Human Interest

"Oh wow, thanks Christine. Here you go....just push this button once to record and once to stop. Try not to pan back and forth too quickly. We don't want the viewers to get motion sick."

"Not to worry, I can do miracles when it comes to editing raw footage. Wow, this camera really is light. If they had been this light 7 years ago, I might have become a camera man instead. Okay, Lindsay, recording in three...two...one."

................

The interview continued in a very relaxed manner for about the next 30 minutes. The questions were nothing you wouldn't expect.....how did you get the idea for this special spa?.......how long have you been in business?......why do people enjoy "pony play"?......

At this question Tom suddenly became the interviewer, "Lindsay, why did you choose to be what you are going to become?"

"Oh that's easy. I'll get to meet people from all walks of life. It's fascinating. I've dreamed about being a newsperson for as long as I can remember. I can't imagine doing anything else."

"I think the same can be said for many of the people who come here. They get to meet people from all over the world. Their stories are fascinating but everyone is unique. When you asked 'why do people enjoy it', I can't give you a definitive answer. Talk to them this weekend. They may not let you film them but most will talk openly about this passion of theirs. You two are doing a 'human interest' piece and we have some very interesting humans here. Oh, here comes Cyndi," Tom said as he rose, politely hinting that the interview was over for the evening.

"Christine, I need to get some measurements so I can lay out your tack for tomorrow. What size shoe do you wear?"

"11-wide or a 43 or 44 if you want EU size," she replied.

"Oh, that's going to be a problem I'm afraid. We only have one pair that large and the Senator's wife will be wearing those. I have several extra sets in sizes 7, 8 and 9 and two pairs of 10s but that's it."

"Can't I just wear my sneakers?"

"If you were the only ones here this weekend that wouldn't be a problem but this is one of our biggest events of the year and the committee is very strict about the dress code. All ponies must have boots. Lindsay, what size do you wear, dear?"

"M-m-m-me?" she stuttered and turned a 'whiter shade of pale'.

"Well, yes. Christine can't do it and 'The show must go on' as they say."

"I don't know if I can do that."

"Lindsay, why don't you give Cyndi your measurements? We can go for a swim to relax and then you can sleep on it. There has to be some way we can salvage a story out of this."

"Okay, an 8-1/2 or 9 should fit fine. 5'10. 125 lbs. 36D-24-34......but I'm not promising anything."

"Great. I'll have your tack ready in the morning. Breakfast is at 6:30. See you then." Cyndi disappeared out the door before Lindsay could say another word and just as quickly out of nowhere Twilight jingled in.

"I'd be happy to show you to your room now. I've turned down the covers and laid out bathrobes if you'd like to go to the sauna or the pool," she chirped brightly.

"Thank you, Twilight. I think Lindsay and I could use some time in a hot sauna to relax. Is there a masseur on duty tonight?"

"Frankie is booked solid tonight as usual and David and Jillian don't arrive until tomorrow but I can book you a massage for tomorrow evening if you like."

"We'll have to wait and see. We may be leaving tomorrow if things don't work out."

Twilight's lip quivered slightly as she said softly, "This way, please."

Chapter 2: The Decision

Morning came early, as it always does for some people. Christine was just waking up as Lindsay came back into the room from her morning run.

"I hardly slept at all last night thinking about everything you said.....'edgy'....'daring'.....but Gorillas in the Mist was what put me over the top. Why not? Maybe I'll get to write a book about my experience. It's only for a weekend. What's the worst that could happen?"

"I am so relieved to hear you say that. Maybe Cyndi can hold the camera from time to time so I can get some 'face time' too. After all this was my story idea, you know."

"No problem. Just remember who got you that big promotion when it comes. Let's eat."

There were two extra late arrivals at the breakfast table and the conversation was highly animated about the weekend's events. The chef outdid himself with the quiche and pastries as he could only showcase his talent properly for a group of 20 or less and the place would be filled to capacity for the next 7 meals.

Cyndi finally popped the question to Lindsay, "Well?" Short but concise as always, Cyndi was.

"Yes, I'll do it." Lindsay replied, which almost caused Twilight to spill the coffee pitcher. "What do we do next?"

"As soon as you fill out a brief medical questionnaire and sign a release form, we'll go out and get you ready. That will include assigning a trainer. You won't have time to learn all of the poses, postures and gaits but I saw you come in from your run and I think you stand a good chance of winning the Desert Derby on Sunday. Wouldn't that be a great punchline to your story?"

Suddenly, the mention of "winning" ignited Lindsay's competitive spirit and she thought this might be fun after all, smiling to herself. She wasn't the only one smiling to herself. The trap was sprung.

..................

As they walked towards the stables, Lindsay and Christine were watching as owners began bringing their ponies out for their morning warm up. Cyndi was commenting on some of the various protocols but the butterflies in Lindsay's stomach were flapping so loudly she couldn't hear a word being said. Cyndi touched her arm to get her attention and said, "It's very unusual for someone to come out here without a master or mistress so since no one has assigned you a name I guess you get to pick your own. What do you think you'd like for your pony name?"

"Why can't I just be Lindsay?"

"Lindsay Drake is a news reporter. You need a pony name to help you feel the role of a pony."

"I think Irish Rose would be a great name for a redheaded pony," Christine volunteered.

"What do you say? Does Irish Rose suit you? We could call you Irish, for short," Cyndi chimed in.

"Okay, I don't have a better one in mind and you two seem to be in agreement, Irish Rose, it is."

"Oh look, here comes Mistress Ella. She's going to be your trainer. I have briefed her on what I'd like you to learn while you're here and what events you might compete in. Come I'll introduce you before we get you into your tack. Don't say anything, just smile and nod when introduced."

"Good Morning again, Mistress Cyndi."

"And to you also, Mistress Ella. I'd like to present your charge for this weekend, Irish Rose." A quick exchange of nods later, Cyndi continued,"and this is Christine Donovan from Channel 17. She is here to do a story about The Pampered Pony and will be following Irish Rose throughout her training."

They shook hands and Christine said, "I expect you to put this pony through her paces. She has a lot of potential." The smile they shared was almost as chilling as the morning desert air.

"I'm off to do a couple of errands but I should be back by the time you have her in her tack," Mistress Ella shouted over her shoulder as she hustled out of the stables.

"All right, let's get you ready. Since this is your first day as a ponygirl, I want you to wear this leather bikini. I don't want the others making passes at you and disrupting your training.

"You want me to change right here in the open with people walking in and out all of the time?"

"A real ponygirl wouldn't hesitate for a minute...but since you are new, you may step into this stall to change. Don't expect Mistress Ella to cut you any slack though. She demands unquestioning obedience during training and is a firm disciplinarian."

Two minutes later Lindsay stepped out of the stall in the skimpy, black bikini. The appearance was stunning enough to cause one owner to trip over the stable's sliding door sill. A fumble his pony wife didn't miss and she stepped on his foot to let him know that his unwarranted attention to the newbie wasn't appreciated. Her steel ponyboot hoof got her point across and he led her out the door, limping slightly.

"Well, Irish Rose, you certainly do make an impression," said Cyndi, "let's get your boots on. Hold on to the stall door and give me your left foot and we'll try these size 9s on you. Since you will be training for the Derby, you will only have calf-length boots which are easier to run in. The show ponies will all have thigh-length boots."

It only took two minutes with Cyndi's experience to fit the first boot properly, lock the protective ankle cuff and lace it up. "Okay, now the other one."

Lindsay teetered unsteadily on her left foot and was thankful that she had something to hold on to. It only took a couple more minutes and both boots were done.

"Hold on to the railing on the wall and walk to the end of the stable," Cyndi directed, "then turn around and come back without using the rail. Clasp your hands on top of your head for balance when you return."

Fortunately for the Irish side, the Lindsay side was in great condition and the walk in the heavy boots proved to easier than originally thought. "These are kind of fun to walk in," smiled Lindsay to herself.

"Okay, Irish, let's get your main harness on and I'll explain what all the pieces are as we go," said Cyndi. "Think of this as just a big corset with shoulder straps and buckles. It will help you maintain your posture, support your back and prevent any bruising while pulling the sulky. Put your arms through these shoulder straps and I will lace and buckle the back. Christine, are you getting all of this recorded? I'm not in your light, am I?

"No, you are doing fine. Just keep explaining things like you are. I'll move around as needed to get the shots I want. That is a very expensive looking harness and the red and black leather lattice work down the front goes great with her red hair."

"I agree, Christine. It is truly beautiful but do you have to lace it so tightly, Cyndi?

"I'll lace it even tighter unless you start calling me Mistress Cyndi, Ponygirl Irish Rose." A quick jerk on the waist line conveyed the message that school was now in session. The buckles took a couple of minutes more and then Cyndi began pointing out some other features of the harness. "The rings on both sides of your shoulders are where the reins pass through to keep them from rubbing on your neck and causing a brush burn. The partial cups on the front provide support for your breasts, much like a sports bra. Go ahead and jog down to the end and back again to get a feel for it."

"Yes, Mistress Cyndi." said Irish and off she went almost giggling over all the attention she was getting.

"She learns quickly," Cyndi quipped to Christine.

"Yes, that's what I was afraid of so she had to be brought here. We'll see how everything goes."

Cyndi refocused her attention on Irish as the clip-clopping of ponyboots drew near again. "Okay, ponygirl, let's finish up your tack before Mistress Ella comes back or we'll both be in hot water. Let me put these leather cuffs on your wrists as you will need them to pull the sulky. These rings on your cuffs connect to leading arms on the sulky so you can't accidently drop the handles when you are running. It happened once a few years ago and the rails dug into the dirt flipping the cart and driver, breaking his arm. They also have little bells on them that have a nice jingle when you walk since you don't have nipple rings like Twilight," Cyndi explained as she locked the cuffs on with a concealed latch.

"Irish, why don't you put your hair up into a pony tail with this scrunchy and I'll attach a tail to the base of your corset for your first day. Christine can you put the camera down for a minute and help me with the head harness," directed Cyndi realizing too late she might have said too much.

"What's a head harness?" Christine was quick to cover Cyndi's slip of the tongue by feigning ignorance.

"It's that bundle of straps with the red feather sticking out of the top hanging on the side of the stall," recovered Cyndi, "Please bring it to me and I'll show you how it goes on."

Irish was really starting to get into this pony play thing and she shook her hands to make her bells jingle.

"I know you are getting eager to see what's next but you will have to stand still so I can get your head piece on. Oh look, here comes Twilight Girl. Come over here, Twilight. Grab your head harness off the rack and show Irish Rose how it looks and works, would you dear?"

"Yes, Mistress Cyndi. Is that Ms. Lindsay's new pony name, Irish Rose?"

"Yes, Twilight dear, now hurry as Mistress Ella could be back any minute."

"Can I be in the video too with Irish Rose?"

"Certainly, if you want to, Twilight, you'll just have to sign a release form later. Christine, give Irish her head piece and you can film Twilight showing Irish how it works and how to put it on."

"First, grab the part that looks like a tiara with a feather sticking out and give it a good shake and you will see that the straps all sort themselves out. Now put the tiara's top strap across the top of your head and fish your ponytail through the big ring in the strap like I'm doing. Don't mind all the junk hanging in front of your face right now. Ready? Good. Now the part that looks like an upside-down "Y" goes down the sides of your nose. Now just watch me a minute, this is really cool, in a high tech sort of way that is." Having said that, Twilight inserted the flat rubber coated plate on top of her tongue and pull the rest of the bit back between her teeth. The most amazingly realistic whinny sounds came out of her mouth.

Irish's jaw almost hit the floor. "How did you do that? That was so cool!"

Twilight was grinning from ear to ear as she removed her bit. "Didn't I tell you? The rubber covered plate that sits on my tongue holds the batteries but don't worry it's completely waterproof. The cylindrical part of the bit between my teeth has a microphones and mini-speakers in both ends. See the slots in the ends? The rubber bit contains a micro-processor that works like those fancy headsets with noise-cancellation technology. It automatically cancels out what you try to say and converts it to a series of whinnies. I tried to say, 'Mary had a little lamb'. You try to say something."

"Irish, say 'I love being a ponygirl' in your natural voice and then try it with the bit in place," Christine suggested coyly.

Irish giggled and said, "I love being a ponygirl" and then shoved the plate and bit into her mouth but what came out was a happy sounding, "N-n-n-g-g-h....n-n-g-h....N-n-n-n-n-n-g-g-h-h-h-h-h!" It took a good three minutes to stop Irish and Twilight from giggling and laughing.

Finally, Cyndi punned in, "Okay, you two that's enough horsing around, we've got work to do. Thank you, Twilight, you'd better hurry back to the lodge I hear the main gate sliding open and you have to greet our guests.......and don't forget to disinfect your harness and put your greeter's headdress back on."

"Yes, Mistress Cyndi, and you're welcome. I was happy to help," chirped Twilight and she jogged jingling out the door to see to her lodge duties for the rest of the morning.

"Time to put your pony voice back on and I'll do the straps up for you."

Irish put the plate back in and the bit went right into place as Cyndi cinched up the strap behind her head and locked it. The chin strap was tightened and locked as well as the ones running up beside her ears and joining the ring holding her ponytail. "Is that too tight, Irish, dear?

"N-n-n-g-g-h-h!" was all that came back in response.

"Okay, let's go outside and hook you up to a cart for Mistress Ella."

They exited the stables through the door farthest from the lodge and found the sulky that Tom had left for them. Cyndi positioned Irish between the rails and had her lift them up. The cuff rings were quickly padlocked to the rings on the handles and Cyndi told Irish to let go to demonstrate that she couldn't drop it if she tried. As Irish grasped the handles again, Cyndi fitted blinders to each side of her head harness as well as connected the reins to the bit and ran them through the rings on her shoulder pads and back to the cart.

"I told Mistress Ella to start you out slowly with just blinders and gradually work up to a full blindfold. You have to learn to trust your driver when she gives you a command with the reins. Ah, Mistress Ella, I was just giving Irish Rose a brief preview of what's to come today. She's all yours."

"Thank you, Mistress Cyndi; I believe Tom is looking for you......something about needing another room tonight. I also signed those release papers for Ms Donovan so she may film me and left them on your desk. See you later."

Chapter 3: Let the Training Begin

"First lesson you have to learn Irish is that you are here to please me. When you are hooked up to a cart, you are to kneel with the handles resting on the ground. That makes it easier for your driver, whoever that may be, to step over the rails and sit down."

No sooner had Ella finished speaking than Irish felt the sting of a riding crop on her left buttocks. Her squeal only came out as a soft whinny and she heard Ella ask, "Why are you still standing, ponygirl? I thought I was quite clear about what was expected and I do so hate to repeat myself. I like to let my crop do my clarifying when necessary."

"Very good, my pretty pony. I didn't even finish my little speech and you were already on the ground. I think I like you already. Irish was just happy to have avoided another swat with the crop and whinnied a sigh of relief.

"Up," was the command and Irish sprang to her feet. "I love your red hair, ponygirl. Wiggle your ponytail for me. Nice. Okay, I am now going to give you the basic commands with the reins and then we will walk a few times around the track to help you get used to pulling the cart and following my lead. From the standing position, when I shake both reins that means to start walking. If I whistle, it means go faster. Obviously, if I pull on your left rein gently, it means to veer slightly to the left. If I pull hard like this it means to turn sharply. If you are at a standstill like you are now, a hard pull means I want you to pivot the cart around in place. The same goes for pulling on the right rein. If I pull both reins back gently when you are walking, I want you to slow down. If I pull back hard, I want you to stop immediately. If I pull them back, while you are standing, I want you to back up. Are you clear about all of these?"

"N-n-n-g-g-h-h," said Irish, which was apparently pony-ese for 'Yes' because Ella gave the reins a quick shake and off they went with first a slight turn to the right and then on towards the entrance to the track. Ella gave a firm pull on the reins and Irish stopped.

"If we go for a walk down the canyon later, it is okay to walk as you normally would but here on the grounds, you must learn to walk properly. I want my ponygirls to walk proudly, head held high and raising your knees to waist height with every step. Now let's begin again," said Ella shaking the reins and off they went.

Swat! Irish's right cheek felt the crop that time as Ella called out, "Higher with those knees, Irish."

Series of whinnies erupted from Irish's mouth as if to say, "Okay, okay, knock it off with the crop already, I get it, I get it." Ella just chuckled to herself.

100 yards later Ella drew back on the reins and Irish came to a halt. "Down" came the command, "I have to open the gate." A minute later, Ella came back and taking Irish by the bridle lead her through the gate and closed it behind them. Irish immediately went to her knees without being told and Ella climbed in and shook the reins.