The music was flowing, the bass was turned up, and all the partygoers were having a great time. That's why ponies come to Las Pegasus. To relax, get away from it all. So why was your mind dredging up these memories? You needed to take a break from your turntables... Maybe get a drink and just chill for a bit. Yeah, that sounded like a good idea.

You motioned for the other DJ to come take over for a bit as you headed over to the bar. Sitting down, the memories came flooding back to you. Why? Why did they have to surface now? All these ponies... They'd come here to relax, let the stress of their work fade away and party. Let loose. Yet here you were, having some kind of mental breakdown about something that happened so long ago.

Your mother had told you to go to your room. When you asked why, she only screamed at you to go to your room and stay quiet. Not wanting to get a spanking, you ran up to your room and shut the door. But you had to know why. Why did she tell you to do that? Pressing your ear up against the door to you room, you listened intently for a clue as to why she-- The front door opened and then slammed shut.

Father? He was home early. He never came home early... Mother always told you he was sick or tired... That's why he would come home so late. It wasn't until now that you'd realized he was an alcoholic. He would drink like a fish out of water. That night though... That night was different. You recall pressing your head against the door to try and hear what was going on.

Why were they fighting? You heard something that sounded like a slap maybe? And then your mother... crying? Why would she cry? She always told you that she loved your father very much... You'd opened the door slowly and quietly, making sure to not make a sound. You crept down the stairs and followed the noises into the kitchen. He was making funny noises though... There were tears in mother's eyes and she was sniffling.

When she noticed you, she choked out a sort of yell, "VINYL! GO TO YOUR ROOM!" You remember running up to your room and hiding under your bed. Shortly thereafter though, you heard steps come up the stairs. You remember being dragged by your tail from under your bed... Then... He... He... He touched you... You shuddered and asked the bartend for a drink.

"Vinyl, are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah, just need a drink is all. Thanks."

He nodded and went back to his other patrons. After it was over... There was blood. Blood all over the bed, like he'd broken something in you. It hurt so much... You were so sore... And scared... You'd hit him really hard over the head with your lamp... He'd said something.

"You'll never be anything but a freak. No stallion will ever love you. You're a broken freak! Look at what you did on the bed!"

Whatever possessed you to hit him with the lamp... It just felt... right. But after? You panicked. You grabbed whatever you could fit into your little saddlebags and ran. Past your father on the ground, past your mother in the kitchen, right out the door; crying all the while.

You'd tried forgetting... But you couldn't. No matter how hard you tried, the memories would follow you wherever you went. Every stallion you met seemed to be just as your father. They only wanted one thing. That's all they cared about.

In all your time since then, you'd never gotten close to a stallion. Or another pony, really. Save for the bartender. But he was gay, so that didn't count. You sighed and downed your drink quickly. After setting your glass back down, the bartend was already talking with you.

"So, you gonna tell me what's bothering you or not?"

"Who said something was bothering me?"

"You can hide behind your wee goggles all you want, but I know you Vinyl." You sighed and shook your head.

"Marty, you're a good pal, but I'm fine, really. I just needed a break and something to drink is all, alright?"

"Alright... You just let me know if you need to talk." That accent was part of what you liked about him. Made him a good pony to listen too; helped when he was full of good advice, too.

"Well off you go then."

"Yeah yeah, you do your job I'll do mine."

"Aye. Get a move on, lass."

You waded through the crowd of ponies on the dance floor, back to your turntables. Sure you got some whoops and hollers, but you reminded yourself that these ponies didn't want you for who you were. They only wanted to use you and be done with you. They wanted their own little bit of entertainment from you and that's all.

They'd get their entertainment, but it'd be your music. Not like they wouldn't run after seeing your eyes anyways. Red eyes are demon eyes. You've got a little demon in you. You're a freak of nature. These little tidbits of phrases were what convinced you to get goggles. After that, they'd died down to near nothing. It was nice. Just a little something you could do to fit in.

You'd wear them as often as you could; they rarely left your head. Matter of fact, the only times you really took them off was when you were by yourself or with Marty. He'd always say you had pretty eyes; like jewels or something stupid. Of course, you'd had to deal with some... persistent ponies as well.

Some would wait for you after the show was over. Those usually met Marty. After your first black eye from defending yourself, Marty had vowed to walk you home every day. He was the big brother you never had growing up. It did your wellbeing good to have a gay stallion walk you home. He was built well, kept in shape. That, and you nearly died laughing when he threatened a stallion with brutal anal devastation.

"Oi! You want to put your dick in her, eh? I tell you what. After I'm through puttin mine in you, we'll talk. How's that sound?"

The look on that creeps face? Priceless. Marty... He was the best friend you could ask for. He always had something to say, something to cheer you up. One day you'll find a way to properly thank him. For now, you need to get back to your turntables. They're missing you and that little stand-in DJ is probably ready to bolt. Yup, time to get back to what you do best.

The music had been going for a while now, and the party was really going. Dancing ponies everywhere, everyone having a good time. You'd even spotted a group of minotaurs come in. Tonight was shaping up to be an alright night. Being on the DJ platform, you could see most of the club fairly well. You looked around at your work. Yeah, they were enjoying themselves.

When you noticed a gap form in the crowd, you looked over to see what the fuss was about. Huh. What's that... thing? You've never seen something quite like that before. Was it a bald minotaur maybe? He was with a little pink pony that was bouncing around, smiling. Wonder what it is? Or what it's doing here? Bah, probably some higher-up here to relax or something.

MMmmmmm... No, that didn't seem right. It looked... Different. Maybe it's her pet and she's... No, that's not it either. You notice a small group of ponies eyeing the... thing. That look was one you were all too familiar with. You signaled to Marty that there was trouble, and motioned towards the group of ponies.

They'd advanced on the newcomer, and you could barely make out "freak" and "bald monkey." Marty sent the thing over to the bar and pulled the ring leader of the group of ponies aside. A brief chat with him, and the group left in a hurry. Maybe when you get a break you'll go see what exactly this thing is.

Author's Note

This prelude came out a bit darker than I intended, but I want to keep it as, it establishes some back story that's needed later. Neither myself nor Aether intend for this to be so dark in future chapters.

Please read this blog post, as it directly relates to this story.