The morning came too early for Izzy; she had hardly slept and her back ached while Grall snoozed comfortably on her breast. Still, she tried to lie as still as possible to let her little friend sleep. She knew how absurd this was, but something inside her couldn't bring herself to wake him, despite the absurdity of the situation. Still, she knew she would need to find a way to make him understand that she would never do this again.
After everyone was finally awake, Izzy and her fellow sufferer were led into the trees, where they found relief again under the command of "Rhida Kess". To Izzy's own irritation, she even waited for the order without being asked. Then they were saddled and the ride started without much announcement towards the ruins. For the first few hours she had to listen to the chatter of the two goblins again, but then they went their separate ways and Grall and Izzy were alone again, although but he still didn't take the horse bit out of her mouth. She remained an animal on this journey, but she knew that beforehand. At least the ruins were a reward for the effort: Grall rode her with wide eyes through dilapidated archways, across an old large square and admired a collapsed tower that lay shattered on the ground like a fallen stone dragon. Only when he tied her to a tree with the reins without saying a word and went to explore a cellar himself did the fun stop for Izzy. She was seething with anger again, but at least he apologized when he returned.
"I'm sorry, but we're still in goblin country. We have to keep up appearances." This seemed like a cheap excuse to her, after all there was no one around, but she had no choice.
They reached Oozol's farm unseen in the early evening. It was already dark, but there was still some activity, as not all the horses had been prepared for the night. Grall led Izzy to the large square and had her kneel next to Pexo. "Please take care of her."
Pexo stroked her side and nodded. "I'll take her to be washed right away."
Grall yawned and turned to Izzy: "That was a nice ride, but now I'm totally tired. I'm going to bed, goodnight!" He passed her reins to Pexo and left the astonished Izzy behind. This was not how she had imagined it. Sure, she had already been washed in the yard, but at least then it was Grall who had scrubbed the dirt from her skin. But whatever the case, she had no choice and had to follow Pexo to the washing station. Unfortunately for her, a few other ponygirls were already lined up there and she was unceremoniously tied to a fence. The ponygirls eyed her with interest until it was each of their turn. It was a very quick process that was obviously well practiced. It was basically the same as with Grall and Oozol, only much faster, and no one was embarrassed when a hand wandered between their legs. They were only horses, Izzy thought sarcastically; even when she included herself in the thoughts.
Finally, it was her turn. First her pony boots were taken off and her legs were bandaged again, then the saddle was untied, but her hands were still tied. She was given the collar and leash again and tied to the post. When the horse bit was removed, Izzy said "thank you" quietly, but received a slap on the bottom and a stern shake of the head from Pexo.
"If you do that again, I'll have to report you. Talking ponies get their mouths washed out with soap."
"I'm sorry," Izzy whispered and immediately bit her tongue, but Pexo just rolled his eyes. Before she could react, he shoved a whole bar of soap into her mouth; the taste was disgusting, and Izzy looked pleadingly at Pexo, who took his time taking the soap out of her mouth.
"A talking ponygirl... really! Are you good now?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Izzy nodded silently. She was too tired to argue with him, and she could really use a good wash right now; two days of dirt still clung to her. She noticed that all her pony clothes had been put to the side, while the other horses' stuff was in a pile. She stood naked in the yard again, and Pexo started his work. The warm water felt wonderful, even though she would have preferred to soap herself. First, he washed her hair and head, his claws massaging her scalp pleasantly. He hadn't done that with the other horses, Izzy thought, but did nothing to stop him. Then he turned to her upper body and cleaned her shoulder and then her arms. "Who's a sweet horse? You're a sweet horse!" he said, soaping her breasts. Izzy was very embarrassed, of course, but at the same time Pexo was so playful that she couldn't blame him. And his hands felt exceptionally good. "What does a happy ponygirl do?" he asked, and after Izzy giggled and neighed for him, he washed her between her legs, which left her speechless for a moment. "You like that, am I right? You all like that, you naughty things." He winked and took his time. Since Izzy was the last horse in line, nothing seemed to rush him, and she certainly wasn't going to interrupt him. Just when she thought she was hotter than boiling water, he switched his work to her legs, much to her dissatisfaction. "Don't look like that, that's what the stallions are for. I'm just here to clean you up after the ride." He smacked Izzy on the bottom, and she neighed again, blushing. This time he hadn't asked for it, but she had just slipped into her role as ponygirl; it felt completely natural, which unsettled her more than anything else.
Despite everything, this wasn't normal, she thought, and made a firm resolution to speak to Grall tomorrow. He needed to be more precise with his orders to the grooms. She looked at his house and noticed that the light in his room was off. Was he still sitting in the living room with his father?
After she had been washed, Pexo led her not to the familiar troughs, but behind the stable into a small fenced-in paddock where the other horses were already standing. He closed the gate behind her and left her alone. Izzy looked around in surprise, but most of the ponygirls paid her no further attention; they were busy eating and drinking at the long troughs. Izzy's stomach was rumbling too, but it wasn't just the uneasy feeling of having slipped even deeper into the world of ponygirls - no, she was also simply hungry! Gritting her teeth, she trotted forward in small steps and looked for a free spot where she could find a place by the water or food. In front of her she saw only a row of naked, broad butts, wiggling towards her. She had never cared for other women, but even she blushed with a warm feeling in her tummy at the sight of this obvious femininity. Before she could react, she felt a violent blow from the side and landed in the dirt. Sunshine stood above her and smiled evilly down at her. Izzy hissed, but none of the ponygirls dared to say anything. Just because they didn't have a horse's bit in their mouths didn't mean they were allowed to speak, Izzy knew that. They glared at each other challengingly. Sunshine wanted to kick her in the stomach, but Izzy skillfully turned on the ground and kicked her legs out from under her. With a loud howl, Sunshine also flew into the dirt.
"Stop that," ordered Pexo. He came into the paddock, helped them both to their feet and slapped their bare bottoms so hard that his hand left a clear mark. Sunshine growled angrily but retreated to the other corner of the paddock and left Izzy alone for the time being. Izzy, on the other hand, whimpered at being hit; she didn't deserve that! To her consolation, she soon found a place at the water trough between two other ponygirls. She squeezed in between them, as she had seen others do, and drank as well as she could. It was strange to stand so close together, especially when everyone had their hands and legs tied while they were bent over drinking from a trough. This was not how Izzy had imagined her vacation. Shortly afterwards, she got a place at the feeding trough and ate as much as she could. The stuff still tasted horrible, but hunger drove it down. After eating, all the ponygirls - including Izzy, of course - waited for the grooms. To her surprise, most of the ponygirls were very nice. They all gathered in a corner and warmed each other up. Izzy didn't want to join in at first, but one of the ponygirls gave her a few playful nudges until Izzy finally found herself almost in the middle of the pile. It was a strange feeling of security and connection that she hadn't expected. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth and the quiet sound of the horses breathing around her, which she quietly joined in.
Finally, Pexo brought one pony girl after another out of the paddock until Izzy was alone. It was lonely without the other horses, but at least she could lie down in what she hoped would be a comfortable bed and pull the blanket over her head. That was all she needed today to be happy. Grall must have given a groom the task of converting a stable into a room for her yesterday so that she didn't have to sleep on the floor again - he was often very stubborn, but not stupid. After a few minutes, Pexo came back, put a night bit in her mouth and led her out of the paddock on the leash. She looked around for her things and didn't pay any attention to where she was being led.
"You'll have some peace and quiet soon, you deserve it. But don't talk anymore, okay?" Pexo took the leash and collar off her and pushed her backwards inside. Izzy looked around for her clothes, but all she could find was an empty stable in front of her. Behind her she heard the stable door slam shut. She looked over her shoulder and sighed deeply. How could she be so stupid... Grall hadn't taken care of anything, and to the grooms she was just his mare who belonged in the stable. The stable only offered some straw, but even the blanket was gone - not even the most basic comfort was allowed for the animals on the farm, she thought angrily.
It was all Grall's fault; he hadn't told the grooms what to do clearly enough, she thought. Now she was standing naked in a horse stable, her arms and legs tied and a night horse bit in her mouth, like any other horse. No, she wasn't a horse... she wasn't an animal after all! That was what she told herself as she walked slowly through her stable. The whole floor was covered with straw, otherwise there was nothing. No chair, no bed, no food or drink. It was simply a stable for a horse - and tonight she was one, there was no doubt about that.
She ran to the door, the upper half of which was still open. She looked up at the moonless sky and then to Grall's window. There was still no light there; or as Izzy now suspected, no light anymore. Grall had probably gone straight to his bed and was now fast asleep while she waited here in the stable. She looked at the stars for a while, then Pexo came and closed the upper half of the door in all the stables, leaving Izzy in the pitch-black stable.
To make matters worse, while she had been allowed to pee on the ride - of course only after Grall had given her permission with Rhida Kess - but there was still something that needed to be done. Izzy whined in discontent, but she had no choice. She crouched in a corner by the door and did what nature demanded. She pushed as much straw on it as possible and trotted miserably to the farthest corner and fell asleep.
The night was short for Izzy. She never managed to sleep for more than an hour, then she woke up from one of her strange dreams and realized that it was all true. To make matters worse, her back still hurt from the previous night, and the stable didn't make it any better. She was used to laying her head on a pillow, or at least using her hands, but that was out of the question here. It was the third unusual night in a row, and she was beginning to wonder when she would finally see her bed again.
In the morning, she was sore and terribly tired and wondered if all the ponygirls in the stables felt the same way. She brushed the thought aside; she wasn't a ponygirl, and a night in the stables wouldn't change that. But she still felt a little more sorry for the women and girls who had to endure this every day. Why didn't they at least give them a bed, what difference would that make to their usefulness as horses? Or was it - as Oozol and Drex had said - really just about the ponygirls recognizing and accepting their place? Was this all a game for the goblins?
To her relief, the first timid rays of sunlight of the new day broke through the boards of the stable, and she was sure that Grall would come and get her soon. She waited anxiously and jumped up at every noise in front of the stable, but Grall did not come.
The top door to her stable opened and Gribat - who had taught Grall Rhida Kess - looked in on her, probably to check if she had slept well. He saw what she had been doing in the corner and shook his head. "You're not house trained yet, Buttercup. We thought you had learned that as a human girl." Izzy blushed and lowered her gaze as the groom came with a shovel and removed the dirt, only to fill the spot with new straw. "You have to do that on the rides. We'll talk to your rider, Grall really is a little fresh behind the ears." Izzy whinnied in agreement; he really was!
While the other horses were brought out of their stables one by one, Izzy stayed behind and waited. The sun was already quite high in the sky when she finally heard Grall's voice. "Go get Buttercup and get her ready for a ride." She looked out of the stable and saw him at his window. That huge idiot must have overslept! All that effort and her night in the stable had been for nothing! Izzy was seething with rage, but there was no point in getting angry about it, there was nothing she could do about it now. She wrote it off as an unwanted experience that had revealed a few more sides of a ponygirls life to her.
Izzy was quickly fetched from her stable and tied to a post with a collar and a leash, while the other ponygirls were already doing their exercises behind her. While Izzy waited bored, Gribat led the stallion Titan across the yard, who blatantly stared at Izzy's bottom. Izzy blushed slightly, but even though she didn't quite know why, she still wiggled her bare bottom for him. The stallion neighed happily and Izzy playfully stuck her tongue out at him.
