Beyond Charybdis

by Bruce McLachlan

  Once the door had closed and locked itself Mina was left in silent contemplation, wondering what was going to befall her. Calming her thoughts and relaxing into the arms of her uniform, she looked blankly at the wall, waiting for her training to begin.

  The belt beneath her started to move, rolling slowly at first, bringing her to a slow walk where she could practice using her complement of legs. Adapting as quickly as she could, she soon grew more confident in flipping a hoof forward, the sprung joint at her hands letting the rest of the metal-shod hoof thump against the corrugated rubber. The treadmill started to increase its speed, moving her from a slow walk to a swifter pace.

  Her reins pulled back as she tried to accelerate, having difficulty changing her rate. When they tugged at the wall rings her loins were nipped with angry sparks of voltage, chewing on her most tender membranes to have her croak against the gag and bolster her efforts. As soon as she was meeting the speed of the treadmill and thus had taken the pressure from the wall anchors, the attacks of encouragement stopped.

  Continuing the walk, she started to grow more fluid in her movements, the constant use making them second nature as the hours trailed lethargically by. Occasionally she let herself dawdle a little, fall back and gain a few kisses of discipline before restoring herself to the required position on the belt.

  The hunched position started to become tedious and she tried to straighten a little to ease some of the stress, only to find that the sensors were intolerant of the slightest change in her stance during this period of devolution. The shocks emerged again, but this time others were added to her breasts, the nipples that rested against the stern shell being savaged by swirling flashes of discomfort that quickly forced her back onto all four feet.

  Over the course of several hours she was relentlessly pushed towards a steady gallop, her hooves pounding the mat beneath as it span past. Once again she was subjected to the ordeal of fighting to have her physique meet the demands required of her, applying her resilience to the task to ensure she succeeded.

  The rubber prison became a horrendously sweltering bane to her flesh, the rubber squirming against her motions, filled with ample sweat. Her body ached and burned, her pulse stamping through her head as she kept to the rigorous gallop, her occasional failures earning her bouts of discipline.

  It was not long before she started to pray for an end, so she might rest, her weariness growing more potent, making her stumble on occasion, the electrical castigation quickly galvanising her back into a full run as she vehemently cursed it. There was nothing she could do. She could not take any more, but if she tried to stop she would be disciplined so severely that no matter how enervated, how emotionally and physically shattered she was, the uniform would have her back at the required speed in no time. The longer she ran, the more her head swam with giddiness and the more difficult it was to keep to the parameters proscribed for her training.

  The periods of voltage assault grew longer, the agonising teeth that gnawed at her becoming more venomous, increasing their vicious settings until she gave up and found the effort to restore herself to a run. The fiendish machine was never going to let her rest, it would keep going, keep increasing the agony it could impart until it found the setting to make her comply.

  Mina could see now how other girls had been reduced to shattered insane shells by this horror, for already she was in turmoil, resenting her treatment, hating it, yet unable to do a single thing to affect it. She had foolishly agreed to this fate, and Poseidon would work her until she dropped, succeeded, or went insane. She couldn’t take this, she would lose her mind or suffer a coronary. How could they do this to her, to a woman who only wanted to please them?

  Mina had no idea how long she remained on the running machine, her first awareness that her lot had changed coming when the door opened and Poseidon entered. The man moved beside her, standing just by the rolling rubber mat as it forced her onwards, making her sprint, her limbs bounding against it as her sight wavered and rocked, her mind full of woe.

  ‘You’ve been running well, Mina,’ he stated, and flicked a switch in the control panel. ‘Few ponies have lasted this long on such a setting.’

  Mina sighed with utter relief as the machine swiftly slowed and came to a stop, letting her sag. Her legs folded beneath her until she was hanging by the cables and tethers that remained sternly fixed to her body, holding her a few feet up, her limbs loose under her hanging torso.

  ‘You must be exhausted,’ he offered as Mina closed her eyes, sobbing to herself within her private cell, unable to fathom how she could hope to make it through this evil tutoring. ‘Let’s get you cleaned up and to bed.’

  Chapter 12

  Mina stood upon one of the small hills, her hooves sinking a little way into the soil with each step, burdened by the added weight of her new attire. The shell that encompassed her torso had been swapped for another white version, this one bearing the fixtures that would allow the wings to be attached. The carapace was far more solid, constructed from a plasteel alloy, an amalgamation of plastic and metal that combined exceptional light weight with incredible strength, a strength emphasised by the erasure of the brittle nature of a metal, giving the material a far higher tolerance for stress. Plasteel was being kept quiet for now, hidden while it was fully developed and the manufacture of it prepared, the factories readied, the uses worked out, even basic plans for marketing arranged. Thus while it ran through government approval, the entire machine behind it could confidently be set in motion, completely certain that it would pass. This would allow the corporations to flood the world with their product and beat all competition by years, creating a cartel impermeable to outsiders.

  With soft clicks of acceptance her fittings grabbed the wings, the white upgraded versions furled neatly at her sides. Her body stretched against its new albino uniform, and her fingers clutched at the internal sleeves of her gloves, scratching a hoof against the turf as she awaited the order to begin.

  A tingle of static charge brushed across her scalp, the neuronic sensors charging themselves. They were placed to the most deep setting possible, where only a concentrated devoted force of the will would register against them, the flashes of impulse through her synapses having to be singular enough of purpose to deploy the new appendages to her body. It was a wise precaution to stop any wayward thoughts interfering with the flight, but also it meant it required a person of unparalleled willpower to operate it safely and competently.

  ‘You may begin, slave,’ commanded Poseidon, stepping back with her unleashed reins as the engineers followed. The carriage that had brought them was parked a short way away, the team of six ponies blinkered in full so that they could not see the test flight.

  Fixing her eyes forward through the lenses, Mina banished all superfluous thought from her mind, casting away all doubt and speculation, and then flung a single yelled command through her mind, visualising the response to assist her.

  The wings flung wide, the artificial muscles making them operate in smooth organic sweeps rather than clumsy mechanised jerks. Pounding her hooves against the grass she bolted forward, her mane and tail flapping in the wind as she accelerated to a mad charge.

  With a hiss of exertion she kicked into the ground as she cleared the crest of the hill, closing her eyes and filling her mind with the orders needed to control her winged harness. Her legs curled up against her body, meeting the small clamps upon her underside that snapped to awaiting hoof rings, letting her relinquish control of her limbs so she could concentrate more fully on her flight.

  Upon a smooth dip she began to glide downwards, sweeping towards the tree line and certain doom. With a soft grin she pictured the mortified faces of Poseidon and the engineers before she altered the angle of the wings. With a sudden flash of ascent she spiralled upwards, using the ornithopter capabilities of the wings to assist her climb, taking her costume well beyond the realms of a mere glider.

&n
bsp; Gathering height, she beat her wings against the air, the strong thrashing sweeps hauling her up in steady jolts. The land began to drop away, the edges of the island becoming visible as she gained more and more altitude. Against her gag she laughed and giggled with glee, enthralled with the magnificent sight of the world below her, her rubber-clad form gleaming in the bared rays of the sun. The sense of elation was immeasurable, the feeling of being able to fly, to soar and swoop, to escape the world while still being imprisoned in her skin-tight personal cell.

  With intense concentration she kept going, working in small swirls, her wings beating with precise rhythm as she crawled upwards towards the same height as the mountain itself. Once she cleared its summit she soared forward, extending her wings to their fullest, cruising on the breeze like an eagle, surveying the world in these idle moments, the wings needing no more commands.

  She looked across the sea in all directions, spying the sporadic collections of rock jutting from it, the myriad islands stretching in all directions until open ocean extended to the horizon, save to the north she could see the loitering line that was the mainland - distant China, the normal world. To see even this vague glimpse of it escalated her sense of jubilation, for all she could picture was the choking cities, the teeming, closely packed population, the oppression of existence itself. And here she was, riding the air as a rubber-clad beast of mythology, dragged from legend and forged through discipline, erotic bondage and her slavery on a tropical paradise. If she could have defeated the gag she would have howled her delight across the heavens, sent its echo through the universe to announce her pleasure.

  With a chuckling growl she banked and dove towards the mountain, her wandering having buffeted her with a few choice thermals that had taken her even higher than the lofty peak. She rolled around the craggy surface, hugging the stone, watching the uneven spire flash beneath her belly as she whirled around it, descending like a helter-skelter.

  Peeling away as she neared the lower reaches, she sped over the main building, the area deserted. The guests were attending a display Poseidon had arranged in the sub levels of the building, and the ponies had been set in their stables for the day. No one would see her first flight; she would remain a secret until her grand unveiling.

  Swooping around she arched her wings up at the front and then flashed them around, braking suddenly. With a stern thought she set the clamps free and as though dropping an undercarriage, her hooves clopped upon the roof of the mansion. Furling her wings to her sides, she pranced along it and then threw herself from the side. Practiced at command, and without fear or doubt, her wings flashed open before she hit the ground and turned her dive into a sharp ascent. The sudden reversal of direction jolted her body against the uniform and her hooves tore four shallow trenches in the ground before she hurtled upward.

  Beating her wings she arced around and began a level run towards the stables. Dropping her hooves upon the lip of the roof, she kept her wings out and half ran, half glided along the building, galloping along the entire length, drumming her hoof beats upon the roof. With jovial mirth she imagined the startled expressions of the other ponies as they heard a pony-girl running above, their confusion as to how she got there and who she was making them struggle and whinny against their bondage.

  Leaping from the end of the wooden runway she locked her legs into position and sped her ascent, climbing rapidly, clearing the trees and then ascending higher. Once she had left the ground far below she broke aside and plummeted at a steep angle, streaking down towards the beach.

  Scudding along the sand, her turbulence whipped up particles in her wake before she skimmed onto the water. The tips of her hooves caught the peaks of waves as she cruised just above the sea, circling slowly around the bound women, whose eyes widened in shock as she darted past their restricted visual arc.

  The image of Icarus struck her mind as she looked across the rolling ocean flashing beneath her and launched upwards with purpose. Capturing thermals and assisted by choice winds, Mina used her wings to carry her ever up, continuing without pause, keeping her mind dedicated to the task, the interior of the uniform growing hot with her mental exertion and the heat of the toiling components in the wings.

  A few streaked clouds drew her attention and she passed through them, the wispy lines placing a sheen of moisture to her form as she moved through them and back into unblemished sky.

  The lethal ascent of Icarus made her laugh with satisfaction. She was another product of mythology and she was triumphing over him with her flight, but then again, she was a far more advanced aviatrix.

  Levelling out her flight, she was startled to see that the island was little more than a vague blotch of green and brown below her. Only the churned white waters that surrounded it marked it from the others, preventing her from becoming lost.

  A soft series of beeps entered her ears, testifying that her energy reserves were getting low. Glancing to the horizon she was similarly amazed to see that the sun was creeping down towards the distant skyline, the day drawing to a close. It felt like she had only been up for seconds, and yet it also seemed as though she had always been there. The sheer ecstasy of her flight had stolen the day from her and now she was running low on fuel, her artificial wings succumbing to fatigue from the strains she had placed upon them.

  Pausing for one last moment to admire the unequalled view, she looked to the world and then dipped into a nosedive, her snout streaking against the air as she drew her wings in to accelerate her plummet. She knew the capacities of the uniform and let her mind marvel at the image of the island as it grew with increasing haste. The tiny pinprick specks upon a few green bumps became the vague image of Poseidon and the engineers, watching her with binoculars.

  Letting her wings emerge slowly, she changed her trajectory and then turned suddenly. The velocity of her screaming descent wrenched her body as the wings fought her impetus, destroying it abruptly. With a nimble flip she swooped up before them, breaking from her dive and folding her wings as she simultaneously released her clamps and dropped onto all fours before them.

  Panting softly, Mina shuffled on the spot as the men approached. Poseidon clipped her reins into position and patted her head, running his hand down her mane as the engineers removed her wings and loaded them back onto the carriage.

  ‘That was quite a flight,’ he said with a mellow voice, running his hands across her form. ‘We were very impressed. You seem to have mastered the uniform with ease. Every other aviatrix had trouble with just gliding and maintaining flight without all the stunts and other feats you were performing. I guess the new wings help, but I think it’s more down to you, my sweet Pegasus.’

  Mina gave a pleased whinny, delighted to be treated to his touch, for even though she could barely feel it through her uniform it was emphasising her derogated position in life. He was treating her as a genuine beast, a possession, and that satisfaction was a wonderful sense of comfort and security.

  ‘We’ll get you back to your training stable, and I think some reward is justified,’ he promised, making her eager for release, her flight having fanned her arousal to a peak that rivalled her earlier famine.

  Chapter 13

  Hitched to the back of the carriage, Mina was drawn to the stables, walking behind the conveyance, stripped of her wings.

  As grooms handled the vehicle and its human beasts, Mina was shown back to her training and living module. The engineers vanished to check over the wings, to see if any damage had been caused by the flight and to replenish their batteries.

  Poseidon took her to the wall and drew her onto the treadmill once more, signifying that she was to begin yet more training. Sighing with despair, she readied for the humdrum run that would no doubt restore her to the usual rota of exhaustion and sexual starvation until the time of the party.

  But instead she felt movement at her rear as Poseidon began to remove the dildos. Unfastening the clips he
hauled them free, making Mina shudder, now addicted to their presence and resentful of their flight.

  ‘My sweet Pegasus, I never imagined you would be so magnificent,’ he purred, running his hands over her buttocks, his touch seeping through the rubber layer that cocooned her. Cupping the rounded flesh he squeezed and fondled, stoking his prurient lust with the sight of Mina, bound and degraded before him, turned into a beast that he owned and adored.

  Mina stiffened and croaked with joy as she felt his penis rub against her sex, slipping through the opening in the carapace and sliding through the slit in her sealed suit. Opened to the outside world for the first time in an unknown duration, she shivered as she felt him replacing the jelly phallus with a far more pleasing variety. The sensation of having him slide into her was almost overwhelming, accepting him with jubilation, letting him glide deep as she quivered and mewled softly.

  His hands tightened against her constrained hips, using them as handholds by which he allowed himself to drive into her, working slowly so as to enjoy every moment of this ravishment of his creation. Mina jerked with a flare of climax, the pleasure continuing before another struck, the feel of a real length working her insides making them answer with intense responses.

  ‘That’s it, slave, enjoy the feeling while you can, you’ll be plugged until after the show once I’ve finished with you,’ he groaned softly, easing back and forth. Mina’s mouth chewed violently against the gag as she sought to endure the ongoing eruptions of ecstasy, her sanity bubbling against a trial as fierce as the most pernicious flogging. ‘How does it feel to be dragged from your humanity and made a beast to my will?’ he mused as he continued to ride against Mina’s tensed legs. ‘I wonder how long you can keep your thoughts before they start to fade, lost to your bestial caste. Isn’t that a pleasing concept, slave? To lose yourself totally, to actually be erased as Mina and simply become a Pegasus?’