Button Mash carefully pushed open the door to his boss' office. The smell hit him at once, and he coughed to clear his assaulted nasal passages. The place reeked of whiskey and sex. He'd definitely have to pay the cleaning mare extra this week. He spotted his boss sprawled across his desk and called out carefully. "Uh... Mr. Rich?"

Filthy Rich slowly opened one bleary eye. "…Yes?"

"Uh... rough night?"

Filthy opened and blinked both eyes carefully. His head was pounding. Thank Celestia for the heavy curtains over the window. He carefully pushed himself up and back into his chair with a groan, then looked around the office. He and Button Mash were the only occupants. "Did... did you just get here?" He asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Yes sir." Button carefully stepped over a spilled bottle of whiskey.

"Did you... see anypony leave?" Filthy rubbed the back of his aching head. He smacked his lips and grimaced. His mouth tasted awful. "Anypony at all?"

"No sir."

"So maybe it was a dream..." Filthy began muttering, but cut off the thought when he saw tell-tale stains on his desk's surface. The smell of the place struck him then, and flashes of the night before became more clearly defined. It definitely hadn't been a dream, then. There had been a mare here, and in his drunken daze she had appeared to him as... as Diamond Tiara. A chill went through him at the thought. Maybe this whole experience was the sign he needed to cut back. Hell, maybe it was time to give therapy another shot. In any case, whoever the mare in question had been? She’d been wonderful. Just what he’d needed. "Button, send another to message to Candy Cane, would you?” A small grin broke through the burgeoning hangover. “That young lady was just what the doctor ordered."

Button Mash raised an eyebrow. "Another message, sir? When did I send the first one? You haven't had me contact Mr. Cane in weeks."

"Last night. You used the Dragonfire to reach out to him last night." A cold feeling began to creep up Filthy’s spine at the look of incomprehension in his employee’s eyes. "I asked you to have Cane arrange for me to have some company last night." He gestured at the intercom. "Used this right here."

Button Mash shook his head. "I'm sorry, sir, but I hit the road literally right after you went up the stairs. I told you; I had plans. I took Sweetie Belle out to dinner for Hearts and Hooves Day. If you had company last night, you arranged for it." Button’s eyes cut to the clock on the wall. “You don’t have long before the train leaves, sir. You might want to, uh...” He sniffed and looked away. “Freshen up.” He turned and started down the stairs. “I’ll head out and see if the cleaning service has someone who can come over right away. This place will look brand new by the time you get back.”

Filthy Rich slumped in his chair. The implications of last night's events slowly began to come together in his mind. If everything Button had said was true… then maybe…

“Good morning, Daddy.”

Filthy started and stared as his daughter entered his office. His first instinct was to panic, to ask her to leave, to beg her forgiveness for the state of his office, to come up with some lame excuse for the mess…

She looked at his desktop and smirked. “Gonna take some serious elbow grease to get those stains out. Sorry about that.”

That was all it took. The final key. The last clue. Everything slid into place. It hadn’t been some drunken delusion. Filthy Rich’s heart sank. “Diamond Tiara…” He whispered.

“I’m sorry I ran out so early.” Diamond Tiara crossed the room and set a small travel bag and a box of pastries on the profaned desk. “I ran back to the house to get cleaned up and brought you a few toiletries so you could do the same. Grabbed you some breakfast on the way back over.”

Filthy stared at his daughter. How was she being so nonchalant about this? Acting so… normal? He’d defiled her, ruined her. Taken the sacred bond between father and daughter and broken it, just like everything else in his life. Why was she still here? And, more importantly, why was she taking care of him? “Diamond Tiara… Princess…” He swallowed hard. His mouth tasted like ashes and whiskey. “Last night…”

“We can talk about last night when you’re not hungover and needing to catch a train.” Diamond Tiara sat on her haunches and straightened her headpiece atop her freshly washed mane. “It happened. That’s all that needs to be said right now.”

“But it’s not.” Filthy felt the distant urge to vomit, but was unsure if it was the hangover or the thought of what he’d done that brought it on. “Diamond, I took advantage of…”

“Daddy, please shut up with that.” Diamond Tiara gave him a pitying look. “I initiated it, remember? I asked you to do it. Practically begged you.”

“That’s no excuse.” He sniffed. “I’m your father, Diamond Tiara. I should have…”

“Yes, you’re my father. And I’m your daughter. And you have spent my entire life taking care of my every need. I haven’t wanted for anything. Ever. And that’s all thanks to you. Certainly no thanks to her.” Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes. “You really should’ve told her to kick rocks ages ago.”

“I wanted you to have a decent foalhood…”

“And I did. I had an amazing foalhood… except for having to watch her treat you like dirt all these years. That part wasn’t so great. And seeing her somehow become even worse to you after the split?” She shook her head in disgust. “Hearing you talk like you did last night…”

“It was the booze…”

“No it wasn’t.” She smiled at him gently. “What we did last night… Daddy, you needed it. And I was happy to do it for you. With you. To show you what you’d been missing all this time.” She came around the desk and put a hoof on his shoulder. “We’re not the first father and daughter to do this in Equestria." She laughed lightly. "And it’s not like we’re gonna be dating now, are we?”

Filthy shuddered. “Of course not. I…” He looked into her eyes. The familial love was there as it always had been, but the lust, the want she’d displayed last night was nowhere to be found. “I love you, Princess. But… but not like that.”

“Same, Daddy.” She stretched forward and kissed his cheek. “So with all that being said… did it help? Did I help you?”

Filthy Rich considered… and then nodded. “I think you did.”

“Good. Then that’s all that matters.” She kissed his cheek again, then paused. "You know... it's true what you said last night."

"What's that?"

Her breath was hot in his ear, and for a single fleeting instant the burn of last night returned. "I really am the best thing you've ever done."

He pushed himself back and gaped at her. "Young lady!"

She laughed as she turned and headed for the door. “You were owed that after the 'tip you well' joke, Daddy. Now eat your breakfast and get to the station. I upgraded you to a sleeper so you can get showered up on the ride into the city.”

Filthy chuckled as he reached for a pastry. “You’re too good for me, princess.”

“No, Daddy.” She stopped and looked back with a smile. “You’re too good. I love you.”

“Love you, too.” He watched her go as he bit into his croissant. The feelings of shame and self-loathing were still there, but they weren’t quite as loud now. His daughter still loved him. What had happened? Well, it had happened. And it was done with. Nothing between he and Diamond Tiara had been changed. Except…

Filthy Rich swiveled his chair towards the wall and stared at the empty space. He was broken, yes… but not everything in his life was. And broken things? They could be repaired. Oftentimes in unconventional ways, as last night has shown him. He hadn't been foolish for pining for what he desired. It was out there, somewhere. Diamond Tiara had shown him that. It would take time and effort, but in the end? He would be okay again. The anger and the bitterness and the self-hatred... they would fade over time. Because there were still good things in his life, weren’t there? His business. His friends.

And the best daughter he could ever ask for.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////

It took several weeks to be completed, but the end result was worth it. The new framed portrait fit over the empty space perfectly, like it had always belonged there. In many ways, it was very similar to the last portrait that had hung there. The same backdrop, the same angle…

…really, the only difference was that now it was two ponies in the portrait instead of three. And one of the subjects was visibly older than she'd been the first go round.

Per Filthy Rich’s request, a small golden label had been affixed to the frame. Emblazoned on it was a single word.

UNBROKEN

Author's Note

I hadn't planned on doing a story like this as my 99th published fanfiction, but life is a funny thing. Writing this was tremendously therapeutic in a lot of ways, as strange as that sounds.

Most of you who follow me know where this story comes from. There are some very real, very raw parts of me in here. Obviously not the parts about plowing an immediate family member, but that should be obvious. To these followers, I just want to say that I'm slowly getting better.

And I love you all. You are my constants.

You help me remain unbroken.

-Jade Ring