Horsepower Ch. 01-03

Chapter 1

David's stomach rumbled. It had been rumbling all day. As he thought about it, it seemed like it was rumbling all the time anymore. Standing up he immediately felt lightheaded. "Man, I really need to eat something" he thought to himself as he leaned on the brick wall of the empty alley. As he closed his eyes until the wave of dizziness passed, he tried to remember his last real meal. It had to have been weeks ago.

The government handouts didn't count, David decided. They were barely tolerable and could hardly be called food. A bland mix of the absolute necessities the human body needed all crammed into a neatly packed square. But that's what happens when overpopulation encounters a reduction in resources. Resources like food and oil. To David, none of this mattered to him until the day his parents had told him they couldn't afford for him to live at home anymore.

David was just shy of six foot tall and as a young man in his early twenties, he consumed a lot of food. After all, he was a growing boy. Or at least he was supposed to be. Lately, he had been growing thinner and thinner. As he slowly moved down the alley he thought about the phrase "growing thinner". It made no sense to him. There was a word for it, but he couldn't think of it. Man, he needed some food. He was having trouble keeping his thoughts together and think about simple things. Oxymorons. That's what they were called.

As he rounded the corner of the alley into the street David took stock of what was around him. The city he had lived in, had grown up in, seemed desolate. No, that wasn't right. As he watched the street, a large truck quietly whirred past him. The quiet sounds of the tires and the electric motor were a stark contrast to trucks he had remembered growing up with large, powerful diesel engines. The truck moved along, the sole vehicle along what was once a heavily trafficked street.

No, desolate did not accurately describe the street for there were still the people. Devoid. Devoid of cars. That's what it was, David decided. The government's decision to halt all use natural resources with the exception of critical infrastructure like military use, agriculture, shipping, and air transportation had killed the car off nearly overnight. As the birth rate increased and the average age of death climbed year after year, the strain on global resources rose at an exponential rate. Seeing that there was a finite number of certain resources like coal, oil, and natural gas left, the decision was made globally to restrict these resources to the bare necessities to prolong the inevitable.

Electricity was the answer, David had been told by his father. Electricity can replace nearly everything, and it will all be fine. As the world quickly found out however, it's much harder to store the same amount of energy capacity in electricity that was comparable to a gallon of gasoline. Lithium prices soared to unseen heights in the quest for energy storage. The second and third order effects of the switch to electricity were unknown and devastating. Commuting to work was now impossible for long distances and the ability to transfer produce across the world diminished in capability. Unemployment soared.

Clip, clip, clip clop. David sluggishly turned his head and peered at the oncoming sound. He knew what it was before his eyes registered the sight and yet he knew he had to look anyway. How could he not? The sounds of hooves striking pavement grew louder, but they were not of a horse. David saw a muscular male pulling a large cart. The idea of a man pulling a cart for work was not a foreign one, there were no cars or trucks to use for the average person. No, the idea of how the man was being used to pull the cart was the foreign idea.

With increasing numbers of unemployed and hungry people along with an increasing demand for electricity usage, a new program was created. The program was called "Horsepower" and the idea was that people could be used as horses used to be prior to the advent of motorized vehicles to do both menial and labor-intensive tasks. Actual horses were few in number and cost a tremendous amount of money. The requirement was simple, armies of human horses could be used to move objects, pull people around, work at things for hours on end. The payment? Food, shelter, and wages. That alone was enough to draw people in the thousands to join. The process to join was rigorous and not an easy one. To become this, several freedoms had to be put aside.

The man, if you could still call him that, had all the outward appearances of a horse. His feet were in boots that went up to just below his knees but on the bottom, they kept the legs tipped forward onto the front of the feet. The bottoms of these boots had been stylized to resemble that of a horse hoof, horseshoes and all. Hoof boots they had been termed and gave the distinct "clip clop" sound. The man himself was very tan, the result of spending countless hours out under the sun working. The term horse did not last long as had been likely intended. The public began to refer to them as ponies instead and after a time, the name stuck.

Covering the man's tanned body was a leather harness. The harness went up and over the man's shoulders and around the sides of his torso. The part that always drew attention however was the large leather section that went under the crotch and attached to the back of the harness. A couple of extra straps went from this crotch strap to under the man's butt cheeks, keeping them more or less in place. Alarmingly, or at least it was when then initial designs first became public, the man's genitals poked out through a hole in the front crotch strap. The whole affair, however, was encased in a plastic cages of sorts to inhibit its function to only basic relief needs and from outside influences. There had been quite the public outroar surrounding specifically this piece but as the necessity for manual labor increased and the want of electricity outweighed any moral objections and it was quickly relegated to being just part of the package.

The man's arms did not pull the cart. After initial testing and fielding of ponies through the horsepower program they quickly saw that a pony's arms wore out quickly and they would drop loads or no longer push and pull items as efficiently. To counter this, the body harnesses were created, and the loads were attached to it. The weight of their tasks was now distributed to their whole body and not just the arms and shoulders. Production increased but the problem with what to do with the pony's arms became an issue. David looked at the man and saw that his arms were pulled behind him and wrapped into a leather sleeve. The poles of the cart passed on either side of the man and attached cleanly to the harness without the arms getting in the way.

The image of the pony did not stop there. The man's head was wrapped in a leather bridle similar to a horse. Like a horse, it became apparent that without an ability to guide them they would zigzag as they walked or drift towards or away from the desired destination. To counter this, the whole gamut of pony tack became increasingly available and commonplace. Bits were fitted to mouths, reins attached, blinders put in place and on occasion a crop to help correct actions. A business owner had put it best when these items were first displayed, "I don't need someone to have a conversation with or tell me their opinions. I just need a means to get my product from point A to point B without question." So many other people had related to this same sentiment that a natural divide between "ponies" and "people" was created.

David stared as the cart went by. The owner of the cart who was walking alongside merely nodded at David and kept walking. How could someone willingly go through that? David continued walking, his stomach feeling like it was caving in on him. He stopped to lean on a lamppost, frustrated at how weak he felt without food.

The world was spinning, and he just wanted to shut it all out. He hadn't realized that he had dozed off until a voice said, "Get up son, there's work to be done." David blinked his eyes, the sunlight filtering into them. He was confused and looked up and saw a large man tacked up in pony gear. The man's bit was not in his mouth but attached to one side and pulled back, so it was out of the way. The man smiled at David, "Come on inside, let's get you some food. You look like you could use it."

David looked up at the building that he was in front of. "Horsepower Recruiting Station" was proudly displayed on the sign. "I, uh...I really shouldn't." David said. The man walked forward to him, his hooves making their distinct sound on the pavement.

"Any why is that? Are you afraid you'll be whisked away and forced to become a pony?" The man asked with a grin.

David stammered his response, "No, it's just...I don't think I want to become...you."

The man tilted his head quizzically at David and then bust out laughing. "Oh boy, that's a good one. Yes, you're much better off than me in your current situation. Come on, let's get you fed and then you can tell me all the reasons why you don't want to become a pony. If at the end you still don't want to join up, then at least you spent some time getting a free meal and some stimulating conversation.

David picked himself up off the ground and looked at the giant pony in front of him. He nodded his head in a slow agreement. The man looked at him and said, "You can call me Rick. Come on, follow me." He said and turned. David saw that the Rick's arms were bound in the telltale sleeve on his back. The other item that stuck out to David was the horse tail that stuck prominently out of Rick's backside. The leather harness went on either side of the tail and David couldn't be certain without staring or asking, but it appeared that the tail actually went into Rick's asshole.

As Rick clip clopped his way inside, his movements graceful for a muscular man bound like he was, David shook his head in disbelief. "Ah, what the hell" David thought to himself and followed Rick.

Chapter 2

The inside of the building was warmer than David had expected it to be. It dawned on David a moment later that he looked overdressed when compared to the ponies inside. With little else other than a few leather straps to retain the body heat it, the temperature in the room wasn't much cooler than outside, more like being in the shade. As they made their way through the building Rick pivoted back towards David and asked him, "I never got your name, what is it by the way?"

"It's David."

"Ah, David, pleasure to meet you." Rick said, turning back to face where he was heading. The two of them entered a large room and David could immediately smell food cooking. Two more ponies were in the room, a male and a female. On the female's leather harness were two sections of a thin material that covered her breasts. The physique of both ponies was very lean. If they had any fat on them, it had worn off after the hard work of being a pony. "Guys, this is David. He's going to have a meal here and ask us why we do what we do." He laughed at the last part, and the other two ponies chuckled along with them. "David, this is Mark and Carla."

The male pony came up to David, towering over him with the extra inches the hoof boots gave Mark. "David, welcome. I'd shake your hand but, mine are a bit tied up at the moment." He grinned and his joke make David smile. Tilting his head towards the food he said, "Come on, you look like you're starving."

David smiled, "You have no idea." He said and as if on cue, his stomach rumbled. Along one wall of the room was a table that had several trays of food with small burners underneath keeping the food warm. To David's surprise, there was roughly ten other people in the room, but they were not dressed as ponies. Instead, they were dressed in a mixture of what looked like medical scrubs to business casual. They were all lining up at the food table and taking plates and dishing up their food.

Rick came up next to David and said, "Go ahead, get in line." David nodded his understanding and got in line behind a small framed lady that looked like a personal trainer. She turned and smiled at him. He blushed and was immediately self-conscience about his smell. He had been living on the streets for a while now and showering did not happen often. She was gracious to him though and if she did detect his foul smell, she didn't give any indication of it.

David restrained himself from overindulging in putting food on his plate. He was starving but this food was not just for him, and he didn't want to seem greedy. Once he had his food he went back over to Rick with his plate. Rick and the two other ponies were standing around a taller table that came up to their chests. "Ah, David, pull up a stool and have a seat."

As David was pulling up a stool to the tall table, he noticed that all three ponies were still standing and that none of them had gone to get food. "Are you guys not going to sit or eat?" David asked.

Rick smiled, "Sitting is a bit difficult while tacked up, so we prefer to stay standing if possible." As he was telling David this, he looked to the side and saw a man walking up with three large cups filled with what looked to David like a smoothy with tall straws sticking out. "While we're on duty, we stick to a liquid diet. It's easier to digest and absorb into our bodies. This also helps with not having to use the bathroom all the time. We'll typically have a big meal at the end of the duty day."

Between a bite of food David asked, "Why do you call it duty?"

The female pony Carla fielded the question for him, "Look at it this way, it is our duty to get the farmers the labor they need, the electricity people's homes need, or the businessman to work on time."

Mark chimed in also, "Duty also infers a sense of discipline which you will need a lot of if you were to become a pony."

David tilted his head, "Discipline? That doesn't sound like a good thing."

Rick said, "There's a difference between being disciplined for doing something wrong and having the self-discipline to stand for hours at a power pole so that others may have electricity. It is your duty to have the self-discipline to try and not speak when you think you know better than the driver. Your role is to just pull consistently and strongly."

David was trying to follow along as best as he could while also focusing on eating his food in a way that didn't give the appearance that he couldn't wait to get the next bite in. With a mouthful, he covered his mouth a bit to be respectful and asked, "What's a power pole?"

Leaning forward to sip his smoothy through his straw, Rick stopped and said, "Power poles are an unfortunate necessity in our lives." He smiled and took another sip from his straw. "And by our, I mean our collectively. Humans. We need electricity now more than ever. Energy isn't free, it has to come from somewhere, be it hydro, solar, nuclear, or whatever. Well, there isn't enough of those I just mentioned to provide the total supply that the demand requires. This is where we come in primarily. We get to turn kinetic energy into stored energy."

David stopped eating. "I'm not sure I understand. I mean, I understand the need for extra energy, but how do ponies fit into it."

This time Carla answered him. "David, have you ever seen a grain mill, or at least pictures of one? It's like that. The grain mill, or generator in our case, sits in the center of a circle and either a straight pole or armature of some type sticks out from that. The horse, us, attaches to the end of the pole and we walk in endless circles and our movement of the generator using kinetic energy charges the batteries or large capacitor banks nearby. The longer the pole the greater the leverage we get on it but the more space it takes up and slower we go so there's a balance between difficulty, speed, and power generation."

Setting his fork down, David thought about it for a moment. "That's what you meant when you said the self-discipline to pull consistently and strongly wasn't it?"

Rick smiled, "You catch on quick. It can be a mind-numbing task to be sure, but it's critical and it's freeing for me."

Unaware that he had been set up for the next set of questions David responded, "Freeing? How do you figure that? You've lost the use of your hands and clothing apparently." The last part came out harsher than he had meant for it to. "I'm sorry. That was cruel of me to say."

Mark chipped in, "David, there's nothing to be sorry for. We all chose this route and Rick is right. It is freeing. Don't think of it in terms of what you lose, but rather in terms of what you gain. I may not be able to use my hands while on duty but look at it this way. Do you have regular access to free meals, and I mean good meals?

"No." David said.

"Ok." Mark went on, "How about a job, place to live, or a purpose that benefits others around you?

David's eyes dropped to his plate, "No."

Carla walked over next to David, her hooves clicking on the floor as she did so and she brushed up next to him, not in a seductive manner but in as close to a comforting manner as she could without laying a hand across his shoulders. "David, Mark isn't criticizing the circumstances or situation you're in. All three of us went through the same turmoil you're going through right now, and we all decided we'd give this our best shot. None of us had anything left to give and this was our way out."

"As for the clothing, or lack thereof as you pointed out." Rick said, "Everything we wear is purely for function, no more and no less." Rick looked up at Mark, Mark in turn had the smallest raise of his eyebrow.

David thought for a second and then asked, "Ok, well what's with the dick contraption then?"

Rick smiled with a broad toothed grin at Mark. Mark, in reply said, "Shit!" Then the two of them started laughing and bumping their shoulders against each other.

David was confused and tried to think if he had said something wrong. Carla spoke up while Mark and Rick laughed. "The two of them had a bet on what you'd ask about first. Rick said you'd ask about the chastity cage."

David now smiled along with them, still feeling like he was somehow the butt of a joke. "What else was I supposed to ask about?" He said quizzically.

Mark and Rick laughed all the harder. "Oh David, you poor naïve thing." Carla just said with a smile. "Honey, think about what else ponies have that's most controversial with people who aren't one." She turned away from David to resume her position on the other side of the table and as she turned, she gave an exaggerated hip movement swishing her tail back and forth.

"The tail!" David exclaimed. All three ponies laughed, and David joined in. He couldn't imagine how he hadn't thought of the tail. "Wait, are you saying that those...actually go inside of you?"

"Yes, David." Carla answered him, a quaint smile on her face. "Each of us wears a tail with a plug attached to it. Just remember what Rick said, it's purely about function." David couldn't possibly think of what purpose having a plug inside his ass would serve. Carla worked quickly to dispel his fears of having something shoved inside of him. "Each plug serves several functions to help keep us safe. Within the strand of hair there are several other items hanging out, the tail hair hides it. Each plug comes equipped with a GPS device and the antenna for it hangs out along the tail. There are also several sensors that monitor our health in various ways such as hydration levels, pulse, and temperature to name a few. There's a couple of more lines that hang from the plug so hydrating and cooling fluids can be pushed into your rectum and absorbed which may sound crazy but it's very efficient. This can help when you've got a bit in your mouth as it's difficult to drink much water with it in. Another line helps keep a steady yet slow supply of lubricant around the plug so it doesn't chafe." Carla let David take in what she had told him. "See David, it's a functional item and nothing more."