional state.

Troy hugged back enthusiastically and said with the utmost devotion, “I love you too, Canvas.”

While the sounds of applause rang around the two, it wasn’t long before Troy and Canvas shared a deep and loving kiss at their table. In fact, the only one who wasn’t applauding was Lyle, who had his claws firmly cupped over his ears as he groaned to himself miserably.

“Ugh… Never. Again.”

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Wedding Day (Part One)

The night before Troy and Canvas’ wedding was one of the longest nights for both of them; not just because of the anticipation, but also due to the isolation both of them had to take before the ceremony. In accordance with both Equestrian and Gryphon Kingdom traditions, the couple agreed to depart immediately after the rehearsal dinner, and spend their remaining night in separate places so they wouldn’t see each other until the wedding. While Canvas slept back at the house with Tenor, Troy was provided one of the guest rooms at Twilight’s castle. The bed may have felt absolutely blissful with its high-quality mattress and Saddle Arabian sheets, but Troy was barely able to get any sound rest in it while alone.

The gryphon groaned and rolled over the upteenth time, trying not to think about having to endure this kind of feeling every night when he would have to prepare for his play in Manehattan. Unfortunately, as soon as that thought sprang into his mind, it was impossible for Troy to not think about it. It was like being told not to think of an elephant; as soon as that command is given, the mind would instinctively go to that image. So, there was nothing for Troy to do but lie in agonizing wait for himself to get so tired that his mind would just zone out and let him get some damn sleep.

Troy wasn’t sure when he finally passed out, but he was surprisingly refreshed when he was awoken by the alarm clock beside his bed. He was only groggy for a brief moment after shutting it off, but his body quickly felt a surge of adrenaline flow through it when he realized what day it was: Today was his wedding day.

The gryphon shot out of his room in excitement, feeling like he did as a kid on Hearth’s Warming Morning. And much like then, the first thing that Troy did was rush into the nearest room to find someone to wake up.

“GUYS!!!” shouted Troy as he bursted open the door to the triplets’ bedroom. Since the room itself only had two, albeit very huge beds, Blaze and Blane jolted out from under the covers of one of them to see their younger brother acting as giddy as a girl on Prom Night. “I’m getting married today! I’M GETTING MARRIED!”

Blaze and Blane both looked over at each other in worry, and Blane was the first to say, “Uhhh… yeah you are.”

Troy was getting antsier by the second, and was nearly hopping off the floor with excitement. Blaze gave his brother a shaky smile and nodded with a meager, “Mmhmm. I bet Mom and Dad would be excited to hear that too.”

“OH YEAH!” With that, Troy rushed out of the room as though it were about to explode.

After the door closed, Blaze and Blane sat in their bed with a shared look of nervousness before sighing in relief. After a couple seconds, Rainbow Dash’s head popped out from under the covers between the two gryphons. “You think he knew I was here?”

“GAAAHHHH!!!”

That was when Troy woke up for real, nearly falling off his bed from that violent jolt upward. His heart was pounding, and sweat was beading off his forehead as he sat in bewildered silence. He was breathing heavily while looking around his room, pondering what the buck was going on. “Wha… what the…”

Troy then groaned and rubbed his eyes in growing confusion. “Ugh… What the buck?”

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Troy yelped from the sudden blaring of his alarm clock, further confirming that what just happened was in fact, just a dream. After pounding the clock off with a clenched claw, the gryphon lurched forward with a bitter sigh as his exhaustion settled in. By the time he was finally able to motivate his body to move under his control, Troy heard his bedroom door open.

Lyle, who looked much better than he did the previous night, peeked his head in and said, “I thought I heard something. You alright?”

Troy groggily nodded his head and looked away. “Y-Yeah,” muttered the gryphon. While stretching out his forelegs, he yawned powerfully before asking, “Is breakfast ready?”

“Nah. Spike just started cooking.” Lyle then walked into the bedroom, revealing a steaming-hot pot of coffee in his claw. “He did get coffee ready though. Want some?”

“Yes,” said Troy insistently before lumbering off the bed. After Lyle handed him the pot, Troy downed over half of it in one go as his mind kept reeling what he was dreaming about. He groaned briefly after pulling the pot away and asked, “Uhhh… Just so I know for sure, the triplets have three beds in their room, right?”

“What?” asked Lyle confusedly. “What are you talking about? They each got their own room here, remember?”

Troy’s brows raised in slow realization, which was followed by a relieved sigh. “Okay, good,” he said before handing Lyle his pot back. “I just wanted to clarify.”

“Ummm… what for?” asked Lyle with narrowed eyes.

“Never mind, it’s nothing.” After that clarification, the older gryphon shuddered at the thought of if his dream actually happened. “I shouldn’t have eaten that much shrimp last night.”

It was the morning of Troy and Canvas’ wedding, and it seemed that a lot of the important tasks for the ceremony and reception were coming to fruition. Gilda and Greta woke up early to help with the prep-work at Sugar Cube Corner, alongside the Cakes and Pinkie Pie. Blane and Blade were two of the first to leave the castle after a quick breakfast, since both of them had duties they had to make sure were completed as well; while Blane collected the floral arrangements from the florist ponies, Blade waited at the train station for his sound equipment and band to arrive.

Meanwhile, Rarity collected all of the completed suits from the tailor, as well as the dresses she finished herself before heading towards the castle. Her horn was brightly lit while rolling the clothes-rack behind her, and she briefly stopped when she noticed Canvas and Tenor just arriving at the Ponyville town limits. After looking between them and the nearby castle, the unicorn went towards them while lugging her garments. “Canvas!” shouted Rarity loudly enough to catch his attention. “Canvas, what are you doing here so early? I thought Lyra and Bon-Bon were going to get you ready at your house!”

After turning to see the unicorn, Canvas went up to her and replied, “Well, I was, but they decided to have me come to their place instead and save some time. I’ll still be out of sight before the wedding, so it’s not like I’ll risk being seen by Troy or anything.”

“Oh. Well…” Rarity glanced back at her rack of garments, and used her magic to float out one of the plastic-sealed suits. “Since you’re here, I’ll let you take this off my hooves before I go to the castle. Lyra and Bon-Bon already have their dresses, so just go to meet up with them and I’ll come by to make sure the measurements are correct.”

“Okay, thanks,” said Canvas while carefully laying his suit over his back. While Tenor bent in to sniff at the plastic packaging curiously, the stallion decided to ask, “So, do you know where Twilight is? I wanted to make sure that everything was going alright.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that one bit!” assured Rarity with a smile and a wave of her hoof. “If there’s one thing I know about Twilight, it’s that she’s more prepared than any other pony I know! Besides, compared to her brother’s wedding, this was a LOT less stressful and overwhelming.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” replied Canvas with a small shrug and a roll of his eyes. “Lyra wouldn’t stop talking about that since I asked her and Bon-Bon to be my Best Mares.”

Rarity’s smile quickly vanished, and was replaced with a more worried stare. “She has? Ummm… like what?”

“Oh, nothing that big,” answered the pony as he looked back at her. “Just stuff like how she woke up in a crystal cave fighting over a destroyed bouquet.”

“Oh! Oh course…” Rarity chuckled meagerly and turned away from Canvas’ eyes of sight. After exhaling in relief, she nodded back at Canvas and Tenor before making her leave. “Well, let them know I’ll be at their shop soon. Ta-ta!”

Meanwhile, at Lyra and Bon-Bon’s sweet shop, the ‘Closed’ sign was hung at the front door while the two mares got prepared. However, that didn’t stop Missus Cake as she strolled into the shop cheerfully. After the bell above the door chimed, the pudgy blue mare waited at the empty front counter patiently. Only a couple seconds passed before Bon-Bon appeared at the doorway behind the counter, “I’m sorry, but we’re actually clo-- Oh! Hey there, Cupcake!”

“Hey, Bon-Bon,” said Missus Cake cheerfully back. “Carrot and I are almost finished baking the wedding cake, so I just wanted to drop by and get those wedding toppers you made.”

“Oh! Of course!” Bon-Bon trotted back to her living space while shouting out, “Don’t worry, I’ll be right back!”

The cream-colored mare went towards her hobby room, which had a thick combination over it to ensure certain ponies would stop breaking in. Unfortunately, as soon as she went to touch the knob, Bon-Bon pouted angrily as soon as she saw the lock was already undone. She groaned bitterly and rushed into the room while shouting, “LYRA! I told you not--”

Bon-Bon quickly stopped when she saw the room had no pony inside. There may have been lots of shelves of miniature pony figures that she made over the years, but no actual living pony; more specifically, her wife. Of course, when Bon-Bon caught glance of the empty space on the shelf where Troy and Canvas’ figures were supposed to be, she groaned even louder and exited the room. “Just a minute!” yelled the mare towards the front of the store before rushing to her bedroom. “I think Lyra has it!”

She could overhear Cupcake’s voice faintly as she said, “Oh dear. Not again…”

With an angered scowl on her face, Bon-Bon rushed into her bedroom to find that her wife wasn’t on the bed; however, she did hear the shower running from behind the closed door of the bathroom. Since the door was ajar, Bon-Bon had no qualms with walking inside to confront Lyra. Behind the shower curtain, the unicorn’s silhouette could be seen while accompanied by the glow of her magic. Bon-Bon also saw several small items floating around in front of Lyra as she spoke to herself. “Oh my goodness! You sure know how to make a pony feel better!”

“LYRA!!!”

“EEP!” Lyra yelped as her horn stopped glowing, making her wife’s figures fall to the floor of the tub. The unicorn popped her head out and shouted, “G-Get out! I’m taking a shower!”

Bon-Bon’s stern expression was unchanged as she held her hoof out. “Hand them over.”

“What?! Why? Er, I mean… I don’t know what you’re talking about.” That last part sounded fairly unconvincing on it’s own, and wasn’t helped as Lyra looked away from her wife with a guilty blush on her cheeks.

“Don’t give me that,” responded her wife bluntly. “The lock to my room is undone, the figures are missing, and Cupcake is at the front right now because she needs them for the cake!”

Lyra blinked a couple times while staring back at Bon-Bon, and then sighed painfully before disappearing behind the curtain. “Alright, fine…” Her horn lit back up, and the two figures of Troy and Canvas were floated over to Bon-Bon’s hoof. “Here you go.”

Even though Bon-Bon was satisfied with getting the figures for the wedding cake, her hoof remained outstretched as she said, “Give me the others too.”

“Oh, come on!” the unicorn whined. “You don’t need those!”

“Now, Lyra!”

“URGH!” After poking her head out from the curtain for a second with a strong pout on her bottom lip, Lyra whinnied strongly and did as she was told. One by one, each figure that the mare swiped from Bon-Bon’s room was floated out of the shower. While she wanted to be happy to get them back, Bon-Bon’s expression turned more unwary with each figure that was brought back to her.

First it was Rainbow Dash…

Then Pinkie Pie…

Then Mister Cake…

Then Shining Armor…

Sombra…

Big Macintosh…

By the time all three figures of Troy’s older brothers were floated out, Bon-Bon shouted in shock, “Lyra, what were you DOING?!”

“Don’t ask,” mumbled Lyra in shame. Her head clearly seen hanging low through the curtain. Not wanting to know, Bon-Bon just exhaled and began to exit the bathroom with her things. But before she could go back to the front of the shop, Lyra, blurted, “Wait!”

While Bon-Bon was stopped, she saw her wife’s magic float one last figure towards her. “Here’s Cheese Sandwich too.”

Bon-Bon snatched the last figurine and yelled, “YOU NEED HELP!”

By the time Lyra was finished showering for real, Canvas was already at the sweet shop and getting his suit ready. While the pony got himself dressed in the couple’s bedroom, Lyra and Bon-Bon were in the kitchen with their dresses already on. Lyra was wearing a stunning gold gown that went beautifully with her eyes, and Bon-Bon was wearing a slimmer-looking blue dress that carried pink accents along the sides. Tenor, whose suit from the previous night was back on him again, was laying on the floor and staring up at the mares with a panting smile on his muzzle.

Lyra seemed especially giddy when she looked at herself in the mirror hung on the wall. “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe this!” She turned back to Bon-Bon and exclaimed, “I actually get a chance to be a Best Mare again! This hasn’t happened since Cadance’s wedding!”

While she was happy for Lyra, Bon-Bon tilted her head slightly and clarified, “Uhhh, weren’t you a Bridesmaid at that wedding?”

“Oh, potato, potahto,” replied the unicorn with a wave of her hoof. “I’m just saying, it’s nice to have this chance again.”

Bon-Bon could see how much this meant to her, and she couldn’t resist sighing with a smile. “Yeah, I suppose so…” She walked up to her wife as the two looked in the mirror together. “Man… we really know how to look good for a wedding that isn’t ours.”

“Well,” chimed Lyra with a smirk and a nudge against her, “it kinda helps that we don’t have to downplay ourselves for a mare in a white dress this time.”

The two mares giggled from that detail, and were quick to nuzzle each other lovingly. Meanwhile, the bell from the front door chimed again before Twilight Sparkle’s voice was heard. “Hello? It’s me!”

“Oh, we’re back here, Twi!” shouted Lyra back at her. “Come on in!”

Unlike anyone else in the room, Twilight wasn’t dressed when she trotted into the kitchen with Spike sitting on her back. The dragon had his suit on already, and his emerald eyes widened at the sight of Lyra and Bon-Bon’s dresses. “Whoa! Rarity really outdid herself, didn’t she?”

“Don’t you know it!” Lyra then did a little twirl in her gown while giggling to herself. She then stopped before adding, “We actually got these from her new Canterlot shop! It was a little pricey, but totally worth it!”

Bon-Bon chuckled and said, “Well, yours was pricey. I was just lucky to find this one at a discounted price. Something about the fabric colors going off, but it honestly goes perfect with my mane like this.”

Twilight took a closer look at the Earth Pony’s dress and nodded in agreement. “You know, I think you’re right on that one.”

“So, where’s your dress, Twi?” Lyra asked curiously. “Shouldn’t you be getting ready too?”

“Well, I still have a lot of things to double-check before the ceremony, and I’d rather not do all of that while in a dress.” She then shuffled a little at the thought of her outfit and added reluctantly, “Plus, that Royal regalia I have to wear is really uncomfortable, and I’d rather not wear it when I don’t need to.”

“Are you kidding?” asked Lyra with a smirked scoff. “If I was a Princess, I’d be wearing that stuff every chance I got!”

“I know, right?” added Spike in agreement while still atop Twilight’s back.

Twilight rolled her eyes and decided to change the topic as she said, “Nevertheless, I just wanted to check up on Canvas before the ceremony begins. Is his suit on yet?”

“Yep!” chirped Canvas’ voice from the hallway. The group all turned to see the stallion, their eyes widening when he came into the kitchen.

Canvas’ wedding tux was absolutely immaculate, with a freshly-pressed off-black jacket that went swimmingly well with the white shirt and aqua tie underneath. His shaggy mane wasn’t combed back or anything, but it somehow seemed to fit better with his overall appearance. His hooves didn’t have any shoes covering them, but that only helped to make his white gold ring stand out even more. When Tenor walked up to the stallion to sniff at the fabric, the ponies were happy to see that the Saint Bernard’s jacket matched Canvas’ perfectly.

Lyra whistled in approval. “Dang, Canvas! Lookin' good! You should really wear suits more often!”

That made the stallion giggle in embarrassment as his face exploded with a blush. “Oh, stop it!” he said bashfully while looking away with a hoof covering his face. Tenor used the opportunity to try and jump up and lick at him. "Gah! Tenor!"

Twilight giggled at Canvas’ reaction to that compliment, as well as Tenor’s affection. Spike leaned to the side as he looked at the suit with narrowed eyes. “Hmmm… why didn’t you get a black tie? I mean, you’d probably look more suave with that sorta thing. Like a secret agent!”

“Pbbt!” Bon-Bon rolled her eyes at the drake’s comment. “Oh, please! Canvas doesn’t have the build for an agent at all! Most of those guys are really burly and have lots of scars and stuff. Plus, if you really want to sneak into a place for a big mission, a janitor's outfit is more--”

After a quick nudge from Lyra, Bon-Bon stammered a little and added, “Er! I mean, from what I’ve read in novels in stuff. Heh heh...” She then smiled strangely wide and looked around the room nervously.

Canvas just shrugged and looked down at his custom-made tie. “Well, I didn’t want to just wear a black tie for my own wedding. Everypony does that! I wanted to stand out for this occasion.”

While Spike shrugged his shoulders too, the front door of the shop opened again before Rainbow Dash’s voice shouted out, “Yo Twi! You in here?”

Twilight shouted back at her, “We’re in the kitchen!”

When the pegasus appeared at the doorway, she wasn’t wearing her dress either; although, that was much less surprising given her attitude about wearing girly clothes (or clothes itself, for that matter). Upon entering the kitchen, the first thing she did was whistle at the sight of Canvas’ suit. “Wow! That tailor guy really knows his stuff! Oh! That reminds me.” She then turned back to Twilight and handed her a parchment. “Here’s the list of everything that’s finished. Troy and his brothers are all suited up already.”

“Great!” said Twilight as she looked through the list with an approving smile. “Any problems so far?”

“Nope!” answered Dash proudly. She looked back at Canvas and added with a smile, “And believe me, dude. Troy looks amazing. You're gonna be a lucky husband.”

Canvas smiled back at her as his blush increased tenfold. “Th-Thanks, Dash,” he said happily.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

“Ugh…” At hearing knocking from the front of the shop, Bon-Bon groaned and rubbed her forehead to soothe a headache. “Why can’t ponies read the closed sign?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll get it,” said Dash before disappearing to the front of the shop. As she trotted away, they could hear the front door opening and a new set of hooves entering the store. They then heard Rainbow say, “Hey, listen. The shop is actually…”

…

POW!!!

After the sound of that punch, the group all rushed out of the kitchen when they heard loud crashing from the front of the shop. Canvas was behind all the others, so all he saw were the backs of his friends as he overheard Dash screaming furiously, “YOU GET THE BUCK OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW!!!”

When the mares got to the shop first, Canvas heard all of them gasp in shock. While Tenor ran around and barked in a worried frenzy, Canvas had to push through Lyra and Bon-Bon to see who it was that Rainbow Dash was fighting with. As soon as he saw the green stallion that Dash was pushing against the wall, he gasped even louder than his friends.

SLAM!!!

Dash wasn’t holding back in the slightest, and slammed the stallion’s face against the wall like she was trying to break it. One of her hooves had a death grip on his hair as she growled into his ear, “You have a LOT of nerve to show up back here!”

Before she could do anything else, Rainbow felt herself get pulled away from the pony by Twilight Sparkle’s magic. However, that was less for of the safety of the stallion, and more because the Princess wanted to ensure it was the one they thought it was. When Twilight caught a glance of the golden leaf on the pony’s flank, her eyes widened before her magic dissipated.

Canvas saw it too, but he already knew who it was the instant he saw his face. The stallion's fur may have not been as faded as the last time they met, but it was still much less the shade of green that Canvas remembered back in Gallop Creek.

Canvas' breathing became faint as he blurted out in a mix of shock and fear. “Da-... Copper?”

Author's Note

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Wedding Day (Part Two)

Outside Bon-Bon and Lyra’s sweet shop, things may have looked downright tranquil to the uninformed eye (unless they noticed anything from ponies passing by on the streets that would’ve hinted at the upcoming wedding that day). However, the tone that was residing inside the shop was as electrically tense and looming as the moment of calm before a violent, unrelenting storm.

Rainbow Dash had a death-grip on Copper Fields, ensuring he wouldn’t take a single step closer towards Canvas or his friends. Tenor stopped barking, and was just looking at the new face with his head tilted to the side. Meanwhile, Canvas looked just as shocked and silent as the others did at the sight of him.

After a few seconds, the silence was broken by Spike, who was still sitting on Twilight’s back. He leaned in towards the Alicorn’s ear and whispered, “Is that who I think it is?”

Canvas barely heard the drake, nor cared if Twilight answered him or not. All his focus was on the shaken-up green stallion, who was staring back at him with a look of fear and desperation. It was almost half a year since the last time he saw his father, and he honestly thought that encounter would’ve been his very last time. In fact, Canvas hoped that would’ve been the last time he ever saw Copper again.

But before he could even think of anything to say in response to seeing him, Canvas saw Rainbow Dash start to push Copper out of the shop. “Okay, come on!” Copper tried to resist, but it was clear that the Pegasus was much stronger as she dragged him to the door. While Tenor started barking again. Dash looked back at Canvas and said, “Don’t worry, I’m getting him out right now!”

“Wait, p-please!” blurted Copper as his hooves tried to get traction on the hardwood floor. “I wasn’t gonna do anything! I just wanted to talk to my son!”

Lyra jeered back at him, “I think you already said everything you needed to the last time you were here!”

Canvas wanted to feel grateful that his friend was standing up for him; however, all he could feel was a pit of uncertainty in his gut from saying anything hurtful at that moment. After the last time he spoke to Copper, he honestly couldn’t think of anything nasty he could add this time around. Of course, the fact that their last talk ended on somewhat good terms (at least in regards to closure) made Canvas feel uncomfortable at seeing Copper being pushed out of the store so ungraciously.

During his paused state, Canvas didn’t notice that Twilight was looking at him. Instead of the looks of rage or fear that the artist had when he last confronted Copper, now he just seemed confused and… something else that Twilight wasn’t able to pinpoint. Whatever it was, it made Canvas look much less angered or unwilling about Copper’s presence than the others. So despite her apprehension to intervene, Canvas’ expression was enough to make her shout out towards the pegasus, “Dash, wait!”

Tenor stopped barking, and Rainbow stopped for a brief moment with a look of confusion pointed back at her friend. “What?!”

After making one last glance towards Canvas to make sure she didn’t read his face wrong, she sighed when she saw his expression hasn’t changed much when he looked back at her. She then looked to Copper and asked, “Mister Fields… Can you at least explain why you decided to come here today?”

Dash seemed befuddled that Twilight would stop her to ask a question like that. However, Copper just huffed and said in response, “What, so I can’t talk to my own son before his wedding?!”

Dash retorted with a venomous, “After what you did, you should be grateful I stopped Troy the last time you were here!”

Copper reeled away from Rainbow at that reminder, not wanting to think about any part of that day. Lyra had an equally bitter glare pointed at the stallion, and her horn was giving off a low glow in preparation. Bon-Bon placed a hoof on her wife’s shoulder and whispered, “Honey, come on. This doesn’t involve you.”

Lyra was just about to stare back at her wife with a scowl before overhearing Canvas’ voice. “You…”

When the others looked back at the stallion, his eyes were pointed straight at Copper with his lips pursed tightly shut. With the way Canvas’ face was scrunched in, it wasn’t clear how angry or upset he was at seeing his father like this again, especially on the day of his wedding. However, his tone came out faint and slightly choked when he finally made a statement towards Copper. “You… you remember what you said to me back at the train station, right?”

Copper’s ears drooped low from that question, his saddened expression showing he didn’t need to be reminded. Nopony else in the room may have known his father’s exact words, but Canvas could still remember them clear as day in his head like they were just said:

I promise… I promise I'll stay out of your life forever.

Copper closed his eyes as he took a breath. “I… I know what I said,” he admitted meekly with his muzzle pointed away from his son, “but I… I heard you were getting married, and I…”

After another brief pause, the stallion lifted his head back up and looked back at Canvas’ confused face. “I just wanted to talk with you about it. Like… one married stallion to another.”

Copper didn’t seem confident with that excuse, especially when he saw his son just gawk at him with a confused stare. Nopony else in the room looked that touched by that statement either.

“What?!” asked Canvas with a perplexed glare back at his dad. “So what, you… you promised me that you’d stay out of my life, but then you… you break that promise so you could come back and give me MARRIAGE ADVICE?!”

Tenor whimpered and stepped back from Canvas worriedly after hearing that outburst. Copper exhaled pertly and said, “I know how it might sound, but--”

“NO!!” Canvas pointed a hoof at Copper and yelled in an angry frenzy, “NO! Don’t you DARE! You have NO right to try and talk to me like you have any say in what I should do!”

“I wasn’t saying that! I just wanted to talk with you about it!”

“And what?! Try to give me pointers or something?! Do you REALLY think you’re one to talk like a mentor after all you’ve done to me?!”

“This isn’t about what happened to US! This is about your marriage, Canvas!”

“And what makes you think you have ANY input on me getting married, huh?! WHAT GIVES YOU THAT RIGHT?!”

“BECAUSE BEING THERE FOR YOUR MOTHER WAS THE ONLY GOOD THING I DID!!!”

Copper wasn’t planning to make an outburst like that, but it was more than enough to shut his son up. In fact, the entire shop was silent after that retort from the older stallion. After a few seconds, Spike threw his claws up in surrender and said, “You know what?” He then hopped off of Twilight’s back, and walked behind the counter to go into Bon-Bon and Lyra’s living space. “I’m keeping myself out of this one.”

Nobody tried to stop Spike due to their frozen stances. Tenor followed with him, clearly uneasy about being in a room with so much yelling. While the drake and dog disappeared, Canvas’ jaw was open as he just blinked in response to his father’s statement. Copper took another breath to calm himself down before adding in a firm tone, “I know I wasn’t a good parent to you, Canvas. I’m not trying to say otherwise. But if there’s one thing I can say without a doubt in my mind, it’s that I was a damn good husband. And I got married young, just like you.”

Despite the stern face that Copper tried to maintain, those last two sentences were enough to make him blink repeatedly to keep his eyes from tearing up. His voice also became shaky near the end of that statement. Canvas didn’t say anything in opposition, and his eyes averted away from Copper while keeping his muzzle shut.

“I…” Copper had to close his eyes as he continued in a more somber-sounding tone. “I didn’t have my parents around when I got married either. Although I know they would’ve loved to be there if they could’ve. And… and even if I can’t be there for you during your wedding, I still want to at least give you something my own father couldn’t for mine.”

When Copper finally reopened his eyes, a couple of faint tears began to roll down his cheeks for his son to see. “Canvas, I… being married to your mother was one of the greatest things to happen to me, and I… I want you to be as happy with your husband as I was with her…”

Even though the shop itself felt a bit crowded, it seemed that both Canvas and Copper paid no attention to any of the other ponies still in the space around them. Lyra and Bon-Bon were looking between the father and son, clearly unsure what to think after everything was said between the two. Rainbow Dash wasn’t really in attack-mode anymore, and was just standing awkwardly next to Copper with an uneasy glance back at Twilight. The Princess looked like she was touched by what Copper said, but she was also trying her best to keep her expression neutral before looking towards Canvas.

The artist had his bottom lip bit for a second as he exhaled through his nostrils. He finally opened his muzzle after taking his father’s words in to ask, “S-So… all you want to do is talk?”

His son’s voice may have came out in almost a mutter from how weak it sounded, but it was enough to make Copper nod his head. “Y-Yeah,” he said while keeping his voice composed. “I just wanted to say a few things, and then I’ll leave for good. I promise.”

Canvas blinked a couple times, and took a moment to stare Copper down like he was waiting for a bluff. After a few seconds of awkward silence, the stallion finally sighed and nodded in reluctant acceptance. “Alright,” said Canvas weakly. “Fine. We can talk in private.”

Copper nodded back, and Canvas was the first to walk away to head towards the back exit from the shop. Before Copper could follow him, Canvas felt a hoof grab his foreleg to stop him. When the artist looked back, Lyra had a worried look on her face as she looked between him and his dad. “Canvas, are you sure this is a good idea?”

“It’ll only be a couple minutes,” assured Canvas as he placed his hoof on her shoulder. He then added in a more sincere tone, “Believe me, if anything happens, you’ll be the first to know.”

Lyra was happy enough with that promise to nod after a quick exhale. “O-Okay…” She then let go of his foreleg, allowing Canvas to take off his suit jacket and walk out of the back of the shop. Copper followed him, which the unicorn allowed despite how badly she wanted to at least hit him.

As soon as the two stallions went out to the back of the shop, Rainbow Dash made a beeline to the front doors after hearing the exit door close. Twilight quickly took notice and called out to her. “Hey, wait! Dash, what are you doing?”

Dash groaned with a hoof on the handle of the door. “Ugh, what do you think?! I’m gonna get a cloud so I can be above the alley in case anything happens!”

Bon-Bon, despite wanting to stay out of this, shrugged with an understanding pout. “Eh, that’s not a bad idea.”

“Actually, I think it is,” retorted Twilight back at the Earth pony. She then turned towards Dash before she could leave the shop. “Rainbow, I really don’t think you should intervene in a matter this personal.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” said the pegasus condescendingly with a tilted glance back at the Princess. “Do you rather I just let Canvas be alone with someone who put him in the hospital? On the day of his wedding?!”

Twilight breathed out through her nostrils like a pent-up bull and responded with, “I know very well what happened in the past, but I don’t think that Copper would be stupid enough to repeat anything he did a year ago. Canvas said he wanted their talk to be private, so I am NOT going to let you ignore that!”

“It's not like I’m not going to interfere, Twi! I’m just gonna take recon for safety reasons! I think YOU of all ponies should understand how important it is to take precautions if something bad happens!”

“DASH! I’m--” Twilight quickly stopped herself before her tone became too brash in front of other ponies. She looked back at Lyra and Bon-Bon, who were both just watching from the side awkwardly. “Ummm, could you two mind if we were alone for a moment?” she asked the couple politely.

Bon-Bon was the first to nod, and pulled Lyra with her towards the living space were Spike currently was. Of course, even after closing the door, they could still overhear Twilight’s and Rainbow Dash’s voices through the wood as the argument got more heated.

“Rainbow, I can understand wanting to to make sure Canvas is safe, but he wanted his talk with his father to be PRIVATE!”

“It WILL be private! It’s not like I’m gonna listen in on them!”

“Being close enough to SEE the two is still disrespecting what he wants!”

“And what if that guy hits him again, huh?! Whose fault will THAT be?!”

“That isn’t going to happen!”

“And how would YOU know that?!”

“You are NOT going out to spy on them, Rainbow! And that is final!”

“Final!? What, you think you can tell me what to do just like that?!”

“Rainbow, I am warning you!”

“Oh, you’re WARNING me now?! What are you gonna do, order me to not to not do it!?”

“Dash! I--”

“No, YOU listen! Just because you’re a Princess, doesn’t mean you always know what’s right! I’m going out there whether you like it or--”

“RAINBOW, DO YOU REMEMBER THE LAST TIME YOU IGNORED ME BEFORE A WEDDING?!”

Lyra and Bon-Bon may have been a few feet away from the closed door, but both of them still jolted back from hearing the Princess’ outburst. Spike was sitting at the kitchen table when he overheard his mentor, and instantly grew a saddened look with his head hung low.

Meanwhile, the front of the shop turned deathly silent after Twilight’s unplanned statement. The Princess had both her hooves up to cover her muzzle, looking like she tried too late to keep those words from escaping her now mortified-looking expression. Dash’s eyes were equally as wide, her pained face making it look like her best friend just slapped her. The pegasus’ ears drooped low after a couple seconds, accompanying the disheartened look that was growing on Dash’s face before looking away from Twilight. "J-Jeeze, Twi," she muttered painfully.

“I’m so sorry!” blurted the Princess in a remorseful voice as one of her hooves came back down. “Dash, I swear I didn’t mean to bring that u--”

Dash raised a hoof towards her friend while looking elsewhere, quickly shutting her up. The mare’s saddened expression remained as she took a breath with her eyes closed, trying to block out the feelings of guilt she was clearly still carrying from that event. After another moment, Rainbow exhaled briefly and lowered her hoof. “O-Okay…You win.”

Twilight felt terrible for bringing up such an old wound, and it wasn’t helped when she heard Rainbow add in clarification, “I won’t go near them, alright? I promise...”

That caused the Princess’ ears to pull downward as well. “Rainbow, I really wasn’t going to use that against you. I swear, that just came out of nowher--”

“I-It’s fine,” interrupted Dash before finally looking back at her. Even though her eyes were a little red, the Pegasus didn’t look like she was crying yet. She took another breath and clarified in a more assuring tone, “I get it, Twi. This is the first time you organized a wedding since… then. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about it too.”

Twilight immediately went in to hug her friend tightly. “I’m so sorry, Dash. I promise, I won’t--”

Rainbow Dash used one hoof to press against Twi’s muzzle to keep her from saying anything else. The other hoof returned the hug to the Princess as she said, “Hey, it’s okay. I know you didn’t mean it. We’re cool, I swear.”

After that assurance, Dash hugged her friend fully with both hooves, squeezing Twilight just as tightly as she was. On the other side of the door behind the counter, Lyra, Bon-Bon, and Tenor were leaned up against it listening in. Tenor was the first to pull away, followed by the mares who looked rather confused. “What was that about?” asked Bon-Bon as she looked towards her wife.

Spike got out of his seat and walked over to the bathroom. “Please don’t ask,” he said in a tone just as shameful as Dash’s was.

The back of Lyra and Bon-Bon’s sweet shop was just a basic alleyway, the only view being of the brick wall that was the back part of the postal office. Aside from a couple trash bins arranged along the walls on both sides, the alley itself was just as clean as it was empty. Because of that, Canvas felt an uneasy mix of both relief and worry that he was here for a private talk with the stallion who used to be his father. Of course, after learning what Copper wanted to do, the artist mostly felt angry with himself for agreeing to come out here.

When Copper closed the exit door behind him, Canvas was able to get a decent look at the stallion for the first time. Despite his fur not being at the full dark-green it used to be back in Gallop Creek, Copper looked significantly better than the last time the two talked. His fur’s color was at a healthy tone, not looking faded or matted in the slightest. His brown mane was cut short, and he didn’t have any grungy scruff on his muzzle anymore. He still had his old saddlebag hanging on his back, but it wasn’t dirtied or packed to the brim like a hobo. And despite the large welt that was growing on the left side his his face from Rainbow Dash’s punch, Copper actually looked fairly healthy and clean-cut.

Copper took a few seconds to look back at his son, his eyes peering up and down at his son and his outfit. He huffed with a smirk before saying in a casual, but still hesitant-sounding tone. “Heh… I have to admit, you... you look really good. Although I wouldn’t have expected you to get married so soon.”

Canvas nodded faintly, and looked down to the ground while rubbing one of his forelegs with his hoof. Since it was officially only one year since he and Troy first met, Canvas couldn’t blame his father for making that point. “W-Well… gryphons usually get married fairly quick anyway. Plus, it wasn’t like I would ever say no.”

“I suppose,” replied Copper while looking away awkwardly. He rubbed the back of his head while inhaling before looking back at his son with a smirk. “Honestly, I guess I should be glad it’s with him then.”

When Canvas looked back up at his Dad with a puzzled look, Copper finished with a chuckle and said, “I mean, if you were with a woman, I’d be thinking the reason you’re getting married this quickly is because a baby is on the way.”

The tone of the moment wasn’t exactly that light-hearted, so Canvas didn't chuckle back at him. “I guess I can’t blame you for that,” said Canvas as his eyes looked away from Copper. “We… We talked about when to have the wedding, and… today seemed like the best date.”

“H-How so?” asked the stallion curiously.

Canvas took a breath and answered reluctantly, “Well… Today is actually one year since… since he first found me…”

Copper’s head hung low with a hurt expression on his face. “Oh,” he said in a low and remorseful tone. “Well… I guess that makes sense then…”

Canvas nodded, but didn’t look toward his dad to see if he saw it. Instead, he just replied with, “Yeah. It does…”

As the silence between them grew, so did the awkward tension that came from the two being just a few feet from one another. Canvas closed his eyes and huffed before blurting, “Okay, can… can you just tell me why you’re here?”

When Copper looked back at his son, he saw that Canvas had a hoof over his eyes while rubbing them in growing anxiety. “I… I just don’t want to be out here any longer than I need to, okay? I really did not want to see you on my wedding day, and the fact that it’s been a year since that day doesn’t really help! So just… just say your piece, okay!?”

Canvas’ voice was getting choked up near the end of that rant, and Copper could only stand helplessly as he kept himself from trying to hug him or something. Instead, Copper just sighed and nodded his head. “A-Alright then…”

As he tried to gather his thoughts coherently enough to say what he came here for, Copper felt his muzzle twitch as he realized how unprepared he really was. He may have memorized his words a thousand times on the train to Ponyville, but they turned out to be practically fruitless now that he was standing here in front of his son. A faint and panicked exhale escaped him, which sounded like a mix between a sob and an attempt to chuckle. “You know, I… I always thought about what your wedding would be like, but… I never would’ve thought it would be like this…”

Canvas’ hoof finally came back down, but Copper didn’t notice as he looked down at his own hooves and added in a more morose tone, “And… I never thought I’d be in this kind of position…”

Copper exhaled again, but it was clear that sounded more like a sob than the first one. “I just… I always imagined I’d be there beside you, you know? Like… I’d walk you down the aisle, and… welcome whoever you were with as a member of the family. But… but now…”

Copper wasn’t able to finish his statement, and his eyes clenched shut to keep himself from tearing up. Canvas looked away from his father and replied bitterly, “Yeah, I know.”

As he breathed out shakily, Copper was able to open his eyes enough to not risk having anything come out, despite how they were already beginning to water up. He looked back at his son as he huffed with a smirk. “You know, I keep thinking about what your Mom would say about today. Like… how she would’ve reacted to you marrying someone like him…”

Canvas nodded, but didn’t stare back at his Dad while continuing to rub his foreleg. “Y-Yeah… I’ve thought about that too…” Despite not wanting to think about her at a time like this, a smile crept at the corners of Canvas’ muzzle as he chuckled to himself. “I bet she really would’ve liked Troy. And the others…”

“Yeah, I bet…” Even though he was trying his hardest to keep a smile on his face, the subject was painful enough to make Copper struggle not to cry at the memory of her. His head lowered as he sighed painfully, and he muttered under his breath, “Goddess I miss her…”

Canvas nodded as he bit his bottom lip in shared grief. “M-Me too…”

Even though he was looking down at the ground, Copper didn’t seem to notice when his tears finally started to fall and hit the dirt beneath his hooves. But despite the wave of emotions flowing through him, the older stallion still cracked a melancholy smile as he admitted, “You know, it’s a funny thing. I… I spent so long trying to forget things after she left. That why why I started drinking, to numb things and make myself function right. But… but after I stopped, I… I don’t regret all the memories that came back. Even though it hurts, I… I wouldn’t take back a second of it for the world…”

When Copper lifted his head back up, he didn’t try to wipe away his tears as they kept rolling down his face. “Blowing Winds, she… she was one of my best friends back in high school, and… she was there for me after my parents passed. And ever since then, I… I never felt happier with someone as I was with her…”

His eyes closed momentarily, his muzzle quivering as his emotions grew thicker. “There… there was so much more I wanted to do with her. Things I wanted to do with both of you. But… even with that, I can’t say I have a single regret when it came to being married to her. She… She was perfect…”

Canvas couldn’t hold it in any longer, and tears ran down his face while looking away from his Dad. He was already in a sensitive moment by talking with the stallion who almost killed him just a year ago, and being reminded of his mother like this certainly wasn't helping. While looking elsewhere, the artist didn’t notice his father walking towards him while saying, “She… She was always there for me, and I always tried to be there for her. And I can tell you’re the same with him. So if there’s anything I can say to you, it’s this…”

Canvas jolted a little when he falt Copper’s hoof touch his shoulder. When he glanced back at his dad, he saw that the green stallion had the strongest stare in his reddened eyes as he said as firmly as possible:

“Don’t… EVER… take what you have for granted, Canvas. You cherish every moment you have with him, and you let him know how much he really means to you. If he makes you happy, don’t… don’t ever let him go, you understand?”

Canvas was stunned in a frozen state, unable to move as he saw how intense Copper looked with his stare on him. He didn’t wait for his son to even nod his head to that last question, and just continued in a more hoarse tone. “I… I have so many regrets in my life, Canvas. Things that I know I can never take back. But when it came to her, I wouldn’t have changed a damn thing. I cherished every second I had with her, and I never stopped loving her…”

Copper’s head hung down, but his hoof remained on Canvas’ shoulder. “And... if I had to do it all again… Even… even if I knew…”

A strong shudder escaped as he struggled not to sob, but several tears came down his face. However, his voice came out more firmly after inhaling to say, “I know… I know that I would do it all over again. And… And I’d love her just as much then as I did before…”

Canvas blinked a few times in bafflement, and the ony thing that could come from his muzzle was a brief and surprised-sounding, “R-Really?”

When he lifted his head back up to stare back at his son, Copper saw that Canvas was still at a standstill, despite the tears rolling down his aqua cheeks. “Yes. I would,” continued Copper in an insistent and emotional voice. “Because that’s what love is, Canvas. It’s when you think things can go bad, or even when you know they will, but you still want to stick by that one who makes you feel whole inside. Because when you don’t have them, then… then you don’t feel complete. And you’d rather risk the pain of something happening while being with them, and not the lack of it while being without them.”

As he stood still and took his father’s words in, all that Canvas could think about was how different the stallion in front of him sounded at that moment. For the longest time, all that the artist could remember about Copper was how distant and silent he usually was; and even though there were those brief moments of bonding or dedication back then, it was usually short-lived by the time the stallion picked up another bottle. Compared to the last time the two talked, Copper really appeared as a new pony to Canvas.

Meanwhile, Copper put his hoof back down and looked away from his son with guilt. “There’s probably a lot of things that your mother would say about me right now. And most of them wouldn’t be good. But…” His tone grew determined as he looked back at Canvas and added, “I also know she’d say how I was somepony who always took care of her. Somepony who loved and cherished her every single day. Somepony who… who never took advantage of her as a wife, or as the wonderful mare she really was…”

Copper took a second to look back at his saddle bag, and used a hoof to reach back into it. “And if she was here right now, I know she’d say how proud she was of you right now. Not just for finding someone like him to be your husband, but for doing so much much since leaving that town…”

When he turned back around to face Canvas, Copper had a small silver chain wrapped around his hoof. Canvas’ eyes shot wide-open as he said in a befuddled mutter, “Is… is that…”

The item at the end of the chain dropped down, hanging from the end of Copper’s hoof for his son to see. It was a small piece of silver that was shaped to resemble a pair of wings. One of Canvas’ hooves shot over his mouth in shock, unable to fathom seeing something like that again. He looked back up at Copper and asked, “W-Why do you still have that?! I thought you sold everything after I left!”

Copper nodded his head, his voice becoming choked while looking between Canvas and the necklace. “I know what I said, but I only sold what was mine. I didn’t give up any of her things. Most of them are still in storage, but…” He tightened his grip around the chain for a brief moment, and then he exhaled shakily before presenting his hoof to Canvas. “I know your mother, Canvas. And she would’ve given this to you before your wedding. It might not be for a bride, but... Blowing Winds would want it to be passed on regardless. I really doubt she’d be against either of you having it.”

Canvas stared down at the necklace in stunned silence while his father spoke, and it took him a moment before he could actually reach out to pick it up. He knew that the necklace was important, and that it was carried on through generations as an heirloom. However, like a lot of other things that wound up lost or forgotten after leaving Gallop Creek, Canvas always thought that his mom’s necklace would never be seen again. But now, for the first time in Celestia knows how long, the pony was holding one of the last precious items of his past in his hoof.

The silver shone brightly when the sunlight hit it, and the exquisite sculpting on the wings looked just as skilled as anything a pony could make with today’s magic or technologies. Canvas couldn’t help staring at the piece for a few seconds, but his glance returned to Copper while blinking a few times in bafflement. “Wow. I… I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything,” assured Copper with his hoof raised towards him. “Just… just remember what I told you, okay? As long as you love that gryphon like I loved your mother, I know you’ll be happy. And…”

Copper didn’t want to end his statement with a line so cheesy, but he still pointed to the necklace in Canvas’ hoof and said, “ And I know she’ll be happy too.”

Canvas looked away with a scoff, trying not to show that he was smiling. “Really?” he asked judgingly while wiping his eyes with his foreleg.

“Hey, she would’ve liked hearing that.”

Canvas just sighed before putting his hoof back down. Of course, the pony still kept his smile as he looked back up at Copper and said sincerely, “Still, I… I really am glad you gave me this. Th-Thank you.”

“It’s alright, Canvas,” said Copper with a smile of his own. After a couple seconds, that smile began to shaken before his head hung low with an involuntary sob. “It… It’s the least I could do after everything else…”

Copper covered his face with one of his hooves as he sobbed a couple more times. Canvas turned sad as well, and couldn’t stand to see the stallion in this way again. Copper tried his hardest to regain his voice as he wiped his eyes and said in a croaked voice, “I… I know I apologized so much before, but… but it hurts when you know that’ll never be enough…”

Canvas’ pout grew while his muzzle pointed away from him. The artist kept his eyes closed, but he still heard his father’s voice say in addition, “Losing her was the reason I drank, but… losing you was the reason I stayed sober. I haven't touched a drink since that night, and the withdrawal almost killed me. But... But even with that, I know nothing I say will change what I did, so I’m not going to try. I’m sure I already did enough damage just coming here is it is, so I’ll just go.”

When Canvas finally reopened his eyes and glanced back at at Copper, the stallion carried a look of pure sincerity and devotion behind his tear-matted cheeks. “And I promise you this time, Canvas. I won’t try to come back. If you don’t want me in your life, then I won’t try to convince you otherwise. You have a lot of friends here, and… and I know they’ll do more for you than I ever could.”

Copper struggled not to wince as he said that last part, his voice almost giving away like saying those words were physically hurting him. Regardless, the stallion continued while staring straight at his son. “You… You have your whole future ahead of you, and you’ve already done so much in just a year. I know you’ll do so much more, and… I just wish I could be there to see all of it.”

He closed his eyes briefly as he sniffed, even though that just made his eyes even redder when he reopened them. While Canvas stood with an equally saddened look back at him, Copper took a breath and tried to keep going. “But I know I have to live with my mistakes. You were able to break past all the shit that was handed to you back home, and… and keeping me around would just be another anchor you don’t need. I just… I’m just glad you were able to find a family who’ll give you the love you deserve…”

Despite how sad Copper’s words were, a trembling smile crept across Canvas’ muzzle after hearing that last sentence. Copper began to smile too, which made his last, shaken-sounding statements come out in a more loving voice. “All that your mother and I ever wanted was for you to be happy. And… and I wish more than anything that I remembered that a year ago. Just… just know that whatever happens, I will always love you. You and your mother were the best things I ever had in my life, and… I couldn’t have asked for a better son.”

More tears stemmed from Canvas’ eyes, but he didn’t try to wipe them away as his shaky smile grew in response to Copper’s words. The stallion slowly stepped forward, raising his foreleg towards Canvas for a hug. With his heart becoming heavier in his chest, Canvas slowly accepted the request by stepping forward as well. The pony’s eyes clenched shut as he wrapped his hooves around Copper’s back, allowing Copper to hug him back tightly. As he held him, Canvas felt a familiar warmth growing inside of himself, making his eyes open in a confused wave of… something. Awareness? Clarity?

“I love you so much, Canvas,” whimpered Copper as he hugged his son as tightly as he could. “Even if I never see you again, just know that I’m never gonna stop getting better. No matter what, just… just remember me like this. Please… Please don’t see me as I was before. Remember me as… as somepony who’s trying to better himself…”

Canvas wasn’t sure what he felt inside of himself in that moment. The closest thing he could compare it to was a... snap of some kind; but instead of the kind of snap an angry pony would go through before completely losing it, this snap was something completely different. Canvas couldn’t describe it, but it made him feel like something heavy was still inside of his chest, but was floating upward like a balloon made of steel. His hooves trembled, and his eyes closed again while tightening his grip around his father.

Copper gave him one last squeeze before saying in almost a whisper, “I love you Canvas…”

After over a year since the resentment and pain that brought the two to this moment, Canvas knew what he wanted to say. The artist’s muzzle opened, and he hugged the stallion tightly as he said those five words he never thought he would say again:

“... I love you too, Dad…”

Copper’s eyes shot wide-open for only a second, but was then quickly followed by him completely losing it. With his emotions overflowed, the stallion clinged onto his son for dear life as he bawled loudly. Canvas cried too, but he couldn’t care in the slightest as he returned the hug to him. Even though both of them knew this would most likely be the last time they’ll ever meet again, it was clear that closure was finally upon them. After all the heartache both of them faced, both on their own and from each other, their parting words were finally said, allowing the two to finally make their peace.

It was unclear how long the two held each other, but Copper was the first to break the hug and pull back slowly. After giving his son one last kiss on his forehead, Copper looked down at his son and said with a proud smile, “I wish you nothing but the best in your life, son. Never forget that.”

Canvas nodded his head silently, his overwhelmed smile being the only answer that Copper needed. The stallion looked around, and didn’t say another word before heading out one of the alleyways exits, making sure not to go back inside the shop (or be seen any any other ponies in town). Canvas took a long moment to himself while alone in the alley, letting his cheeks dry up before he could walk back inside the sweet shop with a clearer conscience.

As soon as he walked back inside, everyone was waiting by the front counter for him. Tenor was the first to run up to him, which made Canvas quickly smile as he went to pet at him lovingly. Lyra also came up to the stallion and asked, “So… is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” said Canvas weakly as he paid more attention to Tenor than his friend’s question. “He… he came into town to drop off a gift for me. And… then we made our goodbyes before he left.”

Spike, who was sitting on top of the counter, leaned in and asked, “So, what did he say? Because we heard a lot of crying even from in here--MMMPH!”

Rainbow Dash promptly muffled the dragon by sticking a hoof inside of his mouth. Twilight sighed and tried to rectify the moment. “Sorry about that. We know it’s private, so you don’t need to tell us anything.”

Canvas exhaled and looked up at the Princess with a grateful smile. “Thanks, Twilight.”

Bon-Bon walked up towards Canvas as well, and stopped beside her wife to add in a supportive tone, “But just so you know, if you ever do want to talk about it, we’ll always be here for you.”

Canvas nodded back at the couple thankfully. “I-I know,” replied the artist in a choked voice. “And believe me, I… I couldn’t ask for anything more than that.”

The two mares went in to hug Canvas at the same time, which the stallion returned immediately. Rainbow Dash came up to him with his suit jacket, waiting until their hug was finished before handing it to him. “So, is there anything we should know? Like, anything worth punching him for again?”

“Rainbow!” shouted Twilight.

“What!? It’s just a question!”

“No, Rainbow,” assured Canvas as he put his jacket back on. While speaking, he placed the necklace into one of his jacket’s inner pockets.“All he wanted was to wish me the best for my wedding. There isn’t much more to say than that.”

Twilight was happy enough with that answer to ask while still by the counter, “So, do you think you’re ready, Canvas? It’s almost time for the ceremony.”

Even though his heart was thundering in his chest, his hooves felt twitchy, and his emotions felt drained and overflowing at the same time, Canvas still looked over at the Princess and nodded his head strongly.

“Yeah,” said the groom with a new wave of confidence in his voice. “I know I’m ready.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Wedding Day (Part Three)

Just outside the Ponyville town limits, dozens of ponies (as well as a few gryphons) were occupied with setting up everything for Troy and Canvas’ wedding ceremony. Even though there were several different choices for where the venue could’ve been, including by the pond where Troy’s first home in Equestria was, the couple eventually decided to have it set at a seemingly unexpected place. The field was a beautiful shade of green due to the early summer weather, and the blue skies were flawlessly clear courtesy of the storm teams, but the place itself seemed fairly random for the couple to choose. However, the reason Troy and Canvas picked this open field as their spot to marry was more sentimental than anything else, if not slightly morbid.

Of course, since the bush was long removed by the side of the road, it would’ve been hard for anypony to realize this was where Canvas was first found by his soon-to-be husband.

Nevertheless, the preparations still continued with little hesitation or questioning. The chairs were already set up, and the last of Blane’s floral arrangements were being meticulously prepared around the borders and the altar. Meanwhile, the gryphon himself was managing the operation while staring between the clipboard in his claws, and the florist ponies who were getting everything organized around him. Rarity wiped some sweat from her brow as she came up to him with a satisfied smile. “Well, it looks like we got the last of the lilies set up around the outside. Also, Roseluck and Daisy are just about finished with the decor on the altar.”

“Awesome!” Blane checked off the completed details from his board with a pen. “At this rate, we might get finished earlier than expected!”

“Oh, I wouldn’t get too cocky,” jeered the unicorn with a small smirk. “We still need to get the champagne glass arrangement organized, go over the guest lists to make sure everypony is in attendance, and then Twilight would still want us to triple-check all the lists to ensure everything is up to par.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” groaned Blane bitterly while rolling his eyes at that last detail. “I mean, I get Twilight is a Princess and all, but that girl is WAY too uppity about approvals and stuff! You should’ve seen how badly she flipped her lid when she saw the deep-fry station we were setting up at the reception!”

Rarity blinked a couple times in silence, but her eyes were still particularly wide as she stared up at the gryphon intensely. “Blane… what is a deep-fry station?”

“What, you never heard of it?!” Blane stared down at the mare in surprise and put down his clipboard. He rolled his eyes with a groan before saying, “Oh, it’s friggin’ awesome! Like, you have this giant vat of cooking oil, and a guy who’s making sure nobody gets too close to it. All you gotta do is bring whatever it is you want cooked, and the guy’ll dip it in this big thing of batter and deep fry it for you! It’s like, the ultimate way to cook things!”

Rarity’s eyes were now the size of dinner plates, and her clenched muzzle made it look like she was just seconds away from strangling Blane with her magic. After letting out a deep and shaky exhale through her nostrils, the unicorn’s left eye twitched when she finally opened her mouth and asked, “B-Blane… Would you mind explaining to me why that idea came to your head?”

Blane stared back at Rarity in confusion, not seeming to notice the distinct venom that was coming from her tone during that question. “Uhhh… Actually, Blaze came up with the idea. And Canvas was really into it because of the idea of deep-fried candy bars. So we--”

A high-pitched groan from the back of Rarity’s throat was enough to interrupt Blane, and she turned away while feeling like she was about to have a stroke. The gryphon wasn’t sure what the issue was, but he could hear Rarity mumbling between her agitated growls. “Dee… Deep-fried candy bars… At a wedding... And pizza as the entreè…”

Blane grew a goofy smile and unwittingly responded with, “Yeah, I know! It’s awesome, right?”

Rarity shot back around with a psychotic look in her eyes. “BLANE! I--”

The unicorn quickly stopped herself, and gritted her teeth while pulling away from the surprised-looking Blane. After taking a deep breath, Rarity began to walk away as she said, “I’m sorry, but I… I think I need a drink right now…”

Before she could disappear to someplace completely out of earshot of him, she overheard the gryphon shout out, “Aww, come on! It’s not that bad!”

After the mare left the venue, Blane huffed and muttered to himself while glancing back at his clipboard. “Maybe she should deep-fry whatever’s up her butt.”

Meanwhile, Rarity trotted over to a different spot of the field, where the reception was being set up. Most of the tables for attendees were already out and being arranged, and Gilda and Greta were busy setting up the cooking and heating elements for the long serving table (including the deep-fry station). A stage was being built at the furthest end, with several burly ponies getting the sound equipment prepared for Blade’s band. Two tents were erected to the side closest to the ceremony venue, and were meant to house Troy and Canvas before the ceremony so neither would risk seeing the other. Even though Canvas wasn’t here yet, Troy was occupied in his tent instead of looking around the reception area like his brothers.

Of course, when Rarity caught sight of where the remaining three gryphons were, her eyes shot wide open when she saw them gathered around something. As soon as she saw the little figurines at the top of what they were circled around, she gasped and ran towards the gryphons in a rampage, “HEY! Leave that cake alone!”

Mister and Missus Cake were only away from the cake for a second to get the decorative frosting, but the wife was the first to rush back towards it with a large spray bottle. Just a couple of spritzes were good enough to get the gryphons to reel back like a vampire against garlic. “I TOLD YOU BOYS TO STAY AWAY! Git! Git!”

Lyle ran off towards Troy’s tent like a kid trying to get away with being caught in the cookie jar. Blaze flew off elsewhere, but Cupcake could’ve sworn that Blade actually hissed before scurrying back to the stage area. The wedding cake, while still structurally sound, was now only half-covered in cream cheese frosting after the gryphons picked at it. Missus Cake groaned furiously and grabbed a large tin of the frosting to reapply the cake. “Oh for crying out loud, what is with gryphons and this frosting?!?”

Carrot Cake groaned in shared frustration and got a tin of his own as well. Rarity winced sympathetically at seeing the cake, and lit her horn to pick up a rubber spatula. “Oh, I’m so sorry about this. Do either of you need any help?”

Carrot Cake sighed and shook his head. “No, we’ll be fine. But thanks for the offer though,” he said in a sincere tone while applying the frosting on the chocolate base.

Of course, at seeing how much needed to be re-frosted, Rarity huffed in annoyance and looked back at Troy’s tent. “Ugh! I simply can not believe Troy’s brothers would do something like that! I mean, who in the right mind tries to eat a cake before it can be presented to oth… ers…”

Rarity’s statement fell flat just as quickly as her ears did. Upon realizing who she was saying that hypocritical comment to, the unicorn tried not to wince as she silently turned her head around. Mister and Missus Cake stopped their work and were both looking at Rarity with flat, unamused stares. Rarity grew an awkward smile and giggled meagerly. “Heh heh heh… I probably shouldn’t be one to talk, should I?”

“No,” said both of the bakers flatly.

Without saying another word, Rarity just nodded her head and left the two alone to finish fixing the cake. As she took a few breaths to keep herself from dwelling on that cringe-worthy interaction, she noticed two familiar figures soaring in from the skies. Angela and Jonas carefully landed on the soft grass between Troy and Canvas’ tents, making sure not to mess up the outfits they were already wearing. Jonas’ decorated military jacket looked absolutely immaculate due to that tailor’s hoofwork, making the gryphon look quite respectable with it on. Meanwhile, Angela’s light green gown fit the pregnant gryphoness’ form perfectly, making Rarity grin wide at the welcoming sight.

“Oh my goodness!” said Rarity as she trotted up to the two with an impressed look. “You two look amazing!”

“Oh, you,” responded Angela with a blush on her cheeks as she looked away from Rarity and waved a claw at her. “Your dress is the real star here.”

“Now don’t be acting like that,” stated Jonas with a supportive smile towards his wife. “A dress is only is nice as the girl wearing it.”

Rarity gave Jonas a thankful nod before saying to Angela, “I think I have to agree with your husband on that one.”

Angela involuntarily giggled before finally looking back at both Rarity and Jonas. “Oh, aren’t you both the charmers today?” With a grateful smile on her beak, Angela bent in towards Jonas to give him a loving peck. She then turned to Rarity and said, “You know what? I think I’m gonna check on that wedding cake and see--”

“Don’t you DARE!” shouted Cupcake from across the reception area. Angela reeled back in shock for a moment, and then huffed with a shrug.

“Fine,” said the gryphoness in an annoyed tone as she walked away from Jonas and Rarity, “I guess I’ll have to see Greta and her girlfriend for a snack…”

As his wife went elsewhere, Jonas sighed and looked around the reception area. “Well,” he said in a small huff, “I guess now’s as good a time as ever to try and talk with my son.”

“Well, he’s right over there,” said Rarity confidently as she pointed at the gryphon’s tent. “Lyle is in there too, I believe.”

“Alright. Thanks.” After giving the unicorn a thankful nod, Jonas talked towards the tent and stepped through the front flap. The inside of the tent was fairly simple, but still comfortable enough for Troy to sit in wait. However, despite the soft rug on the floor, the electric fan blowing fresh air in from the outside, and the small lounge chair placed right in front of it, Troy was haphazardly pacing around the interior of the tent like a fly trapped in an upside-down jar. Fortunately, it didn’t look like he was sweating badly enough to risk ruining the dark grey suit he was wearing. “Oh man, oh man, oh man, oh man…”

Lyle was just watching his brother with a bemused smirk while leaned against the chair. “Dude, come on!” he said with an optimistic tone of voice. “Every guy gets nervous before getting married! There’s nothing to freak out about!”

“I know, I know…” Troy stopped for a second to talk a calming breath with his eyes closed. Even though Jonas was now in the tent with them, neither of them seemed to notice him yet. Jonas took the opportunity to just watch curiously while Troy sighed in exasperation. “I’m not getting cold paws or anything, I swear. It’s just… It’s a lot to take in, you know?!”

“Well, I guess…” Even though Lyle had a more neutral expression, he tried to keep an understanding tone as he said, “Just remember, Troy. Whatever you’re feeling right now, Canvas is probably feeling it too.”

Troy paused and took that point in, waiting a few seconds before nodding his head. “Yeah, that’s true…”

Rarity’s voice interrupted the moment as she whispered close to the tent, “Troy! Canvas is here! Stay inside!”

Troy turned his head to the front of the tent. “Thanks Rar-GAH!”

Since they didn’t notice Jonas until just then, but Troy and Lyle jolted at seeing him appear seemingly out of nowhere. The General couldn’t help chuckling a bit as he rubbed the back of his head. “So, am I interrupting anything?”

“Uhhh…” Troy looked back at his brother and shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t think so.”

“Yeah,” added Lyle in agreement. “We were just chatting, you know?”

“Alright, good.” After glancing back at the closed tent flap, Jonas took a moment before turning to ask his youngest son, “Lyle, can you give Troy and I a few minutes alone?”

Lyle looked between Jonas and Troy for a brief moment before shrugging his shoulders. “Alright,” he said before pulling away from the chair. However, he made sure to give his brother an encouraging nudge against the shoulder first and said, “Just keep cool, alright?”

“Yeah, sure,” muttered Troy with a nudge back at him. After Lyle left the tent (and quickly snuck out of sight from the Cakes), Jonas exhaled as he looked around the tent awkwardly. Troy decided to speak before his father could. “So… are you here to give me marriage advice or something?”

Jonas looked back at his son with his brows raised. “Actually, yeah. I was.” Seeing that the lounge chair wasn’t taken yet, Jonas went straight to it so he could sit down. Troy didn’t look like he wanted to sit, and just continued to pace around the room. Seeing this, Jonas huffed with a smirk on his jagged beak. “You nervous?”

“Yeah,” said Troy without any hesitation as he exhaled deeply. “B-But not in a bad way!” he quickly added insistently back to his dad. “It’s just kinda overwhelming, you know?”

“Yeah, I do know,” answered Jonas with an understanding nod. “Just be lucky you don’t have to think about any upcoming kids like I did.”

Troy chuckled for a second while his pacing slowed down. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Hey, I’m serious.” As his voice turned more stern, Jonas looked up at his son from his seat and pointed a talon at him. “When I was in your position, I was just as nervous as you were. And I was actually a little younger than you! But even with that, AND raising five hatchlings, I’m still in a strong marriage with your mother. And you wanna know why?”

Troy stopped briefly and shot his dad a cheeky response. “Because grandpa would’ve castrated you if you tried to leave mom?”

Jonas’ expression quickly soured and became a dark glare. “You really wanna be a smart-ass right now?”

“Right, right. Sorry.” Troy took a cautious step back, not wanting to get smacked upside the head by his father. “G-Go on. I’m listening.”

Jonas’ eyes narrowed on Troy for a second, and then he let out a low, lingering sigh before continuing. “What I was going to say was… I was lucky. Your mother and I weren’t the only couple to get married young back then. Lots of gryphons in my platoon got hitched around that time too, and… most of them for similar reasons than myself. But even though a lot of them loved the girl they were married with at first, most of them still ended up divorcing after a few years.”

Troy was now staring at his dad with a more subdued, and fairly worried look on his face.

“Most of them broke apart for different reasons,” continued Jonas with a shrug of his shoulders, “but they all had the same issue which caused those problems to arise in the first place. And it was the same problem I was able to notice and avoid before it ever happened.”

Troy, who now turned back around to face his father directly, tilted his head as he asked, “What was it?”

Jonas stared back at his son for a second before giving his answer. “If you want your marriage with that stallion to last, you need to understand that when it comes to being married, you can’t treat it as the time to stop trying in your relationship.”

Troy blinked a couple times confusedly. “Wait, wha… What do you mean?”

“I mean, just because you’re going to be married, doesn’t mean you can stop being a good partner!” Jonas kept his sights straight on Troy as he continued in an insistent tone. “It’s like one of Lyle’s video games! You think you got to the last level, so you stop caring as much about the game and stop playing it as much. But marriage is NOT the last level! You still have a lot you need to do even after you put that ring on.”

By now, Troy was genuinely focused on what his dad was telling him. After picking up a nearby stool, the gryphon placed it in front of Jonas’ chair so he could sit in front of him face-to-face. “Like what?” asked Troy with interest.

“Well,” began Jonas with a tilt of his head, “first off, never assume you know what Canvas is thinking or feeling. You need to actually communicate with him! Listen to what he has to say, and remember it for later on. I might stay silent a lot of the time back at home, but I still listen to your mother whenever I can. That’s how I show her that I care, and that I acknowledge what she has to say.”

Troy was now leaned forward in his stool, nodding as he took a mental note of that. “Huh… what else?”

“Secondly,” continued Jonas sternly, “it doesn’t take much to show appreciation. I try to remember what Angela likes, but I also know that her tastes change from time to time. I keep myself up to date with those things, and I let her know that I’m paying attention. Sometimes I get her a little gift. Nothing too expensive or extravagant, but still something that I know she’d like. Most of the time, it isn’t even for any big reason; I just do it to let her know I was thinking about her.”

Troy nodded his head slowly with his eyes slightly narrowed. “That… makes a lot of sense.”

“You’re damn right it does! When you’re married for as long as I have, you have to keep things a little spontaneous at times. Otherwise things could get stale.” Jonas then leaned back in his seat as he kept talking. “Also, you need to keep things equal in your marriage. If one of you feels inferior to the other, that resentment is gonna seep out sooner or later. There’s never anything wrong with compromising or negotiation in a relationship. Of course, I think you and Canvas already have that figured out pretty damn well.”

Given the talk he and Canvas had the previous morning in the jail cell, Troy couldn’t help shrugging with a small smile. “Yeah, you have a point there.”

“But…” Jonas’ expression became firm while staring at his son with an insistent tone in his voice. “The biggest thing you need to remember, and I can’t stress this enough, is that everyone changes over time. I’m a completely different gryphon now than who I used to be when I married your mother. She was also different when I first met her! People change, and there’s nothing we can do to stop that. But no matter what, as long as you communicate with your husband, and you both actually put in effort to keep things strong between each other, the two of you can overcome any changes that come up. Just keep your utmost trust in him, and make sure he knows that he can always trust in you.”

Troy took a while to let all that information sink in, but it was clear that he understood as he nodded his head once more. Before Jonas could ask if he needed any clarification, Troy huffed and said in a surprised tone, “Wow. I… I really didn’t expect for you to give that kind of advice to me.”

Jonas narrowed his eyes on his son and asked, “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well,” retorted Troy with a roll of his eyes, “remember when you tried to give me the sex talk?”

Jonas just scoffed. “Oh, don’t act like you didn’t learn a lot that day!”

“You literally just handed me a porno magazine!”

“Well, YOU were the one who kept trying to sneak into my room to read it! I figured you should learn what you were getting into!” After a few seconds, Jonas paused and looked away from Troy with a small sigh. “Of course… I guess that talk doesn’t relate to your relationship now, does it?”

That made Troy laugh pretty loud while covering his beak with a claw. Jonas couldn’t help chuckling a little too, and he waited for his son’s laughter to settle before adding, “Well… Just know that despite everything that’s happened, I… I really am happy that you’re getting married to someone like him.”

Hearing the sincerity in Jonas’ voice, Troy grew a shaky smile on his beak. Jonas then placed a claw on Troy’s shoulder and added with a smile of his own, “And no matter what happens, I wish you and Canvas the very best.”

Troy stood still for a couple seconds, feeling overwhelmed at the words his father just told him. But before he could lunge forward to give Jonas a hug, Troy was surprised when his dad made the action first. Jonas would’ve usually checked around to make sure he was alone, but at that moment, he couldn’t have cared less as he wrapped his claws around Troy’s back to give him a confident hug. Troy quickly hugged his father back, and his voice carried a shaky tone as he struggled not to cry through his clenched-shut eyes. “Th-Thanks, Dad. I’m… I’m really glad you’re here.”

“So am I, Troy…” Jonas then gave one last squeeze, his eyes tightening as he tried not to cry either. “So am I.”

Outside of the tents, Angela was surveying the reception area while chewing on a piece of chocolate-covered beef jerky she almost forgot was in her purse. She contemplated sneaking over to the wedding cake to see if any extra frosting was available, but one sharp glare from Missus Cake was enough for the gryphoness to know that her trigger-hoof on that spray bottle was itchy. So instead, Angela decided to head towards the ceremony section where she could see that many of the guests were already getting seated early.

On her way there, she walked past the tents that both Troy and Canvas were inside. Lyra and Bon-Bon were outside Canvas’, and the gryphoness could overhear the two whispering to one another about something.

“I’m just saying, honey,” said Lyra in a hushed tone to her wife. “We don’t know for sure if he’s really alright!”

“He promised us that he was fine.”

“Yeah, but it’s not like he hasn’t kept things from us before!”

“That was before we learned about everything. If there was anything wrong, I’m sure he would’ve told us by now.”

With her curiosity getting the best of her, Angela abandoned her earlier plan and went over to the two mares. “Hey there, girls.”

“Hm? Oh, hey Angela.” After seeing the gryphoness in her custom-made dress, Lyra’s eyes widened with an impressed look on her face. “Wha-how! You’re lookin’ good!”

Bon-Bon was staring at Angela with amazement as well, although she tried not to blush too obviously as she added, “Wow, I… I gotta hand it to Rarity. She really knows how to make you shine.”

Angela, still a little bashful about wearing something so formal, turned her head away with a smile from her friend’s compliment. “Oh, don’t make me blush. It’s honestly a little bizarre to be wearing something like this. I usually wear pants-suits when I have to be clothed.”

Bon-Bon giggled as her blush only grew. “I’m just saying, you look really nice.” Of course, as soon as she saw the cheeky grin that Lyra was giving her out of Angela’s sight, Bon-Bon quickly shot back a warning scowl to her wife. Fortunately, Angela didn’t see either expression when she looked back at them.

“Well, thank you both,” said the gryphoness sincerely with a smile. Of course, that smile lessened as she tried to change the subject. “Umm…” Her beak skewed slightly as she tried to transition into such a blunt statement. “Just so you know, I… I couldn’t help overhearing you two on my way here. If you girls don’t mind me asking, is something going on with Canvas?”

Bon-Bon and Lyra both turned worried fairly quick. “Well,” began Lyra as she looked back at her wife awkwardly, “I’m not sure if we should say anything about it.”

“Oh, come on,” Angela insisted as she looked between the two mares. “I’m going to be that stallion’s Mother-In-Law in less than a half-hour! I think I should know if something is wrong!”

“I don’t think anything is wrong,” retorted Bon-Bon in a less-than-confident tone of voice. “It’s just that, well…”

The mare paused with a bit lip, unsure how to word what happened without freaking Angela out. Lyra took a breath before lighting up her horn, hoping she learned that sound-bubble spell from Twilight correctly. Luckily, the unicorn was able to grow a dome that was just large enough to enclose over herself and the gryphoness. Bon-Bon was outside the bubble, but she was happy to see that her wife got the spell executed correctly; she couldn’t hear either of them as she saw her wife speaking about something. She may have not been the best when it came to reading lips (and definitely not beaks), but Bon-Bon saw Angela clearly gasp after Lyra finished her explanation.

“WHAT?!” shouted Angela inside the bubble, which made both of them instantly wince afterward due to the echo from the enclosed space. “Urgh… sorry.”

“It’s alright. Twilight warned me about that.” After rubbing her ears with a hoof, Lyra exhaled and said up to the gryphoness. “But yeah, his dad really did show up, but he’s gone now. Canvas said that their talk went alright, but we’re not a hundred percent sure.”

Angela blinked a couple times with a mix of worry and uncertainty on her face. After glancing over towards Canvas’ tent, Angela sighed and turned her attention back to Lyra. “Do you think it’d be alright if I talked with him?”

“A-Are you sure that’s a good idea?” the unicorn asked with a clear hint of protest in her otherwise calm-sounding voice.

“Listen, I know you want to give him privacy, but…” Angela took a hesitant breath while avoiding eye contact with the unicorn. “Well… given that neither of his parents are here, I just…”

The gryphoness’ words trailed off, clearly not comfortable with explaining that much further. Fortunately, Lyra was able to read between the lines enough to understand what Angela was getting at. After looking back at Canvas’ tent too, Lyra sighed with a sympathetic look on her face and put down her sound bubble. “Alright,” she said in a hushed tone as she turned back to Angela. “You can go in.”

“What?” asked Bon-Bon with a befuddled look, having only heard that statement and not everything else.

“It’ll be fine,” assured Lyra back to her wife. Meanwhile, Angela was already heading towards the tent. Before Bon-Bon could try to stop her, Lyra went up to her wife and added insistently, “It’s just something personal she wanted to do, okay?”

“Personal?” With the way Bon-Bon’s eyes narrowed on Lyra, it was obvious that she needed more info than that. Lyra just sighed before looking back at the tent, seeing that Angela was already inside.

“Well, I’m… fairly sure that Angela knows what he’s thinking about right now.”

The inside of Canvas’ tent was near identical to Troy’s, but the stallion wasn’t pacing around the inside of his like his future husband was. Instead, Canvas was seated on the lounge sofa with his head hung low. His eyes were a deep shade of red from the tears he already shed, and he was looking down at an old photograph in his hoof. Underneath the photo of himself as a colt with his parents, his heirloom necklace was hanging from his hoof and dangling just a few inches from the floor.

Angela made sure to step into the tent as quietly as possible, not wanting to disturb Canvas. However, when she saw how the stallion looked, she felt like her heart was going to break in half at the sight. Angela took a breath before making a small cough, which made Canvas instantly jolt and look up at her.

“H-Huh?!” he blurted before looking around the tent. “I-Is the wedding starting already?”

“N-No,” said Angela with a quick raise of her claw. “No it’s not. I just… wanted to see how you were…”

Canvas quickly sniffed and looked away from her while rubbing his eyes. “I’m fine, I’m fine,” he muttered in a clearly untrue tone of voice. “I was just… sitting.”

Without saying much else, the gryphoness walked over to Canvas’ chair and sat down beside him. Canvas wasn’t sure what else to say, but he didn’t make much protest either. Angela looked down at the photo in his hooves, deciding not to say anything about it. Instead, her sights went to the necklace that made her tilt her head curiously. “What’s that?”

“Hm? Oh...” Canvas pulled his photo away for a moment as he brought up the necklace. The silver wings hung on its chain, still carrying a little shine even inside the limited light of the enclosed tent. Canvas briefly bit his pouted lip before saying in a soft voice, “This… used to belong to my Mom. It was passed down for generations from bride to bride, and… it’s supposed to ensure a happy marriage.”

“Awww…” Carrying a touched tone in her voice, Angela carefully held the silver emblem in two of her talons to inspect it. “That’s really nice, Canvas.” After looking at the item for a few seconds, Angela’s ear tufts came upward as she turned back to Canvas confusedly. “Wait, this is for the bride? Then… which one of you gets this?”

Canvas tried to chuckle with a small smile, but it came out more as a hiccupped exhale as he said, “I honestly have no idea…”

Angela started to giggle too, which eventually turned to both of them laughing while Canvas held his necklace and photo. Unfortunately, Angela’s laughter subsided after a few seconds when she heard the tone in Canvas’ voice change. When she glanced back at him, the stallion’s head was hung down again. His shoulders were still going up and down, but it was clear he wasn’t laughing anymore.

He was crying.

As soon as she saw Canvas sobbing, the gryphoness instinctively pulled him in for a caring hug. “Oh, Canvas! It’s alright…” Angela rested the bottom of her chin right on top of Canvas’ head, keeping him secure as she held him tightly within her claws. While Canvas continued to sob into her chest, she tried to make a few calming shushes and said, “It’s alright, Canvas. Everything is gonna be alright.”

“B-But…” Canvas’ voice came out timidly and muffled through the chest-feathers sticking out from Angela’s dress, but she could still hear him clearly say, “But I…I…”

He winced painfully as he pressed himself tighter against the gryphoness. “I miss her…”

Angela hugged him even tighter after hearing that, and didn’t dare let go as he continued to cry. “Canvas, it’s okay,” she said as her own voice started to become choked-up. “I know you miss your Mom, but I’m sure she’d be really happy for you today…”

As she spoke, the gryphoness’ eyes closed tightly before she added in a shakier-sounding tone. “Believe me, I… I know what it’s like. And… I know just how much it hurts…” A couple stray tears escaped from her eyes after she said that, and she exhaled painfully while holding the stallion. She then sniffed before reopening her wettened eyes. “Canvas, I… I can’t begin to imagine what it was like losing her so young. But I do understand what it’s like to lose a mother.”

“I know,” croaked Canvas while his muzzle pulled back slightly from Angela’s chest. “It’s just that… I really wish she was here today.”

“I know,” cooed Angela with another tight squeeze around him. “And believe me, I wish so too.”

For about a minute or so, neither of them said anything while holding each other inside of the tent. Canvas eventually stopped crying, but he still kept his eyes closed while cradled against the gryphoness’ chest. After a while, Angela glanced down at the necklace still wrapped in Canvas’ hoof. She picked up the emblem once more before asking the artist curiously, “So, Canvas… how much do you know about Gryphon Kingdom history?”

Canvas pulled away from Angela’s chest to wipe his face and look up at her with a puzzled expression.

“I mean, I know you learned a lot about my parents back in high school,” she added with a tilt of her head while looking away from him. “Troy kinda mentioned that. But…” She returned her sights back to Canvas with one of her brows raised. “Did you ever learn about how gryphons first made contact with ponies?”

“Ummm…” Canvas took a breath as he sat upright in his seat beside Angela, and looked down at the floor in thought. “Well… I know that Celestia and Luna first met with the Gryphon Kingdom leaders during an expedition, right?”

Angela shrugged her shoulders. “Technically yes, but that wasn’t the first time gryphons ever saw ponies.”

Canvas glanced back at Angela curiously, not having known that fact before.

“My grandmother told me this when I was just a child,” continued Angela as she leaned back in the chair with a claw against her belly, “but rumor has it, back when ponies were first making settlements at the edge of Equestria closest to the Gryphon Kingdom, gryphons were able to catch the slightest glimpses of the pegasus ponies in the skies as they collected clouds. Of course, since they had no knowledge of ponies, let alone magic, they had no idea who those winged creatures were. Over time, theories began to circulate about what they could’ve been; but out of all the ideas that gryphons suggested, there was one that seemed to stick around until they actually made contact with Celestia and her Equestrians…”

She kept the necklace’s silver wings between her talons, motioning towards it before looking back at Canvas to finish. “The idea was that those pegasus ponies, who managed to manipulate the weather and make entire civilizations out of nothing but clouds in the sky… were actually angels.”

Canvas took a second to let that fact sink in, which admittedly made him huff with a tiny smirk. “Really?” he asked with a hint of skepticism. “Angels?”

“What?” she asked with her claws up. “This was like, over a thousand years ago! Gryphons didn’t know who Celestia was.”

Canvas thought about that before pouting with a shrug of his neck. “Good point.”

“But still... “ Angela’s beak skewed momentarily as she stared back down at Canvas’ necklace. “I remember that my grandmother also told me that when it came to legends, there was always the slightest sliver of something real within them. Even if it was something completely outrageous or impossible, most of the ideas that stuck over time carried a little bit of reality in them…”

She then pointed a talon at the necklace before saying with a small smile pointed at the stallion. “And honestly? I’d like to think that in some small, tiny way… maybe pegasi really are angels in some way.” Angela moved in closer beside Canvas, and wrapped a foreleg around his back while finishing her thoughts. “And if that’s the case, I have no doubt that your mother is watching you from above right now. And she couldn’t be prouder of you if she tried.”

Canvas was looking down at his lap as she said those words, and he couldn’t keep himself from smiling as he made a couple hiccuped breaths. He was trying his hardest not to laugh, but he still looked up at Angela and said in a meager, but still cheeky tone, “That was really corny.”

“Oh, shut up!” Angela said playfully while pulling in the stallion from the side. Canvas was laughing again, but it was clear from his tone that he sounded a lot more at ease than before. He closed his eyes and pressed his head against the gryphoness’ side, his cheeks blushing as he smiled shakily.

“Th-Thanks, though,” he said in a hushed and sincere-sounding voice. “I… I really needed to hear something like that right now.”

Angela sighed and hugged the pony back with a smile of her own. “Oh, don’t be like that. Did you think I was just gonna leave you in here alone to cry before your big day?”

Canvas sniffed and rubbed his eyes with a hoof while beside her. “Well, no, but… It’s not like it’s just my big day.”

“I know,” said Angela as she brought her claw up to run along Canvas’ shaggy mane, “but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be there for you. Especially when you’re going to be part of this family.”

Angela took a breath as she pulled him in closer to give a genuine hug. “And believe me,” she added with more sincerity in her shaking voice, “After seeing how happy Troy is with you, I couldn’t be happier that you’re going to be his husband.”

After a brief pause, Angela exhaled as she closed her eyes while holding Canvas dearly. “... Or that you’re going to be my son.”

Canvas’ eyes shot wide-open, and he pulled back to look up at Angela with a surprised look. Even though he already knew that the Clawstons saw him as family, actually hearing Angela say something like that was beyond jarring.

Angela quickly put her claws out and said insistently, “Before you say anything, Canvas, I… I know that I’ll never replace your mother. And believe me, I don’t ever want you to think that I am. But…”

She put her claws back down and breathed out with a smile as she stared back at the pony in front of her. “But I really do care about you, Canvas. All of us do. And if you’d let me, I really do want to be there for you like a mom. But only if you want me to…”

After adding that reassurance with her last sentence, Angela sat with a hopeful and hesitant smile on her beak. Meanwhile, Canvas was frozen at the spot as he became overwhelmed with emotion. By the time he finally made a response, fresh tears were stemming from his eyes as he grew a trembling smile of his own.

Canvas was the first to lunge forward, hugging Angela as tightly as he could while sobbing against her shoulder with tears of joy. Angela did the same, but was able to keep her crying reserved to just a few more tears while hugging back with a grateful smile of her own. Neither of them were sure how long that hug lasted, but neither of them really cared either. For Angela, all that mattered was that she was able to help the one pony she knew her son Troy loved more than anyone else.

For Canvas, he was happy that he was finally being given a chance to have a mom in his life again.

Just as Canvas was able to stop crying happily, a “Psst!” from outside the tent caught both Canvas and Angela’s attention. “Hey guys!” whispered Lyra as her shadow could be seen through the tent’s tarp wall. “We need to get ready! The ceremony is just about to begin!”

Canvas breathed out heavily and pulled away from his Mother-In-Law. Angela pulled some tissues out of her purse, and offered Canvas one first before fixing herself. “W-Well,” she said shakily while collecting her breath, “I guess this is it, huh?”

“Mmhmm.” Canvas nodded his head while wiping his cheeks and eyes dry. Even though his eyes were still red, his smile was much more apparent when he looked back up at her. “So, how do I look?”

Angela just smiled back at him proudly and answered, “Trust me, Canvas. You look great.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Ceremony

On the day of Troy and Canvas’ wedding, the weather was absolutely perfect for the occasion. The sun was shining bright directly over the venue, but the temperature was cool enough for everyone in attendance to be comfortable in their formal attire. All of the guests were seated along the two sides of the aisle leading up to the altar where Mayor Mare was standing at the podium with a Marriage Certificate and an honored smile. Just to the left of the altar, Lyra was seated on a stool while holding her lyre with both hooves.

After receiving the nod from the Mayor, Lyra’s horn lit up brightly with a mint-green hue. The aura of magic went straight to the unicorn’s hooves, growing what looked to be two claw-like appendages at the end of them. If Twilight Sparkle was there to see it, her eyes would’ve widened at immediately recognizing them to be hands. Nevertheless, Lyra closed her eyes with a smile and focused on her musical gift for the couple to be wedded. After a single strum against the strings to get everypony silent, her magic began plucking at her instrument as the ceremony began.

Most of the ponies sat quietly and let the music reverberate through the open field they were in. However, a skinny brown-feathered gryphoness who was in a seat near the front leaned to her side to whisper to a white mare with a red mane sitting next to her. “Psst, hey Pepps! Why is she playing a song like that? Shouldn’t she be playing ‘Here Comes the Bride’ or something?”

The mare, known around town as Peppermint, raised a brow back at her and whispered back, “Really, Gretchen? Which one of the guys being married would be considered the ‘Bride,’ huh?”

Gretchen opened her beak to retort, but paused momentarily before stopping herself. She then shrugged her shoulders and looked back ahead after muttering back to the mare, “Good point.” A white mare with a poofy purple mane who was seated next to the gryphoness’ other side quickly shushed her.

Meanwhile, the first of the attendees to stand at the altar began to walk down the aisle in slow tempo with the music from Lyra’s lyre. The first ponies to walk to the altar were Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, who were wearing the gowns that they previously wore as Bridesmaids at Princess Cadance’s wedding; of course, the biggest reason for their presence is to walk alongside the Saint Bernard between them. Tenor panted happily as he walked down the aisle with his tuxedo jacket on, his ears coming up whenever he heard somepony “Daww” at his presence. A large white box was tied around the dog’s neck, which contained Troy and Canvas’ rings.

After Tenor and the two mares stood at the left side of the altar, the music continued as the next three attendees walked down the aisle. Troy’s older brothers, who were all donning matching black suits that fitted them perfectly, silently walked with smiles as the Groomsmen on Troy’s side of the altar. When the triplets stood to the right of the altar, Blade looked out at the crowd and gave a quick “call me” gesture towards Gilda and Greta near the back.

The next two to walk down the aisle were the Best Man and one of the Best Mares. Lyle was wearing a tailored suit that matched his brothers’ while walking alongside the equally well-dressed Bon-Bon. Both of them carried enthusiastic smiles as they took their places on both sides closest to the altar. While Lyle stood beside his older brothers, Bon-Bon was right next to her wife who continued to play.

Instead of walking down the aisle like the others, Princess Twilight Sparkle decided to take a more “theatrically pleasing route,” as her friend Rarity put it. With her Royal Regalia donned in its full shimmering glory, the Alicorn carefully flew in from the skies above to land directly in the middle of the altar. Mayor Mare stepped aside during the Princess’ slow descent, allowing her plenty of place to make a clear and dignified-looking landing. As soon as Twilight stood at the altar proudly, her glance back at the other end of the aisle made everypony stand up from their seats.

With everyone watching, Troy took a deep breath as he walked down the aisle with both of his parents beside him. Even though Jonas’ decorated military garm and Angela’s gown both looked immaculate on their own, it was clear that Troy was the shining star as he walked in a paced and regal posture towards the Princess. Seeing how all of his friends and family were smiling back at him, the gryphon had a wide smile of his own by the time he reached the altar. Angela gave her son a kiss on the cheek before going towards her seat at the front, and Jonas followed Troy so he could stand just beside Mayor Mare.

Troy’s heart was pounding, but he didn’t feel any hesitation either. After all the time spent getting everything ready for this moment, the gryphon couldn’t deny how right this really felt. Of course, when he saw his stallion at the other end of the aisle, Troy’s heart began thundering at an even faster rate.

Canvas took a moment as he stood by himself at the beginning of the aisle in his suit. He gulped when everyone’s attention turned back towards him, but he quickly began to move as Lyra’s music continued for him. With his heart fluttering in his chest, the stallion blushed deeply when he saw Troy for the very first time that day. The gryphon looked absolutely beautiful at the altar beside his brothers and Twilight, and Canvas’ eyes couldn’t look anywhere else once he caught sight of him. As he made his final steps, the artist exhaled slowly in revelation and relief that this day was finally here.

As soon as Canvas stood at the altar in front of Troy, everyone’s eyes were on the couple as they stared at each other with confidence and love. Since everypony was paying attention to the ceremony, no one seemed to notice the green stallion who was sitting on a hillside not too far from the field. Copper Fields couldn’t hear anything from his vantage point, but he couldn’t have cared less as he silently watched his son’s wedding from afar with a prideful smile and welling eyes.

Lyra put her lyre down after Canvas took his spot, and both she and Bon-Bon kissed the stallion’s cheeks before standing behind him proudly. Everyone in attendance returned to their seats and kept silent as Twilight looked between the two of them. After taking a deep breath, the Princess looked out at the crowd as she began her very first officiating speech.

“Fillies and Gentlecolts. Gryphons and Ponies alike. We are gathered here today in a celebration of love and devotion, as we witness two close friends come together in the sacred bond of marriage.

“Troius Clawston and Canvas, two souls who met by a mere chance of fate, and at a time of utmost uncertainty, soon befriended one another after a single act of generosity and valor. And as time passed, their friendship became stronger with each passing day until it reached the highest pedestal: Love.”

Troy and Canvas’ smiled widened as they looked at each other with silent, shared admiration. Twilight paused only briefly before continuing her speech:

“In my travels and lessons, I have seen many different forms of friendship blossom and grow, both from others and from times involving myself. But when it comes to the strong, immovable bond that these two souls carry for each other, it’s clear to even myself that their friendship is something that should never be broken. So on this day, let us honor Troy and Canvas as they come together to be wedded as one. And let us cherish this moment as not only a testament to their love, but as a testament to their friendship as well.”

Twilight had to keep herself from getting all giddy after finishing that speech, mostly due to the personal accomplishment of not flubbing any of her lines during her very first ceremony. Nevertheless, the Princess quickly looked towards the couple and continued. “Now, I’ve been told beforehoof that both of you have written your own vows for this occasion. Do either of you have a preference on who goes first?”

Troy shrugged his shoulders with a more casual smile. Canvas motioned towards the gryphon and said softly, “Ummm… I kinda want Troy to go first, if that’s alright.”

Twilight turned back to Troy, seeing that he was smiling at Canvas in acceptance of that request. After taking a deep breath, the gryphon picked up one of Canvas’ hooves with a claw while speaking with a sincere and emotional tone of voice.

“Canvas, I… I can’t even begin to list all the reasons why I’m happy to be with you. Ever since the first day I got to talk to you, you became one of the first real friends I made here in Equestria. You were the first pony who actually made me feel normal around here, instead of just some outsider in a land that didn’t feel meant for me. When I first came here from the Gryphon Kingdom, it was because I wanted to find that kind of happiness that my grandparents felt when they came here, and… and I did. You were the one who helped to give me a real purpose around here, and you were the reason I wanted to stay and keep going. In the end, you… you made me feel complete.”

Canvas’ eyes started welling as he smiled up at Troy lovingly. The gryphon returned a warm smile back to him, held onto his hoof even tighter after taking a breath and continuing.

“Canvas, there is no one who I would rather spend my life with, and there’s nothing that I wouldn’t do to make you happy. And as I stand here here right now I vow that no matter what happens, I will always be by your side as a loving, caring, and dependable husband. I will always try to help you when you’re feeling down, and I will never leave your side when you need me. I will always be there for you, not just as my husband, but as my best friend. Because as long as I’m with you I want you to be just as happy with me... as I am with you.”

By the time he finished, Troy’s eyes were watering just as much as Canvas’ were. Of course, it seemed that a good portion of the audience were reacting the same way. Lyra and Bon-Bon looked especially touched, and their sniffles were noticeable enough to make Tenor look up at them worriedly.

Fortunately, Twilight Sparkle’s resolve was strong enough to only need a brief exhale before looking over at Canvas. “A-Alright. Ummm… Canvas? It’s your turn.”

Canvas nodded back at the Alicorn, and quickly set his sights on Troy before taking a deep breath. “I… I honestly don’t know what I could say first. I mean, after all the hours I spent thinking my vows over, it’s kinda hard to keep it all organized in my head.”

A couple small giggles could be heard from the attendees, but Canvas and Troy paid no heed to them. Instead Canvas wiped his eyes with a hoof before gaining some traction with his words.

“But, I… I couldn’t agree more with what you said, Troy. When you said that I was the first friend you made here in Equestria, it just… it made me think about how many friends I’ve made since you saved my life. If it wasn’t for you, then… then I never would’ve known how great my life could be. I never would’ve been able to reach my dreams, or know that I wasn’t alone. Because of you, I… I got my chance to actually live, and make real friends to help me out. Starting with you...”

Tears began to come down Canvas’ face near the end of that statement, but his caring smile remained on his muzzle. Troy was starting to cry as well, but he still held onto the stallion’s hoof while listening to his words.

“Troy, you… you didn’t just save my life that night. You gave me a life that was worth living. And ever since you became a part of it, all I’ve wanted to do was make myself into a better stallion. To do things I never would’ve imagined was possible. And in the end, I don’t think I could ever fully describe how much that means to me…”

Canvas used his free hoof to reach for something in the inside pocket of his jacket, but he still kept his welling eyes pointed up at Troy and said confidently:

“Troy, as long as we’re together, I vow to be nothing but the best partner you could possibly ask for. I will always keep you in my heart, because I don’t think I can ever find a friend as amazing or sweet as you. I will always be grateful for the life you’ve given me, and I vow that I’ll do everything it takes to make that life as great as possible for the both of us. You will always have my support, my gratitude, and my eternal love…”

Canvas pulled the silver necklace from his jacket as he came to end of his vows. When Troy took notice of it, he silently lowered his head without hesitation. Canvas’ crying became more evident as he carefully placed the necklace around the gryphon’s neck. His voice was nearly inaudible due to how squeaky it became. “B-Because you’re not just m-my husband, Troy. Or my best friend. You’re my hero. You’re my savior. You’re the reason for everything that’s happened in my life. B-But most of all…”

Canvas got the latch fastened around the back of the gryphon’s neck, and the necklace fitted him perfectly. By the time Troy finally pulled his head back up, wearing the emblem of Blowing Winds’ legacy proudly, Canvas’ teary smile was unchangeable as he said in an overly emotional voice, “Y-You’re… you’re my angel.”

Troy, who was crying just as much as his soon-to-be-husband, quickly pulled him in tightly against his chest. Canvas continued to sob in overwhelmed joy, but he didn’t try to pull away while Troy hugged him dearly. Of course, it was fortunate that were were barely any dry eyes in the house after the stallion’s speech. The mood was finally broken when a small murmur from behind Troy caused Blaze to shout out in a choked-up voice, “I’m not crying! YOU’RE crying!”

That caused most of the ceremony to start cracking up involuntarily, including Canvas who was able to pull back while wiping his cheeks dry. Even Twilight had to use a tissue before taking a deep breath to resume the proceedings. “Okay, okay, let’s settle down…”

By the time most of the laughter died down, the Princess was good to keep going as she turned her attention towards the audience. “Now… If there’s anybody here who feels that these two should not be wedded, please speak now, or forever hold yo--”

CRASH!!!

The thunderous sound of smashing glass threw everyone in attendance off guard. After most them jolted hard enough to risk heart problems, all eyes were pinned to the back of the ceremony where the champagne display was supposed to be. Of course, now it was just a giant pile of broken glasses over a puddle of champagne next to the bare table.

Derpy, who was standing next to the display with an unbroken glass in her hoof, stared back at everyone with horror in her off-center eyes. Her head slowly looked between the stunned crowd and the display, and the only thing she could think to say was a very feeble and shaky, “I… I just wanted to get a glass…”

The mare’s daughter Dinky was still in her seat, and face-hoofed from embarrassment. While Rainbow Dash flew out to escort Derpy back to her seat, Twilight tried to get everypony’s attention back to the altar. “It’s okay everypony. It’s just a small hiccup, nothing major.” She then decided to add with a small smirk while rolling her eyes, “Let’s be honest, that’s not the worst interruption to happen during a wedding.”

That little joke was good enough to get ponies laughing again, even though the context itself would’ve been slightly inappropriate if it was told by someone other than a Princess. Nevertheless, after Dash returned to her spot, Twilight sighed before saying, “Well, if there isn’t any real objection from anyone here, I’ll just continue from where I left off…”

She then turned her attention towards Canvas, who was standing proudly as he heard her say, “Canvas, do you take Troius Clawston to be your lawfully wedded husband; through richer or poorer; through sickness and health; till death do you part?”

Canvas nodded confidently as he looked up at Troy with a prideful smile. “I do.”

“And Troius Clawston,” continued Twilight as she turned towards the gryphon, “do you take Canvas to be your lawfully wedded husband; through richer or poorer; through sickness and health; till death do you part?”

Troy stared back at the stallion in front of him and said in a sincere and loving tone, “I do.”

Twilight smiled happily at their answers, and then looked towards Tenor as she asked, “May I have the rings, please?”

Bon-Bon gave the Saint Bernard a little nudge, letting the dog walk up to the Princess while the box stayed around his neck. Lyle stepped forward to get the ribbon around the box untied, and quickly got it off the dog before opening it up. He presented the Princess with both of the golden rings, which were much smaller than the ones ponies usually wear around their hooves. “Here you go, Twilight,” he said before standing back in his spot with Tenor next to him.

As Twilight held the two rings with her magic, many of the ponies in attendance became confused when they saw the size of them. However, as soon as Jonas stepped forward towards Twilight, a surprised gasp came from the brown gryphoness in the crowd.

“What?” whispered Peppermint with worry as she looked towards a shocked-looking Gretchen.

The gryphoness’ eyes were wide open, and stayed like that when she saw that Jonas was holding a large bowl. “I think I know what they’re gonna do.”

The mare at Gretchen’s other side shushed her again. Meanwhile, Twilight tried to get everyone’s attention. “Now, in accordance with Gryphon Kingdom tradition,” she stated while Jonas began dipping his right claw in the bowl, “Troy and Canvas have agreed to partake in a sacred ritual that will be conducted by General Jonas Clawston.”

Troy and Canvas both looked slightly worried, but still had hopeful smiles when they looked back at each other. Meanwhile. Troy’s brothers all looked concerned as they tried not to cringe at what was going to happen. Twilight decided to add in a more cautious tone, “If anypony here is uncomfortable with the sight of blood, please exit the area until further notice.”

Fluttershy was one of the only ponies to take up Twilight’s offer, and flied off a respectable distance. Jonas was finished dousing his claws in the disinfectant, and kept it off the ground as he walked up to his son first. “Troius,” he began in a professional voice, “I want you to repeat the following oath as I say it.”

Troy nodded his head, and then lowered it towards Jonas with his ear tufts raised. Jonas used his left claw to hold up Troy’s right ear, and began to speak while bringing his right talon towards it. “Blood may spill, and skin may break, but my bond I won’t forsake.”

Troy took a deep breath, and winced when he felt his father’s talon right against a free piece of skin on his tuft. “B-Blood may spill, and skin may break, but my bond I won’t forsake.”

With that, Jonas pierced his talon through the lobe in one quick motion. Troy groaned loudly from the pain, but was strong enough not to scream from it. Of course, even if he did, it probably wouldn’t have been heard from the gasps from almost everypony in the crowd. Even Lyra and Bon-Bon looked unnerved by that piercing, even though they were some the first to learn of this being a thing.

“Everypony, please calm down,” said the Princess in an authoritative tone as Jonas pulled his talon free from Troy’s ear. As soon as the General pulled his claw away to re-dip in the bowl of disinfectant, Twilight used her magic to quickly cover Troy’s ear to keep it from bleeding too badly. “This is all part of the ritual, and it’ll be over shortly.”

By the time Jonas pulled his claw back out of the bowl and went towards Canvas, many more ponies quickly left their seats to avoid seeing the second piercing. Canvas stood his ground and took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he felt Jonas take a hold of his right ear.

“Repeat after me,” said Jonas in the same tone he had with Troy’s piercing, “Blood may spill, and skin may break, but my bond I won’t forsake.”

Canvas exhaled in a shaky whimper, but he still obeyed as the talon came up to a proper spot on his ear. “Bl-Blood… Blood may spill, and skin may break, but my bond I won’t forsake.”

Unlike Troy, Canvas let out a small yelp of pain when he felt Jonas’ talon puncture his ear. Even though most of the attendees were cringing at the sight, Twilight was quick to apply an aura of her magic to the stallion’s ear as soon as Jonas pulled his talon free. The General then stepped back beside Mayor Mare with his bowl, not seeming to notice how much she was squirming in discomfort.

“Everypony!” shouted Twilight as she looked out to where any of the attendees may have ran off to. “The piercing is over! You can come back now!"

Fortunately, only a short amount of time passed for everypony who left to get back to their seats. Canvas eventually settled as he let the disinfectant and numbing spell of Twilight’s magic ease the pain, and he looked up at Troy with a strained smile on his face. Troy smiled back happily, and kept his focus on the stallion as the magic from Twilight’s horn brightened.

Both of the wedding rings floated up high above the couple, the gold in both of them becoming brighter until looking like two small halos of light. Soon, both of the rings started to break apart at one end, like the Princess heated the metal to a point where she could open them easily. But as they floated back down towards the couple, and each one was inserted into one of their pierced ears, neither the stallion or the gryphon felt any heat from them. As the rings began to close, Twilight’s magic remained lit as she spoke proudly:

“By the power invested in me, Princess Twilight Sparkle, and the great land of Equestria…”

With the last of her spell, Twilight closed both rings in place, melding them back together like they were never broken.

“I hereby pronounce Canvas and Troius Clawston to be lawfully wedded as Stallion and Gryphon!”

The entire ceremony roared in thunderous applause (including Tenor who howled up in the air), with ponies either stomping or loudly cheering the newly wedded couple. But despite all the elated shouting and celebration that both of them heard, neither Troy or Canvas seemed to care as they set their sights solely on each other. The very first thing that the two did was pull each other in for a strong hug, both of them keeping their eyes shut to conceal their tears of joy.

Twilight then said to the couple with an elated voice, “You may now kiss.”

Troy and Canvas pulled back slowly, both of them feeling like time was somehow going slower as soon as the Princess said those four words. Even though the two quickly responded by doing as she said, the moment felt like it lasted much longer as Canvas’ lips intertwined with Troy’s warm, open beak.

It was the very first kiss for the two as a married couple, and it was clear that would be the first of many to come. As they held each other in loving embrace, their hearts racing in sweet release that this moment has finally arrived, nothing else mattered around them. The only thing that the two cared about were each other, sharing this moment as they came together in the purest moment of love and devotion for one another.

None of the roaring applause came to either of their ears, as if time was standing perfectly still for the two of them. The only things that mattered were the tight grip of Troy’s claws around the stallion’s back, the feel of Canvas’ hooves caressing the gryphon’s neck, and the intimate kiss that the two shared as they finally came together as one. Not just as friends. Not just as lovers.

But as husbands.

Author's Note

If anyone is curious, Peppermint and Gretchen are featured in the story Freaks Like Beaks by pertelote345.

Also, the other white mare is a nod to the ever-lovely Lady Froey.

Chapter Thirty (Finale): The Reception

After the applause died down, followed by Troy and Canvas Clawston signing their marriage contract with Mayor Mare’s approval, the celebration quickly moved from the ceremony venue to the reception. Due to Princess Twilight Sparkle’s impeccable skills of organization and timing, the reception began just as the main course was arriving from town. Even though Rarity cringed at the sight of a pizza-delivery pony carrying in a cart loaded with dozens of pizza boxes, the entrès were unloaded and paid for quite quickly. Since Gilda and Greta were able to assist with some of the prep work at the pizza place before the wedding, the pizzas were carefully placed at one of two of the main serving tables: One for ponies, and the other for those who weren’t vegetarian.

Twilight didn’t say anything out loud as she sat at her table with Spike (who was downing a specialty-made pizza with rubies and bacon hidden underneath the cheese), but she had to had to admit that the attitude from attendees looked quite positive about the food. Heck, if she were to compare this with what was served during her brother’s wedding, she wouldn’t have been surprised if ponies preferred to have this pizza over the top-class cuisine she oversaw back in Canterlot. Even the deep-fry station, which the Princess was beyond apprehensive about solely because of safety reasons, looked to have a rather large line of ponies wanting to use it. Of course, that might only be because the triplets got their pizza slices deep-fried first, which gave everypony else the same idea.

Canvas didn’t feel the need to do that, and was happy with the personally-made veggie pizza he had (with extra jalapeno peppers) while seated at the main table. Meanwhile, Troy was gorging down on the meat-lover’s deep dish he got for himself, clearly showing he didn’t have much for breakfast that day. Regardless, the two were still seated as closely as possible with their chairs pressed against each other. By the time Troy was through half of his pie, he turned his head when he saw Angela scooching in towards them.

“Hey, guys,” she said cheerfully while looking at the two with an overjoyed smile on her beak. “I just felt like coming in to see how you two are doing.”

Canvas shrugged his shoulders indifferently. “Well, we haven’t even been married for an hour yet,” replied the stallion with a smirk back at her. “It’s not like things can go south that quickly.”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” Angela said bluntly, but still will a roll of her eyes as her playful smile remained. “I just wanted to make sure neither of you were getting drained from all the excitement or anything.”

“Nah, we’re good,” said Troy confidently after swallowing his sixth piece. “But thanks for checking on us, though. That means a lot.”

“Oh, it’s nothing…” As Angela looked away from the two, her beak skewed while she rubbed one of her forelegs with a claw apprehensively. Canvas’ head tilted when he caught on to her body language, but he wasn’t able to say anything before she added, “Ummm… There might be something else, though…”

After exhaling deeply to get any butterflies out of her stomach, Angela looked back at the two and said with a nervous, but still giddy tone in her feeble voice. “I was thinking a lot today, and… I was also thinking a lot about the baby…”

One of Angela’s claws slowly went down to cover her stomach instinctively, but the gryphoness kept her eyes on Troy and Canvas as she continued. “And… I was just wanting to clarify something.” She then set her sights solely on Canvas and asked, “You… said that your mother’s name was Blowing Winds, right?”

Canvas wasn’t sure what his mother-in-law was getting at, but he still nodded and kept his attention on her. “Ummm… yeah. Why?”

“Well…” Angela’s beak clenched tight for a moment as she took another breath, and she looked down at her stomach when she began talking again. “I haven’t even told Jonas yet, but… I think I made a decision when it comes to a name.”

Both Troy and Canvas’ eyes shot wide open. “W-What?!” shouted Troy in surprise. His eyes blinked repeatedly as he looked between his mom and his equally stunned husband. “Are… Are you saying that…”

Angela nodded meekly while rubbing her slightly protruded belly. “Yes. If it’s a daughter, and… I really hope that it is…” She slowly looked back at her son-in-law with a warm smile on her beak before finishing. “... I’m going to name her Breeze.”

To say that Canvas was too shocked for words would’ve been an understatement. The stallion, who was practically frozen in his chair, looked absolutely floored by what the gryphoness had just told him. His muzzle was slightly agape with only a couple brief breaths coming out rapidly. His eyes began to well up before a smile slowly grew across the stallion’s lips as he tried to muster out a timid, “R… Really?”

Angela only nodded as her own smile widened as well. “Yes,” she said in a choked-up tone of her own. “I know it’s not her name exactly, but… I do think Breeze would be a fitting name if it’s a girl.”

Canvas couldn’t hold it in anymore, and quickly went into give Angela a tight and thankful hug. The gryphoness hugged him back, closing her welling eyes as she heard him say “Thank you” over and over in a weeping tone. Troy moved in to hug his mother as well, but made sure he didn’t hug her too tightly before pulling back “Mom, that’s… that’s really nice of you.”

After Canvas pulled away too, Angela sighed and wiped her eyes with a claw. “Oh, it’s nothing,” she said in a bashful tone. “It really is a good name. Plus, given that your relationship is the reason Jonas and I even got this in the first place, I just…”

Angela looked at Canvas with a grateful smile and said with the utmost sincerity, “I wanted you to be the first to know what your sister’s name will be.”

Even though Canvas was still smiling, it was looking especially shaky after he sniffed and tried to wipe his eyes with a napkin. “I… I don’t know what to say…” His head was hung low as he tried to gather the right words. After a brief moment, the stallion exhaled before looking at Angela with an honored smile. His muzzle trembled, but he was still able to say after taking a break. “Th-Thank you. Thank you so much, M--”

His lips pursed tightly shut before he could say that last word, but Angela’s eyes widened from the sudden realization. “I’msorry!” blurted the stallion in a panicked squeak of a voice before covering his his mouth with his hooves. Troy looked surprised too, but he chose not to say anything while his husband took another breath.

“No, Canvas, it’s alright!” Even though she tried not to say that so quickly (or in such a hurried tone), Angela quickly sighed before giving Canvas a warm smile. “It really is alright, Canvas. I said it before and I’ll say it again. I really am happy to have you as a son now.”

While Angela smiled at Canvas with her claws on his shoulders, the stallion slowly lowered his hooves to reveal his trembling lips. After exhaling shakily with his eyes closed, the stallion reopened them before saying up to the gryphoness:

“... M-Mom…”

Angela lunged forward, nearly breaking Canvas’ back as she hugged him as tightly as she could. Despite the suffocation, Canvas still hugged her back just as eagerly with his eyes closed. Of course, the mood was interrupted by three distinct sounds; two of them were overly sappy-sounding “Awwwws” spoken in unison, while the third was a pissed-off growl that just said “Dammit!”

The three looked to the source of the noises from across the table. While Blaze threw his plate of deep-fried pizza to the ground in anger, Blade and Blane just looked at Canvas and their mom with touched-smiles on their beaks.”I can’t believe you actually said it, mate!” said Blade in an excited tone. He reached out across the table with his claw clenched for Canvas to bump. “Way to go!”

Even though he was beyond embarrassed that such a sincere moment was interrupted so quickly, the stallion still bumped Blade’s claw with a deep blush across his cheeks. Meanwhile, Troy looked over at Blaze with narrowed eyes and asked condescendingly, “And what exactly are YOU mad about?”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” said Blane in defense of his brother while pointing at him. “He bet us fifty bits that Canvas would’ve taken at least a month before calling her Mom.”

“DUDE!”

By the time most of the ponies in attendance were back in their seats and had their fill of pizza, the gryphons seated at the main table were waiting impatiently for dessert. While Canvas sat with a slightly uncomfortable glance towards his family, the Clawstons had their sights over at the beautiful, three-tired wedding cake that was covered in a luscious, white cream cheese frosting. Mister and Missus Cake, who were just about finished looking over the final touches of it, couldn’t help but shudder as they practically felt the gryphons’ eyes on them like hawks scanning their kill. Considering how strongly they all seem to react to cream cheese frosting, Cup Cake made a mental note to ask Princess Twilight if there was some specific biological reason for it.

As the two rolled the cake towards the table, Carrot Cake kept a spray-bottle pointed at any gryphon that got too close in warning. Before the wedding cake could be swiped by anyone's claws, it was covered in a protective dome of purple magic courtesy of Twilight. The cake was floated over to a nearby table, with the dome still covering it like a forcefield. Another aura of magic lifted up a microphone as the Princess announced, “Now, before we get any cake, I--”

Twilight was interrupted by the sound of all of Troy’s brothers groaning loudly in frustration. Spike tried not to snicker too loudly while the Alicorn rolled her eyes and continued insistently with a small glare at the gryphons. “Anyway, I feel it would be best to hear some speeches before we get to the cake.”

Since there was a microphone at the main table, Blane immediately snatched it and said towards Troy and Canvas, “Uh, I hope you have a happy marriage! DONE!”

He and his other two brothers looked back at the Princess expectedly, not seeming to notice the laughter from the rest of the attendees. However, Twilight’s expression was far less than impressed. Before she could say anything in response, a mint aura of magic grabbed the mic from Blane’s claw. “Give me that!” said Lyra in an annoyed tone as she sat next to Bon-Bon and to the right of Troy and Canvas. After letting out a sigh to calm herself down, the unicorn looked back her wife while holding the microphone between them. Bon-Bon just smiled and pushed the mic back towards her, motioning her to go first.

Lyra stood up in her seat, happy that she didn’t need to do anything to get everypony’s attention. The mare carried an optimistic smile on her muzzle as she spoke. “Well, I… I honestly wouldn’t have expected that in just one year, I would come to befriend two wonderful souls who were so different from myself. Or that my wife and I would be the best mares for one of them today.”

Her gaze went back to the smiling Canvas and Troy as she continued, “But at the same time, I couldn’t be happier for the both of you. Not just because you two managed to find each other when you both needed someone, but because we were able to know the both of you as the amazing friends you really are.”

Lyra’s sights set solely on the stallion first. “Canvas, I… I know I’m not the first pony you met when you came to Ponyville, but I do know I was one of the first in town to notice you when you needed help. And even though I never would’ve predicted how things would’ve gone, I can safely say that befriending you was a decision that Bon-Bon and I never regretted. In… In just one year, you were able to overcome so much! After everything that happened to you, just the fact that you’ve achieved so much makes us so proud of you. And…”

Lyra had to pause momentarily as she kept her amber eyes from welling up too badly. Bon-Bon rubbed her wife’s back in support, which was enough to make the unicorn take a breath and finish her statement to Canvas with a shaky smile, “And I… I know that meeting both of us was one of the big reasons that you stayed in Ponyville in the first place. We were the first ones to make you feel safe, and… we hope that you’ll always feel that way with us.”

Lyra couldn’t say much else, and covered her muzzle with a hoof as she struggled not to cry too badly. Bon-Bon took the reigns by grabbing the mic from Lyra’s aura and carried a more held-together tone in her grateful voice. “We’re just trying to say that we’re really happy to have helped you when you needed it. We wish you the absolute best with your husband, Canvas.”

Canvas was getting choked up as well, and could only sit in his chair with a touched smile and teary eyes as he heard attendees clapping in approval. However, a lot of the clapping died down as the mare continued towards Troy.

“And Troy? You… You’re honestly the first gryphon either of us met who we could be able to call our friend. And if it wasn’t for that night you saved Canvas, I… I don’t think either of us would’ve ever had the privilege to meet you both. It’s clear that of all the things that brought us all here today, you are the one who set everything into motion. You’re the sweetest, most devoted, and most caring gryphon I’ve ever had the pleasure to know. And when I say you’re the perfect mate for Canvas, I mean that with the highest compliment I could possibly give.”

After that final statement the two mares went up to hug Troy and Canvas while attendees applauded once more. Even Twilight was having a hard time not to tear up while clapping her hooves. Luckily, her horn was still lit to protect the cake, which turned out to be much needed when the applause was interrupted by the sound of a loud ‘ZAP!’

“OWW!” Blaze yelped in pain as he pulled back from the cake like a fly that got too close to a bug zapper. Blade and Blane, who were standing equally close to the protected cake, backed off as soon as they saw their brother waving his claw around and shouting, “What the BUCK, Twilight?! You electrocuted it!?”

Carrot Cake ran over towards them with the spray bottle, which got the triplets to rush to their seats without the need of a single spritz. Meanwhile, most of the other attendees (except for a peeved-looking Twilight) got a good laugh from that small interruption. Before the laughter died down enough for the next guest to speak, Lyra used her magic to float the microphone towards Troy’s Best Man.

Even though he was still tempted by that magic-guarded mound of cream cheese frosting, Lyle shook those thoughts aside before picking up the mic and pointing his head away from the cake. After a deep breath, Lyle used a talon to tap at his champagne glass so everyone could settle down. Of course, as soon as all eyes were on him, the gryphon gulped nervously as he realized he had to speak to such a large audience. “U-Uhhhh… H-Hello…”

A couple seconds passed after that, but for Lyle, it felt like an eternity of awkwardness and growing anxiety. Before he could start to hyperventilate or try loosening his tie, Troy leaned in and whispered supportively, “Keep going, man! You’re doing good.”

After nodding feebly, Lyle tried to blurt out the first few words in an attempt to get his nervousness out of his system. “W-Well, I’m… I’m Troy’s brother and… also his Best Man…”

Lyle couldn’t help cringing after that unnecessary introduction of himself, but the feel of Jonas’ claw touching his shoulder made the gryphon yelp involuntarily. He glanced over to his dad, who kept a supportive smile on him and nodded.

Even though his father didn’t really say anything, that approving stare he gave Lyle seemed to help out in some weird way. Realizing that standing up to Jonas was a more daunting task than this, Lyle nodded his head shakily and turned his head back to the waiting audience. He took a deep breath with his eyes closed before reopening them to get the first sentence out. “Ummm… Well, I… I was actually the first one in Troy’s family to learn about him and Canvas getting married. Which… is kinda cool since I’m usually the last to learn about those sorts of things…”

That got a few ponies in the audience to chuckle softly, which was enough to make Lyle breathe out a little easier. His talons tapped on the table as he kept going. “A-And… when I first met Canvas, I really wouldn’t have thought that he was Troy’s fiancè or anything. Of course, Troy kinda implied that he was just his roommate when he introduced me to him.”

A couple more laughs came in response to that, which caused Lyle to glance back at his brother and add with a small smirk on his beak, “By the way, next time you try to make a lie like that, make sure you have more than one bed in the house.”

That joke was enough to get most of the audience laughing, including Canvas while Troy covered his blushing face with a claw. Even Jonas tried to suppress a small chuckle after hearing that. Lyle, who was feeling increasingly better about being able to speak like this, huffed with a smile as he looked back at the attendees. “But still, I… I was able to tell that Canvas was a lot more than that pretty quick. When we started talking, I was able to see that he really cared about my brother. And even though it took me a little while, it was hard not to see how deep their relationship really was.”

Lyle then turned his attention towards Canvas and said, “Plus, even on the first day I met Canvas, I was able to click with him really well. Even though I kinda showed up unexpected, Canvas treated me with genuine respect. He talked to me like an adult, and was able to help me figure some things out. Even when I acted like a jerk, he… he still cared about me.”

Canvas smiled back at Lyle warmly, looking touched by the gryphon’s statement. Meanwhile, Lyle continued with a glance back to the audience. “He was the one who helped me figure out what I wanted to do with my life. He also gave me a lot of good advice I haven’t heard anywhere else. But most of all, he… he helped me get more confidence in myself, which was something I was having problems with before coming to Equestria…”

Lyle huffed away from the mic with his beak shut, but brought it back as he looked towards his brother with a thankful expression. “In fact, when I stood up for Troy and Canvas after our parents found out, my brother was proud enough to make me his Best Man. And even after everything else, I… I couldn’t be more honored by you doing that for me.”

While Troy smiled back at him gratefully, Lyle sighed and rubbed the back of his head as he continued. “Honestly, I never really thought that hard about love. At least, not from a personal perspective. I mostly just saw it as some generic thing that gets used in way too many movies and comic books. But after meeting who my brother was with, and seeing just how much they care for one another, I… I really do think I understand how important love really is.”

Lyle looked back to the audience and said, “Love is one of those forces which is… completely unexplainable, but at the same time, as easy to process as breathing or blinking. It’s the one thing that drives all of us together not just for interaction, but for helping ourselves. Love is what drives us to do more than we thought was possible. Love gives us a goal that we’d always want to strive for. But most of all, love… love is what makes us want to live.”

The gryphon kept an honored smile as he looked back at the married couple. “And just like you two, I wanna experience that too. Both of you guys are the reason I want to do more with my life. I want to go to college and get an actual degree in something. I want experience life just as fully as you two have. I want to be able to find someone, whoever that might be, and know what it’s like to feel that kind of love that you two share for each other. Even if the love I find is only half of what you guys have, I would be infinitely blessed.”

Troy had to wipe his eyes with a talon to keep any tears from coming out. While he sat beside his husband with proud smiles, the two listened as Lyle finished his speech with a strained-sounding voice. “All I can say to the both of you, more than anything, is that I love you guys so much. You two absolutely deserve each other, and it makes me so happy to know you guys found your perfect matches. To Troy… you are an awesome brother, and it means so much to me that I was able to share this moment with you and your husband. And to Canvas…”

Lyle picked up his glass of champagne, and held it up proudly while looking at Canvas with a warm smile. “Let me be the first to say, welcome to the family.”

While the attendees roared with applause, Canvas immediately shot out of his seat so he could hug Lyle tightly. Troy came in from close behind to do the same, although Lyle barely noticed his brother while his teary eyes were clenched shut. Twilight waited until their hug was finished before tapping at her own champagne glass, allowing most of the audience to settle down. “Alright,” said the Princess while holding her microphone with her magic, “I think that we should hear from Troy’s other brothers next.”

The triplets, who were all seated as close to the cake as possible, groaned in unison as they heard the ponies applauding them. However, after glancing back at each other and whispering somethings, the three slowly grew devious smiles as they walked up to Lyle’s spot to grab his mic. While Blade and Blane went over to Troy and stood close to him, Blaze was the first to speak in a cheerful tone of voice. “Hello, guys! My name is Blaze, and before I start, let me just give a little nod to my bro here.”

He ruffled at Lyle’s feathers playfully before looking towards Troy and Canvas. “I think I can say for not just myself, but also for Blade and Blane, that we agree with what Lyle said one hundred percent. You guys are really lucky to have each other, and we’re really happy to have Canvas as an official brother of the Clawston name.”

Canvas smiled wide back at Blaze, but Troy was looking at him with a hint of suspicion in his narrowed eyes. “Of course,” continued Blaze as he looked back out at the audience, “since Canvas is family now, I feel that he should know a few things about us. Particularly, things about his husband Troy.”

With that, Blade and Blane grabbed at Troy’s forelegs before he could get a chance to react. “What the?!” Troy tried to wiggle out of his brothers’ grip, but it proved to be futile as he thrashed in his chair. Meanwhile, Canvas just sat in shock and tried to process what was going on. Before he could shout at any of them, the stallion overheard Blaze clearing his throat to begin his speech.

“Once upon a time,” began the gryphon with an evil grin spreading across his beak, “there used to be a lonely gryphon named Troy, who spent many of his teenaged years alone in his bedroom. But then one day, little Troy happened to get a hold of the vacuum cleaner!”

Troy screamed out in terror, “NNNOOOOOOOO!!!”

For the next twenty minutes, each of Troy’s older brothers told stories about what the gryphon did in his childhood, with each one being more embarrassing than the last. Troy tried to break himself free for the first five minutes, but eventually gave up after Blane used a free claw to clench his beak shut. Each time one of the triplets finished a story, he would take the place of one of the others restraining Troy so they could get a turn to start talking. After Blaze told everybody about the vacuum cleaner incidents, and Blade brought up the time Troy had a “special” sock his Mom tried to clean for a week straight without knowing its purpose, most of the ponies in attendance were in hysterics. Meanwhile, Troy just sat in brooding anger with his head hung low, barely even moving in his brothers’ grips.

Canvas admittedly felt horrible for his husband, but he also kept his head pointed away from Troy so he wouldn’t see him giggling.

Blane was the last to tell a story, and decided to go with a classic that their mother told for years: the time Troy used a display toilet at the hardware store. Even though Twilight and Spike already heard it when they first met Troy’s parents, both of them were laughing just as much as the rest of the attendees due to Blane’s impressive storytelling skills. In fact, a couple ponies were out of their chairs and struggling to breath by the time the gryphon got to end of the story. “So, after shouting out to the entire store that he used the display toilet, Mom and Dad were forced to pay for it. Of course, it turned out to be a pretty good investment, since it’s still in their bathroom to this day!” He then turned back to Troy and said happily, “And that was how our little brother learned to use the potty!”

While everyone clapped to Blane’s finishing story, the other two brothers finally let go of Troy’s forelegs. Troy was seething badly enough to look like he was about to catch on fire, but he didn’t attack any of the triplets after being freed. Instead, the gryphon simply stood up from his chair, and went to pick up the microphone that Blane left beside Lyle. While Lyle wiped his eyes from the laughter, Troy looked out at the audience and said while pointing a talon at his older brothers, “Just so you guys know, I actually got out of diapers before any of THEM did!”

The triplets, who were halfway back to their seats, all froze in horror as they looked back at their brothers with their beaks agape. However, there was only a second of silence before the reception broke out in laughter once more.

“Ooh!” Lyle quickly snatched the microphone and added while pointing at the three, “I got out of diapers before them too!!”

A lot of the ponies stopped laughing in shock of that added comment, but that pause just made the even louder laughter that followed that much funnier. The triplets all cringed and rushed back to their seats with heavy blushes. Even Fluttershy, whose seat at the main table was right beside Blade’s, was giggling with a hoof over her muzzle while Blade sank in his chair with his head hung low.

“SH-SHUT UP!” yelled Blaze out at the audience as he slammed his claws on the table. “It’s hard for some gryphons, okay?!”

Jonas replied bluntly, “No it isn’t! You three were just too lazy to get out of bed to take a leak!”

Twilight stood up from her seat and held her hooves up to get everyone’s focus. “Alright! Alright!” she shouted into her microphone, which thankfully got everyone to stop after a few seconds. She sighed pertly and added, “I think we got some good speeches so far. How about we get to the cake before hearing any more?”

Troy shot out of his chair, and was right next to the cake before Canvas’ hooves touched the ground. Fortunately the stallion was able to reach the cake rather quickly, and stood beside his husband happily while Twilight’s magic came away from the cake.

“Now,” began the Princess as she floated the cake knife towards them, “once I get the camera set up, I’ll let you two--”

Before Twilight could finish her instructions, the bottom tier of the cake exploded out in a shower of chocolate and cream cheese frosting. Everyone covered themselves from the onslaught, and could only look in horror when they saw the cause of the sudden interruption. Pinkie Pie, who was somehow hiding in the cake the entire time, was standing over the remains proudly while dressed as a gryphon herself. “Ta-Daaa!”

Pinkie was the only one in attendance who was smiling, since everyone else’ jaws were fully dropped. Mister and Missus Cake were gawking at Pinkie with looks of stunned silence and growing anger. Troy, along with his brothers, all looked like they were going to cry as they stared at the remnants of the ruined cake. “PINKIE PIE!” roared Twilight furiously. “Just WHAT in Celestia’s name are you doing?!”

“Uhh, it’s a surprise? Duh!” Pinkie poked at her forehead with a hoof like Twilight asked a kindergarten-level question. Before the Princess could yell again, or any of the gryphons could attack Pinkie for her actions, the peppy mare brought out a bright blue rope out of nowhere and pulled it. “Plus, I made a spare, so no harm no foul!”

The rope Pinkie pulled was connected to a metal cart, which rolled in an identical, untouched wedding cake right by the frosting-covered couple. While Twilight and everyone else just stared in bewilderment, Pinkie pointed to her gryphon outfit and added, “Or should I say, ‘No harm no FOWL!’ Get it?!”

Nobody laughed. However, the mare immediately forgot about that joke herself as her hind legs clenched together tightly. Pinkie’s smile strained a little as she asked Twilight, “Uhhh… is there a bathroom nearby? I’ve been in that cake for a while.”

After the ceremonial cake cutting, which ended up going much faster than expected due to how much all the gryphons took, the finale of the reception was just about to come up. While Troy Canvas talked with everyone in attendance who wished them a happy marriage, Blade disappeared to the staging area to change into his performance attire. Fluttershy, who was looking giddier than whenever one of her animals was giving birth, already had a chair moved to the very front so she could sit and watch excitedly.

Meanwhile, Twilight had her magic lit while holding a small wrapped item behind her back, and she waited for Derpy to finish talking with Troy and Canvas before walking up to the couple. “Hey guys,” she said to catch their attention. When the two turned to see her, the Princess floated over the small box with a chipper smile. “I just want to give you two this in celebration of your plans in Manehattan.”

“Aww, Twight,” said Canvas in a touched tone as he picked up the box in Twilight’s aura. “You didn’t have to get us anything.”

“Yeah,” added Troy with an equally sincere smile to her. “You already officiated our wedding! And we were your very first! I think that alone is a great gift to receive.”

Twilight shrugged in reluctant agreement. “That may be true, but I still wanted you two to have this before you get your second home in Manehattan.” Her voice became more excited as she motioned to the box in Canvas’ hoof. “Go ahead, open it!”

Canvas sighed with a smile and followed the Princess’ request. Upon opening the small box, Canvas’ head tilted as he stared at the framed document that was inside. Troy leaned in to look at it too, and his eyes quickly widened when he recognized the official jargon. He looked back at Twilight and asked in disbelief, “Is that what I think it is?!”

“Mmhmm!” nodded the alicorn proudly with a toothy grin. “I figured Manehattan might be a little less relaxed on the whole ‘meat-eating’ thing, so I figured it would be fitting to pull some strings to get you that permit. It basically shows that you’re legally allowed to keep meat in your residence and on your person. I also included some smaller cards in the box so you can keep proof on you at all times.”

Canvas picked up the cards that were at the bottom of the box, looking quite impressed at Twilight’s thoughtful gift. “Oh my gosh! Twi, this is really nice of you!”

“Oh, it was nothing,” said the alicorn bashfully while looking away from the two. “I was getting the paperwork for Spike anyway, so I figured getting another for your husband was appropriate.”

Troy’s brows raised up after remembering that fact about the drake. “Oh yeah… How’s that going, by the way?”

Twilight sucked some air through her teeth and rubbed the back of her head. “Ehhh… It’s not bad, I guess. I’m not gonna pretend it isn’t awkward, but I’m glad he’s insistent on cooking the meat himself. I think Angela promised to mail him a cookbook when she gets home.”

Canvas chuckled and responded with a smirk, “I’ll be sure to give him some recipes of my own. I have a feeling he'd really enjoy gravy if he--”

The stallion was interrupted by the sound of a blood-curdling scream that came from nearby. Many attendees quickly looked over to the source, and saw a pitch-black and purple gryphon gripping his claw while by the deep-fryer. His face was painted white, but his cheeks were quickly turning red while screaming. Twilight rushed over towards him, but not before Fluttershy while shouting out in horror, “Oh no, LESTER!!!”

Blade ran out from behind the stage, already donned in a ridiculous-looking leather outfit that made him look like the survivor of some apocalyptic wasteland. His face was painted white like Lester’s as he ran towards him. “Oh SHIT!” While a crowd began to form around the scene with worried-looking ponies, Twilight used her magic to wrap around the gryphon’s now throbbing claw, Bade looked between Lester and the deep-fryer before shouting, “Bloody Tartarus! I told you to stay away from the bucking deep fryer, you CLOD!”

“Blade!” shouted Twilight sternly back at him. While Lester winced and struggled not to cry from the pain, Twilight tried to get his attention as she said, “Don’t worry, I’ll take you to the hospital, alright?”

Lester only let out a pained groan, but still nodded his head coherently with his eyes clenched shut. Fluttershy was already tearing up with both hooves covering her face. By the time Blade’s other three band members came out to see what happened, Twilight lit her horn before teleporting away with Lester.

The huge orange gryphon was the first to ask Blade, “What the buck happened?!”

“Ugh…” Blade didn’t even look back at his drummer with his head hung low, “Lester burnt himself on the bloody deep-fryer!”

The orange gryphon rolled his eyes with a groan, along with the red and white gryphons standing next to both sides of him. “AGAIN?!” shouted the red guitarist annoyedly.

The skinny white bassist didn’t say anything, and just sighed briefly before walking back to the rear of the stage.

“Oh great…” Blade’s voice was barely a mutter as he face-clawed in deep regret. “Shit, now we need another keyboardist…”

Fluttershy was still choked up about Lester being injured, but she was quick to wipe her eyes before going up to him. “Don’t worry, Blade,” she said insistently while putting a hoof on his shoulder. “I think I know of a good replacement.”

“Oh really?” asked Blade in a flat tone when he lowered his claw to look down at her. “You mean a pony? The keyboard has claw-sized keys, so unless your guy has those, it’s not gonna work out.”

Fluttershy ignored Blade’s downtrodden tone, and just replied with a small smirk, “Actually, he does have claws.”

Blade, along with the other two band members, looked over at her with piqued curiosity. Fluttershy then noticed the specific choice shuffle through the ponies to reach the front of the crowd, prompting her to point at him and say, “And I think he’d be honored to take Lester’s place.”

The band members all quickly looked over to the figure Fluttershy was pointing at. Spike, who just showed up to see what was going on, swallowed the last of his pizza before looking back at Fluttershy confusedly. “Ummm… what now?”

By the time the band was set back up, Fluttershy was back in her chair, and nearly hopping in excitement as she watched the members of Talon Ripper come out to the stage. Twilight was able to come back before their show began, and was standing along with everypony else around the dancefloor in a large circle. In the middle of the open space, Troy and Canvas were standing side-by-side as they watched Blade come up to the microphone.

“HOW’RE YA DOIN’ EQUESTRIA?!” yelled Blade loud enough to make everyone in attendance wince and cover their ears. The only one who didn’t mind was Fluttershy, who just cheered giddily with her hooves up.

Of course, Blade noticed everyone else’s reactions after Fluttershy's, and chuckled uncomfortably before lowering his tone. “Uhhh, alright then,” he said meekly. “Well, first off, we got word from Twilight herself that our keyboardist’ll be alright, and is currently in the hospital to get his claw fixed.”

He then pointed over to the keyboard stand to his left and added, “But we have a replacement for today, who most of you already know! So let’s give a round of applause for Spike!”

Spike, who was sitting behind the keyboard with the sheet music, waved back to the applauding crowd with a nervous smile and an obvious blush.

“Now!” shouted Blade back to the audience, “I wanted to make this performance special for my brother and brother-in-law, so we’ll be perfomin’ a cover for the two as their first dance!”

After the attendees cheered once more (especially Fluttershy), Blade pointed a talon at Spike to motion him to begin. Troy and Canvas were already in position, and were soon moving slowly as they heard the drake begin with a tasteful piano intro:

Even when Blade’s contrastingly brash voice sang out alongside the piano and drums, Troy and Canvas continued to move in rhythm while holding one another tightly. Troy kept his eyes closed as he danced, his smile equally as big as his husband’s.

“So,” whispered Troy into Canvas’ ear as they danced, “Are you nervous?”

Canvas glanced up at him with one eye open and asked, “About what? The marriage?”

“No, our dancing.” Troy blushed a bit and shrugged while looking away from him. “Neither of us are that good.”

“So what? It’s still our dance.” With that, Canvas rested his head against Troy’s chest once more and sighed with a loving smile. “Besides, I think we’re doing just fine.”

Troy sighed back, and rested his chin on top of Canvas’ head as they kept moving to the music Talon Ripper was perfomring. Even though he was never a fan of Blade’s music, the gryphon had to admit that his brother did something absolutely amazing for today. Blade could’ve easily just made this one of his thrashing metal shows, which would’ve lead to a lot of ringing ears and a possible moshpit; but instead, the gryphon performed a song which was not only loving and heartfelt in dedication to the couple, but was still able to keep the spirit of what made him famous in the first place. In all honesty, Troy could say this was the best song Talon Ripper has ever performed.

Canvas’ head was pressed tightly against his husband’s feathered chest, and he smiled lovingly with his eyes closed as the blaring guitar and bass drove hard into the song. The song may have not been the soft-soulful ballad most ponies would’ve used for their weddings, but the stallion absolutely loved it at that moment. It was a song done specially for him and Troy. It was a song which signified just how far the two have came to reach this moment. It was a song that was sung by someone who cared deeply for the two of them, and wanted to give his deepest appreciation for them on this special day.

But most of all, it was the first song for the two as husbands.

Neither of them were sure how long the song lasted, but Fluttershy wasn’t the only one applauding excitedly after Talon Ripper finished their first song. Even Jonas and Angela had proud smiles on their faces as they clapped along with everyone else. Even though Blade saw their reactions, he was able to hide how enthusiastic seeing that was as he shouted out with clenched claw raised, “Thank you! And now that their first dance is completed, LET’S ROCK THIS BITCH!”

Before anyone could even try to cheer, the band went into their next, and much harder song almost immediately. Spike may have looked a little flustered at first, but he was able to keep up surprisingly well with his keyboard now on the rock organ settings. In fact, the drake was even improvising his own stuff into the music, much the band's surprise and approval.

Troy and Canvas continued to dance for a couple more songs, but were soon gone while others kept going.

“So, what do you think, Troy?” asked Canvas while looking up at him, “There surely can’t be that many ponies by our tents.”

Troy shot a raised brow and a smirk back to his husband. “Yeah, but they’re not soundproof or anything! Anyone could come by and hear us if we tried anything.”

“So?~” To add emphasis to his flirty tone, Canvas flicked his tail against Troy’s backside and said teasingly, “It’s not like we haven’t done kinkier things before.”

Troy just sighed and kept walking alongside him as he replied, “Well, I’d rather our first time as a married couple be in a more romantic setting. Not in a public space like some porno.”

“Pbbt! You’re such a dork.” Canvas then added while giving Troy a quick nuzzle, “But yeah, that does sound pretty sweet.”

Troy chuckled and nuzzled him backk with a small blush on his cheeks. As the two walked to a more quiet area, they were stopped by their parents who came up to them.

“Troy,” said Jonas firmly enough to make the couple stop and look towards them. Angela was close by her husband’s side as the two kept reserved, but still honored smiles at Troy and Canvas. “First off, I just want to say that I really am happy for you two. And rest assured, your mother and I are going to see you on opening night when you premiere on Bridleway.”

Troy was a little surprised by hearing that from his dad, but he still smiled gratefully back at him. “Wow, really?! That’s great to hear!”

“Yeah, totally!” added Canvas with a happy tone of his own. “And we’ll show you our new place as soon as we find one.”

“You better,” responded Angela insistently. Despite the tone, she still had a smirk on her beak as she turned to her husband with a nudge against his side. Jonas was quick to get the hint, and reached into his inside pocket to bring out a small envelope.

“Before you guys leave,” began Jonas as he handed the envelope over to Troy, “I want you guys to know where you’re headed for your honeymoon personally. Twilight told us she kept that under wraps as a surprise.”

“Yeah,” responded Troy with a playful roll of his eyes. “She told us that you two insisted on that.”

“Ugh!” Angela’s mood was dampened a little after hearing that. “She promised she wouldn’t!”

“It’s alright, honey,” said Jonas back at her. “At least she didn’t say where, right?” While Angela shrugged her shoulders admittedly, Jonas looked back at his son and pointed to the envelope. “Go ahead, open it.”

Troy used a talon to cut open the top with ease, and both his and Canvas’ eyes shot wide-open when they saw the tickets inside. Not only were they first-class airship tickets, but the destination was listed for Las Pegasus. And along with those tickets was a reservation receipt for one of the hotels there.

“Holy sh-- Crap!” shouted Troy in shock, although he was grateful to have censored himself in front of his folks. “This is… how did you guys get a reservation at The White Pearl?!”

Canvas looked up at the two and added, “Isn’t that the big gryphon resort there?!”

“Mmhmm,” said Jonas with a wider smile and an affirming nod of his head. “It just so happened that my old platoon buddy, Three-Leg Geoff, is the owner of that place now. And since I’m the reason he has that nickname instead of a grave marker, I cashed in an old favor to get you guys a penthouse there.”

Angela added cheerfully, “Plus, it’s pet friendly, so Tenor can come along too!”

Canvas looked back at his husband excitedly, but Troy was still at a loss for words while staring at the reservation form. Since he knew how expensive that place was for just a single night, the fact that his parents got them a full honeymoon trip there was beyond generous of them. His beak was still open as he looked back at them with a stunned look. “I… I can’t believe you guys would go this far…”

Angela and Jonas both sighed guiltily. “Well,” began Jonas in a more apprehensive tone as he rubbed the back of his head, “in most circumstances, I wouldn’t have done that much, but… your mother and I wanted to make up for how things went a while back.”

“Oh, come on, guys!” responded Canvas in a forgiving tone towards both of them. “You don’t have to apologize for what happened again! We both forgave you guys for that!”

“I know,” replied Angela in an apologetic tone to the stallion, “but a lot has happened since then. Not just regarding how we see you, but… but how we see everything else! If it wasn’t for everything that happened, I really doubt we would’ve been as open as we are now. And…” Her glance moved back to Troy as she said with a loving smile on her beak. “And we wouldn’t have realized how important your feelings really were.”

Troy smiled wide with a small exhale that escaped his beak, which almost sounded like a premature sob. Regardless, Jonas put a claw on Troy’s shoulder and said, “Just know that no matter what happens, we’ll always be there for the both of you. And I don’t want either of you to think of this gift as anything too over-the-top. We’d do it for any one of our sons…”

Jonas then looked down at Canvas, and kept his prideful smile as he added sincerely, “which includes you too, Canvas.”

Canvas immediately began to tear up with a hoof covering his pouted muzzle, which made Jonas look away with a roll of his eyes. “Oh, come on…” Instead of trying to criticize the stallion for getting all choked up, the gryphon sighed and put his forearms out. “Go ahead.”

Canvas accepted the request instantly, and hugged the General tightly. Troy went in for a hug too, which Jonas was happy to accommodate as he hugged both of them back at the same time. Angela just stood and watched with an honored expression, happy to see how much her husband has grown since the last time they were in this nation. After the three finally pulled away, Blade’s voice shouted out through the speakers, “OI! Where’s my brother at?! I want him to sing somethin’ up here!”

Troy looked over at his husband with a worried glance, and Canvas just nodded and motioned for him to go. “Come on, it’ll be fun! And I better get a front-row seat!”

The stallion then grabbed at Troy’s tie with his teeth, and pulled the gryphon back to the dance floor like he was being leashed. Jonas and Angela both giggled at the way their son was being pulled by Canvas, but still looked pleased with how well everything went. Angela eventually looked back at her husband with a proud smile and said, “I’m really glad you did that for them, Jonas.”

“I know,” he said back at her with a warm smile on his beak. After the two bent in and kissed lovingly, the General added while pulling away from his wife’s beak, “and it was definitely worth it.”

By the time the sun was beginning to set, the reception was just about to come to its close. While roadie ponies packed up Talon Ripper’s band and sound equipment, Spike was just a few feet away from the stage while pleading up to Twilight. “Pleeeeeeease?”

Despite the drake’s sappy puppy-dog eyes and matching pout, Twilight wasn’t buying into it. “No,” she said bluntly.

Behind Spike, Blade and the other members of Talon Ripper looked just as pleading as the dragon was. “Pleeeeeeease?!” they all asked in unison.

“I said no!” repeated Twilight annoyedly. “I know Spike is good at piano, but he is NOT going on a world tour with you!”

“Oh, come on!” griped Spike as he stomped a foot against the ground. “I’ll only be gone for a couple months!”

“We’ll even get him to bed at a respectable hour!” added Blade in a whiny tone. “We won’t even let him near the groupies, we swear!”

“Guys!” shouted Twilight in a warning voice. “For the last time, if you want a replacement for your keyboardist, you need to find an adult!”

All of the gryphons slumped their shoulders in defeat. Meanwhile, Spike tried to ask in compromise, “Could I at least record some stuff for their next album? I can even record it at the castle and send it to them.”

The Princess actually gave that idea some thought, and responded with a small shrug, “Well… I’ll think about it.”

Before Spike or any of Blade’s band members could cheer in victory, Pinkie Pie hopped over the group like she had a trampoline set up behind them. “Hey Twilight!” After landing perfectly in front of her friend, and now wearing a proper dress instead of her gryphon costume, she looked back at Blade and asked, “Would you mind if I took Blade for a second? I was wanting to get the wedding photos finished.”

“Oh, go right ahead,” said Twilight with an approving smile. While Pinkie hopped away with the skinny gryphon in tow, Twilight looked back at the still expectant-looking Spike and said, “I said I’ll think about it!”

While Blade was busy wiping the makeup off his face, Troy was standing back at the main table with Lyle next to him. The two were swiping off the last of the cream cheese frosting that was left on the edge of the plate that the wedding cake was on. Regardless of how they may have looked while doing it, both of them were cheerful as they talked between licking their talons. “So, Lyle,” said Troy with a smirk towards his brother, “I take it you were planning on going to Manehattan Tech when you graduate?”

Lyle nodded while getting an especially big glob of frosting on his side of the plate. “Probably. They have a really good graphic design program. That could be helpful if I want to make my own comics or something.”

“Wow, seriously?” asked Troy in surprise at his brother’s comment. “You got any ideas for stories?”

“A few,” replied Lyle before shooting his brother a cheeky smirk, “but nothing I’m gonna reveal yet.”

“Fair enough.” Troy was already finish with his side of the plate, so he began to wipe his claws off with a napkin while Lyle finished off his side. “So… Were you really planning on finding someone while in college?”

Lyle paused momentarily and looked up at his brother silently. He looked away for a second while scratching his neck with a clean claw. “W-Well, you know… if I don’t meet anyone during high school that is…”

Troy chuckled a little, and then shrugged before putting his napkin down. “Well, just so you know, if you ever end up with a pony, I’d be more than glad to give you some pointers, if you know what I mean.”

Lyle just scoffed while lapping up the last of the frosting on his talons. “Yeah, sure.”

“Hey, I’m serious! You know I’d be good for it.”

“I know that! It’s just…” Lyle paused again before replying in a more honest tone, “Well… I’d probably end up with a girl, so I’m not sure how well advice from you would be.”

“Hey, come on!” said Troy in a slightly offended tone. “That doesn’t mean I can’t be helpful when it comes to relationships or--Wait…”

Troy blinked a couple times and narrowed his eyes on his brother. “You’d… probably end up with a girl?”

Lyle instantly froze with a blush beginning to grow on his cheeks. “Sh-Shut up!” blurted the younger gryphon in a flustered voice. “You know what I mean!”

“Yeah yeah, sure…” Troy took a moment to let that moment pass, not wanting to press anything that probably didn’t need any more thought. But after a few seconds, Troy looked back at his brother and said sincerely, “But just so you know, you do know you can talk with me if anything comes up, right? Not just relationship stuff.”

Lyle was silent for a brief moment, but then nodded his head back Troy with a small smile on his beak. “I do know that, and… thanks.”

To signify that point, Lyle brought out his claw for Troy to bump. Meanwhile, Pinkie hopped over to the two and shouted out, “Come on, guys! We gotta get the family photo!”

After brushing off any crumbs from their suits and checking for stains, the two went over to the camera that Pinkie already had set up. Canvas was already getting a shot done with Lyra and Bon-Bon, which looked great from the angle Troy was standing at. After a couple flashes from the camera, the couple hugged Canvas lovingly before stepping aside. “Alright, it’s ready!” shouted Pinkie as she waved for Troy and Lyle to come in. “The others are here, so let’s get a shot of the Clawstons!”

Troy smiled wide at hearing that, but he could tell it wasn’t nearly as big as his husband’s. Since Blade was back in his tux and had his makeup off, he looked just as presentable as his brothers as they stood behind their new brother Canvas. Troy made sure to stand right beside the lucky stallion, with Lyle standing next to his other side with a foreleg behind his back. Jonas and Angela Clawston took their place at the side beside Canvas and the triplets, smiling proudly while next to their family. And Tenor, who spent most of the reception asleep underneath the main table, finally got himself up and sat at the front between Troy and Canvas.

Before Pinkie could get the shot, Canvas took a deep breath as he looked around in silent awe. Just a year ago, the stallion lost everything he knew in a single night, including his will to keep going. But even though he hit rock bottom, he was able to venture forth with the help of a single soul who gave him the chance he needed. And that soul, as random as it was, turned out to belong to someone who Canvas could not only call a friend, but someone he would gladly spend his life beside without fear or hesitation.

All around him, Canvas could see the gryphons Troy has grown up with, who will now be those that he’ll come to know too. Even though he already cared deeply for them, the artist knew that there was still a lot of time to spend with the six different, but infinitely loving souls who are now a part of both his and Troy’s lives. Nobody can say for sure what life will bring for Canvas and Troy, or for the gryphons around them at that moment; but when the artist looked around at the faces standing beside him, his heart was growing warmer by the second as he anticipated what was to come.

“You alright, Canvas?” asked Troy as he noticed how strange his husband was looking.

Canvas sighed softly before looking back up at the gryphon he adored. His cheeks were deeply blushed as he struggled not to cry behind his emotional smile. “Troy,” he said back to his husband in a choked-up voice, “believe me, I’ve never been more alright in my life.”

Troy bent in without hesitation, giving the stallion one last kiss before Pinkie shouted out from behind the camera:

“Alright, let’s get some biiiiiig smiles!”

Hearing Pinkie’s bubbly voice, Canvas looked back at the camera with a huge smile, which went perfectly with the optimistic gleam that was shining in his teary eyes. Even though he had time, Canvas didn’t try to wipe the tears from his face before the flash went off. Instead, he wanted that to remain for that immortalizing moment, as a reminder to himself of how he felt then. Years may pass, and faces may change over time; new faces will arrive, while older faces might leave earlier than others. But in the end, all that Canvas wanted to do was savor this moment for all it was, and remind himself of what he truly achieved since that fateful night when his dreams were brushed away.

He lost it all, but over time, he was able to get it all back through hope:

His life.

His determination to continue forward.

His ability to love.

His dreams.

And now…

A family.

The End

Author's Note

They say that all good things must come to an end, but just reaching that point has been beyond gratifying. After over three years, over 650,000 words, hundreds of new followers (and one specific friend who grew to become so much more), I am finally finished with the Brushed Away saga. To everyone who has been following this story, and have made it to this point after so long, I want to wish you the deepest thanks from the bottom of my heart. Writing this has been one of the most daunting and rewarding experiences in my life since finishing college, and knowing that I've inspired so many people along the way means the world to me. All of you are the reason I soldiered on and finished this story, and I wish nothing but the absolute best. I love every single one of you.

I want to give an especially big thanks to my boyfriend Storm Butt, who took the time to be my proofreader for the majority of this final story in the Brushed Away series. He is an amazing writer and editor, and deserves to be recognized for the talented and brilliant soul he is. He helped me out so much with this story, and I'm honored that he stood by my side as I completed it.

Also, I want to give a special thanks to Flick Mare for providing a fitting song for Talon Ripper's tribute to Troy and Canvas. It's an excellent choice, and I greatly appreciate it!

Chapter Seven: The Letter

Clang!

Canvas gasped and quickly shot up from under the covers. The stallion looked around the darkened space, his ears twitching at the noise he just heard while Troy and Tenor still slept beside him. His eyes were barely adjusting to the darkness, but all that Canvas was concerned about was what he heard.

Ping!

Another noise could be heard, and Canvas realized it was coming from downstairs. His heart began to race, and he quickly got out of the nest as adrenaline began to pump through his system. He had no idea what was going on, but he was certain that it wasn’t going to be good. Canvas turned his head to Troy, but he knew that the Gryphon wasn’t going to get up at this hour. Unfortunately, neither he or Troy had any weapons in their home, so the pony had to settle with just a flashlight as he slowly crept down the stairs from the loft.

His eyes widened when he saw a faint line of light coming from underneath the closed kitchen door. More noise came from the other side, and it sounded like somebody was rummaging around in there. Even though they didn’t have anything valuable, Canvas wasn’t going to risk anypony stumbling upon that hidden deep freezer and getting the couple in hot water. He bit his lip as he snuck up to the side of the doorway. While standing on his hindlegs, the stallion gripped his flashlight with both hooves before taking a deep breath.

He closed his eyes and exhaled as calmly as he could. As his blood raced through his veins to pump his racing heart, Canvas gritted his teeth before bursting into the kitchen with a bloodthirsty cry. “GAAAAHHHHH!!!”

“AAAAAHHHH!!!”

Angela lost some feathers as she shot back to the corner of the kitchen with a terrified yelp. While she was leaned back with her back against the wall, and her feathers ruffled out like an enraged cockatoo, she was panting heavily when she saw the very confused stallion at the open doorway. Still holding his flashlight, Canvas blinked repeatedly as he looked around the kitchen, only noticing the feathers and clouds of flour floating around.

“Wha… What the…” With the energy of his intrusion now long-gone, the stallion was starting to look groggy again while discerning what was going on. “A… Angela?! What are you doing here?!”

The Gryphoness slowly raised a foreleg to point a talon to the counter, where several large balls of dough were sitting on a bed of flour. “I was making biscuit dough,” she said timidly.

Canvas dropped his flashlight, but remained confused with his jaw half open. “Bis… biscuit… IT’S FIVE IN THE MORNING!!!”

“Well you didn’t have any dough set up!” retorted Angela in a fussy tone. “Besides, I usually wake up this early. I figured I should help out before breakfast.”

“You didn’t think to knock on the door first?!”

“I didn’t want to wake you.”

Canvas groaned and covered his face with both hooves. Meanwhile, Tenor slowly walked to the doorway with his eyes half-open, clearly having his sleep disturbed by all the commotion. When he realized the Saint Bernard was standing next to him with equal puzzlement, Canvas bent down to give him a comforting nuzzle. “Oh, I’m sorry, Tennie,” he said in a soft and apologetic tone. “It’s just a false alarm.”

“Just go back to sleep,” assured Angela after taking a quick breath. She brushed down her feathers with a claw as she went back to her dough. “I’ll wake you boys up when I start cooking, alright?”

“Yeah, yeah,” muttered Canvas as he picked up his puppy. As he and Tenor went back upstairs to the still-sleeping Gryphon, Canvas shouted down for Angela to hear, “Next time, knock!”

“Will do!” shouted the Gryphoness back at him.

A couple hours passed before Canvas woke up again, which was enough time to rejuvenate him and help with breakfast. By the time the rest of the family woke up and arrived at the house, breakfast was already fully prepared and on the table. Along with leftovers from last night, a massive array of eggs, toast, bacon, ham, and biscuits with sausage gravy (and a smaller bowl of mushroom gravy for the vegetarian) was ready to be devoured.

Canvas was still slightly unwary of the smell of bacon, but he had to admire how quickly it got his fiancè out of bed in the morning. The alarm clock could've never gotten Troy awake in such a chipper mood! Plus, the stallion had to admit to himself that bacon had its advantages in the kitchen. After reading through that cookbook Angela got him for Hearth’s Warming, Canvas found that bacon grease was basically the culinary equivalent of liquid gold (especially as an addition to Tenor’s dog food).

Because of that, Canvas was surprisingly comfortable among the sea of meat which was being eaten ravenously by the huge Gryphons around him. The stallion would’ve been absolutely appalled by this sort of scenario less than a year ago, but now it felt perfectly normal. Not even the sight of Lyle wrapping sausage links with strips of bacon caused any queesiness for the pony. “So,” asked Lyle as he spread some butter on top of his meat abomination, “what kind of wedding plans were you and Troy needing to do today?”

Canvas shrugged while chewing on his biscuit and fried egg. “Well, we already got a lot of the big things sorted out. All we were really needing to get settled were the seating arrangements, the plans for the rehearsal dinner, and finalizing our suits.”

“Oh, that reminds me,” added Troy before looking over to his parents, “I need to introduce you to that tailor for your measurements. And Mom, Rarity said she’d be more than happy to make your dress herself.”

“Oh, really?” asked Angela with a tone of obvious surprise. Her eyes widened as she made a noise that resembled the mix of a quick gasp or a light laugh. “Wow, I… I wouldn’t have expected her to do that! I figured a designer like her would just stick with royalty.”

“Believe me, she’s pretty humble about her work.” Troy then chuckled and added, “Heck, she’ll probably go nuts when she finds out about the baby!”

While Angela blushed with a smile, Jonas quickly tried to intervene. “Now wait a minute! Why would they need my measurements for?! I already have my uniform!”

“Well, it does need some touching up,” pried his wife with a raised brow. “Remember when I told you those seams around your shoulders were coming apart?”

“Yeah, but I,” Jonas’s words trailed off momentarily, and his eyes became half-lidded as he thought back to that discussion. After looking down at the table for a couple seconds, his eyes widened before saying, “Ohhhh… That’s right. I never got that looked at.”

“Don’t worry,” assured Troy while covering his already full plate with more of the sausage gravy. “Canvas and I both went to the guy for alterations, and he’s really good at his work.”

“Yeah, no doubt.” Canvas swallowed a muzzle full of fried potatoes and onions before adding, “I mean, the guy is an Earth Pony, but he even surprised me when I saw how good his hoof-stitching was!”

Blane, who was too preoccupied with his own plate to add to the conversation before, pulled his head up and asked, “Wait, yer hooths? Ah fou--”

“Blane, swallow your damn food!” said Jonas in a deadpan tone. “You’re not an animal.”

Blane made a heavy sigh with a roll of his eyes. After making a huge gulp, the massive Gryphon wiped some excess grease off his beak with his foreleg and repeated his question. “What I was trying to say was, why your hooves? I thought ponies who did those small things used their mouths and stuff.”

Canvas tilted his head as his eyes narrowed on Blane in confusion. “Well, most of the time that’s true. But I don’t know many ponies who would put sewing needles in their mouth.”

Blane paused for a second, quickly seeing the pony’s point as he nodded. “Ah, right.”

“Oh, come on!” jeered Blaze as he pointed a smirk right at Canvas. “I really doubt that’s the worst thing you’ve put in your mouth!”

While Troy shot a venomous glare at his brother, Canvas groaned and looked away from the three who were now cracking up at Blaze’s joke. Fortunately, Angela spoke loudly enough to catch their attention. “Come on, guys, stop that! Not during breakfast!”

“Eh, that’s nothing, Mum!” Blade tried to lighten the situation as he flicked back the braid of feathers that came down over his face. “It’s not like we’re sayin’ anything specific!”

“It’s still inappropriate! I’d rather not get any mental images while I’m eating!”

Lyle was focused on his food as he muttered in agreement, “I don’t wanna get any images either. I still hear Troy’s voice in my head from last time. ‘Just touch it, Canvas.’ ‘Lyle won’t wake up.’”

Jonas almost choked on his chorizo. Angela gaped at Troy in absolute shock. Tenor, who was busy with his bowl of breakfast so far, finally lifted his head up when he heard the triplets nearly screaming in hysterics. Meanwhile, Troy’s eyes were sunken within his sockets as he sat in a stunned and frozen state. Canvas wanted to be just as mortified as his fiancè, but he certainly didn’t look like it as he covered his blushed face with both hooves and struggled to muffle his snickers.

But despite the noise that erupted around the table, the sound of the door knocking still overpowered it. Tenor barked and quickly ran to the door in excitement. “Troy? Canvas?” asked Derpy from the other side. “It’s me!”

“I’LLGETIT!!!” If Troy pulled out of his seat any faster, his chair would’ve caught fire. Desperate to get out of that disastrously awkward situation, the Gryphon shot to the door to avoid seeing his Mom’s look of disappointment. Because of what was on the kitchen table, Troy flared his wings out for cover before opening the door. Tenor was still able to crawl underneath Troy’s wing to greet Derpy with his tongue lolling out of his muzzle.

“Awwwww!” The mailpony couldn’t resist petting the Saint Bernard for a couple seconds before bringing her attention back to Troy. “Morning, Troy!”

“Hey, Derpy,” said Troy with a shaky smile. Even though it was clear the way his wings stuck out wasn’t natural, the grey-coated mare was too preoccupied with grabbing the envelopes out of her bag to notice. With a smile on her face, Derpy looked up at Troy with the mail in her muzzle.

“Here you go!” After Troy took the envelopes, Derpy tried to look past the Gryphon and asked, “Oh, is Canvas here too? I kinda need him to sign for something.”

“Hm?” Canvas got out of his chair as well, and scootched his way around Troy’s open wings so he was in Derpy’s line of crooked vision. “What is it? I don’t remember getting any packages.”

“Actually, it’s this.” Derpy then took out one last envelope with her hoof. She then reached for her clipboard, not noticing how the stallion’s face soured up at the sight of that familiar hoofwriting and address on the letter. “I guess they wanted to make sure you got it if it’s that important,” she said while pulling the clipboard from its straps on the bag.

Troy looked down at Canvas worriedly, seeing just how bitter the stallion looked as he struggled not to crumple that envelope in his hoof. Even Tenor noticed as he looked up at the pony with a cautious whimper. Fortunately, Canvas was able to restrain his building anger long enough to sign the clipboard and stay chipper for Derpy. He said after giving her the board back. “Well, thanks for letting me know.”

“No problem!” Before she could turn around and continue her route, the mare paused as her nostrils flared out. “Oooh, what is that?” she asked as she tried to look past Troy to the source of that smell. “Whatever it is, it smells good!”

Troy immediately scooted his way in front of Derpy before she could catch sight of anything unpleasant. “Uh, we were just having breakfast! M-Mom and Dad are here too, so we cooked up a bunch of stuff.”

By now, the front half of Derpy’ body was leaned into the house. Luckily, the mare was able to realize what she was doing and pulled back sheepishly. “Heh heh, sorry. I kinda skipped breakfast this morning.” While rubbing the back of her head, she glanced up at Troy as she she began to ask, “I mean, I don’t want to get in the way or anything, but you think that maybe I could--”

Before the mailpony could finish her question, a claw popped out from underneath Troy’s wing holding a sandwich. “Here you go,” called out Lyle from behind Troy’s wing. Fortunately the sandwich was up high enough to keep Tenor from jumping up to snag it for himself.

“Oh! Well, thank you.” Derpy smiled thankfully as she grabbed the offering from Lyle’s claw. Meanwhile, both Troy and Canvas tried not to look nervous as she took a bite, hoping to Celestia that no meat has hastily placed between those two pieces of toast. Derpy’s crossed eyes rolled back as she groaned in satisfaction. “Mmmmmm! Man, it’s been a while since I had a good fried egg!”

She then waved the two goodbye and began to leave. “See you later, guys! Thanks for the sandwich!”

Canvas and Troy waved back, and waited until she disappeared in the distance before they both sighed in relief. “Whoo!” said Troy in a heavy exhale while Canvas walked back inside the house. “That was way too close!”

Troy made sure to turn around before Lyle went back to his table, and gave him a strong hug from behind. “Look at you, Mister Quick-Thinker!”

“Oh, come on!” said Lyle with a giggle before finally getting his brother off of him. “It was nothing! I just put some egg and potatoes in toast, for crying out loud! I just hope bacon grease isn't something ponies--”

The sound of paper ripping stopped Lyle’s words, and he turned his head to see Canvas shredding the envelope he received. After throwing all the pieces in the trash bin with a bitter scowl still on his face, Canvas groaned deeply as he walked back to the table.

“Oooohhh.” Blane winced a little at how Canvas was acting, and decided to ask, “Was it the IRS?”

“What? No!” As Canvas sat back down in his chair. Tenor instinctively walked over and rested his head on top of the stallion’s lap for support. Canvas sighed with a brief smile as he looked down and began to scratch the dog behind his ears. “It’s nothing. Just… just some stupid letter the ponies back in Gallop Creek keep sending me.”

Troy’s shoulders slumped down when he got back in his seat as well, already knowing what the letter was about. Lyle’s brows raised as he asked towards Canvas, “Wait, Gallop Creek? You mean that town where you used to live?”

“Yeah,” muttered Canvas as he slouched into his table. He didn’t seem to notice how Jonas was leaning back to reach for something behind him, so Canvas just huffed and continued. “They sent me six letters in this past month alone! You’d think that after a while they’d realize they’re wasting their damn time.”

“Well, what are they writing about?” asked Angela curiously. “Or who, specifically?”

Her question was answered when the sound of rustling paper caught everyone’s attention. Jonas, who was now holding the discarded scraps of the envelope in his claw, had enough of them pieced together to read through the gist of the letter. While Canvas just stared in bafflement between Jonas and the trash bin, wondering how the buck he did that so quickly, the General scanned the contents of the letter as his eyes widened. “Wait, they’re wanting to name the school after you?!”

Canvas just groaned and sunk his face into his hooves. The triplets looked over at the pony with impressed smiles. “Holy crap, dude!” said Blaze with a prideful grin. “That’s awesome!”

“Yeah, mate!” added Blade with an enthusiastic tone in his accent. “Why would you be upset about that?”

“Oh, I dunno,” growled Canvas before putting his hoof back down. His face showed nothing pure anger and malice as he looked down at the table with gritted teeth. “Maybe because they never gave me any damn respect before that?! Maybe because I was treated like shit EVERY single day, and the teachers did nothing?! Or how sometimes some of the teachers treated me just as bad as the other students did?!”

Tenor pulled back from Canvas as he whimpered with his ears pulled back in slight fear. While most of the Gryphons just sat frozen while staring at the stallion in surprise (except for Troy, who just took a drink from his milk silently), Canvas rubbed his temple with a hoof and reached for his orange juice. “I’m sorry, it just… I’d rather not have my name plastered on a place that felt like the final circle of Tartarus in the four years I went there.”

Jonas just scoffed as his expression turned to a relaxed look of apathy towards the pony. “Oh, so you got pushed against a couple of lockers, so what? I don’t think that should keep you fro--”

SMASH!!

The sound of shattering glass shut up Jonas in an instant. Canvas held onto his hoof as he winced in pain, not seeming to notice the shattered glass and spilled juice that was now all over his plate. Troy quickly got up to help his fiancè. “Shit, let me see!”

“It’s alright,” said the stallion as he looked down at his hoof and wiped his fur carefully. “I don’t think I cut myself.” After making sure his statement was correct, Canvas looked down at the worried puppy before reaching out for him. “It’s okay, Tenor," he cooed softly, "I’m not mad.”

Despite the fact that the pony’s strained tone could’ve claimed otherwise, Canvas still had a light smile as he focused his attention on Tenor. Meanwhile, Jonas scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “Ummm… Okay, I guess I shouldn’t have said that.”

Lyle turned to his Father with a sarcastic, “No, really?”

Jonas paused briefly to shoot back an angry pout at Lyle, but sighed as he returned towards Canvas and added, “I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to bring up anything.”

Troy didn’t look up at his Dad while inspecting Canvas’ hoof. Fortunately, Canvas was able to nod his head and reply towards him, “It’s alright, Jonas. I’m not mad at you.”

While Jonas settled in his seat with a cautious glance back at his wife, Blaze peered his head in to see how thick that glass was before Canvas crushed it with one hoof. “Damn,” he muttered in disbelief, “I hope your grip isn’t like that in the bedroom.”

“BLAZE!” shouted Troy with a sharp glare up at him. “Are you serious right now?!”

Blaze raised both his claws in innocence. “I’m just saying!”

Even though Blade and Blane both snickered a little, they both managed to stop before Blane decided to ask, “So… I take it high school was that bad for you?”

As Canvas dusted off his hooves lightly, he huffed strongly with a nod of his head. “Yeah. It was…”

“WHAT?!?”

The silver-coated mare’s cold expression didn’t move an inch, despite how loud the stallion’s outburst in her small office was. She used a hoof to pull back her relatively short salt-and-pepper mane as she replied bluntly. “You were the one who caused a disruption in class, Mister Canvas. I can’t excuse that kind of behavior after you called Mister Stroma a ‘You-Know-What’!”

Canvas was panting rapidly, and his enraged snarl made it look like he was about to burst over the desk to beat Principal Edelweiss’ face. But instead, the stallion tried to maintain his composure as best as he could through his tightly clenched jaw. He used a hoof to pull back strands of his long mane from his sweating forehead before saying in almost a growl, “I did not say that to Coach Stroma. I was poi--”

“Don’t you try lyin’ ta her!” barked the red stallion who was standing by the office doorway. He carried a nasty-looking pout on his muzzle as he narrowed his eyes on the student. Despite the top of his head being devoid of the orange mane which now came out at his sides, Stroma’s massive size was still intimidating enough to silence Canvas in an instant. “Did you or did you not say the word ‘Gelding’ during class?!”

Canvas looked up at Stroma with a glare that obviously read ‘murder’ across his enraged and welling blue eyes. “That was what Pig Skin called ME! And YOU didn’t say a damn thing!”

“Watch your mouth!” shouted Edelweiss with a hoof pointed at him warningly. “I’m not going to tell you again!”

“Typical,” added Stroma with a scoff and a roll of his eyes. “He just won’t know when to shut his muzzle.”

Canvas’ teeth almost broke in his mouth due to how hard he was clenching them shut. He knew that Stroma had it out for him since starting gym class, but this was too far even for him. Even though the vein on his forehead was throbbing hard enough to burst, Canvas tried to speak in a suitable level while his face turned red. “You… were there. You heard him call me that in front of everypony. They all laughed. And you laughed too!”

Stroma shrugged nonchalantly and said, “I didn’t hear anything.”

“YOU BUCKING LIAR!!!”

“THAT’S IT!” yelled Edelweiss loudly enough to made Canvas turn back to her. She simply pointed a hood to the door and stated, “Your suspension starts NOW! You won’t come back to class until Monday!”

“MONDAY?!” Canvas’ eyes were wide in shock. His jaw moved around as his mouth hung open, clearly struggling to blurt out the words he wanted to say. “Y-you just said it was only three days suspension!”

“And now it’s five! GET OUT!”

Now with his face at a deep red, Canvas was shaking in pure, unbridled rage. He couldn’t lose that much school in order to keep his credits up, even though they were already near the highest in his class. He wanted to yell. He wanted to attack. He wanted to do something, anything to give him the slightest semblance of justice among these two.

But instead. The stallion just grabbed his bag from the floor, and rushed out of the office before either of them could see him cry. He kept his face away from the receptionist while storming out of the waiting room, but his ears twitched when he heard Stroma’s voice from the open doorway:

“Bucking pansy. He needs to grow a pair already.”

Canvas froze, but his heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest. He could barely breathe, and he could feel his throat convulsing in need to let something out. As tears began to run down his face, the pony ran out as fast as he could. His nearly broke the front door to the school from pushing it open so hard, but he didn’t care. If that entire school burnt down, he would’ve been happy. All that he wanted to do was run until he couldn’t run any more.

As his tears hit the cold, unforgiving Earth underneath him, Canvas tried as hard as he could to stop recalling those throes of laughter and names. Unfortunately, as he ran to the cemetery, the only words going through his mind were the ones that bastard Stroma said:

“I didn’t hear anything.”

“... I swear, I heard that statement from teachers almost as much as I did ‘colt-cuddler’ from all those guys.”

By now, Canvas was hunched low in his chair, his eyes clenched tightly shut. Troy’s wing was draped over his back in support, but the stallion still felt horrible after recalling that day. While everyone else just sat in silence, Canvas quickly wiped his face with a hoof to make sure he wasn’t crying. “I’m sorry, I just… I keep thinking about that stuff every time I get one of those damn letters. Each one keeps saying how ‘proud’ they were about my accomplishments, but all I think about is how often those same teachers completely ignored me back then! Or how every time I got pushed around, I still got in trouble too!”

Not wanting to think about it anymore, Canvas pulled himself out of his seat and picked up his plate. He made sure all the broken glass was on it as well before walking into the kitchen. “I swear,” muttered the pony with a venom that Troy only heard a few times since being with him, “I’d rather put my name on a sewage plant than on that bucking school.”

The stallion then disappeared into the kitchen, leaving the family of Gryphons to sit in uncomfortable silence around the dining table. Troy sighed and got out of his seat to follow his fiancè into the kitchen. While the triplets went back to their food like nothing happened, Lyle was the first to break the silence as he said only one word to himself: “Yikes”

Chapter Twenty: Big News Before A Big Night

Gilda groaned with displeasure as she sat at one of the back tables of Sugar Cube Corner. While she was glad she wasn’t the only gryphon in the room like last time (aside from her girlfriend now sitting beside her), she wasn’t exactly happy about Rainbow Dash wanting to know so much about her newfound relationship since the last time they met. Even though the fact that Dash was supportive was a relief, the questions she asked while the Gryphon Scones were baking proved to get tedious rather quickly. Gilda was leaned against one of her claws with an annoyed-sounding purr while Dash sat across from her.

“Soooo,” Rainbow Dash had a chipper grin on her muzzle as she looked between Gilda and Greta and asked, “Did you have a crush on her for a while or something? Because I remember how quickly you went to check on her when she fell that one time.”

Greta tried not to giggle when she remembered that event, clearly having thought that herself. Gilda groaned while tugging her feathers in an effort to keep herself calm. “No,” growled the gryphoness with obvious denial in her tone. “For the last time, I didn’t have the hots for her when we first became friends! It was just, like... normal friend stuff! Gal-pals!”

Greta rolled her eyes and looked away from her mate with a smirk. Troy and Canvas, who were seated beside Dash at the table, both noticed her silent rebuttal. Canvas tilted his head to the side and asked curiously, “I take it you have an opinion on that?”

Gilda whipped her head around to see Greta’s smirk, and her feathers ruffled out in irritation. Despite how upset her girlfriend looked, Greta shrugged and added her input. “Well… I wouldn’t say normal friend stuff.”

Gilda snarled at her while Dash and the other couple giggled at her remark. “What the heck do you mean by that?!” said Gilda with a huff. “It wasn’t like I was acting weird around you!”

“Oh really?” asked Greta as she glanced over at her girlfriend with a raised brow. “Gilly, you couldn’t even wait a week after becoming friends to ask to preen me!”

Dash covered her mouth to keep from cracking up. When Gilda turned to glare at her, the mare was staring back with wide eyes as she tried to ask, “G… Gilly?!”

“Sh-Shut up!” Gilda tried to look angry, but the heavy blush that came through on her cheeks made her look more embarrassed than anything else. She avoided eye contact with Dash and muttered bitterly, “It… it’s just a stupid nickname…”

She also added while turning back towards Greta, “And I told you that offer was NOT an invitation for anything! You were covered in mud! What was I supposed to?!”

“Oh, I don’t know,” responded Greta with a roll of her eyes to go along with her smirk, “maybe not try to sniff underneath my wing while doing it?”

“GRETA!” Unfortunately, despite that rather loud outburst from Gilda, it was nothing compared to the laughter from the other three.

“Jeeze,” said Rainbow Dash with a confounded smile on the embarrassed gryphoness. “I knew you had a thing for sweaty guys back at flight camp, but--”

“SHUT UP, I DID NOT!”

Even though he didn’t want to add any more fuel to the fire, Troy couldn’t resist saying in addition, “It kinda sounds like it, Gilly.”

That caused another bout of laughter from him and Dash. Troy was trying especially hard to not completely laugh out loud, but his rapid breathing was fairly loud in comparison to Rainbow Dash’s. Gilda glared at him strongly with a pout, but she couldn’t say anything before overhearing Canvas’ voice. “Dude,” said the stallion in a smug tone towards his fiancè, “do you really think you should be laughing about nicknames?”

Troy instantly stopped cackling and shot a wide-eyed stare back at Canvas. Gilda’s ear tufts stood up with interest. “Oooohhh…” An evil grin spread across her beak. “What is it?”

Troy’s whole body tensed up with hostility, which wasn’t helped when he heard Pinkie Pie’s voice shout out from the kitchen. “OOH! I know! I know! It’s Teddy Gryphon!”

Now it was Gilda’s turn to start laughing, and she even went far enough to point at the mortified gryphon while doing so. Troy laid himself face-down against the table, desperate to ignore the onslaught of laughter provided by Dash and the other two gryphons. Canvas, despite giggling as well, still couldn’t help wincing when he saw how embarrassed his fiancè looked. “Ummm… sorry,” he muttered guiltily.

From the way Rainbow Dash struggled to breathe, it was clear that Troy’s nickname was brand new information. “Oh, man!” she cried out while wiping her eyes with a hoof. “I am SO using that in my wedding toast!”

“Don’t bother,” mumbled Troy while keeping his head down. “Lyle already called dibs.”

“Awww!” Dash’s expression turned to a displeased pout as she crossed her forelegs and slouched in her seat.

Hoping to bring the conversation away from his gryphon’s sulking, Canvas brought his attention back to Gilda and said with a shrug, “Well, I think Gilly is a pretty cute nickname to have.”

While Gilda groaned and looked away from the stallion (as well as her snickering girlfriend), Canvas added, “Also, I could understand if you really were trying to preen her as a friend. Heck, Troy and I were friends for months before it became anything more than that.”

Greta’s brows raised in surprised as she nodded to the pony. “Wow, really? Gilda and I started dating after two weeks!”

Gilda blushed as she rubbed the back of her head with a claw timidly. “Uhhh… heh heh heh, yeah…” After taking an apprehensive breath, she glanced over at Troy with a smirk on her beak. “Honestly, a couple months is a pretty long wait for a gryphon. I guess you really were confused for a while, huh?”

Troy sighed briefly before pulling his head up. “Yeah,” he added in agreement, but his glance went towards Rainbow Dash as he said, “Even though a lot of ponies started making assumptions about us a lot sooner than that.”

“Well, it was pretty obvious!” retorted Dash defensively. She sighed as well and looked back at Gilda to clarify. “He’s just mad because a few of us had a bet on them hooking up.”

“A few?!” asked Canvas with a confounded, wide-eyed stare on her. “There were over thirty ponies in on that betting pool!”

Pinkie yelled from the kitchen again. “Actually, it was thirty four!”

Canvas and Troy both groaned annoyedly after hearing that unwelcome detail. Of course, the awkwardness quickly shifted when Pinkie popped her head out from the serving window to say, “And speaking of which, you still owe me thirty bits, Rainbow!”

Dash winced and tried to look away from the pink mare. Troy narrowed his eyes on her suspiciously. “Wait, what? I thought you won that bet on us.”

“Yeah,” added Canvas in an equally confused tone. “You bragged about how much money you made for over a week.”

“Oh, not that bet, silly fillies!” said Pinkie Pie cheerfully, not noticing how Dash was trying to make a “cut-it” gesture with her neck. “Back when Dash and I went to Gryphonstone, she tried to bet me thirty bits that Gilda didn’t have a crush on Greta! And I won!”

Gilda’s eyes bulged out of her skull as she roared, “You did WHAT?!”

Even though Pinkie seemed fairly nonchalant when Gilda glared at her, Dash looked more worried about the gryphoness’ justified anger. The pegasus put her hooves up innocently and said, “Hey, I was betting you were straight, okay?”

Gilda peered back at her with an especially bitter stare, clearly not being helped by that statement. Troy and Canvas were looking over at Dash as well with unhappy glances. “Really?” asked Canvas flatly. “Again?”

“No, not like again!” stated Dash bluntly. “I literally made the exact opposite kind of bet that time!”

“So?!” asked Troy annoyedly. “That’s not a cool bet to make! I mean, how would you feel if you found out the entire town made a bet on you becoming marefriends with someone like… Applejack?”

“Oh, come on! That’s not cool, dude! Applejack and I are like sisters!” Just getting a brief mental image of that idea was enough to make the mare shudder deeply. “Eugh... That’d just be awkward.”

“Yeah,” said Pinkie Pie in agreement, “and that betting pool was really boring too! We had to stop it after a year because neither of you two did anything.”

“Just thinking about it is enough to--WAIT, WHAT?!” Rainbow whipped her sights back to Pinkie with a shocked expression as soon as she caught what her friend just said.

Pinkie was frozen at the serving window with her eyes wide open. Before she could say anything else, the sound of the oven dinging was enough of an excuse to make the mare shoot back into the kitchen. “Ooh! The Gryphon Scones are ready!”

“Ohhhh no! You’re not getting away that easy!” Now more aggravated than anything else, the blue pegasus shot into the kitchen to confront Pinkie while the others overheard her. “Just what kind of bet did you guys have on me and Applejack?!”

Gilda couldn’t resist giggling with a sense of schadenfreude on her smirked beak while taking a sip of her coffee. “Hopefully that’ll teach her.”

By the time the sun was beginning to set, most of the day’s errands were completed. After Angela and Blade returned from helping Fluttershy (and getting on good terms with her again), Twilight was able to suggest some ideas regarding what was being served for the wedding. So, along with having their scones tested and approved by the happy couple, Gilda and Greta were offered the opportunity to assist with preparing some more meat-based foods for the wedding reception. Even though the idea of serving meat at an Equestrian wedding may have been taboo, the Princess had all the proper paperwork necessary to make sure nothing was technically illegal.

Twilight did a third run-down on her lists, and was pleased that everything has been checked-off to perfection. In fact, according to the remaining wedding plans, there were only two more events that had to happen before the wedding itself: the first were the bachelor parties, which wasn’t exactly something the Princess was keen on; and the second was the rehearsal and dinner, which was something she was especially not comfortable thinking about due to past incidents.

Fortunately, it seemed that any mention of the word “rehearsal” was either brief or unneeded (especially from her friends), so Twilight wasn’t feeling that uncomfortable. However, a much different kind of discomfort came when she heard a lot of talk from the triplets from outside the castle. The Alicorn huffed and put her scrolls away, hoping that her assistance wasn’t needed as she went to the front doors.

Meanwhile, the tone was starting to get heated outside the castle as a cart containing two wooden barrels was parked near the door. Since Blane was the only one of the three triplets who actually owned a business, he was slated to be the financial planner of the group for things before the wedding. Unfortunately, his patience was starting to wear thin as he tried to talk with the orange mare keeping the cart full.

“Oh, come on!” griped Blane as he looked between Applejack and the cart. “You already gave me the price for the two barrels of cider the other day! You can’t just raise it like this at the last minute!”

Applejack looked quite offended by that remark as she retorted, “Now you wait just a minute! When Ah give a price, Ah never raise it unless there’s a reason!” The mare pouted and pointed a hoof at the bill statement in Blane’s claw. “And Ah very clearly remember what kinda price Ah gave ya, and it ain’t no different from what you have there!”

Twilight opened the door to the castle, but she was unnoticed while Blane and Applejack kept bickering. Blaze and Blade were leaned against the wall and nodded to her. “Hey Princess,” said Blaze nonchalantly.

“Umm, hello,” replied Twilight as she kept her attention on business deal. “Could one of you bring me up to speed on what’s happening?”

“Well,” began Blade with a shrug, “we arranged to get some barrels of hard cider for our little bachelor’s shindig with Troy tonight, but there’s a disagreement on what the price was.”

Twilight sighed after giving the two a thankful nod, and then walked past them to see the issue herself. Even though this wasn’t exactly the same kind of International Diplomacy she was used to, the Princess figured she could put her skills to use here.

“Are you blind!?” Blade was getting fed up, and shoved the statement back in Applejack’s face so she could see the price listed. “You really think you could slip an extra eight hundred bits in there without me noticing?! I distinctly remember you saying that the number started with a one! Does THAT look like a one to you?!”

Twilight opened her mouth to intervene, but Applejack snatched the listing before she was able to say anything. Applejack spent a good ten seconds silent, but only three of those were with her eyes on the paper; the remaining seven were focused up at Blane as she carried the strongest, deadpanned stare that Twilight ever saw.

“Well?” asked Blane as his patience grew thinner.

Without saying a word, Applejack held the paper up for him to clearly see, and turned it rightside up before handing it back to him. Blane’s angered expression instantly dropped when he looked at the bill in its correct position, and he seemingly ignored the sound of both his brothers slapping their claws over their heads. Even Twilight had her eyes narrowed on Blane with a slightly open mouth, seemingly trying to fathom what he was thinking. Meanwhile, Applejack raised a brow as she bluntly asked, “How’s the price now, Big Bird?”

Since the previously agreed price of one-hundred sixteen bits was clear as day on the page, instead of the previously assumed number of nine-hundred eleven bits, Blane didn’t try to contest it any further. Instead, the gryphon just looked back at Applejack with a very shaky and apologetic smile on his beak. “Uhhh… Y-yep,” he said faintly. “That looks okay.”

Since the matter was settled on its own, Twilight smiled and left the two to finish their transaction. She went back to Blane’s brothers as she decided to clarify a few things with them. “Alright,” she began with a happy, but still professional-sounding tone, “I already know of Lyra and Bon-Bon’s plans for Canvas’ bachelor party, so I just wanted to make sure your guys’ plans won’t collide with theirs.”

Blaze raised a claw in assurance. “Hey, don’t sweat it. We already found a great place out of the way to do some grilling, so we shouldn’t get any noise or smell complaints. And after we eat, we’re planning to fly to Cloudsdale to hit some of the clubs.”

“Plus,” added Blade with a chipper tone of his own, “we got Troy’s friends Rainbow Dash and Thunderlane joinin’ us.”

Twilight’s face turned confused. “Wait, really?” she asked skeptically. Her eyes narrowed on them as she asked, “You did tell them what you were planning to do, right? Like… food-wise?”

“Dash is cool with it, and she said she’ll bring Thunderlane up to speed before we meet up.” After giving that answer, Blaze’s beak clenched in briefly before he could add without laughing, “Plus… we kinda wanted to bring him around after he suggested something we should do to Troy.”

Blade covered his beak while giggling as well, which prompted Twilight to instantly turn suspicious. “Why? What are you two planning?”

“Well,” began Blaze, “the idea is--”

“SSHHH!!! Don’t tell ‘er!”

“Guys,” stated Twilight in a more authoritative voice, “I really don’t want to get in the way of your plans, but if--”

Twilight’s words were cut off when a loud scream was overheard from quite a distance away. When Twilight turned around to see what that was, she saw a silver speck shoot up into the sky from the other side of town. She and the others also heard a faint voice coming from the speck shouting out, “Yyyyyyeeeeeeeaaaaahhhhh!!!”

“What the heck is that?” asked Applejack with her eyes strained in focus on the figure.

Blane was the first to recognize who it was before shouting in surprise, “Dude, it’s Troy!”

Even though he was still at the other end of Ponyville, Troy was clearly flying in circles as he kept screaming in obvious glee.

“Hmmm…” Blaze tilted his head while staring up at his younger brother. “Judging by how happy he sounds, I’m guessing that either the Cakes finally started making maple bacon cookies, or... he actually got that Manehattan role.”

Just as Blaze finished his assumption, Troy was already zooming through the entirety of the town. He swept past the castle at lightning speed as he shouted out, “HINNYOFTHEHILLS!!!”

After leaving a gust of wind strong enough to make everyone brace themselves, Troy was already gone to keep shouting in flight. The group were frozen momentarily, but Twilight and Applejack were the first to react by gasping in happy surprise. “Oh my gosh!” shouted Twilight with an excited glance at the orange mare. “Can you believe it!?”

“Honestly, no,” admitted Applejack with a shake of her head while smiling, “but what do Ah know about theater?!” She then looked towards the triplets to say, “Congrats on your brother, boys!”

Blaze and Blade responded with a celebratory chest bump to each other. “Buck yeah!” shouted the two in unison.

Meanwhile, Blane slumped with a disappointed sigh. “Oh man, I thought it was the cookies.”

Meanwhile, many of the ponies at the other end of Ponyville were now out of their houses or shops to look up at the sky to see Troy’s overzealous celebration. Derpy Hooves, who was the one to give him that letter last-minute, seemed especially surprised and relieved at the reaction the gryphon gave when opening it. Lyle was standing next to her while outside Lyra and Bon-Bon’s sweet shop, but he kept his focus on the letter that Troy dropped to the ground after reading it.

“Wow!” said Lyle with an impressed smile as he looked through the details. “This is awesome! I didn’t think they’d choose him so soon after his audition!”

“I know, right?” added Derpy in an equally surprised tone. “I knew the letter was supposed to be urgent, but I didn’t think it was for that.”

Troy zoomed above the street again and quickly spouted off, “BRIDLEWAY!!!”

Lyle snickered at how Troy was acting, but quickly became confused when he caught what Derpy said. “Wait, urgent? Then, why wasn’t it given to him earlier today or something?”

“Uhhh…” Derpy bit her lip and looked away from Lyle apprehensively. “It may have… been one of the things that fell out of my bag at the beginning of my shift…”

Even though it was clear the grey mare looked guilty after admitting that detail, Lyle shrugged as he looked back up at the growing dusk skies. “Oh. Well, don’t worry about it. I won’t say anything.”

Derpy smiled with a thankful nod at him. “Thanks.”

Meanwhile, the inside of the sweet shop was just as active as the skies above it outside. Tenor was barking wildly while looking out the window, clearly wanting to know what got his winged owner so excited. Lyra and Bon-Bon also looked thrilled while hugging behind the front counter. “Oh my gosh!” shouted Lyra as she tried to lift her wife and twirl her around. “Troy is gonna be on Bridleway!!!”

Due to the unicorn’s especially tight squeeze on her, Bon-Bon wheezed a little as she replied, “Y-Yeah…”

Lyra quickly realized how hard she was hugging Bon-Bon and let her go. “Heh heh… oops. Sorry.”

“Nah, it’s alright,” said Bon-Bon assuredly as she rubbed her back with a hoof. She then turned back to her wife with a hinting smirk and added, “Although, I think there’s somepony else who’s just as excited as you about Troy’s new job.”

Lyra’s eyes shot wide-open. “Oh, of course!” She then ran from behind the counter to the rear living space of the building. Bon-Bon giggled at how quickly her wife went to find the stallion, but her ears twitched when she heard growling from the front. As soon as she turned around, the mare screamed bolted from the counter to stop Tenor.

“NO!” shouted Bon-Bon while the Saint Bernard tried to tear open a giant bag of cotton candy. “No, Tenor! Bad dog!!”

Meanwhile, Lyra was quick to find Canvas sitting at the kitchen table in her home; however, her happy expression became skewed when she saw how silent the pony was. She stopped momentarily at the doorway while Canvas’ back was facing her. “Ummm… Canvas?”

“Oh! Uhh!” Canvas shuffled in his chair to turn around with a smile towards Lyra. “Hey! Ummm, what’s up?”

“Well,” began Lyra as her tone became more concerned, “I feel like I should ask you that same question.”

Even though Canvas seemed perfectly alright, the unicorn could still notice the way he just barely bit his bottom lip while smiling. Canvas didn’t get up from his chair, but he still sighed casually with a wave of his hoof. “Oh, it’s nothing,” he said in as convincing of a tone as he could muster. “Really! It’s just… a lot to take in, that’s all.”

Lyra’s narrowed her eyes on him suspiciously. While she may have known the stallion to be somepony to hide about certain things (especially regarding problems), she wasn’t sure what to think of Canvas’ behavior. Technically speaking, there were a few reasons why she felt Canvas would be uneasy, like maybe the pressure of getting a new place for Troy’s new job. Of course, there was always the chance that Canvas wasn’t lying, and was just surprised to hear of it so soon.

The unicorn was just about to open her mouth to ask one of those things, but a heavy crash made her whip her head around while her wife yelled out, “NO! Get back here!”

More shouts and barking made Lyra immediately forget what to say, and she just bolted from the kitchen while saying, “J-Just stay here! I gotta check things out at the front!”

With that, Lyra was gone. It took a good three seconds of silence in the kitchen before the stallion was brave enough to sigh in relief. Given his position in the chair, it was nothing short of a miracle that Lyra didn’t see what he had on the table in front of him. After making sure the mares were occupied at the front of the shop, Canvas turned around to stare down at the scroll in front of him.

Canvas couldn’t say he was surprised that nopony noticed the scroll Derpy gave him, especially since it was after Troy read the acceptance letter he got from Bridleway. While everypony else watched the gryphon turn to an overexcited mass of emotion that shot into the sky like a firework display, Canvas took a quick read of the scroll to see what it was about. In all honesty, the pony knew that his news was just as amazing as Troy’s; in fact, it may as well have been bigger in comparison.

Unfortunately, the news Canvas was given didn’t make him feel happy at all, despite how great it was.

Canvas’ heart was pounding in anxiety as he scanned the details of the scroll over and over again. From an outside perspective, the news would’ve sounded absolutely amazing; after making paintings for both Celestia and Luna, getting the chance to make a painting for Shining Armor and Cadance was an absolute dream come true. Plus, getting an extended vacation in the Crystal Empire to do it only sweetened the deal.

However, the scroll presented three distinct issues that the pony absolutely couldn’t ignore. Firstly, the date of his scheduled arrival in the Crystal Empire was in less than two weeks. Not only would that mean that he’d have to leave immediately after his Honeymoon, but he wouldn’t have any time to help Troy during his Bridleway process. Getting an apartment for them in Manehattan, keeping Troy comfortable after rehearsals, seeing him perform in dress rehearsals before the big show…

Canvas closed his eyes as he rubbed his temple with a hoof, hating how much this was building up already.

The second issue Canvas noticed was just how long he would have to be in the Crystal Empire to do the painting. According to the scroll, Shining and Cadance wanted to keep things hushed in regards to their expectant child; even though he already knew about it, Canvas was aware that it was still a big thing that was meant to be revealed in a special way in the Crystal Empire. While he was beyond honored to have the chance to make a painting of them during Cadance’s pregnancy, that also meant that he could be away from his husband for over a month.

The very first month of their marriage.

Finally, just the fact that this was happening at the same time as Troy’s rehearsals brought an even harder bout of grief that made Canvas slump down at the kitchen table. How long would it be before the show premiered? How much time could Canvas spend between his own job and Troy’s? What if he missed the premiere show? What if he tried to say no to Shining and Cadance’s offer?

So many question were swimming through Canvas’ mind. He leaned forward even further in his seat, his teeth gritted as he struggled not to freak out over this news. He knew that there would be some separation if Troy got the role for Hinny of the Hills, but he thought they had a plan for if that happened. But now, all that the artist could think about was how it could work if he took his own offer. How much could he see him? How much could he help? Could he even be able to help?

But most of all, would it be worth it?

With all those thoughts crowding in his head, it was enough to make Canvas grab his scroll and stumble over to the bathroom so he couldn’t be seen in this state. He loved Troy, and he couldn’t be happier that he was reaching his own dream. Canvas wanted nothing more than to be happy for him, and to be the husband he knew Troy wanted. After closing the door behind him, the pony began to hyperventilate while leaned against the bathroom wall in darkness and building anxiety.

This is my dream. This… This is both our dreams! So why… Why… Canvas felt like he was being pinned underneath a press, with his chest being compressed with more and more weight as it became harder to breathe. The pony’s thoughts became more upsetting as he laid hunched-down in the bathroom and tried not to cry.

Why can’t I feel happy about this?