//------------------------------// // Chapter Forty-Three: Confrontation (Part 1) // Story: Brushed Away // by TheVClaw //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash walked out of the train station with the stallion in tow. She was surprised to finally meet Canvas' father. Looking back at him, Rainbow could see a resemblance between him and Canvas, although it was rather difficult to tell through all the wrinkles and overall sullenness.  He didn’t seem very talkative, though, and he always kept his gaze away from her. Regardless, Rainbow really wanted to get some small talk out of him, so she stopped and turned back toward him. "So… what's your name?" The stallion looked back at her for just a second, speaking nervously. “...My name is Copper Fields." Rainbow's face scrunched in. "Copper Field? You know, if you say it right, it kind of sounds like--” "Yes, I'm very aware. Like I haven't heard that one before." Rainbow pouted. "Okay, I'm really getting sick of your attitude, you know that?" "Well, I'm not here to socialize, okay!?" Copper sounded upset. However, he quickly put a hoof to his temple in an apparent effort to calm down. "I'm sorry, I just… I just want to talk to my son." Rainbow Dash sighed and continued flying forward, keeping a slow pace a few feet off the ground while Copper trotted next to her. She was growing more and more curious about him, since she couldn’t recall one time when Canvas ever mentioned his Dad. She then started flying backwards, keeping him in her sights while she made another attempt at conversation. "So… you're Canvas' dad, right?" Copper sighed. This mare wasn't going to let up. "Yes, Canvas is my son." "Alright… so, how does it feel knowing your son is painting for Princess Celestia?" Copper bit his lip, looking back at his saddlebag. He seemed rather sad. "I… I don’t know what to say.” Copper stopped walking and stared at the ground. Rainbow landed and walked up to him, concerned at how Copper looked so troubled. Not sure of how to react, she simply stood silent until Copper's voice came out in a faint whimper. "...I couldn’t be happier for him." Rainbow stepped back, just in case she needed to avoid any random hug from some sobbing stallion in the middle of town. "Are… you okay, dude?" "Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” He breathed in deeply. "It’s just… I haven’t talked to him in months." Rainbow's eyes widened. She knew how bad of a state Canvas was in at the hospital when she filed the reports for the Weather Division. And based on that, she knew that Canvas was hurt before he got here.  She then remembered hearing from a few ponies that a hate crime might’ve been the reason for his injuries. Rainbow's demeanor became more cautious. "Hey Copper,” said Rainbow sternly. "Do you happen to know what happened to your son?" Copper's eyes widened with worry, and his face became paler. "I… I don't know what happened after he left town... Was it bad?" Rainbow Dash was shocked to hear him ask such a question. She didn’t expect Canvas’ father to be completely unaware of his own son's situation. "Yeah... it really was. He was in the hospital for two weeks because of exhaustion. He also had a shattered eye socket." Copper shut his eyes and put a hoof over his mouth, as if trying to hide his shame. Rainbow Dash stepped closer. "How could you not know that? I mean, haven’t you tried contacting him or anything?" Copper slowly opened his troubled eyes, keeping his mouth covered in a silent refusal to answer. It seemed obvious to Rainbow that he probably didn’t know anything about it. Perhaps it was past time for the family to catch up. "Don’t worry, I'll help you out. I think I saw Canvas arrive in town anyway." Copper lowered his hoof, keeping a cautious gaze. He looked surprised that an Element of Harmony was willing to help out. "Re-really?" "Well, sure. It looks like you really miss him, so I might as well." Copper slowly nodded. "Yeah, I… I really do." Suddenly, a loud ‘whoosh’ came over them, and a lavender alicorn came into view. Landing on the ground somewhat gracefully, Twilight Sparkle wiped some dirt off her hooves and addressed Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow, are all the storm preps done for the north? Troy just got done with the south section a couple minutes ago." "Seriously?" asked Rainbow, stunned. "How did he get that done so quickly!?" Twilight kept an insistent stare, and Rainbow Dash sighed. "Yeah, I just finished the north end." Rainbow then noticed Copper still next to her, who was suddenly looking more worried. "I was just talking with this guy. He said he's Canvas' dad, so I figured I'd help him out." Twilight Sparkle's eyes narrowed on the green stallion before her. She recalled how Celestia reacted when she asked her about Canvas; and how horrible the pony looked that night. Now, with a member of Canvas’ family here, Twilight could finally get some answers. "Excuse me, are you Canvas' father?" Copper nodded, unable to make eye contact. Twilight stepped in closer. "Sir, I want to ask you some questions about what happened in Gallop Creek." Copper was now white as a sheet of paper. He was visibly shaking and his rapid breathing was audible. Twilight's stare became more concerned before Rainbow put out a hoof. "Twi, are you serious? He just got into town, and you're going to ask him about that? He hasn’t seen his own son in months, for crying out loud!" Twilight stepped back, still keeping her gaze on Copper as she addressed her. "Rainbow, I saw first-hoof what happened to Canvas. I just want to know what happened to him that night, and I figured his father might know more than we do." Copper bit his lip. "I… I just wanted to--” A loud gasp caught the attention of all three. They turned to see Canvas at the street corner a block away, standing wide-eyed in terror. He quickly ran off. Before Canvas' saddlebag full of groceries could hit the ground, Copper rushed out toward him, pushing the two mares to the ground as he frantically ran toward his son. "CANVAS! CANVAS, WAIT!" Twilight Sparkle quickly got back to her hooves alongside Rainbow Dash. Seeing that Rainbow was only slightly dazed, Twilight shot open her wings and flew off, hoping to catch up with Copper. Right after, Rainbow Dash quickly got herself into the air as well, hoping to figure out what the buck was going on. Troy sighed to himself with a smile, feeling more than happy to get his job done so quickly. He perched himself atop a streetlight to catch his breath, looking up to the grey skies above Ponyville he finished in such little time. He finished off his water bottle and tossed it in a nearby trash can, and began unbuttoning his Weather Patrol vest. He wondered where he could find Canvas in town, so he could surprise him and help get some shopping done. Just then, the sound of several ponies speaking up in the distance caught Troy's attention. He could discern that the commotion, consisting mostly of ponies yelling “Watch it!” or “Hey!”, was coming from the direction of the Market District. He repositioned himself on the streetlight and readied his wings to hover. Suddenly, a burst of Rainbow's trademark technicolor trail zoomed past him and stopped. "Troy, something happened! Twi and I need your help!" "What happened? What's going on?" Before Rainbow could reply, Twilight flew up to them. "Rainbow! I lost him! Did you see him or Canvas anywhere?" "What happened to Canvas!?” Troy grabbed Twilight by the shoulders. "I don’t know! Rainbow Dash was talking with some pony who said he was Canvas' father, and--" "WHAT!?” Troy flew off instantly, his vest and several feathers left behind in the wind. The two mares were left stunned. Rainbow was the first to move, and flew off after him. Hoping she could find them, Twilight lit her horn and vanished in a flash of purple light. Gliding above the streets of Ponyville, Troy scanned the ponies underneath him as he tried to find Canvas. Because of the upcoming storm, there were far fewer ponies around than usual. That didn't stop Troy from hearing the commotion going on up ahead. Troy flew toward the source, and he spotted Canvas running as fast as he could through the crowds. He looked terrified as he pushed past ponies left and right, not even stopping to apologize. Before he could swoop down and get Canvas to a safe place, Troy noticed the other green stallion further behind, running at a frantic pace and yelling out to him. "CANVAS! Canvas, please, I just want to talk!" Troy’s pupils slowly began to shrink in, his golden eyes turning into flaming orbs of pure, intense hatred. All these months he'd spent wanting to murder the bastard who almost killed his lover, and now he was right there chasing him.  Troy’s talons clenched. His body shot forward like a torpedo. He could only see red. "Canvas, please listen to me! I'm not--" Copper’s front hooves gave out as he fell to the ground, feeling something grabbing his hind-legs with a death grip. After skidding on the dirt, Copper looked back to see a huge gryphon holding him in place, looking at him with pure, murderous rage. Frozen by the sight, no words were able to come out of Copper's mouth before Troy pulled him back. Troy held onto the stallion’s rear hooves, and swung Copper's entire body in the air like a sack of potatoes, directing the swing straight at the wall of a nearby building. Troy made sure Copper hit the wall as hard as he possibly could, letting every ounce of rage inside of him come out as the stallion's body smashed against the bricks. Even when Copper's head hit the ground, Troy kept a death grip on his hooves while looking down at the stallion that almost murdered the love of his life. Before Troy could think that he killed the pony, Copper coughed up a large amount of blood. Stars danced around Copper's head, and he was sure something was broken; the entire left side of his body throbbed in pain.  Gripping Copper by his shoulders, Troy flew the both of them up toward the clock tower. Before Copper could realize he was now several dozen feet in the air, his body was smashed against the clock tower’s side. Troy’s talons dug into Copper's shoulders deep enough to draw blood, and he kept his bloodthirsty glare. Not noticing the small crowd of ponies underneath staring in horror, Troy moved in closer to Copper's face until they were mere inches apart.  "Stay… Away… From Canvas." Copper coughed up more blood, unknowing or uncaring that his left eye was already swelling from the previous throw. He didn’t want to get gored by the murderous gryphon, so he sputtered out his pleas frantically. "P-p-please! I-I just wanted t-to talk with Canvas! I'm his fath-aahh--" Copper's words were cut off when Troy's talons went around the stallion's throat, squeezing his windpipe shut. "I KNOW EXACTLY WHO YOU ARE! I WAS THE ONE WHO FOUND HIM! I WAS THE ONE WHO GOT HIM TO THE HOSPITAL BEFORE HE COULD DIE! I WAS THE ONE WHO HELPED HIM GET BETTER AFTER WHAT YOU DID TO HIM!!" Copper's face began to turn purple. Troy's next words came out dark and chilling, yet clear. "I should break every single bone in your pathetic body right now. After seeing what you did to Canvas... what you did to your own child...” Troy moved his face in less than an inch from Copper's, his eyes never blinking. "You don't know how many nights I imagined slitting your throat." Before Copper could pass out from suffocation, Troy removed his claws from the stallion's throat and grabbed him by the hooves again. He stretched him out against the wall like he was being crucified.  "If you ever get near Canvas again… If you ever put a hoof on him again…” Troy moved in even closer. "If you ever do anything to hurt Canvas any more than you already have, I will find you. I will find you, and I will hunt you down like the animal you are..." Troy's forehead was now touching Copper’s. "And I promise you, by everything that I hold dear to me... “I… Will… Kill you.” Copper was shaking in pure fear. He knew the gryphon meant every single word. Troy slowly pulled his head back, still glaring. "You have two seconds to get out of town right now. And I never, ever want to see you get near Canvas again, you scumbag--" A pair of cyan hooves grabbed Troy by the shoulders and pulled him back. He still had Copper within his grip, and thus flailed him around like a ragdoll. Troy could hear several screams from below as he tried to get Rainbow Dash off his back, struggling to keep his weight in the air. Both dropped down several feet.  "Put him down!” shouted Rainbow. "You're gonna kill him!" One more sudden turn in the air later, and Copper's hooves slipped through Troy's talons. The crowd screamed out in horror as they watched him plummet to the ground and land in a pile of garbage. Luckily, the drop wasn't nearly as high now, so the fall was not fatal. It was still painful, however, and his torso and legs were left bruised from the impact. Several ponies rushed up to him to see if he was okay, but Copper pulled himself out of the garbage and pushed them aside. He bolted down the street, galloping as fast as he could in the direction he last saw Canvas running. Upon seeing Copper taking off, Troy's rage built up even more. He tried to fly after him again, but Rainbow Dash pulled at his hindlegs. "Troy, what the buck is wrong with you!? You need to stop acting like--" "HE'S GETTING AWAY!" With one last adrenaline-fueled burst, Troy pulled himself free from Rainbow's grip and shot ahead. But before he could move ten feet, Rainbow Dash appeared again in front of him, using her hooves to push against his chest. "Troy, get a grip on yourself! I talked with him, he's just trying--" Troy grabbed Rainbow Dash by the shoulders and threw her off to the side, stunning her long enough for Troy to get a second head start. He got a little further this time, but Rainbow catched up to him yet again. She used her quick reflexes to deliver a strong kick to Troy's face, sending him crashing to the ground against the wall of a house. The drop wasn't enough to seriously injure Troy, but he did have to stay still for a moment from the pain. While trying to shake his head clear, Rainbow got up in his face. "Don’t you ever throw me like that again!! You hear me!?” Troy tried rushing past her, not caring about Rainbow’s aggression. She pushed him back against the wall, her muzzle snarling tightly.  "Troy, I will have you fired if you don't stop this right now!" "HE'S GOING TO HURT CANVAS!" Troy thrashed harder. Rainbow became more confused. "What the hay are you talking about!? Do you even know who that guy is? He's Canvas' dad, for Celestia’s sake--” "WHO DO YOU THINK BEAT HIM UP!?" Troy looked right at her face as he screamed that remark, and Rainbow's eyes widened in shock. Her grip loosened, and Troy took the chance to pull himself free. He then shot off, leaving Rainbow Dash to stand still. Rainbow Dash was usually confident in the worst situations. Now, she was visibly shaking as the shame and mortification washed over her. She put a hoof to her mouth. To help out somepony who would do something like that... She didn’t notice a flash of purple light appear a few feet away. "Darnit, this isn’t working!" Twilight Sparkle spotted Rainbow. "Rainbow Dash, did you see them anywhere? Do you know--” She slowly stopped speaking as she took note of her friend’s horrified expression. Rainbow slowly turned her head. She stood speechless for a moment, which worried Twilight greatly. After a whimpering breath, she finally spoke in a feeble voice. "W… We're in trouble."