The sun began to rise in Manehattan, illuminating the cityscape in Celestia's morning light. However, few ponies paid much heed to the sunrise as they went about their days. Since the city never slept, the commotion of bustling carriages and overcrowded streets didn't change significantly from the previous night. Away from the busy streets below, the Manehattan Suite laid still against city's skyline, allowing the ponies inside to get a good night's rest.
In one of the luxurious rooms, Canvas had his eyes closed as the morning light began to shine in the room. As he began to stir awake, the stallion's ears twitched and he clenched his eyes shut. With a deep sigh, Canvas nestled closer to the other bundle of soft warmth laying beside him. Feeling the soft feathers brush against his face, Canvas smiled and snuggled closer to Troy's massive body.
Troy, now awake as well, smiled as he opened his eyes and looked down to see the stallion holding him in the morning's enchanting glow. Seeing how peaceful Canvas looked, Troy closed his eyes and bent his head down. With his beak gently brushing against the stallion's soft fur, Troy smiled and nuzzled his fiancé.
"Mmmmmm…"
Canvas sighed in bliss as he savored the Gryphon's touch, loving how tantalizing his caress really felt. As he moved closer against Troy, blushing when he caught the Gryphon's unique musk beneath his feathers, Canvas felt his fiancé's beak gently reach the side of his ear. With a tired smile, Troy slowly reopened his eyes, then opened his beak, his voice coming out in a sing-song whisper.
"Happy Birthday… To you…"
Canvas giggled a little at hearing Troy's beautiful voice so close to his ear. He didn't let go of the Gryphon, who continued to sing to him softly.
"Happy Birthday… To you…"
Although he still wasn't certain of the appeal of birthdays as a whole, Troy didn’t care one bit as he held Canvas tightly. He loved the stallion more than anything, so he was going to savor every moment he had with him. And if ponies celebrated the day they were born, he wasn't going to neglect doing the same for his amazing fiancé.
"Happy Birthday… Dear Canvas…"
Canvas giggled once more at Troy’s sweet voice. Though Troy had an incredible singing voice, Canvas was surprised at how bashful the Gryphon still was about singing to anyone but himself. As his blush grew deeper from his fiancé's loving affection, Canvas finally reopened his eyes and looked up at him.
Troy, looking down at him with a smile of his own, stared lovingly into Canvas’s eyes as the room grew brighter from the rising sun. After sharing a tender moment, letting their smiles grow even wider from their shared love, Troy slowly moved his head in closer as he finished his song.
"Happy Birthday… To… You…"
Canvas didn't hesitate for a second, giving his fiancé a deep kiss on the beak. Closing his eyes, Troy wrapped his claws around him tightly and eagerly returned his affection.
Holding each other in caring embrace, the stallion and Gryphon laid in perfect silence, feeling like they were the only souls in the world right now. And with how amazing their kiss was, neither one would've cared if they really were the only ones—
"Hrrrrmmmmm…"
Canvas and Troy paused, lips and beak still intertwined as they reopened their eyes. On the other bed in the room, Lyle was hunched over in a fetal position while wrapped in the thick blankets. The younger Gryphon still felt rather ill as he began to wake up.
"Stupid shrimp guy," Lyle muttered, his eyes still closed. "I'm gonna kick him in the balls…"
Canvas and Troy finally broke their kiss, taking a second before giggling at how they were interrupted. Still smiling, Canvas hugged his fiancé tightly.
"Thank you, Troy," Canvas whispered, savoring the Gryphon's immense warmth. "That was a great birthday gift."
Troy chuckled a little before hugging him back. "That's not the only one, Canvas…"
Troy looked down at the stallion, marveling at his beautiful blue eyes. A smile on his beak, Troy bent his head in closer and spoke in a low and caring tone.
"I love you…"
Canvas smiled wider before moving his head up to Troy’s. "I love you too…"
While the two shared another tender kiss, Lyle just sighed and laid in his own bed alone. "I swear," Lyle mumbled as he tried to ignore the couple beside him, "all this cutesy crap is gonna make me barf again."
Troy broke the kiss for a second. "Shut up, Lyle."
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Even though his right eye still stung quite a bit from Suri's punch, Canvas’s smile didn’t falter. There was a prideful spring in his step as he trotted down the streets of Manehattan with Troy and Lyle in tow.
While Celestia's sun continued to rise, letting its sunlight peek through the faint spaces between the packed buildings of the cityscape, the two Gryphons had difficulty keeping their eyes open against the radiance of the late morning. However, Canvas wore a pair of purple aviator shades, which helped both to completely cover the bruise over his eye and make the morning trek to the gallery much more bearable.
"Ughhh…" Lyle groaned as he tried to keep up with his brother and Canvas. After being locked in the bathroom most of the night due to his poor decision to down a whole platter of shrimp, he still felt a bit off this morning, despite taking some antacids to calm his gut.
Canvas looked back at him worriedly. "You alright, Lyle?"
Lyle quickly nodded, choosing to ignore what felt like a vice clenching around his stomach. "I'm good," he said with some strain, keeping away from Canvas's troubled gaze. "Don't worry about me, man."
Canvas's eyes narrowed on him. "Listen, if you need to lie down, we can stop to take a breather. The gallery won't start for a while, anyway."
"I'm okay," Lyle insisted as he tried to breathe in a little deeper. Despite his stomach being empty of anything other than water and the carbonation currently messing with his gut, Lyle knew his body well enough to know he would be fine. "I've dealt with a lot worse before. I'll be up before the gallery begins, I swear."
Troy looked over at his brother with a skeptical smirk. "Are you sure? Because all I can think about is when you got food poisoning back at that spelling bee."
"Oh, shut up!" Lyle glared at Troy, then grimaced. "That was a one-time thing!"
"I heard one of the janitors quit his job after what you did to that toilet!"
"I said, shut up!"
Canvas giggled as he continued to walk beside them. Despite how often the two of them bickered, he could tell how much Troy and Lyle cared for each other as brothers. It was actually pretty cute in a way, knowing that two siblings could jab at each other so much without being overly mean or bitter about it afterwards. Though he was worried a few times about their fights escalating, Canvas felt a slight twinge of jealousy at what the two had. Of course, after spending most of his life as an only child, he kinda figured something like that was bound to happen.
Before Troy could pester Lyle further, the three noticed Glimmer Heart as she came galloping up to them. A smile on her face, the unicorn had her horn lit to hold her large cup of Marebucks coffee.
"Good morning, Canvas!" Glimmer said in a surprisingly chipper tone. "How's your eye?"
Canvas raised his shades and rubbed the bruise under his eye. While it was still a bit noticeable, the glasses he bought on the way here were a good purchase to cover his past interaction with Suri Polomare.
"Oh, I'm fine." Canvas placed the shades back over his eyes. "Seriously, I'm just glad nothing was broken again."
Troy cringed and sucked some air through his teeth, catching Lyle's attention. Canvas, also hearing his response, quickly bit his lip when he looked back to Troy. The stallion looked slightly remorseful as he saw how his fiancé reacted.
Glimmer Heart started to look worried at the sudden change of tone. "Is… is something wrong?"
"Nothing," Canvas said quickly, looking back to her. "It's just… I've dealt with worse, that's all."
Troy clenched his beak shut as he turned his head away, knowing far too well what Canvas was referring to. Lyle narrowed his eyes on his brother as he saw how saddened he was starting to look. He still recognized that look on Troy's face pretty quickly, recalling how he looked like that for a while after their grandparents' passing.
Canvas nudged Troy a little before adding in a more optimistic tone, "But it's nothing I couldn't handle. Especially with a little help."
Troy looked back at his fiancé, seeing the warm smile on his face. Seeing the sincere look of love and affection in Canvas’s eyes, it didn't take long for Troy to regain a smile on his beak. As soon as he saw Troy smile again, Canvas gave him a quick nuzzle before turning back to Glimmer Heart.
"So, Glimmer," Canvas asked, readjusting the art bag around his shoulder, "what's the plan? I have my dress shirt and these guys' outfits if we need them."
"That won’t be necessary," Glimmer said with a reassuring smile, waving her hoof. She took a sip from her coffee before continuing, "We're just going to have the announcements made, and maybe an hour of reception. Believe me, it's going to be a lot more casual than last night."
"That's good to hear." Canvas smirked as he looked back to Troy. "I can think of a certain Gryphon who will be glad to hear that."
Troy chuckled a little and looked away from his fiancé. Though he was happy to hear he wouldn't have to wear that dumb sweater again, his smile skewed a bit as he thought some things over. Remembering what he had planned for today, Troy glanced over at Glimmer Heart.
"Hey Glimmer," Troy asked, "what time do you think everything will be done?"
"Ummm…" The mare furrowed her brow. "Well… I can’t see it going on any later than four, I guess…"
Hearing that, Troy clenched his beak shut, nodded, and looked down. Canvas and Lyle both looked at him inquisitively. The stallion lifted a hoof and poked Troy's chest. "Troy?"
"Huh?" Troy blinked a couple times as he came back to reality. "Oh, I'm… I'm fine."
Canvas narrowed his eyes, but Glimmer Heart cleared her throat. She waited until he turned back around before beginning to speak.
"Just so you know," Glimmer said sternly, "it might be a good idea to show up a little earlier this time. After everything that happened last night, it wouldn't hurt to give a good impression."
Canvas quickly nodded, already knowing how much trouble he and Glimmer went through after last night. He was well aware that he was on some thin ice for this rescheduled event.
"Of course." Canvas looked back at Troy and Lyle before adding, "I should probably go a little early to avoid rustling any more feathers than I already have. Is that alright?"
Troy gave a understanding smile and brushed Canvas's worries aside with a claw. "Don’t worry about it. Just go off with Glimmer Heart. Lyle and I will catch up later."
"Great!" Canvas kissed his fiancé on the cheek, making Glimmer blush a little and look away from them. He gave one last nuzzle to Troy before pulling back. "Alright, I'll see you guys later!"
With that, Canvas headed off with Glimmer Heart, leaving Troy and Lyle behind as they waved him off. As soon as he was sure Canvas was out of earshot, Troy looked over to Lyle with a smile.
"Hey Lyle," Troy said discreetly, "you mind if you could help me out with something?"
"Huh?" Lyle raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"Well…" After making sure Canvas wasn't nearby, Troy looked stern as he turned back to his little brother. "I was hoping you can cover me for something I need to do…"
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After arriving at the rescheduled gallery earlier than before, Canvas managed to keep a professional demeanor throughout the rest of the judging process. Since they were planning on announcing the winner at the start of the exhibit, Canvas and the other judges were able to pick the artist before any of the ponies could arrive. Luckily, no mention of Canvas's scuffle with Suri came into discussion, nor did he do anything to hurt his reputation with any of the judges.
By the time the gallery was set to begin, Canvas felt he had managed to contribute more than enough valuable input with the others and proved himself to be a good judge. While he had no real plans to judge after this, Canvas felt rather proud with himself. Other than getting punched in the face, this turned out to be pretty nice. Of course, when it came to art, Canvas felt a lot more comfortable with a paintbrush than being behind a judging table.
Before the gallery could start, Troy and Lyle arrived to talk with Canvas. While the younger Gryphon looked away from them, Troy spoke to his fiancé.
"What?" Canvas asked, confused. "What do you mean you have to go back to Ponyville early?"
"I'm sorry," Troy said sincerely, holding up his claws, "but I just got a message from Rainbow Dash. They have to get the cirrus clouds cleared for the Running of the Leaves tomorrow, so they need all the help they can get! I really need to get back before sundown."
Canvas stared at his fiancé, noting how worried he appeared. Troy tried to look away for a second to avoid Canvas’s eyes locking with his, which just made the stallion furrow his brow even more. He glanced over at Lyle. "So… Troy got a message from Rainbow Dash?"
"Ummm… Yeah!" Lyle tried to keep a poker face as he nodded enthusiastically. While his face appeared too similar to Applejack's when she tried to lie, he managed to retain his composure enough before motioning to his brother. "He… he has to go back early, dude."
Canvas stared at both Gryphons for another moment, staying silent, before he sighed.
"Oh, okay," Canvas said with a smirk. "I wouldn't want to miss with weather detail."
"Thanks, Canvas," said Troy with a relieved smile. "I'll catch up with you when you come back tonight, alright?"
"Of course." Canvas smiled and nodded. He lifted himself onto his hindlegs and wrapped his hooves around Troy, standing eye-to-eye with him before giving him a kiss on the beak.
Troy tenderly kissed him back, giving him a quick nuzzle before saying softly into his ear, "Happy Birthday."
Lyle turned away and groaned under his breath, deciding to look around the gallery. He overheard Canvas giggle a little. After a while, the sounds of his brother and his fiancé acting super gay left his senses, and were replaced instead with the commotion around him.
Fortunately, as he looked around the gallery, Lyle was glad he didn’t hear many ponies talking much in regards to him or his brother. After last night, he was sure that he and Troy would be seen as "rabid beasts" or something if they ever set their paws back in here. However, of all the conversations he overheard, most of them went along the lines of "Did you hear what Suri tried to do?" or "I can't believe she actually stooped that low!"
While he had heard a little bit about Suri from Rarity when she had measured him and his brother, Lyle was surprised at how low her reputation was even before last night. Of course, when somepony becomes well-known for trying to rip off one of the Elements of Harmony, it would probably be hard to keep a positive appearance afterward. Especially when the pony ends up acting like a certain word he would rather not say out loud at this event.
After spending around ten minutes walking around the exhibit, noticing some of the impressive paintings on the walls, Lyle almost didn’t notice when Canvas walked over to him. With a sly smirk on his muzzle, the stallion stared him down.
"Troy's planning a surprise party, isn’t he?"
Lyle's eyes widened. He stepped back and turned away. "What? I… I mean, no! He… he-he had to…"
Canvas just chuckled. "Come on, Lyle! I'm not stupid. Since I have to be here until this afternoon, I know that any party back home would have to be rescheduled to later tonight. That was why he left, wasn't it?"
"Ummm…" Lyle slowly looked back at him, surprised that he managed to catch something like that so quickly. In an attempt to throw him off his brother's tracks, Lyle said more confidently, "Just what makes you think a surprise party is happening back home anyway?"
Lowering his sunglasses, Canvas narrowed his eyes and kept his smile. "Really? With somepony like Pinkie Pie around, you really think there WON'T be a party?"
Lyle clenched his beak shut and tried to avoid eye contact. "Well…"
"Plus," Canvas continued, putting his glasses back up, "I also know that Lyra and Bon-Bon have been dropping little questions the past few weeks about what candy I liked. Mister and Misses Cake both asked what kind of cake I preferred when I went to their bakery, and I noticed Twilight trying to see what books caught my interest when I visited the library earlier this week."
Lyle looked at Canvas with a surprised brow, unsure whether to be impressed or concerned at his attention to detail. "Dude, you're starting to sound like a bad detective novel."
Canvas chuckled before his smile turned more relaxed. "Oh, come on! I'm an artist! I tend to notice little details like that all the time. I knew a party was coming from a mile away."
Knowing the gig was up, Lyle merely sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "Crap… Troy was hoping you wouldn't catch on."
"And that's another thing!" Canvas had his brow skewed as he pointed a hoof at Lyle. "He had to go back to take care of cirrus clouds?! Seriously?"
Canvas began to pace, a bemused smile on his face as he continued to rant. "I mean, he could've at least made his lie more convincing! Like, if it was a nimbostratus cloud or something, I would've been more prone to believing him! But cirrus clouds are the easiest ones to take care of! A filly can get those knocked out! There's absolutely NO way that Rainbow Dash would need him back just to take care of cirrus clouds!"
Lyle's eyes widened. "Wow. I… I didn’t think you knew that much about clouds."
Canvas sighed before he looked over at Lyle with a smirk. "Well… my Mom did Storm Patrol back home, so I kinda learned a lot from her."
"Oh…" Lyle looked down to the floor, his eyes narrowing in thought. He muttered to himself, "Huh… He never mentioned she was a Pegasus…"
"Huh?"
"Hm?" Lyle quickly looked back up to Canvas, seeing that he was staring at him with narrowed eyes of his own.
"What was that?"
"Ummm…" Lyle tried to turn his head away. "N-nothing…Ummm…"
After one quick glance back at Canvas, noting how he was looking at him suspiciously, Lyle sighed and hung his head away from the stallion. "I… may have asked Troy about your bag last night. And… he… may have brought up why it was so important to you."
Canvas's eyes widened a little before looking down at the bag hanging at his side.
"He told me who gave it to you, and why you were so worried about losing it." Lyle kept his head away as he spoke meagerly. "I didn't mean to bring up anything. I just wanted to know since you were so freaked out last night. But… I'm sorry."
Canvas looked back to Lyle, realizing how upset he looked at having to admit that. Canvas just gave a light smile before putting a hoof on his shoulder. "Hey, it's alright," he assured in a warmer tone. "You shouldn’t feel bad about telling me that."
Lyle looked back up to Canvas, who kept his smile as he continued, "I mean, I did act pretty nuts last night, so I don’t blame you for asking about it. I mean…"
Canvas took another glance back to his art bag, staring at it for a moment before sighing. His smile faltered a little. "It… it was one of the nicest things she ever did for me."
Canvas hung his head down and let go of Lyle's shoulder. He brought his hoof up to lift his glasses and rub his eyes, not wanting to get too emotional. "Sorry. I… I usually don't talk about this to many ponies."
"I get it." Lyle stepped back from Canvas to give him some space. "I don't want to bring up anything I shouldn't."
"No, it's fine." Canvas made sure his eyes were dry before readjusting his shades and looking back up to him. "Seriously, it's okay. But… thanks for telling me the truth."
Lye merely nodded, a small smile on his beak. "No problem."
After a brief silence, Lyle looked down at Canvas's art bag. "So… Canvas?"
Canvas glanced at Lyle curiously.
"This is probably a dumb question, but… What if Troy did lose your bag? Like, for real?"
Canvas’s eyebrows rose.
"Because… You looked pretty mad when you thought it was gone. Would… would that have been a deal-breaker between you two?"
"Oh, no!" Canvas quickly threw his hooves up in assurance. "No, of course not, Lyle! I… I'd never do that!"
When Canvas put his hooves back down, he looked down at the ground. "I mean… I'd be mad at him. Furious, even! No doubt about that that, but…"
After contemplating how he really would reacted in that kind of situation, Canvas sighed and glanced back up at Lyle. "But… I'd still forgive him. I mean… Troy means the world to me… Way more than some bag…"
The stallion held his art bag closer to his side. Before Lyle could say anything else, Canvas held his bag up and added, "Seriously. Between this bag and your brother, Troy wins, hooves-down."
Lyle chuckled a little before nodding in agreement, understanding how important both that bag and his brother were to Canvas. "Alright, I get it." He looked away as he scanned the room, happy to have that question cleared up.
Canvas exhaled deeply and looked around as well, noticing many guests and artists coming in. "Well," he said, "I'm sure the announcements are gonna start soon, which means there won't be much for me to do but talk with ponies for the next hour or two…"
Smirking, Canvas asked, "You wanna keep me company? It'd probably be better than just sitting at one of the benches the whole time."
Lyle looked around the gallery for a moment before nodding reluctantly. "Sure, I guess."
"Cool." With that, the two began to walk side-by side towards the center of the gallery. Canvas asked, "Hey, you still have your sketchbook on you?"
Lyle nodded, motioning to the small satchel hanging underneath his wing. "Yeah. Why?"
"Just checking," Canvas said with a smile. Before Lyle could ask why he had asked him that, the sound of Glimmer Heart's voice came over a loudspeaker.
"Fillies and gentlecolts," Glimmer began, keeping a microphone held in her magical grip, "I would like to welcome all of you to the conclusion of the 33rd Annual Manehattan Art Exhibit…"
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Though he was sure that the winner's announcement would last a while, Lyle was pleasantly surprised when the entire process lasted only fifteen minutes. And of that time, about ten minutes were spent by the judges praising each pony's works individually (as per Canvas's request behind the scenes). At the end, none of the runner-up artists seemed saddened or even upset about not winning, and acted quite respectful towards the winner, Silver Linings.
While Canvas chatted with the other artists, Lyle got himself a soda. As soon as he headed back towards Canvas and the others, he heard the stallion's voice call out to him, "Hey, Lyle! Come over here."
Lyle made his way back through the crowds, noticing how Canvas was smirking as he motioned him over.
"Lyle, I want you to meet some of the artists here." Canvas pointed to the small group beside him. One of them was the winner, a red unicorn mare with a silver mane, whom Lyle recognized from the previous night. "You know Silver Linings, right?"
"Y-yeah." Though he didn’t expect to speak with any of the artists, Lyle still put out his claw to shake Silver's hoof. "It's nice to meet you. Congrats, by the way."
"Why, thank you," the mare said with a gracious smile as she shook his claw. "I've been chatting with Canvas, and he's said a lot of nice things about you!"
"Wait, really?" Lyle asked as he let go of Silver's claw.
"Yeah," Silver said cheerfully, "he said that you're really good at drawing." She noticed the bag hanging at Lyle's side. "Would you mind if I saw a couple sketches?"
Lyle blinked a couple times, frozen in surprise. His expression quickly turned angry as he looked at Canvas with a strong glare. "Dude, what's wrong with you?!"
To the surprise of Silver and the other artists, Lyle stormed off. Canvas quickly ran after him before Lyle could get lost within the crowds.
"Lyle, wait!” Canvas shouted. "Just stop for a second! What's the—"
"Why did you have to tell them that?!" Lyle turned around and angrily pointed a talon at Canvas. "I freakin' told you, dude! They're just doodles! Why are yo—"
"STOP SAYING THAT!"
Despite how furious Canvas was becoming at Lyle's attitude, he still covered his mouth after that outburst. While several ponies nearby turned around worriedly to the source of the noise, the blushing stallion shuffled himself further from the crowds. After pulling Lyle aside, Canvas took off his glasses before eyeing him down.
"Lyle, I'm only going to say this ONCE. Stop. Saying. That. About. Yourself!"
Lyle's scowl only grew as he looked away from Canvas's stare. While the Gryphon stayed silent, Canvas closed his eyes and sighed, taking a few seconds before speaking in a calmer tone.
"Lyle…" Canvas put his hoof on Lyle's shoulder, looking at him with genuine concern. "Why do you keep saying that? That really doesn't sound like you, dude."
Lyle clenched his beak shut, exhaling deeply as he averted his eyes from Canvas.
"I'm being serious. What is it? Why… Why do you keep saying that about your stuff?"
Lyle lowly hung his head away from Canvas. Sighing under his breath, he slowly reopened his beak and spoke in a low and defeated tone. "Be… Because that's what they all say…"
"Wait, who?" Canvas asked, unsure whether to feel worried or angry. "Who said that?!”
Lyle groaned, brushing Canvas's hoof off his shoulders. "Everyone! Everyone told me that!" He turned away from Canvas as he ranted, "My teachers said that! The Principal said that! Heck, my bucking parents said that to me!"
While Canvas just stared at him, wide-eyed in a mix of shock and fury, Lyle just hung his head and said in a disheartened tone, "That… that's what they all say. They're doodles… Stupid, worthless doodles.”
For a brief moment, Canvas had no idea what he could say. Actually, he felt like getting a ticket, going to the Gryphon Kingdom, and smacking every one of those guys over the head with an oar for what they said to Lyle.
At seeing how upset Lyle looked, Canvas knew what he had to do. Lyle was a really smart kid, and the last thing that he needed was to be thinking something that low about himself.
While Lyle remained turned away from him, Canvas stepped forward. Before he could react, the Gryphon was taken by surprise as he felt the stallion wrap his hooves around him, holding him in a tight hug. Keeping his eyes closed, Canvas hugged Lyle as tightly as he could and spoke with the utmost sincerity in his voice.
"They're not worthless, Lyle. They're really good drawings, and you shouldn’t think that way about them. They're not just doodles… They're really awesome…"
Canvas lessened his grip on Lyle and pulled his head back to look at him. When Lyle finally reopened his eyes, he looked up to see Canvas staring at him with a warm smile on his muzzle.
"And so are you, Lyle."
Lyle was frozen for a moment, not even blinking as he looked at Canvas. Seeing how honest he looked as he said that, Lyle tried to look down as a small smile began to appear on his beak. While he felt like a huge weight was pulling on his insides, he also felt a huge wave of gratitude at actually hearing something like that. After a brief moment of silence, Lyle felt his head moving apart from his body, making a very faint, but notable, nod.
With that, Canvas hugged him once more, taking a couple seconds before he felt Lyle begin to hug him back. As soon as he felt the Gryphon's claws wrap around his back, Canvas squeezed him as tightly as he could.
"There you go," Canvas said in a happier tone as he held Lyle. "You feel better?"
"Ye… yeah…" Although he felt a bit overwhelmed in that moment, Lyle was still able to reply in a faint tone of voice, "Th- thanks, dude."
"No problem," Canvas assured as he started to lessen his grip. "I'm not gonna have my future brother-in-law put himself down like that."
Luckily, the two were apart from the crowds enough that their hug didn’t make much of a scene. However, even if they had been, it was doubtful that Canvas or Lyle would even cared.
After a long moment, the stallion finally let go of Lyle before saying with confidence, "Actually, I'm gonna make a bet."
Canvas opened his art bag and looked inside. While his muzzle was busy rummaging inside his art bag, Lyle quickly looked away and wiped his eyes dry with a claw.
"How about this?" Canvas pulled his head out with a large bag of bits hanging from his mouth. He put the bag on his hoof just as Lyle looked back at him. "I have one hundred bits here. If you can show those artists five of your sketches, and even one of them says you don't have a talent in drawing, then this bag in yours."
Lyle's eyes shot open. "What?!"
"You heard me," Canvas said with a confident smirk. "If any of them say you don't have a talent in drawing, I'll give you a hundred bits, and never bother you about it again."
Lyle's beak hung open slightly, barely able to process what Canvas just said. However, when he looked at the stallion, who had a self-assured look on his slightly bruised face, it was clear that he didn't think he was going to lose.
And Lyle, sighing under his breath at what Canvas was doing for him, merely smiled a little before nodding in agreement. "Alright, fine. You got a deal."
With a satisfied smirk, the stallion put out a hoof so Lyle could lead the way back to the other artists.
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Looking out the window of the train, Canvas was surprised at how close it was already getting to dusk. It wasn't even five in the afternoon yet, but the skies were already beginning to grow to a vibrant hue of yellow. Soon enough, he knew that it would quickly turn to a hot orange, and then to a shade of dark pink before settling to a calming blue. Unsurprisingly enough, Canvas always loved this time of day; much like his artwork, the sunset hours always seemed to carry an amazing range of colors that graced the endless skies above.
Before he could think any more about it and risk sounding like some wannabe poet, Canvas's ears perked up when he heard the door to the train cabin open. Looking over at the doorway, Canvas smiled when he saw Lyle enter with his satchel. The stallion's smile turned to a cocky smirk as his eyes narrowed on him.
"I told you, Lyle."
Lyle groaned and rolled his eyes. Nonetheless, that didn’t seem to deter the small smile he had on his beak. "Yeah, yeah," Lyle mumbled, "whatever, dude."
"Don't 'whatever, dude,’ me!" Canvas grinned as he laid back in his seat, the steam from the train's starting engines beginning to appear from outside the window. "What did I tell you? You really have a great talent in drawing, and I'm not the only one to agree! Did ANY of those artists say you shouldn't keep drawing?"
Lyle, not wanting to show how happy he looked, just slumped down in the seat across from Canvas's and sighed in fatigue. "No… None of them did."
"That's right," Canvas said in a self-satisfied tone, putting his hooves around the back of his head. "And who do you think is a better judge of that sort of thing, huh? Several experienced artists, or a some cranky old teachers?"
Not wanting to add to the stallions’ growing ego, Lyle just chuckled a little and settled in his seat. Although, despite how Canvas was acting, Lyle knew that he was right. When he chose five of his sketches to show to the other artists, every single one of them looked beyond impressed at what he managed to create. He wanted to think that they were just wanting to look good in front of Canvas, but Lyle knew that they really weren’t. Every encouraging word that they said to him was spoken with the utmost sincerity, which just made him feel even better about himself. One of them even referred Lyle to a comic company to send some commissions to, which the Gryphon had written down and secured in his bag.
Thinking it over, Lyle exhaled and smiled as he relaxed in his seat. "You know, I… I honestly didn’t think you'd go out of your way to help me out like that."
Canvas's smile faltered a little, unsure what to think about that statement. Before he could ask what he meant, Lyle looked over at him with an honest smile on his beak.
"But I'm really glad you did that, so… thanks."
Canvas's smile reappeared. "Hey, it's no problem." The stallion bent forward in his seat, slapping Lyle's thigh with a hoof before adding, "Seriously, you need to have more confidence in yourself, man."
After seeing Lyle nod slightly, Canvas rested back in his own seat. Sighing, he looked out the window. "Honestly, I'm just glad I was able to do something like that. I would've killed to have a confidence boost like that back when I was your age…"
Thinking it over, Canvas was finding it hard to keep up his smile at the reminder of his life before Ponyville. Back when he lived in Gallop Creek, hearing anypony say something even remotely positive about his work was unbelievably rare. Even though his lack of response or outside motivation wasn't enough to keep him from painting, Canvas still wished he had more support for his talents back when he was younger. After all the countless days and nights he had spent alone, making pieces barely anypony else saw, he really wished he had had someone tell him the things he said to Lyle earlier today.
Before he could let his thoughts cloud his conscience any longer, Canvas felt the train move forward, leaving the Manehattan station on its way back to Ponyville. Looking out the window to see the station leave their line of vision, Canvas turned to Lyle and asked, "Where did you go, by the way? I was worried you wouldn't make it back before the train left!"
Giggling under his breath, Lyle grinned cheekily as he began to dig into his satchel. "Well, after Glimmer Heart gave us our pictures back, I decided to get a frame to bring back home."
"Really?" Canvas looked over to see what Lyle had. The Gryphon quickly pulled the bag away from his line of sight for a moment, then pulled something out of the bag. Holding a fancy-looking mahogany frame in his claw, Lyle struggled not to laugh when he showed what picture was inside.
"Oh, man!" Seeing the picture of Troy in the Pony Tones sweater, Canvas snickered in delight as he picked up the frame. "Troy's gonna kill you when he sees this!"
"Oh, come on!" Lyle shrugged and laid back with his bag. "I had to do it! Besides, I bet Rarity would get a kick out of seeing that picture!"
Giggling at the thought of Rarity's reaction to this picture, Canvas just shook his head. "Well, if Troy chases you around the backyard with a stick, you're on your own!"
Lyle laughed and nodded. "Fine."
Fortunately, their train route was fast enough to get them home within a few hours. And in that time, the two were mostly too engrossed with Lyle's comic books to realize how much time had passed. In fact, if Lyle hadn't have poked him with a talon when they reached Ponyville Station, Canvas may have not realized they were back since he was so preoccupied with finishing Feather Noir.
After getting their bags and leaving the train, Canvas and Lyle were surprised at how still Ponyville looked under the dark evening skies. Though Canvas already knew how sparse the town could be after dark, it almost seemed like Ponyville was completely empty when he and Lyle walked through the tranquil streets.
As soon as he saw that Sugar Cube Corner had its lights off, obviously empty, Canvas grew a small smirk on his muzzle. If Pinkie Pie wasn't there, then he knew the mare (along with any and everypony she brought with her) would have to be somewhere else tonight. And since it was his birthday, he had a pretty good idea where a possible "surprise party" might be held.
Lyle, noticing his smirk, sighed as he figured out what the stallion was thinking. "Yeah, the surprise party is back at home." While he didn’t like how quickly Canvas was able to catch onto something like that, he figured that an artist like him would be likely to catch little details other ponies wouldn't.
"I kinda figured," Canvas said when he looked over at Lyle. "Pinkie threw an engagement party for Troy and I at our place when we got back from Canterlot. It makes sense she'd do it again." He looked back ahead as he added, "Don’t worry, though. I'll act surprised. I know Troy went out of his way to try to keep this a secret."
"Alright, cool," Lyle said with a relieved smile. "I don’t want him to think I screwed this up."
"You really didn't." Canvas smiled at him. "He's the one who needs to make his lies more convincing!"
Lyle chuckled in agreement. "Yeah, I guess."
Eventually, the two made it to the town limits. Before they could start their way down the road, Lyle stopped just as they reached the last streetlamp. Canvas paused, glancing at Lyle in confusion as they stood underneath the final patch of artificial light.
"Lyle?" Canvas asked, "Is something wrong?"
"No…" Seeing Canvas’s peculiar stare, Lyle turned to his satchel. "Well, since you already figured it out, I might as well give this to you before we get back. So…"
Lyle then gave a small smile to Canvas and pulled a small, rectangular object out of his bag. Wrapped hastily in blue wrapping paper, Lyle handed the gift to the surprised stallion. "Happy Birthday."
"R-really?" Canvas was slightly baffled to receive a gift from him. "I mean… You didn’t have to get me anything, Lyle."
"I know," Lyle said, shrugging, "but I figure that, after everything that happened, it might not be a bad thing to do."
"But still…" Canvas looked down at the gift in his hoof, his smile growing. "I know that Gryphons don’t even celebrate birthdays, so I wasn't expecting this from you."
"Believe me, I usually don't…" Keeping a smile on his beak, Lyle looked away. "But… You really helped me out back at that gallery."
Canvas sighed. "Oh, come on, Lyle. I was just—"
"Seriously," Lyle said, looking back at him, "you really stood up for me, which was an awesome thing to do." Thinking it over, Lyle tried not to laugh. "You also stood up for me and Troy against that Suri bitch, and even took a punch for it!"
Canvas chuckled. He lifted a hoof as he was reminded of that encounter and rubbed the bruise under his eye.
"It's just…" Lyle sighed, rubbing the feathers on the back of his head. "You've been really awesome to me ever since I came here, and it's easy to see how much you care about Troy. I just wanted to… I dunno… Show my appreciation, I guess."
Lyle kept his smile as he motioned to the gift still in Canvas's hoof. "Go ahead, dude! Open it!"
Canvas smiled as he held up Lyle's gift and began to unwrap it. When the blue wrapping was removed, Canvas's eyes widened when he saw what it was.
Seated in a really nice wooden frame with brass corners, the first picture that the three took in Manehattan sat behind the glass surface perfectly.
"When I got the frame for Troy's picture, I saw that one too, and I figured, 'Why not?'"
Canvas, barely registering what Lyle just said, had his widening eyes fixed on the frame in his hoof. While the picture of him and the two Gryphons in Manehattan looked surprisingly nice (especially considering that was the one that thief pony was forced to take of them), he was staring at what was on the bottom of the frame.
Underneath the photo, a small, brass emblem stood out against the wooden frame, the engraved words inside it shining underneath the streetlights as clear as day:
Best Bros
Canvas blinked a couple times, unsure whether or not that was really there. As he kept looking at the words over and over again, they never changed.
The stallion, a shaking smile growing on his muzzle, slowly looked back to Lyle and tried not to tear up. "I… Really?"
A smirk on his beak, Lyle simply nodded. "Yeah. I… I know you and Troy aren’t married yet, but… I really am glad you’re with him."
Canvas tried to make a light chuckle, but it just came out as a couple whispered gasps before he looked back at the frame.
"I mean," Lyle continued, speaking honestly, "I've never seen Troy that happy before he left home, and… It's really nice to see him act that happy about something, you know? And… I just wanted to say thanks."
"I… I'm…" Still seeing the words underneath the photo, Canvas looked back at Lyle as he spoke with a shaky voice. "I'm…
"I'm a… brother?"
Seeing how overwhelmed the stallion looked, Lyle's smile grew a little bigger as he nodded. "Yeah. I mean… you're going to be family anyway, so why not? You're a really cool dude, and…"
Lyle paused, looking down at the ground for a moment. After a couple seconds of silence, Lyle looked back up at Canvas with a smile and spoke with certainty.
"I know it's not really official yet, but… I do consider you a brother, Canvas."
Canvas, feeling his heart thundering like a jackhammer, could feel his legs start to get weak as tears appeared in his eyes. Before Lyle could react, Canvas grew a huge smile and lunged toward him. Wrapping his hooves around the Gryphon, Canvas clenched his eyes shut and hugged him as tightly as he could.
"BRAAAAKK!!" Lyle, feeling very similar to when Troy came out to him, began to feel his eyes bulge out once more. "Ca… Canvas!!!" The Gryphon's voice came out in a strained creak as he tried to keep Canvas from suffocating him. "You're choking me!!!"
"Oh!" Canvas quickly let go of Lyle, using a free hoof to try wiping the tears that were now flowing freely down his cheeks. "I'm sorry, just…" With his voice coming out in an overwrought tone as he tried not to sob, Canvas's smile was unbreakable as he tried to wipe his eyes dry. "It's just, I… I… I never had a brother before."
Hearing that, Lyle's formally worried look regarding Canvas almost strangling him quickly disappeared. A smile formed on his beak as he put a claw on Canvas's shoulder. "Hey, it's okay… It's really alright…"
Canvas put his hoof down before looking back up at Lyle. With his cheeks slightly matted and his eyes still welling up, the stallion was unable to reply before Lyle continued with a smirk and a more cheerful tone of voice.
"Actually, if you play your cards right, you'll probably get three more if the triplets are alright with you."
Canvas kept his lips shut and tried not to giggle. The Gryphon kept his smile as he added, "And to be honest, I really can't see a reason for them not to like you, dude."
After hearing that last statement, Canvas looked up at Lyle. "R-really? You… really think so?"
Lyle only gave a nod to the stallion, which prompted Canvas to pull him in for another hug. Since he made his second hug much less intense than the first, it wasn't long before he felt the Gryphon hug him back.
"Th-thanks, Lyle," Canvas said faintly as he held him and closed his eyes. "I can honestly say… That's one of the best birthday gifts I've ever gotten."
Lyle, who had closed his eyes as well, just kept his claws around Canvas. "Nice… I was hoping that'd get a reaction."
After a moment of silence, Lyle finally pulled back before saying, "Just so you know, we should probably head back. We still have a party to go to."
Canvas quickly nodded, keeping his smile as he held the frame in his hoof. After looking at the picture for a brief moment, the stallion turned to his side and carefully placed it inside his art bag. "Yeah, that's a good idea. I'd hate to show up late and worry Troy."
After making sure his art bag was secure around his shoulder, Canvas wiped his face with a hoof again, which prompted Lyle to look over at him. "You okay?"
Canvas quickly nodded as he looked back at the Gryphon, the fur on his cheeks now much less matted than before. "Yeah," Canvas said as he walked alongside Lyle, "I'm good."
With that, the two began to make their trek from Ponyville to Canvas and Troy's home. Along the way, Canvas and Lyle were able to lighten the mood by chatting about whatever came to mind.
Nevertheless, even with all the discussion the two had about comics or other random things, all that Canvas could think about was what Lyle managed to do for him. After all the years he spent without many friends, or even much of a family in his life, Canvas didn’t expect much from Lyle after only a few days. However, on that night, Lyle managed to give Canvas one of the best gifts he had ever received in his life.
A brother.