//------------------------------//
// Chapter Thirty: Meet the Clawstons 
// Story: Brushed Away 2: By Hoof and Claw 
// by TheVClaw 
//------------------------------//

Bon-Bon groaned tiredly, barely able to keep her eyes open while she finally exited her taffy room. Her wife, who was sitting at the counter of the currently-empty candy shop, noticed Bon-Bon's expression, which worried her. "Is everything alright?" asked Lyra.

The cream-colored mare sighed and nodded her head. "Yeah, it's fine. I finally got the taffy-puller up and running again, and I just finished the first new batches. The problem itself wasn't that big of an issue, but getting that fixed along with everything else was still a pain in the flank."

Lyra made a faint nod in understanding before turning her head away in guilt. Considering how her wife's taffy machine got screwed up in the first place, Lyra knew that she was partially to blame; even though Blane (she still wasn't sure who was who, so it was a guess) was the one who "broke everything" in the room, the mint unicorn was still the one who didn’t stop him from going inside.

Seeing how her wife looked away so sheepishly, Bon-Bon sighed before adopting a more calming smile. "Oh, honey. It's not your fault what happened, I swear."

Making a small huff while hunched in her seat, it was clear the unicorn wasn't buying t. Bon-Bon kept her smile as she walked behind the counter over to Lyra, closing her eyes to give the unicorn a reassuring nuzzle. "Everything is fixed now, and those two left enough money to cover all the damages. We even had a little left over, so there's nothing for you to feel guilty about, okay?"

Despite still feeling shameful about it, a tiny smile managed to creep up the corners of Lyra's lips. After a brief moment to think things over, the mare looked back towards her wife, marveling at the Earth pony's blue eyes which she adored so much. Seeing nothing but love and kindness in Bon-Bon's smile, it was enough to make Lyra give in with a grin. "O---okay, honey… Thanks."

And with that, the two mares shared a tender kiss from behind the counter, savoring the rare moment of serenity they had while their shop was free of any peeping ponies. However, as soon as they heard the bell at the front door chime, the two quickly pulled away to see who entered. Both of the mares' eyes widened when they saw the two Gryphons enter.

The first Gryphon to walk into the store was a female, looking slightly similar to that Gilda figure they met a long time ago during one of Pinkie's parties. Fortunately though, this Gryphon already seemed a lot less grouchy by her calm stride and demeanor. Along with her slender physique, which went along nicely with her slightly off-white feathers and light grey fur, the short-trimmed feathers on her head gave the Gryphoness a more professional-looking appearance. Despite looking a bit older from the barely-noticeable wrinkles around her eyes, she still had a beaming look of youth stemming from her golden eyes when she walked in. 

Behind her, the second Gryphon to enter had an almost opposite look to the first. Much like the triplets that Lyra and Bon-Bon already met, this Gryphon's slightly haggard feathers boasted the same dark-brown color; however, the fur along his feline features was a dark grey that almost looked black, similar to an aging panther that Lyra once saw at a zoo. The Gryphon was also massive, his head nearly touching the ceiling as he walked in with a heightened stature. And on the side of his face, which was frozen in a look between neutral and annoyed, a large scar could be seen running down across his right eye and cheek that ended at the base of his massive beak.

"Why hello, there!" exclaimed Bon-Bon cheerfully with a smile, already having a good idea who these two probably were. "Welcome to Bon-Bon and Lyra's Confectionary. How can I help you?"

Seeing the two mares, the female Gryphon kept a small smile before walking up to them. "Oh, hello there…" Her voice came out in a kind, but still professional-sounding tone, almost like Rarity if she didn't have her Canterlot accent. One of her claws went inside the dark purple purse hanging at her side as she continued. "I was hoping that one of you could help me with something. You see, both if us are a little lost, and we were wanting to find the… Golden Oak Library?"

When she pulled a large package out of her purse and placed it on the counter, Lyra and Bon-Bon peered in to see that it was addressed for the library in town. Of course, both of them first noticed the large logo at the top of the box, boasting the name of Highmount United Quills. Remembering what Troy told them when they asked about his family, that name came up when he mentioned what his parents did for a living.

However, before either of them could ask the obvious question and get it out of the way, the large Gryphon spoke up towards the other. "For crying out loud, I told you already! We're not lost!"

The female Gryphon's smile dropped as she made a scoff and turned back to him. "Yes we are!" she said in an annoyed tone. "And if we bought a map like I suggested, then maybe we wouldn't be."

The other Gryphon groaned in frustration. "I'm not paying five bits for a map! It was a total rip-off, and you know it!"

Bon-Bon quickly put up a hoof to grab their attention, not wanting a fight to escalate in the store before the lunch rush. "Umm, guys? We know where the library is. It’s actually that really big tree in the middle of town."

The white Gryphon's brows rose in surprise. "Oh, THAT place?! We flew past that like, five times!"

"Yeah, we know," added Lyra with a shrug in understanding. "A lot of ponies don't realize it's a library unless they ask or look inside. It's kind of a local landmark."

Pleased that she got her info so quickly, the Gryphon smiled before picking her package back up. "Well, thank you both very much! You've been very helpful."

"No problem at all," said Lyra with a smile. Knowing that it was either now or never, the mint unicorn's smile grew a little before narrowing her eyes on the two. "Although, I have to ask… Are you two the Clawstons, by chance?"

Both of them raised their brows in surprise at the mare's remark. "Why… yes we are..." responded the female Gryphon with an impressed smirk on her beak.

"We thought so," added Bon-Bon with a smile of her own. "We're both good friends of Troy."

"Oh, wonderful!" With an even bigger smile on her face, the Gryphon extended her claw out to both the mares before introducing herself. "I'm Angela Clawston, and the one behind me is my husband, Jonas."

Groaning under his breath, the large Gryphon begrudgingly went over to the counter beside his wife to greet them as well.

"Well, it's great to meet both of you!" Lyra kept a chipper smile as she shook both of their claws. Even though Jonas's grip was a bit too strong for her tastes, the unicorn didn’t keep her smile from skewing in discomfort. "And I must say, I can already see the resemblance quite a bit!" 

"Yeah, we get that a lot," answered Angela with an understanding nod. After taking a glance over at her husband, her expression changed slightly when she realized who the unicorn might be referring to. She looked back to the mares with a more cautious look on her face. "Umm… The triplets haven’t caused too much trouble, have they?"

Lyra winced a bit at that question, but Bon-Bon was quick to shake her head. "No, they're fine. Just a bit overenthusiastic, that's all."

Hearing that, Jonas gave a small shrug and a huff. "That's one way of putting it."

The bell for the front door dinged again, this time opening to reveal Derpy Hooves. Behind the grey Pegasus, a grey and purple unicorn filly rushed in with a smile on her face. "Now Dinky," spoke up Derpy while the filly ran into one of the aisles, "you know what you want to buy with your allowance?"

"Yep!" shouted Dinky before lighting her horn, getting a bag of gummy bears from the top shelf with the help of her magic. While holding the bag in her yellow aura, the filly stopped when she saw the two Gryphons at the counter. "Oh, hello!"

Seeing the filly, Angela looked like her heart melted at the spot. "Awwww!" An enamored smile on her beak, the Gryphoness bent herself down until she was at eye level with Dinky. "Hello there, little one!"

Jonas groaned and rolled his eyes, as if this wasn't the first time this had happened. Ignoring her husband, Angela kept her smile as she spoke to the filly. "What’s your name, little girl?"

The filly answered with a slightly nervous blush on her cheeks, "D… Dinky." Even though she wasn't scared of the Gryphon, the filly was still fidgety enough to warrant Derpy coming up beside her.

"It's alright," said the Pegasus in a reassuring tone towards Angela. "She gets kinda nervous around anyone when it's direct conversation, you know?" She then put out her hoof before adding, "My name's Derpy, by the way."

"Oh, the pleasure to meet you." Angela pulled herself back upright and shook the mare's hoof. "I'm Angela Clawston. Jonas and I decided to come by and see how our son was doing."

Hearing their last name, Dinky's eyes widened in realization. "Are… are you Troy's Mommy and Daddy?"

"Why, yes we are!" said Angela happily when she looked back down at the filly. Giving off an amused chuckle, she shrugged before looking around. "Well, I'm surprised Troy managed to be so popular around here."

"Well," began Lyra in an upbeat tone, "Troy is a member of the weather team around here. From what Rainbow Dash told me, he's one of the best guys on her crew!"

"Uh-huh!" piped up Dinky enthusiastically, "He's a super good singer, too!" She then pointed a hoof up to Derpy and added, "and Mommy told me that he's a really good kisser!"

The two Gryphons quickly turned their heads towards Derpy, completely wide-eyed. Feeling the awkwardness hit her like a bag of bricks, the Pegasus froze momentarily before gaining a nervous smile. "Ummm… heh heh heh…" She used a wing to push her daughter towards the counter while muttering, "Dinky, go pay for your candy."

While Jonas kept a bewildered stare on the cross-eyed mare, obviously looking disturbed at what he just heard, Angela just blinked a few times before trying to stammer out a statement. "Uhhh… Should… should I ask--"

"It was a play!" quickly blurted out Derpy as she held up a hoof to explain. "Troy and I were in a play! It wasn't anything more than that!"

"She's right," added Bon-Bon in a rushed tone while Lyra tended to Dinky at the register. "They were both in the production of Phantom of the Opera a couple months ago, and there was a single kiss scene in the show." The mare had a more relaxed smile on her muzzle as she continued "Honestly, they were both really good in the play! They're both amazing singers!"

Derpy grew an embarrassed smile as she looked away with a light blush on her cheeks. "Oh, please…"

Even though hearing that new info was slightly comforting for the Gryphons, Angela still kept a cautious expression on her face as she asked, "So… you and Troy aren't…"

"Hm?" Dinky overheard Angela's question, and turned her head around to add her input. "What do you mean? Isn't Troy wi--MMMPH!!!" A large lollypop held in a mint-green aura was quickly shoved into Dinky's open muzzle before another word could come out.

"We're just friends," said Derpy insistently, choosing to momentarily ignore the sound of her daughter gagging. "Troy and I aren’t dating or anything."

Both Gryphons gave off sighs of relief. "Oh, okay then," said Angela, a slight tone of calm in her voice.

"Good," blurted out Jonas bluntly as he looked away while by the counter.

Hearing how directly the brown Gryphon's voice sounded when saying that one word, Derpy looked a little offended when she turned her head to him. Before she could say anything in response, Angela was quick to intervene. "I'm so sorry, please don’t mind him. He's…"

Looking back at her husband, Angela thought her words over before turning back with a skew of her head. "Jonas is a tad… traditional about some things."

Derpy's eyes, as well as those of Lyra and Bon-Bon's, all widened a bit in uncertainty. "Oh."

Immediately realizing what could occur, it was hard for the two mares behind the counter to not cringe while Angela and Jonas weren't looking at them. Meanwhile, Dinky was happily sucking on her lollypop, not seeming to care about what was being said anymore.

"It's nothing against you, I swear," said Angela sincerely, putting a claw on Derpy's shoulder for emphasis. She looked back at Jonas for a second before leaning in to whisper in Derpy's ear, "He's kind of a sourpuss sometimes."

"I heard that," growled Jonas disapprovingly, looking at his wife with a small glare.

Angela kept a small smirk on her beak as she replied towards him, "Well, that's what you get for being rude, Mister Loud-Beak."

Derpy couldn't help giggling at that statement which just made Jonas groan and walk towards the door. "Whatever. I'm going out for a smoke."

"You said you were going to cut down while on vacation!"

"It's only ONE cigar! Jeez!"

When the door closed behind Jonas after he left, Angela gave off a disappointed sigh before looking back at Derpy. Not wanting to leave a bad impression, she smiled and put her claw out to Derpy. "It really is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Derpy. And just so you know, any friends of my son are friends of mine as well."

Hearing the honesty in her tone, Derpy was happy enough to let Jonas's statement brush off of her while shaking the Gryphon's claw. "Well, that's nice to know. And it's great to meet you too, Missus Clawston."

After putting her claw back down, Angela readjusted the purse at her side. "Well, I think my husband and I should go visit the library and get our delivery made." She then turned back to the counter with a grateful smile. "And thank you both again for your help."

"No problem," stated Lyra with a smile. She put her hoof out again and added, "And your sons are wonderful, Angela."

"Awww, thank you!" When she leaned in to give the unicorn's hoof a shake, her eyes caught sight of a picture hanging behind the two mares. Seeing the framed photo of Bon-Bon and Lyra at their wedding, the Gryphon's eyes widened as her smile skewed a tiny bit. Her grip on Lyra's hoof lessened significantly before letting go. 

Catching this change, one of Lyra's brows raised in confusion. But before the mare could ask anything, the Gryphon stepped back cautiously. "Well, I don’t want to waste any time, so I gotta go!" Angela kept a nervous smile as she walked back to the door, but her eyes kept darting between Lyra, Bon-Bon, and the picture behind them. She then quickly turned around and left before shouting a rushed "Bye!"

When it was only the three mares and the filly left in the store, all of them were eerily silent as they tried to process what happened. Not catching what may have caused that look of unease on Angela's expression, Lyra and Bon-Bon looked at each other in baffled states. "Ummm…" Bon-Bon was the first to ask, "What was that about?"

The silence was finally broken with a wet "Pop!" when Dinky finally pulled the lollypop out of her muzzle. "Mmm! Is this pineapple flavor? It's really good!"





Determined to get that sight out of her head, Angela made a beeline to the library with her husband in tow. Even though she didn't want to judge any of the ponies in this town, that photograph certainly was an eye-opener. Those two mares were so nice, too! Thought the Gryphon to herself. What's wrong with them? Couldn't they just find some nice stallions to settle down with?

Noticing how confused his wife was looking, Jonas skewed his brow before asking, "What's wrong?"

"Huh? Oh… oh, nothing…" Not wanting to bother her husband with her thoughts, she just waved her worries aside with a flick of her claw. "I was just thinking to myself, you know…"

Even though he wanted to ask more, Jonas just decided to let it pass with a groan. Knowing his wife, if something was getting on her mind, he wouldn't hear the end of it. So, he chose to just keep his beak shut while they walked to the Golden Oak Library. When they finally reached the tree, both of them were unsure how this place could actually be a library. Not knowing whether or not she needed to knock, Angela opened the door cautiously as she peered inside. "Hello? Is anybody he-- AAAHHHH!"

Angela pulled back out and slammed the door shut, leaning her back against it while showing a look of wide-eyed terror. "There's a dragon in there!"

"Huh?" After a bout of silence, a young voice could be heard from inside. "Awesome! I knew I was looking scarier today!"

Another voice from inside added, "What's going on?" After the sound of hoofsteps could be heard, Angela pulled away just in time for the door to open. Both Gryphons gasped when they saw Princess Twilight Sparkle at the doorway, who had a perplexed look on both of them. "Umm… Hello."

"Omigosh!" Angela shot back from the door and the Princess, and stood back beside her equally shocked husband. With the way both of them were staring at the Princess with eyes as wide as dinner plates, it was clear that they were in a shock for words.

Knowing what usually happened when new ponies tried to greet her, Twilight had a good idea what these two Gryphons might try as well. Before either of then could bow their heads down, the Alicorn quickly put up a hoof to keep any preemptive actions from occurring. "Please... PLEASE don’t bow to me! I'm not used to that sort of treatment, okay?"

Even though they were both slightly confused by that kind of request, neither one of the Gryphons wanted to act against her. So, instead of giving a courteous bow, the two just stood awkwardly before Jonas spoke up. "Ummm… Princess Twilight?"

Happy to not have two new arrivals in Ponyville try to grovel to her, Twilight grew a more courteous smile before putting out her hoof. "That's me! It's a pleasure to meet you two. And you are?"

"Oh! Umm.." Not wanting to present himself haphazardly to Royalty, the brown Gryphon heightened his posture to a proper stance before shaking her hoof. "I am Brigadier General Jonas Clawston, formerly of the 133rd Regiment of the Gryphon Kingdom," announced the Gryphon in a professional tone. He then turned to his wife to introduce her as well. "And this is my wife, Angela Clawston." 

Twilight's eyes widened for a second as soon as she caught their last names. Fortunately, her muzzle grew a more relaxed smile before responding with a proper salute towards him, "At ease, General."

After Jonas saluted her back, the Princess kept her smile before asking, "So, if you don't mind me asking, are you two by chance related to a Troius Clawston?"

"Y-y-yes!" Even though Angela knew that Troy met the Princess after reading one of his letters, the fact that Twilight Sparkle knew her son by name was enough to make her sputter with an overwhelmed smile. "He is! I mean, I know that he's talked with you before, but I… I just didn't…"

"It's alright," responded Twilight as she tried to keep her smile calming enough to settle Angela down. "Troy does a lot of weather duties around Ponyville, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he knows most of the ponies around here."

"Well, that's nice to know!" chucking under her breath, Angela tilted her head a bit as she continued. "Honestly, we haven't heard from him in a while, so I'm glad he's okay! I think the last letter he sent was when he met Celestia at that art show!"

Twilight's eyes widened a little. "R-really? So…" After a second or two, Twilight narrowed her eyes before asking, "You haven’t heard from him since then?"

"No," answered Angela with a shake of her head. She started to look worried when she asked, "Why? Is something wrong?"

The Princess put her hooves out before stammering out frantically "Oh! No, no, of course not!" After putting her hooves down, she shrugged a little before adding in a more calmed tone, "I was just… surprised, that's all."

"So…" Jonas tried to speak up to add his input, hoping that the Princess might be able to answer a question he had. "We tried to find Troy's home on the way here, but we weren't able to find the address. Do you know where he might be?"

Twilight grew a slightly surprised look on her face, which she hoped wasn't obvious to the two Gryphons. Even though she knew that Troy wasn't keen on admitting too much about his relationship, the fact that he hasn’t told them his new address was still a tad shocking. Unsure how to answer the General, Twilight thought it over for a second before responding with a shrug, "Well… I know that he's working right now, but he usually comes by Ponyville at the end of his shift."

Realizing how she could help these two, she stepped to the side and motioned to the doorway of the library with a smile. "If you want, you two can come inside and wait until he comes by. I don’t want to leave two guests out in the cold, after all."

"Oh, why… thank you, your Highness!" While the Princess brought out a hoof towards the open doorway of the library, Angela smiled and made a first step before pausing midway. Remembering what she saw inside, she looked back at Twilight worriedly and asked, "Wait, is… is it safe?"

"Hm?" Looking back inside, Twilight noticed the drake dusting the bookshelves before sighing with a chuckle. "Oh, don't worry about Spike, Missus Clawston. He's only a baby dragon. It's perfectly fine."

Even though she still looked a little unsure, the Gryphoness nodded faintly before walking inside the library first. As Angela stepped in, her eyes widened at how much larger the inside looked than the outside. She stayed silent before overhearing her husband who came in behind her:

"Are you serious, Angela?!" As soon as he saw Spike, Jonas had a cynical stare on his wife when he pointed at the dragon. "You were scared of that?!"

"HEY!" Spike dropped his duster as he looked over at the Gryphon with an offended look on his face. "I can breathe fire, you know!"

"Now, now, Spike," interrupted Twilight in a more authoritative tone, "you don't need to get defensive." She then looked back at the other two and asked, "I take it this is the first time you two have visited Equestria?"

Angela was the first to answer. "Well, sort of… I visited Canterlot a long time ago when I was a child, but I barely remember much." She then looked to her husband and added, "But I know it is the first time Jonas has visited these parts, right?"

The brown Gryphon nodded in response. "Pretty much…" Jonas scanned the inside of the tree before looking at Twilight with a perplexed brow. "If you don't mind me asking, your Highness, why exactly are you here?"

"Honey!" Angela gave her husband a firm smack on the chest with her claw. "You don't need to intrude on a Princess's business!"

"It's alright," assured Twilight with a smile. "You aren't the first to ask me that sort of question. And to answer it, I think the easiest way to explain is… well… I live here."

Jonas's head shot back a tad in disbelief. Seeing that the Alicorn wasn't joking, he blinked a couple times before tilting his head slightly. "You're a Princess, and you live in a library?"

"Wait a minute!" Angela, contrary to her husband, had her eyes wide open in shock as she stared at the Princess. She pointed a talon at her before asking in a serious tone. "So, you're the only one who lives here?"

"Well, me and Spike," answered Twilight with a nod, "but yes, I'm the only pony living here at the moment."

Angela took a step back from Twilight, her beak slightly open in a befuddled state. "Ohmigosh… You… you…"

The Gryphon grabbed the purse at her side in an instant, and snatched out the package that was inside. "Are you customer 5041893-417?!" 

"Um, wha--" As soon as she noticed the logo on the package, Twilight's words quickly stopped as well. Her eyes shot wide before looking up at Angela with an astounded look on her face. "Do you work for Highmount United Quills?!"

Seeing how the Princess was acting, Spike stepped back cautiously to avoid one of her nerdy obsessed ravings. "Oh, boy…"

"We run the shipping there!!" Looking like she was going to start jumping up and down in utter glee, Angela turned to her equally shocked husband. "Oh my GOSH!!! One of our customers is a Princess of Equestria!?!"

"You're…" Jonas, who was having a harder time finding the right words, just pointed at the Alicorn while blinking repeatedly. "You're… you're one of our best customers!"

"Do you guys have ANY idea how amazing your quills are?!" With a huge grin plastered on her face, Twilight looked like she just found a first-edition novel at a thrift store on sale. The Alicorn was barely able to stand still as she spoke in an overexcited tone, "I mean, I used to live in Canterlot Castle, and even THEY didn’t have quills that worked as well as yours! I even did a series of tests that proved it!"

Angela gasped in disbelief. "No way!"

"Yes way!" Not able to contain herself, Twilight rushed to the stairway while shouting out, "I know I have the charts somewhere around here! SPIKE! Go get my research notes!"

"Here we go…" Spike begrudgingly sighed before running after her. 

"Oh, I have to see this!" Angela rushed up the stairs as well. If a Princess of Equestria actually researched her products, she was sure as heck not going to let this opportunity pass by.

However, this left Jonas by himself in the middle of the library. The Gryphon blinked a couple times in confusion at what just transpired, slowly realizing that they all just left him here. He let off a huff before speaking loudly, "I'll just stay down here, then! Don’t mind me!"

Of course, his sarcastic comment didn’t get him any reply from upstairs. After groaning out slowly, Jonas looked around the spacious ground floor of the library, hoping to see if there was at least a chair that he could sit in before they came back down. Even though he noticed a couch nearby which looked to be big enough to support his size, the Gryphon wasn't able to lift a paw before hearing the front door open again.

"Hello?" asked Canvas as he walked into the library with his art bag draped at his side. After walking to Ponyville to get his check from Fancy Pants deposited, the stallion decided to drop off a few books that he checked out earlier that week. But when he walked inside, he didn’t see Twilight or Spike, or even Owlilicious.

Instead, Canvas saw the large Gryphon looking back at him, which made his eyes widen in immediate comprehension. "Oh! Ummm… hello."

Honestly, the stallion didn't expect to see this Gryphon so soon after Troy got his letter. However, with how similar he looked to the triplets, Canvas was about ninety-five percent sure that the guy was their Father. Of course, instead of just asking upfront, the artist bit his lip before walking over to the book return slot. He quickly dropped in the two books that were in his bag, Engagement and You: A How-To Guide and Gryphonian for Beginners (which he tried to keep out of sight), and then looked to see the Gryphon walking over to the couch.

For a moment, Canvas considered just leaving the library right then, just so he could try to find Troy and tell him who was here. However, before he could even lift a hoof, Canvas paused himself to think things over. Since this was the first time he's meeting someone who could very well be his future In-Law, the last thing he wanted to do was make a bad impression. If he left now, who knows that this Gryphon will think of him when Troy introduces him properly? If anything, he might just think of Canvas as "that stallion who ran away from him at the library."

So, after giving it some brief thought, Canvas made his decision after a deep breath with closed eyes; since he was already here, he might as well introduce himself to this Gryphon. Besides, he had to know for sure that this was Troy's Father before going to find his fiancé, which prompted him to bite the bullet and walk over to the couch.

"Ummm…" Canvas's voice came out a little more meekly than he would've wanted, but it was still enough to catch the attention of Jonas who was already seated. When the Gryphon turned his head over to him, Canvas felt his heart jolt up into his throat from nervousness. But even with that, Canvas swallowed his anxiety before asking with a cautious smile. "Are… are you Jonas Clawston?"

Jonas's eyes stared back at the stallion, looking him up and down like he was making a calculated scan for any weak spots. After a long moment of deathly silence, the Gryphon's golden eyes narrowed in on Canvas, making the pony struggle not to flinch from worry. 

"Why do you ask?"

The Gryphon's deep tone was enough to make Canvas's mind go blank momentarily. Since he wasn't expecting a question like that, it took a couple seconds of silence before the pony could make a statement come out of his slightly open muzzle. "U-uh, I… Well… Be-because I… I happen to be friends with… Troius?"

Internally, the stallion was cringing hard at how he was sounding out loud. Knowing that he wanted to make a good impression, the last thing that Canvas wanted was to be seen as some blabbering nitwit, especially in front of a decorated General. But fortunately, before Canvas could fidget in his hooves from discomfort, Jonas raised both brows slightly. "Oh…"

Even though the Gryphon kept his eyes glued onto the artist like he was hiding something, he still lessened his intense stare enough to respond appropriately. "Well, yes. I am Jonas Clawston."

"Oh. Ummm… great!" Canvas lifted a hoof, but froze halfway when he realized he had no idea how to greet him. Was he supposed to shake his claw, or give a salute? Is that sort of thing even common? What if he bowed instead?

Of course, since didn’t want to over-think anything and make himself look even more awkward, the stallion went with his first instinct. "It's a pleasure to meet you," stated Canvas as he put his hoof out to Jonas. "My name is Canvas."

Unfortunately, Jonas didn't raise a claw to return the shake. Instead, he just stayed in his seat with a blank expression towards the stallion, one of his brows raised slightly more than the other. Canvas could feel his heart getting weighed down in his chest while he stoof still for a moment, unsure whether or not to just pull his hoof back and forget he tried that. "Uhh… Ummm--"

"Oh my goodness!" shouted a female voice from upstairs, which made both Jonas and Canvas look up to see Angela coming back down. Canvas quickly put his hoof back down when he saw who was at the top of the steps.

"I just can't believe this!" Holding a large chart board in her claw, the Gryphon was staring at the statistics with wide-open eyes as she walked down the stairs cheerfully. "You had this all verified and everything! Even our marketing Gryphons haven't gone this far!"

Twilight, who was following behind with the other charts and notes in her magic, giggled with an embarrassed smile on her face. "Well, I had to run some tests to know which quills worked the best. It was honestly a very eye-opening experience for me."

"Yeah," muttered Spike while walking behind Twilight. The drake had an apathetic look on his face as he spoke up in a sarcastic tone. "Most ponies like to go out and have fun on Friday nights. Meanwhile, the ever-wild Twilight Sparkle prefers to spend her free time testing quills."

"Well, excuse me for wanting to do something productive on the weekend," stated the Princess back to her assistant. When she turned to go down the stairs behind Angela, the Alicorn shrugged with a small smile. "Besides, I personally thought that it was a bit fun to--Oh, hello Canvas!"

Seeing the aqua stallion, Twilight smiled gratefully. "It's nice to see you here! I was just talking with Angela here!" Pointing to the white Gryphon behind her, the Princess turned back to Angela and motioned to the pony. "Angela, this is Canvas, Troy's fi--friend." Twilight flinched a bit when she made that small correction, but kept her smile nonetheless.

"Oh, hello…" Walking past the Alicorn, Angela went down the steps to greet herself, her eyes slowly widening when she saw Canvas for the first time. "It… it's so nice to see you." With the look on her face turning slightly bewildered, the Gryphon shook the stallion's hoof before speaking in a more impressed tone. "I… I think I remember seeing you! You were in that paper with Troy, right?"

Raising his brows in surprise, Canvas nodded with a anxious smile on his face. "Ummm, yes… Tha-that's me! I'm Canvas. It’s really nice to meet you, Missus Clawston."

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine!" insisted the Gryphon with a gracious smile on her beak. "Jonas and I just came here from Canterlot, and we actually got a chance to see that painting you made in the ballroom. Congratulations!"

"Oh! I… th-thank you so much!" Feeling extremely happy that he was able to make a good impression with one of the parents, Canvas's smile grew wider before finishing his enthusiastic shake. When he put his hoof back down, the stallion gave off a nervous chuckle with a small blush on his cheeks. "Honestly, I… I can see where Troy gets his looks from."

Angela paused for a second, but smiled with a cheerful giggle. "Oh, you!" Ignoring the confused stare that Jonas was giving to Canvas, Angela shrugged before replying, "Well, that wouldn’t be the first time I heard that. Of course, most of the comments we get are how the triplets look like their father."

"Yeah, I noticed that," answered Canvas with a chuckle. He looked back at Jonas, but flinched away the instant he saw the Gryphon’s cold stare. Even though he didn’t want to be seen as scared of Jonas, it was hard to not to when the Gryphon had such an imposing figure as that. "Actually, that was why I asked him if he was related to them. The similarity is pretty uncanny."

"Oh, I know!" Angela rolled her eyes with a scoffing smile. "We hear that all the time. It's nice to hear someone notice something else for a change, you know what I mean?"

Even though he could feel his blush growing a shade deeper, Canvas nodded to the mare with a smile. "Y-yeah… I do…" His left hoof instinctively went to brush his mane back a little, even though he hasn’t needed to do that in months.

"Oh, my goodness!" Angela bent her head in, her eyes fixed on the ring on Canvas's hoof. "That's quite a ring you got there!"

Twilight and Spike both looked a bit uneasy when Angela said that. Before either of them could do or say anything to skew the subject somewhere else, Canvas fidgeted a bit as his expression turned more cautious. "Oh, ummm… Yeah, I'm.. recently engaged."

Angela's face beamed in pleasure. "Well, congratulations! I don't think I heard anything about that in Troy's letters."

Canvas's eyes widened a little, but not enough to cause any suspicion from either of the Gryphons. "Well, it… happened a few weeks ago… during the Gala, actually."

"Oh yes! The Gala!" Keeping an impressed smile on her beak, the Gryphon inspected the ring on his hoof for a moment with a keen eye. While Jonas looked over at him with narrowed eyes, Angela just looked happy for Canvas, not seeming to be curious or taken aback by the fact that the stallion was the one wearing an engagement ring. After seeing that it was white gold, Angela looked back up at Canvas with a caring expression. "Well, I'm sure that she's a wonderful lady."

Spike sucked some air through his teeth before going off into the kitchen. Twilight, who was standing at the base of the steps and observing them, cleared her throat to catch their attention. "So, Canvas," asked the Princess curiously, "Do you happen to know when Troy gets off work?"

"Oh! Umm, yeah!" The pony nodded strongly to the Alicorn. His head leaned down for a moment as he rubbed his chin with a hoof in contemplation. "Well, I know that he's usually on the F section today, so… he'd most likely finish around 2:30, so… he would be coming by Ponyville in about a half hour or so."

"Perfect!" Twilight trotted to the kitchen with a smile as she continued to speak. "Spike was about to make some hot chocolate. If you guys want, I can gladly help make some for you all as well."

"Oh, you don’t have to do that!" assured Angela when she looked over at Twilight.

"I insist," said the Princess when she turned back to her. "Besides, Spike makes great hot chocolate, right?"

The drake could be heard sighing from the inside. "Yeah, I guess I do… It wouldn’t be a problem."

"Well, ummm…" even though the Gryphon seemed a bit uneasy about having a Princess do anything for her, as opposed to it being the other way around, Angela made a shrug of her own. "Oh, what the heck? Chocolate sounds good anyway."

Canvas nodded in agreement, but paused when he noticed Jonas staring at him. Ever since hearing the stallion's last statement, the brown Gryphon had a peculiar stare on him before asking, "Why do you know so much about my son's work schedule?"

"Oh, don’t be so paranoid!" said Angela with a brush of her claw towards her husband. "He's Troy's friend! You don’t have to act like that!"

While Jonas groaned and turned his head away, Angela looked back at Canvas with a warmer smile on her beak. "So, Canvas… would you like to talk over hot chocolate? I'm always happy to chat with friends."

On one hoof, Canvas knew that staying would be dangerous, mostly since he certainly knew more than either of Troy's parents would want to know about their son. However, with the prospect of being closer to his future In-Laws lingering in his mind, the stallion kept his grateful smile before nodding to Angela.

"I would love to, Missus Clawston."





"Urgh…"

With the last of the storm clouds put into place around the outside of Ponyville's limits, Troy was panting heavily when he rested himself on a nearby cloud for a breather. Luckily, since he was working alongside Thunderlane and not Rainbow Dash, he didn’t hear any obnoxious comments about getting back to work. Instead, the dark grey Pegasus sat beside him in an equally tired manner.

"Oh, man," grumbled Thunderlane as he leaned back on the cloud while breathing deeply. "I'm gonna be so glad to get all this winter prep finished!"

"I know," sighed Troy in agreement. He loosened the red scarf that he had wrapped around his neck, letting him breathe a little easier. Even though it certainly made him warmer, as of Canvas's request, it still restricted his already strained windpipe a bit. "Hopefully getting this all done will get Rainbow Dash off my back. She's been pissed at me since my brothers messed with her like that."

Thunderlane had to cover his muzzle with a hoof to keep any laughter from coming out too loudly. "Oh yeah! I heard about that…" Even though he didn’t want to say anything upfront about it, the stallion still looked towards Troy with a grin on his face. "What the heck were they thinking?"

Troy shrugged before answering honestly. "Knowing them, they probably weren't thinking at all."

Thunderlane laughed openly at that response, not even trying to hide it this time. "Eh, I guess I can't blame you, man. I mean, I have a brother too."

"Yeah," said the Gryphon with a shrug, having met Thunderlane’s younger brother before. "But you were never the little brother."

"Eh… true." When Thunderlane sighed out heavily, his eyes noticed the sight of a light grey Pegasus flying towards them. Recognizing who it was, Thunderlane smiled before waving out to her. "Hey, Derpy!"

Troy's head perked up at the mention of her name, and he noticed her as well as she flew up to the cloud the two were on. "Hey, guys," said Derpy while panting. However, her head quickly turned to Troy with a peculiar look. "Hey, Troy, what are your parents names?"

Troy shot his head back a little in confusion. "Ummm… huh?"

"Are their names Angela and Jonas?" asked the mare more insistently.

Troy's eyes shot wide-open at that question, and he quickly nodded in surprise. "Y-yeah! How… how did you know that?"

"Because I just met them," responded Derpy, pointing a hoof back to where she came from. "I just saw then at the sweet shop, and they asked where you might be."

"WHAT?!" Troy shot off the cloud in a panic, and hovered in front of the mare with a worried look on his face. "Please, PLEASE tell me you didn't say where I lived!"

"No! No, I didn’t!" added Derpy insistently. "Actually, I think they were heading to the library or something--"

"--Thanks, BYE!" Troy instantly shot off like a rocket, heading straight into Ponyville in a panicked flight. 

Thunderlane, who was watching all this from the side like a bystander, finally spoke up when he looked over at Derpy. "So… you met Troy's parents? What are they like?"

Thinking it over, Derpy gave off a small shrug and replied, "Honestly, I'm not sure. His Mom seemed alright."

Thunderlane raised a brow in suspicion. "Okay… how about his Dad?"

Derpy's face scrunched in a little. "I'd rather not say."





In less than a minute, Troy shot into Ponyville's limits, and landed at the roof of the Golden Oak Library. If his parents really were in Ponyville, the last thing he wanted was for any of the ponies to blurt out things he really didn’t want them to know yet. Luckily, getting in from the roof was fairly easy due to the unlocked hatch door; however, as soon as he made his way inside the tree, Troy's heart sank in dread when he heard his Mother's voice: 

"Of course, neither of us even expected him to start using the potty yet…"

"NO!" Troy ran down from the upstairs of the library in a panic, not wanting his Mom to talk about that stupid story again. But when he reached the stairway, his body froze in petrified fear when he looked down. His parents, along with Twilight Sparkle and Spike, were seated around the middle of the library with hot chocolate, all of whom laughing…

And Canvas was sitting alongside them.

"We didn’t even realize that little Troy scampered off while we were in the hardware store, so neither of us were able to tell him that the toilets were for display purposes only! In fact, we were at the other side of the place when we heard him yell out, 'Mommy, I'm finished! Where's the toilet paper?'"

This caused a huge eruption of laughter from everyone downstairs, which just made Troy wince before crying out. "MOM! Why are you telling them that?!"

"Hm?" The instant Angela turned to see Troy at the top of the stairs, she gasped with a smile before flying up to him. "Oh, Troy!" Not catching how upset he looked, the Gryphoness hugged him tightly. "We were hoping to find you around here! I'm sooooo glad to see you again!"

Even though he was rightfully mad, Troy couldn't keep his angered demeanor from dissipating when he felt his Mom hug him after so long. So, after a brief sigh, he hugged his Mother back tightly, even smiling a little at doing this again. However, as soon as she let go of him, Troy's angry look reappeared when he asked, "Why did you have to tell them that story, Mom?!"

"Wha… Is that how you talk to me?!" Angela gave off a mad expression of her own as she stood in front of her son. "I was just passing the time before we could find you!"

Troy's eyes widened as he replied through gritted teeth. "Do you think that a story like that is appropriate to tell to a Princess?!"

Even though she was still giggling, Twilight spoke up towards him, "If it makes you feel better, I have a similar story involving Spike and the piano bench."

"You better not tell that!!" snapped Spike with an angry look.

Canvas, who was giggling as well, looked up at Troy with a smirk. "Oh, come on, Troy! We were just having a little chat, that's all!"

Seeing his fiancé's cheeky grin, Troy groaned with a dissatisfied look on his face. Even though he would've been happy to see Canvas and his parents talking cheerfully, the only thing that was going through Troy's mind was just how much was spoken before he arrived. "Yeah," grumbled the gryphon angrily, "A little chat…"

"Well, come on," stated Troy's mom insistently as she lead him down the stairs with a wing. "Sit down, sit down! It isn't every day that we get to talk with a Princess!"

Begrudgingly, Troy sighed before heading downstairs behind his Mother. Seeing how his fiancé was smiling at him, no longer in the pert tone he had earlier, Troy gave a slight smile back before sitting beside him. While Angela sat on the couch beside her husband happily, Jonas had a confounded stare on his son. "Troy, what are you wearing?"

"Huh?" Troy stared back at his Dad before looking down at himself. "I'm… I'm wearing my work uniform." He looked back up at Jonas before adding bluntly, "Oh, and nice to see you too, Dad."

"Troy!" snapped his Mother with narrowed eyes on him. "You don't need to be rude."

Taking a second, Troy begrudgingly sighed before nodding. “Okay, yeah…” He looked back at his Dad before putting out his claw, knowing how much his Dad wasn’t of a hugger. “Hey, Dad.”

Jonas sighed as well before returning the shake, a small smile growing on his beak. “It’s good to see you too, son.” But still, his confounded look reappeared when he pointed a talon at him and asked, "What's with the scarf?!" 

"Oh…" Looking down at the red scarf wrapped around him, Troy blushed a tiny bit before looking away from his parents. "Well, I… thought it was getting cold, that's all…"

Troy's Mother noticed the scarf before growing a smile on her beak. "Well, I think it looks really nice."

"I agree," added Canvas with a smile of his own while sitting beside him. "It--" The stallion quickly shut his lips closed when he realized who he was sitting with. Not wanting to give any hint of how close he was with the Clawstons' son, he paused for a second to think of a statement that wouldn't be a full-blown compliment to the Gryphon's looks. "It… it's cold out today, after all."

Jonas scoffed with a roll of his eyes. "Oh, please! You ponies wouldn't last a minute in a blizzard back in the Gryphon Kingdom! I don’t think Troy needs to wear a scarf for this kind of weather!" 

Angela turned to her husband. "Jonas, please!" After closing her eyes to take breath, the Gryphon looked back at her son with a more sympathetic expression. "He's just a little grumpy because of the train ride, that's all."

"Oh, you don't need to explain that!" Remembering that train that brought him here, Troy shuddered in distaste while in his seat. "Believe me, I hated that train, too."

"So Troy," asked Jonas in a more serious tone of voice. "We tried to look for your place before coming here, but we weren't able to find anything! Would you mind explaining that?"

Troy's eyes slowly widened in worry, realizing that he never did give his parents the address to his actual house. While Twilight and Spike sat out of the way, keeping silent for the sake of the Gryphon, Troy kept his eyes away from his Mom and Dad while struggling to explain. "Well, uhhhh… You see… there was kind of a… issue…"

Looking at her son with narrowed eyes, Angela was the first to speak. "Wait a minute…"

Troy grew instantly concerned when he heard her tone of voice, which usually meant something bad was going to be asked. While the Gryphon held his claws together, hoping that she wasn't able to read anything he was trying to hide from them, Troy winced when he heard his Mother's voice again.

 "Troy, did… did the triplets do something to it?"

If a light-bulb was sitting above Troy's head, it would've came on in an instant. Realizing what he could say, Troy had his brows raised when he looked back at his parents. "Ummmm… yes… I… I kinda had an issue with the cloud because of them."

Despite hating that he was sort-of lying to his parents (even though he technically wasn't saying anything false), the Gryphon shrugged before adding, "You see, Blaze sorta… didn't realize the place didn't have a toilet, and…"

"Ugh!" Jonas and Angela both face-clawed with a heavy groan between them. Jonas looked back up first to ask, "He pulled that stunt again?!"

Spike skewed a brow confusedly. "Again?"

"You don’t want to know," assured Angela when she looked towards the Princess and the drake. "Trust us."

"Yeah, "continued Troy towards his Dad, "And… I sorta have to stay at Canvas's for a while, so…"

"Oh, you don't have to do that!" Angela turned to her son with a more insistent look on her face. "I'm sure we can get you into a hotel and get this settled out!"

"You don’t have to do that!" blurted Troy quickly. "Seriously, I'm fine!"

"It’s not a problem for me," added Canvas as he tried to settle this alongside his mate. "It’s only Troy and Lyle staying in my place. The triplets are in a cloud above my house, and the other two aren't taking up any room. I swear." 

While Jonas stared at Canvas in a perplexed manner again, Angela sighed before making a response. "Well, that certainly doesn't mean that everyone has to be situated like that! Besides, the two of us still need to find a place to stay, and we'd rather not intrude on anything."

Canvas wanted to open his muzzle to retort, but honestly couldn't think of anything to say in response. Honestly, despite not wanting Troy to be in a hotel, he knew he couldn't say anything towards his parents without sounding like a weirdo. The stallion already had five Gryphons staying either in or above his house, which already caused a bit of trouble for him so far; if he tried to insist for them to stay, he could easily give himself away as being more than just a friend.

Fortunately, Troy noticed his fiancé's inability to come up with an excuse, and piped up towards his parents, "Honestly, it'd cost a bit much to put all of us in hotel rooms. I'm already comfortable at Canvas's, and the triplets seem fine in their cloud setup. If anything, the only ones who could actually use a hotel room are you two, and maybe Lyle."

Both of Troy's parents widened their eyes in surprise, not thinking that their son would have a solution like that. Even though they still looked skeptical, Angela nodded wile looking at Troy and a slightly astonished Canvas. "You know what? You might have a fair point there."

Jonas, on the other hoof, narrowed his eyes on Troy skeptically. "You're comfortable living on the ground with a pony?"

Canvas turned with Jonas with narrowed eyes, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

If Troy chose to open his beak at that moment, it might expose the heart he felt shoot up into his throat. Luckily, Angela hit Jonas’s chest half-heartedly with a claw to shut him up. "Will you stop being so defensive?! You heard what happened to his old place! Besides, do you remember how Troy was as a teenager? He could sleep on a rock and feel comfortable!"

Troy chuckled and made a shrug with his shoulders. "She's not wrong there, Dad."

Twilight, happy to not see any animosity between any of them yet, lit her horn to collect all their empty mugs. "Well, I should take these to the kitchen to get cleaned. I have a few tasks which I need to finish today anyway."

"Oh, of course!" Angela quickly rushed out of her chair, not wanting to intrude on the time of Royalty. "We were just wanting to find where out kids were, so you've been very helpful. Plus, we need to figure out where to eat tonight."

"Ooh!" Spike, who was halfway towards the kitchen behind Twilight, piped up enthusiastically as he looked back at them. "Isn't there that new place that has shrimp?"

"Shrimp?" Jonas perked up in an instant, looking like a cat who just caught the scent of tuna.

"Don’t get worked up," said Troy in a flat tone. "I've been there before, and their shrimp is pitiful. It was also extremely overpriced when I went there, even with the discount we--I had." Troy quickly shook his head at making that correction, not wanting to hint that he went there with someone else (more specifically, his fiancé on their double date with Lyra and Bon-Bon).

"Oh. Well…" Jonas slumped back down in disappointment. He looked down to the floor before tilting his head slightly. "There goes my hopes of having some actual protein…"

Troy sighed with a disappointed look of his own, knowing just how hard it can be to adjust to a vegetarian diet. Fortunately, Twilight spoke up from the kitchen doorway. "If you guys want, I can reserve a table at Sugar Cube Corner for you guys."

"Oh, Twilight, you don't have to do that," began Troy in a pleading tone. "Seriously, it's not--"

"It's perfectly fine, Troy," stated the Alicorn in a warm tone of her own. "I know that you want to make a good impression to your family. And as a Princess, it's my duty to ensure that nobody feels left out or unwelcome in Equestria."

"Oh, it's not that. It's just…" Looking back to his parents for a moment, Troy thought it over before turning back to Twilight. "I'm not sure how they would react to… Pinkie?"

"To what now?" asked Jonas confusedly. 

"Oh, don't worry," assured the Princess. "Pinkie is already planning to attend a birthday party at the other side of town. It'll just be the Cakes for most of the night."

"Oh. Ummm…" Happy with that piece of info, Troy shrugged before turning back to his parents. "So… what do you guys think? It is a really good bakery."

After making a glance back to her husband, having an unspoken agreement with him, Angela looked over at Twilight with a thankful smile. "That sounds really good, your Highness."

"Great!" exclaimed the mare as she went back into the kitchen. "I'll be sure to talk with the Cakes to reserve a private room, and I'll have Spike let you know the time. Is that alright?"

"No complaints from us," stated Jonas with an impressed smile on his beak.

Giving off a happy sigh, Angela turned back to Troy. "Well, how about we meet up with the others? We still need to get situated and find a place to stay, after all."

"U-uhhh…" Troy stammered a little, unsure of what to say, but cracked a smile on his beak before speaking in a forced happy tone, "Th-that sounds good!" Before he could follow his parents out of the library, the Gryphon looked back at Canvas with a loving stare in his eyes. "I'll… I'll see you later, okay?"

Canvas smiled and gave a caring nod, knowing Troy didn't need to say anything else. "Of course. Have a great time."

Troy nodded back at him, smiling more naturally before turning back around. While the Gryphon followed his parents out from the tree. Angela paused before running back to the chairs. "Ooh! I almost forgot the paperwork!" The Gryphon picked up a booklet of experiment notes the Princess had copied for her, staring at them like they were made of solid gold. She looked back to the kitchen before speaking loudly, "Thank you so much, Princess Twilight!"

Twilight's head popped out from the doorway with a sincere smile of her own on her muzzle. "It’s no problem at all. Thank you for that package! Those quills look fantastic!"

"They're our best brands. And trust me, after all the purchases you've made, it's the least we could do! You've personally paid for Lyle's beak braces!"

"Angela, come on!" shouted Jonas from the doorway of the library. "We didn’t want to interfere with Royalty, remember?"

"Oh! Right…" Angela gave off a quick bow to Twilight, forgetting that the Alicorn was uncomfortable with those before heading off. "Have a great day, Princess!"

"You too!" When Angela headed out of the library, Twilight sighed before shooting back into the kitchen to finish helping Spike clean up.

Canvas, who was now alone in the middle of the library, slumped down with a glum expression. Even though he knew he had no reason to be upset, the stallion couldn't help feeling bad for Troy. Right now, that Gryphon had to hide himself from his family all over again; and remembering how he was the last two times he had to deal with that, Canvas knew that his fiancé was going to have a rough time trying to reconnect with them. 

Spike, who finished cleaning first, walked out of the kitchen to see Canvas looking distraught. "Uhhh… Are you okay?"

"Hm? Oh!" Noticing the baby dragon staring at him, Canvas picked himself back up from his dreary state to nod confidently. "Y-yeah, I am. I'm just…" Canvas looked back at the main door of the library, which was now closed shut. "I'm just hoping Troy will be okay."

"Ugh!" Spike rolled his reptilian eyes before speaking with a stern expression towards the stallion. "Dude, come on! If you're going to be in a committed relationship with someone, you have to trust them! It's the number one key to a successful marriage! If you really love him, then you should trust him to be alright when he's around others."

Canvas looked at Spike wide-eyed, blinking repeatedly in bewilderment at what the drake just said. "I… How… How do you know that?!"

"What?" asked Spike with a shrug. "I read a lot of Rarity's magazines. They're full of advice like that."

Even though he was still rightfully perplexed that he was just given valid relationship advice from a baby dragon, Canvas still nodded before looking away. "I… I might actually take that advice… Thanks."

"No prob," answered the dragon happily before going to pick up his duster.

However, before Canvas could exit the library , the door opened again to reveal Angela. "Oh, Canvas?" asked the Gryphon as she stuck her head in.

"Y-yes?" asked the stallion in a surprised tone.

"I was wondering, do you have any plans tonight? Because I'd love to have you join us for dinner."

Canvas's eyes shot wide open, unsure what he could say. However, his mouth spoke out the words before his mind could process what was going on. "S… sure thing, Missus Clawston. I'd love to."

Spike looked over at him with a surprised expression of his own. Angela smiled and gave a nod to the pony. "Great! I'll see you there!"

Before she could leave again, she paused and looked back for a quick addition. "Oh, and bring your fiancee, too! I'd love to meet her!"

Canvas kept his smile, but his pupils shrunk in dread. Unfortunately, his muzzle still opened with his mind was at a complete blank. "Y… yeah… Will do."

While Spike's mouth went agape, Angela nodded with a quick "Thanks" before finally leaving for good this time. By the time the door closed, Canvas's eyes were wide open, a mortified look in them which was barely offset by the smile frozen on his muzzle. "Oh… no…"

"Why did you say that?!" asked the dragon in bewilderment.

"I… have no idea…"

"Hm?" Twilight walked back into the kitchen at that point, not having heard most of the discussion that happened while she was cleaning all the mugs. "Umm, guys? What happened?"

While Canvas stood in a petrified state, only able to blink as he processed what he just did, Spike turned to answer Twilight's question:

"Well, I think Canvas just dug himself into a big hole."