He glanced down at someone for whom the phrase, "hands were tied" was not figurative at all. She had come a long way on foot, doing a lot better than the horses he had ridden. Her feet had suffered of course and he had managed to get away with wrapping her feet in rags to hold off the worst of the punishment, but that was about all.

More the magic wouldn't allow.

The rider was surprised the girl had lasted this long, and there was still a long way to go.

He looked away, once again feeling the sexual stirring within him that occurred to all men who looked at her for any length of time. It was not his place to think of such things, his path was already laid out.

He scanned the area, noting the mud walled buildings ahead and sighed in relief. Soon they would stop and go through the ritual, and then the peace of a bed. Two months was a long time to be on the road in his opinion, the horses weren't the only things getting tired.

As he rode closer, the girl padding along beside him, he saw people gathering together in what could have been the town square if this collection of a half dozen or so buildings could be called a town. Men, women and children all came out of where they had been hiding to stare at him.

No, not at him, he was rarely noticed until he spoke. They came out to stare at the girl.

She was a sight to see he had to admit. Naked, she walked or ran as best she could beside him as they traveled. She did not cover herself with her hands because she couldn't. Her wrists were bound to her upper arms and her elbows were tied behind her back, brought together until they touched. Around her neck was a collar and across her face was a bridle of leather and steel that forced her mouth open and prevented her from making speech. On her ankles were leather straps with rings for further binding, but the most humiliating aspects were what had been done to her intimate areas. Her nipples were ringed, with bells attached that jingled pleasantly as she moved. Protruding from her ass was a thick tail of hair that matched the hair on her head exactly. It was held in place with a huge plug that invaded her anus and could not be pushed out. And finally, from her sex could be seen hanging a string with two large beads attached to it.

All in all a bizarre sight, and one the locals would no doubt remember and talk about for the rest of their lives.

The rider stopped his horse, and obediently the girl stopped too. She stood panting in the heat of the evening, covered in dust, her eyes on the ground in front of her. She didn't like to look at the people any more.

Some of the men stepped forward, their eyes on the dirty but still beautiful woman at the rider's side. The Longrider saw questions in their eyes, as well as lust. It was expected for it was intended.

And so it began.

"What's going on here?" one of the men called up to him.

"I am the Longrider, envoy of the King. I travel on his orders," said the rider.

"What about her?" another man asked, gesturing to the naked girl.

"This is his daughter, Princess Dee."

The men laughed, all but one.

"A princess, huh?" said another. "Looks like a trollop to me! What did she do to end up like this, bite a customers dick off?"

The men laughed again.

The Longrider leaned forward. "Oh this IS the princess, and I come with a tale to tell and a challenge to issue, one that will save your very lives!"

This quieted the men down. Out here on the fringes of the kingdom, traveling story tellers were rare, so any entertainment was not to taken lightly, even one as strange as this pair.

"Tell us your tale, old man!" shouted one, and the others began to echo the order.

The Longrider nodded and slid off his horse. "I'll tell you the tale, don't you worry, but first some water for me and my horse."

Orders were yelled and a woman brought out a goat skin bag filled with water. The Longrider took it gratefully and drank long from it. Another woman brought out a bucket filled with water and set it down in front of the horse. The horse looked at it for a moment as if not knowing what to do, before dipping its muzzle into it and drinking. A third woman cautiously approached the bound girl carrying another goat skin bag, but of course the princess could not reach out for it although she looked at the water with a very thirsty expression. The Longrider noticed this and waved the woman away. "Leave her be," he ordered.

The woman backed off and the small crowd watched as man and horse drank while the princess went thirsty. Only when his thirst had been satisfied did the Longrider take action for the girl. He took the now empty bucket from the horse and emptied what was left of his water into it. He then placed it in front of the girl who dropped to her knees and stuck her head inside, lapping at the water as best she could. The crowd watched in shock as she drank from the horse's bucket.

"Now I will tell my tale, so gather round," said the Longrider.

When he was sure he had their attention he told of why he was there and why he and the princess had been traveling together for two months with her naked and bound. He told of the King's hunting party, and how in the heat of the chase they happened across the cottage of Rudd the Wizard. Mistaking the Wizard's horse for the buck they were after, the King's own bow brought down the animal.

Mad with rage, Rudd cursed the King and the kingdom, vowing to turn all who were born within it's boundaries into horses, to replace the one he had lost.

But the King was a silver tongued man, and managed to extract a way out from the enraged Wizard. There was a chance, a small one admittedly, that the curse could be defeated and the kingdom saved. But that chance came at the price of something the King held dear, the life of his only daughter, Princess Dee. She would be the key to the kingdom's future, she and the men who lived here.

The Longrider went on to tell how the curse that endangered them all could be turned. The princess had been bound by magic, no longer quite human she was bound into bondage as a ponygirl. The bonds would never come off until the curse was vanquished and she could never be clothed further. In her sex were placed twelve large beads on a single cord. For each month that passed one bead would fall from her, the string hanging between her legs until the last one falls.

But that was the danger, for the string showed how much time the kingdom had left. When the last bead fell, the kingdom would lose it's humanity.

The Men asked how the curse could be stopped, all believing the tale because it was this kind of land and this kind of time.

The Longrider told them how his task was to find the man who COULD stop the curse. The man who would save them would be the man who could pull the beads from the princess and replace them with his own manhood. Only the passion of man and woman together could save the kingdom, for the passion of love was a stronger magic than any Wizard's.

Some of the men smiled at this and eyed the princess hungrily. If all they had to do was yank the string from her and fuck her...well, what the hell was the problem?

The Longrider sighed and gave them a warning. He told them that the princess was a virgin, and her tight sex had been magically enhanced to the point that in two months not one man had been able to even pull one bead from her.

And there was one more danger, there was a terrible price to be paid by any man who tried to break the curse.

The men yelled at him to disclose the price but the Longrider held his peace. He was not permitted to talk about it.

This didn't bother one man though. Gaspode was a big man with a big ego, well used to getting his own way, especially with women. He pushed the others aside and made for the princess who rested on her knees in the dirt.

"I'll save the kingdom!" he yelled, laughing.

The other men laughed too, although most of them were jealous that Gaspode got to go first.

The Longrider watched as Gaspode reached down and picked up the ponygirl princess, lifting her clear off the ground. She closed her eyes as he brought a ringed nipple to his mouth. She was now used to the humiliation of her position, and the attentions of men, but it didn't make it any easier for her. Gaspode laughed and put her down, mauling her breasts with one hand while caressing her helpless body with the other.

"This one could do with a little more meat on her bones, she's as tough as a boot!"

The crowd laughed.

Gaspode smiled and ran his hands all over her naked body, pinching and tugging and making Princess Dee yelp in pain. He tried to pull out the tail she wore in her ass but had no luck. Then he grabbed hold of the cord and two beads that hung between the girl's legs and pulled hard.

The ponygirl screamed and writhed against her bonds.

A couple of the men stepped forward, alarmed at the obvious pain the princess was suffering, but were warned back by the look on Gaspode's face. He pulled again, harder, making her scream even more, but still not one bead pulled out from her virgin sex. Gaspode was frustrated but not done. He picked the girl up once more and taking hold of the cord, tipped her over so she was now upside down. The ponygirl screamed long and loud as Gaspode held her in the air by only the string, her full weight borne by her sex and the beads trapped within. Amazed, Gaspode started to swing her about, but it was no good. No matter how much force he used he could not break any more beads free.

It was when he reached for his knife to cut the beads out of her that the Longrider stopped him. "No," he said.

Gaspode swore and dropped the girl in the dirt. "Have it your way, old man," he said with a sneer, "with a snatch that tight the bitch wouldn't be a good fuck anyway!" He began to laugh as he walked back to his friends but the others weren't laughing. "What?" he asked, his voice a little horse from his laughter.

The crowd said nothing, they were beginning to see the price Gaspode was about to pay.

He was changing, and changing quickly. Gaspode dropped to all fours, a frightened and shocked expression only just readable on his rapidly expanding face. His clothes were ripped to shreds as his body expanded and in seconds where once stood a powerful man now stood a powerful horse.

The crowd stood back as the Longrider moved to calm the new animal. He knew that inside the horse's head was a human mind, trapped and unable to express itself. Soon it would go crazy.

He sighed as he looked about the rapidly retreating crowd. He was done in this village, not one town had ever had another man try after seeing what happened to the first.

"I'll try," said a voice from behind him.

The Longrider turned and saw a young man, not much older than the princess herself. He remembered this young man as being the only one not to laugh with the rest of the crowd.

"I'll try, if you'll let me," he repeated.

"No, Remmy!" cried an older woman, for some of the crowd had also heard and decided to stop.

"I have to mother, it's to save our kingdom. Besides, I think I know how to do this." The boy gave the Longrider a questioning look, and the Longrider nodded. The stakes were too high, he could not refuse anyone.

Remmy walked over to where the princess lay in the dirt, crying, and crouched down beside her. "A ponygirl, huh?" Remmy said to the Longrider. Then he took the reins that were attached to the girl's bridle and stood, lifting her face from her arms. "Up little ponygirl, let's get a look at you."

The crowd was returning, mesmerized by the boy's actions. Were they going to see another man turned into a horse?

The Longrider removed the bridle from his own steed, and began to place it on Gaspode, but he kept a careful eye on what was going on.

Remmy kept urging the princess to her feet in a gentle tone and soon the girl rose, staring at the handsome young lad. Remmy was happy and he began brushing the dirt from her body. His touch was gentle, yet no less invasive to the princess. Still, his voice was calming and she felt drawn into his words.

"There's good little filly, you're a beautiful little ponygirl," he kept saying, his voice calm, his face a gentle smile.

Once she was dusted off he stepped back to the length of the reins and urged her to walk, which she did, stumbling across the rough ground as he led her by her reins. He led her to an empty horse paddock and walked them both inside. Here the ground was smoother, flattened out by it's occupants over the years and she walked a little easier.

Remmy lifted a long rope off a post and attached it to her bridle, then he picked up a long horse whip and led the now frightened ponygirl out to the center of the paddock.

The crowd moved to the fences to watch while the Longrider moved his saddle and belongings to Gaspode.

Remmy paid out some rope and with a quiet voice urged Princess Dee to walk around him. The ponygirl was confused but found herself obeying his orders, keeping one eye on the whip he held casually in one hand.

Remmy began issuing instructions, knees higher, point your toes, step out not forward, things like that, and the ponygirl found she needed more and more of her concentration devoted to following those orders than she realized. Remmy was not adverse to using the whip either if it took her too long to learn a command or if she showed signs of not wanting to obey. But he tapped her lightly, focusing her attentions on her lessons and away from her fears.

As she moved in an ever widening circle on the end of his rope, the ponygirl began to calm and actually feel at peace with herself. Somehow what was happening felt right, felt good. It seemed natural to her to be trained like this. She didn't even mind the occasional swipe of the whip on her flanks, she took it as the criticism it was intended to be and she did her best to not repeat the mistake.

After a short while the crowd suddenly showed their surprise, for where there had been two beads hanging from the cord there now showed three.

This got the Longrider's attention, for has he had explained to them all no man had succeeded in removing any of the beads.

The lessons grew more complicated, with orders on how to walk and when to walk, trot, canter and even gallop. Remmy was putting the princess through lessons in dressage that no one had ever thought of applying to a human being before. But Remmy didn't see the girl as being human, he couldn't afford to, she was a ponygirl.

He kept up the lessons until two more beads dropped and then stopped, the girl showing her fatigue. Now five beads swung from her sex, a sex that looked slick and fuller in shape than it had before.

Remmy led the panting ponygirl over to the horse trough and let her drink. Then he took a rag and washed her down, never once stopping his praise of her.

This time Princess Dee didn't mind his touch, and she was as proud as he said he was at her being able to obey his commands. She smiled as he rubbed her down and enjoyed how his praise made her feel.

Another bead dropped, now there were six.

Remmy took a horse brush and undid the cords that bound her hair into two pig tails. He brushed her hair out until it flowed down her back, a beautiful mane that shone in the fading light of the day. Then he left her for a moment and went into the barn that framed one end of the paddock. He came out with a small cart and he used the rope to bind her between the shafts before carefully climbing on.

The ponygirl stood passively as he did so, waiting for his order and when he gave it she did her best to pull the cart. It was tough going at first, but with persuasion from the whip and advice from it's wielder she found her pace and with ever increasing speed she was able to pull him about the paddock. One of the men opened the paddock gate and Remmy guided the ponygirl out among the village buildings.

Around and around they went, with Remmy laughing and calling out his praise while Princess Dee trotted and galloped and cantered at his command, her head held high.

The villagers were happy too, amazed at seeing this naked woman in harness and loving it so. They clapped and cheered as the couple circled the village until he brought her to a stop once more at the horse trough.

Again he let her drink and he even found some sugar for her to eat, popping it into her mouth himself while rubbing her down again with his other hand. He noticed, as had everybody else except for the princess, that three more beads had dropped out during the run. He could also see that the girl was very excited, but not quite enough, and he was running out of ideas. He unhitched her from the cart and washed her down again, but as time went on he came to realize that he was going no further with her.

The Longrider saw this too and with a great sadness he entered the paddock to tell him so.

The ponygirl princess saw him enter though and whinnied a warning to Remmy. She was finally aware of how close she was to her salvation and didn't want Remmy to lose.

"Son," said the Longrider.

"I know," Remmy replied, and he looked into the girl's face. What he saw tugged at his heart strings. Then he got an idea. "I'm not finished," he said.

"You look finished," replied the Longrider.

"I was, but there is one more thing, and I'll need your help." Remmy turned to face the Longrider who shook his head. "I'm not permitted to help. I cannot do anything to the princess except protect her."

"That's okay, because you wont be doing anything to her, but to me!"

Ten minutes later the crowd made a collective gasp as Remmy came out of the barn. He was naked, his wrists bound to his upper arms, his elbows bound together behind his back. In his mouth he wore a bridle and bit, and in his rear was another plug and tail. He walked toward the princess who stared at him in surprise, a Stallion heading for his Mare.

The ponygirl was frightened again, but of what she wasn't sure. She pawed the ground nervously with one foot and eyed the ponyboy's manhood as it waved in the air in front of him. He was certainly showing his excitement and it had it's effect on the girl, another bead dropped, there were only two left.

The ponygirl began to circle the paddock, never letting the ponyboy get too close. They whinnied and whined to each other and eventually they came together. They rubbed each other with their heads and bodies, displaying their affection the only way they could.

Another bead dropped, one left.

The crowd was hypnotized, watching silently from the paddock fence as Dee and Remmy chased each other playfully around the paddock. The princess would lead the farm boy on a merry chase, allowing him to catch her every so often so they could rub bodies before she left him again.

Everyone could see the passion in the young couple's eyes and bodies and not a few couples along the fence line indulged in a little displays of affection themselves.

Then the last bead dropped, and the world became still.

The ponygirl princess looked at the string of beads that had inhabited her for the past two months and then looked up at Remmy who stood nearby in his bondage. She turned her back on him and got down on her knees, her legs spread wide.

Remmy approached her and knelt behind her, and the couple slid together as if they were made for each other which indeed they were from certain points of view. So built up was their excitement that it took hardly any effort on Remmy's part before they both climaxed in their passion and the curse was broken.

The princess felt her bonds fall away from her and was finally able to voice her passion as any woman could. As the waves of pleasure receded, she felt Remmy pull out and she rolled over to face her lover. What she saw made her scream.

Remmy stood before her, a look of horror on his own face, as he quickly made the transformation into a real horse. In seconds he was no longer human, instead a horse with sleek lines and a glossy coat.

"NO!" screamed the princess, "The curse is broken, he succeeded!"

The Longrider stepped into the paddock, shaking his head. "The curse is indeed broken, the kingdom has been spared, but the price still has to be paid. The price was for a man trying, success plays no part in this."

Crying, the princess got up and ran for the horse that Remmy had become. She hugged it's neck, her naked chest rubbing against the coarse horse hair. "It's not fair. This man saved the kingdom, he saved me!" she yelled.

"There is nothing I can do," said the Longrider sadly.

"But there's something I can do!" Princess Dee said. She stepped away from the horse and looked up at the sky. "Wizard!" she yelled. "Wizard Rudd! I call you to appear before me Wizard Rudd! I know you will be watching us, your plan in ruins! Appear before me now!"

The Longrider thought the girl deranged, but sure enough there was a whirl of dust and the Wizard himself stood before them. He didn't look happy. "So you broke my curse, our business is done," he said.

"No, our business is NOT done. Why did this man have to change, he succeeded in breaking your curse and is this how he is to be repaid?" said the princess.

"He paid the price of your freedom, your majesty. Not even I can change the costs of such powerful magic. His humanity is lost forever."

The princess almost broke down, but was able to hold herself together for just a little longer. "Is there nothing you can do, oh great Wizard?"

The Wizard thought for a moment. He knew it had taken great love and passion to break his curse and only now realized that such a love could not be stopped once started. "Yes, but you will have to make a difficult choice," he said.

"Tell me!" ordered the princess.

"I told you his humanity is gone forever, that is true. But your humanity is strong, stronger still because of your love. I can bring him back most of the way, if you were to share your humanity with him, but if you did so, it would be at a cost to yourself. Neither of you would be totally human ever again, instead you would both be human ponies, forever.

The princess paled. "You mean I would return to being as I was when the curse was active?"

"Yes, your majesty. And so too would this lad. You would both be that way."

The princess bowed her head. "Very well, do it."

The Longrider protested. "Princess Dee!"

"Do it Wizard!" the princess yelled, "Do it now!"

There was a whirl of wind and the Wizard left. As the dust settled the horse was gone and in it's place stood Remmy, bound in bondage as he had been before he changed. Only now he also had pierced nipples with bells, and his bondage would never come off.

Standing with him was the princess, back in her bondage as well. She turned to look at him and the couple came together, rubbing, nuzzling, and silently thanking each other.

The crowd began to disperse and the Longrider walked toward the couple. He gathered the reins that hung from both their bridles and led them out of the paddock to where Gaspode stood waiting, still trying to come to terms with being a horse himself. The Longrider climbed up on the saddle and tethered the ponyboy on one side of him and the ponygirl on the other side. Then he urged Gaspode forward and they began their long journey back to the king with the new ponycouple running happily along, the kingdom saved.