Pony Tales - Buttons

Part 2: Unfit

By Firefly

It was surprising to Dakota how luxurious the facilities in this small room were. He imagined making money in a niche community like this would be hard. But it would seem that was not the case. High-end Soaps, Shampoos, and imported towels waited for him when he had slipped into the bathroom. He'd expected a little bit of luxury given the cost to attend but this was well and above his expectations. Of course, not many understood how far Tall Tail's business branches spread. Hospitals, Factories, Supply Chains, and even a prominent chain of fast-food restaurants. The small luxuries provided here were but a taste of what was funneled into the facility.

Dakota spent a good half an hour relaxing in the stand-up shower. Even forgetting that he was meant to be meeting with Aria shortly. A reality that was forced back on him when a knock came on the bathroom door, "Uhm...Are you in there?" Came the voice of the maid from before.

"Oh! Yes. Sorry! I tend to relax a bit too much in the shower." He said hastily, flipping off the water and climbing out of the shower.

"I won't ask what that means." The maid joked with a giggle before returning to wait by the exit.

Dakota came out ten minutes later, his sandy blonde hair pulled back in a thick ponytail and wearing the most casual clothing he had. The maid raised an eyebrow at the slightly ripped jeans, "You sure that's what you want to go with?" She asks in amusement.

Dakota looked down at himself, "It's the most casual stuff I have, and the nicest jeans." He said this with a bit of a helpless shrug.

"To each their own. Now if you'll follow me, I'll take you to meet with Mistress Aria. You may leave your bag here for now." The maid turned, heading out into the hallways and leading Dakota back into the grand foyer and through the door left of the main entrance. This lead to a small sitting room filled with bookshelves and like the rest of the house, it was kept immaculately tidy. The maids did their work well as not a single grain of dust seemed to be resting on any surface.

Walking up to the only other door in the room, the maid would knock gently.

"Mistress Aria, I've brought our guest to see you. He's all cleaned up."

"Send him in. Thank you, Raven." Despite the door being closed, Raven curtsied to the door and motioned Dakota through before heading back to her duties in the house.

Stepping through the door and into the well-furnished office, Dakota would smile nervously across at the woman sitting at the desk. She didn't even look up as she shuffled through paperwork, signing various papers and keeping herself busy, "Ah, the one who soaked my porch in sweat has finally arrived. Welcome." She said in mild amusement, watching out of the corner of her eye to see what Dakota did and taking him in a little bit in the process.

Dakota walked across the office and smiled, "Sorry about that. That trek up the driveway was...rough." He moved about to sit in one of the two chairs in front of the desk.

"Most hikes are rough when one is drastically out of shape." Aria responded, finally looking up and locking her eyes on Dakota.

"I do not believe I invited you to sit." She said this as he was about to sit down in the chair.

"I...uh...oh. Sorry. I just assumed..."

"You assumed incorrectly. You will stand for now." She said, climbing to her feet, picking up a yardstick from her desk, and walking around to stand in front of him, She was enough in his space that Dakota stepped back into the more open area of the office. Aria said nothing for a moment, walking around him, studying him like a trainer might assess a horse.

She gave him a small poke in the side with her yardstick, bringing out a response of surprise, "What was tha--" She held up a finger to silence him.

"So. Dakota Abbot. Come to my facility to try new things. Tell me, Dakota, do you think you can cope with being a pony?" She poked his belly with her yardstick gently, "We run a rigorous program, full of athletic ponies, and as far as I can tell there is quite a bit of work to be done here..." She poked his belly again, "And here..." She poked his thighs and then slid the tip of the yardstick under his chin, pushing it up so he looked her in the eyes, "And especially here."

Dakota was at a loss for words, as she picked apart his lack of fitness. As she sized him up. He didn't say anything and just kept his eyes on her as she lifted his chin and then continued her circling.

"For as much as I'd like to say it doesn't. The body of a pony is just as important as its mind, their eagerness and willingness to learn. How can my trainers expect to train a pony properly, if they can't walk three miles without being completely exhausted?" She asked this openly as she came to a stop in front of him, once again tapping his chin with the yardstick and making him meet her gaze, an intense but also honesty-filled gaze.

"Well, I figured that...in time..."

"You figured wrong. It is clear to me, seeing you now, that you aren't fit to enter the regular pony program. Not even close." She saw the genuine disappointment wash over Dakota's features. She knew this meant as much to him as many of the others under her care. His correspondence had said as much. But, reality needed to be addressed first, before he ever pushed his foot into a pair of hooves.

"But. Not all is lost. I would not have invited you here if I didn't believe we could make a stallion out of you. However, your journey will differ from most. I cannot in good conscience, toss you into the deep end and expect you to swim. Instead, I offer you a different path. You will see the medical team and work with them to come up with a proper dietary and exercise program, one that you will remain on until I am satisfied you can cope with the physical expectations of this lifestyle. It will also test your resolve. If you truly want this, you will have it."

She offers him a bit of a smile and then leans in, lips next to his ear, and whispers, "I am going to make you work for this. You are going to earn your tack step after painful step. You have a long road ahead of you. Show me that resolve." She leans up and crosses her arms over her chest.

"I do hope I've made myself clear here?"

"Ye--"

Aria raised an eyebrow, "You want to be a pony. Then respond like one. Surely all those stories you've written have not been for nothing." She grinned a bit as he squirmed on the spot. He was nervous, and clearly a bit disappointed, But Aria felt she needed to push the envelope a bit. To see what he was capable of. If he was capable of following a command.

He stomped on the floor once.

"Lovely. Now, this path you have to take is not without its benefits. I'd like you to serve alongside my household staff. You'll learn a different side of BDSM as well as the many aspects of dominant and submissive relations and expectations. You were confused that you had an anonymous donor sponsor your place here, and you asked me who it was in our correspondence. Well, it was me. But a free meal is not always free and by serving alongside my household staff, you'll earn the cost of your time here and maybe even something more along the way. Is this amiable?"

Dakota HAD been confused when she said someone had sponsored him to attend. She'd refused to answer until now and as he stood there, the offered path laid out before him. It made sense. She'd gathered that he'd need more in order to participate, she knew his financial situation and in thinking it over, had come up with a way for everyone to win. She'd help this young stallion find his path, get his health in order, and she'd get some temporary help around the house, and in turn, would eat the cost of his attendance. It was win-win for everyone.

Aria kept her arms crossed, keeping her gaze locked on Dakota as he seemed to consider his options. He could just as easily turn around and leave right now. No hard feelings. But she knew that almost desperate want, that need, to reach out into a lifestyle you'd always wanted. She knew he wasn't going to leave, so confident was she that she'd already arranged his room and schedule.

"I won't have to wear one of those maid outfits...will I?" He asked jokingly.

There was a very long moment of silence as Aria was completely caught off guard by the question. Then suddenly she was laughing, and so was he. When the laughter died down she smiled, "Only if you want to my dear. We don't judge here. But I am not so cruel as to force that kind of humiliation upon you, You will have an appropriate uniform, worry not." She said this with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Not sure I'm quite ready for that kind of uniform..." He said with a shrug.

It was a curious response. One that made Aria raise her brow a bit and study him a bit closer. She said nothing in response to it but made a note in the back of her mind before pushing off her desk and walking back around to sit in her chair, "So then. Do we have an agreement?" She asked one final time.

Dakota nodded quickly, "Absolutely. It's a lot more than I could have anticipated."

Aria shuffled a few papers, "Even if you quit halfway, you'd go home the healthiest you've ever been." She flipped a small stack of papers around and slid them across the desk as well as a pen.

"You may sit now. Let us get the paperwork out of the way. Then we can work on getting you oriented. Welcome to Tall Tails, Dakota."