Broken

Broken: Chapter 1

"Wet"

"E-excuse me?" Lavender said the first thing that came to his stupefied, glazed-over mind. The mare looked at him from between her legs, the smolder still present and intense.

"I said I'm hungry for cock." She purred, one of her forehooves descending between her thighs. She tenderly stroked the glistening lips of her core, moaning as the slippery flesh squished under the gentle touch. "Very hungry."

"I-I-I..." Lavender swallowed again, his cheeks darkening (an admirable feat for an already-red pony such as himself.) "I'll just make some soup, then!"

He ran, out of the room, down the stairs, through the still-damp foyer, and into the kitchen. He stopped at the sink, splashing cold water onto his face to wake himself up. The smell of coffee filled the air, and as he emerged from the spray of cold water with an explosive breath, he poured another mug. Ignoring the scalding sensation in his throat, he took as long a drink as he could, gasping and coughing at the other end.

'What in the blue blazes of Luna's lamentable plot HAPPENED up there?!' He stared into the sink intently, still breathing heavily as he took a slower, more composed sip of coffee. He replayed all that had happened in his mind, and had to resort to a steady stream of cold water to stop himself from dashing back up there and feeding her. She had collapsed on his doorstep practically, and being the generous sort that he was (when there wasn't a promotion on the table,) he took her in, cleaned her, then... then...

"AUGH!" Slamming the empty mug down, he stomped back upstairs, feeling rather irritable. He gave pause at the door, raising his hoof to knock like any respectable pony would before entering the bedchamber of a mare. Granted, it was his room and his house, but he needed to show proper decorum. He knocked three times and cleared his throat.

"Ahem. Miss, may I enter?"

Silence. He knocked again, afraid she hadn't heard him. Again, no response. Hesitantly, he cracked the door open, peeking inside. "Miss? Are you oka- WOAH!"

The sheets had been stripped, and she was currently winding a tied loop of them around her neck. As he watched, horrified, she tied the other end of the sheets to the bedpost and proceeded to lean forwards on the floor. Immediately, she let out a choking sound, the sheets digging into the fur on her neck garishly.

"Hey!" His horn blazed to life immediately, sending a razor-thin line of magic across the sheets tied to the bedpost. The sound of ripping fabric and falling limbs filled the air as she pitched forwards onto her face, breathing explosively and coughing. "What are you doing?!" Lavender dashed forwards, standing over her as he tried to untie the knot around her neck.

"M-master wasn't pleased with me. I was punishing myself." She gurgled, rubbing her neck with a hoof. Lavender froze once more as she clutched at the sheet, trying to pull it back to her neck. "Please, master, I must be punished! Let me punish myself!" Lavender could only watch in shock as she started winding the sheet around her neck once more, tying a knot as best she could with her hooves.

He moved once she had started to wind it around the bedpost once more.

"Stop." He said, gripping the sheets firmly in his magic. "Don't punish yourself. Why would you want to do this? What's wrong?"

"I-I presented myself to master, and he ran from me! This one must be despicable, to present herself and be shunned. M-master, please, punish me as you see fit!"

His hoof reacted before he could really stop it. Whipping around, it caught her across the cheek, snapping her head to the side with a painfully-loud sound. She stumbled back a few steps, her eyes gone wide with shock. When she turned to look at him again, it was with tears in her eyes. Lavender froze once more, sudden guilt filling his head.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to strike you-"

"Thank you, master." She cut him off, lowering her head. "Please, punish me more."

"I let my- wait, what?" He stepped back. "What did you say?"

She kept her head down, but spoke softly.

"Please punish me more, master." She whispered the next, he eyes closed as she raised her head. The mark on her cheek had darkened to a ruddy dark thing, marring the otherwise perfect blue coat. Lavender lowered his hoof, looking at her with wide eyes.

"I'm not going to punish you. I slapped you to knock some sense into you."

"You're... Not going to punish me...?" Her eyes opened at last and she fixed them on Lavender, tears welling up.

"Of course not! Why would I punish you? I just have some quesitons... Okay, a lot of questions... Why did you... present yourself to me? Why did you come to my house? Why were you filthy? Weren't you weak to the point of collapse just a few minutes ago?"

"I... I..." The mare swayed where she stood, her eyes fluttering. Reacting almost out of reflex, Lavender grabbed her, stopping the poor thing from falling over once more. She slumped into his magic, her eyes closed and her breathing normal.

"Bother." Lavender cursed and hauled the poor mare back into bed, using the covers for a sheet since she had stripped them off, and they were now ruined by his cutting them. Cursing the entire time under his breath, he went to fetch another blanket to cover her with and the pot of coffee. She needed rest now, and food later. He dare not leave her alone lest she try to strangle herself again, or otherwise 'punish' herself.

When he returned with a blanket and coffee, she was as he had left her, curled up peacefully on her side, her chest rising and falling smoothly. He threw the blanket over her and poured a mug before dragging one chair from the guest room's desk over. He seated himself next to the bed, watching her sleep, with nothing but coffee and a book to keep him company.

Outside, the rain poured on, serenading Lavender with a cacophony of precipitation.

It was well into the morning before the mysterious mare woke up. She did so softly, giving a faint sound from the back of her throat as she rolled onto her stomach and raised her head. Lavender smiled at her - she really was beautiful - as she blinked at him.

"Good morning." He set the book aside, sliding off the chair to stand beside her bed.

"Good morning." She responded, raising a shaky hoof to rub her eyes. "I... I feel awful."

"I'd imagine so!" Lavender scoffed. "Do you remember any of what happened last night?"

"I... I don't." She came to the realization soberly, her lips curled downwards in a frown. "I don't remember ever coming here... Where is this place?"

"You are in my home." Lavender laid a hoof on hers comfortingly. "My name is Lavender Sky. Most call me Lav, or Lavender, or Sky. But you... you were calling me 'master.'"

"I... I was...?" The mare blinked and rubbed the bridge of her nose again, groaning inwardly. "It's all such a blur, I... I can't think straight..."

"Maybe some food would do you good." Lavender offered. He left out the tidbit about her exposing herself to him and offering to let him 'feed' her, mostly because he couldn't think about the gorgeous sight of her spread out like that without blushing furiously. Even now, he was sporting a faint one, but part of the virtue of being a natural shade of red was the fact nopony could tell faint blushes apart from the rest of your coat.

"Yes, please." She came around immediately, nodding enthusiastically. She began to crawl forward, but Lavender stopped her with a hoof.

"Aah, you stay there." He cautioned. "I'll bring it to you. Just rest up, okay?"

"Okay." She acquiesced surprisingly easy, curling up under the blankets once more. Still, Lavender could feel those magnificent jade eyes following him out of the room. He sighed once on the other side of the door.

"I'm going to need more coffee..."

Two mugs and a few slices of burnt toast later, Lavender re-entered the bedroom with a tray full of food. He knew Earth Ponies had appetites to rival the greatest competitive eaters, and she certainly seemed to be weak. Still, as he set the tray on the lone table of the room, the mysterious mare approached it slowly, and began eating very cautiously. Lavender was shocked to see her eat with such care and grace, and not that much either... She ate maybe half the food he had made, leaving quite a bit leftover.

"Ahem." He cleared his throat respectfully. "You can... Eat more, you know..." He nudged a full bowl of oatmeal closer to her. "I can get some sugar if you'd like."

"No, thank you." She smiled bravely. "I'm not that hungry."

"I... see." Lavender deadpanned, looking over her well-toned frame. She was larger than him by a fair amount, but she didn't get that big eating so modestly. Lavender squared with her, his eyes searching hers out. "I think it's time I get some answers, miss."

"I think I owe them to you." She sighed, hanging her head. "Ask me anything."

"Alright, first things first, what's your name?"

"You haven't given me one yet."

"That's an awfully peculiar- wait, what?" Lavender arched his head back. "What do you mean I haven't given you one yet?"

"Was I not clear?" Lavender blinked at him. "I'm in your home. You get the right to name me. Unless you want to call me by one of the names I've had before?"

"'One of the names'? What... You don't have a name of your own? What?" Lavender had never met such a peculiar being. Not only was she missing her cutie mark, but she didn't have a name? Or, more specifically, he supposed she had many... "I'm afraid I don't follow."

"Well, all things considered, I suppose you wouldn't have got me through the usual way..." She sighed. "I have been called many things. Kitten, Dog, Slut, Whore-"

"Wait, wait, wait." Lavender cut her off, waving his hooves frantically. "These were your names?! Like, I'm called Lavender Sky, and you were called-"

"Kitten, Dog, Slut, Whore, Girl, Slave... There was one pegasus who called me 'Sunspot' but he killed himself. Oh, I can't forget 'Bitch.' I've been called that many, many times." She cocked her head to the side. "Would you like to call me Bitch?"

"No!" Lavender's head was reeling. Just who WAS this mare? What had happened to her to cause her to act this way? He took a step back, rubbing away at the ever-present headache gnawing into his skull. "I... You've never had a normal name before? A name like mine?"

"Do you want to call me Lavender Sky?" She responded, brightening up. "I do like that name."

"You want my name?"

"I like your name. It's a good name." She beamed at him genuinely, looking for all intents and purposes like an angel descended from Elysium. Lavender glowered at her instead.

"I'm sure it is, but you can't have my name. What about a name that ties well with your cutie mar-" He stuffed a hoof in his mouth. The girl just looked at him curiously once more.

"My what?"

"Y-your, uum, talent." He cleared his throat. "You know, what you're good at. Plenty of ponies have names that coincide with their abilities. Not me, mind you, my parents were silly."

"So you want to call me Cocksleeve?"

"WHAT?!" Lavender spit the sip of coffee he was taking, looking at her incredulously.

"What about Cum Dumpster? Dicklicker?"

"I..."

"Ooh, or what about Screamer? I've been told I'm good at all of those things."

"Haah..." Lavender exhaled an exasperated breath, rubbing his temples once more. "This isn't happening to me."

"Would you like something to be happening to you?"

"You know, for all the answers I'm supposed to be getting, I'm giving out a lot more of them." He glared at her. "Just pick a name. Any name. A name you like."

"I..." The mare's face shifted from inquisitive and bright to pensive in a flash. There were tears brimming in her eyes, and Lavender immediately regretted saying anything so short with her.

"I'm sorry, dear, I didn't mean to be so short with you-"

"I've never picked anything before." She sniffled, looking back up at him once more. "Well, nothing besides my punishment."

"I-" For the umpteenth time, Lavender found himself frozen in her midst. She was such an enigma; this strange mare that had collapsed on his front stoop. He stared at her for a long time, the only sound being the sniffles she despondently emitted. After a long silence, he felt the need to say something.

"Well, if you really want me to pick a name for you, I can. I mean, if you can't think of anything."

"I've only known the names of my masters." She sniffed, wiping a hoof over her eyes. "I don't want to be named after any of them."

"Well, then, how about this:" He reached a hoof out to lift her chin gently. "Lily."

Lavender had never been much of a companionable sort. He did poorly with the mares, and even worse with the stallions. His romantic exploits had been limited to whatever self-pleasuring magic he could conjure and the faint memory of a drunken kiss from one of the editors during their last Hearth's Warming party. But in that moment, with his new charge looking him in the eye, and seeing the look of relief and happiness wash over her face, he felt as fulfilled and happy as he'd ever felt.

That, and the desperate kiss she planted on his lips moments later helped.

"Right. Ahem." He pushed her away, fighting yet another vicious blush as she tried to wrap her forelegs around him. "That's enough, now," she took the hint and backed away, but sat opposite him with a giddy smile on her lips. "Right. Now then." He sat up, a faint grin of his own curling his lips. "I still have a few more questions to ask you."

"Anything, mast- Lavender! I'll answer anything!" She caught the verbal slip, chiding herself without having to resort to auto-asphyxiation. Lavender chuckled and sized her up once more. She truly was a gorgeous mare, with a full head of gloriously silver hair, and a deep, rich blue coat that offset the striking green in her eyes rather well. When she wasn't caked in mud and trying to come on to him, she was actually quite alluring. A dark shadow crossed his face as he realized what must have happened to this mare. All of the mannerisms prior to this had led up to one conclusion, and he wanted to know who was responsible.

"Who did all this to you?"

"Masters Ignatus and Moonglow were responsible for my training." Lily answered immediately, without even blinking. "They taught me everything I know. How to behave, how to act, where to touch a stallion when he cu-"

"Aah." Lavender cut her off with a hoof. "I... Don't need to know that particular bit... But who are these ponies? Ignatus and Moonglow?" Lily appeared confused by the question.

"They're my masters..."

"Right. I suppose you wouldn't know much about who they were..." Lavender heaved a sigh and went back to rubbing his temples. This whole ordeal, from the kiss to finding her on his doorstep, was weighing heavily on his mind. He needed another cup of coffee. He needed about six years to comprehend all this. He needed resources and research.

He needed help.

"Sit tight, Lily. And do try to eat something, okay?"

"I'll try, ma-Lavender." She smiled genuinely at him, turning back towards the table as Lavender left the room. He made his way downstairs to his study, glowering at the stale cup of coffee he had left there from last night before Lily had shown up. He hovered it over to a nearby bookshelf, clearing the space on his study's desk to write a letter.

Silver,

Come over immediately. I have a matter that requires your assistance.

Sincerely,

-Lav

Lavender opened the nearby window, still laden with fat drops from last night's rain, and whistled out into the bright morning air. Across his lawn sat a sturdy old Oak tree, and nestled in its branches was a large birdhouse. From said house emerged a pigeon, white as snow and beautiful as a new moonrise. It fluttered across the lawn towards the window, landing on Lavender's out-stretched hoof. He fixed the miniature scroll to the pigeon's leg and made eye contact.

"To Silver."

The pigeon blinked once and took off, carrying his message out into the muggy morning.

Help was on the way, whether it wanted to be or not. Meanwhile, Lavender needed to handle some... Stress relief.

In retrospect, doing what he did probably wasn't the most courteous of things, considering whatever dark history Lily had come from. But damn it all, he couldn't get the vision of her glistening pink marehood out of his mind, of the eager fire in her eyes, and the way she said the word 'Master...' Flushing away his indignant seed, and taking a short cold shower to boot, Lavender re-entered Lily's room feeling much more composed and awake. He returned her smile when he noticed that the plates seemed marginally more empty. She must have eaten a little more.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Much better, thank you." She gave him a small bow of appreciation, which he took graciously. "And thank you for taking me into your home. I remember more about what happened, if you're still curious."

"I am indeed!" Lavender beamed at her. Being a journalist, curiosity was required. He offered her one of the two seats, taking the other for himself. She sat gracefully, taking a moment to collect herself. Lavender waited patiently as she appeared to be gathering her thoughts.

"I ran from my last master's home," She began, though her words sent a chill down Lavender's spine. He wanted to ask her how, but he was afraid of the inherent circumstances of her escape. "I managed to open the door to my room, and I ran away. I don't know how far I went, or where I started from, but I got as far away from that place as I could; as fast as my legs could carry me. I ran for ages, from the time that it was light until I arrived here."

"It was light out when you left?" Lavender asked. She nodded solemnly. She had arrived just after one in the morning. She had been running upwards of six hours, maybe even more, through the rain and the unfamiliar streets of Trottingham. He almost hated to ask, but he had to swallow his apprehension at some point. He leaned in a little as he asked his question.

"Who put you in that master's house? Where did you come from?"

"I... I don't know where from, but all I've known are Masters Ignatus and Moonglow, and anyone else they... they... sold me to..."

"I see... So you're a slave." Lavender arrived at the conclusion at last. Granted, all the signs pointed that way, but he had almost been in denial up until now. He sighed softly, feeling a profound sense of sadness come over him. This poor, gorgeous mare, abused and passed from one highest bidder to the next. He wondered how many times she had been sold, used, then sold again. He wondered if she was rented out, used like a packmule, then returned dirty and even more broken just so she could be passed out again.

He wondered what her price was.

Then he slapped himself. 'Terrible! That's awful! You should be ashamed of yourself!' His own reprimands fell short of making him actually feel bad, because the more he looked at her, the more and more it all began to make sense. The way she presented herself to him, not having any name, not even having any talent... He rubbed the sore spot on his cheek, wincing at the sting that radiated into his face.

"Lavender? Why'd you hit yourself?"

"Eer, no reason. I'm just tired, trying to wake up is all."

"Do you want to go to sleep?" Her eyes lit up once more, and Lavender knew she meant something else entirely by the word 'sleep.'

"I'm fine, thanks. Besides, I have some company coming over. Relax!" He raised a hoof to cut her off before she could speak. "It's a friend. Someone I can trust. I assure you, Lily, I'm not going to hurt you." 'At least, not in any way you won't enjoy- AUGH STOP!' Another stinging slap 'woke' him up. She frowned at him, and he smiled bravely. "I'm really tired. Forgive me."

"Who is it, Lavender? Your friend? I... I could tell you if they were my master before..."

"Hah! Trust me, Silver's not the sort of pony who would know anything about this sort of thing. At least, not firsthand knowledge... But he does know a lot about Trottingham, and all these nasty little sects that have popped up since, well, you know." She just gave him a quizzical look. "Since... Oh, come on, don't tell me you don't know about the legend of Nightmare Moon!"

"Nightmare who?"

"I... Wow, you really were sheltered, weren't you? Then again, being an Earth Pony, you might not have felt it when it happened-"

"Earth Pony?" Lily arched an eyebrow at him. "I'm not an Earth Pony."

"I mean, that sort of resonance can only be felt by we Uni- wait, what?" He looked at her with confusion on his face. "What do you mean you're not an Earth Pony? I don't see any wings on your back, and you most certainly don't have a horn-" His words fell short as Lily lifted her hooves to her mane, parting it at her forehead.

There, nestled among the silvery strands, was the stumpy base of a horn.

Lavender blacked out.