Winter Flea Part 3

Sunday dawned bright and sunny, but there was a touch of melancholy in the atmosphere for me. It was the last day of the Flea, and it would be the shorter. Not only were things scheduled to start later than the day before, but closing time would come sooner as well. Then we would have to take down all of that stuff we had brought in, pack it all in the van and head home. I wasn't looking forward to that because I was enjoying myself way too much.

Consider this flashback to the night before. On returning to the hotel from the Masquerade Ball, I rode up on the elevator with what appeared to be a nice couple. We chatted briefly and cordially, and when my floor came up and I got off, I heard the man call out, "We're in room 1618 if you get bored!" Now if I had a second life to live, I probably would have turned on my heel, walked back into the elevator and asked what he had in mind. As it was, I didn't. Who knows what I missed? I shall spend a great deal of time fantasizing about what might have been, which in all likelihood will be more thrilling than any reality could have been.

After getting up I decided to go out for breakfast and found I could get a small croissant at the same nook where I got coffee the morning before. That and a cup of coffee got me up and running for the day and I returned to the room. We decided to pack and get out of the room altogether even though we weren't required to check out until that afternoon. Keeping things moving in one direction is usually a good thing when you have a lot to do. So we showered, dressed and headed to the paddock with all of our luggage.

The security people unlocked the paddock for us and we started getting ready for the day. Tacking would be delayed because Mistress planned to use it as part of the class presentation at noon. I started looking around the room and tidying up where necessary. That's when I saw a piece of fringe on the carpet - fringe that had once been a part of one of my hooves! Somehow, I had managed to stomp on it and rip it from the legging. Clearly I was going to have to be more careful!

Finally the class began. By this time, Stormy and I were down to tights and dance belt (respectively) and ready for tacking. Mistress began the class and talked about pony play, what is needed, how to approach it, what sorts of toys are useful and things like that. One major object of interest was a tool called a twitch. Just seeing it can make me shudder.

For those who don't know, a twitch is a heavy stick with a loop of chain at one end. Normally, it is looped around the snout of a recalcitrant horse. With a quick twist, the chain tightens and the horse starts cooperating. A twitch can also be used on human ponies. All it takes is a little imagination in deciding what to loop it around. Ponygirls have breasts and ponyboys have...well, you get the idea. One quick grab and a twist and...I'll follow Mistress anywhere, believe me.

The talk went on for quite a while mostly because of questions from the audience. I'm a little impatient by nature and I wanted to get my tack on, so finally I decided to move things along. Mistress had some reins hanging around her neck. I walked over, nuzzled her gently and ever so carefully took the reins in my teeth, trying to make off with them. She was a bit too fast for me, but she also understood what I was trying to say. My tack went on during the next part of the lecture and Mistress used me to demonstrate a number of training elements including gait, following commands, blindfold training and so on.

When the class was over, Mistress tacked up Stormy and the day began in earnest for us. People came and went in large numbers throughout the day and each of us was given lots of individual training time. It always amazes me how Mistress seems to find time for all the ponies she trains. I don't know how she does it - unless she has a clone somewhere and I don't realize it - but this pony appreciates the time and does not begrudge the time to other ponies.

Still, open play time was a frustration at times. There was one stretch of time when there were many ponies (including brand new ones trying it out for the first time) all over the place. It was great to see everyone having so much fun.

Except for me. Nobody seemed to want to play with me! I was tethered to my stall and couldn't get away. Ok, so I had been a little naughty earlier. I stole the fruit cup on the treat table and took it back to my stall. Then I grabbed the twitch and ran about with it. Still, I know I wasn't being punished for that. People were just shy about jumping in and playing. At least, that's what I think.

So there I was, all dressed up with nowhere to go. Now, I'm not at my best when I have nothing to do. I start looking for ways to amuse myself and the results can be a bit unpredictable. I looked about my stall to see what was at hand and found my hobbles hanging on the fence. Hobbles are cuffs that go around the legs and are connected with a short, heavy chain. They are used to keep a pony from kicking or going too far too fast. At least, that is what they are designed for. A bored pony can find other uses for them. They make a great noise when you toss them around, but in finding that out I incurred a punishment and got a good thwacking from Mistress. Turns out she can find many uses for reins. She also left the hobbles on the floor so I couldn't get at them again. Oh well.

There were visits from more friends and such, but overall, the afternoon was amazing for the way some new people jumped in and took part. There were new ponies and new trainers. Many came in couples and it was fun to watch them discover. You can almost watch the light go on behind peoples' eyes as they learn what pony play feels like.

Stormy and I had one final challenge in the form of a beautiful woman named Raven. Mistress brought her over to our stalls to introduce her to us. She said Raven was very nicely evil and was going to give each of us a grooming. Now Mistress had done a fine job of keeping Stormy and I groomed throughout the Flea, her delicious evil streak even causing her to use ice water on me at one point (it was all the water we had in the room). But this was something entirely different. Raven smiled at both of us in a way that made us back up a step. We looked at each other as if to say, "We're doomed!" Raven approached with treats in her hand and offered them to Stormy.

Let me tell you about the treats. Most were really good. There were granola balls, carrots, apples and fresh fruit. On the other hand, there were the actual pony treats. They were pineapple treats intended for real horses but consumable by humans. I had to take it on faith that they were made from pineapple because they tasted more like gum drops that had passed their expiration date. They were so full of and coated with sugar that it was like eating a sugar cube. Stormy and I had eaten our fill of them after about...one. But here was Raven offering them to Stormy. He didn't dare refuse.

His grooming followed and a painful experience it looked to be! Raven used the stiff brush and went at it until Stormy was beet red all over. At times, he looked as though he'd cry. But he made it through the process and eagerly awaited watching my face as I underwent the same grooming process. I love being groomed even if it can be painful. This is S&M after all! The grooming is my reward for the hard work I do. But here I was having a few second thoughts. When Raven came and offered me some pineapple treats, I ate them as well. She stroked my hair and told me what a beautiful pony I was. I just knew that stiff brush was hidden on her somewhere and I waited in preparation for what was coming.

But it never came. I don't know why, but Raven didn't groom me. Perhaps she decided I hadn't needed it or something, but whatever the reason, that was her decision. I envied Stormy his grooming session, but it turned out that Stormy envied me as well. Not only was my hide intact, but I had gotten to watch his face while he endured his session. He, on the other hand wasn't going to get to watch mine. Of course, he did get to watch my face the day before when I got sprayed with ice water!

I guess it's all about perspective.

All good things must come to an end, and as much as we dreaded it, the Flea came to a close. At 4:00 p.m. it was time to take the tack off and become humans again. I'll admit I was ready to remove the hooves after so many hours. They amount to three-inch heels, after all, and with all the cantering, jumping and trotting around I had done over the past two days, my legs were sore! On top of that, Stormy and I have something of an ethic that we follow. When we are in tack, we do not sit down. Real ponies don't sit down, so we feel we shouldn't when we are in role. That meant that the two of us had been on our feet for about 15 hours over the two days of the Flea. Like I said, this is S&M!

The stalls came apart quickly and we kept it neat and orderly. Everything got packed and ready for the van. Mistress went and got the van backed up to the loading door and the process of moving out began. It took surprisingly little time, mostly because of the help we got from some people who had joined in the fun over the weekend. Once done, some of us sat down to chat. Our time was limited because everyone had to be out of the place soon. Mistress, Stormy and I decided to make one more pilgrimage to the food court before heading out and had some Indian food again. It was a good move. I was famished.

We ate and talked about lots of things. For a brief moment, I was alone with Stormy and we talked just between the two of us. Stormy is very special to me and he told me he felt the same about me. You don't meet many people in one lifetime that you can get really close to and a friendship of that sort is priceless. I'm glad Stormy is part of my life now. I'm also glad that Mistress holds the same place in my heart. Most of all, I'm glad for the Experience of my first Flea.

The trip home to Boston was uneventful although it raised some anxiety as we passed sign after sign telling motorists to take the train to work the next morning because of the Biblical snow storm that was coming. When we left for Providence on Friday, there was a 20% chance of snow. Clearly that had changed. It wouldn't have been an issue except that I had to drive back to Maine the next day.

Arriving at Mistress' house, we had to immediately unload the van and put everything away. Luckily, we had things down to a science by that time and the process went smoothly. In less than an hour, everything was stowed away and the removable seats were back in the van. Both of us were tired, but it was time for stories and chit chat. And I had to clean my tack. A pony should never forget to clean his tack! We talked for a couple of hours before turning in for the night.

The next morning arrived with at least eight inches of snow on the ground. That meant a very long ride home for me, and it's a story I won't bother with now. I want to keep this upbeat.

So that was my first Fetish Fair Fleamarket. I had way too much fun, met lots of great new friends, showed off my stuff and learned a few things.

I learned that running off with the twitch will get Mistress' attention quickly, but that carrying a chain in your teeth might not be such a great idea.

I learned that what I consider to be adequate coverage might not be to the next person.

I learned that some of the weirdest looking people are also some of the friendliest.

I learned how much I adore Mistress and Stormy.

But I never learned what was going on in room 1618.