• Published 17th May 2013
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Brushed Away - TheVClaw



For Troy the Gryphon, life in Equestria wasn't exactly as fulfilling as he imagined on his own. However, after volunteering to help out with a storm prepping project, he discovers a pony who helps to change everything.

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Chapter Forty-Four: Confrontation (Part 2)

Upon reaching an empty section of Ponyville, Canvas slowed down and tried to catch his breath. He turned his head back to make sure he wasn't there. He could feel himself shaking from fear, unable to fathom how Copper Fields managed to find him here.

Canvas walked into a nearby alley, clenching his eyes shut as he held himself up against the brick wall. He wanted to get back home as soon as possible. He wanted to be back with Troy.

His mind went back to when Troy helped him after he finally confessed what his father did to him. His chest started to ache without his love around to hold him or help him. The stallion felt like he was going to cry at any moment.

Canvas heard several hoofsteps galloping up in the distance. He ducked behind one of the trash cans, praying to any Princess listening that Copper wouldn’t find him. When he slowly looked over the top of one of them, Canvas sighed in relief to see it was Lyra and Bon-Bon.

Canvas ran toward his friends as fast as he could, tears rolling down his cheeks as he latched himself onto them. Bon-Bon was quick to try and alleviate him as she hugged back.

"Canvas, what's wrong? We saw you running past our shop like something was on fire! Are you alright?"

Canvas took a moment before he let go, still terrified.

"He…he found me.”

"Who found you?" Lyra asked worriedly. "What are you talking about?"

Before Canvas could answer, his eyes shot wide open at the sight behind them. He screamed and ran back into the alley. The two mares turned their heads to see a green stallion galloping toward them, looking ragged and slightly beaten.

"CANVAS!!” shouted Copper. "Canvas, please come back!"

A mint-green aura grabbed him by the neck. Lyra pushed him against the wall, pinning him there while she spoke dead serious. "Sir, I don’t know who you are, but you're really scaring our friend, so you better stop chasing him around!"

Struggling against the aura, Copper tried to pull himself off from the wall. "Ma'am, please! I'm his father, I just wanted to talk with him! I need to tell him--"

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!!"

Lyra turned her head back toward Canvas, ducking just in time as a trash can came flying. The can struck Copper right in the gut, and Lyra and her wife reeled back with horrified gasps. Canvas kept screaming like mad, grabbing whatever he could to lunge at Copper to keep distance.

The two mares wanted him to stop causing a scene, but neither of them wanted to risk getting hit by Canvas' barrage. After being nearly massacred by the gryphon earlier, Copper barely felt the metal canisters as they struck him back-to-back. "Canvas, please! I just--"

"I SAID STAY THE BUCK AWAY FROM ME!!"

Canvas kept screaming his head off and throwing things at Copper. Ponies began to run over in the direction of the uproar, and soon enough, a small crowd formed, keeping their distance from the apparent domestic dispute. Troy swooped down and landed hard on the street, shaking the ground as he glared at Copper.

Before he could move forward and seriously hurt him, Troy noticed Canvas throwing everything he could at him. He then observed Copper, and how he wasn't trying to get closer to Canvas. Thus, he kept himself still. This was something his lover needed to do.

Canvas threw one more can at Copper, missing his head by less than an inch as it smashed against the wall behind him. After that, he just stood there, breathing heavily and glaring at the stallion he once called his father.

Copper held up a hoof slowly, his voice trembling with worry.

"Canvas… Canvas, please, I… just want to talk."

"Talk… You want to talk!?"

Canvas' breathing now came out in an oddly rapid rate of gasps, like a whispered form of laughter. As Canvas continued to speak, his voice became increasingly louder, each word coming out harder and more frantic than the last.

"You just want to talk, huh? Well, doesn’t that sound bucking familiar!? 'I just want to talk, Dad.' 'Please, listen to me Dad.' 'Why are you yelling at me, Dad!?' 'Please let me go of me, Dad!' 'STOP HITTING ME, DAD!!' YOU REMEMBER THAT!?"

Copper just stood still as he took his son's verbal onslaught, wincing at Canvas' rage. Many of the ponies in the crowd gasped upon hearing Canvas' tirade. Most of them didn’t notice when Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash flew in. Troy’s claw came out in front of the two, stopping them from attempting to break up the fight.

Copper tried speaking again. "Canvas, I… I know I made a mistake. I should've never--"

"A mistake!?" Canvas completely snapped. "A MISTAKE!? YOU CALL WHAT YOU DID TO ME A BUCKING MISTAKE!?

"You cannot call what you did to me a mistake! Falling down the stairs is a mistake! Forgetting to deliver a bill on time is a mistake! Breaking a vase is a mistake! HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT BEATING AND THROWING OUT YOUR OWN SON WAS JUST A MISTAKE!?”

More horrified gasps erupted from the crowd. Copper cringed as he looked away from his son for a moment. When he finally looked back, Copper's voice came out like a shameful, cracked whisper. "I… I didn’t mean to hurt you like that--”

"YOU SMASHED A WHISKEY BOTTLE IN MY BUCKING FACE!!” Even while screaming lividly, tears trickled down Canvas’ face. “YOU SHATTERED MY SKULL AND LEFT ME OUT TO DIE!! HOW THE BUCK CAN YOU SAY YOU DIDN’T MEAN TO DO THAT!?"

There wasn't a single pony in the crowd who didn’t look terribly shocked by now. Lyra and Bon-Bon looked especially appalled as they stared at Copper, for they remembered how their friend looked with all those bandages back then. Lyra's glare was burning straight into Copper even as a couple tears came down her cheeks.

"That… that was you!?"

Even amongst all the shock and disgust waving off the crowd before them, Copper kept his attention only on Canvas. He didn’t want to give up after coming so far.

"Canvas, I… I'm so sorry--"

"Shut up! Don’t you dare try to act like you're bucking innocent!!"

Copper pursed his lips shut. He knew now that nothing was going to get through when he saw tears coming down Canvas' face. Though a huge array of emotions were flowing through Canvas, anger was coming out faster than any other.

"I did everything for you… Everything I did was to prove those ponies back home wrong! To make you proud of me for once. You were never there for me after Mom! After she died, you barely even talked to me! You just left me alone for the longest time! You barely bucking acknowledged me! But... when I was graduating, that was the only time you looked proud of me...”

Canvas looked down at the ground underneath him, his tears leaving marks in the dirt.

"I… I thought you loved me.”

Copper tried stepping forward.

"Canvas, I always loved--”

"AND THEN YOU TOOK EVERYTHING AWAY FROM ME!!” Copper instantly jolted back. “You were all that I had, and you hurt me worse than any of them ever did!!” Canvas kept his bloodthirsty stare, more tears coming down without pause.

"Canvas, I always loved you!" shouted Copper. "I know I should've been there for you, and I wish I could change that! But Canvas, you have to believe me, I never meant to do any of that to you!"

Despite Copper's genuine desperation, Canvas simply kept his glare. His father kept going, now shouting frantically.

"I was drunk, Canvas! I was completely wasted that night. I barely remember a single thing that happened!!”

"So you think that excuses you from almost killing me?"

Copper winced, faltering for a second before he continued. "Canvas, I'm sorry! I know what I did was horrible, but you have to believe me! I've been trying to look for you ever since that night so I could apologize!"

Canvas shook his head in disbelief and looked away.

"Please, I've been running everywhere in Equestria to try and find you! I went to every single town I could find just to make sure you weren't dead! I haven't slept or eaten in days! I spent every bit I had just to get a train ticket here! I sacrificed everything I had because of you!"

Canvas suddenly turned his gaze back, his muzzle trembling.

"And I tried to kill myself because of you."

Another collection of gasps came, but Copper took no heed of them. He stood frozen, his mouth hung open, and a whole new wave of shame washed over him.

"You took everything from me! You were the only thing I had after Mom, and you… you broke my bucking heart when I needed you most! Nopony in that town hurt me nearly as bad as you! None of them made me feel as horrible as you did! None of them ripped apart everything I've done in front of my eyes! None of them… None of them made me lose my will to live until you."

Copper's head was now hanging down in remorse.

"You remember what you said to me before you slammed the door in my face!? When you left me out in the bucking rain with nothing!? DO YOU!?"

Copper didn’t move, but his head hung lower.

"I was always there for you. Always! I was there for you after Mom died! I kept the house clean and made you dinner when you worked late! I worked my flank off to get a good education, so you wouldn’t have to worry about me when I left! I did everything I could to make you love me, but none of that mattered when I came out, did it!?

“No, I was just a 'worthless bucking freak,’ right!? I was 'better off dead,’ right!? YOUR BUCKING WORDS!!"

Copper’s ears hung down from the round of shocked gasps he heard behind him, and he started shaking even more.

"Do you know how that feels!? To have the only pony who ever cared about you say something like that!? YOU WERE THE ONLY BUCKING THING I EVER HAD! I never did anything to hurt you! I stayed in school, I didn’t smoke or do any drugs, and I did everything I could to be the perfect bucking son to you! But what did it all mean to you? Huh!? Did none of it matter to you after that night? Was having a gay son so bad for you, that you had to treat me like a damn punching bag before throwing me out in the rain!?”

Canvas caught his breath, not noticing the stunned crowd. If he had, he likely would’ve seen how mortified Lyra and Bon-Bon looked through their teary eyes. Even Twilight had to cover her muzzle with a hoof, her knees wobbling to keep herself from stumbling over the bombshells unloading before her.

"How could you even stand there and say you're my father after doing that?"

"CANVAS, PLEASE STOP!!"

Copper slowly lifted his head. Canvas' eyes widened upon seeing his father's face, not expecting to see what was underneath.

Tears. So many of them.

In all the years Canvas lived with his father, he always knew him to be a strong stallion. He barely showed emotion, and he didn’t speak much, especially after his wife's death. And he almost never, ever, cried. Canvas could only recall one time in his life where he ever saw Copper shed a tear, and that was after the funeral reception when he thought he was alone.

But now, in the middle of town with dozens of ponies watching, the sides of Copper's face were soaked with his own tears, matting his faded-green fur. Copper carried what looked to be the deepest look of guilt and shame, and his voice came out in a pathetic whimper.

"Please… Canvas, please… I-I'm so sorry."

Despite such a display, Canvas didn’t falter at all. His expression remained as bitter as ever.

"I know that I hurt you… I-I know that I did horrible things to you. But… you have to believe me. I'm so sorry."

A couple seconds of silence passed, and Canvas only shook his head before walking away.

"Just stay away from me. Go back to Gallop Creek."

"Please, Canvas, just listen to me!" pleaded Copper. He tried rushing over to his son to grab him. "I can’t go back there, not after everything else!"

Canvas quickly threw his hooves up and pushed him away. "DON'T BUCKING TOUCH ME!!"

Copper’s breathing came out in gasping sobs, and his tone became more desperate. "Canvas, you're the only thing that I have! I don't have anything left!"

"Neither did I!” screamed Canvas, turning back toward Copper lividly. "I didn't have a single bucking thing, so don’t you dare act like a victim!!”

Canvas began to walk away once more, ignoring Copper who tried to pull himself from the ground. Copper didn’t notice the dirt on his fur or the tears on his face.

"Canvas, please!!! I can’t--”

"I SAID, LEAVE ME ALONE!!! You already did enough damage!"

"CANVAS! PLEASE, I'M BEGGING YOU!!!"

Canvas' hooves stopped moving. When he slowly turned his head back toward him, Canvas carried a surprised expression even through his anger. Still shedding tears, Copper looked Canvas dead in the eyes.

"I… I never begged for anything in my lifeBut I don't have anything left, Canvas.”

Canvas turned his whole body around to face Copper directly.

"I-I really have nothing left… I don’t even have a home."

Canvas' eyes widened in slight disbelief. “W-what do you mean?"

"I quit my job, Canvas! I haven’t worked since that night! I've spent all my time trying to find you! I went everywhere I could and I spent every bit I had! I…”

Copper's head hung low again.

“... I even sold the house."

Canvas' eyes grew even wider, and his feelings grew more upset at the thought of his childhood home now gone. "What!?"

"I sold everything I had! The moment I sobered up and realized what I did, I gave up everything to try and find you!"

Canvas stood still for several seconds. Even with the tears and desperation on his face, Canvas couldn't see anything in Copper other than the bastard who destroyed his art and beat him so heartlessly. Canvas turned away again with a disappointed huff.

"Well, now you found me. So go."

"CANVAS, PLEASE!! You're all that I have! I can’t lose you, Canvas! I lost everything else in my life, and I can’t lose the only thing I have left that matters to me! I lost my job, I lost my house, I lost all of my possessions, and I lost your mother, but I can’t lose you!!"

Canvas stopped walking. His hooves dug into the ground and his teeth clenched as he felt his anger building up. Copper no longer cared about his own shame as he tried his hardest to keep his son in his life. He screamed through his sobs, pleading while the crowd of ponies watched in mortified silence.

"PLEASE!! Please, Canvas, I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry! You're all that I have left!! Please… please… don't leave me! If I could go back in time and change things, I would, Canvas!!"

Canvas’ face grew more tense. His rage seeped out with every breath through his nostrils.

"I wish I could take back everything that happened that night, Canvas! I wish I could go back and never do any of those things to you! I wish I could take back everything I did!! I WISH I COULD TAKE BACK EVERY WORD I SAID!!"

At that moment, Canvas glanced over his shoulder.

"And I wish you died instead of Mom."

Copper's pupils shrunk. He stood speechless. He was just as shocked as the rest of the ponies around him, all floored by Canvas saying something so cruel. Rainbow Dash had to look away while mouthing ‘Whoa’ silently. Even Troy’s brows rose from his coltfriend’s venomous words. Canvas walked toward Copper, his hatred reaching new limits. He no longer yelled, just kept his voice as cold and soulless as possible.

"I don’t care what you have to say to me, and I don't care how sorry you think you are. After everything you put me through, after almost killing me, you stopped being my father the moment you threw me out."

Canvas walked right up to his tear-matted face, and glared right into his eyes.

"You. Are. Dead to me."

Not waiting to see his reaction, Canvas walked away one last time. More tears came from Copper's face, but he was unable to make a sound. Without looking back, Canvas stopped for a moment and spoke his last words.

"Stay out of my life. I never want to see you again."

With that, Canvas finally walked his way out of the crowd at a slow pace. The ponies around him stepped back to let him pass. Nopony said a word, many of whom too shocked or scared to confront him at that moment.

Seeing that it was over, Troy quickly made his way through the crowd and caught up with Canvas, keeping himself close to him as they walked together. Even with Troy's wing over him, Canvas didn’t seem to react much. The crowd turned back to Copper, still standing in the middle of the street.

There wasn't a single pony in that crowd who didn’t want to hurt Copper for hurting his own child, but nopony moved toward him when they could see such a look of utter devastation.

Seconds passed, and Copper let out a sob. His hooves gave out, and he fell on his flank, crying. Many ponies began to leave the bawling stallion, either out of guilt or pity.

Lyra and Bon-Bon rushed off to check on Canvas, but not before Lyra gave one last glare at Copper. Twilight Sparkle stood at her spot, looking at Copper with intense disdain until she felt a hoof touch her shoulder. Looking over, Twilight saw Rainbow Dash motioning to follow her and leave.

Twilight looked back at Copper and spoke to Rainbow, her tone firm and emotionless.

"Rainbow Dash, I want you to go to the train station and buy a ticket. Then come back here and give it to him so he can leave. Do you understand?"

“Uhhh… Yeah, sure...” Rainbow was surprised that Twilight wasn't going to arrest Copper (or at least turn him into an orange), but she nodded all the same and flew off, leaving Twilight alone with Copper.

On one hoof, Twilight felt a huge surge of rage at finally meeting the pony who hurt Canvas. On the other, she recalled Celestia's words; the situation was indeed more complicated than she originally thought. She could easily have him arrested or detained, but the look on his face was painful enough to see that he had gone through enough.

So instead, she just stood there, waiting for Rainbow Dash to return and watching the stallion wallowing in his loss.

Author's Note:

Just so any newer readers are aware, I've recently been undergoing a big project to turn the Brushed Away series into physical books for individual sale. Because of that, I just wanted to make a quick note for which chapters have been revised so far, including this one.

I want to give my deepest thanks, as well as some well-deserved credit to my followers helping me out with this process, as well as Double R. Forrest for their proofreading credits. And if anyone is interested in helping out with making this project a reality, I highly recommend checking out my Official Ko-Fi page dedicated to it.

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