13: That Price to Pay
Starshadow and Starsong spent all day at Sweet Apple Acres with Big Mac and his family. The two families took the short amount of time to get to know each other a bit better. The Apple family was an extremely generous and gracious host, and Starshadow was relieved that Applejack's jealousy appeared to be completely gone. The orange earth pony was nothing but friendly during their visit, though whenever she made eye contact with Starshadow she would quickly look away while blushing lightly.
Starsong, on the other hoof, had been concerned about what kind of pony Big Mac was. Though she had been at ease before when she heard that her sister was dating him, she was still worried that he may try taking advantage of her. Starsong was perfectly aware of her sister's past choices of stallions and wanted to ensure that she didn't choose another one like 'that', hoping that this 'Big Mac' was different. When Starsong first saw the red stallion she felt her gut wrench slightly. She was intimidated by his size and knew that he would have absolutely no trouble holding down Starshadow. However, she was caught off guard by his politeness as well as how he gently hugged her sister. Starsong's worries were further put at ease as she watched how Starshadow and Big Mac interacted all day. She had never seen Starshadow smile so much around another pony besides her or their mother, nor had she ever seen anypony treat her sister so lovingly. A hint of Starshadow's old habits were present as the small pegasus always stayed next to Big Mac with her body touching his, but Starsong didn't get the sense that her doing so was being forced against her will. Instead, she almost felt that Starshadow was doing so because she wished to be beside him, and by the look of Big Mac's grin he enjoyed her company.
After being introduced to the Apple family, Starsong joined Big Mac and Starshadow on a tour around the farm. The beginning of the walk was around the barn and animal pens, which was something completely alien to Starsong. The smell was the part she disliked the most, especially around the pig pens, but thankfully the tour quickly moved on to the vast apple orchard. Once out in the fields with fresh air Starsong was able to breathe normally without having to worry about the smell of animals.
Once they were wandering the fields Big Mac stepped back and allowed Starsong to have some time with her sister, wanting them to be able to spend time together as he would have plenty of time to be with Starshadow later. He trailed behind them, mainly to act as the guide back to the farm once they wished to go back there. Starsong silently made note of his unspoken gesture, helping solidify the view that Starsong held of him. As their walk neared its end Big Mac led the way back to the farm where the Apple mares had prepared a large lunch for all of them. Starsong couldn't believe the large variety of dishes that could be made with primarily apples, and every single item on the table before her smelled absolutely delicious. Starshadow pressed her sister to try the hard apple cider that Big Mac was famous for making, and though she rarely touched any alcoholic beverages that weren't wine, Starsong had to admit that the drink was extremely tasty.
Once lunch was done the Apple ponies had to go tend to their daily chores. Applejack suggested that Starshadow and Starsong stay and talk in the living room as Big Mac's chores would only take him two or three hours at most. They accepted the offer and spent those few hours talking about what each of them were up to currently with their music careers, and when Big Mac finally returned home Starsong couldn't help but shift the conversation to focus on him, wanting to know a bit more about the stallion who was dating her sister. Having nothing to hide, Big Mac answered all of her questions honestly. Well, except for leaving out a few details when Starsong asked him how he had met and gotten to know Starshadow.
All too soon, the day neared its end as the sun began to set and Luna's night began to dominate the sky. Starsong had to return to her hotel since she and Octavia were due to leave on one of the first trains out of Ponyville, and with great reluctance she and Starshadow bid the Apple family goodnight. Applejack, Granny Smith, and Applebloom all bid Starsong goodbye before Big Mac walked Starsong back to the inn and Starshadow back home. As he said goodbye to Starsong, the elder Star sister hugged the large pony with genuine thanks. "Take care of my sister." she said softly so Starshadow wouldn't hear her.
Big Mac nodded confidently. "Of course, ma'am." he said dutifully. His response was genuine and firm, and Starsong was confident that her sister had chosen her stallion very well. She nodded and then hugged her sister goodnight before heading to her room.
Early the next morning Starshadow met her sister and Octavia at the train station to say goodbye. Though it was hours earlier than she was used to being up, Starshadow had at least managed to have her cup of coffee to help wake her up. The two departing ponies were wide awake, though, as their practice sessions normally started very early in the morning, so being up at this time was nothing new to them.
The three mares shared a light breakfast of freshly made blueberry muffins that Octavia had bought at Sugarcube Corner. Octavia and Starsong told Starshadow that they would be in Los Pegasus for a week or two, playing at different locations to help raise bits for various charities. Once they were done there the group would then continue their normal tour schedule, traveling to Baltimare and Manehattan next. Starshadow was disappointed that her sister would be too busy to visit her again in Ponyville, but Starsong promised her that she would visit again as soon as she found some free time.
All too soon the train whistle went off, signaling that it would be departing soon. As Starsong spoke to the baggage pony about her and Octavia's suitcases, the gray earth pony gave Starshadow a quick hug goodbye. While holding Starshadow, Octavia brought her mouth close to her ear. "Take care of Vinyl for me. Please. Don't let her hurt herself anymore." Octavia asked.
Starshadow didn't know what Octavia meant by that or why she was telling her this, but she nodded in agreement. "Of course, she's my friend." Starshadow said.
Octavia sighed with relief and pulled back. "Good. Good... she needs a friend." she said before getting on the train.
Starsong came over to Starshadow moments later. "It was great to see you, sister." she said, hugging the smaller pony. "I'm sorry I can't stay longer."
"Maybe next time you can spend more time here and see more of this town." Starshadow said.
The train's whistle sounded, cutting their goodbye short. "I'll write you as soon as I get to Los Pegasus tonight!" Starsong said, rushing to get on the train before it left. Sitting next to Octavia, she waved at her sister through the window. Starshadow waved back as the train began to pull away, and within a few minutes the train had pulled out of the station and was gone from view.
Once again alone, Starshadow made the walk back to Vinyl's house. She walked in and saw that Vinyl was awake and sitting at the table, reading the local paper. Starshadow thought back to what Octavia had told her at the train station and noticed that the usually hyper DJ was still looking a bit depressed, so she walked up behind her and gave her a gentle hug.
Vinyl dropped her paper in surprise. "Woah! Uh, morning, Starshadow. What's with the hug?" she asked, slightly confused.
Starshadow didn't answer, and Vinyl didn't press her question any further. It had been a long time since Vinyl had been shown any sincere compassion, and she closed her eyes to enjoy the soft embrace.
Starsong kept her attention on Ponyville, breaking her gaze only when the small town finally disappeared from view. She sat back down in her seat across from Octavia and let out a deep breath. She felt confident that her sister was safe if she remained with Big Mac, but she still couldn't help but worry about her younger sibling. Glancing once more at Octavia, she saw that the cellist seemed preoccupied with her own thoughts, so Starsong returned her gaze to the window, watching the scenery pass by outside as she thought of how far Starshadow had come in the past few years...
"Mom, I don't like this."
"I know, sweetie, but it's the only way to get her back. Just be strong for me. I won't let anything happen to you, I swear."
Starsong nodded but was still extremely uneasy about what she and Silver Veil were about to do. Both of them wore black cloaks, but what they wore under their cloaks was what worried Starsong, not to mention that neither of them were dressed appropriately for the cold winter air. Her mother had on a black dress that hugged her body accompanied by black leggings. Starsong, on the other hoof, had a much more risque outfit on; all she had was a pair of crotchless panties and a leather choker, the latter which had a silver chain attached to it with the other end being held by Silver Veil.
The two ponies walked the silent back streets and alleys of Canterlot. Even though the entire city was dark and almost everypony was fast asleep, both mother and daughter were still apprehensive about walking around with such clothing on. However, they didn't have any choice. If they wished to get into where they needed to, they had to fit the part perfectly. Otherwise, there would be no hope of finding the pony they were looking for. It was a miracle they had this opportunity to try to rescue her, but if they failed tonight they may never see her again.
Silver Veil stopped outside a large warehouse near the edge of the city. "I think this is it." she said, noting a black trident painted on the wall near a metal door. Glancing left and right, she saw that they were alone on the empty street and knocked on the door. A small slot in the door opened and a pair of cold, emotionless eyes stared down at the two mares. The pony inside said nothing, and Silver Veil correctly guessed that he was waiting for the password. "Even Luna's gaze cannot pierce this darkness." she said.
The pony guarding the door said nothing. Instead, he slammed the slot shut but then opened the metal door a few seconds later. Silver Veil and Starsong walked inside, both of them looking around the bleak room. The pony who had opened the door motioned to a coat rack next to two boxes. "Hang up your cloaks there. Take a mask from one box and use the tape in the other box to cover your cutie marks." he instructed. Both mares complied, and Starsong shivered as she felt the stallion's gaze locked onto her body. Once they had finished preparing themselves, the stallion looked over their work to ensure that nopony inside could tell their identity. Satisfied, he pointed to another door. "Down that way." he said.
Silver Veil picked up Starsong's leash and led the way. Both mares walked down the dark hall and came to a room lit by torches that were secured to the walls. Inside that room were about two dozen other ponies. About ten of those ponies were stallions who were dressed in formal suits or tuxedos. The rest of the ponies present were all mares, but they all wore outfits similar to Starsong's. Every single mare also had on some sort of collar or choker and had their leash being held by their 'owner', a few of the stallions holding on to two leashes. The stallions were all unicorns and they stood around conversing to one another like they would at any other social event in Canterlot, but the mares were having a much different experience. Most of them had some sort of device shoved into one or more of their orifices and in plain view of everypony present. Every now and then one of the stallions would command his mare to take up a lewd stance to show off her body, and some of the other stallions would take a close look at her entire body.
Silver Veil and Starsong were disgusted by such actions, and that sickening feeling became worse when one of the stallions noticed the two newcomers and walked over to them, pulling his slave along with him. "Well, this is a rare treat. Don't see too many dominatrices here." he said. "I don't think I've seen you here before. You new to the city?"
SIlver Veil gulped and nodded. "Um, yes, I just moved here." she said, not wanting to make up a complex lie about from where.
Luckily for her, the stallion didn't inquire further about her past. "Well, you're definitely going to love the mares that are being offered tonight. I don't suppose this little slut with you is up for grabs?" he asked, eyeing Starsong lustfully.
Starsong wanted to disappear but managed to stay in her role. Star Veil quickly shook her head no, stepping slightly to the side to place herself in between her daughter and the pervert in front of her. "No, she is not." Silver Veil said defensively. "She's only here because it's the rule."
The stallion nodded. "Well, if you'd ever like to swap for a day, I'm sure my slave could learn a thing or two from another mare." he said, motioning to the mare being held. "Slave, present yourself." he commanded.
The earth mare silently obeyed, turning around and bending over to show herself. She reached back with both forehooves and spread her ass apart, proudly showing off her foal hole and plugged ass. Silver Veil saw in horror that the mare in front of her was soaking wet with arousal, and she couldn't believe that anypony could be turned on from being owned by another pony. "Um, yes... very nice." she said, hoping the discomfort she was feeling didn't show in her voice.
The stallion eyed Starsong again. "Well? Aren't you going to show me your slave?" he asked impatiently.
Silver Veil froze up. There was no way she could willingly tell her daughter to expose herself to some stranger, but if she didn't continue to blend in she would most likely be kicked out and all hopes of rescuing the mare they were here for would be gone. Luckily for her, another pony entered the room and rung a small bell. Everypony looked over to the new stallion and gave him their full attention. "If everypony would kindly follow me." he said.
The group followed the stallion and they soon reached a large room with a stage at the far end. Instead of theater seating for the audience, there were luxurious lounge chairs separated by large partition screens. "Everypony, please choose a seat. If your mares are up for sale please give them to me now." the host said. Silver Veil watched as three leashes were given to him, and he quickly led the slaves backstage to prepare for what was in store for them. Shaking her head in disgust, Silver Veil chose the one of the end seats, thankfully two empty 'booths' away from the next pony. A mare dressed in a provocative outfit of leather straps and slim chains delivered a glass of champagne to Silver Veil, bowing before she left. Silver Veil left the glass alone on the table beside her, not wanting to risk the chance that the drink was spiked with some sort of drug.
The lights dimmed, leaving only the stage lit and the host pony came back out. "Masters and Mistresses, welcome to this month's property swap. Tonight we have six beautiful mares looking for a new owner, and they will definitely not disappoint. Trades can only be made if both owners are here tonight, so the other three mares are for sale only. There will be no test period tonight, but of course you are free to use your own property anytime you wish. Now, let's bring out our first toy."
Silver Veil and Starsong watched as one of the mares they had seen in the other room slowly walked out on to the stage and obediently stood by the stallion hosting the auction. All her clothes and collar had been removed, leaving her bare. "First up is this beautiful earth pony. She is already well trained and has had four different Masters. Oh, but don't worry, she's still tight where it counts. All of her previous owners kept her body in good condition to ensure maximum pleasure. Her training includes group sessions and she enjoys some light pain. The price starts at 1,200 bits, but the owner is also open to trades." the host said.
All while the stallion on stage was talking, the mare next to him was showing off her body to the audience. She slowly turned around, showing the audience her front, back, and both sides before bending forwards and exposing her genitals to the audience. Like the other mare she saw, Silver Veil watched as the mare grasped her flank and pulled her ass apart to show off her pussy and asshole, raising her tail so the audience had an unrestricted view of her. She remained in that position as the host finished his speech and the auction started.
"1,200 bits." one of the stallions called out. Silver Veil looked over but the partitions made it impossible to see which pony had placed the bid.
"1,240 bits." another stallion called out.
"1,250." the first stallion called out.
As the price climbed higher and higher Silver Veil felt a knot in her stomach form. She wanted to be able to buy all the mares being put up for sale and help them resume a normal life. However, doubt of whether she could even afford the mare she was here to save began to build in her mind. She had no idea that the cost of another pony would be this high, and if the price of the mare she had in mind was anywhere close to the price of this mare, her plan may be completely ruined.
After a heated bidding process, one of the stallions called out a bid of 1,750 bits. After a brief moment of silence, the host pony called out the end of the sale for the mare. "Sold! 1,750 bits for this slut." he said. The mare turned to face forward and bowed as the stallion who had just bought her. He said something to her, but Silver Veil wasn't able to hear him. His interaction with her was short, and he then placed a new collar around her throat and led her offstage back to his seat.
The next two mares that were brought out went through the same treatment. The stallion would speak as the mares would show off their bodies and the members of the audience would place their bids. One of the mares was sold for 1,695 bits while the other mare was traded for some other poor pony that was in the audience. Silver Veil looked at Starsong, who had her eyes tightly shut and was doing her best to shut out the sounds of one of the stallions loudly testing out his newest purchase.
"Okay, next we have a special little mare up for sale. Her owners had to leave Canterlot and couldn't take her with them, so no trades. She's a bit pricey, but she is definitely worth the cost. She's been well trained and will do anything you ask. She absolutely loves pain, so for those of you who enjoy seeing your slaves in agony this is the mare for you." the host called out as the next slave came up on stage. Both Silver Veil and Starsong gasped as they saw a familiar pony take the stage and begin to present herself.
"Starshadow..." Silver Veil whispered. Tears welled in her eyes as she saw her youngest daughter slowly turning for the audience. It sickened both mother and daughter when she finished her 360 turn and bent over to present herself to everypony, her delicate pussy and tight asshole gaping slightly as she pulled her own flank apart as wide as possible.
The host walked over to Starshadow and gently rubbed his hoof on her flank. "Now, this is one slave that I can personally vouch for. Since her owners left about a week ago I've been taking care of her since then, and she is definitely quite fun to play with." His horn began to glow and a leather riding crop came floating over, floating just above Starshadow's exposed rear. "Now hold still, or else I'll make an exception to tonight's rules and allow everypony here to try you out for free." Without delay he manipulated the crop so it swung down and the end of the crop struck her right on her clit.
Starshadow's legs quivered as she let out a cry of surprise, pain, and pleasure. To every stallion in the room her voice was music to their ears, but for Silver Veil and Starsong the sound of her voice was more like a knife being stabbed into their hearts. The young pegasus on stage managed to hold her position as she was told, but she couldn't stop from letting a small squirt of her juices leak out and land on the stage below her body.
The show of pleasure from being struck just once was noticed by all the stallions watching, and they eagerly leaned forward as they awaited the opening price. The host smiled as he saw that he had captured all their attention. "It's a shame I cannot afford her as I would have just bought her myself. The opening price is 2,500 bits."
Almost immediately the offers began pouring in. Silver Veil didn't even have time to call out an offer before the price was raised to 5,750 bits. A few of the stallions dropped out of the bidding, but three stallions kept making offers, though at least they lowered the amount of bits they increased their bids by. The price of the small pegasus climbed to 6,120 bits by the time Silver Veil made an offer. "6,500 bits." she called out, hoping the steep increase in price would discourage the other stallions from continuing.
Starsong looked worriedly at her mother. "We can't hide that much from father." she whispered, but Silver Veil wasn't too concerned with that problem now; she needed to get her daughter back. Both mares thought that they had won, but as the host was beginning to open his mouth to speak another stallion in the audience spoke up first.
"6,800 bits." he called out, using the same tactic that Silver Veil had.
"7,000 bits." Silver Veil quickly called out.
Another slight pause got her hopes up, but then the other stallion called out to the host. "Sir, can you hit her again three more times before I place another bid?"
Normally, such a request wouldn't be allowed, but with the price already at 7,000 bits he figured that a small show wouldn't hurt. He brought the crop down twice in quick succession on either side of her lower lips and the third strike landed on her clit once more. The sharp 'THWACK' of the crop hitting her body rang out over her cries of pleasure, but after the final strike she couldn't help but wiggle her ass. "Please, sir, hit me again! I was so close, I want to cum. Please, let me cum! I need it so badly!" she begged him.
The display tore at Silver Veil's heart, and she wanted to rush on stage and attack the sadistic stallion who was hitting her daughter, as well as the other pony who was bidding on her. However, she knew that doing so would tear Starshadow away from her forever, as well as Starsong should these sick ponies decide to keep her too; Silver Veil and Starsong knew nothing about combat magic and would be overwhelmed immediately should they try anything. Her heart sank lower as the pony bidding against her seemed to enjoy the show and tried to secure his victory with an outrageous bid. "8,000 bits." he declared.
"Well, I think it's clear that we have our winner. Eight..." the host began to say.
"Wait!" Silver Veil interrupted. The host looked at her, curious if she could bid any higher. She knew that there was absolutely no way that she could hide the missing bits from her husband should she win Starshadow back, and though he had never hit her before he may change that fact. However, the thought of losing Starshadow forever proved to be a greater fear, and with only a few seconds of hesitance Silver Veil called out her final price. "10,000 bits." she said firmly.
The stallion on the stage quickly looked over at the other bidder to see if the cost for this one mare was going to keep on climbing. However, the other bidder gave up, shrugging his shoulders and the host turned back to Silver Veil. "Sold for ten thousand!" he said excitedly, the price for the pegasus astronomically more than he thought it would be. "Please excuse us for a moment."
He stepped down and approached Silver Veil. "I'm sure that you don't have that many bits on you right now." he said. Silver Veil nodded, having only brought two thousand bits with her, hoping that would be enough to buy Starshadow back. The stallion nodded in understanding. "Look, we don't usually do this as we try to keep our anonymity, but if you wish to write us a check we can let you take your toy home with you now. Or if you wish I can hold her here until you get the bits. I can even knock off a few hundred off the price if you let me use her one last time."
There was no thought needed for Silver Veil's decision. "I'll write you a check." she said without hesitation, reaching into her purse and quickly wrote the check for ten thousand bits. As she was writing the check the host began eyeing Starsong. Silver Veil saw where his gaze was focused and quickly shoved the check into his hoofs. "There, that's the full amount." she said.
The stallion quickly looked over the check and tucked it into a pocket, giving her a collar for her new acquisition. "Thank you, the previous owners will be quite happy." he said, beckoning Starshadow to finally approach her new owner. "Say, I don't suppose you'd want to rent out your other slave to me for a while, would you?"
Silver Veil quickly shook her head no, but was soon distracted by the approach of another pony. She looked as her long lost daughter walked up to her and bowed to her, averting her eyes in fear of being hit. "Thank you for buying me, Mistress. I'll serve you the best I can." Starshadow said dutifully.
Silver Veil looked and was relieved that the stallion had returned to the stage to begin the bidding for the next mare. She turned her attention to her daughter with tears in her eyes. "Starshadow, my child, I finally found you." she said with relief.
Starshadow didn't recognize her own mother and remained bowing. "You may call me whatever you wish, Mistress." she said.
Starsong couldn't contain her joy of seeing her younger sister and quickly hugged her, not caring if any other pony saw her. However, she quickly pulled away as Starshadow began to kiss her very intimately, her tongue slipping past her lips. Starsong was shocked and barely managed to find her voice. "S-Starshadow, it's me! Your sister. What are you doing?"
Starshadow shrunk back. "I thought Mistress would want to see her new pet playing with Mistress's other pet. Please, I'm sorry. Don't punish me."
Starsong looked up at her mother worriedly. "Mom?" she asked, unsure of what to do.
Silver Veil got up. "Come on, let's get out of here." she said. She only got two steps before she realized that Starshadow wasn't moving and looked back at her. "Come with me." she said.
Starshadow didn't move. "I can't leave until Mistress collars me and makes me her own. Unless, Mistress is displeased with me." she said.
Silver Veil looked at the collar that the host had given her and gently secured it around her daughter's neck. Starshadow smiled happily as the leather was tightly secured around her neck. "Mistress will love her new pet." she said.
"Please, shush. Don't talk like that." Silver Veil pleaded, trying her best to stop from crying as she heard her youngest daughter speak. As quickly and quietly as she could, she led her daughters towards the exit, hoping that nopony would notice her early departure. Back at the main entrance, the doorpony handed them their cloaks, as well as an extra cloak to cover Starshadow on the walk back home. However, as the trio left the building they headed towards the Canterlot train station instead of the Star mansion. They quickly made their way through the station and to the end of one of the trains waiting to leave. At the end of the train was a private car that Silver Veil had arranged and led her daughters to it. Once at the private carriage Silver Veil and Starsong hugged goodbye before Starsong dashed onto the carriage, desperate to change out of the slutty attire she still had on.
Turning her attention to Starshadow, Silver Veil cried as she hugged her daughter once more. "Listen carefully, Starshadow. I'm sending you to go live with your sister for a while so your father can't find you. You'll be safe with her, and she'll help you any way she can. Do you understand?"
Starshadow nodded, a little confused as to why her mistress would give her up so quickly. "I understand, Mistress. That other mare is now my new Mistress." she said.
The train whistle went off, signaling that it would be departing soon. Silver Veil kissed her daughter on the forehead before ushering her into the train carriage, Starsong meeting her younger sister at the door after changing to a more appropriate outfit. The train began to move forward, and Silver Veil waved goodbye to her daughters. Starsong waved back, and Starshadow gave a meek wave also before they both disappeared back into the train carriage to get Starshadow cleaned up and out of her collar.
Silver Veil remained on the train platform, tears still falling down her face, but they were not tears of sadness. Two years of wondering where Starshadow had disappeared to were now over, and though she had been reunited with her for not even an hour, she could now sleep easily at night knowing that Starshadow was now safe with her older sister.