Milly's Tale Ch. 03

A slight pulse in my collar brought me out of my sleep. I looked over at the alarm clock. 6:00 AM.

I gently extracted myself from Mistress Alexis' arms without waking her. It wasn't hard; she was fortunately a sound sleeper - a fact that both of us felt was very convenient, as it allowed me to sleep with her and still be able to wake before her like a slave properly should.

It was common sense that a slave should never be asleep while her master was awake. After all, her primary purpose was to serve her master. As such, my collar was programmed to sync itself to my Mistress' alarm clock and wake me half an hour before the clock would ring and wake her up - or at least, signal me to drag her out of bed.

I headed to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and combed my hair. Mistress Alexis slept soundly enough that I could come back to her room after that and get dressed in the school uniform without disturbing her. As I got done, the alarm clock rang - a harsh, screeching sound.

"Mmmmph, uhh..." Her palm lazily made its way to the nightstand, and smacked down on the nightstand about 6 inches away from the alarm clock. It was so like her to be this helpless. I crossed over to her and hit the snooze button. She sighed softly, and snuggled into her sheets comfortably.

"Mistress Alexis, it's time to wake up."

"I'm getting up..."

She wasn't getting up.

"Mistress Alexis, it's Friday. We have school today."

She moaned in frustration, and slowly, painstakingly, sat up, her eyes glazed over from the work of the sandman. I rushed over to catch her, knowing that in a moment she would flop back over.

"Come on, you have to get ready."

She was too drowsy to do much other than grumble, and I practically had to carry her to the bathroom. It was a dance we'd done many times. I knew exactly how far I had to assist her. I'd wash her face and help her brush her teeth. Then she asked to pee, and it was at that point I could leave her alone.

Once I could be safe in the knowledge that she was up, I headed over to the kitchen. Sally, a kindly woman 45 years of age who looked 30, was already there preparing breakfast. She'd been gifted to Master Logan on his 15th birthday, and she'd been with him ever since - even longer than his wife had. The two even shared the same birthday. She'd borne children, though Master Logan had sold them.

"Good morning, Sally." As she was my senior, I was obliged to address her first.

"Mornin', dear." Her warm drawl comforted me.

We made idle chat as we got breakfast ready. By that time, our masters would be waiting for us in the dining room. It was not a particularly complex breakfast - just eggs, milk, and toast. Henry would probably just have cereal, so we prepared enough for five.

The family members arrived as we were setting the table. First, Master Logan and his wife, Mistress Augustine. Master Henry came in next - a young boy 14 years of age. I had expected when Master Logan took me on that I would be the one "showing him the ropes" of manhood, but I had only a month left in this household now. It was likely he'd bring on someone else. Perhaps he'd buy Henry a slave girl of his own, to be to Henry what Sally had been to Logan.

Mistress Alexis would be the last to stumble in, probably still groggy. As they entered, I addressed each of them in turn.

"Good morning, Master. Good morning, Mistress."

They each started eating on their own, as they came in. Myself and Sally waited to the side of the dining room, ready to fetch whatever was needed. We would not eat before our masters.

Mistress Alexis finally did stumble in. As she took her first bite of the sausage, Master Logan gestured to us, only a very slight movement but one we could never miss, permitting us to eat as well. Of course, as our masters were not done, we'd need to be vigilant as to their needs, but Master Logan had never been one to make us wait until he was done. That said, it wouldn't be right for him to let us eat before his own daughter.

"Alexis, Milly." Logan addressed us.

"Yes, Master?" I responded, pausing with my fork in front of my lips. Alexis looked up, but couldn't be bothered to stop eating so she could respond.

"We'll have someone here to look at that AC unit this evening. Though, you two will probably be out late tonight anyway. Just thought I'd give you a heads up."

"Mphkmmm, daaaaa..." Alexis tried to talk with her mouth full.

"Yes, Master." Unlike my Mistress, I didn't have the luxury of half-assing a response.

"Oh, and Alexis!" This time it was Mistress Augustine. "Be sure you're not overdoing it with Milly... She has to work hard enough as it is, you know!" She turned to me and grasped my hand. "Milly, dear, she's not pushing you too hard, is she? Oh, I hope you can forgive our daughter..."

"Mmmmphkffff..." Alexis mumbled something with her mouth full again. I took the liberty of speaking in her place.

"Mistress, I am happy to serve at any time."

"Oh, there you go again, being so reserved! You don't hesitate to let me know if it gets too much!" To be honest, I had always found her manner a little off-putting. While I appreciated her concern, I was here to make life more comfortable for Alexis. It was her right to use me as she saw fit.

"Augustine, Milly will be fine." This time it was Master Logan. His attitude was more comfortable to me - considerate, but still treating me like what I was. It felt too strange to be spoken to as an equal.

She continued to coo a little, then turned to Sally to talk. The two were unexpectedly close friends. Somehow they'd managed to put any jealousies aside long ago, and during my life with them I rarely saw them fight. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if a visitor were to assume Sally belonged to Augustine rather than to Logan. When the two of them really wanted something, it almost felt like they were the ones truly in charge of the household.

In some ways, they reminded me of myself and Alexis. Now there was a thought. It was very possible that by the time I was done with my term as a ponygirl, Mistress Alexis would have married. Would I have another master to serve?

Or... maybe Mistress Alexis would actually go for a male slave, and remain a bachelorette? She certainly was the type to break convention like that. I thought about that for a moment. It was very likely she'd still be the one wearing the strap-on. Could something like that really happen?

I stole a glance at Alexis. After a moment, her eyes quizzically rose to meet mine. I quickly looked away, trying to dispel those thoughts. That... might have been going too far.

She was still looking at me with a questioning expression on her face. I made up my resolve to never reveal the picture I had just conjured in my mind to her.

---

1:15 PM

I felt a slight buzzing on my throat. It meant someone had texted my phone - another device linked to my collar. It was quite handy, actually, how many things my collar could do - in fact, I had wondered before why some free people didn't wear them. I supposed at that time that they simply valued their autonomy too much to don a symbol of bondage like a slave collar.

Since I was at school, it must have been an important text. I surreptitiously checked it. Only certain numbers would alert me during school hours - my master and his family, my owner, and...

It was Philena. I skimmed it - she wanted me to come to the stables today, even though on Fridays I usually had the day off.

I started to type out a response, saying I was busy with my Mistress, when I heard whisper beside me. I turned to Alexis.

"Psst, Milly! Let's go!"

For a second, I couldn't believe my ears.

Being a slave also meant that my phone was specifically designed such that my master could access any data on it and anything done with it. Mistress Alexis would have been able to see the text, though I was surprised she had my texts notify her. Or was she just on her phone in class? It didn't matter. I knew Mistress Alexis would be able to see the text. What surprised me was not that, but rather...

"What?" I forgot myself, and didn't address her properly while trying to keep my voice down and process what I was hearing.

What was really surprising about this was that Mistress Alexis had never once gone to the stables with me. In our four years together, she had never come along or expressed any interested in seeing the place. And yet, she wanted to go now, on a Friday?

"After class ends, let's sneak out." Well, that was only minutes away...

"Mistress..."

"Alright, class dismissed." Our teacher was actually letting us go before the bell rang?

As the rest of the class started to get up for the break, Mistress Alexis turned to me. "Come on. Let's go now. Your Mistress is commanding you to take her with you."

Technically it wasn't a command I had to obey. Master Logan had made it clear to me that I was to serve his daughter, but obey him - and he'd specifically stated that I was to disobey her wants if it was for her own good. I could certainly act on that directive now. On the other hand...

A part of me wanted to do it. Wanted to show her that part of my life which she'd been excluded from before. I wanted to show my Mistress and my friend something that was important to me. I made a decision.

"Alright, Mistress. Let's go."

---

The two of us cut across the streets towards the bus stop, myself in the lead with my mistress holding onto a leash attached to my wrist. I didn't need to wear full restraints, as I was accompanied by my mistress, though since I wasn't licensed to do so, I still needed to be tethered to her.

We got a few strange stares. After all, while it was close to the end of the school day, it was still earlier than most schools let out, and we were in our school uniforms. Both of also stood out from the crowd - her slim body, pale skin contrasting with the black uniform, and my bare, toned arms and legs, breeders mark prominently visible on my upper left arm. We hurried so no one would think to call the school, though I doubted anyone would actually care enough to do something like that.

We managed to catch the bus just as it was about to leave. My mistress seemed oddly giddy about something.

---

"Is this the place?"

Mistress Alexis was looking at me strangely. Her face was slightly flushed.

"Yes, Mistress."

"Alright, hang on."

Whatever had been there seemed to pass, and Mistress Alexis removed the leash cuff from my wrist, as we wouldn't need it here. Once she'd done that, I guided her to the reception desk. Mistress Philena was standing there waiting.

As we approached, Philena bowed. "Mistress Alexis, I presume? Milly told me you would be coming."

Alexis gestured for her to rise. "I came here to watch Milly train. You don't have to stand on ceremony, just do as you normally would."

"Thank you, Mistress. I will do as you say." After paying the necessary respects, Philena turned to me. "Milly, I called you in to take the tour with Mia. She would like to be shown around the stables, and I feel it would do her good if you were there with her. Also, you two will train together again."

"Mia? You mean the girl from yesterday? She came back?" I had been sure she would have gone running with her tail between her legs.

Philena gave me a wink. "I told you she had it in her."

She turned to Alexis. "Mistress, will you accompany us?"

"That will be fine."

"Alright, then come this way."

---

When we arrived at the stabling complex - the building where the ponies were kept - Mia was already waiting for us in full work tack.

The harness was centered around a thick leather band around the waist. From that waistband, two leather straps ran up the front of the wearer's torso, intersecting each other in an X-shape between the breasts. These straps passed back over the shoulders and ran back to end right at the arm restraints. These arm restraints firmly locked the wearer's forearms against each other, parallel to the ground and perpendicular to her spine. These arm restraints were linked back to the wearer's waistband by a short strap, firmly holding the wearer's arms against her lower back, allowing for little mobility. A strap encircled the wearer's body below her breasts, linking to the aforementioned torso straps. From this strap, a leather band held the wearer's upper arms in place. This design totally immobilized the wearer's arms.

From the waistband, a single strap ran down over the crotch, linking back up at the waistband in the back. Another set of straps encircled the pelvis, forming an underwear-shaped silhouette - the purpose of these was to prevent the longitudinal strap from shifting too much. Over this usually lay a "bottom piece" meant to cover the wearer's lower holes - without the bottom piece, strategically designed holes in the longitudinal strap allowed her to eliminate freely when she wasn't in public.

The ponyboots were an essential feature of any ponygirl's wear. These long boots ran up to the upper thighs. The feet were uniquely shaped in a design that forced the wearer to stand on her tiptoes lest she lose her balance. I knew from experience that it took a long time to get used to walking in these. If it wasn't for my stabilization gem, I would have broken my nose several times learning to do so.

And finally, the bit-gag. This was fixed onto the wearer fairly securely. Rather than just the simple buckle behind the head, this gag also had a strap running over the bridge of the nose and secured to the wearer's collar. This held it firmly in place. Ponygirls were to wear a bit-gag at all times except for when eating, thus the bit-gag was designed for long-term wear, allowing the wearer to mostly close her mouth.

A simple tether bound Mia to a hook outside the stables, right under an overhang meant to provide cover from the sun while keeping a pony restrained. I knew that inside the full-time ponygirls were stabled up if they weren't working at the moment. I would be housed in such a place pretty soon. Mia was shifting from foot to foot, trying to alleviate some of the discomfort from her boots. She was wearing modified training boots that were easier for someone unaccustomed to being a ponygirl to walk in, but I remembered that they were still pretty tough to wear the first few times.

Philena turned to my mistress. "Please wait for us outside."

We proceeded inside the stable, and Philena got me dressed in my tack fairly quickly. While it was a task that normally required significant help with multiple buckles and the long boots, we'd both practiced this and were able to get it on without much of a hassle. The last thing to go in was the gag. Philena clipped a lead to my collar and led me back out.

As I returned to the sun, I realized Mistress Alexis was seeing me like this for the first time. She hadn't ever seen me in such extensive bondage - I was probably quite a sight, the thick leather buckles against my well-developed body, breasts bare and the shape of my muscles clearly visible from the slight strain against the bonds holding my body. There it was again - that slight flush. What was she thinking?

She stepped towards me. "Milly..."

I grunted into my gag, indicating that I couldn't exactly respond to her. Philena took the liberty of speaking for me.

"Sorry, Mistress, but it's against protocol to remove a pony's gag. You'll have to ask her whatever it is later." She punctuated that statement by smacking my hip. "So, shall we get started?"

Mistress Alexis was silent for a moment. "Actually, I have a question." The expression on her face seemed troubled.

"Anything, Mistress."

Again, silence for a moment. And then...

"I was wondering. Could I take the tour like they are?"

The world stopped for a moment. As my brain processed what I'd just heard, my heart skipped a beat.

Philena seemed similarly surprised. "I..."

Alexis bore a determined expression on her face.

Philena regained her composure a bit. "Let me make sure I'm getting this straight, Mistress. You want to take the tour as a ponygirl? Wearing the tack?"

"Yes."

"MMMPH!" I shouted into my gag. No fucking way, I wanted to say. That was ridiculous.

They ignored my sounds.

"I'm sorry, Mistress, but we can't have a free woman in bondage here. It's a liability issue."

"Ah, I see. That's okay, then."

I relaxed a bit. Of course, the whole idea was insane. Where had that even come from, anyway? Then I caught the glint in Philena's eyes.

"But... that doesn't mean there's nothing we can do for you. We can't have a freewoman taking the place of a slave, but that doesn't mean we can't take you as a slave."

What...? Philena, what are you saying?

"It's rare that we do so, but we could have you sign on temporarily as an indenture. During that time period, you'd be the property of Rufus Luxury Farms, though with some restrictions on what we can do with you. It's actually not unheard of for free people to do this."

There was no way she'd agree to that, right?

"Go on." That was my Mistress' reply. What was this disaster...

"We wouldn't be able to sell you off. We also won't be able to do anything that permanently modifies your body. You would remain our property for the duration of the contract, then be released by midnight the day your contract expires, or we can set a specific time of day for shorter contracts. Of course," she raised a finger, "you have to understand what it means. In pretty much every other way, you'd be our slave. We'd be allowed to use you as we saw fit, and you would be expected to follow slave etiquette. If you ever go to court over something that happens while you're a slave, you'll have to stand trial as a slave and not as a free person for that case.

"That said, we won't do anything crazy. While you'll have to sign a waiver, we'll respect any wishes you lay down beforehand. Though," she winked, "you won't actually be legally entitled to those wishes."

She stopped, looking at Alexis for a response. Good. Now Alexis would call this ridiculous idea off...

"Alright. Let's do it."

"MMMGGMMMPH!" I shouted into my gag, though neither of them paid any attention. Instead, Philena clipped my lead to one of the hooks on the side of the housing building. The two of them walked off towards the administration building, leaving me with Mia.

Her face bore a similar expression to my own, though we didn't have the luxury of being able to use words to speak to one another.

---

It took about half an hour for them to get back. There must have been a great deal of paperwork. I was starting to get uncomfortable in my boots, as I was accustomed to moving around while wearing them, not standing in one place. Mia would have collapsed already if it weren't for her stabilization gem - her legs were trembling. Both of us were glistening from sweat, as while we were protected from the sun, it was still pretty warm.

"So you're going to dress me up now, right?" They were close enough for me to see that Mistress Alexis was wearing a collar with a stabilization gem. A fitted armband around her upper left arm bore the mark of an indenture - she would have to wear this during her tenure and, like me, was not permitted to conceal it.

Suddenly, Philena turned. She fixed Alexis with a hard glare.

"You will address me as Mistress and you will not speak until spoken to. Do I make myself clear?"

Alexis reeled, clearly unused to this treatment.

"Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?"

"Y-yes, Mistress!"

"Good. Now let's get you suited up. You will all be having fun all of this afternoon and tomorrow."

Wait, what? Tomorrow? We were staying here overnight? From the looks of it, Mia didn't know about it either.

"Oh, you two," she turned to us. "Both your Mistresses have okayed a stay until tomorrow evening. I'll have you all to myself until then." Back to my mistress - no, just Alexis now - "Let's get you into your tack. I won't have you do any exercises, but you will stand with these two when they do."