Human Interest

Officer Brennan walked around to the front of the quads and whispered something to Twilight. Twilight turned to Irish and said, "I'll be right back," then followed Brennan around the back where McCreedy shoved a ball gag in her mouth quicker than she could blink and fastened the straps. Within seconds, she was chained up on the floor next to the now awake Officer Hunter. McCreedy put one hand on her holster and one finger to her lips to suggest that they remain very quiet.

Brennan walked around to the front again and said to Irish, "Twilight needs help with something. Do you have a minute?"

"Sure. Anything for Twilight."

"I knew we could count on you. Follow me."

Irish's jaw dropped when she saw the two women shackled and gagged in the corner of the stall and McCreedy was quick to give her the same Sh-h-h-h signal. Brennan said, "If you want your little friend to remain healthy you will strip right now."

Irish trembled as she began to take off her wrist and ankle cuffs. Brennan began to unbuckle and unlace Irish's corset and she whispered to her, "Relax, honey, we don't want to hurt anyone, we just want you to buy us a little time. If everything goes okay, you and your friend will be reunited soon enough. Now lose the bikini bottoms.....whoa! That's quite a tattoo. It's a good thing I brought a make-up kit."

When Brennan told her to take off her collar, Irish almost broke down and cried. McCreedy handed her a plain, patent leather one and she put it on while Brennan used "clown white" paste and flesh-colored powder to cover up Irish's tattoo. It barely looked like a slight bruise when she was done. They put a bridle and bit on Irish and Brennan said, "Now we wait. Sit down over by your friend and be quiet."

Officer Brennan had alternated between bus driver and "shotgun" with Officer Hunter on almost all of the Chowchilla runs to the ranch and had been around long enough to know who all the players were. She knew how long an auction segment would typically run based on the number of ponies and she only had to wait ten minutes after securing her hostages before Mistress Lilith came through the stage door to get the last of the ponies.

"Mistress Lilith could you please look at this for me?"

"Certainly, Officer Brennan, what is it?" Brennan opened the stall door to reveal the scene. "What do you think you are doing?"

"Well, mom....yes, I know Twilight over there is your daughter,...you are going to buy some time for Liz and I to get away. Twilight's friend here has almost the same color hair as Liz and so she is going to have to take her place in the auction. When Liz signed the papers for the program, she designated me, under a different name of course, as the family beneficiary for the foundation awards. You are going to sell her friend while Liz and I drive out of here with these other two for safe keeping. When I see the money has been deposited in my account, I will call you and tell you where you can pick them up. Are we clear?"

"I can't sell Irish Rose. By the time the banks open on Monday, she will be gone and we may never be able to get her back."

McCreedy grabbed Twilight and put a knife blade against her cheek and said, "How about a little scar to help you decide?"

Irish jumped to her feet trying to cry out, "No-o-o! No-o-o!" around her bit, "Thell me-e! Thell me-e-e!"

"See, now there's a sensible ponygirl. She doesn't want any harm to come to her friend. Now hurry up and get the rest of them out on the stage before anyone wonders what is taking so long. As for you, little pony, you'd better look happy and fetch a nice high price. My friend and I want to live comfortably the rest of our days." Having finished, Brennan pushed Irish into Lilith's arms and waved them away with her gun.

Mistress Lilith quickly linked the four remaining ponygirls together with Irish as the last in line and led them out the door. Mistress Cyndi was stunned to see Irish in the line and Lilith shook her head slightly to indicate not to say anything. Lilith walked over and whispered something in Cyndi's ear and then unhooked the first pony as Cyndi began again.

"Ladies and gentlemen, these are the last four ponygirls for today's auction. As 'three-time losers, these ponies are serving life sentences. It is your responsibility to see that they serve at least twenty years of those sentences. If one of them should escape, you will be banned from all future auctions as you have agreed. So, who will start the bidding for the services of this lovely ponygirl.......who will give me three hundred thousand...I see hands all over ...lady in the red hat I think you were first.....how about four....I've got four....."

As Cindy rattled on, Brennan said, "Okay, ladies time to get up and get going." She reached down and pulled Twilight to her feet as Liz grabbed Officer Hunter. As they shuffled towards the door, Brennan looked at Twilight and said, "Sorry that you're going to lose your friend but you know what they say, 'You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs'". Twilight burst into tears as they cleared the doorway heading for the bus.

It was all so surreal to Irish. It was just like the dream she had. Here she was chained in a line of naked ponygirls being auctioned off. "Maybe I'll wake up," she thought, "please let me wake up." She closed her eyes but when she opened them the second girl in line had just been sold. Only one more to go and then it would be her turn........

"Sold to # 41 for two point six million. Thank you very much. And now the final sale of the afternoon, and as you can see we have saved the best for last."

"Oh, no...she means me," thought Irish, "Try to look happy. Pose. Strut proudly. Make them want you. Must save Twilight." It's hard to look happy when your heart is troubled with such thoughts but fortunately Irish's perfect body and gorgeous looks did all the talking and the opening bid was one million dollars. "Do I have two?" she heard Cyndi babbling through her haze.

"Three.....three and a half.....four......four and a half.....five......oh, come now, certainly you aren't going to pass up this excellent ponygirl for only five million are you?......five......I've got six now....six and a half......."

Clippety-clop, clippety clop.....Irish would know the sound of that gait anywhere and turned just in time to get knocked to the stage floor as Twilight bounded into her arms and smothered her with kisses. "My hero! Let's get this bridle off of you so I can thank you properly," said Twilight and a few seconds later the two of them were locked in a passionate embrace right there on the floor in front of a very stunned crowd.

"But how?" queried Irish.

"Let's go back to your stall and I'll tell you all about it." Hand in hand the two of them rushed off the stage to fetch Irish's tack and head for her stable.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, I guess that concludes today's......."

Mistress Lilith reappeared with a naked, cuffed and shackled McCreedy and Brennan in tow and from the looks of their butts and thighs, they had already tasted the wrath of Lilith's single-tail. She said, "We not quite done yet, Mistress Cyndi, if I may borrow your microphone for a minute." Cyndi passed it to her and she resumed, "Ladies and gentlemen, the scene you just saw unfold was the direct result of the scheming of these two women right here. They concocted a plan to sell a surrogate for this pony," she paused to pull the dark wig off Liz to reveal her red hair, "and escape with two hostages until money was deposited in their account. Rather than be returned to Chowchilla in chains to face attempted kidnapping charges, Officer Brennan here, has wisely chosen to sign the consent forms to be auctioned off along with her accomplice."

Cyndi took the microphone back and began by asking, "Would you like to bid on them as a pair or individually. Remember as a pair they will present a real challenge as they will undoubtedly continue to plot to escape. How say you?"

The cheering for "Pair! Pair!" was overwhelming and Cyndi resumed the auction. In the end the pair went for 4.5 million dollars to a bidder from Argentina who relished the thought of molding these two to his will. Officer Hunter was designated to receive $25,000 for the stress she was put through, the same amount was to be put in trust for Twilight Girl until she graduated from college and the bulk went into the building fund to expand the lodge and the stables. All in all an excellent event and everyone was invited back for next month's auction with girls from the Las Vegas strip currently serving time in the Nevada Women's prison.

Meanwhile 'back at the ranch' as they say, Twilight was explaining how the prison psychologist had given the ranch a 'heads up' on the devious nature of Liz McCreedy and how her frequent talks with Officer Brennan had made them suspicious that they might be planning something. Don and Tom had always known that an escape attempt could happen at any time and they had systems in place to deal with that eventuality, including sixty hidden cameras and microphones around the consignment area. "That's what my dad wanted to talk to me about Thursday night. He said to just play along and not resist and everything would be okay but I was still scared."

"But that doesn't tell me how you got rescued," said Irish as they snuggled together.

"That was the easy part. The second we cleared the doorway heading for the bus, my dad and Ella dropped them both with tranquilizer darts. Before he and Master Tom started this ranch, my dad was a Marine sniper instructor. He can hit a fly at a thousand yards. Where do you think my sister learned to shoot rattlesnakes like that? I am sorry we couldn't let you in on what might happen but your reactions had to be real. I still can't believe that you volunteered to be sold away for life just to protect me." She kissed her so hard so almost bruised her lips.

"Careful, those are 6.5 million dollar lips you're crushing," giggled Irish, "I wonder how high they would have bid if you hadn't rescued me?"

"Don't even joke about that," said Twilight as she began to lick her way down Irish's neck and across her chest, pausing only a minute to circle each nipple with her tongue before descending further.

The next thirty minutes were pure heaven for both of them.

......................................

"Okay, you two, snuggle time is over for now. You have to get dressed so we can load up the car to go."

Christine's appearance in Irish's stall was inevitable but still not welcome as she was still uncertain as to when she and Twilight could be together again. As they started to go Christine asked, "Aren't you going to bring your tack, Irish?"

"Do you mean I can keep all of this?" she responded excitedly.

"Yes, dear, it is a gift from Master Tom and Mistress Cyndi. They just couldn't picture ever letting anyone else wear it. They also wanted you to have this check for $25,000 for trying to sacrifice yourself to save Twilight. You mean so much to them." Christine hastened to add. "Oh, and there's one more gift I have for you. I even had Master Tom engrave it for you," she said with a smile as she pulled the chastity belt out of the bag she was carrying, "See, it's etched 'Irish Rose', right across the front of the waist band." They all laughed.

"Thank you, Christine, it's perfect."

Twilight said, "Let's go load up my stuff so we can get to my campus before dark," and off they went to the lodge.

Chapter 17: Stalling Around

The excitement of the moment had passed. Number 9 had done well. Someone out there was willing to pay $1.8 million dollars for her. Her father would get almost $1.4 million in return for all the heartache she had caused him. In the process, all he would know was that she had volunteered for a new, service-oriented, rehab program which might require overseas travel and she could be out of contact for a couple of years.

It was over an hour ago that all of the din and chatter had died down as the others had filed out of the auction area with their purchases. She was alone and melancholy was setting in. She wanted so badly to meet her new owner and yet the fear of the unknown and the silence surrounding her in the stable was pushing her to the brink of tears.

"Click-click-click" came the staccato sounds of Mistress Lilith's 5"-heels on the concrete floor, followed by the clomping of Mistress Ella's cowgirl boots. Number 9 felt a chill go up her spine and she shuddered as she remembered how her sluggish behavior had earned her a couple of stripes from Lilith's single-tail. Mistress Lilith was the last person she was expecting to see and she worried that something might have gone wrong with the sale and she was going to be sent back to prison. Her mind went into overdrive concocting every "worst-case scenario" it could imagine. "What if Mistress Lilith had bought her? How could she survive three years with such a strict disciplinarian?" Her lip started to quiver and then she lost it completely and started to sob.

"What's the matter, child?" asked Lilith as she entered the stall.

Sarah, number 9's given name, retreated, crouching down into the corner shaking uncontrollably.

Mistress Lilith's maternal instincts kicked in and she took Sarah in her arms and cradled her, speaking to her in soft, soothing tones.

"There, there, my dear, you don't want to smear your make-up for your new owner. You are a very lucky ponygirl. She is a very beautiful woman and quite young too, maybe early 30's."

Sarah's sobbing was subsiding and she tried to wipe the tears away. Lilith pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed Sarah's face. Sarah looked into Lilith's eyes and seeing only loving kindness there broke into a meek, little smile. "Thank you, Mistress Lilith," she said as she hugged her around the waist.

Lilith kissed the top of her head and then bid her to get up. "Hurry, now, we have a lot to do to get you ready for your mistress. Apparently, she thinks you will make a good Show Pony. Look at the beautiful tack she has brought for you."

Sarah's eyes opened wide in delight as she saw the armload of attire that Mistress Ella was holding. It was all latex, light blue in color and trimmed in white except for the corset and collar which were white leather, trimmed in the same light blue. Sarah finally breathed a sigh of relief as Lilith removed her collar and ponyboots she had worn since the auction.

"Come sit in this chair, dear," beckoned Mistress Lilith.

No sooner had Sarah sat down than Lilith and Ella began strapping her in. A look of concern came over her face and Ella assured her that everything was okay. "Your new Mistress has asked us to see to your grooming as well before she greets you. It's hard to turn down such a big tip from such a charming client."

"Lean back a little more and relax," invited Lilith. The whole chair pivoted to almost horizontal which left Sarah's head dangling over the back. Lilith guided a small stock-like, wooden plate into two slots in the chair locking Sarah's neck and chin into place to keep her perfectly still. Lilith produced a picture and showed it to Sarah which would have caused her jaw to drop if she could have moved it at all.

"Your Mistress wants you to have the full, classic ponygirl look, complete with mane to help keep you in character. Once I trim your hair, I have to shave the stubble and you will have to be very still so that I don't accidently nick you. With your long blonde mane and that light blue and white tack, you will be absolutely stunning." With that said, Lilith bent down and kissed Sarah full on the lips.

Sarah's concern over the loss of most of her hair was greatly diminished as she couldn't see her golden locks falling to the floor behind her. She was further distracted by Mistress Ella who was busy doing her nails in a color to match her tack. Her attention was drawn back to her head when Lilith applied the warm lather before she began shaving. It felt so good and so soothing, she actually drifted off to sleep for a few minutes until Lilith wiped her scalp with a damp towel.

"Almost done," said Lilith as she donned a pair of latex gloves. "We are going to apply this special cream for about 10 minutes and then you can jump in the shower and rinse it off before we help you get dressed. It will prevent hair growth for almost three months and then your Mistress will decide if she wants you to keep it shaved or let it grow back naturally."

Startled doesn't adequately describe Sarah reaction the second she felt Mistress Ella's touch. Her whole body went tense and her eye brows jumped up two inches it seemed.

"Relax," Lilith reassured Sarah. "Ella is just applying a little cream to get rid of that little clump of peach fuzz you have. Your new Mistress insisted on it. Just be glad she didn't ask for labia rings." Lilith and Ella scurried to clean up the big pile of Sarah's blonde hair while the cream did its work. They both knew that seeing such a sight for the first time could be very upsetting.

"Time's up," declared Ella as she started unstrapping Sarah from the chair. "Just be careful in the shower that you don't get any of that cream in your eyes when you wash your hair. It burns worse than lemon juice."

.............................

Sarah enjoyed her brief respite in the shower and emerged with a renewed sense of anticipation. She even had to admit that she liked the cool feeling she got from the ventilation system blowing across her mostly bald scalp.

"Let's get you dressed and then I'll finish brushing out your mane," said Lilith holding up a chastity belt with a blonde tail attached. It was similar to Irish's but lacking the internal plugs. "We know you are a virgin and your new Mistress wants to keep you that way....at least a while longer." While Lilith fitted the belt in place, Ella began powdering Sarah's legs.

The first item to be put on was the blue, latex leotard with the long sleeves and a hole in the crotch to accommodate her tail. It zipped tightly all the way up the back of the high collar. This was followed by the white, leather garter belt. Ella showed Sarah how to roll up the blue, latex stockings and then unroll them up her legs and fasten them to the garter belt.

The white, thigh-high leather ponyboots came next and it took Ella and Lilith a full 10 minutes to get all of the wrinkles out, tighten the thick, blue laces and tuck them in properly. The heavy, white and blue corset didn't take nearly as long to fit and it was buckled and laced long before Sarah would have passed out from holding her breath. Sarah ran her fingers over the beautiful, hand-crafted leather as she admired how slim the corset had made her waist appear.

"You are in for a treat, my dear. Instead of the plain bit you have had all week, your Mistress has purchased a special converter bit available only here at the Pampered Pony Ranch." Master Tom had done an elegant job of not only fashioning the white leather bridle and blinders, he had taken the time to add pony ears and some beautiful scroll work as well. Lilith fitted it all together and locked it on Sarah and asked her to try to say something.

"N-n-g-g-h-h-h n-n-g-g-h-h n-g-h?" That could have meant, "Something like what?" but only Twilight might have been able to interpret and she was busy up at the lodge packing for school. Whatever it meant, it made Sarah smile and she giggled a little.

Neoprene-lined, chromed steel cuffs were locked on each ankle and wrist then Ella and Lilith clipped Sarah's wrists to each side of the corset, clipped a short chain between her ankles through a ring set in the floor.

"We wouldn't want you wandering off before your Mistress comes in," volunteered Mistress Lilith as she set about brushing out Sarah's mane now that her hair had dried. "You are a very pretty pony. I think you might even be a Grand Champion some day if you put the effort into it." With that, Lilith patted Sarah's butt and turned towards the door. "Come, Ella, we have to get your sister off to school."