Broken, but Still Standing

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.