Mary decided to play it safe and stick with the girls. Thunder was a little wild, and she didn't exactly trust him just yet. Belle seemed pretty nice, kind of like a motherly figure. She could help her get acquainted with her new surroundings. She could work out her escape plan a little later. Maybe Amy would even change her mind and let her be human again.
In the morning, John quietly opened the doors to all the pens, and let the horses enter the pasture around the stable. When Mary walked by he slapped her hard on the rump.
"I haven't forgotten about you, girl, " said John with a smile. "As soon as she picks the design ..."
John imitated pushing a brand into her side, and made a sizzling noise. Mary shuddered. Surely Amy would not let it go that far.
Mary trotted through the horses, looking for Belle, the horse with the beautiful red coat. She saw her head behind another horse, and as she walked around the horse to talk with her she was shocked by Belle's appearance. Her belly was grossly swollen. It had been hidden when she was in the pen in the stable, but in the open field it was plainly visible.
"Good morning, Mary, " snorted Belle.
"Belle - you're pregnant!" replied Mary.
"Yep, been about 10 months. This little filly is just about ready to be born, " said Belle as she shifted uncomfortably.
Mary continued to stare.
"Don't look so shocked. You'll be pregnant soon, too. The humans don't just keep us around because we look pretty and are fun to ride. This is a breeding farm, and you will be expected to pull your weight around here if you want to stay, " said Belle.
Mary almost feinted. She had not even considered that she could get pregnant now. And 10 months! How long was the gestation period for a horse? She didn't want to get stuck here that long, much less give birth to an animal. Or much less have sex with an animal!
Belle saw that Mary was upset. "What's the matter, dear? Have you never mated in the wild? It's not that bad, you know. If you find the right horse, it can be quite fun. You don't have to do it with Thunder. There are quite a few good studs to choose from. I can recommend a nice one that will be very gentle."
Mary couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I don't want to 'mate' with any of them!"
Belle surprised her by walking behind her and smelling underneath her tail. She jumped a little as Belle sniffed her vagina.
Belle pulled her head back up and looked at Mary. "I don't think you'll have much choice. It smells like you are about ready to enter your cycle. I give you about a week."
Mary was flabbergasted. In a week she would be in heat. Then she would have to beat the male horses away with a stick. Worse yet, would she even be able to control herself? Or would her animal instincts just take over?
"But the girl - Amy - she said she needed me for the show. Surely I can't do that if I am pregnant," pleaded Mary.
Belle nodded. "True, but she is a little girl. And children don't always get what they want. Usually it is up to the parents. It's actually not that bad being pregnant. You get special food, and the males leave you alone. And it brings me joy every time I see one of my foals frolicking around. But let's not dwell on that now. Let me introduce to some of the other girls, and show you around your new home. And of course, teach you some of the rules. For example, stay away from that plant. It will make you sick, believe me....."
Belle continued to rattle off warnings and rules, but Mary hardly heard her. Could it be true? Was she going to be forced to breed? And in less than a week? She had to get out of here. Or find some way to get to the vials.
"And stay away from the south fence. A very ornery bull lives over there and he is not very friendly. The north fence is okay, and has lots of grass. But the family gets upset if you stay there too long. I think it is because the fence is a little weak, and it would be easy to get past it if you tried. The west fence is okay, too, but sometimes a sneaky little coyote likes to wander in our field around there ...." continued Belle.
"Wait - did you say the north fence was weak?" asked Mary.
"Yup, " said Belle. "I think the family is very afraid that some horse will simply knock it down and jump over. There is nothing but the forest past the fence, and they would never be able to catch them if they escaped. They would fix it, but I think they just don't have the money, the poor souls...."
Mary stopped listening and took off running at full speed towards the north fence.
"Mary, where are you going? " yelled Belle. "I haven't finished. I need to warn you about the other thing regarding the north fence!"
But Mary was already too far away, and could not hear her.