The Lost Chapter
Hello everypony! I bet you didn't expect this! I've got my reasons for doing this but I figured I'd tie up a loose end the fic didn't exactly address, so here you go.
By the way, I want to say Merry Christmas (Happy Hearth's Warming), and I'm sorry that this isn't a more upbeat thing for the season. 
Be warned though, it is fairly tough to go through.
On with the chapter! 
Though it was a sunny day in Canterlot, it didn’t feel so sunny to Apollo Cyrus.
He trudged through the streets, going around citizens, even bumping into some and ignoring their complaints.
“It’s a day out with the wife, it’s a day out with the wife,” he uttered under his breath. It had been a long time since she and he just got a day out together, even with their lesser-paying jobs, they were still pretty busy.
I so cannot wait for my retirement, he thought, which was a few years away, but remembered that he’s been going to therapy to overcome the stresses of the job and become much more positive.
He looked up and saw he was on the street and he was to take a left and continue for a couple more blocks. He made his turn--
He then crashed into somepony else and both fell into a heap.
“Oh, gosh! I’m so sorry!” said the pony, having a masculine voice.
Apollo grunted, resisting the urge to curse, “It’s okay--”
He was cut off by a horrified gasp and when Apollo’s eyes met the terrified eyes of the pony--
“You!” Apollo roared.
A few minutes earlier
The moment he stepped off the train, he immediately felt incredibly small with Canterlot’s buildings standing all around him as pedestrians crossed to and fro in the busy streets, the high-posh ponies holding their heads up high. The sight of the golden spires made his heart sink to his stomach.
Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea... he thought, but shoved it aside.
“No, I need to do this.”
He’d come so far on his road to recovery, and it was past time to try and patch the loose ends.
Reluctantly, he took a few more steps until he forced himself to continue onward into the busy streets.
“Hey, Princess Celestia, it’s me, Copper, the one who left Sunset and--” he almost slapped himself, “No, that’s just stupid.”
“Hey Princess Celestia, I know you weren’t expecting me—Ugh!” he kept walking, looking down at the sidewalk. “How am I going to put this?”
I shouldn’t have come.
No! No! This is what I need to--
Just then, he slammed hard into somepony and both fell in a heap.
“Oh, gosh! I’m so sorry!” he cried, but when the stallion saw he’d run into a pony with a reddish-brown mane and an orange coat, he knew immediately who it was.
“It’s okay--” Apollo began.
He couldn’t help but let out a horrified gasp and his whole body turned to ice and felt as if he were going to die when Apollo’s eyes his.
“You!” Apollo roared.
“M-Mister Cyrus...” Copper’s hooves and body began to shake.
Suddenly, he was hoisted into the air and being dragged along in an aura of magic.
“Please! I come in peace!” Copper protested.
It didn’t take long for the two of them to reach a secluded part of the street where Apollo plopped Copper onto his hooves and practically pinned him up against the wall.
“Where have you been?!” Apollo hissed, “It’s been four years since I last heard from you!”
“I-I-”
“I had been searching all over for you for what you did to my daughter! And you disappear on your family too?!”
“Th-there’s a logical explanation for everything!” Copper held up his forehooves in defense.
“You left! You left my grandchild you insolent fool!”
Copper opened his mouth, trying to hold back his tears.
“Apollo, why didn’t you show up?” a new voice broke out from behind the two ponies, and instinctively both Copper and Apollo looked to see a very familiar dark orange mare. The younger stallion’s heart dropped.
He knew that he was going to die with both parents of the mare he abandoned now up on him.
“C-Copper,” Sun Glow stared at him and her gaze hardened.
“I stumbled upon this coward on my way to meet you,” said Apollo. “Some piece of--”
“What are you doing here?” Sun Glow, Copper’s gulped as she stepped up to him.
“I-I was on my way to the castle to speak with Princess Celestia,” Copper explained, his heart throbbing when she was a little too close for his comfort. “I know you have every right to be mad at me--”
He was cut off by a hoof being held up. The mare glanced at her husband.
“Put him down,” Sun Glow said simply.
“What?”
“Let me handle this, Apollo.”
“But honey--”
Sun Glow shot him a glare that immediately shut the stallion up.
“I’ve had more than enough drama from my recluse daughter and what happened back then!” Sun Glow hissed, “The least we can do is just let him say his piece.”
Apollo took a step back with a slightly resigned expression, releasing the younger pony from his grasp.
When the mare’s turquoise eyes met Copper’s, he immediately saw Sunset in them, once again reminding him of his greatest misdeed.
“Are you hungry?” Sun Glow asked.
“Huh?” Copper tilted his head.
Much to Apollo’s chagrin, Sun Glow ended up bringing him to a restaurant where she’d pay for his food, Copper insisted on doing it himself but Sun Glow wouldn’t hear any of it. Now, Apollo and Copper both sit at a table where they were waiting for somepony to bring the food.
“First free day out with the wife and now the date’s going to have to wait,” Apollo murmured, “Thanks for that...”
“I didn’t plan on running into you,” Copper said, not making eye contact.
“It’s not funny how this worked out.”
Agreed, Copper thought but kept his mouth shut as Sun Glow came from washing her hooves and sat down.
“So, let’s get right into it,” said Sun Glow, “I know why you’re here. Care to elaborate?”
“Well...” Copper opened his mouth, “I...” He sighed, “Sorry, I’m just...”
“Look at me.”
Copper fumbled on his words again and made eye contact with Sun Glow. Chills ran through his body. He remembered his therapist’s advice and knew he had to get it out.
“Well, I’ll start from the beginning...” said Copper. His ears drooped and he frowned, “After I ran from my problems and Sunset... I was wanting nothing more than to be alone.” He was briefly stopped by a sigh through Apollo’s nostrils, “And then I went to see Sunset at the village. “I wanted to visit her and make amends. But... I was doing it more for myself than her...”
“When you wanted to call the baby yours?” Apollo asked sternly.
“Stop it!” Sun Glow snapped at her husband while Copper winced from the knife plunged into his chest.
“Go on, Copper,” Sun Glow encouraged in a gentler tone.
“After that disaster, no thanks to me, I left and even considered suicide before I even reached home...” Copper said, the memory of standing at a cliff’s ledge flashed through his mind as if it were yesterday.
“But I kept going... I was too cowardly to commit to such a move despite how devastated I felt and realized how selfish and stupid I was,” Copper began, “I ran away, wanting to never be seen by anypony again.”
“Where did you end up?”
Copper shuddered, “I would’ve preferred to have stayed and died out in the cold if I’d known what it’d be like.” He made eye contact with Sun Glow, “It was some Celestia-forsaken place called Imperial City.” He bit his tongue, and took a deep breath, took a sip from his cup. “I was found half frozen to death by soldiers. They took care of me out there in the wilderness until they took me back to the City.” Copper clutched his hooves tighter around his cup. “For a couple of days, I assisted them with whatever they needed until it came out that I’d run off from my family.”
Copper saw that Apollo still looked skeptical but his expression had softened a little.
“I was reminded how much my family loved me and I felt so ashamed of leaving home, and before I could go back, the Leader of that City that recently hired some general that had been mocked in the past for being unsuccessful in his battles and tact. But he had a record of being keeping the city in order...”
“Oh, gosh...” Sun Glow frowned.
“The soldiers that took me in were forced to let me go because of his policies and how he and others looked down on ‘black sheep’ unicorns as some said.”
“Imperial City’s so awful that even the high-society unicorns look down on some of their kind that don’t meet their standards, and they had to resort to that crazy fool. I couldn’t leave sooner because of the new policies. So, I eventually ran off into the streets.”
“How did you get out?” Apollo asked.
“After a week of trying to stay hidden and everypony wanting nothing to do with me, some small group named the Liberators took me in for a day or two until they managed their purple earth pony leader managed to get me out by stowing me away on a boat and out into the cold.” He sighed, blinking back some tears, “She... lead me to safety, wished me the best and I eventually got me to another town and then back to Vanhoover.”
He sulked and took a huge gulp of the drink that had been provided for him, both of Sunset’s parents, especially looked very sympathetic towards him.
“Sorry for how I treated you,” Apollo said, looking very remorseful.
“I appreciate it, but there’s no need, you had an understandable reaction.”
“And you weren’t cowardly when you kept going despite wanting to end it all,” said Sun Glow, almost mirroring her husband’s expression, reached forward and gently clutching his hoof, “I hate that you had such intentions, but” she lightly smiled, “You’re stronger than what you think, Copper.”
“That’s what my therapist said, too,” Copper replied, mirroring the older mare’s expression. “But... can I see her to apologize?”
Both Sun Glow and Apollo shot each other leery looks and Sun Glow was the one to look back at and answer him.
“That’s not the best idea, Copper,” Sun Glow clutched his hoof a little tighter.
“I... I know that she might not want to see me, but... I figured I’d just try.”
“We’ve tried reaching out and reconnecting with her, but she’s been too indulged in her studies to even want to talk to us,” said Apollo, a small frown tugging at his features.
Copper’s eyes widened.
“The only other pony she really has any connection with is Princess Celestia,” Sun Glow added, “But even then, the details of their relationship are a little vague.”
Copper furrowed his brows, barely registering that his food had just arrived.
“I understand,” said Copper, “I’m just going to go speak with Princess Celestia and then have her speak to Sunset whenever possible.” It was a fib, but he felt as if he needed to do this.
About an hour later, Copper was heading towards the castle gates, having had a good meal and conversations with Apollo and Sun Glow. Once they departed, Sun Glow took Apollo to the restaurant they were going to earlier, managing to get to their date. Copper smiled for them, but when he came upon the gate, he was approached by a bulky white pegasus guard.
“What’s your business here?” he asked.
“I was a student of Princess Celestia,” Copper explained, “And I thought I’d just come to see her after so long.”
Before the guard could answer, a smaller grey pegasus soldier flew up to him and whispered into his ear.
“I see,” said the guard. “Escort him to the Princess at once.”
The grey pegasus saluted and motioned Copper to follow him, to which he obliged.
While following the escort, Copper decided not to pay attention to where they were in the castle, as he couldn’t help but be nervous but his thoughts returned to Sunset.
There was no denying that he still loved her, even after he’d been so selfish in abandoning her in her time when she needed him most. But he knew that relationship is long gone, maybe if she could hear him out.
It didn’t take as long as he’d hoped with getting to the throne room, and the doors opened, revealing its mass interior and the Princess herself sitting on it.
Copper looked away, lowering his head, and just forced himself to trudge along, taking glances, but his final one is when he finally saw Celestia.
The tall white alicorn stood up from her throne and spread her majestic wings out and Copper’s head was almost making acquaintance with the floor.
He let out a shaky breath and finally made eye contact with Celestia.
“Y-Your Highness...”
“Copper Bronze,” said Celestia.
“I-I’m here to... well, I’m trying to say...”
Celestia frowned.
“How is Sunset?” Copper blurted out.
Immediately regretting his question, he expected the princess to retort, even fearing something even rasher but he tried to put the thought aside. Celestia just stood there, her wings spreading a little wider. It felt like minutes to Copper, whose heart never quit racing at a hundred miles per hour.
“She’s doing fine and excelling at her studies,” replied Celestia.
“G-Good... I...”
“Sunset told me that you believed certain things about me,” said Celestia.
Copper bit his bottom lip.
“Come with me.”
Copper nearly retched out of fear.
He couldn’t believe that Princess Celestia invited him to her personal tea room which overlooked the city of Canterlot. The sun began to descend the sky, painting it and the city orange.
“And that’s the whole story I told her parents...” Copper finished.
Celestia took a sip of her tea, “I’m so sorry you had you go through that...”
“I’m so sorry that I believed the false gossip about you and what you’d do to ponies...” said Copper. “But what happened between Sunset and I...” He sighed and took a big swig of his tea.
“I understand,” said the princess, “You two went too far and both regretted it.”
Copper drank some of his tea, surprised by how the Princess was listening to him and how forgiving she was.
“To be honest, I thought you’d think I was... you know...”
“Lying?”
Copper nodded and fidgeted on his seat some.
“Going through a very tough time and then seeking help,” said Celestia, “I can tell you’re telling the truth.”
“Why did you invite me to your personal tea room?” Copper asked the question that had been eating at him.
Celestia gave a soft smile, “Because I’ve missed you, Copper Bronze. I’m thankful you’ve come back and have been trying to be better.”
Copper felt tears welling up in his eyes.
“You coming here is all the proof I needed to see that you wanted to make amends.”
The tears finally let loose.
“I-I’m so sorry for everything...” Copper’s voice cracked.
Princess Celestia stood up from her seat and then wrapped both her wings and forelegs around him, surprising the young colt but he returned it and smiled as the tears turned from cold to warm.
After an hour or so of talking with Celestia, both she and Copper were walking down the castle hallways, coming upon the throne room doors.
“I don’t think I’m staying in Canterlot for much longer,” said Copper, “My family and new friends have always been there for me.”
“I understand,” Celestia smiled, “You’re always welcome in my throne room whenever you want.”
“Thank you,” replied Copper as the pair of them stepped into said room where two guards stood at both sides of the throne.
“I’m very grateful for the hospitality,” said Copper while he and Celestia inched closer to the throne, “But can I ask for one more thing?”
“What’s that?” Celestia paused, looking over her shoulder at him.
“I wish to speak with Sunset.”
Princess Celestia’s briefly rose in surprise before she lightly frowned.
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea, Copper.”
The young stallion blinked.
“But I’m trying to patch up loose ends on top of moving on,” Copper protested, trying to remain respectful, “I’m also hoping Sunset is as well. I know it will take a long time to patch things up and things might not ever be the same between us but...” he sighed, rubbing his temples, “Gosh, I’m just babbling...”
“I know, and I wish I could advise you to see Sunset, but I don’t think she’d want anypony other than me speaking with her this late,” said Celestia, fully turning around, “I’ve been trying to help her make friends but she refuses, even with my beloved niece.”
“This Princess Mi Amore Cadenza?” Copper asked.
Celestia nodded, “The two of them have hung out before, but Sunset just pushed her away in the end.”
“I’m... sorry about that,” said Copper, hating that he couldn’t say more than that.
“Me too,” said Celestia, heading over to her throne to take care of some last-minute nightly duties.
“I’ve got a place to stay not too far from here,” Copper lied, “I’m going to probably leave in the morning.”
“Okay, I’ll let Sunset know you came by and handle it from there.”
“Understood.”
Standing on the other side of the street, Copper couldn’t stop looking at Sunset’s tower backlit up by the moon. The sight before him made his nerves throb and sweat trickle down his forehead. He took a deep breath in, seeing only the top floor was lit up, and Copper could make out shadowy outlines of a pony moving behind the glass windows.
It’s her, I know it is... Copper thought, his heart pounding.
Sunset’s parents and Celestia’s words tugged on his mind that he shouldn’t do this.
But his body fought against that and he began walking forward.
He ignored his mind telling him to walk away and go stay in a hotel but he forced his now-heavy body forward, walking across the sidewalk, up the stairs, and stopping in front of the door.
He lifted his hoof and knocked on its hardwood surface three times. Listening intently, no sound emitted from upstairs, so he just knocked again.
This time he heard somepony loudly groan, toss stuff aside, and begin stomping down the stairs.
He took a step back, realizing he hadn’t properly prepared for this until the door swung open with an irritated unicorn.
The moment her eyes met his they immediately widened in shock and anger.
“Hi?” Copper lamely said.
Only for the door to shut, only it would’ve if Copper hadn’t stopped it with his magic.
“What’re you doing here?!” Sunset roared from behind the door.
“I’m just here to talk!”
“Not after last time!”
“I was a washed-up mess for years!”
“Go away! You pop up out of nowhere!”
Both ponies kept fighting over the door, Copper sweated, and his neck strained, using all of his might to keep it from slamming all the way.
Sunset’s face partly looked through the door and her chilling scowl shot through Copper like a bolt of lightning. Despite that, he resolved and spoke.
“Just a few minutes, Sunset! I know I’m the last stallion you want to see but can you just hear me out, please?!”
“Not interested! Get lost!”
“I’ve spoken to Princess Celestia and I ask for just a few minutes! I’ll be gone soon after, I promise!”
Sunset momentarily paused.
“I’m not the pony I was before and there’s so much I regret, could you please let me speak?”
Sunset just stood there, unblinking, and not taking her steely eyes off him. Copper no longer saw the affection he’d seen so many times before, which was expected but it still cut into him very deeply.
“Only a few minutes?” Sunset said more than asked, her tone unchanging.
“Please.”
Sunset rolled her eyes and then opened her door and stepped out, slamming it behind her.
“Get off my porch and into the yard,” Sunset ordered.
Copper didn’t argue and made his way over to where he’d been told to go. When he reached the lush green grass, he turned around, seeing Sunset standing there with her hard expression underneath the moon and her tower behind her.
“Speak. Now.”
Copper opened his mouth and didn’t hesitate to tell her what he’d told her parents, but decided to not mention them, and Princess Celestia, from the time he left, his time in Imperial City, coming home, and his long road to recovery.
“That’s where I’ve been for so long...” said Copper, and Sunset’s expression didn’t change much from when he first began other than a disinterested eyebrow.
“Hmph,” Sunset just turned fully away from him.
“I’ve made so many mistakes that I can’t keep a list of them,” said Copper, “What I did to you, was beyond unforgivable, and I don’t ever expect you to. I’m just... wanting to patch up loose ends and see if you needed anything.”
“I don’t need anything,” replied Sunset, not even turning around.
“Not from me, I know, but I thought I’d just come by for just a quick word,” said Copper, “And... I don’t want to ask or bring up what happened between us again.” He hoped he worded that right. But Sunset’s unmoving form, even facing away from him just chilled him.
“While you were off on your adventure...” Sunset said in a slow low voice, “I was by myself... I was alone...”
“I know...”
“I had to endure, I had to make it even after the pony I trusted the most save for Celestia turned his back on me.” Her voice sounded rumbly towards the end.
Copper opened his mouth to respond but Sunset spoke again.
“And I delivered a wonderful baby... she was beautiful.”
Sunset quit speaking and silence prevailed for what felt like minutes to Copper.
“Ask me.”
“What?”
“Ask me!” Sunset hissed.
Copper immediately knew what she wanted him to ask her.
“I-I-”
“Don’t make me tell you again.”
Copper gulped.
“H-How is--”
“The baby is gone!” Sunset snapped.
Everything went stark silent. Copper stood there like a deer caught in the headlights and flapped his mouth uselessly.
“Wh-what?” Copper spoke.
“She’s dead! My little Starry Sun is dead!” Sunset whirled around and faced him with a huge glare, gritted teeth, and tears rolling down her eyes.
“No, no that can’t be!” Copper’s whole world shattered and his face fell hard.
“It is! Cruel, cruel world!” Sunset stomped a hoof, startling Copper and tears began falling from his eyes due to the baby being lost forever and seeing Sunset like this. “And I had ponies die all around me and I was knocked unconscious in the snowy wilderness!”
“S-Sunset, I didn’t know--”
“Of course, you wouldn’t!” Sunset shrieked.
More tears began falling down Copper’s cheeks.
“I’ve learned something very important, though, thanks to you,” Sunset said in a deep, rumbly voice. “Relationships don’t matter! Friendships don’t matter and especially romantic ones!”
Sunset took another step, making Copper take back several.
“I’ve had many regrets throughout my life, and though I received a wonderful child, my biggest one was meeting you!”
Copper nearly fell to the ground at them, and Sunset’s eyes hardened so much that he almost saw them turn black with piercing blue pupils.
Whoever stood before him was a pony far gone than he could’ve ever imagined. So consumed by studies, popularity, ambition, and ruthless fury.
“S-Sunset...” he sobbed uncontrollably, but he was cut off, and due to the slanted hill up to the tower, Sunset practically towered over him, her eyes glowing and filled with rage.
“And you have the nerve to show your stupid face around me after so long?!” She leaned forward, grabbing him by the side and pulling him to where her nostril was less than an inch away from hers.
“Go back to your stuck-up family, and that lousy therapist of yours, or things will get so ugly that you’ll need it for the rest of your pathetic life!”
Copper was then pushed to the ground and he tumbled to the bottom of the hill. He tried to recover to look up at Sunset but she’d already gotten back to the door and slammed it shut.
Tears rolled down his cheeks and he kept laying there, processing everything that he’d learned. Sunset the way she was. The baby was gone. He began silently weeping.
I’m so sorry for everything, Sunset... he thought.
Meanwhile, back in Sunset’s tower, she stomped up the stairs and back to her desk and began reading hard and fast to take her mind off him.
Who does he think he is?!
It didn’t matter if Celestia sent him or not but she decided it would be best to never speak of this. But... she did her best to ignore what the back of her mind was telling her.
Copper was telling the truth. She knew the look and tone even after all of this time. But she shook her head, trying to get rid of those thoughts and ignore them. It was what she was good at. No, the best at whenever it would suit her.
She bit her tongue, almost drawing blood as tears began rolling down her cheeks, ignoring whatever else her faint conscious was telling her.
Back outside, Copper had turned away from the tower, drying his tears and mentally resolving himself.
No, no, I can’t let this break me! Copper desperately thought, I’ve come too far!
He remembered his therapist’s advice and had to keep moving forward.
Keep your chin up and move on.
Keep your chin up and move on.
He stepped back into Canterlot’s nightly streets and began walking back to the train station, constantly repeating that in his head until he got there, and boarded the train until he fell asleep on the way back home.
Back in Vanhoover, Copper laid back on his therapist’s couch and stared at the white ceiling.
“That’s the whole story,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve recovered even though that was weeks ago...”
“I see,” said the therapist, scribbling on her notepad.
“I never want to visit Canterlot again, there are too many scars for me there.”
The therapist just continued to scribble.
“I’m glad you were doing everything in your power to patch up loose ends,” said the therapist, and Copper looked over to her and she was a pretty light blue unicorn with a silky white mane and green eyes. “But, regarding everything you did while going directly to Sunset,” the therapist continued shifting in her seat, “That there wasn’t a good move despite the noblest of intentions.”
“I know, I know,” said Copper, placing his hooves on his head, “I just... wanted both of us to heal.”
“Some wounds take more than time to heal, and some may never be healed,” said the therapist, “But remember our previous sessions?”
“Yes,” said Copper, finally sitting upright, “When there’re some things that can’t be patched, you need to move on with your head held high and rebuild a better life for yourself.”
The therapist smiled warmly, “Exactly.” She then dropped it and slightly adjusted her glasses, “I don’t know what will become of Sunset now, but I hope she can become better. But what can you do for yourself now, Copper? You’ve got a whole life ahead of you now.”
“I don’t know,” replied Copper, “But...” he gave a small smile, “Despite what happened, I know I need to be much better now. And I’ve got family and friends to do that.”
“Excellent,” said the therapist, writing down on her clipboard, “Same time next week?”
“Absolutely.”
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Several years later....
So that's what happened to Copper!
After what happened between him and Sunset, he fled to Imperial City and trapped for many years until he escaped with some help from the Liberators?
And did this takes place before Mystic's first story?
...this can't be a coincidence!
At least he got back safely. Meeting Sunset’s parents were rocky, Princess Celestia went surprisingly well, but with Sunset... oh man!
So what will happen with Copper next?
11465348
Yes. Copper met the Liberators before Mystic arrived, and it was a small group at the time, and more stuff was going on per se.
11465351
I see. Interesting...
11465353
Yep.
Good ending! Didn’t notice there was going to be one more chapter but glad to see it.
11508376
Glad you liked it. :) I wrote this because of reasons of my own, but yeah. :)