Gerry:

I killed time by talking to Joanne about their performance. We went over their records and took note of how well each did and which needed the most work. Our redhead was in the lead followed by two of the three small girls, then came two of the girls with short hair. Jennifer was third from last and trailing the pack was the tall blonde that we wanted to trade with number eight.

That left a problem. Could we get her up to our standards in ten weeks? Well, it was only the first day and few girls gained that sort of prowess from an hour of marching. She’d work out. I was fairly sure.

My next stop was my office where Tina had arranged for the three girls with short hair to be taken. The procedure we wanted to use was so out of the ordinary that I wanted their permission before I approved it. Otherwise we’d have to use wigs until they grew a mane that was acceptable.

Gloria, Megan, and Pam arrived with the outfits they had worn during the march. They seemed recovered from the exercise. Joining them were Tina and the three trainers in charge of the ponies, Cleo, Brandy, and Dina. “Remove their bits,” I ordered.

As the girls stood uneasily in their skyscraper heels I examined them. They seemed curious more than frightened. Some even seemed to smile. “You girls OK?” I asked.

They all nodded.

“Good. I have something I want to discuss. I want to team the three of you together so I can get a better value for you. The problem is that I can’t get a good match due to your short hair. Now, I could use wigs but that’s considered tacky. I could dye your hair but you all have hair that is too short to produce an acceptable mane or ponytail. We have an option available but it’s a really far out procedure and it involves some sacrifice on your parts.”

“What kind of sacrifice,” Gloria asked.

“We’ve developed a new process that can grow a full head of hair of any color in two weeks. I want all of you to be blondes. Could you all live with that?”

“I don’t have a problem with it,” Pam said. The other two agreed.

“Well there’s a catch. The process works like this. First we take some follicle cells from someone with the hair that we want to grow on you. Then we grow the cells in a rich protein medium. Next we take six plugs from the back of each of your heads and impregnate them with the DNA of the desired hair and we reproduce the follicles in a rich growth medium. When the follicles have produced enough cells to extract the DNA we combine the DNA with a penetration medium and spread it on your scalp.

“Sounds complicated,” Megan said. “What’s the catch?”

“When we apply the cream we have to shave your heads first to expose the pores of your follicles. Then you have to wear a latex hood for twenty four hours. That could be uncomfortable.”

“Wow,” Megan said as she stared at me in disbelief. “You want to shave my head…bald?”

“It’s the only way to get the stuff to penetrate evenly. Otherwise you’ll get splotchy performance. You’ll look like a poodle with a bad hair day!”

“If you’re sure it will work, I’ll go for it. I always wanted to be a blonde,” Pam said.

Gloria was smarter than she looked. “What’s in it for us?” she asked.

“Well, I can pretty much guarantee that your value will double. Over time that could mean a significant sum of money. Your hair will probably be down to the small of your back if it works like our team says it did in trials. Hair like that will push your price up close to two million each, even if you weren’t teamed. Together you each could go for 2.5 million. The significance is that you get a commission. At first it will only be 5% but when you make silver it goes up to 10%. The commission on a sale of this size could be a quarter million dollars. And that’s in addition to the million you’re guaranteed. So there’s a lot of value in this, even if we’re not offering you anything up front, assuming that’s what you’re interested in.

“You’re saying that we profit from our beauty, right?”

“Among other things. The more attractive you make yourself; the better it is for us and for you. What do you say? You gonna go along with these two?”

Gloria shrugged her shoulders. “Sure, why not,” she said in defeat.

The girls were taken to the doctor to get the follicle samples extracted. While that was happening I repeated the process with the three frail ponies. They agreed as well. With this many samples I made sure to have the doc carefully code each lot. Now all we’d have to do is wait for the cream.

I called Jason at our plant in Mexico City. I hadn’t talked to him in nearly two months, me being so busy trying to get this shipment together. I told him we had six girls that needed new manes. His response was that if they were blonde he already had an ash blonde batch ready for follicle samples. In other words, he could have a treatment ready in five days.

“If this works, I’ll make sure you get a soft and cuddly pony for Christmas!” I said.

“Thanks! I’ll supervise the process myself. Take care.”

Finally I could visit the redhead. With all the events that had passed I had to think hard to remember her name. I remembered her friend’s name was Jennifer. Her name was…Linda!

As I walked into her room I found her on her knees with the chain linked to her neck. Elaine had kept her in her complete outfit including the armbinder and bit as I had instructed. She knew the routine. The pony did not. That was by design.

Linda had been facing Elaine when I walked in so she didn’t see or hear me enter. Her tail was sprawled behind her and the chain hung loosely from the back of her collar. “Hi, Gerry,” she said. “Come to attention when Gerry enters,” Elaine ordered as she lifted her reins high to assist her standing.

When Linda was upright I carefully inspected her. She was gorgeous in her red outfit. Her hair seemed to glow in the lights as it hung in a ponytail. And the tail that was mounted in her ass curved upward just as it was designed. She was a creature that had to be seen to be appreciated.

“Give me the reins. I’d like some privacy,” I said.

Elaine looked confused. “I don’t understand.”

“I want to talk to her in private,” I said.

“We’re not supposed to leave ponies alone with men. Those are your rules, Gerry.”

“Just wait outside the door. This will only take ten minutes.”

Elaine looked frustrated but knew better than to flatly refuse to follow my orders. I was the owner after all. I made the rules. I could break or bend them.

“Sit,” I said to Linda, pointing to the bed. “Let me get that bit off you.”

After the bit was removed I asked her how she felt.

“I’m OK now. I’m just thirsty.”

“Let me get you something,” I offered. I went to the fridge and pulled out a glass of bottled water. After lifting it to her lips I let her drink slowly.

“Thanks, Gerry,” she said.

“How are your arms?”

“My fingers are a little tingly and my neck’s a little stiff from the collar.”

“That’s normal for the first time. That will go away after a few dozen uses. I wanted to congratulate you though.”

“On what?”

“You committed the fewest errors of any other pony during the marching session. You’re entitled to a reward.”

“What kind of reward,” she asked. She displayed a pleasant but reserved smile.

“Well, first, you get to dine with me without bonds.”

“Anything without bonds is a good thing, considering what I’ve been through.”

“Second, you get to sleep in my bed,” I said.

She stared at me for a moment. “I get to sleep with you?”

“Yes. Subject to my whims of course.”

“Of course.”

“You can refuse if you’d like.”

“That wouldn’t be wise, would it?”

“Not to boast, but it’s considered an honor to sleep in my bed. You’re only the tenth girl in eight years to be given that privilege.”

“Sure, why not?”

“There are a few other perks too but I won’t go into them at this time. Tomorrow’s gag day. Since you won, you’re exempt.”

“What’s gag day?”

“On gag day, ponies are gagged at all times except when doing sex, eating, or marching. It’s a submission thing.”

“What do I have to do to avoid it again?

“Win!”

I yelled for Elaine at that moment. When she arrived I looked at Linda and said, “When you’re ready, drop to your knees and open wide. Don’t do it until you feel comfortable. I want you to do it of your own free will.”

She looked at me for a moment, obviously thinking about the horrible experience that was to come. She was considering the consequences of just not doing it. She couldn’t say no. It wasn’t a matter of will. It was a matter of commitment. But she did balk for a moment. “I can’t,” she croaked, nearly crying.

“Tell me something. What did you do in Texas?”

“I was an office manager for a pipe fittings importer. Jen and I were supposed to handle complaints.”

“Did you ever have a client spend a million dollars on an order and not get what he wanted?”

“No!”

“Why not?”

“Because we always delivered.”

“Because a contract is a promise, right?” I offered.

“Yes.”

“Do you take our contract seriously?”

She looked at me and reluctantly said, “Yes. I signed it. I’ll live by it.”

“When you’re ready,” I said.

Linda had been stripped of her bondage and allowed to shower and use the bathroom facilities. Now she wore a new suit of the exact same design and color. The binder was left off her arms and she only wore the walking boots and gloves. The tail had been removed for the shower but replaced afterward. The front dildo had been left in place as a discipline aid.

We walked into Jennifer’s room unannounced to find her struggling with her fresh latex outfit. She too was given the chance to wash the sweat from her body. She too wore the tail, this one being ash blonde.

“Jennifer, come here,” I ordered after she was properly attired in walking boots and gloves.

“Yes, sir,” she replied. Katherine’s eyes opened wide.

“Yes, Gerry,” I corrected. “Look at the name on my tag. Don’t use sir. I’m not a sir. I’m Gerry!”

“I’m sorry, Gerry,” she stated with fear in her voice.

“It’s OK. Everyone does that once in a while. I wanted to talk to you about your future. Do you really want to stay with your friend?”

“Yes, if you can arrange it, Gerry,” she said, forcing my name from her lips at the last second.

“I can do it but there’s a complication. Do you understand the commission thing?”

“Not really. All I know is that I get a million if I stay a year.”

“Well, there’s more money coming to you. When you achieve the rank of the Black you get 5% of your sale price when we ship you out. We had an offer for $1.9 million if you joined that team I mentioned. Your share would be $80,000 if you take the offer. If you make silver before the sale goes through, that figure would double.”

“That’s in addition to the million?” Linda asked.

“Yes.”

“What happens if she doesn’t join the team?”

“In order to guarantee that you both stay together I’ve got to claim you both via tender offer. The tender offer is $100,000. This covers the cost of consumables and labor costs to train you. You get 5% of that, or $5,000.”

“Wow! Jen, take the money!”

“No!” she said emphatically. “I can’t. I need someone I know nearby.”

“It’ll be OK. It’s so much money. Don’t turn it down for me.”

“No! I’m not doing it. If you have a replacement, make the change. I want to stay with her.”

I looked at them for a moment and had to ask, “Is there a gay thing going on here? You both listed your preferences in the survey as straight.”

They both looked at me in a strange way. “No, we’re not gay. We’re friends. We’ve been friends since childhood. What a sick thing to say!” Jennifer stated.

“Jen, don’t do this. Go for the money.”

“Wait a second,” I said. “Jen, before you make a decision, there’s something else you need to know. As part of the degradation process ponies are forced to have sex with other ponies.”

Jennifer looked at me as did Linda. “No!” Linda said.

“It was in the contract,” I said. “I told you to read it carefully. I’ll bring you a copy if you want.”

“No,” she said in resignation. “I did see it but I was blinded by the gold. Jen, don’t stay here. I don’t want to do this to you?”

“Gerry,” Katherine interrupted, “you’re confused.”

I looked up at Katherine. “What do you mean?”

“All sexual training is initiated at boot camp. We don’t wait for inter-pony sex anymore. We do it here. If you wanted them to not have sex with each other, you should have sent one to Alpha or Beta.”

“When did this happen?”

“When you were in Europe!”

I looked at the girls. “I’m so sorry,” I said.

“Please, no!” Linda cried. “She’s my best friend!”

“Can’t you do anything?” Jennifer asked.

“Not until you’re fully in my possession. That’s four months away.”

“Maybe Tina will make an exception,” Elaine offered.

“I doubt it but I’ll ask.”

“I’ll do anything,” Jennifer offered.

“I’ll see what I can do.” God, sometimes I hated this job.

“They can’t dictate to us,” Tina said as she leaned forward and placed her hands on the desk.

“We’ve never had friends stationed at the same camp. We can make an exception.”

“Girls make friends all the time. They meet every day in the cafeteria. We don’t let it hinder their training. Sometimes it’s best if they make friends. We often use it as a tool to break them more thoroughly. I’m not inclined to change their routine but I will talk to them. OK?”

“I’m not crazy about this. I do own these facilities. They’re going to be my ponies anyway.”

“I’m in charge of training! I won the job by being in harness for over fifteen years. You don’t have a say in this. The Consortium makes those decisions,” she said sternly.

I noticed a softening of her attitude as she continued, “Besides,” she said, “If you ever sell them they may end up being owned by a female owner. On top of that, you bring female guests to your ranch all the time. Do you want ponies that aren’t ready? You know the expectations. This is good for them. Trust me!”

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t pull it off. Tina said no. But she did say she’d talk to you. I guess that’s something.”

“We’re not lesbians!” Tina almost shouted.

“Neither is Tina. She just wants to make sure you’re properly trained to serve anyone who wants to dominate you, and that includes women.”

“There’s nothing more you can do?” Jennifer asked in her sweet but disturbed voice.

I looked at her tenderly. “No, not until you make it out of boot came.”

“I thought you owned all of this. Can’t you change the rules?”

“I don’t control training. That’s a role monitored and controlled by the Consortium. They put Tina in charge and I respect that. If she says this is for the best, then I have to bow to her judgment. She’s got the Ph.D. in psychology. She’s had the extensive training on behavior modification. She knows everything there is to know about training submissives.”

“Do you love her?” Linda asked suddenly.

“What?”

“Do you love her? You sound like you want to be with her. Do you love her?” she repeated.

“No, I don’t love her. But what would that matter to you?”

Linda looked at me confused. “I was just curious, I guess,” she stammered as if caught in an embarrassing situation.

“You sure are nervous about something. Is there something you want to say?”

“No!” she said sternly.

I just smiled.

Elaine smiled as well. “So, you’re hooked too!” she said.

“What?”

“You’ve got the hots for our “Fearless Leader.” She joked.

“I do not!” she retorted.

“Then why are you so nervous?”

“I don’t know.” Linda looked at me with even more confusion on her face.

“Maybe I can end this confusion,” I offered. I walked up to Linda and kissed her on the lips. “Now, do you know?”

“Yes!”