One and Only
Anon's Pet Fluttershy
By: MANX
Chapter One: And Only
Anon woke up suddenly, upon feeling a warm, wet prod in the small of his back. He blearily turned towards the annoying poke and blinked sleepily. A pink mane framing a butter-yellow face greeted him. He groaned and stretched as he glanced toward the window. The sun was just peeking over the horizon in a glorious blaze of colors. His sluggish mind finally dredged up the fact that today was Tuesday. Right. He smiled toward the pegasus, who was currently looking at him expectantly. "Hey Fluttershy! Good morning!"
The yellow pegasus smiled and leapt onto the bed, prancing around on the soft mattress, causing the human to bounce several times, effectively waking him up completely. Despite the much too early start to his day, Anon simply couldn't suppress his grin. Fluttershy was just so darn adorable!! He rubbed behind her ear and chuckled. "Calm down, Flutters." With a contented look and a pleased sigh, she immediately dropped to her haunches to better lean into the attention. Yep...utterly adorable! "I'm going to make some breakfast. Are you hungry?"
Fluttershy's ears perked up as she leapt off the bed with a flurry of wings...to stand by the patio doors. Glances from her to him and back to the door, made Anon chuckle softly. "Yes. You can go play with your friends in the meantime!" Anon watched as Fluttershy opened the door and excitedly bolted outside. He went into the kitchen to make breakfast, smiling and shaking his head fondly at her cuteness. He laughed to himself, that her cuteness level had to be well over 9000!
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Anon arranged their picnic breakfast on the blanket and grinned at the pleased look on Fluttershy's face. A decision to have their breakfast outside so all of her little friends could join them, was pure genius! Oh, sure...he'd had to make special treats for the birds, squirrels and the family of bunnies living under his porch...but that smile and look of joy made all the extra work worth it. Truly, she was much too cute for it to be considered legal...at least without requiring a license! Seeing that happy pony sharing breakfast with her animal friends wasn't something he'd ever get tired of. No matter how many times that he saw it, he could never get over how well she got along with other animals. Thanks to her, they even put up with him, despite his status as a meat eater. He shook his head in mild disbelief and did what he'd done since he arrived in Equesrtia. Shrugged and accepted it.
Anon sat down cross-legged on the blanket...and Fluttershy took her usual spot...with her forelegs and chest draped across his lap. It was a bit uncomfortable but just too cute to say no, to. He was such a pushover!! Still...he got a front-row view of the pretty yellow pegasus, daintily dipping her muzzle into her bowl of oatmeal, so...TOTALLY WORTH IT!!! He idly scratched her neck as he munched on his granola bar, which was oddly close to what the birds and squirrels were eating. Although...it was a slightly different mixture of nuts and seeds, as well as having honey and maple syrup added, to 'bind' the ingredients. It was NOT just to make it sweeter! Nope! Definitely not! And those raisins were only in there for their high iron content!
Fluttershy finished off her bowl of oatmeal and nuzzled his side. He grinned and scratched behind her ears, causing her to close her eyes in bliss and press against him. Fluttershy simply loved his oatmeal! He'd added diced apples, cinnamon and vanilla flavoring to a pot of boiling water, before adding the oats and then allowed it to sit on the stove, with the flame off and the cover on. It was an instant hit! Anon had been surprised to find out, seeing how they had multiple ways of cooking hay, that the highly evolved ponies never thought to cook their oats. Purple Smart had explained (at length!) that the enzymes and proteins in, ehhh...science babble, science babble, etcetera. In layman (laypony?) terms, raw oats taste sweet to Equestrian ponies. Go figure!
Anon scratched Fluttershy's ears and ran his fingers through her mane. The little pony was in heaven and she was definitely showing it! He chuckled as he used his other hand to ruffle her chest fluff. She had the softest and fluffiest chest fluff ever! And she only let HIM mess with it! Even Gay Pride wasn't allowed to mess with the fluff! And those two had known each other for like...forever! Her adorable look of utter contentment made Anon sigh blissfully and hug the little yellow pegasus, taking extra care not to ruffle her feathers. Not that it would matter, as he was very good at preening. It was something he'd learned as part of being a responsible caretaker. Purple Smart had been helpful in that department. Perhaps a bit TOO helpful, as now Anon knew quite a bit about things like estrus and foal birth...as well as lots of other stuff that guys would rather not know about. Anon was quite proud of the fact that Fluttershy happily allowed him to preen her featheers. Even her scapulars, which were extremely ticklish and notoriously difficult to maintain. Without fingers, the ponies had to use their mouth, lips and teeth. It was a bit awkward to have some other pony with their muzzle buried in your wing pits, making it a rather intimate act. Fluttershy seemed to really enjoy the attention, though. It pleased him to no end.
Anon released his hug, prompting a soft whine of protest from his cute lap warmer. Some ear scratches put a swift halt to that and replaced the tiny pout that had adorned Fluttershy's face with a pleased smile, instead. Anon sighed happily as he scratched yellow pony ears and stroked pink pony mane. Flutters had a really soft mane! And ears! By the gods, she was adorable! Crap! Did his heart just miss a couple of beats, there!?
A soft nuzzle and a look of concern from the mare lounging in his lap, caught his attention. He smiled reassuringly at the yellow pegasus. "I'm fine Fluttershy!" She looked dubious and cocked her head with concern. Oh great! Her empathic nature had caught his mild unease...and now she was worrying! Anon groaned internally and tossed his man card in the crapper. "You're just too cute and adorable, Fluttershy! We humans aren't used to your level of cuteness!" When he turned his head away, it was only to check on a noise he thought he might have heard behind them. It was NOT to hide his embarrassed blushing! It WASN'T!! You can't prove that it wasn't!! So, shut up!
Fluttershy must have appreciated being reassured of his continued good health, because she rose up to wrap her forelegs around his neck and nuzzled his cheek. It felt nice because she had a really soft coat. He hugged her and nuzzled her in return. So soft! He harrumphed quietly and very reluctantly released his hug to gently grip her forelegs, prior to his easing her back into his lap. Flutter-hugs were great but it was Tuesday and he had other things planned. He grinned at the serenely smiling and quietly waiting pegasus. "Do you wanna go for a walk in the Whitetail Woods?"
The excited gleam in Fluttershy's eyes...her perking and focused ears orienting solely on him...as well as her twitching and quivering wings...all told Anon that the answer was yes! Her bouncing around like Pinkamaniac and doing loops in the air was probably another good clue, as well. "Okay! Okay! We'll go! Just let me take care of this mess and get my pack...and then we can take our walk!" He got to his feet with a smile, as Fluttershy was already stacking bowls and gathering up other debris. The birds and squirrels helping to fold the blanket was so cute that he silently prayed that Disney didn't sue! Thanks to Fluttershy (and the breakfast club) the detritus from their meal was all packed away in no time. Fluttershy followed him to the house to drop off their mess and to prepare for their outing. She pranced happily beside him and seemed to glow. He chuckled softly as he pondered...it was Equestria...she probably WAS actually glowing from happiness!
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Anon strolled through the Whitetail Woods, with Fluttershy alternating between prancing by his side and flitting off for a short distance to greet some critter that she saw. He'd noticed some hesitation whenever she left his side. And she would only go a very short distance. She was holding herself back because of him! He spoke up. "If you want to go and say 'hello' to all of the critters, go ahead. As long as I can still see you, I won't worry." He grinned down at her and added. "Too much." Fluttershy beamed a bright smile and flew up to give him a grateful nuzzle on his cheek. Then she was off in a flash. Anon smiled fondly at the butter-yellow pegasus, as he watched her rush off to begin interacting with her animal friends. Seeing how much happier she was, Anon was very glad he had noticed.
Enjoying the quiet and calming bit of nature, as well as the pleasant respite afforded from the summer heat by the cool green canopy...Anon just had to chuckle quietly to himself. While the ponies might call The Whitetail a 'Woods'...it seemed more like Central Park than any kind of proper woodlot. It was regularly maintained by Earth Ponies, making it appear to be rather neat and orderly. It was one of the natural buffers for the Everfree Forest, (Sweet Apple Acres was another) so pony traffic was minimal almost all of time. It was the perfect place to take a shy, nature-loving pony for a nice, quiet walk. Fluttershy was certainly having herself a blast, thoroughly enjoying the dearth of other ponies and the abundance of wildlife.
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Anon and Fluttershy had finished their walk and exited the Whitetail Woods near the backyard of Anon's house. It was almost as far outside of the town of PonyVille as Sweet Apple Acres and what wasn't backed by the woods was surrounded by fields full of wildflowers. There was beautiful scenery, delightful sounds and smells...and lots of room! Fluttershy loved it!
Approaching the patio, Anon noticed a big brown lump by the door. He grinned wide as a huge brown bear reared up and growled while waving his paws in the air. Anon looked at Fluttershy and saw her staring at him, with her eyes wide with excitement. Anon grinned at her and nodded, causing her to bolt off to greet her friend. He watched in amazement as Fluttershy was gently hugged by the huge bear. That just never got old! And it was just...so darn adorable, too! He answered Fluttersy's inquiring look. "I was going to make sushi for lunch, so I invited him to join us!" The yellow pegasus grinned happily, hugged his neck and nuzzled his cheek. He glanced over to Mr. Bear who was...grinning? Anon grinned back and winked before heading off to get them all some lunch.
Anon, Fluttershy and Mr. Bear sat around the low table and under the patio umbrella while eating their lunch. Anon had been a little surprised when he'd discovered that ponies ate fish. It was mostly pegasi, although unicorns would sometimes indulge in it for the extra protein. Purple Smart had explained (at length, again!) that the ancient pegasi used to position their cloud cities over the ocean, to avoid attacks from the unicorn tribe. Seafood, being readily available and fairly easy to obtain, was eventually incorporated into their diet. When the Unification occurred, unicorns discovered that the extra protein from fish gave them a boost to their mama pools. Of course, Purple Smart took two hours to explain it...while also adding a ton of other historical facts that Anon promptly forgot. He picked up a piece of vegetable roll and fed it to Fluttershy, who daintily took it from his fingers.
Anon smiled at Fluttershy as the pegasus lay draped across his lap, while happily noshing on her lunch. Mr. Bear was mostly finished with his lunch...and was sipping tea from a cup. He was even doing the pinkie-finger thing! Anon chuckled to himself as he offered Fluttershy a crab and rice cake, which she snapped up hungrily...while STILL managing to be dainty about it! SO DARN ADORABLE!! He distracted himself from the heart-attack inducing cuteness of Fluttershy, by running his fingers through her mane. She responded with a happy sigh and a pointed glance toward the plate in front of them. Anon chuckled and fed her another crab and rice cake.
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Anon sniffed the air appreciatively, as he checked on the vegetable lasagna in the oven. It smelled simply delicious! The spinach pasta noodles really made it pop! He glanced out of the kitchen window to check on Fluttershy, who was in the backyard, playing with some of her animal friends. She had been out there ever since lunch ended and it was obvious that she was having a very good time. Anon smiled indulgently at the pegasus mare's antics and began to set the table for dinner, while he let the lasagna 'rest' and finish cooking. When the table was set, Anon called out from the back door. "Fluttershy! Dinner is ready! Say goodbye to your friends and come eat!" Anon watched with abject fascination while the butter-yellow pony waved 'goodbye' to the multitudes of animals, who also waved back! The sight never got old, no matter how many times he saw it! That sweet little pony was really amazing...on so many levels. Anon felt privileged to know such a unique and wonderful creature. His insipidly sappy thoughts were soon interrupted by Fluttershy, as she came in for dinner and sat down at the table. With a wide smile, Anon served them both a plate of lasagna, then sat next to her...to feed her by hand, of course. It was totally unnecessary...but it was also something he really enjoyed doing. Fluttershy also enjoyed it as well, which made it a win-win. The happy nuzzle she gave him as he sat down next to her was merely icing on the cake!
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Anon set the last clean dish in the strainer and sighed, He was ready for some quiet time to wind down after the long day they'd had. Fluttershy usually preferred to just chill out after dinner, lounge around the house...and relax. Anon was happy to oblige her, as relaxing was one of his favorite pass-times! And chilling with Fluttershy was the most relaxing thing he knew of in PonyVille! Or anywhere else, in the two universes! He sighed again and headed into the sitting room, to see what Fluttershy was doing.
He was surprised when he saw her lounging on the couch with an array of brushes sitting in front of her. He had expected her to bring out a mane brush, because Fluttershy always wanted him to brush her mane after dinner. But he noticed that she also had a coat brush, as well as a feather brush. It seemed that she was going to want the full treatment today! Anon had absolutely zero problems with that! He LOVED grooming Fluttershy! Perhaps, even more than the yellow pony enjoyed BEING groomed. Anon took his seat next to the mare, picked up a brush and began brushing her coat.
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Anon pulled the brush through Flutterhy's mane with a smile and chuckled at the nearly comatose condition of the pegasus. It was super adorable looking, if different from the super adorable look she'd worn while he was preening her wings. Anon was pretty sure that Fluttershy couldn't actually have any look that wasn't super adorable! He continued drawing the brush through her mane, while enjoying the soft, fine texture. She was just SO SOFT! Her coat was like some kind of fine velour...and her mane could make silk be embarrassed for its own coarseness! And her wings were extra fluffy and REALLY soft! Purple Smart said, pegasi called them 'mother's wings' and considered them highly desirable in their mates. She explained (at length, of course) that because the pegasi races had a naturally streamlined form, they didn't have the 'birthing hips' that the unicorn and earth pony races found so desirable. Anon just figured that Fluttershy's wings matched her personality. Soft, warm and comforting!
The clock chiming the hour startled Anon and caused him to stop brushing Fluttershy's mane. It was already 10 PM! Where did the time go!? Anon sighed resignedly as he nudged the relaxed lump of pegasus. "It's getting late, Fluttershy. I guess the day is over." She responded with a quiet huff and a groan before she rose to her hooves and leapt off the couch. Anon set the brush down and also rose from the couch. He looked down at the smiling pegasus mare and smiled, as well. He had fun today! Taking care of Fluttershy was an absolutely delightful experience! As always!!
As Anon followed Fluttershy to the door, she smiled up at him expectantly. He grinned and knelt down to get close to her level. He was rewarded with a crushing hug from her forelegs and wings. They hugged for a while and then Fluttershy released him. She smiled again, then told him. "Thank you for today, Anon! I really enjoy being your pet. You're such a wonderful caretaker."
Anon blushed and fidgeted before stammering. "I'm not! You're so much better at it than I am!"
Fluttershy frowned and poked him in the chest with a hoof. Hard! "Don't you dare say that!" She smiled fondly at him as she ran a hoof over his cheek. "My day was absolutely perfect! I had no responsibilities to worry about and no one to take care of." She grinned wryly. "Not even myself!" Fluttershy smiled warmly at Anon and lightly kissed his cheek. "But the best of all? I had someone who pays attention enough to know just what will make me happy...and who never seems to want anything, other than to see me smile." She booped his nose and told him sternly. "Don't you sell yourself short, mister!"
Anon couldn't suppress his smile. Fluttershy was so adorable when she was assertive! He hugged the yellow pegasus once more, briefly. "Thank you, Fluttershy! That means a lot, coming from you." Anon stood up to see her out. "I have to ask you, though. What do your friends have to say about all of this?"
Fluttershy grinned and coughed into a hoof. "They thought that I was crazy. And they thought that you were really weird, for agreeing to do it." She chuckled and smiled. "But after a while...they saw how relaxed I was after each session...and how happy it made me being cared for, like I care for my animal friends." She grinned cheekily. "They couldn't argue with the results!"
Anon laughed and was joined by the pretty yellow mare. She had some darn good friends! He opened the door for her. "Well, I guess I'll see you two weeks from now?"
Fluttershy nodded. "Yep! I wouldn't miss it for the world!" She waved and trotted out the door. Before Anon could close it, she stopped, turned her head and commented. "Next time...I think I might want a bath."
Anon just stood there as Fluttershy trotted off...her amused laughter at his stunned expression fading as she got further off in the distance. He harrumphed and closed the door with a smile. She was such a wise-rump! I might want a bath! Still smiling, he began getting ready for bed...while in the back of his mind, he was trying to remember Fluttershy's favorite shampoos...and if he had any on hand. He grinned happily as he turned down the covers of his bed. Well, if the sweet yellow pegasus wanted him to give her a bath...then was just going to have to give her a bath.
After all...it was what a responsible caretaker would do!