//------------------------------// // 97. Pony Petting Association // Story: Short Shorts // by Coranth //------------------------------// "When you pet an Equestrian Pony," I stated softy, gently combing my fingers through Lyra's mane as those gathered looked on, "one of the first things you need to be aware of is the pony's thoughts on the matter. As we all know, Equestrian Ponies - unlike those of Earth - are sapient; thus, you can't just walk up to a pony and start petting away. You need to be aware that the pony you're petting, as well as the other ponies around you, might find the idea of petting odd at first. They might be reluctant to have you do it, or might not want to be petted at all; if that's the case than don't do it; you'll end up giving us all here at the Pony Petting Association a bad name." I paused for a moment, before continuing. "If, however, you can convince a pony to try being petted, again, don't start petting straight away. Instead, let the pony you're going to pet 'take the lead' as it were; allow them to bring you to a place where they feel comfortable. Such a place might be their home, or another venue in which they'll feel safe. Once you're in a place of safety, suggest that your pony friend either sit, or lay down; if they lay down - on a bed, or a sofa, etc. - then lay down with them; don't tower over them or make yourself higher than them as this will trigger a pony's ancient 'prey' instincts and you'll more often than not end up ruining the whole experience." When no questions were forthcoming, I continued, gently lifting Lyra's head. "Note the eyes" I stated softly. "Lyra, here, has very large eyes - as do all Equestrian Ponies - and this is because ponies are prey animals; thus, they need to be able to see everything around them, and their large eyes allow for this. Their eyes also assist with their looking foal-like and/or cute to larger species; this aids with eventual befriending. This brings me to my first point about pony petting: when you begin to pet a pony start from the front and allow them to see you! I cannot stress this enough - you wouldn't believe the number of calls we've had about petting experiences gone wrong. Additionally whilst many bad experiences are due to this common mistake, there are bad people out there - people not associated with the PPA - who don't care about the happiness of the ponies at all; they 'go for the rump' and nothing else, they pet too roughly, and they do other worse, perverse things." I sighed, continuing to hold Lyra gently. "They give genuine pony handlers like us a bad name so if you catch wind of someone mistreating a pony report them immediately to a guard, or to us." That said, I continued, "Now, as I stated before, when you first start petting a pony, let them see what you're doing. Start with the muzzle and cheeks..." I started petting Lyra then; I cupped her muzzle in my hands letting her snort her breath through my fingers than, stroked the 'bridge' of her snout, before moving to caress her cheeks. Lyra - long used to my gentle touch - hummed softly, a nicker escaping her. "Did you all hear that?" I asked. The audience murmured in assent. "That was Lyra nickering. The nicker is a primal pony sound, and you'll find that nearly all Equestrian Ponies will nicker, neigh, whinny, and make other primal noises like this. Back in olden-times, long before Equestria even existed, Ponies used to be the friends and companions of Man; when we pet them, a lot of the primal stuff you see them do comes from those ancient genes, now active once again. Some Equestrians - such as Lyra here - accept it; most others do not, and instead find it embarrassing when they inadvertently make those noises. If you do get a pony to 'go primal' consider it a huge achievement, but don't mention it afterwards, unless the pony you're with feels comfortable about it. Now, as I was saying about the cheeks and muzzle, lots of thin, sensitive fur to pet here. When you're petting a pony another rule - and one that must be obeyed utterly - is this: Be. Gentle. For gods's sake people, it's common sense. Be gentle. These ponies are not plush toys come to life; they're living, thinking, feeling beings; as we all are. The Pony Petting Association was built on the idea of humans petting ponies as a form of therapy and relaxation for both species. For a pony to be petted by us, it's a very mild form of 'pet play'; true pet play where a pony knows he/she can let go; surrender the responsibilities of normal pony life and just be petted, cared for, loved, unconditionally. It's an utterly gentle, nurturing treatment, for both ponies and humans. To care and be cared for." That said, I continued with the demonstration. "Now, petting a pony's cheeks and muzzle is all well and good, but you need to be aware of the 'snoot' which is a very sensitive area of skin at the very tip of a pony's muzzle. Be very careful when petting this area; if you're too rough you can cause your pony friend pain and discomfort, and we don't want that." That said I carefully stroked the velvety tip of Lyra's muzzle with my fingers, making her go cross-eyed and causing several members of the audience to giggle; at this Lyra snorted! "Now," I grinned, "the next area we'll look at are the ears; very soft, very plush, but also extremely sensitive. You can lightly pet and stroke the backs of the ears, gently rub the tips, and even venture inside just a little..." I demonstrated said techniques, making Lyra whimper with bliss and close her eyes, "... but as I stated, the ears are very sensitive; do not handle them roughly and whatever you do, absolutely do not pull on them! You can also scratch behind them, too; that's another area that Ponies can't really 'get' with their hooves..." I gave Lyra a gentle scratching behind the ears and she gasped, her eyes rolling back into her head. "The next area we'll look at" I stated once I'd finished, "is the mane." Combing my fingers through Lyra's mane, I continued, "All Equestrian Ponies put some effort into taking care of their manes, especially mares. Thus, when you pet a mare's mane it might be glossy and silky smooth; great for combing your hands through. Mares love having their manes petted and combed with hands; not only is it extremely relaxing but mane 'combing' is something that just can't be done with pony hooves. It feels even better when you comb through the mane to scratch the skin beneath. Do not pull on the mane; in some cases doing so can cause an erogenous reaction; the same with the tail." I demonstrated the mane combing on Lyra and she nickered, groaned softly, and then collapsed onto her side. "Ah," I stated, "now we are go for the body petting, long strokes from the neck, down the barrel to the rump if your pony permits it..." Lyra sighed through her nose, and I lay down such that she could cuddle close to me, stretching out. "With full-body petting you can go everywhere except for the cutie marks and private areas unless your pony friend has allowed it. Most importantly.... belly rubs are a huge thing to do here..." Lyra rolled onto her back, wriggling, kicking her hooves in the air and I proceeded to give her a belly rub; she whimpered and nickered in bliss. "Hooves are also a thing - you can cup them in your hands and play with the undersides; the sensitive 'frogs' beneath - but be aware that some ponies have overly sensitive hooves and/or mightn't like having their hooves touched; sometimes you can trigger an erogenous reaction from these, as well as the horn-base and wings for unicorns and pegasi..." And so the presentation continued as - with Lyra being a very willing participant - I proceeded to demonstrate various pony petting techniques. By the time I was finished, my friend Lyra was a mare-shaped bag of melted mush, completely blissed out and nearly asleep. "Should anyone - or anypony - have any questions, feel free to write or call me at my house in Ponyville," I whispered softly, picking up Lyra gently so as not to disturb her near-doze. "Thank you everybody." With that, I made to carry Lyra home from the PPA building. On my way out however, I nearly dropped poor Lyra as somepony galloped past me, nearly knocking me off my feet. Somepony I'd seen before. "Was that... Ms. Harshwhinny? Hm. Wonder why she was in such a hurry?" I questioned Lyra. Lyra peered out the door, then looked back at me and shrugged, before resting her head on my shoulder. "Ah, well. Come on, sweetie, let's go home..." Later that night - after a hearty meal - Lyra and I crashed in front of the fireplace within my Ponyville home as outside a scheduled, though still fearsome, pegasi-made storm raged. As we cuddled together before the roaring flames, Lyra nuzzling all over me as I roamed my hands over her body, suddenly-- THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! --there came the loud sound of a heavy hoof knocking upon our front door. Half-alarmed and half-curious as to who might be wanting to enter our home at this time of night in such awful weather, Lyra and I got up to answer the door--and were nearly bowled over as the wet and bedraggled form of Ms. Harshwhinny charged into the entryway. No sooner had we forced the front door closed than Lyra and I were facing the female earth pony mare. She looked a mess. Her normally crisp business suit was creased and crumpled, the slight makeup she wore about her face was ruined, there were bags under her eyes... and she looked like she'd been crying. No sooner were we facing her than she was looking at Lyra - at both of us - with the greatest look of contempt I'd ever seen. Then, as Lyra looked on wide-eyed, Ms. Harshwhinny lowered her head, scuffed a hoof on the ground and snorted; a challenge between mares. Before things could escalate, however, I stepped between them, carefully taking advantage of an old, old pony instinct, that mares will never hurt a stallion. Thankfully, it seemed to work; Lyra backed off and then returned to my side. Ms. Harshwhinny, however, just stood where she was. Her lower lip quivered. Her body began to shake. Then, a strangled noise escaped her as she wilted, sinking to the floor as she started to cry. This wouldn't do. With Lyra at my side I carefully approached Ms. Harshwhinny, then when she didn't react I picked her up in my arms (she was too thin, too light...) and carried her to our bathroom. There, gently Lyra and I stripped her of her suit and - as Lyra carefully took it in her magic to be laundered - I proceeded to bathe Ms. Harshwhinny. As I was lathering up the fur of her neck, I came upon something interesting. Around Ms. Harshwhinny's neck there appeared to be some kind of collar - if a simple, thin leather cord to which a very tiny, rusted 'tag' was affixed could be called such. It wasn't restricting her breathing in any way, but it was so tight I could barely get a finger beneath it. Upon seeing it, I frowned; this was something from the olden-days of the PPA wherein ponies whom were assigned a Petter were gifted with a Collar designating them a Petee. "You had a handler, once, didn't you?" I asked softly, pausing my washing of her to look into her eyes. Sniffling, swallowing thickly, Ms. Harshwhinny nodded. "Y-Yes..." she timidly answered. A choked sob escaped her, then. My eyes narrowed. Back then, the PPA was new; it wasn't regulated properly - we didn't have the severe background and criminal checks that we had nowadays - and almost anyone could register to become a Petter. Ms. Harshwhinny was trembling, now, visibly fighting the urge to burst into tears. "Did... did you have a bad experience with a Petter?" I asked her, softly. The female Earth Pony nodded, her expression crumpling; then she moved a little in the tub to whisper into my ear, "I was... was... r-ruh-rap..." Immediately, I winced, gently cupping a hand over her muzzle; she didn't need to tell me any more. "You don't need to tell me anymore, sweetie," I whispered soothingly to her, "not if you don't want to..." I might have been concerned for her on the outside, but internally, I raged; how long had this poor mare lived with this burden inside her? Refocusing my attention on her, I continued, "Let's finish bathing you, and then I'll dry you off, and we'll go out and settle in front of the fire, okay?" Stepping away from her I moved to the medicine cabinet above the bathroom vanity and retrieved a small pair of scissors which I used to carefully cut away the collar about Ms. Harshwhinny's neck. As I did so, a softened whimper escaped the mare - as if a weight had been removed from her shoulders - and then she sagged gently against me as I carefully set the scissors aside and resumed washing her. Ever-so-gently, I washed her face, soaping up my hands with a lather and then running them over her snout, and cheeks; as I did so, Ms. Harshwhinny sobbed gently, a nicker escaping her; she was still so very strong... After rinsing off her face, I carefully moved to her ears, cleaning them gently, making sure not to get any water inside; then I lathered and rinsed her mane before soaping up her body. Bathing her, I massaged her, working my hands deeply into all her body's muscles; then I gently lifted one hoof at a time to clean those and the frogs beneath. All the while Ms. Harshwhinny was crying silently, though upon her face there could be seen a truly beatific smile. I was treating her as a proper Petter should... and I was only washing her; we hadn't even done any actual petting, yet! Down her barrel and flanks I washed, until coming upon her cutie marks, the little depiction of the Equestria Games Trophy born proudly upon each of her finely-toned flanks. "May I...?" I whispered softly, as Lyra - having laundered her suit and set it out to dry - returned and looked on. Ms. Harshwhinny trembled, whimpered, nodded, and so I carefully washed the marks, tickling them gently, bringing from the female mare a choked giggle. Finally, I came upon Ms. Harshwhinny's tail and privates. "May I...?" I whispered softly again. "Are you comfortable with letting me...?" Slowly, hesitantly, Ms. Harshwhinny lifted her tail aside that I might carefully take it in my hands, her whole body shaking such that Lyra had to assist with holding her steady. Softly, slowly, I soaped and rinsed her tail, combing my hands through the blonde hair; then, as gently as I was able I washed her crescent, her femininity. As I did so, the poor mare braced herself - as though she expected some kind of pain to come - but when none did, she turned her head back to look at me, her muzzle crinkled with shock and surprise. "What you experienced was awful, absolutely awful ma'am. I... - we - are going to show you that being petted properly can be a wonderful experience." That said, I finished washing her and then - "Come on, up we go..." I lifted her out of the bath, then gently set her down upon her hooves and dried her off with a thick, soft, fluffy towel. At first, Lyra looked on, somewhat jealous that her stallion was lavishing attention upon this other strange mare - she growled and snorted and pouted - but when I softly whispered in her ear, informing her of the tragedy that had befallen Ms. Harshwhinny, she gasped, her gamboge eyes widening, misting with tears, and moved to nuzzle-nuzzle-nuzzle the Earth Pony mare apologetically. When Ms. Harshwhinny's coat, mane and tail were nearly dry though still a little damp, gently I picked her up, Lyra looking at the Earth Pony anxiously as I carried her out to the main living area. A gentle gesture to Lyra and the mint-green unicorn was pulling out the sofa-bed; then I set her down upon it. Shortly thereafter, I went to change into sleepwear then returned and lay down with her. No sooner had I done so than Lyra went away for a moment, to return bearing a Petters Kit, stocked with brushes, oils, incense; everything I might need when tending to a pony. I maneuvered myself into the middle of the bed, carefully shifting Harshwhinny to my left; Lyra hopped up and laid down on my right side, such that I was now amid a pony sandwich! Then, Lyra proceeded to hand me the various brushes from the kit - the heavy brush, a lighter brush, and finally a very fine brush - with which I thoroughly groomed Ms. Harshwhinny until her coat, mane and tail were wonderfully soft, and silky. Then, finally, I began to pet her. I roamed my hands over her muzzle, cheeks, and snoot; then I delicately stroked her ears and scratched behind them; at this a look of wonder crossed the Earth Pony's face before her eyes rolled back into her head and she slumped against me, groaning. Soon, I ruffled and combed my fingers through her blonde mane then scratch-scratch-scratched the skin beneath and she panted, tongue lolling as she moved to str-e-e-ech out against me in bliss, throwing a forehoof over my chest. With both hands, I stroked and rubbed her coat, massaging the muscles beneath; her blissful sighs and whimpers were music to Lyra and I as she responded so wonderfully to my every gentle touch. As I neared her cutie marks, however, the Earth Pony mare began to shiver and tremble than whimper. I made to stop petting her--but no sooner had I attempted to do so than Ms. Harshwhinny actually moved such that her rump and cutie marks were beneath my hands... and then, she began letting out a short lifetime's worth of pain and loneliness. She would just 'hold' me with her hoof for a while; then she'd wedge her muzzle beneath my chin and cry uncontrollably for a few minutes; then, without warning, she would nuzzle and 'lip' me so passionately, I thought she meant to have me mate with her, right there before Lyra; then she just resumed clinging to me, trembling as though she were dying of cold. Gently removing my hands from her rump, I drew the poor mare close to me whereupon she tucked her muzzle into the crook of my shoulder and inhaled, still trembling even as she took in my scent. "You're in a safe place now, sweetheart..." I whispered gently into her ear. "No one's going to hurt you anymore..." Naturally, it took quite some time for Ms. Harshwhinny to return to an even keel but soon, with gentle coaxing and encouragement from Lyra, the Earth Pony mare slowly rolled onto her back, allowing me to bury a hand into her chestfur then wend my way down to her belly. A half-sigh, half-moan escaped the mare as I gave her a gentle belly rub--then laughter followed as Lyra nuzzled and lipped her hooves' sensitive frogs. A moment later Ms. Harshwhinny's eyes widened as Lyra slowly removed my pajama pants with her magic than tossed them aside, giving the mare a downright smug look! Not wanting to be outdone, the Earth Pony proceeded to unbutton my pajama top with hoof and mouth then put it aside, too, leaving me as naked as the day I was born. Now I know what you're thinking - human man plus two beautiful pony mares equals threesome - but I'm telling you right now: it didn't happen; Neither Lyra nor I would ever take advantage of Ms. Harshwhinny like that, not after what she'd been through. Instead, Lyra gently coaxed the Earth Pony mare to explore my body with muzzle and gentle hoof, then to stretch out and cuddle against me, a gasp escaping her as she felt the indescribable feeling of her fur against my warm skin. Soon, with a soft squeak and a sigh, Ms. Harshwhinny settled against me, resting her head on my chest and then Lyra did the same. Both mares eyed each other for a moment. Then, Lyra Heartstrings and Ms. Harshwhinny - Angelica Harshwhinny as she was properly called (I found this out later) - gently nuzzled and softly kissed each other. Eyes misting with tears, the Earth Pony mare nickered in Ponytongue, "Don't... don't want go..." Upon hearing this, Lyra nuzzled-nuzzled-nuzzled Angelica then gently nibbled the tips of her ears, making the Earth Pony shiver. "Then no go," she nickered. "Stay. Get new job Ponyville. Be with David; good, kind human. Be with me. You Herd now. Ever. Always." Angelica wept silently for a moment as Lyra and I brushed her tears away. Then, as I petted and stroked the coats and manes of both of these wondrous pony mares, softly, Angelica Harshwhinny, soon-to-be former Head of the Equestria Games whispered, "Thank you."