Izzys Ponygirl Journey Pt 15

Izzy's heart raced as she stood back in her stable. It had really happened - she was officially a ponygirl. A horse. An animal in the eyes of the goblins. She looked down and stared at her body: she really was a ponygirl, through and through, there was no longer any doubt about it. On her feet were the sturdy pony boots with their hooves, which announced her every step with an unmistakable knock-knock-knock. The tax tag dangled between her legs - paid for by Grall, a disgrace she would not soon forget. On the other side, she felt the large plug stuck in her bum, the ponytail sticking out and tickling her thighs. Further up, her eyes caught two shiny rings that would soon be used to tie her up somewhere; above them, a number with jet black numbers was tattooed on her breast, telling everyone immediately that she was nothing but cattle. She belonged to someone; like a chair, a house - or a cow.

She sighed.

That was all she had left, because the horse bit in her mouth - held by a tight bridle around her head - was the last missing piece of the puzzle that was necessary for her transformation into a horse. Only the saddle and reins were missing, but a ponygirl didn't wear such things in the stable.

Ponygirl, it echoed in her head.

It was unbelievable and completely wrong. And yet it was true, she was standing in a stable waiting for her owner.

O-W-N-E-R!

Her stomach turned at the mere idea. Even she - who had accepted each of the many changes far too easily until now - was struck by this notion like a hammer blow. She leant against the wall and took a deep breath.

But whose fault was that?

...

Her own, Izzy had to admit with sagging shoulders. As much as Grall had a part in it - and there was no doubt about that, he had had the saddle made in the first place - she had to accept her own part in it. She would have liked to slap herself for it, but with her arms tied behind her back, that wasn't an option. Another sign that she was a horse. She berated herself for being so foolish and allowing a saddle on her back just because of her mother. No, she corrected herself, she had wanted it. That was the final mistake - that, and thinking goblins would take her - a ponygirl - to a goblin party. It had all gone down the drain after that. The ponytail, being seen on her way home, the school... her life had been like a row of dominoes, and that night the first dominoes had finally fallen.

If only she had listened better to her father's warning.

She slid to the floor and felt the ponytail in her bum. Well, not everything was bad, she had to admit, and she didn't mind the rides per se; nature was wonderful, and Grall as a rider gave her the opportunity to let her thoughts wander freely. But that didn't change the fact that she was about to lose her future. No tail up her bottom could make up for that.

The hours passed slowly and it was almost evening when the cart with Oozol and Grall pulled into the courtyard. The young goblin immediately jumped down and ran to Izzy. He stormed into her stable - but first put something next to the stable door so that Izzy couldn't see it - and found her huddled in a corner.

'How are you?' asked Grall; his voice was full of concern, but also a hint of excited curiosity - which was not surprising, after all, he got a precious ponygirl that day. He carefully sat down next to her in the dry straw and gave her a gentle hug. Izzy allowed it; Grall straightened up again and looked at Izzy closely. 'He did the number well, the digits are finely worked. He knows his trade. Before you say anything, nobody said anything about rings. I promise!' He bit his lip. 'But... maybe it's quite practical... wait, listen to me first, please! My father is serious about you living as a ponygirl for the first few days or weeks. It's safer that way. But it also means that you'll always have to be tied up like all the other horses - I mean, like the real ponygirls, of course. Otherwise you would always need a collar or a horse bit, but this way I can secure you just like that. I know it's annoying, but you'll have to get used to it... for sure'

Izzy grumbled angrily, trying to tell him something through the horse bit. As always, it sounded more like a whinny, but Grall was smart enough to take the horse bit out of her mouth in a hurry. She stretched her jaw before she spoke. 'Great, then I have something to look forward to...' she said sarcastically. The words came out with difficulty, her tongue felt strangely wide because of her missing teeth. 'Besides, that's not all!' She opened her mouth wide so that Grall could see the vet's dirty deed.

'It looks good,' he complimented, as if he was admiring the paint job on a new house rather than Izzy's missing molars. 'We didn't ask for that either, of course, but I was worried about the bit damaging your teeth. Nobody likes a horse with toothache; my father says it's very uncomfortable when wearing a horse bit. The bit will also fit better now, so you can keep it in for longer on lengthy rides.'

He was right about that, Izzy knew, but it didn't really reassure her. There was something dangerous in her gaze, and Grall raised his hands so quickly to reassure her that a small book fell out of his trouser pocket: Animal husbandry for beginners - From buying to breeding. Izzy jumped up in a flash. Her menacing shadow darkened the world around Grall, just as the moon sometimes obscured the sun.

'Wait!' Grall squeaked and made himself a little smaller. 'It was a joke.' He scratched his head sheepishly, and his innocent smile was disarming enough for Izzy to sit back down. 'I guess my sense of humour isn't the best. Although there are some useful tips in the book.... all right, I'm sorry, this is all my fault.'

Izzy leaned forward and hissed at him. 'Your fault? Of course it's your fault too, the saddle didn't get into your barn on its own.' Grall lowered his eyes, embarrassed, but before he could say anything, Izzy continued. 'But it's my fault too. I let it happen and kept ignoring the warning signs. I should have drawn the line at the horse bit. I can see that now.' Her voice trailed off; it felt strange to talk about it so clearly and distinctly. It was almost liberating. 'Still, we have to do something, I don't want to be a horse forever.'

'It's not forever,' Grall tried to reassure her. 'We'll find a way to make it like it used to be. Just with occasional rides. It would be a shame to let the saddle gather dust.' He winked at her, but Izzy didn't respond.

She looked at her breasts. 'But how? People have seen me as a horse. You don't have to lie to me, I know there might be no going back.'

'But you wanted to be human again!'

'Of course I want that! But... How is that supposed to work? Look at me, I live in a stable and look like any other ponygirl. What makes me different from the other horses?'

'I know something!' He turned round and hurried to the door, where he bent briefly to the side and hid something behind his back. 'Close your eyes!'

'If that's a new whip, then...' she said, but she dutifully closed her eyes. When she opened them again, Grall was holding a large bouquet of flowers in his hands - including buttercups, of course.

'What makes you different from the other horses? Well, for one thing, you'll be mine, and for another, they don't get flowers from their best friend.'

Izzy bent down and smelled the flowers. It was a pleasant odour of wilderness and freedom that she had always cherished, wafting into her nose and instantly lifting her spirits. Grall wasn't wrong, no one brought a gift to a simple animal in a stable; none of the goblins were usually interested in what the ponygirls liked. For a moment, all was right with the world again for Izzy, even if her arms were still tied behind her back and she was squatting in a stall with her future owner.

'When it's all over, we'll go for a nice ride together and everything will be fine,' Grall said, tucking the bouquet between the wooden planks so that it wouldn't fall to the ground.

'Then you understand that I don't want to be a horse, even if I officially belong to you?'

'Absolutely. I would love to have you as my ponygirl - not just on paper - but I understand that you don't want that. You're more important to me as a friend. Nevertheless, we have to keep up appearances over the next few days. My father insists on it.' He had this special gleam in his eyes that made it clear to Izzy that at least this solution wasn't keeping him awake at night. She couldn't even blame him, from his point of view the thought must be quite pleasant. 'So you're going to be treated like a horse for the next few days. I have to ride you too, so that the goblins see that you belong to me.'

She neighed out of habit before remembering that she could still speak. 'After this, we'll find a way?'

'If there is one, we'll find it!'

After a sharp call from his father, Grall prepared to set off. He also put her horse bit back in, which to her displeasure found its perfect place in her mouth behind her teeth and pulled her cheeks back slightly.

The next two days were largely uneventful. As announced, Izzy was handled like any other horse: In the morning they cleaned her stable, then got her ready for the day. She was given a light bridle and, as always, her horse bit, which was placed behind her teeth. Apart from that, she only had her arms tied and her own ponytail tucked into her bum, after which she was taken out to pasture, where she was also given food and water. There was plenty of time for her to have fun with the other horses, who had now firmly accepted her into their herd. However, she was the only ponygirl who always wore a ponytail; Grall had insisted on it. Izzy whinnied, but in truth she wasn't particularly unhappy about it - even if she would never have admitted it. New ponygirls were picked up every day for long training sessions - Lisande was always there too, but there was nothing that could be done about her fate. So far, Izzy had been spared these exercises, but like most of the ponygirls, she was requested and saddled by her rider at any time as required.

Grall followed his father's instructions to the letter, using Izzy even for short rides so they could be seen together. Sometimes it was just a ride to the edge of the village so he could buy some sweets. Otherwise he had never been there that often, but the freedom of a ponygirl probably made things easier. He was always friendly and treated her well - sometimes he even apologised to her when he had to ride her - but in the end she was still an animal that was useful to him. These were no longer the rides of two friends with a common goal; these rides were all about what Grall wanted and needed. When goblins were around, which was almost always the case, he didn't speak to her either, which she wasn't surprised about, who spoke to their mode of transport? At his destination, he usually tied her up somewhere or ordered her to wait for him with a short 'Zhrak'. To make matters worse, the whip had also become a normal part of her rides - but what really bothered her about it was the realisation that it continued to work excellently on her.

Izzy counted the days and hoped that things would soon calm down enough for her to be human again, although she had little doubt that Grall was slowly getting used to life with a mount in the stable.

Izzy was sitting bored in her stable, staring at the ceiling, when an unfamiliar voice caught her interest; visitors were rare on the farm and most new arrivals were prevented from speaking by a horse's bit. But this voice was strong and confident, it resounded across the yard and seemed to be coming closer. With a click, the door opened and Oozol invited a guest into the shady stable with a sweeping gesture.

Izzy's heart stopped. Behind Oozol, a well-dressed, older goblin entered the stable, clearly reluctant to step onto the straw, but Izzy's shock was directed at the second visitor: Kreks! The young goblin grinned broadly and meanly, but luckily kept his mouth shut.

'That's the one,' said Oozol reservedly. Whatever was going on here, he didn't seem entirely happy with it either.

'I wasn't promised too much. She is magnificent. Get the animal up so I can have a closer look at her.'

'Why, she's not for sale,' grumbled Oozol.

'I want her,' Kreks croaked to the man who was obviously his father. 'You've seen her papers, she's too good for this farm - and Grall!'

'Oozol, please do me a favour, or my son will not give me peace.'

Oozol sighed and signalled to Izzy, but she wasn't willing being a puppet for these goblins. What was the point anyway? 'Stand up, Buttercup, so Vepox can look at you,' he said with a certain sternness in his voice, but Izzy shook his head and retreated deeper into the stable. His gaze darkened. He went out for a moment and came back with a riding whip. 'Buttercup, you're making me look bad. Get up.' When she still didn't do it, he gave her a good smack on the bottom. She jumped to her feet in an instant. 'Behave yourself in front of my guests, Buttercup.'

Izzy grumbled unhappily. Old Oozol had never beaten her before, but she had never been his property before either. Had he done the same to her mother? No, her father had said he was good to her. That must have had something to do with Kreks and his father. Maybe her mum was just a little better behaved than she was, Izzy thought, rolling her eyes.

Vepox, who looked like a wrinkled version of his son, took his time. He walked slowly around Izzy and looked at her with interest from all sides, as one would judge a - well - horse. He pinched her buttocks, allowed himself, after a loud 'Zhrak!', a close examination of her breasts and also looked into her mouth, commenting favourably on the absence of her molars. He even reached between her legs, and it was only the threat of Oozol with the whip that made Izzy sit still while the guest gave her a light internal examination - front and back. 'Easy, Isabel, easy,' Vepox said as his fingers stroked between her legs. She squeezed her eyes shut; so he knew who she had once been. That knowledge only made things worse - it was one thing to be groped by someone who thought you were an animal, but quite another when they knew for a fact that you were actually a human from this area. Vepox even waved his son over and he did the same. It was more humiliating than even the visit to the veterinarian; at least he was a professional, but neither Kreks nor his father Vepox seemed to be looking for anything other than their own entertainment. The young goblin in particular grabbed her all over and until Izzy shivered. Her head was spinning, the changes coming at her so fast she barely had time to think. Days ago, what these goblins were doing to her would have been a crime, but now she had to endure it, and was even punished if she resisted. 'Excellent. This is what I've been looking for.' Vepox raised his hands as Oozol was about to say something. 'Let's talk about this later. I'd like to ride the horse, if it's allowed.'

'She's fast and worth any money!' Kreks boasted, as if Izzy was already his.

His father looked at him discerningly. 'Restrain yourself, my son, so much enthusiasm raises the price!'

Izzy snorted. She had no price, she was not for sale!

Oozol seemed to think for a moment, but then he nodded. 'Fine, but only a short ride.' He handed Izzy one of the sweets as a reward for her compliance, which she greedily took after a moment's hesitation. It was too late for shame anyway, plus something inside her craved the sweet; it was that particular smell and the lure of the melting candy on her tongue that almost drove her wild - plus she could do with some cheering up right now. He leant forward and whispered: 'Don't worry, it's just out of courtesy. Play along, there'll be no problems and it'll be over quickly.'

Izzy nodded - even though the courtesy was obviously not extended to her - and allowed the grooms to saddle her without any resistance. With bridle, ponytail and saddle, she stood in the arena and waited nervously to see what would follow. At least it wasn't Kreks, Izzy thought. The little goblin stood on the sidelines and seemed to be visibly enjoying the show.

'Tack,' Vepox shouted and Izzy was on her knees before she'd fully heard the word. Whatever she thought herself, she was a well-trained ponygirl. Izzy looked around for help. Where was Grall? The old goblin climbed somewhat awkwardly into the saddle and let Izzy stand up. He was a little heavier than Grall, which was probably due to his big belly. Still, he was a lightweight to Izzy; her unwillingness to carry him wasn't because of his weight, she just hated having someone other than Grall as a rider. If she had to be a horse, she at least wanted to be Grall's own ponygirl. The old goblin gave her a good kick and steered her from the yard with a rough pull on the reins. He wasn't a very skilful rider, or he didn't trust her - he controlled and corrected her every move with a rough hand. On the first straight, he took the whip and cracked it on her bottom.

'Let's see if you're really that fast!' Izzy jumped forwards as usual, driven by the whip and her wish that it would stop soon. She flew over the sandy ground again and let her rider drive her in circles around the yard. The heat was burning on her skin and sweat was pouring down her face. 'Faster!' the man called, beating her without pause. It was degrading, a long string of humiliations, and yet she could do nothing about it but follow her rider's wishes. As much as she loathed it, the number on her bosom made her an animal that had to obey. Eventually he steered her back through the gate and stopped her just short of Oozol. Izzy breathed heavily through the horse bit and was relieved when the 'tack' came. 'Very impressive, she's really fast.'

Oozol looks at the other goblin's handiwork, visibly displeased, but doesn't mention it. 'She's my son's pride and joy, and I must say: Rightly so. The best horse in my stable.'

Izzy's ears burned at this praise. It was clearly heartfelt, and yet it robbed her of all humanity.

'She would certainly win a lot of races, but your son is probably not interested. An animal like that is a waste on him - no offence. He's a good boy, but any other ponygirl would do for him.'

Oozol nodded slowly. 'I've always told him that too, but he only wanted this one. You have no idea how much he always got on my nerves with that. Isabel here, Buttercup there. I showed him dozens of other ponygirls, but I only wanted this girl.'

Izzy listened attentively. But it was no longer a surprise to her how much Grall wanted her as his horse. Now he had what he wanted.

'Grall has good eyes for horses, I'll give him that. Still, you should at least listen to my offer.'

Kreks stood next to his father and nodded eagerly. Despite how cheeky he usually was, he had good control of his tongue around his father. Izzy could only assume this had taken a few painful lessons. She savoured the thought.

'She'll be my son's soon, so she's not for sale - until he wants to sell her. Besides, she's the daughter of a good friend. She's like family.'

The old goblin laughed. 'You've really gone soft over the years. In the past, you wouldn't have hesitated. Look at her, you're wasting her talent. She should be a racehorse and win races. Just two or three years on the racecourse and she'd make big profits as a broodmare.' Izzy's ears burned with shame. She tugged at the reins, but Oozol gave her a light tap with the whip, flicked the blinkers shut and quietened her - luckily for her, he'd been a bit sloppy about it, so at least she could still see around the edges. 'Come on, if you don't want to sell her, at least lend her to me for the races. We'll split the proceeds from the breeding. Look at her hips, she'd produce a lot of healthy foals.' Izzy neighed unhappily. How could this goblin talk about her like that, right in front of her? But of course he could, because she was just an animal for him. If Oozol had wanted it, she would have a stallion behind her and deep inside her that very evening. The thought made her nervous, in more ways than one. Her legs trampled nervously over the sandy ground.