Triple F Ranch -

Moving up to the buzzer at the gate, Charlotte would smile and reach down to press it when the sound of hooves found her ears. A pleasant and rhythmic clip-clop echoed from the other side of the gate. Charlotte tilted her head a bit and leaned over to look through the gate and while her brain had been expecting a horse, she was of course surprised that it wasn't. Not a 'real' horse anyway.

Strapped into an intricate and vibrant body harness of red leather accented by glinting polished silver and gold hardware was a woman, a pony, with her flowing golden mane tied back in a thick ponytail. She pulled the cart with seemingly little effort carrying its lone passenger along towards the gate. The beep of a relay sounded somewhere and the gates began to swing open forcing Charlotte out of the way and to the side.

Watching with awe as the cart was pulled out, a gentle tug of the reins from the blonde woman brought the cart to a stop before Charlotte. She was dressed in what could only be described as classical equestrian attire. Tall leather boots, white breeches, and an athletically shaped crisp white top complete with a riding crop belted to her hip. There was such a heavy silence for a moment before the woman turned her gaze upon Charlotte.

"Can't say my timing has ever been THAT good before. Can practically still smell that bus." She chuckled, tying the reins attached to the pony's bridle to a small loop on the cart before climbing down and facing Charlotte, "The last to arrive. I'm surprised, given your enthusiasm in your correspondence. You must be Charlotte? That or you're some random person who wandered here and is going to faint from shock at seeing the lovely pony behind me." She chuckled, extending her hand to Charlotte, "Lila, Miss Lila while you're here though."

Charlotte was initially at a loss for words, admiring the pony, the woman, and the cart. Until the hand was being extended towards her. She reached out, clasping it and giving it a soft shake, "A pleasure to meet you, Lila. I'm Charlotte, so no need to worry about a random passerby." She giggled softly.

"Miss Lila, if you please. Now come along, everyone else is already getting unpacked and settled in. What delayed you?" The woman asked curiously as she climbed back up into the cart, holding a hand up to stop Charlotte from climbing in as well, "Ah, you'll be hoofing it to the property from here. Helps me to get a gauge of your fitness level." She snapped the reins gently, "Gentle walk." She called out to her cart pony who looped the cart around and began back up the driveway with Charlotte walking alongside the cart with a bit of a huff that she held in check.

"Fitness level huh? Guess that makes sense." She said with a shrug, walking along to the sound of the pony's hooves, "As for my delay, my flight got held up a few times. Rather beyond my control, I'm afraid."

"Maple Air I imagine. They've been having a rough time keeping on time as of late. I recommend a different company next time."

Charlotte tilted her head, "Next time?"

Lila chuckled, "What, you think you're only going to visit us once and then disappear into the aether? We have yet to have someone attend who didn't return more than once. So yes, next time book a different company for your flight. I'll get you a list of recommended ones from our senior trainers and ponies."

They moved along at a gentle pace, though Charlotte noticed every once in a while the pace would pick up just a little with a small flick of Lila's hand, a subtle signal to the cart pony.

"This place is a lot bigger than I expected." Charlotte exclaimed as they followed a lazily winding path up the facility's main drive. The whole place seemed to be built over a small mountain with a beautiful stable built atop its peak and overlooking a lush area full of trees, greenery, a pool, and an open-air circular building whose floor was littered with chairs and small pillows.

Lila nodded, "You're not the first to say so. We've a few hundred acres not including the main area we're in." She motioned over the side of the path they were moving up. Below she could see all sorts of fenced-in fields, and various facilities she couldn't make out from here. Further, they climbed until they came into a greenery-filled area, in the center of which was a series of small wooden cabins arranged in a horseshoe pattern.

~A horseshoe...how appropriate.~ Charlotte thought to herself.

By the time they came to a stop, they'd gotten up to a gentle jog. Charlotte was panting softly as they finally slowed to a half near the entrance to the horseshoe where a small group of people milled about, supervised by people in outfits similar to Lila's.

Lila glanced over at Charlotte, "Not bad. Your cardio needs some work. But you made it. Go on in and introduce yourself, Ash will get you to your assigned cabin and help you get all your paperwork filled out. I'd love to stay and chat a bit more but I've a pony with a fractured ankle who needs some company down in our veterinary building. I'm sure I'll see you about Charlotte!" She offered a smile.

"Thanks...I think? It was nice meeting you, Miss Lila." She glanced towards the cabins for a moment and the people within, "Which one is As.." But her words were lost as the cart was already trundling off down a nearby path leaving Charlotte standing there clutching her backpack in her arms, Why she hadn't put it on her back she had no clue. Maybe it was a comfort thing like hugging your favorite stuffed animal or something like that?

She stood there awkwardly for a few minutes before someone finally noticed her standing there awkwardly. Charlotte wasn't the shy type but she was feeling awfully shy at that current moment. Even as a young man with tawny brown hair approached, waving in a friendly manner.

"Heya! Are you ok? You look like you just walked naked into a crowd." He tilted his head, leaning over and looking up into her face.

Charlotte blushed slightly and rubbed her head, "I...I'm alright. Sorry. Just a lot happening all at once!"

The guy put on a friendly grin and reached up, patting her head like you would a child, "You must be new. Don't worry, it gets WAY easier after the first time. C'mon, you can come meet the rest and get unpacked! Ashley is the coordinator of the cabins and activities." Without hesitation he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, making Charlotte shrink back a little bit.

The guy paused, "Oh. Right. Sorry. Consent and personal space. Sorry, I can be a little bit too friendly at times. Though not in a weird way! I just want everyone to be comfy y'know? Let's start again." He stepped back almost dramatically and extended a hand, "I, am Liam! Resident draft horse and one of the senior trainers at Triple F!" He offered a playfully exaggerated bow after she shook his hand or not.

Charlotte couldn't help but smile at Liam's friendly demeanor. He did a good job of making a better second impression. Reaching out, she'd shake his hand gently, noting the roughness of his palms. She wondered what he meant by resident draft. But chose not to ask for now.

"I'm Charlotte Everleigh. Nice to meet you, Liam."

Liam's face lit up, "Oooh! You're this year's scholarship pony! Awesome! Lila told us a bit about you! I guess the strawberry blonde hair should have given you away. Then again, I'd forget my brain if it wasn't attached." He huffed a little bit and smiled, "Well, it's nice to meet you Charlotte. I believe Ashley has your paperwork and cabin assignment, If you'll follow me we'll see if we can find her in all this hustle and bustle!" He motioned for her to follow before turning a bit like a ballerina and walking toward the middle of the horseshoe cabin setup.

Everyone seemed busy unpacking in the various cabins while several people in equestrian outfits milled about. Liam hummed as he walked along, catching a flash of red hair slipping into a nearby cabin, "Oi! Ashley! Get that red-haired arse out here! Our last arrival is here!"

For a moment nothing happened, and then the red-haired woman's head poked out of the cabin, a grin spreading across her lips, "You know Liam. You couldn't be MORE loud could you?" Her gaze flitted between Liam and Charlotte following a bit behind him, "Giiiiive me a moment, just checking on a broken A/C unit." She slipped back into the cabin and after several minutes of banging accompanied by some colorful language, Ashley slipped back out, dusting herself off and walking towards the pair with a clipboard beneath her arm.

Tugging the clipboard out and a pen from behind her ear she'd say, "Name?" flatly towards Charlotte.

"Really Ash? She's the last one to arrive, there's only one person left on that darn list..."

Ashley narrowed her eyes, "Shush Liam. It's protocol. You know that."

Liam rolled his eyes and stepped back, nudging Charlotte forward, "Don't worry, she doesn't bite too hard."

Charlotte clutched her backpack and smiled, "Charlotte Everleigh" she responded simply.

Ashley nodded, "Lovely. The scholarship guest and the last to arrive...first time the scholarship person has arrived last. Probably took Maple Air or something." She shrugged a little bit and nodded, "Very well! Luckily for you, you get a cabin all to yourself because we have an uneven number of guests this year." She checked something off on her clipboard and looked to Liam, "Now go be friendly elsewhere for now."

Liam puffed out his cheeks, "Way to spoil my fun."

"More like helping the newbie so she's not scared off."

Liam stuck out his tongue and headed off to see if anyone else needed assistance setting up as Ashley looked to Charlotte, "You've got a fair bit of paperwork to fill out. But let's get you into your cabin first." She motioned for Charlotte to follow, leading her to the very back of the horseshoe, to the cabin in the center of the bottom of the horseshoe. With Charlotte stepping close behind, Ashley pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The cabin interior was cute and cozy, if perhaps a bit confined. upon entering inside, the right wall had a bunk bed fixture, each able to fold out from the wall and secured with strong-looking cables. Both with a memory foam mattress, a cozy-looking comforter, and a pillow emblazoned with the ranches logo. Opposite the entryway, in the back was a sliding door leading to what you could call an all-in-one bathroom, the sink, stand-up shower, and toilet were all in the same little section. It helped to save space and gave you a convenient spot to sit if you needed to while showering. Looking up, set into the roof was a long fluorescent light which was flipped on by Ashley, lighting the interior up. The walls of the single room held a few pictures. All of FFF in its younger years, like a living history wall. Finally along the left side was a little kitchenette along with small amenities for very basic cooking.

"It's not much, but it's comfortable. Each cabin has its own A/C as it can get quite hot during the summer season." She tapped a control panel on the wall, "What you set it at is up to you. Some people like mid-range and some people like to live in a freezer. Though I'd advise not making it too cold as that'll make the outdoors feel a LOT hotter during the day."

Charlotte nodded and smiled as she took in the room, setting her backpack out on the lower of the bunk beds as Ashley tugged several papers from her clipboard and laid them on the only table in the room which had a chair on either side, "So! All the lovely paperwork is here. Please fill it out as thoroughly as you can and then get yourself unpacked and settled in. I'll pop back to check on you in a little bit. Welcome to Triple F, Charlotte." She offered a bright smile and with a nod from Charlotte, she headed back out the door leaving the girl to sit alone for a short bit.

Charlotte explored the cabin a bit first. Accidentally getting soaked when she pressed the button for the shower whilst in the bathroom. Not the best start, but at least she had a towel to dry off as she sat down at the table, picking up the pen, and looked at the provided paperwork. The first was pretty basic. Her information, emergency contacts, allergies if any. Stuff like that. She filled it out fairly easily.

The second sheet was a consent form. Consent to engage in activities while at the ranch and to engage in BDSM-style interactions with trainers and others. It went on to explain that consent was also important and that consent would always be acquired before any sort of play, except general training which she agreed to. It asked her to list a few safewords. Feeling a bit silly she wrote Lollipop for slow down and Watermelon for stop and then signed the consent form.

The next sheet explained how the camp worked. It was much like a summer camp, a list of activities and things to try would be put up each day and she'd be able to choose the ones that interested her most. There was plenty regarding ponyplay but also basic stuff like Protocol and Etiquette. It was fairly robust. Charlotte was careful to check off the ones that interested her most as it requested and then stared at the final line on the page.

[While attending the property in any Ponyplay training, you will go by a different name. You can either consent to having a name chosen for you or write your preferred name here.]

Charlotte let the line roll around in her head. She hadn't considered a pony name. It wasn't something she'd thought about before coming, despite knowing that many had their own in mind. She rolled the pen between her fingers and shrugged. Opting to leave it blank and letting one be assigned to her. In her mind, that seemed like a more fun way to enjoy things.

The final page was a consent to medical checks and that if anything were to happen that required medical attention, she agreed to be taken care of by on-site doctors in their clinic. This made sense and Charlotte didn't hesitate to sign it. With the paperwork out of the way, she leaned back in her chair and looked up at the fluorescent light above.

The glow and buzz of the fluorescent light staring back down at her came with a realization. Just a short time ago she was squandering her efforts and her thoughts over work and success in a life that seemed to be leading to such a mundane day-to-day. Only the interest and exploration of BDSM online to really break up the monotony. Every day was just coffee, meetings, reports, dinner, sleep. The routine settled and ingrained. Here she was now, the daily habit broken. Far from home and about to be involved with a sort of bondage she only had a sort of mild exposure to. Had she seen where she was to go a month ago... would she believe it was real? How could any of this be real? The question of reality lingered, "Am I really doing this? It feels like a dream..."

A voice came from behind her, "Yes you are. And it should, most people dream about getting a chance at an experience like this. Are all your forms done?"

Charlotte nearly jumped out of the chair as she spun about to see Ashley standing in the doorway, tapping a crop gently on her thigh in a bit of an impatient-looking way.

"Jeeze. You're quiet, yeah, they're all done." She held out the papers to Ashley who flipped through them for a moment, pausing at the second last.

"Letting us assign a name huh? Don't get to do that too often. Most have their own name in mind." She nodded and tucked the papers into her clipboard, "Very well! Welcome officially then, to Triple F yet again. Feel free to wander about and get to know your fellow campers and training staff. You're free to explore the property at your leisure but we ask you don't make use of any of the training facilities without proper supervision. Other than that, the evening is yours! I suggest retiring early as things kick off quite early tomorrow!"

Charlotte smiled, "Thank you so much. I really appreciate the opportunity that you're all giving me."

Ashley waved a dismissive hand, "You earned it. And we appreciate that you're willing to give us a chance as well. I'll see you in the morning. Pony." She winked at the last word and then headed out of the cabin once again leaving Charlotte to consider what to do with her evening.