Reaching a section of Ponyville where nopony else was present, Canvas slowed down and caught his breath. Feeling his heart sinking down to his stomach, he turned his head back to make sure that stallion wasn't there. Breathing heavily, Canvas could feel himself shaking from fear, absolutely horrified that Copper managed to find him here. Even though he knew his recent success would cause some extra attention, the last thing that Canvas wanted was to ever see that stallion again.

Walking into a nearby alley, Canvas clenched his eyes shut as he held himself up against one of the brick walls, wanting to get back home as soon as possible. While he swore he saw Troy while he was running through the Market District, Canvas had no idea where the Gryphon was now. He wished nothing more than to be back with him again.

Remembering how much Troy helped him when he finally confessed what his father did to him that night, Canvas's chest started to ache as he realized his love wasn't around to hold him or help him out. Knowing that stallion was back in his life again, Canvas felt like he was going to start crying at any moment as he tried to forget that he was just running from somepony that almost destroyed his life.

Hearing several hoofsteps galloping up from the distance, Canvas ducked behind one of the trash cans by the wall, praying to any Princess listening that Copper wouldn’t find him. Slowly looking over the top of one of the cans, Canvas sighed in slight relief as he saw Lyra and Bon-Bon, looking around worriedly before they noticed him.

Even though he wanted Troy more than anyone else, Canvas still ran toward the mares as fast as he could, tears rolling down his cheeks as he latched himself onto them. Hearing the stallion's rapid breathing as he held onto them with both hooves, Bon-Bon was quick to try to alleviate him as she hugged back.

"Canvas, what's wrong?" asked the mare with concern. "We saw you running past our shop like something was on fire! Are you alright?"

Trying to slow his breathing down enough to talk, Canvas took a moment before he let go of the mares, still looking terrified as he spoke in a shaky voice.

"He… he… he found me…”

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

Before Canvas could answer as he turned to the unicorn, his eyes shot wide open as he screamed, running away for the two back into the alley as he saw who was behind them. Turning their heads to see what freaked out Canvas so much, Lyra and Bon-Bon saw the green stallion galloping towards them, looking rather ragged and slightly beaten as he screamed out to his son.

"CANVAS!!” shouted Copper as he tried hobbling to the alley he saw Canvas go in. "Canvas, I need to talk to you!"

Before he could get within ten feet of the entrance to the alley, a mint-green aura grabbed him by the neck. Lyra pushed him against the wall, pinning him there with her lit horn as she said in a serious tone, "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 as he spoke in a frantic tone. "Ma'am, please! I'm his father, I just wanted to talk with him! I need to tell hi--"

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!!!"

Hearing Canvas's voice from behind her, Lyra turned her head back to the alley, ducking just in time as a trash can came flying towards them. As the can struck Copper right in the gut, Lyra and her wife stepped back from the alley. Canvas kept screaming.

Even though they wanted him to stop acting out and causing a scene in the middle of the street, neither of the mares wanted to risk getting hit by Canvas's barrage of items as he kept throwing trash cans at Copper. After being nearly massacred by the Gryphon earlier, Copper barely felt the metal canisters as they struck him and sent garbage flying out while he desperately tried to speak to Canvas.

"Canvas, please!! I jus--"

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

As Canvas kept screaming his head off and throwing things at Copper to keep him away, ponies began to run over to the street when they heard the crashing and commotion. As a small crowd started to form and keep their distance from what looked to be a big domestic dispute, Troy swooped down and landed hard on the street, shaking the ground a little as he glared at Copper.

Before he could move forward and seriously hurt him, Troy noticed Canvas throwing everything he could at the stallion, seeing how furious the aqua pony was right now. As he looked back at Copper and saw he wasn't trying to move towards Canvas any more, Troy's eyes narrowed.

He kept his spot on the ground, realizing this was something his lover needed to do. Seeing the fury burning in his blue eyes, Troy stood silent by the growing crowd, not wanting to interfere as he saw that Canvas was finally about to face his past.

After throwing one more can towards Copper, missing his head by less than an inch as it smashed against the wall behind him, Canvas just stood at the entrance of the alleyway, breathing heavily as he glared at the stallion he once called his father.

Breathing shakily himself, Copper held up a hoof slowly and tried to talk with his son, his voice trembling with worry as he spoke.

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

"Talk… you… you want to talk?!"

As Canvas's yelled out that last part, his breathing came out in an oddly rapid rate of gasps, sounding like a whispered form of laughter as he kept his furious stare on Copper. As Canvas continued to speak, his voice came out 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 only stood still as he took his son's verbal onslaught, wincing as he saw how enraged Canvas was becoming. Many of the ponies in the crowd could be heard gasping and looking worried as they heard Canvas's words, most of them not noticing when Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash flew in.

Before either of them could move through the crowd to break up the fight, a claw came out in front of the two to keep them in place. Keeping his eyes on the two ponies in front of him, Troy held the panicked mares back as he watched, hoping his love would finally be able to confront something that hurt him so badly.

Scrunching his face in a little, Copper breathed in before he tried speaking again, hoping he could talk his son down. "Canvas, I… I know I made a mistake. I should've ne--"

"A mistake?!" Canvas snapped before he started shouting furiously, "A MISTAKE?! YOU CALL WHAT YOU DID TO ME A BUCKING MISTAKE?!?!”

Growing more fearful, Copper started shaking as he tried to keep talking. Before he could open his mouth, Copper was interrupted as Canvas kept yelling at him in front of the growing crowd.

"You can NOT 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 accidentally is a mistake! HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT BEATING AND THROWING OUT YOUR OWN SON WAS JUST A MISTAKE?!”

Hearing more horrified gasps from the crowd, Copper cringed as he looked away from his son for a moment, not wanting to see the aqua pony fuming at him. As he slowly turned back to Canvas, Copper's voice came out faintly, sounding almost like a cracked whisper as he tried to talk, a shameful look on his face. "I… I didn’t mean to hurt you like tha--”

"YOU SMASHED A WHISKEY BOTTLE IN MY BUCKING FACE!!!” Canvas screamed with all his fury as fresh tears streamed down his face. "YOU SHATTERED MY SKULL AND LEFT ME OUT TO DIE!!! HOW THE BUCK CAN YOU SAY YOU DIDN’T MEAN TO DO THAT?!?!"

Even though most of the ponies in Ponyville knew that something bad happened to Canvas, only Troy knew about it being Canvas's own father who did it. At hearing Canvas's infuriated cries towards Copper, there wasn't a single pony in the crowd who didn’t look horribly shocked as they looked at them.

Among the stunned faces and gasps from the crowd, Lyra and Bon-Bon looked especially horrified, staring at Copper, appalled as they remembered how their friend looked with those bandages on him. Putting a hoof to her mouth, Lyra's glare was burning straight into Copper as she recalled how scared Canvas looked because of that bag, now knowing the reason why he looked so terrified as a tear came down her cheek. Still in disbelief that something like that could happen, the unicorn's stare on Copper became more intense as she spoke out.

"That… that was you!?"

Hearing all the gasps and disgusted reactions from the ponies around him, Copper started shaking as he kept his attention on Canvas, not wanting to give up after coming so far. Even though he was sure somepony was going to try to stop him if he kept going, Copper tried to breathe in before he spoke in a whimper to his son.

"Canvas, I… I'm so sorr--"

"SHUT UP!" shouted Canvas as he glared at him. "Don’t you dare try to act like you're bucking innocent!!"

Copper pursed his lips shut, knowing that nothing was going to get through as he saw tears coming down Canvas's face. Even though a huge array of emotions was flowing through him at finally confronting his father, anger was coming out faster than the others as Canvas kept talking, his voice coming out both cracked and enraged as he spoke.

"I did everything for you… Everything I did, was to prove everypony back home wrong… To make you proud of me for once…”

Before Copper could interrupt Canvas to tell him otherwise, the aqua stallion kept going, not noticing his tears hitting the dirt underneath him as he kept his attention on his father. Even though he tried to keep his anger in front, Canvas's voice couldn’t hold back from sobbing as he yelled at Copper.

"You were never there for me after Mom! After she died, you… 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 to the ground underneath him, seeing his tears hit the ground as he spoke in a more hushed tone.

"I… I thought you loved me…”

Copper tried stepping forward, looking especially horrible as he desperately tried to speak.

"Canvas, I always lov--”

"AND THEN YOU TOOK EVERYTHING AWAY FROM ME!!” Canvas screamed as he looked back up to Copper venomously. "YOU WERE ALL I HAD, AND YOU HURT ME WORSE THAN ANY OF THEM EVER DID!!!”

Breathing heavily, Canvas kept his bloodthirsty stare on his father, feeling more tears come out as Copper tried to speak in a more insistent tone.

"Canvas, I always loved you!" shouted Copper as he tried getting closer to Canvas, not caring about the ponies around him. He struggled to speak as clearly as he could through his cracked voice. "I know I should've been there more 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 how genuine Copper's desperate pleas were, Canvas just kept his glare as he opened his mouth. Before the aqua pony could speak, his father kept going, now shouting as he frantically tried to explain himself.

"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?" said Canvas coldly.

Even with his newfound dedication in speaking to his son, Copper still winced as Canvas said that, 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 can apologize!"

Canvas only shook his head in disbelief as he looked away from his dad, turning away as Copper's pleads grew louder.

"Canvas, I've been running everywhere in Equestria to try to 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 back to Copper with tears coming down his face, glaring at him as he spoke in a cold tone, whimpering.

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

Another collection of gasps could be heard throughout the crowd, none of which noticed by Copper as he stood, frozen in a stunned state. Even though his mouth was hung open, no words came as he looked at his son, mortified, feeling an even larger wave of shame flow through him as he realized how bad his actions really were. Before he could speak up or try to apologize, Copper heard Canvas continue to speak through his aggravated tears.

"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 to the ground in shame, his whole body shaking as he took in Canvas's words. Not caring whether or not he was looking at him, Canvas kept speaking as his tone got angrier, letting everything out that he wanted to say for so long.

"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 still kept his head lowered to the ground, not phasing Canvas as he kept speaking.

"I was always there for you. I was always, ALWAYS there for you! 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!!!"

Through more gasps from the ponies around him, Copper started shaking more, keeping his head glued to the ground and hiding his face as his son kept yelling.

"You know how that feels?! You know how it feels, to have the only pony who ever cared about you say something like that?! You were the only thing I had. 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 bucking punching bag before throwing me out in the rain?!”

Canvas caught his breath for a moment, not noticing the crowd standing in stunned silence while he kept his attention on Copper, breathing in before he uttered one final statement.

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

"CANVAS, PLEASE STOP!!!"

Although he was little surprised to hear Copper yell like that, Canvas kept his angry eyes on him, not speaking, since he’d said everything already. As Copper slowly lifted his head, Canvas's eyes widened as he saw his father's face, not expecting to see what was underneath.

Tears. Many of them. All rolling down Copper's face as he stared at his son.

In all the years Canvas lived with his father, he always knew him to be a strong stallion. He barely showed much emotion, 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 or two, 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 as he looked at his son. Carrying the deepest look of guilt and shame as he looked at him, Copper's voice came out in a pathetic whimper as he spoke to Canvas.

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

Despite seeing his father like this, Canvas didn’t falter as he kept his glare on him, not wanting to give any sign of weakness as he listened to Copper's cries.

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

After a couple seconds of silence, Canvas only shook his head before he started walking away.

"Just stay away from me,” Canvas said as he began to walk towards the crowd. "Go back to Gallop Creek."

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

When Copper tried running over to his son, Canvas quickly threw his hooves up and pushed him away, throwing him to the ground before screaming furiously. "DON'T BUCKING TOUCH ME!!!"

As his breathing came out in gasping sobs, more tears began to show on Copper's face as 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 as he turned back to Copper, keeping a particularly nasty tone while staring down his whimpering father, who was lying on the ground. "I didn't have a single bucking thing, so don’t you dare act like a victim!!”

Canvas began to walk out from the crowd once more, ignoring Copper, who tried to pull himself from the ground. Not noticing the dirt on his fur or tears matted on his face, Copper looked at his son with absolute desperation as he screamed out frantically.

"Canvas, please!!! I ca--”

"I SAID, LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" shouted Canvas as he kept himself turned away from him. "You already did enough damage!"

As Canvas lifted a hoof to move forward once more, Copper screamed out as loud as he could to stop his son.

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

Canvas's hooves stopped moving and he stood frozen at the spot. Slowly turning his head back towards him, Canvas carried a surprised expression on his still-angry face as he looked over to his father. Still shedding tears, Copper only stood at his spot as he looked Canvas dead in the eyes, looking miserable when his voice came out in a whimper to his son.

"I never begged for anything in my life… But… but I don't have anything left, Canvas…”

Turning around so he was now facing Copper, Canvas kept a gaze on his father in silence as he heard him speak.

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

Canvas's eyes widened a little as he heard Copper's statement, staring in slight disbelief as he tried to process what he just heard.

“... What… what do you mean?"

"I quit my job, Canvas!" shouted Copper as he tried pleading to his son again. "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, making his tears hit the dirt underneath him as he finished his statement.

“... I… I even sold the house."

Canvas's eyes opened even wider, growing more upset as he realized his childhood home was now gone.

"What?!"

"I sold everything I had!!” shouted Copper when he looked back up to his son while crying. "I gave up everything I had to try to find you! 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, letting his father's words sink in as he looked at him. 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. Despite hearing his father's sobs, Canvas began to walk away again before speaking in a cold tone.

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

"CANVAS, PLEASE!!!” Copper screamed, his cries now came out in bawls to his son. "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, keeping his head away from his father while he heard his desperate begging. Feeling his anger building up, Canvas's hooves began digging into the ground as Copper kept bawling to him. With tears streaming from his eyes along his matted fur, Copper no longer cared about his own shame as he tried as hard as he could to keep his son in his life. Screaming through his sobs, Copper kept pleading to his motionless son while the crowd of ponies watched in 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 grit his teeth, feeling his rage beginning to seep out while his dad kept begging as loud as he could.

"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 turned his head back to Copper, glaring at him as he spoke in a low and venomous tone.

"And I wish you died instead of Mom."

With his mouth hung open, Copper's pupils shrank into his welling eyes as he stood, speechless. In his frozen state, the green stallion was just as stunned as the rest of the ponies around him when Canvas began walking toward him. Feeling his hatred still building up, Canvas no longer yelled, and kept his voice as cold and soulless as he could while speaking to his father.

"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."

Not caring about how devastated Copper looked, Canvas walked right up to his tear-matted face, glaring into his eyes as he spoke as venomously as possible.

"You. Are. Dead. To. Me."

Not waiting to see his reaction, Canvas walked away again as more tears came from Copper's face, who was unable to make a sound or movement from his horrified shock. Without looking back, Canvas stopped for a moment and finished his last words to him.

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

With that, Canvas slowly walked his way out of the crowd. The ponies around him stepped back to let him pass. As he walked, nopony said a word as they watched him move away from Copper, many of whom too shocked or scared to confront him at that moment.

Seeing that Copper was finished with, Troy quickly made his way through the crowd and caught up with Canvas, keeping himself close to him as they walked. Even with Troy's wing over him, Canvas didn’t seem to react much as he kept walking away, making the rest of the ponies turn back to Copper in the middle of the street.

Even though there wasn't a single pony in that crowd who didn’t want to hurt that stallion for hurting his own child, nopony moved towards Copper as they saw how devastated he looked. Standing on the road in a frozen state, his mouth was still hung open as tears rolled down his stunned face, hitting the ground underneath his hooves as he let his son's words sink in.

After several seconds of still silence from the stallion, Copper let out a sob before his hooves gave out, making him fall on his flank as he started crying. While Copper began to sob in the middle of the street with his eyes clenched shut, many ponies began to walk off, either from guilt or from disappointment as they left him alone.

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

Hearing Copper's sobs, Twilight looked back to him as she put a hoof up to Rainbow. Surprised at the alicorn's reaction, the cyan mare was about to say something before Twilight spoke.

"Rainbow Dash,” said the Princess in a particularly cold tone without looking over to her friend, "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?"

Even though she was in slight disbelief that Twilight wasn't going to arrest Copper (or at least turn him into an orange or something), Rainbow Dash nodded in silence before she shot off, leaving the lavender pony alone as she stood in front of Copper.

Even though she felt a huge surge of rage flowing through her at finally meeting the pony who hurt Canvas like that, Twilight Sparkle didn’t move from her spot as she recalled Celestia's words, realizing what she meant when she said this was more complicated than she originally thought. While she knew she could easily have him arrested or detained, the look on his face was painful enough for the Princess to see that he went through enough, leaving her to stand at her spot as she watched in pity.

As she waited for Rainbow Dash to come back so she could leave Copper alone, Twilight stood at her spot, not saying a word as she watched him cry.

Next Chapter: Chapter Forty-Five: Picking Up The Pieces Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 18 Minutes