Izzy's Ponygirl Journey Pt. 21

Izzy's heart was racing. 'You might as well have lit the fire for the brand,' she thought, biting her tongue. Grall, on the other hand, was still beside himself with joy, but he hadn't exactly given away his entire future either. He jumped around like a little bouncy ball and fell into the arms of anyone who didn't dodge him fast enough. His happiness was infectious, but Izzy didn't catch on to it, partly because he kept pointing at her bottom and making burning noises, which really annoyed her. Her friend just never knew when he was going too far.

But she couldn't and wouldn't blame him, this was her own fault. Once again, her stupidity had set off an avalanche that was now dragging her down into the valley - whether she wanted to was no longer important. She could only wait and watch, but in this case, she knew what was waiting for her at the end of the journey: a branding iron with Grall's mark, which he himself would press onto her arse with a broad grin so that it would proclaim for all time that she belonged to him.

To make matters worse, the goblins gave their friend a lot of good advice, which made Izzy even more nervous: 'Don't be shy, it has to smoke!', 'She'll be a bit loud about it, but you have to keep it steady until it takes effect' and 'Make sure your mark isn't too small. She needs to feel it well, so she knows you're her master.' Izzy grumbled. Goblins... 'She's submitted to you, now make sure she stays down,' said a goblin in dirty armour.

But here, at least, Grall clearly disagreed. 'No, she's not like other ponygirls, I won't do that!'

Izzy nodded silently, but it didn't change anything. Even as her friend, she had submitted to him and now he was going to do what was natural for goblins in such situations. She was already his property, of course; after all, she bore his number on her bosom, which was also filed in an official register with her horse's name, but this mark was even more personal; above all, more painful. The idea that he would press a burning hot metal mark into her skin with his own hands so that it would leave a scar made her stomach revolt. To make matters worse, she would soon be wearing his gold nose ring, making it impossible to hide the truth about her status.

She felt slightly nauseous again. It wasn't that she didn't feel love for Grall, and she had to admit to herself that it felt good to show him her own affection so clearly, but the price was too high. Until now, she had had at least some hope of being able to be human occasionally, but there was nothing left of that after the kiss. Besides, she still had the taste of his feet in her mouth.

She looked around; the world was divided in two.

The humans stood at the back and kept as far away from Izzy as possible - their faces showed nothing but disgust and sometimes even hatred. That was unusual even for the people in this village, but no girl had ever been stupid enough to allow herself to be humiliated and domesticated voluntarily before. Allegedly, a few young men had occasionally allowed themselves to be turned into stallions, but that didn't surprise Izzy, as it offered the men their own special appeals. Besides, they were virtually invisible to the human world later; quite unlike the ponygirls who walked half-naked through the villages every day. Without a doubt, the kiss was just the last straw that broke the camel's back.

She raised her nose in the air rebelliously; this wasn't all her fault after all; Grunhilda had provoked her to the brink, as she often did, and had given her the idea in the first place, but no one seemed to care.

The goblins, on the other hand, still reacted completely differently; they cheered and celebrated; the voluntary devotion of a girl as a ponygirl for a goblin was seen as a great honour, and it was celebrated thoroughly. It had to be a good precedent for them, one they hoped many would follow. Izzy knew by now how expensive ponygirls could be; they were beyond the reach of some goblins. The prospect of getting one for free must have seemed like a godsend. Of course, it didn't matter to the goblins that a girl would have to give up her dreams and her freedom, they were only thinking about the benefits.

Izzy couldn't even blame them, who would refuse a gift? Apart from the comments about the brand, the goblins were kind to her, stroking and praising her incessantly; there was hardly a spot on her that wasn't patted, even those that made her blush. There were also all kinds of treats, which Izzy was only too happy to devour. She felt like she was at the centre of this celebration, which was slowly and steadily taking her away from life as a human. Her colourfully painted face, reflected in the windows of the houses, left no doubt about it, too.

'That was wonderful,' Mexi whistled, jumping around almost as excitedly as Albaea. The playful mare kept trying to get down on her knees, but Mexi stopped her. 'Don't do that, sweetheart, you just want to copy her. That doesn't count. Besides, you're too immature for that.' She gave her pouting horse a little kiss and then turned to Izzy. 'You're a good horse too. Grall is very lucky you like him so much.' She stroked Izzy's head the way Izzy used to pet dogs. It was humiliating, but at least Mexi obviously meant it nicely.

Grall gave Mexi a kiss and hugged her. Over her shoulder, he gave Izzy a strange look, as if his neck was aching and his eyes were twitching. He turned Mexi round to face Izzy and kept looking at her feet. 'Oh, I'm sure she likes you just as much.'

Izzy breathed in heavily. So that's what he wanted. It was almost cute how desperately he bobbed his head, but at least it wasn't an order, she had to give him credit for that, just a plea between friends. It was a pitiful sight, how much he wanted to impress his crush, and Izzy rolled her eyes. 'What could possibly happen now,' she thought, 'It doesn't get much worse than with Grall.' She smiled at Mexi, got down on her knees, looked up at the surprised girl once more and kissed both of her clean shoes. It was an impressive sight, not least because the difference in height between the two of them surpassed that of Izzy and Grall. It was like an elephant bowing to a human.

Just as soon as Izzy was back on her feet, Mexi jumped around Grall, squealing and cheering. 'That was so great, that was so great!' she shouted, stumbling into his arms and their lips locked. Only Albaea whinnied unhappily, as if a toy had been taken away from her. 'I've never seen such a well-trained horse.' Izzy grumbled softly. 'I bet your brand will look great.' She tapped the spot on Izzy's bottom and Izzy flinched under the touch. 'Do you think she'd like my brand too?'

Grall was clearly still in a good mood and before Izzy could object, he said, 'I'm sure she'd love it.' Izzy would have liked to kick his ass, but there was plenty of time for that later.

The humans still hadn't come any closer, with one exception: a little girl had squeezed past the goblins and was looking at Izzy with wide eyes.

'You're beautiful,' the girl said, beaming.

'Thank you,' Izzy stuttered after remembering that she didn't have a horse bit in her mouth. She looked at the girl sheepishly; she wasn't used to people thinking she was beautiful. Not as a ponygirl, and not as a woman either.

'Do you like doing this?'

Izzy gazed into the girl's bright eyes, not daring to say anything bad. 'You get used to it. Some of it's quite nice,' Izzy said, unconsciously wiggling her bum.

Grall smiled proudly. 'When you grow up, you can be a ponygirl too,' he said and Izzy gave him a brief evil glare. The thought of other girls following her example made her deeply nervous. She didn't want to be a role model, especially not for this.

'That's not going to happen!' hissed a plump woman, pushing past the goblins. The goblins had nothing to oppose her mass. 'Careful, greenlings, peace ends with our children. You can have that stupid girl there if you like, but keep your hands off the rest.'

These words should have offended the goblins, but most of them just rolled their eyes or shrugged their shoulders. 'We'll see about that,' said a wiry goblin next to Izzy. 'The young women can decide for themselves later. If we're lucky, we'll never have to pay for a ponygirl again.' The other goblins cheered at the idea and it became very clear to Izzy that perhaps she hadn't just condemned herself to this fate.

Grunhilda watched the spectacle open-mouthed; she hadn't said a word since the kiss, much to Izzy's delight. It was obvious that the shock had worked, but unfortunately that was no longer the case. The girl shook herself and, after clearing her throat loudly, exclaimed: 'Disgusting! Revolting! Crazy!' She spat on the floor, but unfortunately for her, she hadn't realised what was happening behind her. Saxea had untied Sunshine and was leading her straight past Grunhilda. Neither of them took Buttercup's insult lightly; a quick tap on Sunshine's bottom was all it took for the horse to give Grunhilda a shove with her wide bum. It wasn't hard enough to get her in trouble, but it was enough for Grunhilda to lose her balance and land face first in a large pile of very heavily used straw. The girl screamed, but nobody helped her, even the humans preferred to keep their distance.

Izzy laughed uproariously, and Grunhilda's angry looks didn't change that - in fact, it made it even funnier.

Grall also grinned broadly. 'How clumsy of you, dear sister.'

Grunhilda wiped a brown piece of straw from her face. 'That horse attacked me! That's forbidden, I know your laws. Punish her!'

Grall climbed into the saddle, put the horse bit in Izzy's mouth and leaned over her shoulder so that he could look down at Grunhilda. 'Thank you, but we know our laws very well. No ponygirl will be punished for your little mishap. Sunshine is a good animal. You just have to be a little more careful around horses.' He turned to the other goblins and waved them over. 'It stinks here, let's go to our side of the village, the air is certainly better there. The pack of goblins ran off and Grall rode ahead on Izzy. 'Hopefully we won't see them again so soon.' Izzy neighed in agreement, she'd had enough of humans for the time being, but unfortunately Grall didn't make it that easy for her. They didn't take any shortcuts, but even made a few detours so that every human could see the girl who had voluntarily submitted to a goblin. Izzy would have gladly done without it, but at least the ride wasn't far. Grall tied her by the reins to a post at the very edge - but didn't release her from the horse's bit - and rejoined the other revellers; jugs of ale appeared out of nowhere, while wine, cheese and bread were served everywhere. It was a lively party and after a short time a small band was playing a catchy tune. The spontaneous party was in full swing and Oozol arrived a little late.

Saxea, on the other hand, was still fully occupied with Sunshine, whom she had even taken the bit out of the mouth. 'Please, it's just a little thing!' she squeaked, but her horse just shook her head. 'Buttercup did it too!' Sunshine visibly rolled her eyes, and Izzy understood how the other horse felt about it, but she didn't make a sound, as a good horse should. 'I command you!'

Oozol laughed with a rumble. 'That's one of the few things you can't order a ponygirl to do. She does it because she wants to, or not. You can ride a ponygirl, hit her with a whip, tie her up somewhere, and generally control her whole life -' Izzy gulped at these words '- but you can't force it to like you. If you want Sunshine to submit to you like Buttercup, you should try to be kinder.'

'Even more?' Saxea grumbled, then nodded. 'Good, I'll be even nicer to her. Then she'll really like me!' Sunshine neighed contentedly and gave Saxea a kiss on the forehead before the horse bit went back into her mouth.

'Sister, you still have a long way to go. Buttercup doesn't just like me, she loves me,' slurred Grall from further away, who was already far too drunk again after only a short time. The little goblins couldn't take much. 'She was my best friend, and now she's my best horse. Sunshine is wonderful, but the bond between Buttercup and me is something special.'

Saxea crossed. 'Sunshine will do the same for me, you'll see.' Behind her, Sunshine shook her head vigorously and Izzy had to grin. Sunshine was tied next to Izzy and they both shared meaningful glances, but Izzy was busy with her own thoughts. Lisande and Albaea were also tied next to Izzy again.

''One small question,'' came an unfamiliar voice from the side. It was a goblin Izzy had never seen before. His clothes were as unusual as his accent, and she quickly realised that he must have come from far away in goblin land. 'This horse, is it something special?' He emphasized the S in a very strange way that Izzy had never heard before, almost like he was a snake.

Since Grall was already celebrating, only Saxea could answer his questions. 'She's my brother's mare. Not as good as my Sunshine, of course, but something special. She's a girl from the village.'

'Is her pedigree known?'

Saxea thought for a moment. 'My father told me that her mother came from far away.'

'So the hooves are no coincidence?' he asked with interest, moving to the floor to trace the royal pattern left by Izzy's shoes with his fingers. She didn't like it at all, something about this man made her nervous. Why was he interested in this? 'An extinct noble line. Very unusual. Is she for sale?'

Izzy snorted uneasily, but Saxea paid it no mind. 'No, I don't think so. But my father has lots of other horses. Come on, I'll introduce you to him.' With that, the girl pulled the man along with her, who continued to look thoughtfully at the hoofprints.

Again, Izzy felt like a commodity, something to be bargained for. From that point of view, perhaps it was better if Grall gave her the ring after all. Sure, a nose ring wasn't very pleasant, but at least then she would belong to him in a way that nobody could buy her anymore.

The party turned even wilder at midday and really came to life in the evening. As the sun went down, the goblins' spirits rose and new guests joined them. Sunshine and Izzy's peace ended when old Hersia joined them. The goblin lady wore an old apron and yellowed jewellery in large quantities, and she had coloured the tips of her ears. Izzy had often noticed that the old woman cared little for the opinions of other goblins, but she had always been friendly to Izzy and she often had a few sweets with her. Even now she handed Izzy a handful of treats, which Izzy was more than happy to eat. Her sweets were still the best sweets in the village, but Izzy now wondered if they had the same effect as the ponygirl treats.

'Look at you, standing here proud and gorgeous.' Hersia patted Izzy's bare bottom lovingly and smiled warmly at her - something she didn't do with many others. 'I've delivered many foals over the years, but you've always been something special. No wonder with a mother like that.' Izzy snorted at the word 'foal', but old Hersia just giggled. 'It's the truth! You were a little foal, so cute and full of potential. Luckily you ended up under a saddle, as you should have; it's in your blood. Don't look so harshly, you were born the daughter of a ponygirl, so of course you were a ponygirl from birth. The line is passed on through the mother!' Izzy raised her eyebrows in astonishment. She had actually heard that before, but had never thought that it applied to her, after all, her father wasn't a stallion, but a normal man. She shook her head vigorously. 'You probably think this old woman in front of you is out of her depth, but you're wrong, as everyone is! Your father doesn't matter, neither do the ponyboys. It's always about the mother. No, no, you've always been a ponygirl, but it just took you a little longer to realise it.' Hersia winked, giving Izzy time to process this news before she continued. 'Luckily for you, Grall is a few days older than you. You can't imagine how happy Oozol was when he was able to gift his son his very own ponygirl so soon after birth. You were officially registered on the same day, as is customary for all foals, with Grall's birthday as your number.' Izzy took a step back in horror, only the reins holding her in place. She gave a startled neigh. No words were needed for Hersia to understand her thoughts, Izzy's eyes shouted them out to the world. 'It was your destiny, or did you think a man like Oozol would pass up an animal like you? How well do you know him anyway? But your father was stubborn; brought stupid new ideas to this village. He wanted you to live as a human first and then make up your mind. He insisted that no one should know about the registration, not even Oozol's own son; what a waste of time, hopefully he has realised that by now. A horse like you will always long for the saddle.'

Izzy was only half-listening, her mind was racing. Why hadn't anyone told her? Not even now? Had Grall really not known? So was it all just a game for Oozol to make her what she already officially was? But then was the emergency registration also just an excuse for Izzy to accept something that was already a reality?

Everything around her was spinning, but Hersia kept talking. 'Most people think I'm cranky, but take it from an old woman: always live your life the way you want to. Don't listen to anyone and don't bow to anyone.' Those were terribly silly words to say to a ponygirl, but Hersia didn't seem to notice. 'I would have told you all this much sooner, but I had to promise not to at the time. And I know when to keep my mouth shut. Still, hopefully my sweets have helped you on your way. You always loved eating them, just like a good horse should. If I'm lucky, I'll deliver your foals too. I hear you're not opposed to Oozol's stallion Titan.'

The old woman gave the rigid Izzy a pat on the butt and marched off. Sunshine neighed and cuddled Izzy for comfort, but she was completely detached from the world. So she really was born to be a ponygirl; she had always been Oozol's property. Everything else was just an illusion - and if she didn't do something about it, Grall would very soon press his brand into her skin.

Izzy swallowed.

The following conversation with the other horses was unpleasant for Izzy. Not that it took many words to have this discussion - and with the horse bits in their mouths, no real talking was possible anyway - but even so, Izzy clearly saw in the eyes of Lisande and Sunshine what they thought of the development. Betrayal was written all over their faces. If Grall and Oozol were lucky, they would only spit in their faces, but Izzy wasn't sure about that. She had some trouble calming the other two mares, while Albaea just howled under the angry snorting of the other horses. She was probably not used to so much upset. But Izzy was grateful to the two mares, at least she didn't have to feel this betrayal alone. A deep sting went through her heart. Oozol and her father had kept the truth from her all this time; and even if Grall hadn't known, it felt like the last few weeks had been built on a big stinking pile of lies.

She had never been free.

Not when she took her first steps.

Not when she drew her first scratchy letters at school.

Not when she sat on the grass one summer and watched Bastian bathing and realised what the difference was between a boy and a girl.

And certainly not when Grall had put a saddle on her back for the first time. So even then she had been his horse, legally speaking. His date of birth was listed in the register as her number from the day she was born.

Lisande and Sunshine stamped their feet angrily, and Izzy did the same. Until now, she had only thought about running away because she feared the brand. But now it seemed madness not to. But she was also well secured as a ponygirl. She needed a way to escape, but there was nothing to be seen far and wide. No goblin would help her. Albaea's eyes were still wet, and Izzy would have loved to comfort her, even though technically it was her pain. But the mare was so affectionate that Izzy would have happily hugged her. But now she had to think of herself first and find a way out.

The party was still in full swing, and Izzy continued to search for a way out. If she didn't find one, she would soon feel the burning kiss of the brand and be trapped forever in the yard of the traitor Oozol. As important as Grall was to her, she simply could not allow that!

Her eyes jerked around, travelling from the celebrating goblins, over the thatched roofs, a few old carts, Bastian, a pile of dirty straw and... her gaze darted back.

Bastian?

She hurriedly turned away and only watched him out of the corner of her eye. He was crouching half hidden behind the edge of a house, staring at her; it was that strange look again, the one she had seen when she was racing. But by now she had an idea why he was looking at her like that. It was lust; desire; his thirst for her body. And his own disgust about it.

But maybe, just maybe, she could make something of this. The other ponies hadn't noticed him and Izzy slowly turned her butt towards him. She knew the effect she had on stallions by now, and maybe it would work on Bastian too. Slowly, no faster than absolutely necessary, she circled her wide bottom and formed a lying eight with it. Lisande looked at her in confusion, but Izzy was unfazed. She sped up a little and the ponytail, whose plug was still deep in her bum, swung slowly with her. She bent forwards a little and her breasts sagged slightly. She dared to look over her shoulder, but Bastian was gone.

Her heart froze, and for a moment this rejection hurt her almost more than the betrayal of Oozol and her father; but only almost.

She was about to stand up when she felt a warm hand on her bottom. It was Bastian! He must have been running round the houses like a wild stallion, his breath was coming fast and he was red in the face. He didn't say anything, but his surprisingly soft but strong hands travelled along her bottom, following the natural contours and his fingers slid over the cold metal between her legs. Or it should have been cold, but Izzy herself heated it with her burning body.

She neighed softly, bringing Bastian out of his own trance.

He swallowed. 'You... look good... as a horse, I mean.' They were the first truly kind words he'd ever said to her, but at the moment Izzy had no ear for them. What he could do for her was more important. She pressed herself against him and one of his hands went to her breast, where he grabbed it without thinking. Sunshine neighed unhappily, but Izzy silenced her with a growl. On any other day, Izzy would have been in heaven, but today she had a goal to achieve, and Bastian was her tool.

She looked deep into his eyes, neighed and tried to make him realise that he had to take the horse bit out of her mouth. It wasn't easy to make him understand that, and with the goblins nearby there wasn't much time. Still, it took him a while to explore enough of her body to understand what she wanted. And unfortunately for her, he was terribly clumsy at removing a bit - he clearly had no experience with ponygirls.

'Thank you,' Izzy said and as soon as she had said it, he took a step back as if he had awoken from a dream and now realised that she wasn't a thing, but a person. This was either good or bad for Izzy, but she had to act fast. 'Come back here, it's cold without you.' That was a lie, of course - summer wasn't over yet, and Izzy was used to being naked by now - but Bastian was only too happy to accept the invitation. It was strange how awkward he suddenly seemed; Izzy had always thought he was a model of masculinity. But he had probably always been like that, but now she saw him as he was, without any flirtation or rose-coloured glasses. 'If you untie me, we can go into the woods and... you know... have some fun.'

Albaea gave a startled yelp, but Izzy and Bastian ignored it.

'I can't do that, you're an animal of the goblins,' Bastian said, swallowing as if the thought excited him even more. She couldn't blame him, it was the same reason Titan was so interesting to her.

'You'll take me back, won't you?' she said and winked.

But their private time was over. 'What are you doing?' shouted a goblin from the feast. 'Boy, if you disturb the horses, you're going to get into a lot of trouble.'

Bastian straightened up, but before he left, he quickly untied Izzy's reins. He nodded to her and ran into the forest.

Izzy's heart was pounding. If the goblin came to check on her, he would surely tie her up again, but luckily for her, he didn't. She waited briefly, gave the three mares a final glance, then ran off. Behind her, she heard Albaea getting restless, but Sunshine seemed to take care of it. Strangely, neither Sunshine nor Lisande had tried to come with her. Perhaps it was for the best; those two would be pursued no matter what, but whether they did the same with Izzy wasn't entirely certain. She hoped Grall would leave it at that, but with Oozol anything was possible.

Her hands were still secured under the saddle, she was a mount after all, but she didn't have to walk long to see Bastian behind the first row of trees. He greeted her with his hands on her bosom. She almost melted on the spot for him, but she had to be strong.

'Untie me. Please,' she had to command him, otherwise he would probably have taken her as a mare right there and then. She could see from the mark on his trousers how excited he was. He awkwardly took the saddle off her and untied her arms.

Izzy looked back to the party one last time - she saw Grall, still laughing and telling everyone about a fantastic future that would never come; to her three friends who couldn't share her freedom; and Oozol, who she thought could burn to a crisp in hell.

Before Bastian could touch her again, Izzy sprinted off. She didn't even look back at him. Her legs pounded over the loose forest floor, carrying her deep into the woods at lightning speed, far away from the goblins and anything connected to them.

All she had to do was put enough distance between herself and the goblins and all would be well. The big cities weren't safe, like all areas on the border; the experience with the horse catchers was still ingrained in her bones, and she didn't want to repeat that mistake. But deep in the land of men, there had to be places where she was safe. Somewhere she would be given shelter, she just had to walk far enough.

But as so often happened when Izzy had a goal, she missed it.

Her poor sense of direction played a trick on her again and made her run in the wrong direction; her fast gallop took her deeper into the realm of the goblins with every step - still with a registration number on her bosom, a ponytail in her bottom and colourful paint on her body that made her easy to spot even in the dark.

But something else escaped her notice: not all the goblins had lost sight of her. Two small eyes peered through the forest; they followed her shadow between the trees until the distance became too great, then the watcher began the pursuit.

Her legs carried her through the dense forest for hours without a break. She travelled far from the roads, careful not to run into any humans - and especially not goblins. While she had no fixed destination, or even an idea of how far she had to travel for a safe place, she would not stop until she had left all the goblins behind her. The sting of betrayal was still deep in her flesh, but it also gave her a renewed vigour that propelled her forward. On top of that, she had the energy of a mount used to long rides - the irony did not escape her, but for the first time it was to her own benefit.

The sun had long since disappeared behind the treetops and the forest was dark and menacing; the shadows of the trees hid the roots and other dangers that lurked on the ground. Without Grall, she lacked good eyesight at night, so she had to rely entirely on her own intuition. Still, she didn't allow herself a break; if Oozol tried to catch her again, the goblins' sight would give them an advantage, and speed was her only chance.

It was only at that moment that Izzy realised that the goblins would probably question her friends; hopefully they wouldn't punish them if they kept quiet. Surely they had noticed her absence by now. Grall might be gullible enough to wait a few days for her return, but Oozol would gather a party of hunters before the village was fully searched.

But even if the night gave the goblins an advantage, at least she had fewer people - humans the goblins - to avoid in the dark. The greenlings also preferred to stay indoors at night. This meant Izzy made good progress unseen, but a faint light in the distance attracted her almost magically. It was the flickering of an old lantern, swaying back and forth in the wind on a pole next to a house. The courtyard was quiet and everything was already asleep, with only the lantern to show that there was any life here at all. Still, this was no place for a brightly painted runaway ponygirl to show herself, but something about this yard called to Izzy.

Something that made her stomach grumble.

She bit her tongue and sighed softly. The thought of spending the next few days or weeks without one of the treats made her hands tremble - the goblins sure knew how to control a ponygirl after all, Izzy thought bitterly.

Despite the danger, she approached the yard and looked around cautiously. Sure enough, there was a stable for horses, and a small, promising sack hung at the side. She crept over, reached into the bag and popped a few of the treats into her mouth, which immediately melted and spread their wonderful broad flavour across her mouth. Her hand wandered back to the bag, but a voice stopped her.

'Hilia, have you escaped from the stable again? Wait, you're not my horse. Where did you come from? Stop, you can't just wander around here!' The old goblin farmer waved a pitchfork around, but Izzy only had eyes for the sack she had to leave behind. She briefly wondered if she was too fast for the goblin, but then changed her mind and disappeared into the night.

She spent the next few hours wondering how she could have taken such a stupid risk when her legs finally gave way without strength. She braced herself and slid exhausted down a tree trunk. Her breathing was rapid and her heart drummed wildly in her chest. 'This will have to do,' she whispered to herself. A deep darkness engulfed her, swallowing the world a few metres away from her. Her heartbeat calmed down, but a new shock drove it up again: in her exhaustion, she had forgotten the direction! 'Crap!' she grumbled, but it was too late now. She would have to decide on a new direction in the morning, which would hopefully lead her to safety. She yawned loudly and leant back against the tree trunk, even a ponygirl needed rest. She was just about to lie down when she heard a crack behind her. Before she could react, something was pulled over her and a strange odour hit her nose; her eyes went black.

'Where did you find her?' an unfamiliar voice asked. Izzy woke up slowly; she felt a cold stone floor beneath her and it was dark around her, with only a few rays of light filtering through the tight sack that had been placed over her head. Her hands were bound tightly again and her legs were also tied. Her mouth was still free, but she didn't dare make a sound. Her captors probably thought she was asleep, so she listened closely.

'It would be so much easier if all humans were already domesticated. It's a shame that our God gave them to us, but we still have so much trouble with them. If I could, I would force them all into my stable.' The voice was foreign to her, perhaps it was a hunter from Oozol. 'She's officially registered, what should I do with her?'

'Don't play dumb. Look at her, she's something special.' Izzy had to fight hard not to tremble. She knew that voice; his unconventional emphasis on 'special' had given him away. It was the goblin who had enquired about her at the party. 'Surely there will be someone who has a use for such a noble pony.'

It was only with great difficulty that she managed to lie somewhat still. The floor was cold and the room smelled of old manure and dirt. It was a strange feeling, knowing that you had been caught.

Had Sunshine and Lisande felt the same way when they had first lain bound at the feet of their new masters? Helpless, hopeless, afraid they would never see their friends and family again? Of course, Izzy had run away herself, but now there was something final about it; if they really were horse thieves, there was probably no going back.

'So its owner would take me to prison? Where did you steal her?'

The other goblin spat audibly on the ground. 'Stole them? What do you take me for?'

'A thief, like you are.'

' Good, fine by me.' The thief laughed dirty. 'But it's different here. I found her in the forest, she ran away from her owner. Believe me, that's far away, he won't come. Besides, she's valuable, look at her hooves, watch out for the symbol! Surely her owner doesn't even know our town, you won't have any problems.'

The other goblin's heavy breathing told Izzy that he was thinking seriously about this.'What if there's a finder's fee?'

'Then you're in luck. Give me my money and you can find out. That's your risk. Otherwise I'll go to Fezon, he'll pay for her.'

'Like hell you will! All right; it's a deal. She's mine.' Izzy heard a bag of coins being passed round. So now it had happened after all; someone had paid for her. She had become a commodity, an object defined only by its value through its utility. They put a collar on her and woke her up with a kick. 'Get up, we know you're awake.' She stood up on wobbly legs, but the sack remained over her head. 'You're sure no one will come for her?'

'Absolutely. She was alone. I followed her on my horse. Luckily, I knew a local farmer who lent me a cart and a helping hand before she woke up. She was heavy and it took a long time. Even if someone was looking for her, why would they come here of all places?'

Her buyer led Izzy by the collar with small steps out of the room and into the sun - she could feel the warming rays on her skin - and tied her up somewhere, then took the bag off her head. The bright light blinded her and she had to squint for a while until her eyes had adjusted. She was standing in front of an old stable on a farm that had seen better days. She shook herself at the sight, it was one of the moments when she really appreciated life on Oozol's farm. As much as she didn't really want to be there, it was one of the best places a ponygirl could wish for - even if the owner was a treacherous monster. But this was the exact opposite.

The goblin next to her was barely younger than the buildings, but something in his look told Izzy that he wasn't joking; the whip in his hand made that clear too. Her gaze followed the lead on her collar, it ended at the saddle of a tall ponygirl that towered over Izzy. 'Don't make trouble, I have no patience for difficult animals. You will feel my whip immediately if you don't do as I ask. Understood?' Izzy nodded, intimidated. 'I'm going to free your legs now. Don't make any quick moves or Rainbow will break your legs.' The ponygirl in front of Izzy pawed her hooves, there was something dangerous in her gaze. Izzy obeyed - she remembered well how her hooves crushed the wolf's head. No doubt Rainbow would be able to break her leg with one kick of her heavy hoofed boots. After freeing her legs, the goblin climbed into the saddle of his ponygirl and spurred her on. Izzy had no choice but to follow the two of them. She looked back once more and gulped at the sight of the hoofprints with the royal mark that could now be her downfall.

The journey took them back out into the forest, but now they were following a narrow path that wound its way between the trees. She kept looking around, but there was no sign of rescue. Even if Grall was looking for her, how on earth was he supposed to find her here? She had run too far - straight to her doom. 'Not so slow,' the goblin told her off. 'If I see the leash tightened again, you'll feel the whip.'

Izzy whinnied and walked closer behind his ponygirl, who had a few deep scars on her rump herself; her obedience was probably not entirely voluntary, but in the end it made no difference to Izzy. As long as the sturdy horse obeyed him, she too was at his mercy.

They travelled all day and only stopped in the evening.

'Are you thirsty?' the goblin asked, but Izzy hurriedly declined - she remembered the ride with the horse catchers only too well. The goblin looked at her, shaking his head, then took a drinking tube from his ponygirl's saddle and shared the water with his horse. Izzy grumbled, but after that he didn't offer it to her again for the night.

Their journey took three whole days before a large valley opened up in front of them. It was an impressive sight and Izzy sensed that they were close to their destination. She was exhausted, smelly and her legs were burning, but she wasn't looking forward to her destination one bit.

In the centre of the valley laid wide fields of crops and wildflowers, with a small town looming in the middle, crouching almost fearfully behind a high wall. Izzy had no idea what this town was called, or where they were, but it didn't matter, she would only get out of here as a horse with a rider anyway, she was sure of it. The goblin led his horse at a gallop down the path and past numerous other goblins and ponygirls, but there were no other humans to be seen. You had green skin, or a goblin on your back, there was nothing else. So it was as Izzy had feared: she had walked deep into goblin country, from where she would never return. Her damn sense of direction! Just once it could have done her a favour and not led her straight to her demise. The journey ended near an old farm just outside the city gates. The houses formed a wall around a hidden courtyard and even the heavy gate was guarded. Words were written in goblin script above the entrance, but Izzy couldn't read them. The gate closed behind her with a loud rumble and it was clear that it would not open again for her any time soon.

'Durix, what are you bringing me?' asked another goblin, his face scarred and missing an eye. So that was the name of her new master, Durix.

'A stupid name, for a stupid man,' she thought, but it wasn't that simple, as she quickly realised.

'Greetings, Pelkor. I want to sell this horse behind me at the auction. Look at her, she'll bring us good money.'

Pelkor leaned to the side and looked past Durix. ' It has a registration number. That's a dangerous piece of merchandise you're bringing me. But it looks good, I'm sure it will fetch a tidy sum. Still, the risk is high, I'm asking for 50% of the profits.'

Durix jumped up in his saddle so violently that his ponygirl was startled and took a step forwards. The lead tightened and Izzy almost fell. 'No way! Cutthroats. Criminal!

You'll usually only take 30%, and that's already too much.'

'Then get lost. Why don't you take her and stick her where the sun doesn't shine?'

'You're an asshole, Pelkor. 35% and no more, otherwise you'll feel my whip.'

Pelkor laughed. ' 45%, my last offer, or I'll have you drowned in the river.' Izzy listened in disgust as these men haggled. It was vile, especially since it was about her! They wanted to sell her on. She should be disgusted by this, but Durix was so awful that it could only get better.

Her new - albeit probably only short-term - owner spat on the floor. '40%. That way or nothing.'

'Good, 40%. So you've come to your senses after all.' He waved two helpers over. 'Take the pony to the stable, give it the number 16. She'll be a surprise at the auction tomorrow. We rarely have such a beautiful animal here, they'll be amazed.'

'Look at her hooves, she has a royal mark.'

'Anyone can do that, the house no longer exists, nobody will complain.'

'No, it must be something else. Look at her, she's not a normal animal. I've seen this breeding line before, she matches the mark.'

'You see what you want to see. They all died in the war.'

'We don't know that. Let the buyers decide. But tell them about it. It'll drive the price up.'

Izzy swallowed. That was not good. Not good at all. Her bloodline had already brought her under the saddle, would it now condemn her to life as some foreign goblin's dumb animal? But today she was too weak to fight it.

'Alright, that's what we'll do,' Pelkor said. He took another goblin aside while Izzy was untied from Durix's pony. 'You go into town and see our usual bidders. Tell them to bring some more thalers, there's a good reason. Tell them there's a particularly royal pony on offer. A little excitement will increase their interest. It's all for business, my son. Now go!' The son studied Izzy briefly, then disappeared from the yard.

Izzy's next stop was the stable, where she was first given food and water - both of which tasted awful, but that was probably all that could be expected in a place like this - and then quickly washed so that at least the worst of the dirt was off. No one spoke to her, but she was used to that with normal goblins - none of them even thought it might be worth talking to a horse. Maybe it was easier for the goblins that way, Izzy thought, to make a girl their animal if they ignored its intelligence. Goblins weren't without morals, but something had to allow them to treat a human like this without tripping over their own values to land face-first in the obvious injustice.

The stable itself was cramped and stuffy. The fifteen other ponygirls were standing close together and didn't look enthusiastic when another one was brought into the stable with them. They were all older than Izzy and some of them made her wonder what use they were as horses at all. Many looked weak and tired, scarred from a long life under saddles and with horse bites in their mouths. Izzy understood why Pelkor was so interested in her - she had nothing in common with these poor creatures, except that they were all ponygirls. But she herself was in the prime of her life, while the others had already lived a lifetime as animals.

Izzy hardly dared to look at the others. Was this her future too? Would she be back in a stable like this in many years' time, after she was no longer of any use to her owner? For sale to... to whom? She knew rumours of what some goblins did with old ponygirls, but she pushed the thought aside. She found a quiet corner and waited anxiously to see what the new day would bring.