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PONY GIRL SHOWCASE [ part 2 ] Redirection The vibrations of the planes flight, the dim lighting, and the fact they had been rousted out of their beds in the middle off the night caused the little pony girls to eventually nod off to sleep. The Swiss air 747-cargo plane landed at Heathrow, just outside London and taxied to the freight handling area. Their customs inspectors and people from the British Humane Society met it. The plane was late, and the two pony girl trainers were beginning to fret about their charges. "Eight ponies under quarantine arriving from Switzerland for the London Christmas Pony Show" Sister Equestrienne, now dressed in a light gray business suit informed the customs people, handing them sheets of pre-authorization papers for the ponies inside. "They are to be held in a quarantine site on the grounds of Winchester House" She informed them. "Where the newly retired multi Olympic Gold Medal winning head of the British Equestrian team is ?" One enquired. "We have read Her Majesty has included him on her Christmas honours list" another injected. "It is a peerage for him" "Can we have the freight staff enter and drive the truck out?" An exasperated Sister Equestrienne asked. "Certainly Maam" The one in charge replied. "You may pick up your cargo when it reaches the tarmac and we will inform the customs gate you are free to leave" As they watched, the prime mover was carefully driven out of the plane and towards them as they stood near the hanger. "Can I see your passports in my office" A new uniformed official with two armed men in tow asked the pair. "This way please" "But we are waiting for that Horse box and are an hour late already" Greg said as they followed him inside the hanger, the two armed officers right up behind. "Passports" The man requested holding out his hand. "Please sit here while I run some checks" The tall official informed them, as he walked out holding their passports. "My men will be outside, so please do not attempt to leave" Sometime later Sister Equestrienne became fed up and walked over to the door and yanked it open. "There is no one out here" She exclaimed. "We had better check on our ponies" Greg said running past her. Outside there was no sign of their truck. And Greg rushed off to find the cargo customs officials who had processed their paperwork. Sister Equestrienne, hands uncharacteristically shaking, drew out her cellphone and placed a call. "Sister A, this is Sister Equestrienne" She quietly said. "I think the ponies have been kidnapped" Sister A’s reply caused her to jerk the phone away from her ear. "I hear and obey mistress" Sister Equestrienne softly replied and put her cellphone away. Just then, Greg returned the customs official in tow. "Your horse box cleared the cargo gate five minutes after we drove it over to where you were standing when I stamped your paperwork" He informed the two. "Your driver and his co- driver climbed up and even waved as he drove out, the security car right behind them" "What did Sister A say when you told her we had lost eight of her girls" Greg enquired as they walked back inside. "We are both dead if we do not get them back, of course" She replied. "I know most of the pony girl people in England" Greg informed her. "And there are only so many places within driving range you can safely keep eight pony girls" "Start phoning" She said. "And I will notify Alice’s people the girls have been kidnapped" Two hours later, both school staffers were in one of Alice’s manor Rolls Royce's heading for the manor. "Any sign of our horse transport" Sister Equestrienne enquired of the guard sitting beside the driver. "The lorry is a custom job" She replied. "Unfortunately from above it still looks exactly as thousands of other lorries do" "What do the security cameras the police have everywhere show?" Greg asked. "So far, we think it passed through London, a very stupid move on their part" She replied. And it may have headed for the newest London dockyards" "Can we go there instead?" Sister Equestrienne wondered. "Four carloads of our security are already sweeping the dockyards and two more are in choppers overhead" She continued. "Our orders are to bring you to the manor" The limousine turned off the highway as the moon came out and drove down a well-paved road. A few minuets later they passed through a very typical English country town, and then across a Victorian period iron bridge. "How far is it to the manor house now?" Sister Equestrienne inquired. "You have been on its grounds since we turned off the highway, maam" The guard replied. "We are still five minutes from the manors front door" "What are you smiling about?" She asked Greg. "I have been here four times and still have not seen anything more than this drive up, and the immediate grounds around the Manor" He replied. "Winchester House" The guard announced as they crested a tree-covered hill. "It covers two soccer pitches," Greg said. "Three and a half" The guard replied. "Not including the extensive formal gardens at the rear leading down the hill towards the horse barns beyond" "How old is it?" Sister Equestrienne asked. "The princess tower you see in the corner is late Roman in origin" The guard said with pride. "And the Medieval hall beside it was built during the reign of Edward the Second replacing the earlier one that was too far gone to repair safely" They pulled up to the main entrance were a young girl in a severely cut dark blue dress stood with two obvious household staffers and two more female guards waiting. "Welcome to Winchester House" She said as they stepped out. " I am Alice’s Castillian Mary" "I have seen you at our school with Alice’s group" Sister Equestrienne said. "Yes we are here for a week to arrange the show and take care of some Commonwealth business" She replied. "Please follow these two up to your rooms in order that you can refresh yourselves from you long trip" As the two guards who drove them here closed up behind, and the two household staff indicated they follow. There was nothing else for them to do. "Will Alice be available for us to talk to" Sister Equestrienne enquired as they were led away. "Possible at dinner time" Mary replied. "She has a few problems of her own to work out"
Relationships "He is a beautiful horse," Alice said, as she stroked Knight Riders flank. "If you say so mistress" Was his only reply. "He is your property as everything hereabouts is" "Are his hoofs recently seen to and re-shod?" She asked. "As you instructed, by me personally" He said. "Do you not think we make a splendidly matched pair as we jump?" She asked. "It has been said you two are one" He replied. "And are a shoe in for England’s Equestrian team" "Why are we not one?" Alice asked in a soft little girl voice. "I willing offered to you what no one has been offered before" "Because you are who you are" He replied. "And I am who I am" "I gave it all up everyday all summer," She said pleadingly. "Just so we could be together" "You played at being a poor little country girl" He sternly replied. "And fool me fell for it" "I would have told you before the Hunt" She said. "That you were the unobtainable Mistress of the Manor" He replied. "My boss and head of the commonwealth we and all our families have belong to for generations" "We both serve the commonwealth in the positions it chooses for us" Alice replied. "I am no more free than a bird in a gilded cage," Alice added. "These guards you see all over the place are both my protectors and jailers" "Jailers?" Mark enquired. "You own all this" "Ask you mother what an Alice is Mark Anders" She instructed. "That is my true name and function in our commonwealth" She turned and walked out of Knight Rider’s mews and towards the cobblestone courtyard outside. "Everything copasetic mistress" The aristocratic voice of an adult male in impeccable country dress enquired. Little blond haired Alice looked up into the eyes of the adult male who was the finest Jumping horse trainer in Britain, just retired captain of England’s equestrian team, multiple Olympic Gold Medal winner for Dressage and Show Jumping and her horse master. "I was just discussing Night Rider with Mark" She replied. "He is top notch and will be horse master here one day" He replied. "His skill caring for horses surpasses mine" "You came highly recommended, Edward" Alice replied. "And rumour has it you will be made a peer of the realm this Christmas" "I appreciate you kind words, Mistress Alice" He replied. "And will honour my contract, no matter what rank I am given" "There will be new horses to train, even some from Her Majesties stables come the fall" Alice continued. ‘As well as your pupils as I myself will be training under you myself for the Olympic team" "Classes start right after Christmas" He replied as she turned and walked off. "I had you in my hands unknowingly twice before girl and I will again. Permanently next time" Edward thought to himself. "Master of Winchester House" Sounds about just right"
Not again The sounds of the doors at the rear of their horsebox being unbolted woke the eight little pony girls. They were surprised when six adult males in rough clothes, heads except for eye holes covered by black silk hoods, black rubber Wellington’s on their feet came in, and started undoing their seat harnesses and removing the catheters and sugared water bottles one at a time. The smell of horses and especially horse manure came to their noses. Jessie and Nicole had been last in and now was the first out. An adult male firmly held onto each arm. It was dark outside, but the girls could see by the moonlight that they were inside a brick walled compound with a cobblestone yard. They were led to a green painted set of round-topped doors. Inside was, as they expected a horse barn and they were led to a stall each, hands cuffed loosely behind their backs, turned around and backed in. They saw more stalls further down occupied by other fully harnessed pony girls, some older, some younger. A chain was snapped on to their collars from each side, but it was long enough for them to lay down as they saw some of the other pony girls were on a blanket over the straw at the back of their own stall. Each pair where brought in and each girl secured in a separate stall. Then the girls were surprised when two of the men walked down the lines removing their bridles. Their jaws ached from gripping the rubberised pony mouth bits and they were very glad they were out of their mouths. An aristocratic voice with an upper class British accent came from speakers mounted in the beamed ceiling. " Your bridles will be removed in order that you may eat" The voice informed them all. "But know that pony girls will be severely punished if they attempt to talk with their fellow ponies" To emphasise his commands, the guards removed tazers from pistol style holsters at their hips and energised them in front of the new girls. One did not have to feel the tiny arch across their contact points to understand his threat. Next came two more of their handles pushing a rubber wheeled serving cart. They deposited a dog bowl of food and one of water into the hay trough at the back of each pony girls stall and moved on to the next. Then they saw the lights dim and the men were gone. The new girls were very hungry, as they had not eaten anything but that sugared water since breakfast, hours ago. The food in the bowls was a warm semi dry stew with meat and potatoes. The bits of outer crust mixed throughout indicating it was probably a very English steak potpie. The newly arrived girls were too tired to even stand, slipping down on to the soft blankets at the back of their individual stalls. And knew they could work it all out tomorrow when Greg and Sister Equestrienne arrived. |