When the men came to take them, there was little surprise in the faces of all the women. As the harsh light came on, it shown down upon their huddled forms as they lay together for warmth. It wasn’t unusual for them to be woken in such a manner, nor that the men should be intense in their grabbing whatever female form they wished. Perhaps the visit was for themselves, perhaps for a “client” visiting the “Farm,” as it was called. None of this truly surprised them. It was simply their lives; their cruel and helpless existence as objects to be used and thrown away.

What did awaken surprise was the fact that all the female forms were being taken at once. Not a single one was being left to even pray for a full night’s rest. The next surprise came in the loud shouts and violent impacts that echoed down the hallways as the women were ushered out. Observant eyes saw beads of sweat upon the men, necks twisted to peer back in fear at what lay behind, and a small spark of hope awakened in hearts that were so used to being broken. The largest of their captors kept in front and pulled a gun. He led the women towards the back stairs as he urged the other men to buy them time. Some looked at one another in indecision, unsure whether to run or fight. In the end, it did not matter.

With a rush, another was among them. The women were never sure what truly happened. There was a sound of pounding footsteps, shouts and curses that soon mixed with the sounds of dull thumps on the ground, and then groans of the injured and broken. In a few seconds all the men behind them had dropped, and a dark form in a coat rushed through them towards the man with the gun.

Two of the females kept themselves back against one wall, keeping their tattered cloaks about them. They knew more than the others about the need to hide how they looked. Holding each other they ducked into a side room and silently prayed they would not be found. Only sounds reached them now.

“They are mine! I am their Master! How dare you - !”

*WUMP!*

“They are under my protection. You will never touch them again.”

“...rrrgh. You… my men will find you. I have friends in the police - “

“Any of your men that aren’t dead soon will be. And your ‘friends’ will never find you.”

“You - ! You… lie…”

“Look at me. Look - at - me! You belong to me. You are my property now.”

“Ohhh… uh huh huh huh…”

“Stop weeping. It won't do you any good. The rest of you! Please gather whatever you have and follow me. There are vehicles waiting for you outside. They will take you to warm beds and warm meals. You are now safe. None of these… monsters can ever hurt you again. Please. This way.”

Still the two hooded forms huddled in the dark room. Neither moved nor dared to even whisper. Minutes passed with nothing but distant sounds with unknown meanings attached to each one. Finally silence fell about them. And still they waited.

They jerked as quiet footsteps stole down the hallway. Then a familiar voice spoke with a dangerous quiet.

“So you’re waking up. I thought my boot might keep you out longer. You should be glad. Now you won’t die in the fire.”

There was a hacking cough and then their old Master gurgled from the floor outside, “Wha - what are you - uh huh! Huh huck! What fire?”

“I didn’t want those girls to see what I would do with all of you. They’re safe now, but not you. I told you. You're mine.”

“I - I have money…”

“Be quiet. I feel dirty even talking to you.”

There was the crack of a gun, a yelp escaped from two pairs of frightened lips, and a pregnant pause. Fear gripped the dark room as they heard the distinct sound of a phone ringing.

“Yes? No, it’s fine. Cleaning up, that’s all. No. No, don’t come back here. I promised I’d help your organization to find these girls and get them out. I did. But I deal with these bastards my way. It’s best none of your people witness any of this. Plausible deniability. It’s why none of you knows my real name. Oh please. Like that would be my name. Drive and don’t look back. Yes. Yes, I’ll use one of theirs, that way tracing the license plate will do no good. Good bye. If I need you, I’ll find you.”

Another pause, this one much longer.

“I heard you. So come out or I’m coming in. It’s alright, you are safe now. I’m sorry you had to hear that just now, but I won’t hurt you.”

With twin sighs, the two hooded figures knew they were caught. As they slowly opened the door, they saw a tall man standing before them. He was lean, most of his form hidden beneath a dark overcoat. His face was surprisingly gentle and his smile was warm. They stood there, staring at him. So much hinged on this moment. So much hinged on what he would think of them. They made no move towards him, so he took careful steps towards them.

“Why are you two covered up like that? There’s no need to hide from me. I’m -”

As one, the two figures removed the hoods that covered their heads. The man’s words died in his throat as he stared at them. His hand went to his chin as he thought long and hard about what he was seeing.

“I see. I understand. Well then. Better come with me. I’ll keep you safe until we can figure out… well until we know what we need to do. But I’ll keep your secret. Come on.”

An hour later they were all speeding away in a stolen car. Its late owner was now burning in the inferno they had left far behind. A home of terrible memories gone. An unknown future sped towards them in the dark. It seemed full of hope.

After some time, that still gentle voice spoke again.

“So… tell me about yourselves.”

* * *

Daylight streamed in through the windows of my room, trying to push through my closed eyelids. At first I wondered if that was what woke me, but it was far more than that. A movement, an unwelcome presence in my room, had disturbed me. Instincts ingrained from years of experience snapped on without any conscious thought, and I was wide awake. Even so, I lay perfectly still and tried to regulate my breathing.

Careful. Careful. There’s no way it’s life or death. It’s probably one of Them sneaking in.

A sudden sweat broke out that I quickly tried to calm.

They’re not going to try that again are they? I’ve already made my intentions perfectly -

A shuffling noise at the end of the bed broke my thoughts. Then a suppressed giggle followed by a quiet shushing almost made me chuckle, but I held firm. I wanted to see what this nonsense was about. A quiet minute passed.

They’re studying me. Trying to figure out if I’m really -

“SURPRISE!”

I started up to see my two wonderful housemates at each side of my bed, beaming down at me with excited smiles. They each held a side of a meal tray that held a steaming breakfast consisting of waffles, bacon, orange juice, and coffee. Perfect.

“Thank you girls! This is wonderful. What’s the occasion?”

“It’s our anniversary!” they said in unison.

“You’re kidding! It’s been three years already?”

How time had flown. It seemed almost yesterday I was smuggling them out of forced prostitution and then safely getting them to our current safehouse. So strange to think of how new everything felt at that time. Where once I was awed by their appearance and here I now saw them everyday. Yet here they were: Lotus Blossom and Aloe Vera. Twins from another world. Anthropomorphic creatures, “ponies” as they called themselves, who had been kidnapped soon after they had accidentally arrived here on Earth. The horrors of their time in captivity as sex-slaves at that awful Farm still sent tingles of anger through my being.

I looked at their faces, now free of fear and pain. It had taken so much time of tender care and therapy. I still wasn’t fully satisfied that they were fully reconditioned, but I knew that time and love would fully heal their wounds. Lotus looked at me with expectation and a desire for approval of their gift. It was written all over her body language. Her blue fur, pink mane and tail were brushed to a glossy shine in the sunlight. She stood up with hands folded in front of her while her tail wiggled back and forth, shaking her hindquarters with it, as she waited for praise of her cooking. Her twin sister, Aloe, was practically a mirror image of her in looks and expression. Hers was a pink coat with a shining blue mane and tail. But where Lotus stood up, Aloe squatted down on level with me with a grin on her face, waiting for me to taste my breakfast. I couldn’t help but notice a bit of exposed cleavage from her sports bra as she leaned forward. Both were similarly clad, wearing spandex bras and shorts that perfectly matched their respective hair. Clearly they had come from an early workout, as was their habit each morning. Anyone could see that they both kept themselves in very good shape, judging from their slim figures. It was amazing to me, from a scientific stand point of course, how they could still have such large breasts and buttocks. One would have thought, again from curiosity, that they would be smaller in those areas. But not these two ponies. Or perhaps because they were ponies? I had a rather limited field of comparison.

At seeing Aloe’s exposing excitement, I cleared my throat. She followed my eyes and stood up stiffly, a slight blush evident even with her pink complexion.

“Oh! I’m sorry, Master!”

I sighed. Here was still evidence that they needed to be deprogrammed even more from their past horrors. Even Aloe’s “accidental” exposure may have been anything but accidental, as our past three years had shown me.

“It’s alright, Aloe,” I said. “Really. Thank you both so much for this! But please, you both know my name. You don’t need to call me Master.”

Both mares looked at each other and at the ground.

“We’re sorry Mas - I mean, Neil,” said Lotus. “We were doing so well.”

“No please! Don’t be sorry to me! You did nothing wrong! But I want to see you two free of all that! You’re so much more than slaves or servants! You’re all equal in this house! That’s what this day should symbolize! Heck, one day I should make you two breakfast in bed.”

“But it’s the least we can do,” said Aloe, passionately. “You did so much for us. You saved us. We can serve you in whatever small ways we can.”

“But you don’t have to,” I said.

“But we want to,” they said in unison.

“I… I understand. Thank you, both! Lotus, Aloe, come here!”

They moved in for a group hug. I held them both around their waists and chastely kissed them on their cheeks. They hummed in response and, as one, kissed me on both cheeks. I smiled to see them happy.

A few seconds passed. The twins did not want to let go. They knew this made me uncomfortable. I couldn’t help but become aware of their breasts pressing against me, and the smell of them while they were so close. Something about their smell, especially this morning, could set off strange pleasure centers in my brain. I wondered at this several times, as a biological curiosity, and just as always I felt a familiar stir in my loins. I was grateful my blankets were pulled up to my waste, as I enjoyed sleeping in the nude.

“Alright girls, that’s enough!” I chuckled as I gently nudged them away. They instantly took the hint and moved off, giggling. As Lotus made to push off the bed, her hand accidentally pressed against my crotch rather than the mattress. It was perhaps only a second, but her fingers deftly traced the outline of my rising erection through the sheets.

“Oh! S-sorry!” she exclaimed before she quickly left the room. I numbly nodded, feeling a warm redness rush across my features.

As they fled, I caught the hint of a smile on her face and knew this, again, was no real accident. This was confirmed as their attempted whispers floated back to me from the hallway.

“I saw that! What was it like?”

“It was just like you said, I could -” and then their voices became too quiet to hear.

I sighed again and sipped my coffee. Well, that at least was a non-guilty pleasure. A hint of cinnamon and hazelnut. One day I would have to ask how they did it so perfectly. As I smeared a large dollop of butter on my waffles, I reflected on the mixed progress and regression the two ponies had made over the past three years.

One couldn't argue about the progress. The night terrors were so rare as to be nearly non-existent. The sharing of memories during our therapy sessions had lost a good portion of their sting and were easier for them to navigate. The flashbacks, which used to be triggered from even the hint of a harsh tone or a seemingly violent movement from myself, now seemed to mainly manifest as a kind of servant subservience. At least, that's what I attributed to their behavior. Their trust with me had improved as far from night is to day, and a depression they had both had from the outset had broken months ago. So why did I feel so awful?

The answer was always there in my mind, no matter how many times I asked myself the question. As I munched away on the most delicious waffles, I contemplated what I might be stealing from them as I kept them hidden in this house. Yes, they had the acres of grounds to roam through. Forests, fields, and streams were dotted throughout this particularly secluded corner of the country. But I never let another soul see them, for fear of word getting out and their being taken for study and or even experimentation. Their past traumas would make that even worse for them. And I was afraid that -

There it was. My fear. Did I really have such little faith in all of humanity that they would be instantly kidnapped and taken away? Did I really have no close friends that I could trust to know this secret and help us find a way to get them back home? Did I ever have the right to keep them from going out and finding more fulfilling relationships on their own?

But again my fear responded. What if some man takes advantage of them? They still showed clear signs that a dominating male would be able to use them and they could fall into that role so easily. An abusive boyfriend would feel like a perverse familiarity. I knew well from my years as a counselor that thinking creatures tended to gravitate towards the familiar in their relationships. An abused child finds, without looking, an abusive spouse. Or worse, they become the abuser themselves to counteract their early helplessness. If they stayed with me, wouldn’t they be safer?

Safer, I thought as I downed my orange juice. Safe from taking the lessons I had taught them and adjusting to life like the adults they were. Safe from the normal risks of getting hurt and learning for future trials. Safe from life. Safe from freedom.

“Oh God,” I said, staring at the ceiling. “I need to let them go, don’t I?”

At the very least I needed to start looking for some way, no matter how crazy, to get them back to their home in “Equestria.” From their descriptions, I could only believe it was an entirely other dimension, not simply a planet in a distant galaxy. I chuckled as I recalled their own telling of their winding up on Earth. They were both working on massaging a very overworked and overtired Princess at their spa. Her name had something to do with light… sunlight? Moonlight? Evening? Something like that. Their client was so tense that every knot of muscle seemed to trigger a magical response, like a pent up well of energy being let out. This was something I was far from understanding. They had been working on the biggest knot near the base of her back and then after one great exclamation and flash, they found themselves enveloped in a swirling vortex of light and dropped off in my world.

I shook myself free of these thoughts. They would have to wait until later, there were things to do today. For now I dressed, took my dishes, and headed downstairs to the kitchen. I was looking forward to putting away the crates of supplies I had come home with last night. At least once a month I made a long trip to gather what we needed to live, and continue living, independently. Yes, we kept a large garden, and the growing of oats was essential for the two mares, but that was not fully sufficient. It was close to midnight that I had gone to sleep the previous night, having just put away everything that needed refrigeration. The rest would be taken care of today. But as I walked into the kitchen I found Lotus unpacking the last of the crates I had brought inside.

“Lotus!” I exclaimed, a smile broadening on my face. “I was going to take care of that. Thank you!”

“Oh, this is just the next gift we wanted to give you today,” Lotus said. “Aloe and I wanted today to be especially special for you. My sister is just finishing with the other crates in the sheds outside.”

“I’m… I don’t have the words,” I said. “Obviously you know where everything goes?” I asked hoping that I could help in some way. It was so strange for anyone to do so much for me. I had been independent so long. Yet, of course they knew how to do it and were capable.

And isn’t that exactly the kind of thing I was just thinking about earlier?

Lotus came over and kissed me on the cheek and winked. “Don’t you worry about a thing, Neil. We’ve been rather… observant about all you do around here. And you’ve been a great teacher. Something else we have to thank you for today.”

“So there’s more?”

“Of course. We wanted to offer you a massage later today.”

“Oh no. No no. You know why I’ve refused that in the past and we’ve been over this.”

Lotus’s eyes grew large in an adorable expression of begging.

“Oh please? Please make an exception today? We’ve planned it for so long, and we promise our massage will not be at all… intimate.” At this word she moved in on me and caressed my cheek with her fingers. She giggled at my embarrassed response before moving back to restock the shelves. “At least, please think about it. After allit was our job and our passion in our past life in Equestria.”

“Well,” I said, glancing out the window. “If you both promise. I guess I’ll give it some thought.”

A sound drew my attention back to her. Lotus was hopping in place, her hands clasped to her chest while her tail swished back and forth. I smiled.

But still. It was just a maybe.

As I watched Lotus's backside, purely to admire her hard work, Aloe practically burst through the door and crashed into me. We tumbled to the floor and I found something large, soft, and heavy covering my face.

"Oh! Are you alright, Master?"

I gave a muffled reply and I heard Aloe give a soft moan. Evidently she must have hurt herself in the fall. I placed my hands on her to gently help her off and made a quick realization.

That's her chest on top of me, isn't it?

I moved my face a little, trying not to think about how comfortable this was or about my now rising erection. And again: the smell. Aloe moaned again. Quickly I got my hands under her and lifted her up a few inches.

"Are you okay? Where does it hurt?"

Aloe's face was a deep red and she was biting her lip in pain.

"I-I'm alright now."

"Good. Now can you please let me up?"

Aloe glanced down where her waist was crushed on top of my own. Suddenly she closed her eyes and shuddered. I felt a slight dampness through my pants.

"Ohhh," she said, sounding disappointed. "Do I have to?"

"Yes," I said, pushing her up until I could out from under her. I helped her to her feet while she stood there, blushing with a goofy smile on her face.

"Oh, Neil!" Lotus called out in a sing song voice. "Can you help me?" A stack of cans looked like it was about to fall on her and she was barely able to reach the top and keep it from collapsing.

I rushed over and leaned in behind her. In a flash I had everything settled when I felt Lotus back up into me. Her hips pressed back against me, and with her tiny workout shorts, I could easily feel the softness of her buttocks through them. My raging erection did not help matters as it pressed right into the soft material and the even softer divide of her cheeks.

"Ohhh, Master!" exclaimed Lotus, looking back at me with a knowing smile. "What's gotten in to you?"

She leaned all the way back into me and rested her head against my shoulder. One hand came down and gripped my leg while the other came up and caressed my face. Suddenly I felt something else at my back. Aloe had come up behind me and pressed herself against me. Her lips were right at my ear, tickling me.

"Why, Master! How could you take advantage of my dear sister and leave me all alone?"

Her breasts pressed against my back while her hands roamed wherever they wanted. I felt completely caught.

"I - I, uh," I stammered. "I'm not your Master!"

With more violence than I wished, I pushed my way out from in between them. I was breathing hard when I turned around, feeling a boiling mixture of frustration, anger, shame, and erotic energy rising up within me.

The twins caught each other to keep from falling, but soon steadied themselves. Their faces looked abashed.

"Now listen!" I said, trying not to shout. "This isn't right! I love you both, I do, but not that way! I'm responsible for you! I want the best for you! I don't want you settling for some loner who happened along when you were both vulnerable and - and - and I don't know. I can't do this to you. I'm not anybody’s master, I'm just a man. You're my equals, not my servants. You don't have to service me! And if this is what I have to look forward to with our massage, then I'm afraid it's a hard no."

Their ears flattened against their heads and there was desperation in their eyes.

“No please!” pleaded Aloe. “We’re sorry!

“Yes, Neil,” echoed Lotus. “We swear the massage won’t be at all… like this.”

I saw Aloe glance at Lotus, but kept her features the same. Slowly she nodded.

I let the silence sit for a while. Then I looked them both up and down, fighting the feeling of being a disappointed parent with his children.

“Alright,” I said slowly. “Perhaps I reacted a little too rough. I know your intentions are good, wanting to make me feel better and all. I’ll give this… massage a chance.”

Both twins looked at each other at the same moment, smiled, and looked back at me with shining eyes.

A thought suddenly struck me.

“You’re both… you’re both alright, right? There’s nothing wrong?”

“Wrong?” they said together.

“Yeah, you’re not feeling…?” I let the question hang for a while, hoping they’d fill the silence. Both cocked an eyebrow but said nothing. Finally I relented. “Oh, nevermind. When do you want me?”

“For the massage?” said Aloe, a playful tone in her voice.

“Yes,” I chuckled.

“How about in two hours?”

“That soon? Well, then I guess I’ll go take a walk. I assume you need time to set up?”

“Oh yes,” nodded Lotus. “We need to prepare the room and everything. So, please, go take a walk and we’ll have everything ready when you come back.”

“Alright, I’m trusting you.”

They both bowed. “We look forward to serving you,” they said.

“Huh? But I just -”

“That’s what we say to every client,” Aloe said with a wink.

“Ah. Well, see you in a bit.”

After grabbing a light jacket and hiking boots, I headed out for a calming walk on the grounds.

* * *

Despite the need to clear my head, my thoughts continually wandered back to Lotus and Aloe. What had gotten into them? I hadn't seen them this openly frisky since my first encounter with their estrus cycle. It was soon after that experience that we made our monthly arrangement: I would leave for a week while they got over their heated, biological urges. When I came back I would have the supplies we needed to get through the next month or two, and this worked out nicely.

This month was a bit of an exception. The twins had informed me that they had been off in their calculations by a few days, and it would be best if I took off about a week ahead of time. That way they wouldn't be so tempted to jump me. This made sense, as I had been noticing them getting a little worse of late. Aloe had "accidentally" walked in on me in the shower. Her eyes had been barely lifted above my waist while I ushered her out. Lotus had asked me seemingly innocuous questions that seamlessly led to my personal sexual preferences. I believe I had given away far too much information before I realized what was happening.

Perhaps more disturbing was the disappearance of some of my socks and underwear. At first this seemed a normal occurrence - it's not unusual for someone to misplace their clothes after all. But this past year I realized that underwear went missing after I had had a wet dream. And the socks I was missing had been used during my rare moments of masturbating. And as Aloe and Lotus insisted on doing laundry each week, well, it was not hard to figure out what was happening.

Perhaps they're just curious about human males, but I could not shake the idea that it was more than that. I had learned that scent made a huge difference with them. Not surprising, given their more animal characteristics. So what would two hormonal mares do with my laundry while I was away from home? The possibilities made me blush.

Yet here was the point. Why was I so against their affection? I was so sure it was just a form of their projected neurosi, but what if it was real romantic tenderness? But... both sisters at once? How could that be considered alright? It was clear they had been forced to serve men together during their captivity. Any man would surely find that captivating.

After all, I wasn't blind or made of stone. They were very attractive mares. Both had seemingly identical proportions, which were an ideal for even one normal human woman. The exotic quality of their bodies, being ponies, was also enticing. Their coats were soft and welcoming, their hair - both mane and tails - had a nice texture and scent, their legs were long and sensuous, their flexibility was astounding during their yoga classes, and the dimensions of their bodies were more perfect than I could dream. Despite my attempts to keep my eyes to myself, I’m sure they caught my glances lingering on their swaying hips, bouncing breasts, deep cleavage, or even pouting lips a few seconds too long.

So what if things went a little farther than friendship? Or mentor to mentee? Or teacher to student? Or… father-figure to daughter? Nope, not that one. Leave that one alone. Besides, a decade of age difference did not a father make.

And perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to occasionally humor Lotus and Aloe and let them call me Master. It almost gave me a shudder. For years I had spent nearly all my efforts in destroying such places that forced girls to call men as such, to demean themselves to the point of objects and merchandise, and then end their lives in misery or, worse, fully converted to the point of forcing now younger girls to join them in their misery. The Farm had been, perhaps, my last mission. The discovery of the twins had necessitated my time away from my crusade. And with it came the tug of settling down, of allowing myself to finally calm and to accept happiness. To be content. It felt so foreign given the hardness of much of my life. But that would require other, deeper contemplation. I chuckled.

“Physician, heal thyself,” I said aloud. And with that, I continued on with a better feeling of satisfaction. The beauty of the walk finally began to seep into my being, and I felt myself calming even as I felt myself looking forward - perhaps even excited - to the massage my two, beautiful mares had waiting for me.

Author's Note

Now that I've tantalized you all, the second chapter is already written and will go up this weekend. For those who are worried, my other story is still being written.