Getting Shy

The next opportunity came only a week later. Pat had kept up his watch on Mr. Mason's house. His job at the Call center was at night for most of that week, which meant he was able to see Flutter Shy during the time her owner wasn't home. The pony went about her tasks methodically, but sometimes in the afternoon she fixed herself a snack on the coffee table in Mr. Mason's living room, which Pat could clearly see. He wondered if he should get binoculars, but that felt entirely too 'stalker-y' even for him. Perhaps he should stop watching her so obsessively too, but it was hard to give up. There was just something incredibly fascinating about Flutter.

The next Saturday was one of those working weekends Mr. Mason liked so much, which left the pony alone. Pat almost couldn't believe his luck when she put on a wide-brimmed hat, found a bucket somewhere, and went out to tend to the flowers. It was hard to sit still and wait a couple of minutes, but Pat forced himself. It would look mighty suspicious if he rushed out the instant she emerged from the house. Luckily, this time he was better prepared. Pat went to his fridge and grabbed a whole mango he'd bought a day ago. He'd seen Flutter Shy eating one, so she probably liked them.

After an agonizing fifteen minutes, Pat went out with the fruit and knife in hand. He came down the stairs and pretended to just then notice her presence. "Oh. Hi there," he greeted warmly.

The practice at the Call center really was paying off. Flutter Shy looked up from her work and blinked in surprise. "Um. Hi," she replied in that careful, soft voice.

That was enough invitation for Pat to slowly walk over, making it as nonchalant as he could manage. Just a neighbor being neighborly. "Weeding, huh?" He popped a piece of the fruit in his mouth as he looked over the flowers, feigning both interest and knowledge.

"Yup," came the simple reply and Flutter Shy just bent down. She was pulling a few weeds and digging at the soil, probably to aerate it or something. Not like Pat knew anything about gardening. He watched for a few moments, then held out the mango. "Want a piece?"

Flutter Shy looked up at the offering, blinked, then transferred her cyan gaze to Pat's face. It looked like she would refuse, but then, spotting it only because he had been looking, Pat saw her tongue dart out for an instant. "Uh, I c-can't," the pony said, holding up her muddy forehooves.

Pat cut a piece anyway, and just leaned over the fence to hold it head-high for her. "It's okay."

Again her gaze roamed from him to the fruit and back up, before Flutter Shy shrugged a little to herself and took a step closer. She took the mango mostly with her lips, careful not to so much as brush against Pat's hand. Then she chewed it and swallowed it so quickly that she must have either been starving, or mango was her favourite thing ever. Both eventualities were good. Some small talk was called for and Pat realized he didn't have anything in common with the creature. He focused on the one thing he knew.

"So... Flutter. Unusual name. Or- well, it's unusual around here. Maybe not so strange where you come from."

The pony shook her head. "It's actually 'Fluttershy', she pointed out. "Everypony says it wrong here. It's just one word."

"Oh. Sorry."

Another thing she'd just said tickled his memory and Pat went on: "Wait, you said 'every pony'? You mean 'everyone'? I've never heard it put like that. Strange."

She shrugged a little and moved to the next flowerbed, where she started to dig around with a small spade in her mouth. Pat followed along the fence, but waited quietly until she could answer. At long last Fluttershy spat out the tool and picked up the conversation as if there hadn't been a delay. "It's normal back home. Everypony - well, nearly everypony - is a pony, so it fits, even if there are non-ponies around. Nothing strange about that."

Pat gave a little shrug. Whatever place she came from sounded like it wasn't a part of Earth. He thought about asking, but maybe it could wait. "Want some more of this mango?" He realized he hadn't eaten any, so he quickly cut some more and put it in his own mouth first, just to keep up appearances.

Fluttershy put her head to one side, then nodded and stepped closer. This time her lips did brush Pat's hand and he thought he felt her tongue touch his finger. His breath caught and he said the first, stupid thing which came to mind. "Good pony."

Fluttershy jerked away and gave him a glare, which was only slightly spoiled by her chewing the fruit. "I'll thank you not to treat me like an animal," she said a little sternly.

"Oh. Sorry. I didn't mean it that way. Um, while we're on the topic, you are a pony, right? I mean, you did say 'every pony' just now."

Luckily she understood Pat's insult had just come out of ignorance, not malice, and her smile returned. "Technically I'm a pegasus," she pointed out, stretching out one of her wings as if for proof.

"Pegasus..." Pat repeated to himself.

She must have thought he wanted something more and added: "Pegasus mare."

That made sense, especially since she was a miniature horse. Pat nodded to himself. "Okay. I like it."

Fluttershy was taken aback and frowned a little as she tried to make sense of this. "You like that I'm a mare, or you like that I'm a pegasus?"

The misunderstanding made Pat chuckle and he absentmindedly sliced another piece of the mango and ate it. "No, I mean I like your name. It... suits you."

"Oh." She looked away, but not quickly enough that Pat couldn't spot the tiniest of blushes. It made him a little bit giddy with delight to have caused it. "More mango?" he offered.

"Yes please."

He cut off a larger chunk and held it out. This time the mare wasn't at all worried and enveloped his fingers in her mouth, making sure none of the delicious juice was wasted. It took her a longer while to chew, which gave Pat some time to think of his next question. "So, um, Mr. Mason treating you well?"

Once Fluttershy had swallowed, she leaned her head to one side in thought again and shrugged. "He's hardly ever home. I guess I don't mind that. And the work is boring, but it's not hard. I guess he isn't too bad."

Pat almost asked her if the man had ever ordered her to his bed, but thought better of it. That topic could be delicate and he'd have to know the little mare a lot better before he could guess how she'd react to it. "That's nice. Do you get any free time? Are you allowed to leave the house?"

Fluttershy took another moment to study him, wondering just how much she could tell him. At length she shrugged again, mostly to herself. "I can go in the garden since today. Mr. Mason said he'd trust me to go further once I prove myself. As for free time... if I do all my chores Mr. Mason said I can do what I like the rest of the time."

It didn't sound too horrible, even though there was still that whole slavery thing. At least Fluttershy wasn't apparently suffering. Changing the topic yet again, Pat pointed at her wings. "Can you actually fly with those?"

This time the mare smiled and nodded more happily. "Sure can! Well, I'm not as good as some of my friends, but I can get around." Her gaze fell on the forgotten flowers and Fluttershy took a deep breath. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to finish this work or Mr. Mason will be mad."

It was just as well. Keeping his face calm and his hands still when he was this giddy with excitement was hard. Pat needed a break from the dialogue and then he needed some quiet time to think about it all. "Sure, no problems. Sorry for keeping you. Um, want the rest of this mango?"

There was a little more than half left. Fluttershy looked at it and licked her lips. "Don't you want it?" she asked.

"Nah, I'm good. Got another one in the fridge," Pat lied.

"Um, could you peel it and take out the pit?"

Pat happily obliged, even if it meant his hands were completely covered with mango juice. Hopefully Fluttershy would lick it off. Why did that sound so incredibly hot?! It was soon done and he held it out for her. The mare took it, barely touching Pat's hand this time, then sat down to chew it in peace. Amazing how the whole thing could fit in her mouth.

"Nice talking to you."

"Mhmm!" the mare replied and nodded, her mouth still full.

"I live just up there," Pat pointed. "Let me know if there's anything you need."

This made Fluttershy freeze for a moment and when she resumed her chewing it was slower. Pat also couldn't help noticing how her ears lowered. It had been a stupid thing to say, but luckily she swallowed and saved it with a polite little smile. "I'll... um, keep that in mind. Thank you, Mr. Patrick."

"Oh, it's just Pat."

"Okay... Pat." She bent back down to her flowers and Pat realized it was him who was supposed to leave.

He still had the pit from the mango in his hand and his fingers covered with juice. He went back to the stairs, wiping as best he could on his T-shirt so he didn't get his doorknob all sticky. Pretty soon he was inside, smiling to himself and pacing the length of his apartment. It took him nearly twenty minutes to remember to put the mango pit in the trash. That had been a successful conversation, he was sure of it! A couple more and he might be able to call this pony 'friend'. He ended up in his living room and looked out the window, to where Fluttershy was still digging at the flowerbeds. Hopefully she wouldn't do them all today and he'd be able to chat with her again the next day.

Somehow that became a regular thing. Weekends were when Fluttershy worked on Mr. Mason's flowerbeds, or mowed his lawn, and every time Pat came out to speak with her. For the most part it was just easy stuff, small talk. How the week had been, or the latest book Fluttershy had read, or a movie she had seen. It went the other way as well. More than once Pat found himself explaining a funny incident from work, or perhaps an annoyance. The mare was incredibly easy to talk to, always taking interest and offering words of comfort. He made sure to bring a mango, or a banana, or one time some ice cream for them to snack on, but to his slight regret Fluttershy always made sure to eat it before working, so he wouldn't have to feed her again with his hands.

Shame - that had felt nice for some reason.

Once or twice when Pat was leaning against the fence chatting with Fluttershy, Mr. Mason came out to say hello, but he never seemed bothered by the mare's association with their neighbor. Pat made sure to stay respectfully on his side of the barrier. Slowly, almost painfully so, Fluttershy seemed to be earning her owner's trust and was allowed more freedom. At first that manifested merely as the mare sunning herself in the backyard, or running in circles around the house for exercise. One particular day Pat woke up at noon and looked out his window only to nearly fall from his bed. Fluttershy was sitting on Mr. Mason's flat roof, staring into the distance. This was too unusual to pass up and Pat hurriedly dressed and ran outside. He came as near as he could to the fence and called.

"Fluttershy?"

Her face appeared above on the roof and she grinned. "Hi Pat!"

"What are you doing up there?"

She just giggled and waved a dismissive hoof. "Mr. Mason said I'm allowed to fly now, so I... um, came up here!"

It was good news and it answered Pat's question whether she could fly or not. Well, confirmed it, at least. Fluttershy had already answered it once. "What's it like?" he asked.

"I can see all those cars!" Fluttershy said, pointing with a wing this time. "There's... like this gray-white line. I dunno, like a road, but above the ground? Reverse bridge?"

Pat took a guess at what she was describing. "Highway?"

Fluttershy grinned and jumped from the roof, her wings spreading with a 'whoomph' of air, and she landed lightly in the grass. It was the first time Pat saw her wings fully outstretched and he was a little surprised at just how many feathers there were. The long ones along the edge were obvious, but he'd never expected there to be so many tiny little feathers up near the limb. He stared until the mare folded them up and only then moved his eyes to her face.

"Highway?" he repeated, not knowing what else to say.

"Oh, is that what it's called? It's certainly... descriptive. There's a lot of cars going up and down."

"Yeah, there usually are."

Fluttershy looked in the direction of the turnpike, but of course she couldn't see it from the ground. "Does it ever stop?"

"It slows down at night, but no. I guess not."

"Huh." She watched the horizon for a while longer, as if her gaze could penetrate the nearby houses, then shrugged and focused on Pat once again. She smiled pleasantly. "So, um... Mr. Harris get off your back yet?"

It took Pat a second or two to remember their previous conversation and he shrugged. "I don't think that'll ever happen. It's his job to make sure our numbers are up there, y'know?"

Fluttershy nodded to herself, as if she'd been expecting to hear that exact thing. "Being the boss isn't always easy. Rarity- um, my friend from Equestria, said you can't always be both a friend and a boss. She runs her own business, so she'd know."

It was another small glimpse into Fluttershy's mysterious world, but Pat knew better than to pry. If she shared a tidbit in the spur of the moment that was usually fine, but if he asked for any details Fluttershy was liable to just clamp up and go inside. She didn't like talking about what she'd lost, Pat figured. It made sense, too.

"I guess so. Anyway, it hasn't been the worst week."

The smile was back and Fluttershy laid down in the grass. "That's nice. Um, I have to start the laundry in five minutes. I just wanted to, uh, stretch my wings a little. I haven't flown in so long..."

Now that she'd reminded him, Pat couldn't help himself. "Can I see them? I mean, uh, if it's not weird."

Fluttershy gave him a slight frown, but then extended the wing she wasn't lying on, turning it this way and that.

"I didn't know horses could have wings," Pat admitted.

"Hey!" Fluttershy snapped, muzzle scrunching up in indignation. "I'm a pony, remember?!"

"Sorry."

She took a deep breath and then her smile returned. "It's alright, I forgive you. Just don't do it again!"

"Promise." There was a moment of silence and then Pat remembered something. "I didn't bring anything this time. I was... surprised to see you on the roof when I woke up."

Fluttershy ignored the lack of a snack, but she looked up at Mr. Petrinov's building. "That's your bedroom window?" she asked and pointed with a hoof.

"Yeah."

"Okay, I'll remember that," she promised.

"Anyway, I got some grapes in the fridge if you'll wait a minute."

Fluttershy shook her head. "Nah, I'm okay. Thanks for offering. Um, are you done looking now?"

Pat realized she was still holding her wing outstretched for him to look. Her chastising him for his unintentional slight had thrown him off and he hadn't really looked at it. He did so now, very hurriedly. "Yeah, thanks. Looks soft."

She pressed the feathers against her muzzle before snapping the appendage shut. "It is. It's very warm, too. Nothing nicer than snuggling up with my wings around me in winter!"

It sounded incredibly comfortable and Pat couldn't help wanting to know what it felt like. "Um, can- c-can I touch? Only if it's okay with you!"

Fluttershy gave this some thought, staring right into Pat's eyes as if tying to decide what his ulterior motive was. She slowly stood up and walked closer to the fence. "Reach over," she said and partially unfurled the wing.

Pat ran a trembling finger along the edge, marvelling at how the feathers moved under his touch. It was incredibly warm, more than he'd expected. "This is so cool!" he said with a big grin.

After a moment Fluttershy smiled too, but she pulled away and folded her wings up again. "It tickles," she said. "Anyway, I have to go now. It was nice talking to you!"

"Uh? Yeah, same!"

As she walked back to the house, Fluttershy paused to look back and give Pat a slight smile. Then she was gone and Pat went back to his stairs. He couldn't help wondering what it would feel like to sit on the couch with Fluttershy, maybe watching one of those silly romantic comedies and have the mare put her wing around him. Too bad it was an impossible fantasy, but at least he could dream, right?