Broken, but Still Standing

Chapters

Mare of Gray
The Day After
Old Money of Manehatten
A Change of Tempo
Defender of Justice
Peace with a fragile heart
Enter from stage left
A Long Overdue Talk
Cloak and Dagger talk
Well Buck!
Betrayed
Knocking on the Front Door
Reunited my Mare of Gray
Beginning of a Beautiful Thing
Broken, but Still Standing (epilogue)

Mare of Gray

The beats waved through the air of the Blue Moon night club, a strangled mess of sirens and drops that made your eardrum vibrate so hard, you think they'd burst. Beautiful. This is my scene.

The name is Scratch. Vinyl Scratch. Dj Pon3 while I'm on stage. This is the story of how I met her. The mare that changed my life in more ways than one. Now, let me explain a little something. Most ponies seem to think that Octi and I have a thing. Yes, while we've flirted with the idea a time or two, we're just really good friends. She's going out with a friend of mine, Barron Von Hoofin, and she's happy, so I'm cool with it.

But, back to the night that night. I was finishing up my routine, controlling the life blood of the club with my skilled hooves as I massacred song after song with cutting tweaks, bullet like beats and strangling squeals that amounted to the sickest drops you'd ever heard in your whole entire bucking life. At the end of my 'play time' as I like to think of it as, I like to single out the next stallion, or mare, I'll be taking home with me. Sure, I'm a little lose, good vibes will do that to you, but I also have good taste, and the next instrument of my music understands its just a one night thing. If they're still by my side in the morning, we're going to have a problem.

So, I spied her. The gray mare with the blond mane and tail sat at the bar, away from my music. Several emotions hit at once. She's got a fine body, and wings too boot. I have a thing for wings. Another reason why Octi never really caught my eye. But, she's facing away from me and my beautiful music. I smiled. I liked a challenge.

“Wub-a-dub-dub mother buckers! Ready for my last drop that will leave you shitless?”

The crowd roared my name as I let it drop. It was hard, intense, yet paced at the right tempo, like passionate sex, that just keeps rolling from one breath to another, eliciting moans, gasps and whimpers. The entire time I made love with my turn tables and blowing the minds of every little pony in the room, I kept my eyes trained on the elusive one. The mare at the bar who seemed more interested in her drink than in my performance. I'd decided I'd take her home that night. Any mare that I don't impress, is worth getting to know a lot better.

As my last screeches fade, melting into a new, high tempo zaps of Neon Light's beat. I let him take over, making my way to the floor with eyes only for the stranger at the bar.

“Give me an AJD on the rock.” I called over the rich, vibrant noise that ponies call music. The bartender nodded, sliding me the glass of liquor.

The mare didn't even acknowledged that I was sitting next to her.

“So, what's your name cutie?”

The gray mare looked up, eyes skewed in different directions. Sweet Celestia! I about died of laughter. Did she drink too much already? It was then that I noticed the big tears that were on her cheeks, and any laughter that would be in me deflated like a popped balloon.

She didn't say a word. She just went back to her drink. Something wasn't right, and my horn gave a twitch. Call it instinct or intuition, but when my horn twitches, there was more that I needed to know.

“Hey,” I tried again. “You okay?”

“...You going to throw me out too?”

“What?” Wow, where did that come from?

“I overheard a few ponies talking.”

Oookay? What did that have to do with her question? Actually it was more like an accusation, which held enough truth to be damning to my chances of getting her home tonight.

“Okay, so you overheard some loud mouths. Doesn't make it true, but more to the point. That kind of reply to the question of 'You okay' means something's up.”

She looked at me, her gaze tantalizing, yet scrutinizing, like she caught me cheating on a test or something.

“Go bother some other pony.”

Ooohh noo she didn't. Those were challenge words, and I never back down from a challenge.

“So, what are you going to do? Mope about-”

“I'm pregnant.” She cut in. “The father just through me out and I have no place to go. From what I hear, you're no better, so leave me alone while I...I...” Her bottom lip trembled, and the tears started flowing again, welling up and dripping like one of my beats that would rock the house.

I was at a loss of words. What she said, hit home like a mother bucking train wreck.

“That's messed up.” I replied, most likely in a daze. That's not the kind of thing you recover from and brush off like it never was said. Suddenly, the beat became nothing more than noise.

“And I have no place to go..” More tears.

“The buck you do.” I growled, glaring at my drink, which I hadn't even touched. “You're coming home with me.”

She looked at me, unsure what to think, and for once, all the cockiness of DJ Pon3 was gone.

“It's not far, and I won't kick you out. You're in a jam, and I've got a pad you can crash on, until you find something more your speed.

She sniffled, then smiled. Something deep inside me lit up, like a flame of a match that was ready to light the tinder of a thirsty fire.

Then her eyes turned hard, like something clicked in her head. She growled.

“I'm not going to fall for that.”

The look in her eye said a lot of things to me. Anger, hurt, regret, but most of all fear. She shook her head, pushing away her drink, which looked like nothing more than water.

“You think I'm going to take advantage of you.” I stated in a flat, matter of fact way. She nodded. “I don't bang mares who are crying.”

She looked a little nervous at my upfrontness about it, but didn't back down. “Not the first time I've heard those words.” She replied. “I'm not going to let another do to me what he did.”

Buck, this girl just didn't know who to trust. “Let me clear the air. You're pregnant and were thrown out by the father, right?” She winced, but nodded. “Same thing happened to my mother, only no pony had the nads big enough to invite her into their home and let her sleep it off for a few days. No bucker cared that she was beaten and abused. No, she was a blot on society. Well, I ain't like other ponies, and I'll be damned if I sit by and watch any pony go through the same pain my mother went through. You can stay a few days, or a year all I bucking care, but you are not going to spend the night in the gutter.”

My words mush have startled her. To prove my point, I did something only a few ponies have seen me to. In short, the act was something of legend, something that only a few I even took home see me do. I lifted my shades so she could see my red irises eyes.

“Trust me. No pony will touch you.”

That was the final push for her, and she nodded. As I left, the bartender grabbed my arm, giving me a scrutinizing look.

“You better make sure she's okay.”

“Hoof off the arm.”

“She's a sweet mare, Scratch. I'd take her in if I could, but if I find out you-”

I almost laughed. “Really? Really, Tender? It's cool. I'm just going to let her stay long enough to get on her hooves.”

He let go. “She told me the whole story. She's been touched enough as is. Don't do anything, or I'll ban you from the bar for life.”

I gave him a strange look, but nodded. Okaay, I have no idea what that was about, but still, Tender listened to the sad sob stories of at least a hundred ponies a night. If this one is affecting him so, then she was in deeper shit than she admitted.

The walk home was refreshing. The breeze was cool and clean, even brisk, and Luna's stars were out, twinkling and winking at us. I'd like to think of what would happen if I could convince Luna to let me play a sky rave with those stars. The sickness would be of such epic proportions, I'd be a god to every DJ for a millennium.

She sniffed as we walked, side by side. Her quiet noises brought me back to earth.

“So, what's your name?”

She sniffled. “Derpy. Derpy Hooves.”

Derpy? What a cute name.

“Got family?”

She stopped so suddenly, that my brain didn't even register that she did until I was about five paces ahead of her. I looked back to see her silently bawling, like the very fabric of her heart was tearing into tiny ribbons. I stood there watching her whimper, not knowing what to say, or do. I myself had issues that crumbled me into nothing more than a pile of quivering tears, but that's what alcohol is for. Between, that, sex and my beats, I created a shell so thick nothing in Equestria could touch me. Yet, this mare, her tears, stripped me of every bit of armor I hid behind.

“Please don't cry.” I pleaded finally. I walked up to her and hugged her. “Please, don't cry Derpy.”

She sniffled, and let me lead her to my apartment.

Truth be told, I don't remember the rest of that night after we got through the front door. I was feeling the pains of my child hood and the only thing that could numb the pain was a bottle of Ol' Smiths Whiskey that I'd been saving. We talked as I drank and drank and drank before all went black.

The Day After

The first sensation I remember after blacking out my, what? Eighth drink? Was pain. I hurt all over, like a mother bucking steamroller flattened my head out.

“Oohhh, son of a bi-” Then I smelled it. Something that was so strange and out of place, I just had to open my bloodshot eyes and actually acknowledge the shit hole of a place I claimed was my abode...only something was different.

Where there use to be empty beer bottles and cans, there was none. Trash was picked up, the nasty plot smell of dried sweat and sex was replaced with the rich smell of flowers and hay bacon. The floor was spotless, and-

“La la laa, la lalaa~”

If the smell of hay bacon wasn't enough to rouse me out of be, the need to discover the source of that singing was. Any other morning I'd just lay in bed till noon, cursing my lame existence of a life, before blasting beats to the point that my numb brain could do little more than function out of habit, getting my lazy plot out of bed and eating something that I could scrap together and burn with my very limited cooking knowledge. With the new scents assaulting my nose, like an army of sweet smelling soldiers on their way to victory, I rose to my hooves.

The light was bright, as always, as it cascaded into my room through the open window. With a snicker of self loathing, I magicked my shades back on. If only ponies knew the real reason I wore these babies all day, and most of the night.

“Vinyl? You up yet?”

Upon entering my kitchen on shaky legs, this would be the time I'd down a Fifth and Eighths to steady myself, I found the strangest sight that I had yet to behold this morning. Derpy, the cute gray mare from the night before, was smiling, string up a pot of coffee, while scrambling some eggs and flipping hey bacon strips.

I just stared there, mouth agape, shades sliding down my nose like a geek peeping in on a freaky couple for the first time. She looked over, and it was then I noticed the white apron she had on, which made the whole scene that much more amazing.

“Yes?” She asked a full minute later when she noticed me staring at her like a punk being played by a pro.

“You have no idea how bucking sexy you are right now.”

She blushed and giggled. “Well, breakfast is ready.”

Breakfast. That word used to be the most feared word in my vocabulary, but one taste of the eggs, hay bacon and coffee was enough to send my taste buds into such an orgasmic vibe that the music it created upon my tongue made the sickest drops I'd ever created seemed to be nothing but a filly banging a tin can while blowing raspberries to a pop song that came out three years ago.

Derpy just sat there, watching me savor every bite. She smiled sweetly before getting to her hooves.

“Well, thank you for letting stay that night. I cleaned the apartment. Now I'll be go-”

I nearly choked. “What?!” She gave me an amused look as I took a moment to swallow my food, rather than to spit it out on the now clean table. I held up a hoof showing I was chewing. “I remember saying last night I don't care if you stay three days or a whole year. I'm good as my word. You can stay.”

Derpy seemed to chew that over for a moment, before giving me a glare.

“I'm not sleeping with you.”

I laughed. She's still going on about that? “Listen, Prego, I like you, but you are here as my guest, not my play toy. I wouldn't dream of coming on to you without an invitation.”

Derpy didn't seem impressed.

“First of all, Shades,” She said the word like it was a very vile word, “I don't trust a pony I can't see the eyes of.”

She made a motion to take off my purple glasses. I blocked her hoof with my own.

“Shades stay on.” I told her.

“Okay. If that's the case,” She took off her apron, and stood up. “I'll find another place to be.”

“....” Why was I so concerned if some stray pony I fished out from a sea of gutter rats stayed with me? There was no way I'd give up my way of life to 'play' her silly games. Then, I remembered my mother, and how she'd refuse to talk to any guy with a beard because 'he' had worn one. I took off my shades.

The glare of the sun pricked my eyes like bee stings, forcing me to shut like vice grips. Slowly, painfully, I opened them to see the gray mare who sat back smugly.

“Yeah, why you so prissy today?”

She laughed, a giggle that sounded like fairies playing on the tree tops, before laying her ears back guiltily.

“Sorry,” She apologized. “I thought your eyes were so pretty last night, I wanted to see them again.”

I wasn't impressed. “Really? Really Prego?”

She shrugged. “But I wasn't exactly lying when I said I don't trust a pony I don't see the eyes of. It's how I can tell if they're being truthful or not.”

I was about to tell her off that it didn't matter, but considering how the only real reason I wore the silly things were because of the fact that I was teased about my red eyes so much as a filly that I hide them so no pony would know and that my eyes were super sensitive because of how my I drank, I chose not to protest, which I figured would bring about another argument of my drinking habits. Octi and I had that talk many times, but I didn't want to have it with this mare. With the way things were going, I was afraid she'd actually have a real point and convince me it was in my best interest to quit drinking. That was an argument, I didn't want to lose.

We sat there in silence. Her with her own thoughts, and myself with conflicting emotions. Too much was being forced, but I was the jackass who put my neck out there. If it got broke being stepped on, that was my fault.

“So, you have a regular schedule?” The gray mare asked, clearing the table once I finished eating.

“Sorta. It usually takes me a few hours to wake up, but then I head down to the recording studio and do a few tracks before heading to the club and set up for the night.”

She frowned, as if something about my day didn't sit right with her. “Not much chance to have a life.”

I laughed. “What life? This shit I call existence is about two things. Music, and money. The rest is just collateral damage.”

If looks could kill. “Collateral damage?”

“Let me be straight. I don't really care much about anything but music and getting my kicks. For kicks, I need bits. For bits I need gigs. For gigs, I need a rep. For a rep I need to be the mother bucking beast of the ball.”

She snorted, but didn't say anything. I got up and headed out, putting my shades back on, but not before giving her a key to the place and a bag of bits. As I left the my pad, there was a little part of me that thought I'd never see her again, that she'd take the bits I gave to her and split, but that wasn't a real problem. Part of me wanted her gone. When I let her stay, she was a poor defenseless creature that needed looking after. This morning, she was a strong willed mare who knew what she wanted and would get it, even if I didn't like it.

I got to the recording studio.

“You're here early.” Nightlight noted from behind the security counter. He sipped at his coffee. “I haven't had my nap yet.”

“Yeah, I know how much you like it, so I thought I'd show up so I didn't have to wake you.”

The big lavender earth pony laughed. “Thanks.”

I checked in with the front desk and went to my usual room. With a few flicks of switches and punch of a few buttons, I put on my headphones and closed my eyes, feeling the world around me slip away. It was like I was floating in nothingness, with only a constant beat and looping melody to create the world around me in this emptiness. I was at last alone with my thoughts, and my words.

“You just don't get it, why can't you see

That everything I bucking have is what I'm going to be?

You think your so hot with your sick ice,

But you fail to see what's important while your caught up in your vice,

How is it that I'm so depraved of manners and standards of the high snobs like you

Yet every pony wants to be me and crowed my space like a mother bucking zoo?

You just don't get it, why can't you see,

That everything I've become is because of mother bucking me?

You claim your riches, you claim your prize,

I claim nothing but my Celestia Damn eyes!

Eyes that see the poverty you make, with your whims and all those who fake,

Whims that steal away that which isn't yours, whims that decimates,

Decimates those who can not fight.

They fight, they struggle, they rise and then fall

All because you can't see beyond your wall,

The wall that shelters you from blame,

The blame that makes the all complain,

Complain because you've got it all because of your gall,

You step on the small and treat them like a doll,

Only to throw them away at the end,

Your kind mother bucking offends!

Don't Defend, don't pretend, you're not my bucking friend!

You who think your so hot, pretending to be what your not!

You just don't get it, why can't you see,

I'm nothing like you, you mother buck fiend?

For hours I poured out my soul and anger into words that came to me as I sat in my own dark world until I had nothing left to say. It's almost piteous, but all my raps had been a mindless mess of cursing and ranting that didn't make sense if you didn't know much about me, and I made sure not to share that kind of thing to any pony. No wonder I didn't sell any copies.

With a sighed, and took off for my gig that night, brooding. My life had been on a steady incline for the last few years due to anger. For Celestia's sake, I was pissed at every damn thing. My past was full of pain, but I refused to acknowledge it, drowning the memories of wrongs with drink and washing it away with the pleasure. At times, I feel like I'm about to explode. That's where music steps in, creating a new way to express my emotions without doing anything stupid. Well, stupider than what I already do.

Once I got to the Blue Moon, already in a pissy mood, I saw the owner waiting outside. I didn't see him often, but I shrugged.

“Hey boss. What's up?”

He shuffled nervously. He was a scrawny peach unicorn with a stack of three bits for a cutie mark. He gulped. “I don't know what trouble your in.”

I blinked. “Trouble?”

“But, please, I don't want it in my club.”

“What trouble?” Then what he said sunk in. “Hang a moment, you're not talking about a dark brown unicorn with scars over his face, are you?”

He started trembling. “Miss Scratch? I'm sorry, but, could you take the night off? Or even a short vacation?”

I stared at him with a mix of outrage and dread. “You're serious? You're Bucking SERIOUS?!”

“I have your nights pay here.”

I couldn't believe this! How dare he?! How dare that tramp follow me to here and set about ruining my life? I've already told him a million times I don't want him in my life!

“Shove it.” I snorted, turning to leave.

“It's just for a fe-”

“You just lost yourself a mother bucking DJ, dickless.”

And with that I left, turning down the ally for the back way home.

“Yo.” It was Neon, leaning against the brick wall of the little, but clean, ally way.

I just glared at the ground. Neon and I had been fun rivals since I started dropping beats. Our competitive nature and constant ragging on each other had made us into the most wanted Djs in Manehatten.

“You're not playing tonight?” I stayed silent, brooding over the gall of the bastard who thinks he's so right and I'm wrong.

“Don't say anything.” I cut him off as he opened his mouth again. “I don't wanna talk about it.”

He stood there, watching me, then shrugged. “Okay. Well, I'll catch you around latter then.”

“Lates.” I nodded, making my way back home, sighing, feeling anger give to depression. I stopped at my apartment door, a hoof on the knob, wondering if I should even try to move, like last time. I'll have to find another place to DJ at. At this point, moving would only delay the inevitable, and I wasn't looking forward to signing more lease papers.

The apartment was clean, cleaner than I had seen it on the day I'd started renting. Walls were actually white, not the off color I let them stay, the floor freshly swept and, oh Celestia, was that noodles I smell?!

Hoof clops made their way from the kitchen to the short hallway that lead to the bedroom. Derpy, her eyes off skew of each other greeted me with a mild look of surprise.

“You're home.”

“Yeah.” I replied glumly. “My gig was canceled.”

That gray mare looked concerned, all the hardness that was in her eyes that morning, gone, replaced with genuine sadness on my behave. I shook my head, not wanting to explain why. I wasn't ready.

“Well, dinner will be ready in ten minutes. Go wash up. I'm sure some hot food will pick you back up.”

As if to accent her words, my stomach grumbled, causing me to blush.

“I'll...go...do that.” A shower actually sounded like a great idea.

In no time I had the water running at a blistering heat, dowsing my head, shoulders and back in searing heat that massaged deep into body, melting all the stress that took me that day, and washed away all the aches and worries my mind, or pride, had suffered. After letting the water soak, I shut off the water and looked into the bathroom Cabinet.

I blinked. No...NO! It was gone! I can't go out like this! It was-

“Vinyl, dinner is set.”

I'm not going to lie. I flipped.

“One minute!”

“Okay. Just hurry. I'm hungry.”

Okay that bought me some time. I looked about the steaming room desperately for anything. Anything that will keep her from-

Creek.

I felt my body turn to wood as I slowly turned my head to look at the concerned eyes peering in through the door. The concern melted into shock. Sweet Celestia she sa-

The door opened more as she made her way into the bathroom.

“Didn't any pony tell you it's rude to walk in on a pony in the bathroom?”

She looked guilty, scuffing a hoof, but not taking her eyes off my hair. “Go on. Say it.”

Derpy, took a breath and our stomachs rumbled in unison. “Can we eat?”

I about fell over, but followed her to the table, where a scrumptious meal of noodles, asparagus, and a healthy sized apple salad was set for two. We ate in silence, she not sure how to ask it, and me not wanting to answer what she was going to ask.

Finally, she locked eyes with me. “I didn't know you were an albino.”

There was not accusation. There was not taunt, and it wasn't said like it was disgusting. She spoke her statement like she was saying the sky was blue. That it was, and not that it should be. If only fillies and colts growing up were as understanding.

“Yeah.” I sighed. “I dye my mane and tail every time I take a shower.”

Derpy didn't ask the stupid questions, like why or where your parents albino. She just nodded sympathetic, like she understood the unspoken pain that came with a childhood of being in a world of color, but being the only thing that had none. If my red eyes didn't freak ponies out enough to keep their distance, they'd laugh and make up jokes and insults about my white mane and tail. Even my cutie mark had only one color, making the only relief from black and white the blood red in my eyes. As if my single mom didn't have enough problems as is.

“I was born with a medical condition that make my eyes crossed most of of the times.” Her ears folded back, like she could still hear the teasing I knew that must have brought.

I didn't think. I just put a hoof on hers. “Yeah. I get it.”

She looked relieved. Mostly, I'll bet, that I wasn't upset at her for barging in on me in the bathroom. Then, her eyes went flat.

“Doesn't change my mind. I'm still not sleeping with no pony.”

I couldn't help it. I facehoofed. “Derp, why are you so keen on saying that? I'm not making a move.”

“Hoof on mine?” She pointed out.

“It's a reassuring gesture.” I stated flatly. She bit her lip, and I finally understood. “You were taken advantage of because you didn't know what was okay and what wasn't.”

She winced, like she just heard a flower pot hit the ground, but looked up at me, silently saying, 'yes'.

This explained her rapid change of character, and made me feel even sorrier for the poor mare.

“We'll fix that.” I told her.

She smiled, a very heartwarming smile and I, for the first time in a while, felt a smile spreading on my face. Maybe life wasn't as terrible as I thought it was. Derpy couldn’t hide her differences, and so probably got more flack for it, but still she could smile. Maybe I could learn to smile too.

Old Money of Manehatten

So, without boring you all to death with things of little importance, the next week was a combination of me and Derpy going out to look for work, usually splitting ways, as I was looking for DJ gigs while Derpy was looking for...Well...Work...? Now that I think about it, that cute gray pegasus never mentions what kind of work she was looking for.

Not like it mattered very much, am I right? I mean, she could work at a flower shop, cafe or a grocery store for all I cared. But the more I put thought in it, I couldn't really see her doing any of those kind of jobs, which made me wonder even more what was she doing before for bits? With a sign, I came home to see her, crying, at the stove.

Personally, I didn't mind the fact that mare was prego. I mean, can I bucking judge? I'm an alcoholic, sex addict that would bone a pony for no other reason than I still had some time before my eyes closed on their own due to the combination of exhaustion and distilled liquor that made any and all decisions either stupid or dumb. It's a miracle I don't have STDs really.

So, as I walk in on my mare, that is my roommate, she tried to dry her tears.

“H-hi Vinyl. H-how was the s-search for work?”

She wouldn't look at me, which I just shrugged off. Guess she was just having a rough day. Truth is, every day must be rough. Manehatten didn't really have prejudices, but single, pregnant mares had it harder to find any decent paying jobs.

“Actually found a gig.” I cracked my neck. “An old friend of mine opened up a new club in the industrial side of town, Clogged Cogg or something like that. I start tomorrow night, actually. Not the best paying thing, but he promised me if I can bring in the ponies, I'll get a percent of the door price.”

Truth is, he was being way too generous, and part of me said I should turn the offer down, but he was a friend who knew I was running low on bits. I'd have to kick my shit into high gear to make that percent pay anything, but if I did, he'd win, I'd win and we'd all walk away with some bits.

“T-that's n-n-nice.” Was her only reply.

“Hey, are you okay?” I almost rolled my eyes. You okay? Really? This pony is practically balling her mother bucking eyes out and all I can ask is 'are you okay?' Wow, I am smoother than the dirt road to stupidville.

“Y-y-eah.” She sniffed, before straightening up and turning to show me a teary eyed smile, with the biggest black eye I'd ever seen. I mean, the bucking thing was a shiner you'd rarely see at street match of hoofsies. I'm sure she said something else, but I couldn't hear it over the blood rushing to my face that any pony, dirt bag or not, would ever touch an angel such as Derpy, let alone slug her in the eye.

“Two questions.” I asked stoically, trying hard not to rage quit right there in the kitchen slash dinning room. “Who and where can I find him.”

“Vinyl I-”

“Who?”

She bit her lip, her ears folding down in a look of shame and pain. “He-he was my...o-old, e-empl...”

“Who?” I repeated firmly. She flinched, as if I made a move, but I didn't pay much attention. First thing was first, and the name of the son of a bitch who did this came first.

“...D-Diamond Bright..”

It was like so many things clicked into place all at once. I could feel my blood drain from my face before running back up, probably making me look like a silly cartoon character who got scared and hot at the same time.

Diamond Bright was old money of the richest kind. His wife had died several years ago, after the birth of his only daughter, Rarity, I think her name is. He seemed to only have a doting eye for his daughter, but some rumors have spread that he would require his maids to preform in some 'extra' chores outside of their original contract. A big stallion like him wouldn't take no for an answer either. Fact is, he could have gone to any of the Ivory League schools on a hoofball scholarship, like his brother, Karl, but chose to stay at home and receive special tutoring at home on how to carry on the family business of securing small, no name companies and turning a profit, underhoofidly I bet.

But what made my blood boil the most was the fact that the mother bucker, and yes I do mean that in the most literal sense, was literally and figuratively untouchable. There wasn't a bucking thing I could do to smear that plotwhipe's face in the shit he is. It was times like this I blamed my dad for ever rutting my mother to give birth to me, because despite any of this, I was going to try. Kill myself in the process? Most likely. Take as many down with me in the process? You better believe it!

Poor Derpy must have seen my resolute face. “Vinyl no!” It was then I noticed she was hugging me from behind, keeping me on my hind legs to keep from going through the door.

“Sorry Derp.” I relaxed, showing I wasn't going to preform my suicide mission. Not yet at least. “Sorta lost my head.”

Derpy sniffed. “Promise me. Promise me you won't do anything stupid. Don't go after him.”

“Derp, the last thing I want to do is the stupid. Go after him? With what? The best I could do is go to his gate and yell at him, but he'd never hear it in his mansion. No, I couldn't do anything if I really wanted.”

As I said it all, admitting it to myself, I felt the fight fade out of me, but not my hate. I'd get that bastard. Somehow, I'd get him.

Derpy, once again, brought me to my senses. “Vinyl...I don't know what I'd do if you got hurt...”

“Hey,” I managed a smile back while craning my neck to see her tear streaked face, trying hard not to take that statement the way that my hormones were telling me it meant. “That's what friends are for, am I right?”

She didn't reply. She just held me a few moments longer before letting go and walking back to the stove to finishing dinner, which turned out to be a fish soup.

“Uuuhhh, fish?”

Derpy nodded. “Yes. It is common knowledge that unicorns burn a lot of calories using magic on a daily basis. Proteins are necessary to help replenish the needed calories, and fish is an excellent way to get it, not to mention that it's not red meat, so it's not against the law.”

That surprised me. “How do you know that? I'll be honest, that's all true, but how does a pegasus know that when most unicorns these days don't know that. Even more, it's kinda an old practice.” Waaaaaaait. “Hang on a mo, how the Tartus did you get your hooves on fish in this market? It's expensive.”

Derpy smiled, her eyes all cutesy as she opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Her eyes snapped opened and her hooves flew to her face.

“Oh Celestia!” She whispered. “Well...ummm...”

I resisted the urge to facehoof. This better not be what I think it is. “Diamond?”

She nodded. “I was going back into maid mode.” She whimpered, as if ashamed. “I started making his favorite foods.”

I sipped the hot broth. “...If this is his favorite, I have to hoof it to him. He's got good taste.”

She relaxed a little at that, but still was up tight, not even touching her own food now.

“Something wrong?” I asked, sipping again.

“N-no.” She looked away. Okay this was starting to get weird. My horn twinged and I knew there was more to that black eye than who gave it.

I leaned back in my chair and folded my forelegs. “Okay, spill.”

“What?” Derpy looked perplexed, which would have been cute had it not been that the topic was about the hoof shadow over her left eye.

“Derpy, how did you get the black eye? You told me who gave it, but not why or how. Either say it or I don't take another bite.”

Okay, that may have sounded a bajillion times better in my head, but it got the desired results. She hung her head and told me the story.

“I was out by the docks, and couldn't find any work. I was feeling down, so I thought I'd make you something to cheer me up. I like cooking and all, and I had made a few friends with some of the fisherponies there, so I was able to get a fish for three bits. It was then I bumped into Diamond Bright. He was out with his daughter. She recognized me and started talking to me. Rarity, despite her father and his heavy hoofed ways with us maids, is rather a nice mare.

“She asked how I was doing and where I disappeared too. I tried to politely end the conversation, before Diamond Bright noticed me. He seemed preoccupied with some of the fisherponies to notice me at first. When he did notice me, he said something to one of the bodyguard ponies, who lead Rarity, discreetly, back the way they came.”

She took a pause, as if debating telling me the truth. I guess I couldn't blame her, considering how I nearly when all rambo without a plan. A simple nod, however, was enough to nudge her on.

“He...He demanded me to tell where I had been, and I told him that it didn't matter since he kicked me out. He hit me with a hoof and yelled that I was nothing but a shameless slut that would never find a place here in Manehatten.” She started tearing up again. “He also told me that he'd have his unborn baby from me, even if he had to rip it out with his own teeth.”

Now the shit has hit the fan, but I forced a smile. How could I do this? How could I help this mare? As promised to take care of her, I took another sip of my soup, tasting every spice that melded into it's savory flavor. What I also tasted, what most ponies would have missed, is the kindness and love that it was made with. I'd find a way to help. Some how, I'd find a way.

A Change of Tempo

“All right all you mother buckers! Are you READY to PAA-TAAAY?”

As I dropped the light on the switch board, I brought up the beat, bumping and thumping the Clogged Clog to life. The few ponies there were bobbed their heads to the beat, a few of the more out going ones getting on their hooves, making their way to the dance floor and swaying to the music.

As I worked the turn table, warping and scratching the Tartarus out of the shit I played, I just focused on the dance floor. It was part that this was a new club, and part because my name wasn't big yet, but there was only a hoof full of ponies dancing and none coming in from outside. Great. First night here, and things have already gone down the drain.

I eyed the shiny new track names on my list. Since Derpy had moved her cute flank into my pad, I'd thought I'd try to record something different, something that I hadn't even thought about for years. Instead of trying to rap, and try and mix that into my beats or take the generic pop songs they gave me to work with, I came up with something new. When I attended college, for the short time I was...we'll just say graced with, I picked up the violin. I had forgotten that I even had an electric violin, but when I played it, it came to me as if I just put it down yesterday.

I had spent hours playing, letting my soul sing through the strings as the bow grind and kissed them, as if trying to satisfy desperate lovers who just could not have their lust slaked. It was a side of me that I kept from the world. It was my last pearl, and I would not cast it before swine. My eyes flickered up to the crowd, and seeing the disinterest settle in, I gritted my teeth and forced my hoof to hit the song for the next on the play list.

Bringing the track to die, I started up my original song. At first, the ponies were confused, looking around like, 'is that a violin?' I smiled, flipping the switch and letting it out. The stringed synch went up and down, while bouncing off the beats like a filly on a sugar high. As the beat picked up, the ponies started to get into it. The ponies where just lounging around perked up, like 'this is new' and got up, making their way to the dance floor, shaking their flanks flanks and rockin' to the beast I created. I turned it up.

I lost myself in the music, yelling at the crowed, twirkin' that turntable, ruttin' it hard to the mass of sounds I blended so seamlessly, the mother buckers didn't know that I just kept looping the same bucking track! What seemed like a half hour later, my buddy, Bronze Tip, yeah I had fun with his name more than once, sidled up to me and told me to announce last call.

And so ended the first night, and once the ponies were gone, I went to the bar to settle up with Tippy. Aw, com'on. You KNEW I was going to say that.

“How'd we do?” I asked.

He slapped down thirty bits worth of notes. “Care to explain?” Bronze raised an eye. “I was only expecting maybe one fifty worth from the door, considering that it was my first night, my club filler quit on me five minutes before we opened and it was only two bits to get in. How the Tartarus you managed that, I don't know, but those were the sickest drops I'd ever heard!”

I'd lie if I said I was speechless. I just took the money and smiled. “It's what I do Tippy. It's what I do.”

“Well, do it more. And get some more of that music. I don't want you spinning the same three tracks anymore.”

I blushed. “You caught that?”

“Any pro would, but the dancers either didn't know or didn't give a buck. Get more of that, and I'll make it worth your while.”

“Well....Ya see...” He raised an eyebrow. “It's my own original comp.” His eyes bugged out. “Yeah.”

“You PLAY? YOU??”

“Shut your mouth.” I blushed again. “You're attracting flies.”

“How much am I giving you again?”

“I think it was two hundred bits a week?”

He sat back and thought for a moment. “Listen. I can't do it now, because I don't have the cash, but record more like that and play it here, I'll see what I can't do to raise that up to three fifty. Deal?”

I about cracked his hoof with how hard I smacked with mine. “Deal!”

“Buck! Geez! Easy will ya'?” He smiled. “Glad you're on board. Now lets make it rain.”

I practically floated home, the extra thirty would go a looong ways, especially if Derpy could find some cheap goodness to cook with. If I had been paying attention more, I would have noticed the pony following me much earlier, but I was a few blocks away from home that I finally got my head out my plot enough to pay attention to my shadow.

I wasn't quite sure who it was, but I could guess. I made my way to a dead end, where we couldn't be interrupted. As I leaned against the wall of the old building, waiting for my tail to stop in in the shadows, I glanced around just to make sure we were alone.

“Aegis. I told you to keep your plot out of my bucking life.” No answer. “Seriously! That stunt you pulled at the Blue Moon got me fired! I could bucking kill you for that!”

“Who's Aegis?”

That voice. I knew that voice so well it almost pained my heart. She walked out, slender gray legs, a sweeping black mane and such a cheeky smile, she made me blush.

“Well, Vinyl? Who's this Aegis fellow? A stud who broke your heart?”

I laughed. “What heart? Last I checked, you sorta ripped that out of me and put it on your mantle piece.”

She laughed, that laugh I loved as she leaned in and kissed me. It was a soft kiss, but it held a firmness that took me back a few years.

Now, I bet you all have figured out who this mystery pony is and are scratching your heads. I may have lied a little when I said that I wasn't into Octavia Melody. I totally was into her, and she into me, but, well, something happened, and she started changing from the innocent mare that I had fallen for. I never found out, because my father made an appearance and forced me to skip town.

“Octi? What are you doing here?” I asked, after she let me breath. “I thought you were with the symphony.”

“Oh buck that.” I stared at her. “What Vinyl? Haven't heard a lady curse before?”

“Not you. What happened? You're not acting like...Well, you.”

She gave me a disappointed look, as if this surprise reunion wasn't going as she planned, but brushed it off.

“Could we talk over some coffee?” She suggested. “We have some catching up to do and I'd rather be in a warm place for that.”

She linked a leg around my foreleg, forcing me to stand on my hind legs, and led me. Ponies don't usually walk on our hind legs, but we can. As we walked, like a couple, she leaned in and rested her head on my shoulder.

“I missed you.” She purred. “Missed you so much.”

I sighed, hoping Derpy wasn't waiting up for me tonight.

Defender of Justice

So, in what seems like no time I'm sitting in a booth of a coffee shop with my ex, sipping an espresso, falling deeper into her amethyst eyes, trying to wrap my brain around the fact that she's here, and that didn't know what the buck to do or say. So there I sat, sipping the drink, not tasting it, but using it as a means to keep from talking as I waited for her to break the silence that felt like a brittle piece of glass. Mind you, while she was smiling and being flirty with her eyes, she still was my ex, and that never boded well in friendly conversations.

“You're avoiding conversation.” She finally said, her smile fading a little.

I nearly spit out the scalding hot liquid. “What gave it away?” I added a chuckle, trying to hide any nervousness I had about this awkward situation, but she wasn't buyin'.

“V. Look. I need to know why you left.”

“D-didn't the letter say it all?”

If looks could kill, I'd be turned to dust. “Vinyl. The letter was scribbled on a napkin with lipstick and was barely legible. In fact, the only words I could make out was, and I quote, 'Damned Dog Dunking his Dingy Down Dirty Depths'.”

“Heh heh, I may have been drunk when I wrote that.”

“Why? Tell me why.” Her eyes were searching mine. “Vinyl, that was three years ago. Didn't you say you loved me?”

“While you were will Barra? I ain't going to snake a friend from a friend.”

Octavia looked like she was going to burst a vein. “You're saying you didn't know?!”

I blinked. “Know what, exactly.”

Octavia shook her head. “Barra Von Hoofen is the biggest closet homosexual there is. The fact we were dating at all was to give him some cover, because the press was looking for dirt on him, and that would have killed his career.”

That didn't make sense to me. Why would being gay effect his career. “I don't get it.” I admitted.

Octavia sighed, putting a hoof to her forehead and rubbing it, as if she'd developed a migraine. “This is why I hate you Vinyl.” She breathed out, before giving a smirk. “Hate and love you. You know so much, but are incredibly dense when it comes to most social know how.”

I shrugged. “That's me, but still, what do-” She leaned across the table and kissed me. Caught off guard. She closed her eyes, tongue fighting to enter my mouth, but I was not in the mood to shag, so I pushed her away. “Octavia. Buck girl, what the Tararus is wrong with you?”

She looked a little hurt, but settled back, thinking of what was the best way to answer my question. She opened her mouth, as if about to speak, but then decided against it. And so we sat in silence, for a few moments, until she picked up a spoon, tapped her coffee mug a few times and cleared her throat. Every pony in the coffee shop, except for the waitress, got up and left.

I stared as the five or so ponies just got up and made their way to the door, no questions asked, no dirty looks or complaints. Just, left. I stared at the gray mare across the table form me, realizing how little I know about this talented cellist that I fell in love with years back.

“You want to know why I changed.” Octavia voiced once we were alone. “I took over the family business. My father died and my mother started grooming me to take over for her.”

I felt a chill run down my spine and my horn twitched. “What was this family business?” Even as I asked the question, I dreaded the answer. The fact that here in a public coffee shop, ponies would leave at her clearing her throat, I knew the answer couldn't be good.

“If I tell, you will tell why you left me like gutter trash.” Her eyes bore into mine. “I like you Vinyl. I think I may even love you, but you hurt me bad. We're either going to fix it, or something is going to get broken.”

I stared. “Was that a threat?” I meant to sound strong, or even pissed, but the best I could come up with was a shocked, barely a whisper voice.

She waited, and I knew I had no choice. “I ran away from home when I was eight. My dad has been chasing me ever since. He finally caught up a few years back and I didn't know what he was going to do, so I skipped town before he could nail down where I lived or who I was with.”

Her agate hard eyes softened, as understanding took over. She put a hoof on mine. “I'm sorry V. I didn't mean to be harsh. It's just...I thought it was something I did.”

I didn't know how much I should say, but I was bucked either way. “Well, you were starting to scare me. I guess you were taking over your parents business. What line of work were they into?”

“They were Senators.”

We sat in silence for a long moment. “They...were?”

“Melody is my middle name.” Octavia explained patiently. “My full name, what they kept from the public so I could live a moderately normal life, is Octavia Melody Philharmonica.”

“Philharmonica?” She gave me an exasperated look. “Sorry, it's just, well, I've had my nose in the bottle since I left, so I have no idea what's going on in the real world.”

Octavia pondered what I said, then took a sip of coffee. “Vinyl, I'm not a Senator.” She took a long sip from her coffee before continuing. “My parents were, but before they were Senators, they were also high ranking officers of the Police Force. I took that road up to the top and them sum.” She paused and cocked her head to the side. “You haven't the foggiest idea what I'm talking about, do you?”

She caught me. “Yea-no. What are we talking about again?”

“I'm the Royal Chief Inspector.” She gave me a sly smile. “And sense you're too dense to know what that really means, I'll simplify it. Other than the Princesses themselves, I have absolute authority in Equestria.”

I felt my gut drop. “S-s-sooo. Uhhh...” This was really awkward, especially for all the times I'd tried illegal things between now and the last time I saw this mare.

Octavia must have come to some decision, because she set her coffee down and got up.

“We'll talk again later.” And before I could move. “Oh, and give your new Derpy Hooves a hello for me.”

And I thought the night couldn't get worse. “How much do you know?”

“About everything.” She replied simply. “I know that you live in a rat hole and that she is the ex maid to Diamond Bright.”

“Then you know what Diamond Bright did to her?”

There was a rather long pause. I looked over to see that she wouldn't make eye contact with me. As if she were ashamed of something.

“V. Do yourself a favor. Drop it now. Drop it before you get hurt.”

“And I thought you the head of the police could do anything.” I didn't mean it to, but it came out as a growl. Here was a pony who practically proclaimed that she could do anything, and yet she wouldn't even raise a hoof to help an innocent mare in a shit situation.

“Vinyl.” She still wouldn't look at me. “Something you have to understand is the real world doesn't revolve around good and evil. There are many good ponies who get hurt, or killed, or wrongfully accused. Like wise, there are many evil ponies who are empowered and get away with everything.”

That was a crock of shit if I've ever heard it. “And why, pray tell?”

“Necessity.” She turned to me, eyes harder than before, as if she was angry at herself and the world for even thinking that things had to be the way they were. “I have learned over the last few years that there are some ponies, no matter how good or evil, that the world can't live without...and some that the world has to live without.”

Wait, did she just admit what I think she just did? That she had allowed good ponies to die because of what they thought or said? I felt my blood run hot.

“Okay, yeah, sure.” I got up and faced her. “Sure. The world is a shit hole. It's nice to know there are true defenders of justice like you out there to make it better.”

She didn't even flinch. “Vinyl I-”

“Save it Ms. Philharmonica. I'm done here.” I turned and made my way to the front door, pausing only briefly to throw a dirty look over my shoulder. “Unless you're going to to arrest me for thinking that some pony should put that mother bucker behind bars for taking advantage of innocent mares.” She said nothing. “Lapdog.” I muttered as I left for home.

I'll tell you, there's nothing worse than knowing what the right thing is, and knowing that others know it too, but not seeing a damn pony bother to put forth a buck to care. Necessary evil my plot. The thing that should be necessary is to do the right thing.

I made it home, still seething. Seeing the apartment's windows dark, I guessed Derp went to bed. My luck, she was worried sick over me. I'd have to make it up by snuggling with her.

I paused with my hoof on the doorknob. Did I seriously just think that? After everything. After all she's done for me, with me. As I thought about all the moments we shared, my heart started to warm. I guess it was at that time that I realized, I had fallen for the mismatched eyed pegssus that flipped my world on it's head. But did she feel the same way I did?

Opening the door, I walked inside to see a note on the table. I picked it up, reading it's flowery script.

Dear Vinyl,

I'm sorry I didn't stay up till you came home. I got to sleepy and so headed to be. I hope you're first night at work went well. I would have loved to some, but it seems that the baby didn't think that was a good idea. I was a little sick after dinner.

But I wanted to tell you something. Something important that I just realized today. Since I moved in, about a week in a half ago, I realized I've missed you more and more since you've been gone. My life has changed so much, and you've changed with me. I know it's weird, but I love you for it. For the first time since my mother took care of me, another pony has actually cared about me.

I want to take care of you. I want to give you my heart. If you feel the same way, please, my bed has room for two, well I guess that's three. Teehee. I hope to wake up and see you're beautiful sleeping face next to me.

Derpy~

P.S. Please brush your teeth before coming to bed. You have terrible morning breath.

A tear came to my eye as I read and reread the answer to my unasked question. Setting the note down, I complied with the term of the arrangement, and brushed my teeth, and tongue, before making my way to her room. I peeked in to see a freshly made bed, but no Derpy.

Confused, I made my way to my room, to see the love able gray mare was snuggled in my bed, sleeping peacefully. I chuckled and got into bed carefully, so I didn't wake the little angel. I took her into my forelegs. She opened one eye.

“You're late.” She mumbled, turning into me and snuggling into my chest.

“Yeah, I'm sorry.” But she was already asleep. I couldn't help it. I smiled. Despite all the bad shit in the world, all the corruption that bucked every pony it dealt with, there was this impossible mare, who seemed to struggle in life, yet beat all odds and taught me to care, to have a heart again. I lay my head on the pillow, and held her close, Derpy's peaceful, sleeping face being the last thing I saw as my eyes grow too heavy and closed slowly on their own, letting sleep overtake me to that magical slumberland where two ponies could be happy and the world was right.

Peace with a fragile heart

The first sensation that I felt, drawing me from my sleep was lips upon mine. I didn't bother to open my eyes. I knew who they belonged too. Who would have known that shy girl here was such an innocent kisser. I've kissed loads of stallions and mares, all of which were fighting for control, often making the kiss long and hot, but this kiss was none of that. Her lips didn't move against mine. Her tongue wasn't shoved into my mouth trying to get as far down my throat before I could gag. She was giving me the most simple kiss any pony could give another, and yet, it caught my breath as if it was the first kiss in my life.

It was only when her mouth left mine that I opened my eyes, seeing the smiling gray mare staring down at me.

“Good morning Viny~” She cooed, blushing slightly.

“Good morning Derp~” I replied, grinning broadly. “What a night, right?”

She nodded. “I'll be honest. I didn't think you were ever coming home. Something happen?”

My brain kicked into overdrive as I remembered Octavia appearing and flipping my world on it's horn.

“No.” I lied, relaxing. “Just met up with an old friend.”

“I should get breakfast going.” Derpy said after a few moments of uncertainty of what to do or say next.

“Oh, I thought we could have breakfast in bed.” I smiled. Before she could inquire more, I drew her into a deep kiss, this time showing her what passion I have for her. Subconsciously, my hoof started to slide down her chest, crossed her stomach to her neither regions. She pulled away from the kiss, causing me to halt my progress.

“Please?” She asked, ears folding back in embarrassment. “I-I am pregnant, so...b-be gentle.”

I nodded, and she closed her eyes, relaxing as I bit her neck softly, my hoof completing it's journey.

Now I won't say much about it, but let me state for the record that I fully consider myself as the mare that popped her cherry. Sure, she was rapped before, that's what it was, but rape doesn't count as some pony's first sexual experience. That being said, it was the first time I've taken any pony's virginity, and it was a strangely pleasant, but saddening experience. It was saddening because she was no longer as innocent as she once was, and that could not be undone. She had now laid with a mare and from the moans, she enjoyed every moment of it.

So, after sex, shower and coffee, we sat at the kitchen table, chatting about nothing really. Just enjoying shooting the breeze.

“Oh, Vinyl,” She held up a cd with sharp pen script. “I found this yesterday while you were gone. I didn't know you played violin.”

I blushed. “Yeah. That was years ago, but I still dabble every so often.”

“Can I hear?”

The question hung in the air for a moment.

Now, something I have to explain about myself is the amount of effort I put into hiding my life from the would.

You see, the buckers that make up the whole Celestia Damn Equestria are the kind of shit heads that will take everything good they hear or see an exploit it in what every way they see fit, as long as it will make them a few bits. Every bit of self respect and dignity I once had, was striped away after I left the world Octavia had brought me into.

Since then I've created a new persona. I am no longer that mare. Fact is, I've even dropped that shamed mare's name and took on Vinyl Scratch, leaving Viola Lovestring dead in the gutter. Octavia may have given me proper training in the in the Violin, but I was taught a little by my mother, which is why my cutie mark was music note, but because I had such a unique style, the note was backwards.

It would be after my father tried to keep me home and I ran away before I'd put my mother's training to practice, by playing on the road sides and street corners to make enough bits for food, and maybe a place to stay. After years of doing that, well into my teens, Octavia Melody, as I knew her, saw me, heard my talent and took me in, literally giving me a home. She had me learn with her, at some fancy music university for gifted ponies, and I excelled, until father tracked me down and I had to leave.

It wasn't long after, while playing on a street corner, that some big shot heard me play. He told me that he was a big name in the record industry, and that I had the talent he was looking for. So, for weeks, I recorded for him. He gave me room and board and all was well. That is, until he came into my room one night and tried to get into bed with me. I...I almost got raped. I was only saved by the fact that in the short time my dad was able to keep me home, he taught me a few self defense spells and moves.

After I was able to get away from that creep, I found out that all my recordings were never sold under my name. He'd slap his name on it, and was making thousands off of my hard work, and because he controlled the master copies, there was no proof that he'd done anything of the sort. I learned then not to trust any pony.

“Vinyl?”

I blinked, looking into Derpy's face. “Maybe latter.” I looked down to my coffee. “I'm not feeling up to playing right now.”

Derpy got up. “So, what's on the schedule for today?”

“Well,” Gulping down the rest of the hot liquid, I stood up, ready to face the day. “If you're willing to do the shopping, I've got some work to do to prepare for tonight's gig. Boss stallion says if I can keep the nights going like last night, he'd give me a raise when he can.”

She smiled, making my whole world light up in a glow. “Then go do what you can. And don't worry about leaving a shopping list. I've run a kitchen before, I can do it again.” She shyly added. “For you~” making me blush madly. A peck on the cheek and I was out the door, with my electric violin in hoof.

I won't bore you with unneeded details, but for the next month, that's how our lives went. It was great. I had a special some pony, a job, I did see Ocavia from time to time, but I hadn't forgiven her for the coffee shop talk. But, everything was going so good, I almost forgot my own worries about my father and Derpy's sorrows because of Diamond Bright. For once, life was good. A blissful dream that reality could not break, and my life felt complete.

Enter from stage left

Waking next to my beautiful mare friend, I blinked blurry eyed, trying to figure out what woke me. There were hoof clops coming from the kitchen. Feeling Derpy at my side, I knew it wasn't any pony I knew, or wanted, going through my fridge at, a quick glance at the clock told me, three in the morning.

I shook Derpy away gently.

“Mmmnn, Viny~?” She moaned, not opening her eyes. “Don't tell me you want round four already ~”

I paused for a moment. Okay, that was a dream, right? Round four? Buck! I want in!

Another shuffle from the kitchen, and the opening of the fridge reminded me why I was waking her.

“Derp.” I whispered. “Some pony's in the house. I have a bat under the bed. I'm going to go check it out.”

Her eyes snapped open as she opened her mouth to say something, but bit it back as she knew silence was needed. Mutely, she nodded, pleading with her eyes for me to stay safe. I gave her a quick peck on the cheek and slid out of the bed, tensing myself for a fight.

Leaning slowly out of my bedroom, I saw the intruder, silhouetted by the light from the fridge. There was few brown bags on the table. Wait, was he putting food into the fridge?! Okay, I've heard of burglers raiding the fridge, but not stocking the fridge. What were the police going to charge him with? Buying the wrong bland of flax seed or putting the cabbage in the wrong drawer?

Come to think of it, I know enough ponies to know one of them might try a stupid stunt like this. So, now thinking that I knew this pony, I walked into the kitchen and turned the light on.

For a long moment, we both froze. The brown stallion with a shield for a cutie mark glanced over his shoulder, munching on some celery.

“Thought I'd bring some stuff. I know all you eat is crap around here.” His deep voice voiced.

I turned off the light. “Okay, when I turned this back on, you'd better be gone.” A flip of the switch proved that he was still there.

He raised an eye brow as I proceeded to flip the light switch on and off over and over and over again.

“So, how you been?”

“'So how you been?'” I repeated, completely forgetting that I had a mare scared for our lives in my bed. “'So how you been?!?' Really? You track my ass all across Equestria, try to ruin my life and all you have to say is how you been?! You DIPSHIT!”

I'm sure you all have guessed who it is I'm talking to by now.

Aegis just shrugged. “What, can't a father check up on his girl once in a while?”

Not going to lie. I completely lost my cool. I charge, forgetting about magic, and swung a hoof for his head, which he caught in his own. He felt up my foreleg.

“Not bad, but you could put some meat on them bones. It'll help you have more power.”

“Buck you!” I pulled away, turning over so I could aim a kick at his head, which he just shouldered me, so I fell before I had the chance to launch it.

“I've told you before.” He stated in a bored tone “You telegraph that move too much. It's simple for a pea brain to deflect it.”

I didn't think. I grabbed a knife with my mouth and charged in, slashing at his stomach.

The kick that caught me in the jaw nearly broke every tooth in my head. “Viola-”

“STOP!” I sat down, holding my hooves over my ears, like a filly hiding from bullies. “Stop it! I'm not Viola! I'm Vinyl!”

He must have sighed, sitting down. “Viola. Look. I'm sorry.”

“SORRY?!” Tears of anger and shame ran down my face. “You died! You Bucking died! You left mother with a wife beater! He'd even started beating on me, when I was four! After that, she died, and the bastard left me for a younger set of legs! I bucking lived in the gutter off of my wits and begging! Then you bucking come back from Celestia knows where and expect everything to be okay?!” He let my hoof connect with his chest, as I hit him, weak now that I was breaking down. “I've been through shit and dragged through acid trying to make my own life without you! Why the Tartarus do you want in now?”

It was then that I heard a squeak behind me. I turned around, trying to hide my tears, to see my loveable Derpy, pat in mouth, shaking with fright, ready to pounce on Aegis for making me cry. That made me chuckle weakly.

“You have a lot to be upset about.” Aegis answered. “And sure, I'm a bastard. I know I am. Tararus, I was a specialist at killing sick bucks in the army. But, I never meant to harm you or your mother. I still haven't forgiven myself for her death and leaving you homeless for so long.”

“Yeah what ever.” I sniffed. Drying my eyes, I got to my hooves. “It's okay Derp. Sit down, I'll get us something to drink. Coffee, Aegis?”

“Do you have something stronger?”

I shrugged. “Sure, but I agreed a few weeks ago to lay off drinking, at least until the baby's due.”

Aegis's scared face broke into a smile. “Baby?”

I nodded, getting the cups together, after leading the confused gray mare to the table, making her comfortable before getting three cups and starting up the coffee maker.

“Yup. Not mine though. Long story.”

“Huh.” He sat down across from her. Derpy was far along enough that she was showing, and in my opinion, looked the most beautiful I'd ever seen her. “There seems to be a lot of long stories going around.”

“I'd say.” We all paused as Ms. Philharmonica walked into the kitchen. She wore a look of a pony who had been waiting for a good time to enter the conversation, but never got one. “Have enough for four?”

Well shit.

“Buck, why not.” I motioned for her to sit down. “Might as well get the whole story out all at once. Then you two can leave me and my love the buck alone.”

A Long Overdue Talk

Aegis took a sip of the coffee, giving a sigh. “Well. I might as well as give the answers you should have gotten years ago.”

I watched him for a moment, deciding if that statement deserved a snarky response. His brown coat was dull, his dark brown mane shaggy, just like his beard. His glassy, almost dead, blue eyes watched me, calculating, almost like I was prey rather than a pony. The angry red scars over his face didn't help to make him look any less than a predator. I decided to swallow any reply and simply nodded.

“When I supposedly died,” He began. “I actually went into deep cover with a Equestrian, Fangland team. Both sides knew the radical traditionalists would attack, and so the meeting was little more than a rues to bring them out. They captured me and my team, taking us as prisoners of war. Do you know what my training in the Royal Army was?”

“Aegis,” I glared at him. “Other than the fact that you're my dad, I don't know a bucking thing about you. Are you going to give me answers or play twenty questions? Because if you are going to play, I'd rather play it with Octi. At least the mare has balls to admit that she can't do the right thing, am I right?”

Octavia winced, but didn't say anything.

“Just what I thought.” I turned my attention back to the brown stallion, who was using his horn to try and sneak a cookie from our sweets jar. “Hey! Dickless, back to the story.”

He just gave me his glassy stare. “Dickless?”

“It was the best I could come up with.”

“You do know you a stallion needs a dick to rut a mare, right?”

I rolled my eyes.

“You do know how babies are made, right?”

“The story, Mr. Scratch?” Derpy said, keeping me from saying something that would have been rude.

Aegis smiled at that. “Mr. Scratch? Yes. I like that. But yes, my training in the army was that to being a problem solver of sorts.”

“What?”

“He was an assassin.” Octavia said, taking a sip from her own coffee. “I looked into his files.”

“I prefer the term problem solver.” He growled. “But yes. It amounts to the same thing. So, me and my team were kept as prisoners, or so they thought, gathering Intel of their greater operations and communicated it to the joint task force on the outside, thus bringing the down fall of the radicals It took longer than any of us could expect, as they were deeper rooted than originally thought.”

“And that took eight years?” I asked. “No wonder why you didn't call on birthdays.”

His face showed the faintest hit of emotion. “I served my country, and for that I don't regret what I did. But, I failed my family, and I will live with that guilt everyday for the rest of my life.”

I was about to tell him where he should put his guilt, when a hoof touched mine and I felt a wing wrap around me.

“Vinyl, your dad didn't have a choice.” Derpy said softly, near to tears. “He didn't mean for all this to happen. He's as much of a victim as you are in this.”

That statement shocked me, but the more I thought about it, trying on his horseshoes for a change, I don't know what I would have done coming home after eight years of no communication with those I loved, to find one is lost forever and the other is on the streets, hating me for coming back at all. I might not be ready to accept him back with open forelegs, but I started not hating him.

We all sat in awkward silence, for a few minutes. It was then that I realized they were waiting for ME to say something.

“Well, uh,” I looked at Aegis, not sure what to say. “You still did a shittastic job with me.” Derpy gave a little sigh, but he gave a chuckle. He knew I couldn't accept it all at once, and I'd take years for me completely let him into my life, but that was to be expected. I'm a strong willed mare, and that was forged by living by my own guts. He'd have to earn his place in my life. At least, that's what I kept saying to myself.

“Okay, you told me what happened to you.” I said, wanting to say what I felt like I needed to. “Now this is what happened that you don't know about, and you have been most likely wondering yourself.”

They all watched me. It was then that I realized, this was the first time I've told any pony my story. My whole story without bullshitting anything. I took a deep breath and began to talk.

“Aegis and Octavia know my real name, but the name I was given when I was born was Viola Lovestrings. I was told by my mother that my father died before I was born. It wasn't long after my birth that she married an abusive drunk by the name of Grit Stone. He was a herder outside of Dodge City. As early as I could remember, when he'd get home after long herds to sell cattle, he'd drink until he couldn't see straight and then beat my mom for stupid things. Some times it was because she didn't make dinner a certain way, or because she wasn't putting out when he wanted some.

“When I was two, I was acting like an eight year old because of how much shit I saw. I even stood up to him a few times, but buck, the mother bucker could throw a nasty hook.” I laughed. “My mother was much more fragile than I was. She only lasted till I was four before he managed to push her down a flight of stairs and made it look like an accident.” I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the memory. “So, he up and left herding, and never came back. I didn't care.

“While mom was still alive, when Grit was off herding, she taught me music theory and how to play the Viola. So, when Grit left me, I hit the streets playing for tips. I wasn't really all that good, but the fact that I was four, acted twice my age and sounded decent, I got by. I even moved from the dusty streets of Dodge City to Fillydulphia. I made a good living there, and I knew a couple restaurants who made deals with me that if I played at lunch time, I could eat for free, so life wasn't bad. It was then that Aegis found me and brought me home.

“I hated you for that.” Aegis didn't blink. “You started training me in martial arts, magic, stealth and survival techniques. I ran away every chance I could, until one day you just let me keep running.”

Aegis cracked the smallest grin. “I taught you enough. I wanted to see what you would do on your own.”

“I was ten.” I replied stoically.

“Yet I seem to remember that you thought you were an adult.”

I rolled my eyes, continuing my story. “After running away, I met Octavia. Her mother heard my music, and so decided that two prodigies was better than one, and so took me in and gave me lessons with Octavia. Once we were ten, she sent us to private collage for young gifted musicians. I lived at that collage, learning more music, discovering my cutie mark for my unique style of music, making friends and being normal, until Aegis found me again shortly after turning sixteen.”

“I didn't find you.” Aegis replied. “I never stopped watching. I talked with you everyday, and you didn't know it.”

The idea floored me.

He pulled his mane back, covered his beard and said in a Canterlot accent, “I must say, Miss Lovestrings, this paper on tempo modulations and the effect it has on a party is quite becoming. Must I assume that you spend more time bobbing your head to percussion than you spend reading the actual text?”

I gasped, and Octi's jaw dropped.

“Mr. Prattle!” We choked out.

“Oh Celestia!” Octi started to laugh, pounding the table with a hoof. “This is rich!”

“You're telling me!” I still couldn't believe it. “So, what you're telling me, dad,” He perked up when I said the d word. “That you never let me run away. You always were with me?!”

“Yes.” He replied simply. “I didn't want to live a day without you, and you clearly didn't want to be around me, so this was the best solution I could find.”

“Problem solver indeed.” Octavia giggled, sounding like her old self. The mare I had fallen for back in school.

“But,” I continued my story. “You showed up, as yourself, and I couldn't handle it, so I up and left, playing on the street corners again. It didn't take long for Hayday to scout me out and offer me a record contract with him.”

“Wait,” Octi put a hoof to her chin. “Wasn't he the big record stallion who lost everything a few years back do to him scamming his clients?”

I smirked. I hadn't heard that the bastard got his life ruined getting caught at his own game. “Yup. I'll cut it short. He scammed me, and tried to rape me, because 'it's in the contract'. I said, to Tardarus it is, and kicked his balls in and ran.”

Aegis just sat there silent. He nodded his approval at my actions, but didn't say anything. My guess is he would have wanted to castrate the stallion and force feed him his own cock, making him choke to death on it for trying to lay a hoof on his daughter, but considering how he knew how I felt for him, he kept silent.

“I stopped playing Viola after that. I changed my name to Vinyl Scratch and became a Disk Jockey. I met Neon Lights and that's what's led me to this point here.”

I sipped my coffee, having finished my tale, waiting for some pony else to say something. Derpy put her head on my shoulder, hugging me gently with her wing.

“Well,” Octavia started. “After you left, you broke my heart.”

Derpy's head lifted as she looked at the gray mare. “She did?”

“Yes, Derpy.” Octavia answered simply. “We were an item in school.”

Derpy looked clueless at first, but a slow blush crept over her cheeks. “O-oh. D-did I steal her from you?”

Octavia gave a very surprised look, as if the thought never occurred to her, then she laughed. It was a very pleasant thing to listen too.

“In a way, yes.” Octi admitted, slightly blushing herself. “Shall I put it this way. Derpy, I can't complete with your cuteness and innocents. If I can't have Viola, I mean Vinyl, then I'd want you to have her.”

The sentiment was sweet, yet a bit creepy to hear. Here my ex was saying to my special pony, 'have her. I want her, but you have her.' Yeah. I kinda got weirded out.

“And so I left school myself and threw myself into my parents old work being on the police force. My, shall we say, heritage allowed me to rise up through the ranks fast, but it was when I caught Princess Celestia's eye that I practically got hand picked to become Chief Inspector.”

Aegis looked at her, something glinting in his eye. “I've got a few names for you.” He spoke, his deep voice almost a laugh. “I think you will find them....an asset to what you do.”

“My story isn't a happy one.” Derpy's voice was so soft, I wasn't even sure she really spoke, but every pony turned to look at her. “My mother was...” She turned her head into me, shielding herself from the world as her voice shook. “She was a prostitute. She loved me very much, and told me everyday, but I was born with wonky eyes because something happened to be before I was born.”

We all sat there in sober silence. I wrapped a foreleg around her shaking body.

“All the fillies and colts knew what she was, and so teased me at school about it. I've even had some stallions try and pay me for services when I was growing up, but I was a good girl. I wasn't like her. I love my mom, but she had to do so many bad things to pay for food and things we needed.

“When I was old enough, I told her I wanted to make my dream come true, to find a job where I made enough bits so she didn't have to do bad things for money anymore. I became a maid for Diamond Bright, but...”

Octavia sighed. She had her coffee cup to her lips, but set it down without taking a drink. She clearly had something to say, but felt very uncomfortable about it.

“Derpy, you weren't a maid.” She grimaced. “He had you sign a contract, yes?”

Derpy nodded, confused.

“Did you read the contract?”

The question hung in the air. I felt a chill run from my horn down my back and settle in my gut as I remembered a story I had heard a while back. The story was of a young pony signing a contract for work, but the contract had a few things in the fine print that were never mentioned.

“No.” She said, ears drooping as she made the connection as well. “He just said it was just routine to sign it. That it just meant I agreed to work for him for the pay promised.”

“It did say that.” Octavia nodded. “But, after my last talk with V, I got my hooves on the contract and...Derpy, you are married Mr. Bright.”

We all jumped as a hoof slammed on the table. “That isn't right.” Aegis growled. “And so that bastard makes all his maids into concubines, rapes them and gets away with it, because there is no law on having sex with your spouse. Like wise, there is no law against the number of mares a stallion can have.”

I felt like I was about to throw up. It was a check mate, and nothing we could bucking do about it.

Derpy just cried into my shoulder.

Octavia stared at her coffee. I could tell it hurt her to say it, and as much as the whole bucking thing was a shit situation, I'd rather have the facts now than later.

“So what now?” I asked. “Just let the Celestia Damn Bastard get away with it?”

“No.” Aegis stood up. “I'll kill him for this.”

I just stared at him.

“Look, I might not have been there the way I should have for you, Viola, but I love you. I listened to Derpy's story and she is a gem. The fact that such a sweet mare was put into a situation like this, and then knocked up against her will burns me up. I will fight for your mare friend like she's my own daughter.”

His statement made a little part of me glow. “You're not forgiven.” I said, trying to sound upset. “But...thanks.”

Octavia rapped her hoof on the table. “Look. Bright might be untouchable, but I do have the Princess' ears. Give me a little time, and I'm sure I can get certain laws altered enough that we can nail his balls to the wall with railroad spikes.”

I nodded. “And as far as I'm concerned, she was forced into it, and so the marriage is null and void. It'd take a bucking army to take her away from me.”

“And you already have the best part of that army right behind you.” Aegis added.

It's funny how sometimes things seemed fated to happen. How hardships come by so we can learn and grow from them, but just as he said that, as we all nodded and agreed to keep Derpy, my love, safe and to make Diamond Bright suffer for what he did, the sun rose and bathed our little kitchen dining room in golden orange light.

Life would not stop here. Life would go on and we'd all be the stronger for it. And so, we watched the sunrise of a new day.

Cloak and Dagger talk

You know what's the weirdest thing ever? Eating eggs and toast with your dad and lover while your ex keeps commenting how your lover's stomach look absolutely beautiful due to the pregnancy. What's weirder than that? You're cool with it.

So, we sat having breakfast, not really sayin' much, but just feeling good vibes all around. Aegis, I guess I should start calling him dad or something, just sat there with a face of a stallion who's been told he won the Royal Jackpot lotto and was going to be knighted for it. Tavi just seemed very relaxed.

“I don't mean to say anything, ahh, intrusive, but have you two been on an actual date?” Tavi asked, a playful little grin on her face.

Derpy just blushed. “No. We've only...” She blushed more as the only thing we've done was not exactly anything you tell your lover's ex about.

“We've rutted a few times.” I finished. Derpy squeaked, like the way she does when I nip her in the right spot while grinding hard. I just couldn't help it. She was so cute when she did that.

Octavia didn't seem bothered with my forwardness though. “You two should have a day out.” She suggested. “Do you have plans for today?”

“Yeah.” I smirked. I pulled Derp back, so she was leaning on my shoulder and whispered. “We haven't rutted in a few days~”

She squeaked again, but more in a longing way, like a high pitched sigh of 'no no' and 'yeeeeeess'. I couldn't help it. I kissed her. To my surprise, she's the one who started shoving her tongue into my mouth first. It wasn't until daddy coughed that we broke the rather steamy kiss, both a little out of breath and quite flushed.

“Actually,” Aegis said. “How about a vacation?”

“Great.” I smiled. “But, I'm a little low on cash.”

He was silent for a moment. “Viola, I need to speak frankly.” I flicked an ear in annoyance at being called my old name, but didn't say anything, letting him continue. “I'm going to do something that others would consider stupid. I want you three to be clear of the smoke.”

“Aegis,” Octavia started, her voice low and full of concern. “Don't do what I think you're going to do.”

“I'm going to bloody his nose,” Aegis confirmed. “Figuratively speaking.”

Strangely, I had a feeling in the pit of my stomach as he spoke this. “Dad,” I asked, no mocking in my voice. “What are you planing.”

It seems strange, that I hated this stallion for most of my life, but after hearing that his story and finding out that one way or another he'd been in my life keeping tabs on me, I couldn’t help but feel he was a friend, and that I wanted to keep him around now.

Aegis stood up, heading to the window of the sunlit apartment, gazing out at the buildings around, hearing the traffic and smelling the faint stench of the ocean which lay beyond sight. He didn't say anything at first, but when he turned around, his face was of stone.

“When I left for the mission over twenty years ago, I told myself I'd protect my family no matter the cost. I...have failed at that the moment I stepped hoof out of my house. I'm not going to fail again. I'm going to get close and perused Diamond Bright to leave Derpy alone and that the child is better off not knowing his bastard father.”

Octavia gave me a worried look. “That's not a good idea.” She looked at my dad, pleading in her voice. “There's a reason why I've called him untouchable in the past.” She said, seeming to choke on the words, as if she was saying something she knew she shouldn't say. “He's...he's...He owns more than...legitimate companies.”

“And why hasn't he been locked up yet, if you know this?” I asked.

Octavia bit her lip. “Vinyl...Diamond, he's the richest stallion in Equestria.” I waited for the punchline. “He, or any company of his, at any one time owns seventy percent of the money flow of Equestria. If he's so much as looked at by authority, he could dry up the economy or have very important ponies removed. I've said that next to the Princess's I'm the absolute authority? Next to him, the Princess's have the absolute authority.”

The thought made me scratch my head. “I don't get it, why can't they, I donno, vaporize him or something?” She looked at me like I was crazy. “The princesses I mean.”

“V. How would the population look at any authority killing any citizen, no matter how bad or corrupt they are?”

I couldn't keep eye contact with those violet eyes. “So he is Mr. High and Mighty.”

“In the most literal sense.” Octavia stated. “He'd see you coming a mile away, Aegis.”

“Well,” Aegis smiled, a wolfish smile. “It's a good thing I plan to shoot from two miles away.” We all shifted uncomfortably. “Figuratively speaking.” He added with a light chuckle. “So, I want you two to skip town for a little while. I know a nice peaceful place called Ponyville. Go, settle down and keep your heads down. When this blows over, you can come back, if you'd like.”

“This seems rather thought out.” My tone was flat, almost unfriendly. “And why am I running again?”

“Because, dear daughter.” Aegis gave me a piecing look. “I'm going to war. I will not let what I'm protecting fall into the line of fire.”

“Ponyville is a good place to hide.” Tavi added, nodding at his logic. “And you two would be unknown there, so no need to fear about prying eyes. Also, Derpy could have the foal and not worry about Bright coming to snatch the baby.”

I relented. “That makes sense.”

“But,” Derpy looked worried. “Won't two mares look suspicious when one's pregnant?”

“Not if you were impregnated by a stud, so you two could have a baby together.” Octavia smiled. “And I for one, think you'll make wonderful parents.”

“Tavi.” I gave her a 'not funny face' “You're trying to hard.”

“Damnit Viola!” Octavia crossed her hooves, blushing hard and looking away. “I'm jealous okay?!”

There was a pause, then we all burst out laughing. “Tavi? Jelly?” That was a good one.

Her face burned up. “In your ear.” She covered her face with her hooves. “I can't believe I wanted to rut you one last time too.”

That only made me laugh harder, until I felt a hoof on my shoulder. Derpy gave me that look of, 'not nice'.

“That actually might not be a bad idea.” Aegis mused.

“Whoa! Pops!”

“No, I mean, you two not being a couple at Ponyville.” He stated. “Not openly. Maybe even keep up appearances with Octavia.” Both Octi and me blushed hard, not able to look at each other. “Bright would expect Derpy to be with someone else. If you're with Octavia, and Derpy stays, more or less, out of sight, then she and the baby is safe.”

I opened my mouth to say that was stupid, but Derpy spoke first. “Yes.” I shot her a stunned look. “For the baby, but I want to still be with Vinyl.”

I couldn't think of a solution, until it hit me. “Octavia, what would you say to a little bit of a planned life?”

“Beg pardon?”

“If I moved out to Ponyville, and had you and Derpy move out later, like a few days later, and you and I start dating for a few weeks, no pony would be the wiser as of Derpy and her relationship with me, right?” She nodded. “And if we had a big fight, and broke up for some reason, that's kinda typical of a couple, yes?” She nodded again. “Then I could start dating Derpy again, and not even the most trained eye would see that we were a thing the whole time.”

Derpy looked very confused. “I get it, but I don't see why we need to play it out to that far.”

“Bright is or, will be, looking for you.” Aegis explained. “He'll assume that you've found yourself a stallion or a mare, as work for mare who are close to their due date are very rare. If you vanish and slip away by yourself, he won't find you, because he's going to be looking for some mare with another pony. If we dye your mane and coat color before you go, no pony would know who you are.”

I nodded. “And if we play our elaborate game of charades, then we can end up together, and if we are followed, they won't stick around long enough to see us together.”

“One request.” Octavia stated. I looked at her determined face. “Vinyl, I know how this has to play out, but I don't want you playing me. I want our relationship to be as real as possible. I know it will last, but I want one last time with you before we're done.”

I nodded, not even thinking of what this could really mean for her, or myself.

“Sure thing Tavi.” I turned and kissed Derpy. “It's okay. We'll be together and happy where no pony could touch us.

Away. Free. I had never been more wrong in my whole bucking life.

Well Buck!

As we sat aboard the train leaving for Ponyvile, I found myself fidgeting as Octavia, in a rather slinky purple dress, held my hoof with both of hers, a smile of victorious satisfaction on her face.

“Well, dearest?” She prompted.

I didn't even try. “Well, what?”

She sighed, as if this was to be expected, then pulled me into a soft, lustful kiss. Thank Celestia no pony was in our compartment. I pushed her away, pinning my back to the window.

“Tavi! What the buck?!”

She just smiled. “Just keeping in practice, V-i-n-yl Scccccraaaaatch~”

All the blood in my body either went to my face or my marehood. “No we're not!” I replied quickly, maybe a little too quickly I guessed, because her smile just got sultrier. “And don't say my name like that. It's creepy.”

Tavi settled back, examining a hoof. “It's not like you're cheating on her.” She said off hoofedly. “After all, we're a couple now. There's no shame in a little steamy action.”

Okay. It was time to put a hoof down. “Tavi, you got to-” I couldn't finish my sentence, because she was on me again. Well buck. With her tongue shoved halfway down my throat, sucking mine as if it was a stallionhood that needed milking, grinding her body against mine, hooves wrapped around me, holding me as if I might turn into smoke and slip by her again, I couldn't help it. I kissed back.

After a minute or two, I picked her up and threw her onto the long bench seat. “Only once okay?” I told her breathlessly, climbing over her.

“Yes,” She breathed. “Just, one more time.”

I don't think either of us noticed when the conductor came to check our tickets. He just slide the door open, saw me rutting the cellist's Celestia damn brains out and decided he could check our tickets later.

We didn't stop until we felt the train stop, I don't know how long later. I think we paused long enough to sleep a little, but as soon as my eyes were open, I was eating her for breakfast. Needless to say, while she nearly pranced off the train, ready to sing to the world, I was dragging my hooves.

“Buck Tav. You wore me out.”

She only turned to wink and sauntered off, shacking that plot that I couldn't get enough of. With a chuckle, I followed her.

“So, you hooked yet?” Octavia asked when she let me catch up with her.

I flashed a grin. “You could say that, but I prefer to think of it that I'm up to my horn deep in you.” She blushed hard. Then she gave a little squeak and I noticed a few droplets that weren't there before. “Oohh, you're just as easy as I remember you to be.” I laughed.

She socked me in the shoulder for that, but she was smiling, so it didn't count.

We found our new place. I only could gawk as the new crash pad was none other than a freakin' house! This type of place would be a near fortune to afford, but here it was almost dirt cheap. Tararus, I could have afforded this place off of my old tab from the Blue Moon! Octavia, who still hadn't said much, opened the front door and, I kid not, pretty much lift her tail and flash the whole bucking street her pink, dripping marehood!

“Welcome home, dear~” She giggled, and trotted into the house.

I just stood there, glasses askew, mouth gaping, and brain completely blank. Some light blue colored Pegasus, who was walking by looked at the house then at me, her rainbow mane sporting a windswept look.

“Look pal.” She smiled. “If you don't go in there an' see to that mare's needs, I'll have not choice and go in there for you.”

That brought me out of it. I just nodded, gulped and charged in.

Now something you need to understand is Tavi isn't loose. I've never seen her even consider another pony as a partner, unless professionally, but she's absolutely crazy for me. It's because every pony in Equestria all see this proper pretty pony, posing politely professionally. Me, I see her for what she is. A mare who puts up a front, yet hates the mask she has to wear.

You see, and I understand this now more than before, her parents never treated her like a daughter. No, they saw her as a, what's the word? Ah, their replacement. And so she was always on her best behavior, showing off her manors, learning new things, being smart in general because if she slipped up once in front of them, it was a week of intense punishment. I'm not saying they beat her. Buck, I have not idea what they did to her, but in the few times I'd seen that happen, she'd reappear with a personality of a pony with an ice chip the size of Canterlot Castle on her shoulder. The fact that I've broken through that mask and found the true Tavi and love her for her, is what made us so close.

So I went into that house to rut her brains out so hard that the bedsheets and mattress just needed to be thrown out. Ain't no way THAT was going to wash out, and it smelled so funky, I swear, I saw some flies get a whiff of that and die of pleasure.

“You were pent up.” I chucked as we lay on the soaked bed. “Either that or my magic is working over time.”

Tavi blushed. “Oh V. How much I missed you. No pony can make me...” She blushed. “Cum like you can.”

My smile started to fade. “Tavi. I know we missed each other a lot, and this was nice, but-”

“I know, I know.” She nodded. “You're in love with Derpy. Don't blame you.” She chuckled. “How could you look at that cute face of her's and not fall in love with her.”

I nodded. “So, this was just a one time thing, okay? We're not going to-”

She cut me off with her lips on mine. “No.” She smiled sadly. “I know. We need to think about Derpy.”

Even as she said that, the look she gave me was one of apology. She wasn't sorry for the sex. No, the apology I saw was an apology for what she was going to do. An apology for what she was doing.

Oh Buck! I should have seen this one coming. Octavia was trying to steal me from Derpy with her lust. That we're suppose to play act, and she knew every nook and cranny of my sick and demented perverted fantasies meant that when Derpy came into town a few days from now, I'd be hard pressed to not smell like mare owned me. I loved Derpy, but Tavi was going to enslave me by my lust.

Even as I felt her kiss up my stomach, biting my neck, stroking my lower back, just above my tail, sliding a hoof up and down over my slits slowly, even as I felt the rush of sexual energy coursing through my loins, even as I heard my own voice catch in my throat as she started servicing me, I knew I made the biggest mistake in my whole life, agreeing to be with her while I waited for Derpy. Then, all thoughts were driven out of my mind as she started to use her tongue.

I bet they could hear my screams of ecstasy all the way to Town Square.

Betrayed

Not every moment with Tavi was about sex. We had to work too, to pay for our needs. It's funny, come to think of it. Musicians, running from Celestia knows what, end up doing the only thing we know how to to make a few bits.

We made our debut as 'OctaScratch', I know right? We were instantly loved, and to this day I still can't understand how I let that gray mare with the lushes plot talk me into playing Viola in front of others again. But she did.

I might have been a little rusty, but it seemed that the rust only added to my unique style as I was asked by every filly and their mother to play for birthday parties and shindigs and all. Octavia took on more of the classical performances and earned the bigger bits, but I played much more often. In now time, a few weeks went by, and I didn't hear a thing from Derpy.

I doubted that she's send me letters about everything, as we were suppose to be going underground, but I did hope I'd hear something. And so I came back into the house one day feeling blue that I didn't hear anything from the mare who held my heart.

“Something wrong, V?” Tavi asked. I could tell by her tone she was content, but not playful. Maybe I could actually talk to her without fighting to keep her hooves off of me.

“Not really.” I admitted with a sigh. “I was just...”

“Just?” She was sitting at the table, reading something, probably just half listening to me.

“Just hoping I'd hear from Derpy.” Octavia, in a smooth, unhurried motion, put down what she was reading and looked up at me with pensive eyes. “It's been almost a month.” I told her, anxiaty chewing away at my innards. “I'm worried.”

“It's been three weeks.” Octavia corrected. “But yes, I understand what you mean.” She hesitated a moment. “Was...wasn't she suppose to come a week after us?”

“Yeah.”

I decided sitting was better suited for this conversation. As I sat down, Tavi turned around and pulled out a little bottle of scotch and two brandy glasses. I raised my eyebrows as as she poured us both a little, but settled with my forelegs on the table, playing with me glass while she lifted her's to her mouth and took a sip.

“Vinyl...Tell me, what do you love about Derpy?” Tavi asked after a long moment of silence. She blushed as I looked up. “I mean, I know you love her. As soon as she gets out here, you're going to leave me for her. I figure I might as well know more about this mare that stole your heart in such a way that I can't seem to steal it back.”

I gave a chuckle, taking a sip of the fiery liquid. “You haven't been subtle about it.” She blushed again, reminding me of Derpy for some odd reason. I set my glass down. “But, I have to ask why.”

She blinked in surprise. “Why...what?”

“Tav.” She wouldn't lock eyes with me. “Tavi.” She glanced up and quickly looked away. “You still thought you had a shot with me, didn't you?”

Her shoulders sagged, as if I had punctured some balloon that was in her chest. “I suppose I thought I did.” She sniffed. “It's just hard, letting you go like that. And after Barra...”

It clicked. “You didn't know he was gay until he broke it off.” I guessed. From the look of things, I was close enough to the truth.

Octavia started crying, but she just dried them up. “I'm sure we'll hear from Derpy soon. Then...” She gave a loud sniff, dried up her tears and fixed me with a winning smile of a pony who was trying to hold it all together. “Then we all can move on with our lives and be happy.”

Her words hit home. Move on with our lives. No more running, living in shit hole, having to scrape the bottom to get by. Just me, Derpy and the baby. She was due soon too. Oh colt, I wasn't sure if I was ready for a baby, but the little warm feeling in my chest told me I was.

After that, we chatted about things that weren't related. The days went by, and I just focused on my work, sleeping less and less with Tavi. I didn't want to hurt her, again, but I wanted to make it clear that I wasn't here for her body. Giving her more would only make Derpy's coming that more difficult on her. That's what I thought, until I got the letter.

Dear Vinyl,

Hey, I'm fine, so don't worry about me. I thought about all the things you've done for me, for my baby, and I feel so grateful for it. No other pony would have taken me in like that, and that makes you a special, kindhearted mare.

I know I was suppose to come out after a week of you leaving but...my mother got very ill. I'm sorry, but I can't come. I don't think I ever will. Please don't take it hard, but I don't think I can see you again. You have such a wonderful life, and I've caused so much trouble. I'm glad I could meet your dad, and your fiend Octavia. Please wish them the best for me.

With much love,

Derpy Hooves.

P.s. If I could, I'd love to see your Bright smile again. If live were different I'd Never Leave your side.

I stared at the letter, feeling every emotion crash on me at once. Derpy...Derpy wasn't coming. She was gone, gone forever from my life. I canceled my performances for the day. I must have threw up in the bathroom for an hour, bawling my eyes out over the fact that the one mare, the ONE BUCKING mare I chose to give my heart to in a way that I'd never thought I could, just gave me the stiff wing and walked away.

I read and reread the letter over and over again, hoping beyond hope that I had missed something. Surely there was code in these letters that told me something. But the more I read it, the more I saw it was how Derpy would have said things. Derpy did have a mother, and she very well could have been sick. She did cause me trouble, but she knew, she KNEW, I signed up for that, without reservation for that. She knew I'd never leave her side. She even said, if she could she'd see my bright smile. That she's never leave me.

I heard the front door open and Octavia call my name. With puffy eyes, I looked at the last two lines again, seeing something that my distraught brain couldn't handle at the time.

'If I could, I'd see your Bright smile. I'd Never Leave'

“Vinyl? Are you in the bathroom?”

'Bright...Never Leave...'

“Ah, there you are. Wh-Vinyl? Something the matter?”

Snot clogged my nose, as I looked up, tears still leaking from my red eyes. The way she looked at me. The way Octavia watched me, waiting for me to say something. My horn twitched, and my heart sank. She knew.

“Derpy...” Was all I could muster.

Octavia gave a hefty sigh, a mixture of relief, and pity. “At least you know now.” She told me gently, putting a hoof on my head. “I'm sorry Viola, but I didn't want to say something and assu-”

“Bright has her.” I cut in, jerking my head a little from her touch.

“Viola.” Octavia said gently, once again trying to brush my mane out of my face. “I get it. You're heart broken. But with sad ends come new beginnings.”

I shoved her hoof away. “No. Derpy's in trouble and I'm going to go get her!”

“Viola-”

“Would just shut your bucking trap for just one Celsetia damn minute, you fiddle playing, tantrom throwing, plot gaping, whore of a two bit musician?!”

Octavia stood stalk still, completely stunned at the words that spilled out of my mouth, like the most vial vomit that stank of petrification of what she really was.

“Look, I don't know how long you were going to keep me believing that you had my best interests in mind, but shove em up your Celestia damn cunt! I don't give a shit! My marefriend, whom I have every intention of marrying, is is trouble, and if you try and stop me, I'll kick your bucking teeth in!”

I knocked my shoulder hard into her as I passed her, making my way to the front door. The bathroom I exited was on the second story of the house, with a wide balcony over looking the first level next to the free standing winding staircase.

The hit from behind took my by surprise and sent me tumbling down every last stair. Octavia stood at the top, fear in her eyes, as she peered down at me getting up.

“Listen Viola, you can't go back.”

“Watch me.” I spat out, along with a glob of blood. I turned to make my way to the door when Octavia yanked me back by my tail. The gray mare had jumped the staircase and galloped to stop me. She pulled hard again, as I tried to give her jaw a good thump for pulling my tail, pulling me to the ground, so she could stand over me.

“Viola!” She looked desperate. “You CAN'T!”

I gave her a look of gross hatred. “Stop calling me that!”

I pulled in both hind legs and kicked out at her stomach, launching her off of me, into the dining table, spitting it in half neatly. She charged, but this time I was ready. Have you ever seen two ponies ave a boxing match? Strange to thinking, since we're on all fours most the time, but we can rear up and strike with our fore-hooves. Most the time it looks like walking in air, until you get two ponies who know what their doing. My dad, when I was younger, taught me how to fight. Looked like Octavia learned how to do a little scraping when she was becoming a police officer.

I threw the first punch, catching her in the jaw, but she countered with a hook to my side, following with a classic uppercut, but I had my guard up, so stopped it in it's tracks long enough to head butt her square in the nose. She took a step back to recover, which I used to do a faint jab to her face and follow with a cross to her chest, but she saw through that, and countered with a side step and landed a haymaker to my stomach. Instead of stepping back, I leaped forward, holding her as I doubled up, making it impossible for her to land any more hard body blows.

She tried smacking me in the back of the head, but I ignored them and held her tight, tensing my body. She didn't realize what I was doing until I, all at once, let all the tension go, launched myself with my legs and arched backwards, suplexing her to the floor, on top of a chair that was unlucky enough to be there.

“I'm going!” I shouted, wheezing.

“Do..don't.” Her whimpers were half of pain and half of something else I couldn't recognize. “P-pleas. Do-” I kicked her again in the head, knocking her out. I didn't want her to follow me, not without a head start at least.

I didn't even pause to get my breath. I just galloped through the door, muttering to myself, “Hang on Derpy! I'm coming for you!”

Knocking on the Front Door

Note for ponies who have every intention of becoming the brave dashing hero. Rushing off to save the day is pretty badplot and all, but it's really embarrassing to gallop off, racing against time, passing other ponies, getting nasty looks as you pull off some pretty impressive, impromptu parkour moves, only to stand in line for ten minutes to get a ticket, and then wait for a half hour for the train to arrive.

And so, I waited, sitting there with dark thoughts of what Derpy could be going through right this moment. Sure, there might have been that little part of my brain telling me that I was over reacting, that I should breath before I give myself a heart attack before the train even got to the station, but I was way to bucking wound up.

“Yo, Vinyl?” I looked over to see Rainbow Dash. During the last few weeks, we'd become pretty tight, though she didn't know what was going on. It was nice to have a drinking buddy.

Yeah. I started drinking again after the second week of no Derpy. I'm not going to lie and say it was to 'keep cover' or any bullshit like that. No, it was because I didn't have my Derp. She keeps me strong, stronger than I think I am. Without her, I'm just a mother bucking plot stain on sociaty.

“You look up tight.” She commented, sitting down next to me. “Sup?”

I didn't know how to reply, so I just shrugged. “What can I say? Shits hitting the fan.”

RD gave me a pensive look, as if weighing something on her mind. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again to think for another moment, as if deciding if she really wanted to say what was coming to her mind.

“I stopped by your place a few minutes ago, to see if wanted to go for a few mugs of cider.” She began. My heart started pounding. “Vinyl, what's going on? Your pad is thrashed, Octavia was on the ground ko'd and you're here getting on a train to Manehatten.”

“Did you leave her there?” I asked. For some reason, knowing if that traitorous mare was okay or not weighted heavy on me.

“What?” She looked at me in surprise. “Buck no! I got Big Mac to take her to Nurse Redheart while I searched for you. She's fine.”

Tension I didn't know I had built up let out. “Thank you.” Was all I could say.

We sat there, waiting for the train in silence, listening to the chatter of the ponies around us. The colorful noise wasn't unlike some of my music, different sounds and pitches building and falling, peeping in and shutting off to create something more than itself.

“What happened?” RD asked, interrupting my pondering. “You two were happy.”

“No we weren't.” I didn't look at her, but I knew that she turned to me. “It was all a lie.”

“I don't think so.” Rainbow got up, flapping her cyan wings slowly, her tail twitching. “Look, I've seen a lot of doomed relationships go down.” She gave a chuckle. “I've even been apart of a few myself. I can see when something is wrong, or if there's shit going on that they won't talk about.” The look she gave me was one of honest to Celestia truth. “Octavia loves you, filly. That is not a lie.”

I wanted to tell Rainbow to buck off, but I knew she was right about that. I shook my head, deciding it was time to come clean and tell my friend what I'd been hiding from the world. I doubted she'd understand, but then that was the risk of opening yourself up and spilling your guts to the world.

“She loves me.” I agreed. “But I loves some other pony.” The train finally pulled into the station. “Guess I'll see you later.”

“Oh no.” The pegasus fell in step with me. “You aren't getting away from me that easily. I have to got to Manehatten anyway.” She gave me a cocky smile. “There's going to be a Wounder Boltz show, and I've been waiting for moths to go.”

Great. Just great. Right when I want to be alone, to figure out a heroic plan, a friend, with ever good intention in the world, is now going to ride my tail like a soldier bucking a whore after six moths of deployment.

We sat in a private car. She just looked at me, waiting for me to spill it. After the train started to pull out of the station, I sighed.

“Well, you're here. I might as well tell you.” I relented.

The train ride was about eight hours, but the time seemed to melt as I told her about everything. I told her about my history, how I met Octavia, and how we were in love once upon a time, and then how I ran to lay low and met Derpy. I explained our plan to start a new life, and how Derpy never showed up. I showed the letter and how I knew that Diamond Bright had gotten to her and that I needed to go save her.

“Buck, filly.” Dash shook her head. “This sounds like something I'd read in a book.”

“Look.” I said, with a huff. “I don't give a buck if you believe me or not, but that's the truth.”

She held up both hooves in the air, “Whoa, whoa, never said I don't believe you.” She snorted. “Look, I get it. And I'd drop everything to help save one of my friends.” She looked out the window. We were about ten minutes from the Manehatten Station. “So,” She gave me a smirk. “What's the plan?”

We got off the train platform and made our way back to my old pad. RD looked around for anything useful as I tried to figure out where was the best place I could start with our rescue mission. Needless to say, both Rainbow's and my own efforts were fruitless.

“If only I knew how to contact my dad.” I seethed. “He'd know what to do.”

Some pony coughed. “E-Excues me?” Shit! I forgot that we left the front door wide open. “B-b-but are you V-vinyl Scra-a-tch?”

We both glanced over to see a scrawny unicorn of green with a lime mane and a drill for a cutie mark was standing at the door. He didn't look nervous at intruding. He walked in, looking around at the place, now thrashed from us looking for useful tools.

“Y-y-you should r-r-really cle-e-ean up t-t-this place.” He stuttered.

“Can we help you?” Rainbow Dash asked, one eyebrow raised.

The unicorn just simply looked at her, as if sizing her up. “Yes.” He replied simply. “F-f-follow m-m-me.” He turned and left.

“Trap.” RD voiced.

“I know.” I agreed, starting to follow him. “But what choice do we have?”

We followed the green unicorn, not knowing exactly where he was taking us. Knowing my dad most likely had army buddies still around, I wasn't sure if this scrawny colt was one of his friends or if he was connected to Bright. The drill on his flank didn't help me either. What was he? A dentist? I hate dentists.

“Where's he taking us?” Rainbow asked, her wings flapping nervously.

I shrugged. “No idea.” I admitted. “But I have a feeling that its where we need to go.”

“Need or want?” Rainbow wondered. “Those are two different things.”

“Does it matter?” I questioned. “We're here, following him and he knows something we don't.”

Dash socked me in the shoulder. “Stop being so damn philosophical!” She stomped onwards. “I bucking hate not knowing things.”

I couldn't help it. I laughed. Rainbow gave me a very annoyed look, but I didn't care. Here I was, risking Celestia knows what, with a friend who decides on the spot to save a pony she's never met, and we're following a pony without knowing if he was either a friend or foe just because he said follow me. My world was coming down around me as the one friend I thought I'd had was deceaving me, clearly knowing something I didn't and tried to beat me to keep me from getting this far. All my anger, sorrow and confusion just bubbled over as I snickered so hard, I started crying out tears of mirthless giggles.

“Feeling better now?” RD inquired unamused.

“Much.” I smiled. “We're most likely going to die horrible deaths, but hey. At least we're doing it for a good cause, am I right?”

Rainbow just gave a patient look. “You have thrill issues filly.”

The unicorn in front of us stopped outside of a massive wrote iron gate. With a touch of magic, he opened the large door and stood by, indicating that we were suppose to go first. With a glance, Rainbow Dash and I knew where we were.

“Well,” RD took in a shuddering breath. “At least he's polite enough to invite us in.”

Reunited my Mare of Gray

The gravel crunched as we made the long walk up the grand mansion of Diamond Bright. It's strange how you make a resolve without ever knowing if you're actually capable of going through with it. I told myself I'd kick Bright's plot for what he did, but now I questioned if I could. I've never actually seen the Stallion behind the name, and from what I've heard, he's a hulk. I swallowed hard when our guide, who hadn't said a word since he told us to follow him, opened the grandiose front door, revealing a hallway that literally looked like it was made of gold.

I could feel Rainbow's jaw open as she stared at it. She didn't step in until she carefully wiped ever hoof, holding us up for a minute, much to the disapproval of our mute guide.

I lifted an eyebrow. “What was that about?”

“Look, we might be walking to our doom.” She looked around at the sparkling hallway. “But this place is so bucking nice, I'd feel rude dying with dirty hooves.”

I gave her a,' you serious?' look.

“What?” She demanded in a hush tone, looking around at the walls and ceiling, which all seemed to be connected seamlessly. “I'd hate to die being rude! That just ain't me.”

I shook my head, and kept walking.

We came to a door that seemed to be cut out of a single ruby. What lay behind took both of us by surprise.

“Octavia?” I blinked.

Octavia didn't meet my eye. She looked like she'd been crying. Sitting in a chair by a grand fire was the most massive unicorn I'd ever seen. He was pure white, even his mane and cutie mark, a diamond. The only color was the blue ice chips for eyes.

I took a moment to examine the room we just stepped into. It was like one of those old fashioned dens, dark red rugs over dark redwood planks. The ceiling was lower than the hallways, but not low enough to give it a claustrophobic feeling. The walls were lined with bookshelves made of mahogany, and there was a dark, polished walnut study table with an ornate candle stick made of crystal. Near by Diamond Bright, sat another high back chair, like his own, looking more like a thrown rather than a simple chair.

“This is...” Rainbow's voice was low and hushed as her eyes drank in the small details that only pegasi could see. She shook her head. “I've never seen anything so incredible in my life.”

“Thank you.” A deep bass voice intoned. Bright was watching us with his ice chipped eyes. “I shall pass on the complement to the master craft ponies who made the house. They, no doubt, will be pleased to hear it.”

I faced Diamond, anger starting to boil as I locked eyes with the white stallion. He didn't blink, didn't stand, almost didn't acknowledge that I was standing there.

“Please, Miss Scratch. I would prefer if you removed your iconic glasses. It is only polite for a guest to show her eyes to her host.”

“Really?” I asked, trying to keep my tone even. “Why do-” A look from Octavia told me not to finish the challenge. I might be impulsive, but I'm not stupid. With a sigh, I magicked them off.

“I see you are reasonable.” Bright's deep voiced, with a hint of relief. “Maybe we can resolve this, misunderstanding, peacefully.” He nodded to the unicorn behind us, and our guide left.

“Where's Derpy?”

“Miss Hooves, I'm afraid, is unavailable.” He answered. His voice grated on my ears, not because of its harshness, but because it was so calm, smooth, reassuring. “She is still in recovery from the baby's birth.”

I was stunned. I was no doctor, but she wasn't that far along! Diamond stood, showing his true size. The stallion was a bucking beast! A regular stallion was around five foot four. The ceiling was about eight feet high. Diamond Bright had about a foot clearance.

“So...” Rainbow gave a nervous smile. “Is there, aaahh, set visiting hours?” She laughed a little nervously as Bright's eyes found hers. “Y-you know. We could just come and con-gradulate her...later?” She squeaked.

“I don't feel that's the best idea for you to come back.” Bright boomed softly.

“Some brave pony you are.” I quipped to RD.

“Hey!” She shot back. “You want to argue with him?!” She folded her ears, as Diamond never looked away from her. “I mean to say, you're quite the reasonable Stallion. I don't want to be rude.”

Bright didn't say anything. His eyes bore into hers for another few seconds, then turned to mine. As intimidating as he looked, I stared him down, as if we were the same size. No way I was going to leave this place without my Derp, and her baby.

“Miss Scratch.” Bright said my name, as if tasting it on his tongue. “I see you have much on your mind.” He took a few steps towards me, and bent down, so we were nose to nose. “I am listening.”

You know what's funny? You wonder what you'd say in moments like this, long before the moment comes. You rehearse what you're going to say, to sound tough, cool, bad-plot even. You spend long afternoons wondering what would make the most impact, and how to prove your right. Then, when the moment finally comes, you don't say any of it. Your heart just opens and you say what you feel.

“I'm here for Derpy and her baby.” I replied, not backing down in the slightest. “Either let me take them, or I will kick your plot, and then take them.”

He didn't react in anyway. The door behind us opened and something was pushed in on rollers.

“I think you should reconsider, Miss Scratch.” Bright said, his hot breath on my nose. He wasn't going to be the first look away. “Please, consider this as a reason to vacate my residence.”

Some pony groaned. I didn't want to look away, but when I heard the thunk and the 'omf!' followed by curses, I looked to the roller to find Aegis in restraints, fore hooves over his head and a magic inhibitor on his horn, getting hit in the side by the scrawny unicorn.

“I found him trying to intimidate my employees. I'm not very tolerant of others putting their snouts where they don't belong.”

The green unicorn smacked my dad again in the side with a crowbar.

“Crowbar?” Aegis chuckled. “Sure they hurt, but do you know how unoriginal that is, Stutters?”

“I-i-it may b-b-be unorig-g-ginal, b-b-but I-f-f it's not-t-t bro-o-ke t-t-then w-hy f-f-ix it?” He smacked him again in the ribs.

“Nngg, I see your point. Could you at least hit a little harder? You're not going to break shit with pussy swings like that.”

Okay, so he was fine, for now, but the fact that he was here caused me to start to panic. RD was starting to make a move, but Octavia was eying her too.

The whole room was powder keg ready to blow. All it needed was a spark.

I didn't wait to time things, I just acted. I shot a blast at the magic inhibitor on my dad's horn. Immediately, the blast was intercepted by both unicorns, and I used that moment to shot another blast at the crow bar in the stutterer's grasp. It shot up, and was caught by my dad, as he clamped his teeth down and swung it to catch Mr. Stutter full in the face, knocking him out instantly.

The hoof that hit me in the face drove me back to the wall as RD an Octavia started to grapple, trying to get to my dad.

“You little shit!” Bright growled, pinning me to the wall with his two fore hooves.

“That's what I thought.” I smirked, taking the offensive magic wise, forcing him to shield his eyes from fiery blue sparks.

“You will die here with your father and friend.”

“Not if I kill you first!” I'm not the most talented in offensive magic, but I levitated the dropped crow bar and smacked Bright on the back of the head as hard as I could.

He let go, being knocked to one side, struggling to get up. Instead of finishing him, I turned my attention to what was happening to the others. Aegis had two hooves free, and was working the magic inhibitor off his horn. RD an Octi were rolling on the ground, curing and biting at each other. The tackle that caught me was unexpected, but it drove me to the wall, knocking all wind out of me with a scream of pain and surprise.

It seemed like all motion in the room stopped as Bright stomped backwards, snorting and growling, scraping the carpet to ribbons as he got ready for the charge, horn down. I only had the strength to turn my head to see it coming. There were screams, I'm sure, yells of disrepair, but I heard none of that. The only thing my mind registered was the gray mare throwing herself in front of me, pulling the hulking white train off coarse and into the wall next to me. The wall shook as Bright nailed Octavia to the wall, running his horn through her body.

She screamed out in pain, her eyes going wild as she desperately wrapped her forelegs around his massive head. With a cry, she yanked as hard as she could, silencing the room with a mighty -SNAP.

I watched in horror as Bright slid to the ground, leaving a bloody trail and a gaping hole in Tavi's chest. I was there in a spit second, pressing my hooves against the bleeding hole.

“There's...” She gasped. “Not much time.”

“Shut up, you stupid, stupid,” I could feel the tears falling on my cheeks as I looked into the face of Tavi, shuddering as her life bled out of her.

“Listen.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “I lied about things.” She pulled a little picture out of her collar, pressing it into my unbloodied hoof. “I did it for her. My parents were in Bright's pocket their whole lives. I tried to change that after you left me at school. That's why I joined the Symphony, and started dating Barra Von Hoofen.” She coughed, her voice getting weaker. “He was gay, and never gave me what I needed, so...I cheated on him.” Her eyes stated to close, as tears ran down our faces. “His name was Fire Fly. I gave birth last year. Diamond found out and foalnapped her, forcing me into his services.” She coughed. “That's how I was appointed to become the Chief Inspector. I was his recovery dog. Please,” She locked eyes with me, drawing a shuddering breath. “Her name is Scootaloo.”

Her haggard breathing was shallow and slow.

I looked at the picture, and nodded, tears streaming down my face, blinding me. “I'll raise her like she's my own.” I promised. As messed up as Octavia's actions were, they made sense now. She was being forced to find Derpy, and knew that I was the only pony standing in the way.

Octavia, now one of the bravest mares I knew, mouthed the words 'thank you' and breathed out her last breath.

The room was silent, save a few sniffles. I looked down at the picture of the little orange pegasi with a pink mane. The picture was worn. Poor mare must have looked at this every spare chance she had, like any mother would.

We didn't speak as we made our way around the mansion, looking for Derpy. There were a few guards, but they didn't stand much of a chance as my dad is ex black Ops and I was still in rage mode from the death of a friend.

“Stay back!” A voice called out as we opened another door. Inside was a white mare with a long, curled, purple mane, three crystals for a cutie mark, and levitating a kitchen knife. Behind her was a bed with a scared Derpy, and not far from her was a large crib in a large plastic box with wires and tubes hooked into the little white foal inside. “I'm warning you!”

“Easy there,” RD said, holding up her hooves, stepping in front of me. Guess I looked like I was about to burn the place down, which was a rather entertaining thought, but, “It's okay. We're the good guys. We're here to take Derpy home.”

The white mare blinked. “You're not sent by my father?”

“No.” I said bluntly. “He's dead.”

Her eyes widened, as the knife fell to the ground with a clank. She put a hoof to her mouth. “Oh...oh my.” She turned away for a moment, thinking, tears welling in her eyes. She blinked, her eyes getting hard. “Good.”

“I'm sorry,” I looked around me. “Did I miss hear you? Did you just say good?”

She sniffed. “My father was a bad bad stallion. He tried to keep me from the truth, but I knew he wasn't any good.” She straightened. “I'm Rarity. Now that my father is gone, I'm the head of this family. You may take Derpy, but.” Her eyes looked to the baby in the plastic box. “I'm afraid I can't let you take Sweetie Belle as well.” She sniffed.

“Complications?” Aegis asked, stepping forward.

“Yes.” Rarity looked very uncomfortable. “My father ordered an emergency c-section on Derpy last month. Derpy is almost fully healed now, but poor little Sweetie Belle has to be on life support day and night.”

My heart ached. “Is there anything that can be done?” I pleaded, hoping there was some way to bring our baby home.

Rarity shook her head. “She's not strong enough to survive without the machines. I don't know if she'll be okay. I'm making sure I have the best doctors doing all they can to keep her healthy.”

We stood in silence.

“Vinyl” I rushed over to Derpy's side as soon as she started to say my name. “It's really you~”

“Yes, yes I'm here.” I kissed her for a long moment. “I'll never leave you again.”

Derpy smiled weakly. “Did you see my baby?”

“Sweetie Belle.” I gave a strained smile, not sure how to tell her we can't take her home. “She's...she's beautiful.”

She nodded. “I know.” She sniffed. “Rarity?”

“Derpy Dear.” Rarity nodded. “She'll be safe.”

Derpy smiled. “I don't want her to be without a mommy.” Derpy smiled, tears leaking out of her eyes. “Please, tell her you love her everyday.”

I sat back on my haunches, stunned. Did she just...?

“I will.” Rarity nodded, whipping tears from her eyes. “I'll tell her mummy loves her every day.”

I pulled out the photo that Octavia had given to me, showing it to Derpy. “This little filly needs a mom too.” I sniffed.

Derpy looked at it, and by the way she took the picture from me, her heart melted. “What's her name?”

“Scootaloo.” I smiled. “She was Octavia's reason for living.”

Derpy nodded. “Scootaloo.” She cooed. “Our little Scoots. Mommy loves you.”

Beginning of a Beautiful Thing

I'll tell you, once we got over the whole 'misunderstanding' of, well, everything, that Derpy mare got very friendly. She was all smiles and hugs. I didn't mind, but the actions were sending mixed signals to me, but with that all aside, we went to bed at a reasonable hour, since there wasn't much point staying up till the plot crack of dawn.

My eyes slowly opened as the sunlight started pooling on my white coat. Sitting up, with a yawn, stretching my forelegs out, I arched my back, feeling every vertebra in my back pop in rapid secession.

“Sweet Celestia's plot, that was nice.”

A quick sniff of the air told me that the Derp was treating me to pancakes. If this keeps up, I should just employ he as a live in maid. A chuckle escape my lips at the thought, until I thought of her in a maid outfit. The blood rushed to my cheeks...and to where the sun don't shine.

“Aww stallion...” I grumbled, forcing myself to slump out of bed and head to the bathroom. “Sure hope this won't take long. Those pancakes smell amazing.”

Derpy must have heard me get out of bed, because once the bathroom door was shut, and locked to prevent what happened last night from happening again, she knocked.

“You up Viny?”

VINY?! Buck! This mare was adorable. My hoof moved to my marehood on it's own, stroking soft, but fast as I tried to keep the lust and gasps out of my voice.

“Yeah. It's me.”

“Okay. Don't be long, breakfast is ready.”

I sighed as she left. I won't say I'm a screamer, and if I was I'd never admit to it, but I'm not the silent type either. That being said, I kept the most bucking silent I've ever been in my whole Celestia damn life as I tended to my carnal needs. It wasn't long at all before I fell the spasmic relief of ecstasy that can only be achieved through sexual release. Lucky for me, I didn't cause much of a mess, and so clean up was a one tissue, one flush job.

“So,” Derpy smiled once I came into the kitchen. Yep, satisfying my needs was the best thing to do before I saw that sexy thing in that apron. “What are the plans today?”

Remembering last night, and how I was now out of a job until I could find a new club, instantly put a sour taste in my mouth.

“I'm going to be job hunting.”

Derpy watched me silently, her mismatched eyes wells of confusion and concern. I guess I had to come clean. If I was going to explain it, I'd better explain all of it.

“I....I was asked to take a leave of absence from DJing at the Blue Moon, last night. That's why I was home early.”

“Why would they ask that?” She asked. “You're really good. Why would they not want you to DJ?”

Her statement caught me off guard. “Whoa, whoa, I'm really good?” I smirked. “Where did that come from?”

Derpy blushed. “The other night...I came to the Blue Moon because of the music.”

“I thought you were there because-” I stopped myself from compleating that sentence. That was only two days ago, and even thought I had it bad, the twitch in my horn told me this mare had it way worse.

The unusual thing is that I actually gave a buck about her. Mentally I slapped myself. Caring doesn't mean jack shit in the world I came from. Ponies who cared got pissed on on a regular basis in the entertainment world. Why else would I skew the brains out of any hot plot pony and tell them to get their shit and leave before my after glow faded?

“It was.” She answered, drawing my attention away from me to her. “There's...more to it than that.”

“Tell me about it.” I took a long drink of the coffee she brewed that morning. “Damn filly, this is good.”

Derpy blushed happily. “Thank you.”

“But, as I was saying, I was asked to go somewhere else,” I took a deep breath and plunged on before I could get a chance to rethinking this. “Because of my dad.”

“Your dad?”

“Yeah....Here's the story, abridged version. Dad was an officer in the Equestrian army. About twenty four years ago, before I was born, he died being deployed to some other country as part of a diplomacy mission. I think it was Fangland.”

“Fangland?”

I almost laughed at her confusion. “Yeaaaah, most ponies haven't ever heard of it. Fangland is a small country way out to sea. They had relations with Griftopia, but things turned nasty. Things were at a stand off and they asked for a third party to come in and help settle things peaceful.”

Derpy thought that over for a moment, her face scrunching up as the facts I was telling her clashed against my earlier statement.

“Then, why did he die?”

“Fangland is home to the wolves. Actual wolves. Not the monsters that live in the Everfree Forest by Ponyville.”

She nodded.

“Anyway, while many have embraced the modern trend of being vegetarian like all civilized nations, there was a group that were about following their old traditions, mainly the carnivorous kind.”

The gray mare's eye's opened wide, a question on her lips, but I didn't feel like drawing this out. I just wanted to get this over and done with. I hated thinking about it, and saying it was worse.

“So, long to the short, Fangland's traditionalists attacked the meeting where the treaty would be signed. End result, modern Fangland lashed out and obliterated every rebel or would be rebel, pledged loyalty to Equestria and signed the treaty with Griftopia.”

“Uuuhhh....” Derpy looked more confused than before. “How?”

I ground my teeth, hoping that she'd read between the lines, but alas, Derpy didn't get it.

“My dad's team and a team of Fanglandians held the rebels off until the diplomats could relocate and sign the treaty. He was killed in action. That was the official story.”

Her eyes widened, and her face shown with shock, like she just connected the dots.

“So if he didn't really die, then-”

“The buck I know. Up to the time he showed his bucking face, I was living in the gutter, homeless, begging for food, or stealing it.”

Derpy put a hoof on mine sympathetically. She didn't have to say words, I knew that she was sorry that such a thing happened, and that she wished she could have been there to help.

Damnit! Why the mother buck what I spilling my shit to this beautiful pegasus, like it was Celestia bucking show and bitch about time? I felt something wet on my face. Shit....

“Mom died when I was five.” I forced myself to say, feeling more wetness on my face. “We never had a real place to our own. So when he came back, taking me away to an actual home, I hated it. I hated him.” I shut my eyes, blocking my view of her face, of the world that I lived in, yet hated with every fiber of my being. The tears flowed, leaking out of my tight eyelids, trickling steadily like a leaky facet that you never could close tight enough. “And so I ran away every day since then.”

“But...why?”

I opened my watering eyes to meet her gaze. I guess my face looked pretty ticked because she looked nervous, but continued on with what she was saying.

“Your dad came to take care of you. You weren't alone anymore, and you had a safe place to stay.”

Silence.

Derpy, despite knowing her for only thee days, didn't deserve my tongue lashings for that statement. She didn't understand. She wouldn't NEVER understand. No pony would. No pony would understand the Tartarus I've been through because that bastard had to come back from the Celestia damn dead.

“Point is,” I finally said, getting up to show that I was done talking about it. “I've been running for a long time. When he catches up, he tends to interfere with my life. He found out I worked at the Blue Moon, and interrogated the owner about where I live. I don't usually tell ponies about that. The owner doesn't know the story, and thinks I'm in deep shit, so cut me loose.”

Derpy stood up too, nodding as she gathered the plates onto an outstretched wing, and sliding them expertly into the sink, before getting some hot soapy water running for them to soak in.

“So, we look for jobs.”

That caught me off guard. “We?”

She gave me a sheepish grin. “Well, you said I could stay as long as I needed. I don't have anywhere else to go, but even if I did, I'd need some bits to get there.”

I was about to offer to give her the needed cash, but the realization that I was barely able to afford rent on my Blue Moon income, something I never admitted to any pony before, reminded me that I was not the hot shit I pretended I was.

“Okay, but first things first.” I levitated over my money bag, which was a lot leaner than it should be, and got out five bits. “You need to do me a fav.”

Derpy just cocked her head to the side, curiously.

“No pony is going to hire an albino to do anything. You need to go to the local hair salon and get me my blue hair and mane dye. I am not going out in public till I do.”

She nodded, tucked the five bits into her wing feathers and smiled.

“Vinyl. I know it's hard, but we'll get through this together. As friends, we can do anything.”

I just stared at her.

We. Together. Friends. Those words were as strange to me as Fangland was to Derpy. But that smile. That luminescent smile, that could light the world like wild fire at midnight. How could she smile so brightly? It's so strange. When she said 'We'll get through this together', I believed her. She turned and walked out the door, calling back something, but I wasn't listening. I just stared after her in awe that any creature, either living or dead, could have the hope and happy spirit as the mare who just walked into my life.

Broken, but Still Standing (epilogue)

Derpy and I found Scootaloo and headed home after that. It's funny, how lives change so much by meeting others. If I never met that mare of gray in that night club so long ago, I'd never have found my love. Life would have been so different for the three of us.

Since then, we've raised Scootaloo as our own, and it feels my heart with pride and joy to hear her call us mom. Rainbow took a liking to her, and thus became Ante Dashie. Cute huh? It was really sad that we had to leave Sweetie Belle with Rarity, but after a few years, once Rarity dismantled her father's regime, she moved to Ponyville. Turns out, Celestia, shortly after, sent on of her stare pupils here to learn how to make friends. Twilight Sparkle. She's petty cool.

It's crazy how it all worked out, though neither Sweetie nor Scoots knows the truth about their real parents, but those are conversations for another day.

Heh, as they grew up, they became good friends with each other, and also with another filly from Sweet Apple Acres, Applebloom. The three made this little club, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, or something like this. It's sweet.

I've also been teaching my girl how to drop the bass. Yeah, as good as I am with the viola, I went back to djing. Just just say, too many sad memories that accompany the stringed interment.

Life is good, and uncomplicated. It's not perfect by far, but it's a good life. The life you never get, and wish you had. In many ways, we're all still broken. Yup, broke in a lot of way, but we're still standing, and that's what counts.