//------------------------------// // Chapter Thirty-Nine: A Mother's Understanding // Story: Brushed Away 2: By Hoof and Claw // by TheVClaw //------------------------------// Canvas stood in surprise as he looked back at Angela, who was at the doorway of the bakery. While the stallion stayed silent, Angela could barely keep herself upright while breathing heavily from exhaustion. If it wasn’t for her head being hunched low from fatigue, Canvas and the Cakes would’ve been able to see how reddened her eyes were behind her sweat and tear-matted feathers. Despite what happened the previous night, Missus Cake looked concerned as she asked, “Ummm… Angela? Are you--” WHUMP! When she closed the door behind her, Angela’s footing slipped enough to make her fall back against it hard. But due to her tired state, the Gryphoness just laid hunched in a semi-conscious stupor as she struggled to make any statement other than a fatigued wheeze. “I… I’m sorr…” “Carrot!” shouted Cup Cake as she turned to the kitchen serving window, “Get some water, quick!” Carrot Cake was right on it, and rushed back into the kitchen to get a pitcher. As soon as he came back with one, Missus Cake grabbed it before going around the counter to hand it to Angela. The mare also pulled a chair towards the Gryphoness so she could sit upright. “Here you go, Angela. Just sit yourself down, alright?” The Gryphoness was barely able to say anything, but she still made a faint nod to Cup Cake’s caring tone of voice. After slumping in the chair, Angela only had the pitcher for a second before she downed half of the water. She noticed several green leaves floating around inside of it, and her half-lidded eyes blinked a few times as she pulled her beak back. “Don’t worry, it’s just mint,” added Missus Cake as she made sure Angela wouldn’t fall out of the chair. “Just try to catch your breath, alright? I don’t want you to pass out from exhaustion in our shop.” “Th… thankyou…” Angela closed her eyes as she made another half-hearted nod. Cup Cake slowly stepped back to give her some air, and stood beside a worried-looking Canvas as they waited for a response. After downing the rest of the pitcher at an alarmingly quick rate, Angela made several more deep breaths before her voice became less strained. “I… I’m sorry about… last night.” “It’s okay,” said Cup Cake calmly while keeping a hoof up to calm Angela down. However, the mare’s eyes looked outward to the shop windows to make sure a certain other Gryphon wasn’t back as well. “Are… are you alone?” Angela’s head was slumped low before that question was asked, but it was clear that her facial expression had changed without Canvas or Missus Cake even seeing it. The Gryphoness’s ears pulled down slightly, and the brief bout of silence was broken when she finally responded with a shaky creak, “... yes…” A couple loud sniffs from Angela was enough to make Cup Cake walk back towards her. “Honey, honey it’s okay…” She put a hoof on Angela’s shoulder, waiting until the sniffs subsided before asking sheepishly, “So… what happened?” A heavy sigh was all that Angela could do at first, but she was eventually able to speak, albeit in a more distressed tone. “I… I couldn’t do anything… Th-they all left us, and… and Jonas just yelled at them…” Even though the mare was still wary about Angela after what happened the night before, it was hard for her to feel much resentment when she saw how distressed the Gryphoness was now. After all, it was easy for a Mother to tell when another Mother was worried for her children. But instead of saying anything, Cup Cake just rubbed Angela’s shoulder tenderly, hoping to give the Gryphoness the support she needed to keep going. “And,” continued Angela timidly, “... And I don’t want to lose them! When… when he let them go, I… I just hit him and tried to look for them… I… I can’t lose my children…” Hearing Angela’s faint sobs after that last statement, it was difficult for Canvas to not feel a pained twinge in his heart while standing by the counter. While Missus Cake waited for Angela to settle down, she blinked a couple times before asking curiously, “Wait… you hit him?” Despite looking upset, Angela still nodded with her head lowered. “Y-yeah… He… He just said ‘Good riddance’ when they left, and I… I punched him in the face.” Canvas and Cup Cake’s eyes were both widened in surprise of that new info, but Missus Cake was the first to say anything about it. Her head turned back to shout to her husband who was back in the kitchen. “Hey Carrot! Get her a cookie!” “What?!” shouted Mister Cake from the kitchen. “I just don’t know what to do!” Angela’s head sunk into her claws as she struggled not to sob painfully. Canvas, despite not wanting to see anyone look this bad, stood awkwardly as he tried to think of what to do. While Angela continued to breathe rapidly, looking like she was going to break down at any second, Missus Cake looked back at Canvas as she asked, “Canvas, should… should we get Troy over here?” Canvas’s eyes widened, not knowing whether or not that was a good idea. But before he could even think of an answer, Angela threw her claws down. “NO! I…” The Gryphoness’s voice started to sound even more frail. “... I… don’t want him to see me like this…” Missus Cake sighed. “It’s okay, Angela. I’m sure that he doesn’t hate you, alright?” “And how do YOU know that?!” shouted Angela in a sudden outburst that made Cup Cake jolt back . After making a small cringe, Angela groaned in frustration as she ran her talons through her frazzled feathers. “Sorry! Sorry, I… I just… I’m just scared…” Looking at the distressed Gryphoness, Canvas bit his lip in worry when he turned over to Cup Cake’s equally uneasy expression. Despite not knowing if he could actually help, the stallion looked back at Angela as he opened his muzzle. But before he could say a word, the Gryphoness looked up at him to say, “But… I also want to talk to you first.” While Missus Cake stood between the two with a surprised expression. Canvas blinked a couple of times before reluctantly asking, “Wait, why… why me?” “Because I love my son,” said Angela sincerely as he stared back at him firmly. “And… and I don’t want to lose him because of this. I…” Her head slumped down one more time as she made a low sigh. “I just… want to at least try to fix this.” Hearing how heartfelt the Gryphoness’s words were, both Canvas and Cup Cake could tell that she was being genuine about her request. Missus Cake turned over to Canvas and asked, “Do you… want to talk in the back room? Because we just got it cleaned, and I doubt it would be an issue.” Canvas looked back at Angela, who was looking up at him from her seat with a near pleading look in her reddened eyes. As he thought it over, Canvas thought back to how horrible Troy felt as soon as they left this bakery. Even though part of him didn’t think that talking to one of Troy’s parents so soon would be a bright idea, he also didn’t want his fiancè to be any more hurt than he already was; and if that meant giving him the chance to reconnect with at least one of his parents, then maybe this was a risk worth taking. “Well…” Looking between Missus Cake and Angela, Canvas paused for a second to find the right words. “If… if Angela is alright with that, then…” He made one final glance back at Troy’s Mother, seeing her make a small nod before doing the same. “Alright. I think that might be good.” “Okay then,” said Cup Cake with a warm smile. After helping Angela up from her seat, she lead the two across the bakery towards the back room that they were in the previous night. On their way, Carrot Cake’s head popped out of the serving window to ask, “So… should I get that cookie or not?” “Here we go!” exclaimed Bon-Bon cheerfully as she walked out from the back room of the sweet shop, balancing two large baking sheets on her back. While the Clawston brothers all waited by the display shelf with curious eyes, Lyra sighed behind the register. “Finally,” muttered the unicorn mare when she saw her wife come towards them. “She’s been obsessed with this idea for days now.” “Well, I couldn’t help it,” stated Bon-Bon in a chipper tone as she laid the trays on top of the glass counter. Due to the wax paper covering them, none of the Gryphons were able to see what it was that she made. Bon-Bon looked over at Troy and Lyle with a smirk on her muzzle. “When Cup Cake told me about what happened when you two went with Canvas to that cake testing, I had the--” “Cake testing?!” shouted the triplets at the same time. The three turned to Troy and Lyle with angered looks before Blaze spoke up first, “You didn’t think WE wanted cake?!” “This was before you guys showed up,” chimed in Bon-Bon to ensure nothing bad was about to occur. She waited for the triplets to settle down before continuing, “Anyway, when she told me how you guys reacted to a certain frosting…” Both Troy and Lyle’s eyes began to widen. Seeing this, Bon-Bon’s smirk grew as she grabbed the wax paper with a hoof. “So… I decided to try a new taffy flavor.” She then lifted the paper from the sheets, which made both Troy and Lyle beam like they woke up on Hearth’s Warming Morning. The triplets just looked slightly confused as they looked at Bon-Bon’s creation, which merely looked like white taffy. “So…” Blade had his head tilted to the side as he tried to look at it from a different angle, “It’s frosting-flavored taffy?” “Sorta,” answered Bon-Bon with a grin as she took a knife to cut the batch on the first tray. With each segment that was being cut, Troy and Lyle inched closer to the counter, inadvertently pushing their older brothers out of the way. Even though she usually didn’t tolerate that kind of behavior in her shop, Bon-Bon only chuckled before getting a piece ready for each of them. “Okay, boys! Here you go.” As soon as Bon-Bon handed them the sweets, the two snatched their pieces as quickly as possible. With Lyra and the triplets looking at them oddly, Troy and Lyle both gave off brief moans as soon as they caught that creamy sweet taste from the first bite. “Ooohhhhh…” Troy grew a giant smile as he chewed on his piece. “Oh, man… That’s incredible…” “Wow,” whispered Lyra to herself, “Cup Cake wasn’t lying.” While Bon-Bon continued to cut more pieces, Blane was the first to shrug. “Oh, what the heck. It can’t be as weird as that cupcake vodka we tried that one time.” “Oi! I liked that stuff!” said Blade defensively. Nevertheless, Bon-Bon happily handed a piece to the massive Gryphon. “Here you go, Blane.” Trying to ignore how much Lyle and Troy were enjoying their pieces, Blane popped his piece into his beak without a second thought. Of course, after a couple seconds, the Gryphon’s pupils quickly dilated, just like Troy and Lyle’s had when they first tried the frosting at Sugar Cube Corner. “... dude…” While the other two triplets stared at Blane with slightly worried glances, Bon-Bon kept a fascinated smile like a scientist studying a new chemical reaction. But before she could do much else, Blane quickly snatched up two more pieces that were already cut. Fortunately though, he shoved them to his brothers faces before Bon-Bon could protest. “Eat it.” Lyra slowly got out of her seat, and stood beside her wife who had a stare as uneasy as her own. While the final two Gryphons got the same reaction as the others, looking like they just took some hallucinogenic substance, no one seemed to hear the bell chime as the door opened. Ding! “Hello?” asked the pudgy tan mare who walked inside, using a hoof to brush aside a strand of her red and purple mane. “Is anypo--” “GAAAAHHH!!!” Since the first sheet of taffy was already cut, it was enough for the triplets to immediately tear into it like a pack of lions into a downed gazelle. Lyra used her magic to quickly pull her wife out of the line of fire, leaving them to only watch in horror as the triplets tried to grab more of the addictively sweet substance they were unfortunate enough to be introduced to. “Troy!” shouted the mare at the door as soon as she noticed him. While Lyle tried to jump into the pile as well, Troy's head turned around at the mention of his name. “Huh? I… Oh hey, Torch Song.” Torch Song, who Troy knew was a friend of his and Canvas’s wedding planner, quickly beamed before turning around to yell outside. “Rarity! He’s here, he’s here!” Troy honestly felt his paws moving back to the commotion happening behind him (which Bon-Bon wasn’t able to stop if she tried), but paused when he saw Torch Song come back with a relieved-looking Rarity in tow. “Oh, thank goodness!” shouted Rarity with a heavy sigh as ran up to him. “I was needing to talk to you, Troius!” “W-wait, about what?” asked Troy worriedly, honestly not ever having seen the mare look this panicked before. “Troy, we have a small issue,” said Torch song as she stood beside Rarity. “Small?!” cried out Rarity before turning back to her, “This is MUCH bigger than a small issue!” Hoping to calm herself down, the fashionista took a deep breath as she looked back at the silver Gryphon. “Sorry about that, but… We hit a rather large snag for a show I’m organizing for this weekend.” “What show?” asked Troy with his head slightly crooked. “Well, you see,” began Torch Song, “Toe Tapper just came down with a bad case of Laryngitis, and he won’t be able to perform in time for our Pony Tones concert this Saturday.” Troy’s eyes slowly began to widen. “Wait… a what concert?” Seeing his expression, Rarity grew a wide, albeit nervous smile as she spoke. “...Yyyyyyyeaaaahhhh… And… we were wanting to ask you specifically…” If the word “Awkward” were to be looked up in the dictionary, Canvas had a good feeling that the situation he was in could’ve been the example picture. Sitting in his chair, the aqua stallion was seated opposite of the table from Troy’s Mother, who had an equally uncomfortable look on her face while keeping silent. Despite what happened in this very room less than a day ago, the back room of Sugar Cube Corner was just as clean and pristine as before when Carrot Cake brought in a pot of tea and two cups. “Here you go,” said Carrot as he poured cups for both of them, giving the first to Angela to help with her disheveled state. “Is… there anything else you two might need?” Both of them shook their heads, and Canvas accepted his cup while Angela drank from hers. “N-no. I… I think we’re good…” Of course, when he looked back at the Gryphoness, Canvas couldn’t help wondering if his statement really was valid. “Well, just let us know if that changes,” Carrot said with a worried smile before leaving the room. For a long, pregnant bout of silence, nether Canvas or Angela said a word, and just sat in their chairs while wondering who should speak first. While Canvas fidgeted in his seat a little, trying to get slightly more comfortable while holding his cup, he kept his eyes averted from Angela before hearing her speak. “... So…” When Canvas looked back up at her, Angela carried an uneasy expression as she tried to clear the air. “You… you’re engaged to… my son.” Canvas bit his lip, but still nodded to her. “Y… yes…” “And…” Unsure what she could say in addition to that, Angela’s talons fiddled a little after she put her now empty cup on the table. “He… gave you that ring?” Canvas blinked as he looked down at his left hoof, blushing a little before making another small nod. “Y-yeah. He… he proposed to me at the Grand Galloping Gala.” “I see…” Angela breathed out shakily as she looked away from Canvas, looking like she was trying to process her thoughts diligently before making any response. As her breathing became more rapid, Canvas began to feel worried; of course, that changed when a nervous smile grow on her beak, making him realize that she was trying to giggle uncomfortably. “I… I remember when he left,” began Angela in a faint tone of voice, “I… was talking with Jonas when he… said he was worried Troy would run off with a mare. And… I said to him, ‘Oh please, that’s ridiculous’…” Her shaky laughter became more apparent for a second, before stopping to add, “I… suppose I wasn’t wrong, was I?” Angela tried to laugh again, but her face cringed too hard to make any sounds coming out appear anything other than a pained attempt not to cry. Canvas, who was cringing as well, tried to avoid looking at her as he spoke up. “Listen, I… I never would’ve thought that this sort of thing would happen either.” Realizing how she may have looked, Angela gave off a quick and heavy sigh as she redirected her attention to the teapot that was between them. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she said in a quick breath while refilling her cup. “I… don’t know how to feel about this, but… I can’t let them think that I feel the same way as Jonas does.” Canvas finished his cup before breathing out, and made a small shrug of his shoulders. “Well… just the fact that you’re talking to me like this is enough proof that you’re not like him.” Angela made another quick sigh, “I know but…” Still looking uncomfortable, Angela took another sip from her tea while trying to keep her head straight. “I just don’t know how to feel about this sort of thing! I mean… I never would’ve thought that one of my sons would grow up and… and be a…” Canvas’s ears drooped down in worry, hoping that Angela wasn’t going to use the term he thought she would say. Luckily, the Gryphoness froze a little, only able to make a stammer as she tried to say that last word. “A… a hommmm… A homouuhhhh…” Realizing what she was trying to say, Canvas spoke up in an attempt to ease Angela a bit. “Angela, you… you don’t have to say it if it makes you uncomfortable.” Thinking it over Canvas looked down at the table before making a nervous chuckle himself. “Actually, Troy, he… he kinda had an issue himself with asking me when we first met…” Angela paused as she looked back up at the stallion, noticing the small smile that crept up on his lips while speaking. “He… figured it out kinda quick, I guess, but… it took him a bit before actually asking if I was gay. But, he… got used to saying it kinda quick after that, I think…” Angela looked back down at her teacup, letting that answer settle in her mind before closing her eyes. When Canvas noticed that a few seconds of silence passed between them, he picked his head up just in time to see the Gryphoness blurt out, “G-gay…” Canvas’s eyes widened a bit, but only grew when Angela threw her claws down on the table like a tired slap. Opening her eyes, she put her claws back up in a “Might-As-Well” sort of motion as she looked out at nothing in particular and got it out of her system. “My… my son is… gay…” As soon as she realized what she said, Angela groaned before sinking her head in her claws. “Ugh… this… this can’t be happening.” Canvas wasn’t sure how to react. While he was glad that Angela was at least trying, that last remark made him less sure of how the Gryphoness was feeling about her son. Angela quickly pulled her head back up to make a disregarding wave of her claws. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” she quickly blurted with her eyes clenched shut. “I didn’t mean it like that, I just... “ While the stallion stayed silent, Angela bent her head down and rubbed her temples with two talons. “I don’t… know how to process that…” “I-it’s okay,” said Canvas assuredly as he tried to catch her attention. “I don’t want you to be more stressed than you already are. It might be best if we... just talk.” The Gryphoness nodded lightly, and closed her beak to let her thought become less jumbled. After another moment, she looked at Canvas before asking a more serious tone. “How… how did this happen? Like, when did you and Troy… you know…” Canvas had a good idea what Angela was trying to ask him, and he merely nodded before replying, “Well, we… became a couple about three months ago. It was actually right after that art show we were at when Celestia asked me to paint for her.” Angela blinked a couple times, and looked down at the table as she remembered that newspaper article about it that Troy sent her. Realizing how long her son’s relationship really was, she grew a more concerned expression when she peered up at Canvas. “So, you’re telling me that… my son proposed to you after… what, two months?!” Canvas cringed a little, knowing himself how short that amount of time really was. “Well,” began the stallion with a shrug, “more like two and a half months, but yeah…” Before Angela could say anything about it, Canvas put a hoof up as he added, “And just so you know, we were friends for months before that! It wasn’t like, ‘Love at First Sight’ or anything.” “Yeah, but still!” Angela kept a befuddled look on Canvas while shaking her head. “You… you’re planning to get married after like, ten weeks?!” Instead of making a passionate, fully worded rebuttal to Angela’s complaint, Canvas only raised a brow to her. He waited a moment before asking flatly, “Well… Troy mentioned that you and your husband got married one week after you first met, so…” Angela’s eyes widened in surprise, obviously not expecting this pony to know that detail. Of course, her expression melted to a heavy groan as she sunk into one of her claws. “Urrrrghhhh… yeah...” After a very deep exhale, one of Angela’s eyes could be seen peeking between her talons to look towards Canvas. “Circumstances were a little different then, but… I suppose you have a point.” “And despite what you may think,” continued Canvas in an insistent tone while Angela had her eyes on him, “I can’t think of anyone who I’d rather be with besides Troy. He means more to me than anything else in my life, and the last thing I ever want is to see him unhappy! But let me tell you, it was hard to do that when he was constantly worried about how his parents were going to react, and I honestly don’t think judging his decisions now is going to help with that.” Angela’s claw slowly came down from her face, showing a wide-eyed stare back at the firm stallion. While she still had a lot of questions to ask, hearing Canvas’s statement made her stop to contemplate what to actually say next. She was still uncomfortable with everything about this, no doubt about it, but she could still tell that Canvas wasn’t being dishonest by any means. He really did care about her son, and technically speaking, the pony had a fair point. Of course, Canvas took a breath to calm himself down. “Sorry,” he said apologetically, “I just… I just don’t want to see him get hurt any more than he did last night. And… I want to at least try to have him get on good terms with his parents again.” Angela only nodded, her expression softening in understanding. “I really want that too. I…” Her golden eyes blinked a couple times as she tried to keep them from welling. “I don’t want to lose my kids… I don’t… But it’s hard to just…” Angela winced as she looked away from Canvas. realizing how she was sounding after trying to say that last part out loud. “Ugh! What am I doing?! It shouldn’t be this hard!” While Canvas waited patiently, not wanting to stir up anything before Angela can get the chance to settle down, the Gryphoness sighed as she slumped back in her seat. Her eyes looked up at Canvas from her form like a guilty child placed in front of the Principal. “Of course, I’d hate to think what you think of me,” muttered Angela guiltily. “It’s bad enough that my children left. I doubt that you have a better impression of me.” Canvas shook his head while taking a breath. “That’s not true. I’m trying to help out, aren’t I?” “Oh really?” snapped back Angela in a surprisingly quick manner. Even though she tried to look angry, the Gryphoness’s eyes just ended up looking more saddened as she added, “I left my son to try to talk to the Gryphon-equivalent of a brick wall, and I lost all my sons because of it! You can’t act like you don’t have a little animosity against me!” Unable to keep up an angry-looking facade any longer, Angela just turned her head away from Canvas’s sight while making a light sniff. “I mean… You ponies usually talk about friendship and togetherness, right? And… I seriously doubt your parents mind all of this…” That statement was enough to make Canvas’s ears drop in an instant. It took a while for Angela to notice since she looked down at the table, but her expression turned more quizzical when she finally saw how the stallion looked. “Ummm… Canvas?” Canvas’s morose look was only made more apparent when he looked downward and to the side, letting what Angela said sink in. “Acutally, I… I didn’t…” Angela’s brows raised in slight surprise, but she wasn’t able to ask Canvas what he meant before he continued. “My… Mom died when I was a colt… I never had a chance to tell her…” The Gryphoness shrank in her seat a little, feeling worse for having said what she did. “I’m sorry,” she said in a faint, but still sincere tone, “I didn’t know.” Instead of nodding, or saying anything to reassure Angela, Canvas took a deep breath through his nostrils as he added, “And… my Dad didn’t take it well…” Angela blinked in confusion, not knowing how badly that statement could mean in relation to ponies. The stallion’s head slowly looked back up at her, carrying a saddened state than before. Despite the fact that he didn’t want to talk about it so soon after Lyle, Canvas took a moment before meekly asking, “Do… do you remember back at the library… when I talked about how Troy found me?” Angela softly nodded, still looking confused as she tried to remember. “Y-yeah. You… you said that you were hurt, and…” After a couple of blinks, Angela’s eyes began to widen as she recalled how that discussion went. The Gryphoness was bright enough to connect the dots as soon as she remembered how Canvas looked when Jonas asked what happened, which was followed by Princess Twilight changing the subject surprisingly quick. Putting it all together, Angela was able to gather the gist of what occurred in an instant. One of her claws went up over her beak as she looked over at him. “Oh my gosh… Canvas, I…” The stallion only nodded, knowing that Angela was smart enough to know the truth without saying anything. “Y-yeah,” said Canvas weakly. “I… know what Troy is going through right now… and… I want to help him like he helped me…” The claw slowly went away from Angela’s beak, revealing her stunned look on the pony. Looking away from him, she shook her head slightly as she tried to discertain how to feel. “But… but I…” The Gryophoness winced as her claws gripped the table hard. Her beak clenched shut for a long moment, looking like she was trying to control whichever emotions would try to burst out first. Unfortunately, that didn’t control what came out of her beak. “But I… I don’t want him to be like that!!” Canvas eyed shot wide open, looking like Angela just slapped him across the face. She quickly cringed as she dug her talons into the feathers on her head. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it like that, I just…” With her elbows pressing against the table, Angela’s head pressed hard against her forelegs while continuing to ramble helplessly. “I… I don’t want Troy to be hurt! I don’t want him to be judged! Or treated differently because of this! I… I just want him to have a happy life!” Canvas’s hooves hit the table hard “AND YOU THINK I CAN’T DO THAT FOR HIM?!” Angela jolted out of her seat for a split second, not expecting the pony to lash out the way he did. Of course, neither did Canvas, who immediately pulled back and carried a guilty look similar to Angela. “I’m sorry, I… I…” He took a deep breath while his eyes were closed, hoping to alleviate his nerves a bit before looking back at Angela. “I… get what you’re trying to say, but you’re wrong. Troy IS happy! He… he said himself that he’s never had a friend like me… even back in the Gryphon Kingdom…” Angela winced as she looked down at herself, realizing how she must have sounded to the pony. She could tell that he cared for him, so that last comment must have been especially insulting coming from her. “I… I didn’t mean to--” “No, no… Let me finish…” Canvas rested his head into his hooves for a moment, gathering his thoughts enough to figure out what to say next. Recalling what else Angela said in her rant, the stallion exhaled slowly before pulling his head back up to continue. “I… I know it can be hard… I learned that myself in the worst possible way…” His eyes closed as he kept speaking, mostly to keep himself from tearing up in front of the Gryphoness who very well could be his future Mother-In-Law. “But… even with all the names I was called… All the heartache I had to go through… All the hits I took and times I was pushed down… There… there was only one thing I could think of that actually made my life seem impossible…” His lips trembled a little, but ke took a shaky breath before reopening his eyes. Canvas looked up at Angela, her expression carrying a concerned look of interest as she listened to him. Feeling glad that she was keeping her attention on him, Canvas looked down at his hooves as he finished. “Honestly, the… the worst thing I had to deal with was… the fact that I didn’t have family to support me…” His voice choked up at those last few words, but he was able to keep himself from crying with a little self restraint. Instead, he kept himself still while the silence grew between him and Angela, not looking up at her. Of course, if he did look up, he would’ve seen the Gryphoness’s eyes start to well up. Her beak trembled a bit, unable to make a creak before the first stray tear went down her cheek. A loud “Whump” made Canvas jump in his seat. When he looked up, his eyes widened when he saw Angela leaning into the table with her face in her claws, weeping loudly. While the Gryphoness cried strongly, looking worse than when she first arrived to Sugar Cube Corner, Canvas sat with a surprised look. “A… Angela?” “It’s my fault!” cried Angela in a pained weep as she cried louder. “It’s all my fault! I hurt Troy! I hurt him, and now my sons hate me!I… I don’t want to lose him! I don’t want them to leave me like this!!” “Angela, please!” said Canvas frantically as he tried to console the Gryphoness while looking over at the room’s doorway. They may have been in a private place, but he knew that it wasn’t soundproof. “They don’t hate you, alright?” Angela sniffed loudly before pulling her head up from her claws. “Really?” “Really!” said the stallion assuredly when he looked back at her. “Seriously, they haven’t even mentioned you since last night!” Canvas realized that his comment may have not came out the way he intended, but not before Angela started to cry again. “That doesn’t help!” “I’m sorry! I just…” Canvas flustered a bit while looking between the sobbing Gryphoness and the doorway, hoping that neither of the Cakes would try to barge in yet. “I meant that they haven’t said anything bad about you. Seriously, all their anger is towards Jonas. And I really doubt they see you in the same light as him.” Despite still looking horrible, that last remark from the pony was enough to make Angela stop crying for a brief moment. She sniffed while wiping the tears from her feathers, trying her best to keep her face away from Canvas. While she wanted to believe him, memories of last night didn’t make her feel particularly better about what he said. “But… but I didn’t exactly help, did I? I… I just stood there like an idiot!” A couple small sobs escaped her after that. Keeping silent himself, Canvas let that remark settle in as he looked away as well. While he could see why Angela would feel guilty about that (and to be fair, it wouldn’t be necessarily unjustified), his lips pursed shut as he recalled something Twilight Sparkle told him about. Even though he wasn’t sure if it counted, his muzzle opened slightly as he muttered out, “B… bystander effect…” Angela looked over at him in confusion. “H-huh?” “The… the bystander effect,” repeated Canvas in a clearer tone. “It… it’s when a large group witness a bad event happen, and… nobody does anything. B-because… everyone thinks that someone else will do it instead…” Even though he hated that term more than anything, Canvas knew that it was one of those sad truths that he couldn’t necessarily avoid. In fact, when the triplets came back to Troy the previous night, all of them (as well as Lyle) mentioned that they felt horrible for not doing much when Jonas and Canvas were in that scuffle; of course, Canvas forgave them immediately, since even he was worried about what that General was going to do. And right now, those same thoughts were flooding through his mind after hearing what Angela said. “I… I’ve seen it happen before,” admitted Canvas in a softer tone as he kept his eyes away from Angela’s, “and… I don’t blame you for that. I doubt any of your sons blame you either.” Angela made a small hic in her throat as she tried to settle down her crying fit. Hearing how sincere the pony sounded, it was clear that he wasn’t just saying that to make her feel better. He really meant it. “I’m… I’m really sorry,” said Angela softly as her posture slumped a little in her seat. “For everything. I… I really didn’t mean for any of this to happen.” “It’s okay,” answered Canvas when he looked back up at her. He made a shrug of his shoulders before saying, “to be honest, neither did I. I… kinda pushed your husband a bit last night.” “Don’t apologize for that.” Remembering all the brutal details from the previous evening, Angela’s tone sored quickly as she leaned back in her seat with a scowl. “Of all the things I’ve head to deal with because of him, that… that wasn’t like him at all. He just… he didn’t feel like the Gryphon I married…” Angela quickly clenched her beak shut before bending her head down to look at her chest. Not wanting to say too much, the Gyrphoness made a shuddered sigh and shook her head. “I don’t know how to feel about you and my son,” said Angela bluntly. “I’m sorry, but I really don’t feel… comfortable with that idea right now.” Despite not liking that answer, Canvas shrugged lightly in understanding. “That’s okay. I understand.” “But still,” continued Angela while she kept her head pointed away from the stallion, “I don’t want this to be the reason I lose most of my family! If… if they’re all able to accept it, then I shouldn’t be forced to stay alone just because I’m too thick to accept it myself. I… I just…” Angela wasn’t sure what else she could say, which lead to another awkward bout of silence to linger between them. Fortunately, Canvas was able to take the reins and speak more surely. “Well, I… do want to help smooth things out between you and them. And… us…” Canvas bit his lip a little at that last part, which didn’t help too much when Angela stared back at him. Fortunately, he was able to gulp before adding, “B-because… I can tell that you really do care about Troy. And… I think that’s the one thing that we have in common, right?” The stallion made a small smile in an attempt to look less nervous about his claim. Luckily, Angela didn’t seem too upset, and even grew a smile of her own before breaking the silence. “You… you really do love him, don’t you?” Canvas blinked a couple times, realizing what she said, and nodded firmly to the Gryphoness. “Yes. More than anything, Missus Clawston.” His head slowly looked down to his hooves as he rubbed them together, slowly gathering up the strength to keep going while Troy’s Mother listened to him. “He… he saved my life, and he never acted like it was a big deal. He… he was the first real friend that I ever made… and the best friend I could’ve ever asked for…” Even though he was smiling, Canvas’s eyes glistened a bit while speaking about Troy in the way that he was. “He… he’s the single-greatest thing to happen in my life, and… I want him to be happy… and I want him to have the chance to have a family who loves him, because… I never did…” That last part made the pony put a hoof over his muzzle to muffle any creaks his throat may have made after his voice broke. While Angela sat with a patient look of understanding, not needing to say a word, Canvas collected his breath as he made one last glance up at her. “I’m not going to ask for your blessing or your permission, because nothing is more important to me than being by his side. But I don’t want this to cause a barrier between us. We both love Troy, so I want to try to make sure we’ll be fine.” Angela nodded in agreement, but it looked like she was still more than a little apprehensive about this kind of agreement with the stallion. Even without the fact that she still had Jonas to deal with, the Gryphoness’s beak clenched shut as she tried not to think of anything too negative in regards of her son being with someone like Canvas. “I… I do want to help him too,” said Angela weakly, “but this is all still a lot to process. I mean… it was hard enough to accept him moving to Equestria in the first place,” admitted Troy’s Mother in a feeble chuckle. “Well, it’s not like he dislikes it here. He has friends other than me, and Rainbow Dash told me that he’s one of the best guys on her weather crew.” Remembering something else, he could mention, Canvas couldn’t help giggling when he added, “Plus, I… didn’t mind cooking him a steak on his birthday. And that back when we were just friends! Like, way before he admitted he loved me.” When Canvas looked back at her, his smile lessened when he saw how wide Angela’s eyes were. “Wait, he…” Her head cocked to the side as she asked in a bewildered tone, “He… said it to you first?” Canvas was surprised that of all the things he said, that was what Angela caught the most. But still, he nodded with a surprised shrug of his own. “Well, yeah… After that gallery, actually. It’s kind of a long story, but I’m just saying that I cared for him even before feelings came between us. I mean, not many ponies would admit to cooking meat!” Angela’s surprised look lessened a little as she made a light laugh of her own. “Yeah, I suppose…” Thinking it over, her confused expression returned as she raised a brow at him. “Wait, where exactly did you get meat from?” “Ummm… it was from a dealer in Baltimare.” he answered as he nervously looked over at the doorway, hoping that nopony was eavesdropping on them. “He did some catering for a party I attended, and… it seemed like a good idea at the time. In fact…” Canvas turned around to grab his art bag he had on the floor next to his seat, and rummaged through it to get something he almost forgot about. “He included a cookbook for free, which really helped me with preparing Troy’s meal. And in it, he had a price listing for the meats if I ever came back. I considered it, but Troy agreed that the travel and prices overall would’ve been a bit much…” He came back up with a yellowed scrap of paper, which he handed over to Angela to look over. As soon as she picked up the piece of parchment and unfolded it, looking at the prices listed inside, her eyes shot wide open like she just picked up one of Lyle’s more graphic comic books. “WHAT THE!?” Angela quickly silenced herself as she looked over at the doorway as well, hoping her outburst wasn’t too apparent. After a few seconds, she looked back at the paper with an appalled expression. “You can NOT tell me that you actually spent… this much on a pound of bacon!” Canvas winced a bit, not needing to say anything to agree with her. But still, he sucked some air through his teeth before replying, “Well, he says it’s imported from the Gryphon Kingdom, and I know that shipping is kinda tricky in regards to perishables.” “Oh, please!” Angela rolled her eyes as she gave that list back to him. “I happen to work in shipping, remember?! There’s no way that it would be…” Angela slowly paused, her beak still slightly open as she blinked a few times in thought. Her head looked away for a long moment, staying silent while Canvas grew more uneasy. “Uhhh…” After putting the paper back in his bag, Canvas carried a nervous look over at Troy’s Mom. “Missus Clawston?” Angela quickly got out of her seat and left the room, startling the stallion over the fact that she just exited without a word. Before he could even try to say anything, she came back into the room with several items: a pencil, some paper, and a large jar of marbles that were used as a decoration for the shop. Not saying anything, the Gryphoness grew a new kind of focus as she grabbed a clawful of marbles and placed them on the table, arranging them in several rows of lines before writing some numbers on her paper. She began to mumble a little while moving individual marbles back and forth, making Canvas realize that she was using it like an abacus. “...Ten pounds… carry the seven…” While Canvas sat in fascination, only the sounds of Angela’s mumbles, the scrawlings of her pen, and the clacking of marbles emanated between them for several minutes. After nearly filling the sheet with various equations and figures, Angela picked it up and scanned the numbers carefully, nodding with a grin of apparent satisfaction. “Okay… this can work…” After putting the paper back down, she looked back at Canvas with a more determined stare as she asked firmly, “Canvas, do I have your word that you’ll be a good provider for my son?” Canvas was surprised by her sudden change in tone, but quickly nodded to Angela’s question. “Y-yes, Angela. I swear.” Angela then sat with her elbows firmly on the table and brought her claws together as she stared at Canvas like a job interview. “What’s his favorite food?” “W-what?” asked Canvas in confusion. “You love him, right? Then prove it, I want to know if you know him as well as I do.” “... Oh…” Quickly getting what she was wanting from him, Canvas sat upright in his chair before carrying a professional tone similar to Troy’s Mother. “Well, I know one of his favorites is something called a chicken-fried steak, which I do want to make for him sometime soon. He also likes ribs, bacon, and basically anything that’s deep fried.” Angela shrugged a bit. “There’s also Gryphon Scones, but I’ll let that pass. How about his favorite ice cream?” “Mint chocolate chip,” answered Canvas confidently. “Favorite movie?” “Space Massacre 2. I have no idea why he prefers it over the first, though.” “It’s okay, neither do I. Favorite book?” “Do Graphic Novels count?” “Ahhh…” Angela pointed a talon at him with a smirk. “Good catch there.” Canvas chuckled a little. “Thanks. Well, in that case, his favorite comic is The Pulverizer series. His favorite book is Tales of Thunder.” “Right and right. Now…” Angela bent in closer to Canvas, growing a more serious expression as she asked her final question. “What is his favorite song?” Canvas’s eyes widened a bit, but not enough to make him pause for more than a second. “Well… he says that his favorite is Vesti La Giubba from Pagliacci, but…” His eyes averted from Angela for a moment, feeling uneasy about the answer he wanted to give to her. “I’m… pretty sure that his favorite song is really Ave Maria…” When Canvas finally looked back at her, Angela kept her determined stare on him. “Why?” Canvas bit his lip in nervousness, but took a breath before admitting meekly, “Be… because it was… his Grandmother’s favorite song… I mean, your Mom’s favorite...” He wasn’t sure whether or not that was the answer he should’ve said, but he knew that it was only answer he could’ve given to that question. After a long moment of silence, Angela’s stoic expression changed. A smile appeared at the corners of her beak as she gave a small nod to the stallion. “That’s right.” She then pulled back, and grabbed her paper to recheck her figures. “Now Canvas, I have one more question to ask you, and this is more of an option than anything else.” She looked up at Canvas with a more curious expression. “Where do you get your art supplies from?” “Oh, um... well…” Canvas looked up at the ceiling as he tried to recall. “I… get some of my stuff from Davenport’s stop down the street, but… I also buy my canvas boards in bulk from a specialty store in Whinnyapolis.” “Okay…” After putting down her paper and crossing her claws, Angela kept a professional tone of voice while addressing the stallion. “Well Canvas, while my specialty is quills, my company does ship a lot more than that, including several other art and office supplies. So…” The Gryphoness grew a more sly smirk on her beak. “If you’re willing, Mister Canvas, I’d like to make a proposition with you…” “Rarity, come on!” whined Troy as he looked between the two mares and back at his brothers, who were still raving at the last of the taffy. “Oh, please!” pleaded Rarity in a pore sympathetic tone of voice, looking like she was about to make her trademark pout to sweeten the deal. “It would only be for one night, Troy! One night! And you would only have to help with like, five songs total.” Troy made another whiny groan as his paws grinded at the floor, making him look like a pouty grade-schooler who had to be given a chore. He looked back at Rarity and Torch Song with a wince as he said in a pleading tone, “But I don’t wanna be a Pony Tone!” “Nopony is asking you to be a Pony Tone,” assured Torch Song as she tried to ease his complaints. “This is only a one-time thing, and it’s for a charity event. We’re already booked, but we can’t do it if we don’t have a proper singer to take Toe Tapper’s place.” “And besides,” intervened Rarity with a furrowed brow, “You already have a sweater made, so it would save me a lot of time and focus on practicing for the show.” Lyra, who was listening in on them while hiding behind the counter from the other Gryphons, looked over at Troy quizzically. “Wait a minute. Troy, do you really have a Pony Tones sweater?” Lyle, who was gnawing at an especially large piece of taffy he swiped from Blaze at the last minute, used a free claw to go into his new bag to pull out a frame and toss it to her. “Yep,” he said before taking another bite. “Ah took thom phototh of it back in Manehattan.” “HEY!” shouted Troy in a fury when he looked back at Lyle, “Did you get MORE of those photos framed?!” Unfortunately, Troy’s statement was quickly overturned by the sounds of both Lyra and Bon-Bon laughing loudly as soon as they saw the picture of Troy in his Pony Tones sweater. While Rarity gave a disappointed huff at their reaction, Bon-Bon handed the frame over to the Triplets. “Guy, have you seen this?” “BON-BON, NOOOOO!!!” Despite Troy’s panicked cry, it wasn’t quick enough before Blane took the frame and examined what he held. As soon as he saw the picture of Troy’s outfit from Manehattan, his eyes widened with a chortle before showing it to the other two. “Holy crap! Check it out!” Troy nearly fell to the floor as he covered his face with his claws, only being able to hear his three brothers start to crack up maniacally at the Gryphon’s sweater-vest and bow-tie. Fed up with their reaction to the vest (something that he desperately tried to hide from them since they arrived for this very reason), Troy completely forgot about the taffy and stormed out of the shop. “Troy, wait!” shouted Rarity and she and Torch Song ran out after him. “Please!” said the unicorn mare in a near begging tone as she tried to stop Troy. "This is a charity for the retirement home! Do you really want to let down the elderly, Troy?” When Troy looked back at the two, Rarity immediately grew the largest, wide-eyed puppy dog put that could possibly muster. Torch Song saw what her singing partner was doing, and shrugged before copying her expression and looking up at Troy as well. Troy huffed with a smirk. “Nice try, but that only works with-- CANVAS?!” His eyes immediately caught sight of his fiancè past the two mares, and widened as soon as he saw who was coming out of Sugar Cube Corner alongside him. Troy’s Mother, who now had a content smile on her face, waved to the Cakes inside the shop happily before closing the door behind them. And as soon as she turned back to Canvas, she shook his hoof in a professional manner like a deal was just finalized. “Well,” said the Gryphoness cheerfully, “I’m glad that we were able to settle something out.” “Likewise,” said the stallion in an equally pleased tone. Of course, as soon as he noticed his shocked finacè, Canvas let go of Angela’s claw. “Oh! Uhh… there you are, Troy!” Before he could just stand awkwardly and grow a dorky smile, Canvas broke from his nervousness enough to run over to Troy. “Troy, I need you to listen to me.” “W-w-what’s going on?” asked Troy worriedly as he took a couple steps back, his eyes glued on his equally panicked Mother. “Troy, please,” said Canvas more firmly as he went past Rarity and Torch Song towards the Gryphon. He lifted himself up on his hind legs before putting his hooves on Troy’s shoulders, making sure they were face-to-face so Troy could only pay attention to him. “Listen, I… I was able to talk with your Mom in private, okay?” “What?” asked Troy in a more nervous tone as he looked around in a tense manner. “Wh… why did you--” “Please!” said Canvas in a sterner tone, not softening his stare on the Gryphon before his golden eyes were back on him. “I need you to listen, alright? Angela came back on her own to look for you and the others. Your Dad isn’t with her right now, and she’s just as angry with him as you are. Just…” Canvas’s tone softened a bit as he looked back at Angela, who was still standing by the bakery worriedly. He took a quick breath before turning back to Troy. “Just listen to her, okay? She wasn’t the one who hurt you, and she isn’t going to now. So… please…” Canvas pulled himself off of Troy, making sure that the Gryphon would stay still before turning to motion for Angela to come up to them. Slowly, the Gryphoness walked across the street to where Troy was, looking like was anticipating a nasty fight to occur as soon as she got up close to him. Luckily, Troy only stood frozen at the spot, unable to make a single movement or sound while looking at her wide-eyed. After a long moment, Troy’s beak finally opened a little. “M-Mom… W… what ar--” Angela couldn’t wait, and immediately wrapped her claws around her son to pull him in for a strong hug. “Troy, I’m sorry!” cried out Angela painfully as she nearly broke his back. “I’m sorry that I left the way I did! I wasn’t thinking right, and I don’t want you to hate me!” “Aaaack!!” Troy could barely even wheeze due to his Mother’s grip, and his words came out in a strained creak when he tried to reply, “M-Mom! I… I’m not--” “Oh, sorry!” said Angela as she quickly pulled back after hearing Troy’s strangled voice. “I just… I couldn’t help myself…” Both she and Troy were breathing heavily, due to a mix of strained lungs and frayed tensions. Fortunately, Angela didn’t seem too against Canvas standing beside her son, despite her skewed beak giving a different impression. “Troy, I…” She looked back up at Troy’s face as she tried to direct her focus on him solely. “I know I didn’t react well last night, and… I still don’t know what to think…” Angela paused for a moment in guilt, hating that she had to include that bit of honesty to her son. Nevertheless, she regained her composure enough to add in a more awkward tone, “But… I can tell that you really care about your… partner. And… while it might take me a while, I… don’t want you to think that I won’t accept this.” Troy’s brows raised in surprise, not expecting his Mom to make a comment like that at all. Growing a smile on her beak, Angela put a claw on Troy’s shoulder, just as the triplets and Lyle looked out from the sweet shop with similarly shocked looks. “You’re still my son,” said his Mother in a caring tone of voice, “and nothing you say or do will ever change that.” Her gaze went down to Canvas, who looked up at her with a grateful smile of his own while Troy stood utterly speechless. After smiling back to the pony, Angela looked back at Troy to add, “I… might need a few days to think this over, to be honest. And I also have to talk with your Father, but… I just want you to know that I love you, Troy. I always will love you, and all that matters to me is that you’re happy.” Troy blinked a few times, not seeming to realize that his eyes were beginning to well up. “Mom, I…” He looked down at the dirt road between them, his heart racing as he realized that his Mom really did say that to him. Feeling like a giant boulder was lifted from his back, Troy looked back at Canvas with a growing smile as he tried to speak through his shakiness. “I… I really am happy, Mom… I’ve never been this happy in a long time…” He then looked back up at her while some stray tears came down his face. “And I love you too.” With that, Troy hugged his Mom as strongly as possible, which was immediately returned by her with tears of her own. While Canvas stood at the side with a thankful smile on his muzzle, Lyle and the triplets, struggled not to cry themselves at the sight. Rarity and Torch song practically melted as they replied with a unified “Aaaaawwww…” Of course, that was enough to make Troy pull back with an embarrassed look on his face, but it didn’t look like Angela was too disappointed by that. “Ummm… so…” Troy rubbed the back of his head as he asked his Mom, “How… long do you think it’ll take for you to… be alright with this?” Troy stepped closer beside his fiancè to emphasize what he meant. Fortunately, Angela’s skewed look was a little less apparent as she sighed. “Well… I need a few days to get some things figured out, but… I want to come back by this weekend.” “OOH!!” Rarity immediately piped up excitedly. “Missus Clawston! How would you feel about coming back by Saturday? Preferably before six? “Why?” asked Angela when she turned back to the unicorn. “Yeah, why?” added Troy bitterly as he eyed her with a scowl. “Well…” Rarity smirked as she ignored Troy’s glare and focused on his Mother. “Torch Song and I are part of an Acapella Ensemble called the Pony Tones, and we were hoping to have your son perform with us for a benefit show to raise money for the Ponyville Retirement Home.” Her glance went back to Troy as she continued devilishly. “Of course, we were having a slight difficulty in getting him to help out…” Troy’s angered glare became stronger on the mare, but was extinguished as soon as Angela turned back to him, “Are you seriously going to turn down helping out, young man?” “W-what?!” sputtered Troy as he saw the stern glare his Mother had, which was one of those things which was near-impossible to avoid. “Mom, I… I don’t want to sing Acapella!” “Oh really?” Angela put a claw to her side as she looked at him judgmentally. “Because I seem to remember you helping out a lot back at the home your Grandparents were staying at!” “That was because the place was completely dilapidated! I was… urghhh…” A frustrated groan was all he could do when he tried to turn to his fiancè. “Canvas, you gotta--” Troy froze the instant he saw Canvas’s face, which was giving him the largest, widest-eyed, baby foal pout that could even put Rarity’s to shame. Troy felt his heart sink to his chest the moment he laid eyes on the stallion’s look, and he shut his eyes with a pained sigh before turning back to Angela. “Oh, alright! I’ll do it! I’ll do it!” From the distance, Troy could hear his older brothers cackling at him, and one of them shouting out, “Ha, ha! You’re whipped!” Veins could practically be seen coming from Troy’s neck as he turned his head to the sweet shop. “SHUT UP!” “Hm?” Angela looked over at the other Gryphons, and tried to smile when she saw them. Of course, the Gryphoness knew that things still might be tense between her and them, which prompted her to stay cautious as she walked over to the four. She went inside of her purse to pull out something before looking over at Lyle first. “Ummm… Lyle, I… talked with Canvas back at the bakery, and… he showed me this before we left…” She then handed Lyle the framed picture that he made of Fleur De Lis, leaving Lyle temporarily stunned that Canvas had it on him while talking with her. When he looked back up at his Mom, Angela kept a sincere smile as she raised one of her brows. “I gotta admit,” she said in a surprised tone of her own, “that is really impressive work, especially for something you made in a single day.” Despite his embarrassed blush, Lyle still gave a meek smile up to his Mom while holding the frame in his claws. “Ummm… th-thanks, Mom.” She bent down to give Lyle a kiss on the cheek. “No problem.” Angela then looked up at the triplets, carrying a firmer tone as she addressed them. “I’m gonna be gone for a few days. Can I be sure you three stay on your best behavior?” “Ehhh…” all three of them seemed skeptical about that claim, but Blade was the first to actually be vocal about it. “Well, we… can try, Mum. I mean, if you’re gonna try too.” “Of course I will,” said the Gryphoness happily before hugging the three tightly. After pulling back, she looked at the four of them before clarifying, “I’m also going to try to get Jonas back on track as well.” “What?!” said the four Gryphons in befuddled shock. “Yeah, what?!” said Troy angrily towards his Mom. “After what he said to me?!” “Troy…” Angela walked back towards him with a firm expression, not wanting him to direct his anger towards her. “I know very well what he said, and I don’t agree with it one bit. But he’s still my husband, and I want to at least try to keep this family together! I don’t want to lose you or any of my other sons, but I don’t want to lose him as well!” Troy wanted to make a retort, but really couldn’t think of anything to say. After a brief moment, he sighed before making a shrug to let her continue. “Thank you,” stated Angela sternly. “Now, I know you’re mad at him, and you have every right to feel that way. But… if I’m able to talk some sense into him--” “Sense?! He told me tha--” “IF! I can talk some sense into him!!” interrupted Angela to shut Troy up in an instant. “... And he agrees to talk with you, adult to adult… would you agree to talk with him as well?” Troy was a little worried after that outburst from his Mom, but Troy made a gulp as he looked back at her. Seeing the insistent stare that Angela was giving him, Troy knew that she meant business in regards to this deal. And even though it was hard for Troy to think about his Dad without wanting to beat him with a stick (especially after hearing what he said about Lyle), he also knew that if anyone could talk to him, it would be his Mom. Troy felt a nudge from his side, which made him look down to see Canvas staring up at him. Even though he no longer had his puppy-dog pout, he still looked up at his fiancè with an expression that showed he wasn’t against Angela’s plan. “Troy, please,” said the stallion softly. “I know you don’t want to, but… you said it yourself, right? Life is too short.” Troy blinked a couple times, his angered scowl dissipating as he let that sink in. Troy may have hated his Dad, more than anything, but he also knew that Canvas felt that same way as well. But when Canvas actually talked with his own Father, it helped the stallion out way better than that screaming bit ever could have. After a long moment of contemplation, Troy closed his eyes and sighed deeply. He turned his head back to his Mom before opening his eyes, carrying a stare as firm as hers. “IF he agrees.” “Don’t worry,” said Angela bluntly, “He will.” After giving Troy another hug, Angela looked down at Canvas while he stood beside her son. Recalling what she asked the pony back at the bakery, her gaze went back up to Troy as she asked, “So, Troy… do you know what his favorite food is?” Troy immediately grew confused, which was followed by Canvas nudging him again. “Just answer her.” “Ummm…” While he wasn’t sure why his Mom was wanting to know (or why Canvas insisted he should oblige) Troy shrugged before answering, “It’s… cheesy hay fries.” Canvas looked over at Angela with a smiling nod. “He’s right.” “Alright,” she said before giving Troy another question. “His favorite ice cream?” “What? Uhhh… strawberry. With brownie bits added.” Canvas nodded to Angela again. “His favorite movie?” “Zombie Bloodlust.” Angela was a little thrown back by that answer, and looked over at the stallion as he shrugged. “What? It’s a classic!” Despite her surprise, Angela just shook away her feelings before going back to Troy. “Favorite book of his?” “Pbbt! That’s easy. It’s Daring Do and the Gryphon’s Goblet.” “Should’ve known,” said Angela with a smirk toward the stallion who was blushing and looking away. “And finally... His favorite song?” Troy grew a more content smile, and looked down at the pony before giving his answer. “If I have to guess, I think it would be… Not While I’m Around.” Despite his blush, Canvas still looked back up to confirm his fiancè’s answer with a small nod. “Well… he’s not wrong.” “Good,” stated Angela with a smile before turning back at her son. “Well Troy, I don’t think there’s anything for me to worry about.” “Wait, what?” “Just spend some time with your brothers, alright?” continued Angela before Troy could say anything more. She leaned in to give her son a caring nuzzle. “They obviously care about both of you, and so do I. And I’m going to make sure that Jonas has that chance as well.” While Troy stood with an uneasy expression, not feeling confident about her last statement, he still nodded to her and nuzzled back. “A-alright…” After pulling back, he gave her one last smile while her wings opened up. “Love you, Mom.” Angela smiled back at him before she could soar off into the skies. “I love you too, Troy.” And with that, the Gryphoness shot off, leaving the ground to do what was necessary. But before she could disappear, she turned around to shout down at the triplets, “Don’t set any fires while I’m gone!” “Awww, come on!” said Blaze sarcastically. “It’s fun!” “I mean it!” she said jokingly, carrying a smile before disappearing off into the Equestrian skies. As soon as she was gone in the distance, Lyle and the triplets went up to Troy to make sure he was alright. “Well,” began Lyle as he made a surprised huff in recollection, “I couldn’t have predicted any of that to happen!” “Yeah, no kidding," said Troy in a surprised tone of his own. But still, his gaze went down to Canvas as he grew a particularly large smile. “Thanks, Canvas.” “No problem, honey.” Troy quickly swooped the stallion off his hooves, and stood on his own hindpaws to give him a massively large hug. Of course, despite the Gryphon's strength, Canvas was happy to return it with a smile of his own. After a few seconds, Rarity made a cough to catch Troy’s attention. “Ahem… Troy?” “Hm?" Still hugging Canvas, he looked down to the grinning unicorn just as she was about to leave with Torch Song. “Practice starts tomorrow at three in the afternoon, and I expect you to not be tardy. And I’ll be sure to tell Rainbow Dash so she can let you leave work early.” Troy’s smile immediately dropped, but there was nothing he could say in protest while the two mares left with satisfied smirks. His expression slowly turned to a bitter glare, which he directed right at Canvas while he was still being held by the Gryphon. “Uhhh…” Canvas’s smile turned shaky as he tried to say something to make his fiancè less angry towards him. “Well, you gotta admit, you… do look really cute in that sweater.”