Possessing Bella Ch. 18

"He most certainly would not," Dorothea said indignantly and rolled her eyes dramatically at Jack, who couldn't hide the cheeky smile on his face. "Now Gentlemen, I am sure you are far too busy to be babysitting an old woman, Bella can do that all on her own. Off you go and deal with whatever little mishaps are happening out there, we will be just fine here." Dorothea was sounding officious, and it took Bella by surprise. "Oh and Jack dear, if you see that lovely girl of yours, could you ask her to bring some lunch for us."

"Be careful old woman, one day you will push just that little bit too far," Jack grumbled. Dorothea stepped aside as Samuel picked up a large box and followed Jack from the room.

"You may speak freely, my pet," Samuel said before closing the door.

"I don't feel the need to pull rank very often, but just occasionally it's so much fun!" Dorothea laughed and led Bella to the couch in the corner where the girls usually sat. "I've missed you; tell me everything that's been going on?"

"You never cease to amaze me, Dorothea," Bella grinned, "What are you doing here?"

"Samuel needed a package delivered discreetly," she winked. "Who better than a sweet little old woman like me?"

"I'm so glad to see you," Bella grinned, "I don't care what brought you here."

"Now tell me are you ready for tomorrow?" Dorothea looked at her seriously.

"I think so. I mean I know the routine by heart and I can do the moves with some grace," she pulled a face.

"I hear a 'but' in there," Dorothea pressed her.

"I am so nervous about messing it up in front of an audience. I feel sick and can hardly eat, which just brings me trouble if anyone notices, so I force the food down, and that just makes me feel worse," Bella placed her hands on her tummy.

"I would be worried if you weren't nervous," Dorothea said. "Pony shows are a lot more organised and official than they were in my day," she patted Bella's hand, "How do you feel about Master Samuel?"

"He's wonderful. He treats me so well and cares for me like no other has. I am happy here with him," Bella said honestly.

"That's fabulous, but it's not the fireworks and killer butterflies and leg popping kisses you talk about when discussing other Masters," Dorothea said, pushing Bella a little further. "You need chemistry not just security in a partner. When you told me you were anxious, you didn't mention anything about disappointing Master Samuel but rather messing up in front of people." She watched Bella's lip become caught between her teeth. Samuel was a good man, but he wouldn't challenge Bella as others would.

"I guess I am not worried about disappointing him," Bella said after long silent moments. "He corrects me during training constantly, but he has never done anything more than make a gesture to correct me outside of training. Not once has he spoken of being disappointed in anything I have done. He tends to discuss things that could be improved, not because I have disappointed but because I can do better. That doesn't make sense I know, but it's different somehow. I don't feel his judgement," she said, spreading her hands as if she didn't know how to explain that she didn't think he had ever been disappointed in her.

"Then you're just worried about your reputation if you don't do well?" Dorothea sounded dubious.

"No, I mean I have only been here for two weeks. I don't think anyone expects me to be perfect with such little training," again Bella thought through her answer before giving it voice. "I don't like to fail, but I am not sure anyone would hold it against me," her mind considered Dorothea's question.

"I'm concerned you are so anxious it's making you ill. Surely it's not stage fright making you this way, not when all your friends will be there to support you," Dorothea held Bella's hand, her concern showing on her face.

"All my friends?" Bella felt ill again. "I knew Stephen would be there, but no one else has the time to come this far out of the city, do they?"

"Well I am here, aren't I? I am not sure exactly how many of your other friends may decide to come. Your friends would never be disappointed in how you do in this, you have to know that. They above everyone know it is new to you, and from what Jack says you are doing very well here," she said, trying to calm the anxiousness she could hear in Bella's voice. "Master Rob is here despite his differences with Jack, so you know there will be two of us watching that have nothing but love for you."

"Master Rob left the club on a weekend?" Bella gasped.

"Of course, he has many capable people there to man the helm," she chuckled. "He is always there when you need him, he went to that Island gathering when you were there, he has taken you home on many occasions. It shouldn't surprise you that he came for this show."

"Hello Dorothea," Dusty entered the room pushing a small cart laden with a range of food. "The Masters are following me," she rolled her eyes, "It's just too busy and noisy out there to get anything of substance done."

She had barely got the words out of her mouth when Jack, Rob, and Samuel entered the room, followed by several kitchen staff also wheeling small trolleys laden with food and drink. Rob immediately went to Bella, picking her up and hugging her tightly.

"Ah little brat, you are missed greatly at home," he murmured into her ear. "It will be good to have you back where I can squeeze you whenever I need to," his arms tightened around her until she squeaked and giggled.

"I have missed you too," she said, returning his hug and enjoying the familiar feel and smell of him. Dorothea was right, she immediately felt better with Rob there. A constant anchor in her life, she loved him without reservation.

"We'll talk after lunch, little brat. Samuel said you have the afternoon free," Rob placed her carefully on her feet.

"That'd be great," she said smiling widely at him.

"It's a good thing you don't greet all the Masters like that," Dusty said in her laconic way.

"Just Master Rob," Bella laughed.

"As well as Master Kurt," Dorothea added, "Perhaps Sir Stephen, depending on the circumstances. You always greet me in an exuberant fashion too!"

"I do not, do I?" Bella blushed furiously as she thought about how she greeted those nearest and dearest to her. "It's just that Master Rob is well, Master Rob you know?" She floundered, feeling like she needed to explain herself. "It's not like I went over there and picked him up," she argued and realised how ludicrous that would be and giggled self-consciously.

"I'd pay to see that," Dusty chortled, looking over at the Masters.

"Keep your money. I wouldn't even try," Bella continued to blush.

*****

Bella was thoughtful during the lunch and after as she returned to the relative peace of her rooms. It was a quiet sanctuary away from all the last minute preparations. Rob had accompanied her and, as she felt his hand rest against her neck as they walked, she smiled. It was such a small gesture that he and Stephen made when walking with her, but it made her feel safe with them beside her.

"Well little brat," Rob gathered her in his arms and sat on one of the living room chairs, pulling her into his lap, "What trouble have you been causing around this place?"

"None, not one skerrick of trouble, I promise Master," she looked at him with wide-eyed innocence as he raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe the country life agrees with you then. In the city, trouble finds you no matter how hard we try to keep you safe," he shook his head.

"Maybe it's because no one is going overboard to keep me safe that there is no trouble?" she gave a cheeky grin.

"More likely that you are obedient to the collar you wear," he frowned at her. "Having just one Master to answer to must be a nice change of pace for you?"

Bella was stunned. She honestly hadn't considered that the amount of people she felt beholden to in the city might be overwhelming her as much as the circumstances. Despite Jack's subtle supervision, she had only one person to please and answer to here on the ranch. It had been easy to adjust to that one routine, one set of rules, one Master to please. She opened her mouth to explain what she was thinking but closed it again, unsure of how to phrase it without disappointing the man who had always been there for her since Mel's death.

"Spit it out, little brat," Rob said gruffly, "Your face is far too expressive to hide much from me these days."

"I think maybe you're right, though I hadn't thought of it exactly that way or in that context," she said quietly. "There is always someone watching, questioning my movements, making demands on my time and pulling me in different directions in the city. I guess I let myself get overwhelmed and make some haphazard choices that lead me into bad situations. Maybe I was wrong to think it would be better to wait until ... well just wait before taking a collar again," she pulled her lip between her teeth and began to gnaw on it.

"Until the ghosts have completely gone?" he asked knowing from experience how that felt in the first years after Kitty's death. Her answering look told him he was right. "I don't think they ever completely leave us," he gave a sad smile and pulled her close.

"He is still in my head, demanding and controlling, influencing how I interact with everyone, just as he did in life. I keep talking about choices, but he knew me so well that he gave me what I needed without asking questions. I never had to choose. The only choice he made me make was whether to beg for his collar or walk away from everything he had shown me."

"He would not have let you walk away," Rob said softly, feeling as if he was betraying an old friend. "He had been grooming you for years before you came to work at the company. Mel was always an overachiever. He got what he wanted, by guile and determination. I have never seen him want something more than he wanted you." Rob pulled her face up to look at him, "Mel would have pursued you if you had run from him another hundred times. You are the only woman for whom he compromised his wants and needs. He loved you and wanted to fill your heart and your mind the way you filled his. He chose this life for you. He just needed you to accept it, and I believe he would have continued to pursue you until you did."

"I know," Bella said quietly. She couldn't count the number of times she had raged at Mel for doing this to her. Showing her the world she was meant for and then leaving her without the passion and desire he had for her. It was how she fell so deeply for him, she had realised in those darkest times. He needed her almost desperately. That was the kind of all-encompassing love she wanted and needed in her life. That was the passion she wanted to feel in return, they each of them would do anything to please the other. Now she was fragile and broken, if she chose to walk away now, she was unsure anyone would come for her in the same way or for the same reasons.

"Can we just sit here like this for a while please," she asked, quietly leaning her head against his chest.

"It's coming up to a year now. Maybe we could do something special to mark his birthday rather than the day he died and say goodbye to him properly. I have found it's important to say goodbye, without any recriminations," Rob murmured as he held her close.

"That would be nice, I don't remember much about the funeral or any of that," she said sadly.

Her admission that she knew Mel would have stopped at nothing to have her surprised Rob. He held her for a long time, silently thinking about how much he hadn't known about their relationship and what it was she needed in a Master. He considered the small acts of rebellion against her circumstances and the limitations they imposed. Certainly her life had altered significantly but in essence she remained the same sweet submissive that had fallen for a tyrannical sadist like Mel. He knew what Mel had seen in her, but he had never questioned what she, as an innocent in this world, had seen in him.

A short time later, Samuel returned with Dorothea to find them still sitting together on the large chair together. Rob held her in place and smiled at the intruders on their solitude.

"You both look comfortable," Dorothea raised an eyebrow as Bella struggled to sit up.

"Catching up on all the morning cuddles I have missed while she has been basking in the fresh air and sunshine of this place," Rob chuckled and finally released her. "It's one of the perks of guardianship."

"I hate to interrupt then, but we need to do a fitting before tomorrow," Samuel explained.

"Do you mind if I stay, I would be interested to see what my little pony will be wearing," Rob asked, watching Bella walking in the hooved boots back to Samuel's side.

"I guess it could be seen as one of those perks you spoke about," Samuel said carefully, not wanting to put Rob offside. "We were hoping for a full reveal at the show tomorrow, however."

"My lips will be sealed," Rob joked, miming the locking of his lips and a toss of the key, making Bella giggle.

Nodding, Samuel gathered the large box and opened it with a flourish. He had of course seen the completed costume on a life-size mannequin built to Bella's measurements. Initially, he pulled out delicate looking hooved shoes. Sitting, Bella removed her boots with the help of Dorothea. Flexing her toes and grimacing slightly, she resisted the urge to rub them as she looked up to Samuel for instruction. Rather than giving instruction, Samuel knelt down with the shoes and as he massaged the soles of her feet explained what they were and how they may feel slightly different.

The toe of the shoe was hoof-shaped, and a hard surface ran beneath her foot holding it in the position required. Rather than the supporting fabric of a boot thin leather straps ran from the centre of the hoof up over her foot to a wide ankle cuff that curls around to support her ankle. Straps also ran directly from the heel and from the instep on either side of her foot to hold the shoe in place. In what Bella assumed was basic black, the only decoration to highlight them were the stylised twin buckles; they glinted gold and were set with a dazzling green gem.

It was only as she moved her foot that she realised they had been created in the deepest midnight green, which when the light caught it shimmered to a bright emerald momentarily. In the shadows of a shady stall, they would appear nothing more than basic black leather. She moved the foot in small ways, marvelling at the colour treatment the shoe had been given while Samuel took the time to ensure the second shoe was secure.

"These may feel strange at first and will require some practice, my pet," Samuel said, helping Bella to her feet. "You will not have the weight of the leather boot to balance you the same way."

Bella had been living in heelless boots or on her hands and knees since her first days at the ranch and now, almost ten days later, it seemed second nature to put all of her weight on the balls of her feet. The cuffs held tightly to her ankles giving her the support that the boots had given her, and she took a few tentative steps while holding Samuels' hands. She was impressed with how secure they felt despite the thin straps that held them to her feet and within a few minutes walked unaided.

Dorothea withdrew a long corset from the box and handed it to Samuel. Removing her working tack Samuel pulled the long corset into place and stepped behind her to secure the numerous buckles matching the ones on her shoes. The shape hugged the arch of her hipbone coming down in the front to a peak above her mons, from this hung a single strap. She remembered Dusty's advice and words on her first day here and was pleased with the way her legs looked as the corset got tighter. She had worried that the short stature would influence the preferred look of pony girls.

It was only moments later that Bella realised this was a waist cincher, not a corset. She was forced to breathe in and correct her posture to accommodate the tight buckles that pulled the soft leather into place under her breasts. The leather strap that hung from the front apex was pulled between her legs parting her labia as it was buckled into place. This was a different feeling as she shifted from foot to foot and felt the soft leather rubbing over the clit.

"She's a hot little filly; won't that make her too aroused to concentrate on her routine?" Rob, who had been watching from a distance, spoke his concern.

"She knows the routine so well she will perform despite distractions like this, and the judges will mark her up for that," Samuel said confidently.

"You're going for cheap points?" Rob's tone held disapproval.

"Not at all, I am doing everything I can to make sure she gets the perfect score, which may not happen without the strap," Samuel replied without rancour. He then stood and turned Bella, so her back was to Rob and waved his hand along the line of decorative buckles and gems. "Tell me that is not perfect posture, made more so by the tucking of her tail bone thanks to the strap."

Rob relaxed back into the chair having been schooled by the Master in the art of ponygirl training. He continued to watch as identical buckles were attached to Bella's nipples and straps from them pulled over her shoulders to attach at the back of the cincher. The setup both highlighted and lifted her breasts perfectly without all the straps to hide their true shape. He felt his cock start to stir as he gazed at the image before him.

"Now we will have a stylist come to do your hair in the morning, but I want you to know the weight and size of your head gear," Samuel spoke authoritatively. "Hold still for a few minutes while Dorothea and I try to make a similar style and attach the headgear. It will be heavy but not overly so, I hope."

Bella felt the combs pushing her hair high and back. She felt the straps dangling around her face and head and found her peripheral vision obscured by blinkers. She had been training for this and held her place as the two people fussed around her. When they finally pulled their hands away, she felt the weight press down on her.

"May I see please, Master Samuel?" she asked softly.

"You may," Samuel agreed and led her into the bedroom, revealing the large floor to ceiling mirror from behind the panels of her wall. Smiling as he saw her gasp and begin to scrutinise herself, he spoke again. "You will have a different tail, but it should feel no different to the one you wear now, so we will save that as a surprise," he smiled into the mirror at her.

"Something to look forward to," Rob said from the doorway.

"I don't think we need any last minute adjustments," Dorothea decreed, "But I will come in the morning to be sure. Master Rob, could you help me find my way back to my room, please?"

"Of course, my lady," Rob said gallantly and getting to his feet, offered her his arm.

Bella barely heard them leave as she gazed at her reflection. She knew she would wear something similar, but she had not been prepared for the transformation that had occurred. She felt taller somehow, more statuesque. Admittedly the cluster of feathers that sprang from her forehead and bent back, fanning the top of her head with the lowest fronds helped in extending her height, but it was more than that. The choice of shoes and shaped cincher gave her legs a longer, leaner look and extended her mid-frame.

"We will do your hair in a similar fashion to the tail," Samuel approached carrying a length of plaited hair. She immediately recognised the 'S' shaped tailpiece that she would wear tomorrow attached to the length. Touching it carefully, she smiled at the clever combination of her own coloured hair with emerald and gold strands held together with an ornate bow of the same colours of emerald and gold.