Chapters The Storm King had taken Canterlot, he held in a tower on the northwest corner all of the music ponies of Equestria. He care much about music but he pimped them ponies to high-paying customers. His personal favorite that he hadn't pimped out was a pegasus mare with a black and blonde mane, this was Songbird Serenade.
He had found her doing her best to fight off a pair of his soldiers when he had grabbed her from behind and pinned her down. Damn, she felt soft against his body. He ordered that the music ponies be kept in a tower of Canterlot castle, as Songbird Serenade saw her fellow ponies locked away and she was on a leash with a collar and was ordered to sing.
"Pardon me my lord, but I can't……….not now when I have lost my home and freedom."
"Very well, in the morning then. I'll have food sent to your room." As the Storm King led his new guest to her room, her step faltered from a sprain she received a few flights down. The Storm King stopped and stooped to carry the pegasus up the remainder of the stairs.
Storm King looked at his two captains with a look that read, "is she the one to break the spell?" His captains, Grubber and Tempest Shadow shrugged Songbird Serenade out of the music mares who had spoken to their lord were defiant toward him.
Songbird was compliant and was doing her best to be respectful. It helped Storm King's position that he was being gentle. He planned to pimp out...........this is not the right word he was wanting to use but he found the word he wanted. He was gonna rent out the musical ponies as a business. Songbird Serenade felt her ankle being bandaged and the Storm King was doing the job himself. Beside her bed sat a large pitcher of iced tea and some small round tea biscuits to go with it. The room she was placed in was large and spacious with a marvelous view of the mountains and Ponyville in the distance.
"There there, dear rest up now." As it was already dinner time Storm King had food brought to the room where the pair are quietly until Songbird spoke, "You're not as cruel as we thought, I heard you're pimping out the other musicians?"
"Pimping is the wrong word, I meant rent."
"Okay............... I guess, but I must let you know that Canterlot has its pervs. I just don't want anypony to get hurt."
"they'll be fine, I've placed in the contract that the renters have to pay four times the amount if the musician returns injured."
"I'm kinda exhausted at the moment, may I get some rest?"
"I'll send for you when dinner is ready." as Storm King left the room, Songbird silently wept. Her freedom was gone and she was a prisoner. When dinner came and Tempest brought Songbird Serenade a fine gown to wear.
"Is he trying to buy my affection! I am not wearing that fucking gown! He is fucking crazy! If he wants me to join him so badly he needs to do fetch me himself!" Tempest left the room to tell her king who stormed up the stairs and yelled.
"Songbird Serenade! You put that gown on and get downstairs for dinner! You hear me bitch!"
The door opened and Songbird stood in there and yelled back, "Shove it up your cunt dumbass!" As she slammed the door shut in his face she spat, "I will never fall in love or give you any affection! Go rot in Tartarus!"
"If you want to starve fine!" turning to his captains he said, "If she doesn't eat dinner with me, then don't feed her for a few days!" The Storm King went down the hallway cursing.
"Our master will never get this mare to love him if he can't control his temper."
"You got that right Grubber, we have only nine months until the flower dies........... I know, because an old classmate had one for show and tell."
"Wait a minute, isn't the flower hard to pick from the Badlands? I thought I heard that only a changeling can survive the hazards to pick one."
"The classmate was a changeling..........I went to school with Queen Chrysalis, she's not all that bad when you got to know her."
Grubber nodded and the pair walked back to the kitchen and Songbird was pacing in her room hungry. It was around 9 pm and Songbird Serenade crept from her room and gently flew down the long dark hallways until she came to the drawing-room where Storm King was reading a book. He was regretting having yelled at his guest. He glanced up, in the shadows he barely made out a pegasus form shuffling its hooves. "Come in" he commanded and he watched as the form slowly stepped into the light.
"Your majesty," Songbird said as she bowed, "I came to apologize for being so rude to you earlier."
"I forgive you. Rise and sit by me here and let's enjoy a good book." He sent Grubber to get food for Songbird and Tempest took leave of the couple and Storm King yelled out, "See you at Twilight!" Tempest blushed slightly because she knew Storm King figured out that she and Twilight were an item.
Songbird munched on her plate of exotic food while Storm King read aloud a book of poetry. Who knew that Storm King was so well.............cordial? As the fire died down and it was getting late Songbird fell asleep during Storm King's song. She suddenly sat upright and apologized for falling asleep during his performance. He smirked then a pillow appeared from the void and Songbird barely dodged the soft projectile. She found one had been stashed under the ottoman by the sofa and she retrieved it and fought back. Why was the pillow there? Then it donned on her, Storm King planned for her to make an appearance.
The pair had apologized and now were enjoying each other's company.
Songbird Serenade looked at the ceiling of her room, it depicted two creatures, one she knew was Discord, the other was like him but a dark grey with a hint of silver and maroon. Looking intently it had all of Equestria's enemies portrayed and the dark grey draconequus was being cursed she assumed and seeing Chrysalis give the draconequus a yellow flower similar to a rose. She was confused by the image, to say the least.
She began to feel hungry again she had breakfast about two hours ago and she trotted to the kitchen. When she got there she saw Tempest and Twilight kissing and Grubber was eating a slice of red velvet cake. She blushed at the scene and failed to see a shadow had loomed behind her. Storm King pulled an air horn and blasted it. All parties jumped and Songbird Serenade screamed and launched upward and hitting her head on the door frame. As she came back down, Storm King caught her while still smirking. Songbird glared daggers, she felt like she almost had a heart attack. "What the fuck was that for!"
"I was in the mood to prank some creature"
"And you chose the smallest creature in the room?"
"Technically Grubber is smaller than you are"
"Technically he's shorter but he weighs like a hundred pounds more than I do! Are you cray-cray?"
"Not medically assessed as so............yet."
"My head hurts I'm gonna take this apple and eat it in peace somewhere and try to sleep this migraine away." As she walked out, rather crookedly he asked Grubber how long Tempest and Twilight been making out in the kitchen. He felt a little bad scaring the pegasus so badly. Storm King went to go find her and apologize.
He found her in the garden singing her soul out, It was a soulful song it told of the sorrow of one who had lost their freedom and homeland to a conquering ruler and the joy of knowing they were safe. It confused him a good deal. He sent a scroll by the hoof of a hired pegasus scribe to have Tempest Shadow do a background check of the last few days to see who has rented the music ponies. He walked up to Songbird Serenade and awkwardly apologized for scaring her, as he stepped closer she smirked as he found himself pulled upward and she was laughing hard now and he couldn't help but laugh himself.
"Gotcha!" As the pair talked they were unaware of what was transpiring inside.
"See Twilight, my dear? My king is blind to the potential romance before him. As you know I have all the intel on the ponies who rented the musicians, I'd wager that he'll let Celestia and Luna you, and Cadence condemn Filthy Rich. As you know when he disbanded the Lunar and Royal guard he made sure they returned to their families. He sees families as the strongest bonds in a kingdom. I should let you in on it but Grubber has started dating Chrysalis."
"What the hell? That is fucking hilarious! At least we know Chryssy won't die hungry." As if on Grubber and Chrysalis cleared their throats loudly.
"Glad you find our relationship............funny, but I could say the same thing about you and Tempest."
"Sorry Chrysalis, it's just I could have not seen this coming." The changeling nodded knowingly and the four watched as the two in the garden had to play tennis. "Songbird needs to work on her backhand stroke it's a bit sloppy."
"Storm King needs to learn that every fourth hit Songbird adds a backspin coupled with sidespin." The match quickly ended when Storm King there his racket on the ground and could be seen applying pressure to the pegasus muzzle.
Grubber and Chrysalis told Twilght their story. "You see Twilight I found Chrysalis in a cave a few miles from here and she wasn't in good shape. She was running fever, starving and torn wing. I helped her out, all I wanted was to get her fever down and get the heck out of there. But her healing up took weeks and I kinda started falling in love............who knew I had a thing for changelings. "
"I told Grubber once my fever broke that just a few hours before he showed up a couple of unicorns had turned and left after I asked them for help. Grubber annoyed me at first with his cake obsession; I learned to like the the taste of pony food and realized if i could eat normal food like you I won't have to solely live off of love. So now here we are an unlikely couple enjoying life."
A few hours later all three couples dined in the great hall and had been joined by six other ponies and four alicorns. The topic turned to a more serious matter dealing with Filthy Rich.
Storm King was upset about the infidelity and the alicorns were to run the trial. It was gonna be a hell of an event held in a public courtroom and everypony was required to be there.
In the crowded City Square, Filthy Rich stood before a makeshift dais, and on it sat five alicorns, a draconequus, a unicorn king, a changeling king & queen. Nearby sat a jury and on one side sat his family. The music ponies who were now free that once were being rented sat by Filthy's family. Storm King sat at the top of the dais with Songbird Serenade at his right hand.
"Filthy Rich! I have before me the records of your business transactions renting the music ponies and I hear you were doing things I can't mention because of the young ears in the crowd. What I don't get is why you put on these papers you were single or divorced? From this point, Celestia and company will lead this trial."
"Filthy Rich! We're you having multiple affairs?" Spoiled Rich yelled at her husband.
"Those are just papers, why would I cheat on you?" Diamond Tiara looked behind her at her classmates, a small pegasus named Featherweight hoofed over to her a folder.
"Thanks, Featherweight here's the forty bits I promised." The pegasus nodded and sat down. Filthy was no fool he brought his lawyers with him and Spoiled then felt a need to have a lawyer but she didn't have one...........so Pinkie Pie filled that role.
The Music ponies presented their accusations and it was appalling what Filthy Rich did to them. Vinyl and Bon Bon screamed that Filthy be executed.
Celestia spoke in her Royal Canterlot, "Filthy Rich, you full well know Storm King new laws concerning marriage and infidelity they've been posted on the papers. What have you to say for yourself?"
"The evidence is circumstantial at best, you have no proof that I did anything.............now if we're done here I'll be leaving."
"Dad! I have the evidence right here under my hood...........confess now and I won't be forced to open this folder which contains some disgusting photos of them which my associate from the Foal Free Press has gathered. Albeit I have after seeing the photos need to triple his pay."
"I have nothing to hide, now be a good girl and slide the folder over."
"Only after mother has seen them." Spoiled Rich saw the photos and felt sick that two young children had seen the contents.
"I want to file a divorce! You sick prevented bastard how could you go for a younger mare? When did I quit being enough for you? I know I'm not as slim as I used to be after birthing Diamond Tiara but I've tried. I am being the best homemaker I can and raise our daughter right and your not there enough! Is this why your business trips became more frequent? Our vows, do they mean nothing?"
"Listen here mare! You can't say shit, explain why you've been to Sweet Apple Acres so often? I know not the whole time the female folk hasn't been there."
"Listen here Filthy Rich," a massive red earth pony said as he stormed up, "your wife has been dealing in the business with us that you should've done! She has asked for advice because she thought you were having an affair but had no proof."
"Big Mac stay out of this! How do I know that you and she aren't sleeping together?"
"I got Sugar Belle and I don't need another mare! Right now I wouldn't blame her for ditching ya." Big Mac turned and stormed off he was done.
Filthy Rich turned to his wife and told her, "Divorce me if you like but everything is in my name I doubt you can take custody of Diamond Tiara."
Pinkie Pie finally got to speak and stated (in a manner that made Twilight's eyes water and Tempest pulled her closer). "In Section 908 sub-section 908.6 paragraph four in sentence three it states: 'Any spouse caught in adultery would have their assets ceased and given to the faithful party once evidence is proven for the said act of adultery'. I say we have evidence in plenty just in the documents you signed for the musicians and the photos for more evidence let's have the musicians talk." Filthy Rich stood speechless as the musicians fave testimony, he knew he was done for. He hoped they hadn't found out about his offshore accounts but Pinkie had found the records for them and held them back as an 'Ace' to play if necessary.
As Filthy lost his possessions he looked smug. Pinkie Pie pulled her 'Ace' and presented it. In complete ruin now he felt useless. At least he was business savvy enough to build back up. The royals took turns pronouncing his sentence for his life. It entailed tons of community service and two minimum wage jobs. When it got to Chrysalis she was the harshest. "Filthy Rich, for your crimes against the family unit I hereby command Starlight Glimmer to remove your cutie mark show wealth to reduce it a cutie mark of flipping hay burgers. To make your work life a little easier I'll have you turned into a unicorn with enough power to do menial jobs." The act was done and Filthy Rich walked out of City Square humiliated. Diamond Tiara glared as her dad walked past her, how could he do that to her mother? She wasn't perfect she knew but why risk losing a daughter and wife for a younger mare? She was fuming mad. With permission from her mother, she went to find the CMC and chill with them for the day while her mother hung out with the Apple family (the notion of that was pretty odd in her imagination).
