//------------------------------// // Chapter Six: Baby Talk // Story: Brushed Away 3: Hearts Entwined // by TheVClaw //------------------------------// “WHAT?!” Despite the shocked looks everyone else around the table had, Angela and Jonas just chuckled with giddy grins on their beaks. “That’s right,” said Angela while gently patting her stomach. “We found out about it a month ago. We’re having another baby.” “Holy crap, Mom!” Troy was the first to get out of his seat. With a huge smile on his beak, the Gryphon rushed around the table and gave Angela a caring hug. “Congratulations, you guys!” “Oh, thank you Troy!” Angela hugged Troy back tightly, but pulled back when she saw the triplets start to get out of their seats as well. Meanwhile, Lyle seemed oddly silent while staying in his chair. Angela was too busy getting hugs from her other sons to notice, and Jonas was sitting upright in his chair with a proud smile while watching them. Only Canvas saw the vacant, yet still uneasy expression that was on the teenage Gryphon’s face. “Ummm… Lyle?” asked the stallion with a raised brow. He put a hoof out in front of Lyle’s face and moved it around to see if he was able to focus on it. Lyle quickly shook his head clear, almost as if his mind had been frozen for a brief moment. “Oh! Ummm.” With his beak clenched shut, Lyle turned his attention towards his smiling Mother. Even though he had a smile on his beak, it seemed somewhat shaky as he said, “That... That’s great to hear, Mom. Congrats.” “Awww!” Angela looked touched by that statement, and reached across the table to give Lyle’s claw a thankful squeeze. Lyle may have smiled back at her in support, but Canvas narrowed his eyes on him suspiciously. He didn’t want to say anything about it, but the stallion could’ve sworn that Lyle’s reaction sounded a bit off. But before Canvas could ask anything about it, his ears perked up when he heard Troy smack himself over the head with a claw. “Ohhhh!” Troy had his claw in his face like he just got the punchline to an old joke. “This explains so much! The doctor’s note totally makes sense now!” Angela chuckled with a shrug. “Well, yeah,” she admitted with a guilty smirk. “Being pregnant has its perks when it comes to international travel.” “Honestly, I’m surprised the chocolate-covered jerky didn’t do it,” added Jonas with a grin of his own while pointing at Troy. “She ate those things all the time when she was carrying Lyle.” “Oh YEAH!” shouted all three of the triplets at the same time. As they got back to their seats, Blaze nudged Blane’s side and said, “Didn’t she get a discount at that shop for a while because she bought so much of that stuff?” “Well,” replied Blane in thought as he slumped back in his seat (and almost broke it), “I thought it was because she was the only one to buy it there, so they just gave it all to her for cheap.” Angela brought up a claw and waved it around back and forth. “Eh, it may have been a little of both,” she said in an unsure tone of voice. Tenor, who was watching everything happen from the floor excitedly, eagerly hopped up so his front paws were on Angela’s lap. While she scratched the top of the puppy’s head, Canvas sighed loudly in sudden realization. “Oh, this explains Tenor too! I remember reading a study that said certain animals are able to detect when someone is pregnant!” Jonas made a brief huff while staring back at his wife. “That’s actually true. Cats kept following her around whenever we went to work! I think that was when she realized something was up.” Angela shrugged and added, “Well, that and the vomiting every morning.” That got a couple chuckles from the rest of the table, especially from Canvas. Blade decided to ask in a curious tone, “So, do you two know what the sex is yet?” “No,” answered Angela with a hint of disappointment in her voice. She made a brief sigh and added, “We probably won’t know for another month or so. But I am hopeful I’ll finally get a daughter this time.” Jonas cackled surprisingly loud before taking a swig from his beer. As soon as he put down his bottle, he noticed his wife’s bitter stare on him before he responded. “You’ve said that every time you got pregnant! I think it’s clear the Clawston streak isn’t breaking.” “We don’t know that as a fact, honey.” After shaking her head with a small huff to herself, Angela glanced back at Troy for a brief moment before grabbing her glass of iced tea. “Although, even if the streak doesn’t break for me, I could always hope for a granddaughter…” Even though she didn’t look at Troy or Canvas while saying that, both of them gave annoyed and deadpan stares in her direction. “We are not having any children!” said the two at the same time. Lyle tried to slowly push his chair away from either of them in fears of a heated argument brewing up. Angela merely exhaled strongly through her beak and said, “Well, you two are still pretty young. I’m just saying--” “NO!” snapped Troy angrily while pointing at his Mother. “I swear to Celestia, if you say ‘We’ll change our minds one day,’ I will get myself a vasectomy!” Angela gasped with her claws over her mouth, looking like Troy just admitted to murder. “You wouldn’t DARE!” “Guys, GUYS!” shouted Jonas while glaring at Troy and Angela. “Can we NOT argue about this?” He pointed a talon at Troy and stated firmly, “Troy, do not make threats like that! She’s still upset about the triplets getting that procedure!” “Wait, what?!” Canvas whipped his head to the triplets for clarification. “You guys got vasectomies?!” “Yep,” said Blaze nonchalantly while pulling another bottle of beer from the now almost empty cooler. “We all did it after that pregnancy scare Blade got with that Diamond Dog bitch.” “Yeah,” said Blade with a brief shake of his head in disbelief. “I really didn’t expect that from Gold Digger.” He then shook his head a second time to add, “But anyway, after I proved it wasn’t mine since we only did your guy’s kind of sex, we figured that it would be cheaper to get snipped now than face a million child support payments later.” While Angela huffed with a bitter scowl on her beak, Blane turned to her and added in a higher-emphasized tone of voice, “And we ALSO went to a sperm bank before that! It’s not like we’ll never have kids, Mom!” The Gryphoness scoffed and muttered under her breath, “Oh, goodie. Maybe one day I’ll have popsicle children.” “Well, you better get used to that idea,” said Troy flatly, “because Canvas and I aren’t planning on ever having kids.” Angela asked with a befuddled scowl still on her beak, “Well why not?!” “Honey,” interrupted Jonas in a calmer tone towards his wife. When Angela paused to turn to him, the General waited for her to settle down before saying, “If Troy and Canvas don’t want children, then that’s their choice as adults. You’ve been on my ass about accepting Troy for what he does with his life, which I’ve been doing! And if I have to accept that he’s never getting a wife, then it’s only fair that you accept the two don’t want any damn kids.” Angela just stared at her husband, completely wide-eyed and unable to say a single word. Of course, she wasn’t the only one at the table who was speechless at Jonas’s little speech. Even Tenor looked around the room from Angela’s lap, noticing how nobody was saying anything. After a few seconds, Lyle finally spoke up while staring at his Dad in surprise. “Wow, Dad. That’s probably the smartest thing I ever heard you say.” While he should’ve been happy to hear that, Jonas instead glared at Lyle and replied, “And what’s THAT supposed to mean?!” “I think what he’s trying to say,” chimed Canvas in a quick attempt to keep the discussion in a positive light, “is that we’re glad you’re able to understand our views on this subject. And for that, I want to say thank you.” When Jonas turned his attention to Canvas, he saw that the stallion had a legitimately thankful smile on his muzzle. So, after a soft exhale, Jonas nodded to him and relied, “Well, you’re welcome.” As he went back to his bowl, he added before eating, “Besides, we should be glad they’re able to make that choice. It’s not like Troy can accidentally knock up a stallion.” Angela dropped her face into her claws with a groan. Troy just stared at Jonas with a dropped beak and strained eyes, looking like he was struggling to comprehend how his Dad would think that comment was a good addition. Unfortunately, that wasn’t as bad as what Canvas absent-mindedly said while going back to his plate: “Not for a lack of trying.” The stallion instantly shot his hooves up over his mouth. The triplets all spat out their drinks at the same time, which was quickly overshadowed by the sounds of their howling laughter. While the remaining Gryphons all just stared at Canvas in shock (especially Troy, whose left eye was twitching uncontrollably), the pony’s aqua fur turned an extremely deep shade of red from blush. Canvas tried to speak through his hooves, but the only thing that came out was a mortified creak. “Uhhhhh…” SLAM!!! The sound of the roof hatch door opening immediately got everybody’s attention. The triplets all stopped laughing as they looked upward. A brief moment of silence passed before something came floating down from the bedroom loft. A large plate of chocolate cake, with four pink balloons tied at each corner of it, gently glided down into the dining room. The cake rested right on top of the pot of chili, where everyone could see the message written on top in pink frosting: Congratulations On The New Baby, Clawston Family! While most of the Gryphons just stared at the surprise dessert like it was about to explode at any moment, Troy just craned his head around to shout up towards the ceiling, “Thanks, Pinkie Pie!” “No problem!” shouted Pinkie right back at him. And with that, the roof hatch closed once more. Angela curiously swiped some of the frosting off with her talon. After giving it a small lick, her face lit up as she exclaimed, “OOH! It’s my favorite too!” After dessert, the triplets were the first to fly off back to Twilight’s castle (conveniently before Canvas could ask for help cleaning up). Fortunately, Troy and Lyle agreed to do the dishes, and Jonas and Angela left soon after to get some well-deserved rest. The dishes themselves only took less than half an hour to finish, but both were fairly exhausted by the time Troy placed the final claw-full of silverware in the drying rack. “Whew!” Lyle made sure that all of the cast iron pans were properly heated and oiled up, and then turned off all the burners underneath them. “So, what’s the plan for tomorrow?” he asked as he turned back towards his older brother. Troy shrugged and tried to remember. “Well, we were going to go over a few last details about the ceremony and reception with Twilight. Also, we were planning on getting an overnight train for Manehattan.” “Oh, nice!” Lyle had an optimistic smile as he asked, “You think maybe we could come along?” “Eh, I dunno.” Even though he didn’t want to dampen his brother’s mood, Troy seemed apprehensive as he wiped the sweat from his forehead with a dishrag. “Canvas and I were only gonna be there for one night. He actually has a small art expo he’s attending after my audition.” “Really?” Lyle asked in surprise with his brows raised. “After what happened last time?” “Hey, he was judging that one,” said Troy sternly for clarification. “This is just a small gathering of artists for some fund-raiser. It’s not huge or anything, but Glimmer Heart said he’d be a good face in attendance for the press. I think he has, like, three pieces made for it.” “Oh, that’s pretty cool.” Lyle then went over to the false wall by the fridge and opened it. He pulled a couple of the packages of chorizo from the hidden meat freezer, and placed them in the sink so they could thaw overnight. “I was just asking because I was planning on taking pictures of some Equestrian landscapes for my internship. When I told them I was coming around here, they thought it would be good to get some references for more realistic artwork for the comic.” “Urgh.” Troy may have been happy that Lyle was actually doing something important in his internship, but he didn’t even want to know what kind of things were going to be drawn with whatever Lyle was taking pictures of. “Well, I suppose Manehattan could make for some… interesting pieces.” “Exactly!” said Lyle in a more enthusiastic tone than his brother’s. “I mean, I already got a couple good shots around Ponyville, but some stuff of the train systems or Manehattan could totally get me in good with the staff back home!” “Alright, alright,” Troy said with a smirk and a roll of his eyes. “I’ll see if Canvas would be alright with you or the others coming along. Just don’t expect it to happen if Manehattan hotels are too overcrowded.” “Hey, no sweat.” With a claw held up in sincerity, Lyle added . “It was just an idea, but I won’t be upset if I can’t make it with you two. Besides, I already have a great cover page idea involving that playground at the schoolhouse!” Troy looked back at his brother with a very worried look on his face. But instead of saying anything against whatever Lyle was planning, Troy just put a talon up to say, “Okay, I have two things to point out. One: Never show either of us what you’re going to draw. And two: please don’t take any pictures of the playground in the daytime. I don’t want you getting in trouble for being around kids with a camera.” Lyle wanted to ask why Troy would give that suggestion, but stopped while his beak was open. He thought it over for a second before shrugging in understanding. “Okay, yeah. That’s good advice.” While the two Gryphons continued to clean up and have meat ready for breakfast tomorrow, Canvas was already up in the loft and relaxing in the nest. The stallion’s back was propped against a couple of pillows while he sketched in his notebook. His pencil was strapped tightly against his hoof, which allowed him to scratch lightly against the paper without fear of it slipping off half a dozen times. Meanwhile, Tenor was resting beside Canvas soundlessly, with his ears twitching with each scratch that the stallion’s pencil made above him. For a while, Canvas was completely entranced in his work. On the white backdrop of his paper, the drawing was coming to life more with each line and curve which flowed from his mind and onto the page. Even though this was a practice piece before he could move on to an actual canvas backdrop, the stallion was determined to get the body proportions correct as the menacing dragon atop a rock became more detailed in front of him. Canvas stopped for a second, contemplating whether the creature should have something in his mouth to emphasize he was recently attacking someth-- “Wait, they told YOU?!” Canvas and Tenor’s heads both perked up when they heard Troy yell that. The sound of Lyle’s paws running out of the kitchen quickly overpowered that as he escaped the house. By the time Canvas and the puppy ran to the edge of the loft to see what was going on, Troy was out of the kitchen when he shouted, “Lyle, what did they tell you?! What did Canvas tell THEM?!” Lyle, who was already at the open door, turned back to his brother for a single second to say with a sly grin. “Nothiiiiiingggg.” “GAHHH!!!” Canvas giggled when he saw both Gryphons rush out of the house in a heated chase. By the time the stallion and Tenor got back into bed, Troy had a nasty scowl on his beak when he came back home. After turning off all the lights downstairs, he went up the stairs alone while glaring at his fiancè. Canvas just returned the gesture with a cheeky grin as he asked, “So, you have a good talk?” “Urgh.” The Gryphon just crawled into the nest in withheld silence, not wanting to mutter anything he knew he was going to regret. As he laid on his side, allowing Tenor to walk over to him for some much-needed nuzzling, Troy’s eyes peered back up at Canvas with an almost pleading tone. “Seriously, what did you tell my brothers?” “Nothing,” said the pony in a matter-of-fact tone as he placed his notebook and pencil on the nightstand. “But even if I did, it would be fitting considering what you told them about me.” “That was an accident! I didn’t mean to mention it!” Even as the Gryphon groaned painfully and turned to lie on his back, he still scratched at Tenor’s belly with a claw. While the puppy laid on its back blissfully, its elated face didn’t change Troy’s mood as he muttered under his breath, “I swear, if you told them about the movie theater thing--” Canvas stated firmly, “I didn’t.” “But still!” Troy looked towards his future husband for any hint at what he could’ve told the triplets, but wasn’t able to gather anything from the pony’s neutral expression. So, the Gryphon just sighed and dropped his head back into his pillow. While Troy breathed out heavily through his beak, intent on keeping his focus on scratching Tenor, his mind was still seething in thought on how to respond. Canvas began to settle in his bed as well, and the Gryphon turned his head with a smirk of his own. “Well, at least I’m not the only one to blurt stuff to family tonight.” Canvas whipped his head strongly enough to risk whiplash. Even though the pony was considerably smaller than his mate, Troy’s brows raised in worry when he saw that burning glare Canvas gave him. “Do not bring that up.” Despite the stallion’s firm tone, Troy just chuckled and replied, “I didn’t need to, since you already did.” That just made Canvas growl and turn himself around. While his back was facing Troy in the nest, the stallion seethed with a particularly nasty grumble. “Shut up, Troy!” Despite Troy not wanting to upset his fiancè, Canvas’ reaction drew a chuckle from him. But still, the Gryphon turned to his side again to add in a more optimistic tone, “If it means anything, I don’t think that was as surprising as what Dad said about us.” “... You mean about us not needing to have kids?” “Yeah.” That made Canvas sigh and turn back around. Now on his back again, the pony looked up at the ceiling as a small smile appeared on his muzzle. “Yeah, that was pretty cool of him. Although it might just be his way of him saying he doesn’t want to see a kid raised by two Dads.” “Eh, maybe,” Troy admitted with a shrug. “But still, I’m glad he’s able to take the hint before Mom.” Canvas's face soured up at that reminder. He breathed out deeply through his nostrils and muttered, "I really wish she would stop doing that." Troy's mood began to dampen as well. “Yeah, but you can’t blame her for trying, right?” “I know, I know.” Canvas rolled his eyes as he said, “You already told me about how much Gryphon culture values child-bearing, which puts our relationship in a different standard in their light. But still…” The stallion bit his lip while his hooves went behind his head. His pause lasted a few seconds as he exhaled slowly, only to be followed by a meager statement: “I just… I really wish she understood why I don’t want to be a Dad.” Troy looked at the stallion with a knowing glance, and used a free claw to trace his talon along the stallion’s mane and ear. “It’s okay, Canvas. I don’t want to be a parent either. Not now, and most definitely not ever.” Canvas had to take a brief moment before a smile came back up on his lips, and he stared back at Troy with a thankful tone. “Thank you, Troy.” “No problem.” After Troy smiled back and turned his attention back to Tenor, Canvas bit the inside of his cheek in throught. He turned his head to his fiancè and asked, “So, uhh… did Lyle seem kinda weird tonight?” Troy’s face turned confused as he looked back at Canvas with a raised brow. “Huh?” “You know, during dinner.” The stallion sat upright in the nest, but kept his eyes pointed down at the Gryphon as he continued. “I mean, everyone else seemed really happy about your Parents having another baby, but Lyle was just sorta… vacant?” “Vacant?” Troy stopped scratching Tenor and used his claws to prop himself up as well. When he got himself seated upright too, he sighed and tried to reassure Canvas by saying, “Oh, come on. Lyle isn’t like that. He was probably just too surprised to react that much. You know how some kids get when they hear that kind of news.” “But Lyle isn’t a kid! At least, not anymore.” Canvas added that second part with a small shrug of his shoulders. His head turned down to the bedding while his tone turned more concerned. “I dunno. It just felt like he was… upset or something.” “Nah, I doubt it.” Troy gave Canvas a small smile as he wrapped a foreleg around his back to pull the pony in against him. Tenor got himself up from the bedding and sat on the stallion’s lap. “Listen, I know Lyle. If anything, he might just need a little time to adjust. I mean, he was the youngest one in the family for a while. It’s probably a little jarring to find out our parents can still have a kid after so long, you know?” Canvas wasn’t sure what to think about that answer. It didn’t sound wrong, but it didn’t feel one hundred percent correct either. However, after a brief sigh in through, the pony merely settled in against the Gryphon’s side and smiled lightly. “Alright, fine. I guess you have a point.” Troy kissed the top of Canvas’ head with his beak. “Seriously, don’t worry about it. If there is any problem, he’ll tell us. You know he’s good like that.” “Yeah, he is.” As Canvas looked up at the Gryphon with a light smile on his muzzle, Troy instinctively bent down to press his beak against it. Canvas returned the gesture lovingly, letting his lover’s embrace help ease his mind before they could go to sleep. He pulled back his lips to say with a gentle smile, “Good night, Troy.” “Night, Canvas,” said Troy lovingly. He then bent over and turned off the lamp on the night stand, letting the moonlight from the windows be the only illumination in the room. As the two settled into bed, with Tenor resting between them like usual, everything turned silent within the barn house. “... Seriously, what did you tell my brothers?” “Go to sleep, honey.” “Urgh!”