Izzys Ponygirl Journey Pt 08

The ponygirls around Sunshine filled the entire training area. They stood shoulder to shoulder - firmly secured in their ponygirl gear - and stared at Sunshine, who waited fearfully in their midst. The grooms stood in front of the ponygirls, but as they were all goblins, the horses could easily see over them. The atmosphere was tense, especially when Izzy was guided to the side. The other ponygirls' gazes seemed to pierce her, not a single smile to be seen. It wasn't hard to guess that punishments weren't very popular with the ponygirls, and those they blamed were even more unpopular. Izzy lowered her head in embarrassment - even if it wasn't her fault that Sunshine had attacked her!

Oozol pushed past Izzy and went to Sunshine, but Grall's little sister Saxea threw herself at his feet. "Please, Dad, you can't do that. She won't do it again. You promised she was mine. Please don't do that!" The little goblin girl had tears in her eyes, but Oozol stood firm. He gestured one of the grooms over and had Saxea brought into the house. Sunshine stood next to a special rack - which Izzy recognised from the tax tag and sent a shiver down her spine - and waited nervously. Oozol gave her a short command to lie down on the rack, belly first. She looked briefly at Izzy, then shakily obeyed the order and waited until Oozol had secured her well with several straps. The old goblin then went to a trunk and pulled out a large whip that would have looked impressive even in the hands of a human. He whirled it around and a sharp, cutting crack broke the silence.

Izzy swallowed. She had expected extra work for Sunshine, perhaps a hard slap on the bum, or some worse food, but not a whip like this; it was a sharp-tongued beast, made only to punish. The goblins' riding crops looked like toys in comparison.

Oozol waited until the first murmur had died down. "There are clear rules on this farm. They may seem harsh to some, but they guarantee that every horse understands its role. If a ponygirl breaks these rules, she will be punished. Sunshine has broken one of the most important rules: she has attacked someone. There is no tolerance for violence on this farm." Some of the ponygirls neighed angrily, and Izzy knew why; she recognised the irony in the words, too. The goblins weren't always gentle with the horses, they often used whips, spurs or the palm of their hand - obviously animals and goblins were held to different standards. "As punishment, Sunshine is whipped: 5 strokes on the bum, 5 on the breasts. The other ponygirls became restless, some stomping up furiously. It was clear that they understood the severity of the punishment well. Izzy caught a few nasty looks.

Grall's father stood behind Sunshine and lashed out. He swung wide and scratched a red welt on her bottom with the whip. She howled and he repeated it four times. Each stroke sent a jolt through the entire row of ponygirls, and Izzy was no exception. Some had tears in their eyes, but Sunshine stood firm. She turned onto her back with a fixed gaze and endured the next strokes. When the punishment was finished, Oozol took a healing paste and took his time to carefully treat all of Sunshine's marks - even he seemed affected by the punishment, his face was red and his eyes moist. The other ponygirls also looked exhausted and Izzy suspected that she hadn't made any friends among the ponygirls today.

The grooms took the mares back to their stables and left Izzy with Grall.

"If you sleep here tonight, we could quickly pick up the things from the blacksmith tomorrow and then head back into the forest. What do you think?" asked Grall, as if nothing had happened, although he too looked a little battered.

Izzy shook her head firmly; the farm had just lost much of its already little charm for her. She didn't want to stay a second longer than necessary - because of Oozol, the other ponygirls, and the fear of her own future that she had just clearly seen before her. "Forget it. No more riding!"

"But..." stuttered Grall in surprise. "Why not, what's wrong? Come on!"

Izzy had a thousand good reasons, but she was still a bit in shock and couldn't find a single suitable word. "Just... because I don't want to! And the tax tag comes off tomorrow too!"

"But..." Grall stammered, yet he couldn't fight her hard stare. "Then don't!" He threw his hands up in the air angrily and marched off without turning round again. "So much money for nothing!"

Izzy glared after him; what right did he have to be offended? He wasn't risking a whipping, a night in a stable or a life with a bit in his mouth! Was the money for the tax more important to him than her friendship? She kicked an old bucket hard and disappeared from the yard.

The next day, Izzy marched through the gate of Oozol's farm, her eyes fixed directly on Grall, who looked up in surprise.

"You... changed your mind, didn't you?" he asked hopefully, but Izzy shook her head.

"If we're still friends, I hope I'm enough for you!"

He tilted his head. "Of course we're still friends, I just thought..."

"What did you think? That one night would change my mind?"

Grall nodded cautiously. "You changed your mind earlier. We have to go to Udamos again. It's too far for me to walk."

Izzy felt a groom's hand on her arm, but she pushed him away. "Don't try that, nobody saddles me anymore! If you have to go to Udamos, it's definitely not on my back."

"Come on, you're a good ponygirl, why can't you see that?"

"Oh, that's exactly the problem! If it's up to you, I'm your animal, I stand in the stable all day waiting for you. You don't even think about what all this means for me." Grall crossed his arms in front of his chest, but said nothing. "What's wrong, you always have something to say," demanded Izzy.

"I'm not ashamed of the fact that I think you're a good horse. No, the best! There isn't another ponygirl on the whole farm that can hold a candle to you. I would be proud to have you in my stable! You can't imagine how exciting it was for me when you were already saddled up and waiting for me in the morning."

"But that's not enough for me!"

"Why not? What's so bad about being a ponygirl?"

"It's humiliating. You're ignored, used and beaten. Besides, did you see the way people looked at me yesterday?"

Grall grumbled. "Fools. You can't let idiots like that affect you."

Izzy hesitated.

"What's the matter? You know you can ask me anything you want."

She took a deep breath. "As a ponygirl, would you punish me like Sunshine?"

"Why would we punish you like that?" he asked, surprised. "You wouldn't attack anyone, would you?"

"I mean hypothetically. If I did..."

"That's silly, you're not like Sunshine."

"But if I did!"

Grall chewed on his lower lip. "Hypothetically speaking... if you were a ponygirl on our farm and attacked someone, we'd punish you. But that's rubbish, you wouldn't do that! You're far too tame for that!"

She snorted... tame only describes an animal, not a person. "Am I a ponygirl to you?"

"None like the others, but if you were to attack someone whilst wearing a saddle on your back, you would be a ponygirl for us, at least at that moment. My father made that clear. And he's probably right."

Izzy shivered. She had seen what had happened to Sunshine and now it was clear that she was not protected from it.

"Don't worry, that will never happen. You're a great and sweet girl."

"That's the point though, you don't understand; you've never had a bit in your mouth or had to be scared of a whip. I'm not a ponygirl, and I never will be again."

"You're right, I don't know what that's like. I'm not any good as a ponygirl - look at my short legs. Not even a mouse would want to ride me." He grinned at her.

"They really are a bit short." Izzy giggled slightly. "Why did you ride me into town, anyway. Was there no other way?"

Grall thought for a moment, then decided to tell the truth. "It was quick and easy. But I should have asked you, I realise that now. We only have to go one more time today. Can I ride you?"

"No!"

The goblin lowered his head. "All right. Then I'll ask my father for a cart. It'll take a lot longer, and not half as much fun, but if I have to... would you at least like to come with me? It's a boring journey alone."

"It didn't bother you on our rides, did it?

He playfully kicked her shoe. "You don't need to rub any more salt in the wound, I get it. Besides, I was never alone, you were always right in front of me."

"Wait," Oozol shouted and ran to them. "I need you to give me one last hand, then you can ride off."

"Izzy doesn't want to be a ponygirl anymore," Grall explained. "We'll take a horse and cart."

"That's her decision. But you can clean out a stable, can't you?"

Izzy grimaced but nodded. He sent her to the furthest stables and she marched off immediately. Her path also led past the stable of the stallion she had seen a few days ago. She looked in sneakily and saw him sitting in the far corner. He was an impressive sight, but when he looked up briefly, she hurried on. Most of the stables were quite clean and only one was still occupied. To Izzy's horror, Sunshine sat in a corner while Saxea combed her mane. They both looked up and the air seemed to have become much colder.

"Come on, let's go," Saxea said, pulling Sunshine behind her by her reins. Sunshine's leg twitched and Izzy jumped to the side, but the other horse just giggled. Stupid mare, Izzy thought briefly, but then she felt a little guilty. The punishment had been very harsh. Izzy pushed the thought aside and set about cleaning the stable.

It took a while to get all the stables clean, and Izzy realised she was a little quicker than Oozol and Grall, who were still busy with their work. There was a lot of activity around her but no one paid her any particular attention. In fact, it was one of the few moments when she was unnoticed and free in the farmyard. Her eyes wandered around and lingered once more on the stallion's stable. "He must be pretty bored," she whispered to herself, as if she had to convince herself that there was a real reason to go to him again. A reason other than pure curiosity, anyway.

Her legs moved as if by themselves, but she was careful not to be seen. It was probably not forbidden to go to him, but something deep inside her told her that it would not go uncommented. Her back pressed against the hard wood next to the open upper door of his stable, then she gathered her courage and half-turned to face his door. He looked up again and looked her straight in the eye. His muscles seemed to tense, while Izzy's legs softened. "Hi," she stuttered, feeling terribly stupid. It was the same stupid high-pitched squeak she usually laughed at other girls for when they talked to a boy. But this wasn't a boy, that much was certain. He seemed quite excited to see Izzy, that too was unmistakable. But there was something else Izzy noticed: Not only was he tied up, but he was also tied to the back wall with a thick chain, obviously thought to be far more dangerous than the ponygirls. In a strange way, that made him even more interesting.

She swallowed and licked her lips. "What's your name?" she asked, but immediately cringed at the stupid question; how was he supposed to say that with a bit in his mouth, but he just nodded sideways, pointing to a sign next to his stall that Izzy had overlooked until now, "Titan. Breeding stallion." Izzy swallowed again; the words stallion had a strange effect on her.

"Do you like him?" it came from the side, and Izzy's heart almost stopped. It was Oozol, who had approached surprisingly quietly. She still felt very uncomfortable around him, but he didn't seem to notice - or chose to ignore it. He climbed up the steps by the door and looked in too. "I think he likes you," Oozol said, and the stallion tugged at his bonds. "A mare shouldn't approach him like that unless she's willing to do what it takes to calm him down again..." He raised an eyebrow and Izzy immediately took a few steps back.

"I just wanted to check on him. He seemed so lonely."

Oozol smiled. "No doubt you would suit him as company. But believe me, stallions are not known for being romantic." Izzy bit her tongue. It was bad enough being so close to Oozol, but for him to think of her that way... "Come, there's something else you can do instead." He led her to Lisande's stall, who was crouching in front of the door with her head bowed. "Up you go, you'll get your new gear today."

Lisande curled up and turned her back to them, but Oozol had no patience for that. He opened the door and slapped the ponygirl hard on the bum with his hand, right under the brand.

"Up you go, or you'll be punished," Oozol said, "You've seen what that looks like today."

The ponygirl neighed unhappily and slowly pushed herself to her feet, which she was still visibly struggling to do without arms. It was strange for Izzy to see another ponygirl so early in her development and to compare herself to her. Why had this all come so much easier to me, she asked herself, shaking slightly. Oozol attached a leash to Lisande's collar and led her out, tying her to a post next to a small pile of ponygirl gear.

"Lisande is still a foal, but today she will take the first step to becoming a young horse," he said to Izzy, then turned to the horse. "You're lucky, Izzy here is already a riding horse - at least she was - few ponygirls are lucky enough to learn directly from one like her. Watch out when she puts your gear on."

"You want me to do that?" asked Izzy in surprise.

Oozol nodded. "It will help you to understand ponygirls from the other side, too. Start with the saddle, then her hands are already secured."

"I know that," Izzy grumbled, after all it wasn't the first time for her either, only this time it wasn't her arms that ended up under the saddle. The leather felt strange in her hands, not as high quality as her own. "The saddle will be unfamiliar at first, but you have nothing to worry about, they're actually quite comfortable." Lisande seemed less sure, shaking all over and looking at Izzy with wide eyes. But she nodded weakly and turned away so that Izzy could easily place the saddle on her back. The ponygirl shuddered at the touch of the leather. Izzy hurriedly walked around her and tied the top straps first, her hands shaking no less than Grall's hands had done when he first tried to saddle her. "This next one is a little awkward, but it has to be done." She grabbed Lisande between the legs, who yelped in surprise. Izzy held her by the shoulder with one hand and pulled the strap between her clenched legs, then fastened it to her belly and pulled it so tight that Lisande squealed. "That was the worst of it," lied Izzy, who hadn't failed to notice that a new horse bit was lying beside her - a training bit that would press into her tongue and palate. But first she let Lisande slip into her new boots, which she clearly liked. Her short steps on the lead caused the familiar clop-clop-clop and brought a smile to the young woman's face for a brief moment. Izzy allowed her the short break, even though Oozol pawed his feet impatiently. Finally, she picked up the horse bit and held it in front of Lisande's face. "First we'll take the old one out. But don't talk!" She undid the fastenings and as soon as the bit was out, Lisande gritted her teeth. "You don't need to be afraid. The practice bit isn't that bad. I know what I'm talking about, I've worn it many times." Izzy blushed a little, but it was the truth. "If your rider is careful, you'll hardly notice it. You just have to follow the reins. Open your mouth, please." But Lisande shook her head vigorously.

"You're too careful with her," Oozol said, slapping the ponygirl's bum again.

"Stop it. Now!" Izzy ordered loudly and Oozol took a step back. "If you want me to saddle her, I'll do it my way!"

"Right, go on then!" said Oozol, and Izzy grinned slightly. She was enjoying putting the old goblin in his place. It was only right and proper that he quickly realised that the time when he could lead her around by the reins as a ponygirl was over! Now she just had to make sure she didn't need a goblin to pee anymore....

Izzy tried again, but Lisande remained stubborn; despite good words and a lot of sympathy, her mouth remained shut. Finally, Izzy sighed and resorted to a trick she had learnt from the other side. She hated to do it, but she wanted to get away from Oozol as soon as possible. She grabbed Lisande's breast and painfully twisted her nipple. Lisande howled and the horse bit immediately went into her mouth. The ponygirl gave Izzy a dirty look, but she just shrugged her shoulders. "I'm sorry, I know exactly how that feels, but it had to be done!" She hurriedly attached the reins to the bit and pulled slightly to the right, and Lisande's eyes widened. "You have to get used to it first. But if your rider is careful, you'll hardly notice it." She handed the reins to Oozol, who passed them directly to Gribat.

"Let her gain some experience with the new bit. Later, put a few weights on the saddle to help her find her balance. Repeat this over the next few days until she gets to grips with it."

Izzy looked after Lisande. "Does it always take this long?"

Oozol nodded. "With most horses, it can take weeks to get used to the reins and saddle. It's hard to find your balance with a goblin on your back. They also hate being ridden. From what my son told me, you must have been the most docile animal ever on this big island. It was amazing how quickly you were tamed." Izzy shuddered at the words - because of what they meant, but also how Oozol described it. Fortunately for her, he changed the subject when Grall joined them. "Saxea worries me, she's too attached to Sunshine. That horse is trouble. It's not easy for me, but I'm going to tell her tonight that I'm going to sell Sunshine after all," Oozol said. "It's not easy to tell your little daughter something like that. Wish me luck. If I don't survive, I want to be buried deep in the ground!" He winked, but Izzy still preferred to keep her distance from the old goblin.

Half an hour later Izzy was on a cart with Grall, rumbling towards Udamos. It was a new experience for Izzy, despite her many years around the goblins she had never ridden in a ponygirl cart before - apart from the fact that she had pulled a carriage as a horse yesterday. Only once as a child had she ridden in a carriage, but that had been far out west, where carriages and carts were pulled by real horses. The ponygirl, Moonlight, who now walked in front of her was slightly smaller than Izzy, but stockier in build. Her bum swung back and forth with every step, while Grall steered her with a loose grip on the reins. There was also a whip behind his seat, but to Izzy's relief he didn't bother to use it.

Still, it was strange for Izzy to see the ponygirl in front of her; after all, she had only recently swapped places with her. If Pexo hadn't ridden her into the village at the wrong time, Izzy would probably never have known what it was like to pull a carriage - and would never have wanted to. Izzy swallowed. Grall snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Here, take the reins," Grall said, handing them to Izzy without any further explanation. Izzy didn't really want to - she knew only too well from her own experience yesterday what it felt like to pull a carriage - but it was too late; Grall had climbed to the back and was looking for something in one of the crates, and Izzy had to keep the cart on course. Her hands shook at first, but she soon got the hang of it, and there was something exciting about steering a ponygirl with just the reins. She gave a tentative tug to the left and she could clearly see the bit tugging a little at the left corner of her mouth; Moonlight immediately steered the cart in the direction she wanted and Izzy had to counter-steer in a hurry. It was a strange feeling of power, and she was almost embarrassed. So often Grall had steered her with the reins - as Gribat had on the carriage - and now she was sitting on the coach seat, steering a tethered young woman through the world. It was completely crazy, but also exhilarating. She steered the cart for a few minutes, but when Grall returned with a small snack, she hastily handed him the reins before losing herself completely in the sensation. There was also something else that needed her attention.