Spending time with one's friends was by no means a new or bizarre experience for either Fluttershy or Pinkie. And today, if one were to look at them, that would appear to be all that was going on. Two friends, sitting next to one another, in one of their local hang-out spots, the café. Both of them, Pinkie especially, were happy to be here, and the party-lover was doing her usual thing of slurping down milkshake after milkshake, all while Fluttershy giggled to the sight of it. She herself was, naturally, more reserved than her colleague, and when she drank her shake, it was with smaller, and more occasional sips. The place wasn't that busy today, which was nice. It was almost as if they even had the place all to themselves, save for the waitresses of course. After having consumed her latest shake, Pinkie wiped away some of the creamy foam that had been around her mouth, before letting out an expected sigh of contentment.

"Ah! Now that’s the stuff, right, Fluttershy?"

The animal carer turned to look at her, only to pause when, just then, she noticed that Pinkie hadn't been entirely successful in wiping away the foam. Some of it clung to her upper lip, creating a milky moustache that, for the time being, Pinkie didn't know was there. Fluttershy suppressed the need to give a further giggle to this, but Pinkie, who recognised laughter even before it happened, tilted her head in confusion.

"...What?"

In the end, Fluttershy relented, and she pointed to her own upper lip. Instantly, Pinkie understood, and looked just past her friend, to the window. There, in her reflection, she could see what Fluttershy had seen, and immediately broke out into a wide smile.

"Ooooooh!"

Clearing her throat, the pink-haired girl then spoke in a fake-deep voice, trying her best to sound direct and authoritative.

"Alright, everybody! I want no funny business! You all know the rules, and no ice cream for those who break them! Business, business, business! Numbers!"

To that, Fluttershy could contain herself no longer, and let out a loud and hearty laugh, as indeed did Pinkie. Some of the waitresses looked over to them, smiling at the clear fun the two were having, before getting back to their respective work. When that laughter died down, however, the two girls let out long and deep exhales, and for a time, simply enjoyed the calm quiet that followed. But, after a few moments, Fluttershy looked to her friend, smiling sweetly, before breaking that silence.

"Thank you for inviting me for this, Pinkie. It's been fun."

Pinkie responded by first wrapping her free arm around Fluttershy's shoulder, holding her closer.

"Aw! You don't need to thank me, Fluttershy! You know how much I love making my friends happy!"

She let out a brief giggle.

"And that's what we're doing. Two girls, both friends, both being happy together while alone together."

Fluttershy considered that for a moment. They were indeed together, and while having only one or two of their group spending time with one another was by no means a rare thing, the way Pinkie had brought that point up suddenly caused something to stir in her. It wasn't overt, and it wasn't really anything she'd call alarming, and yet, it was a feeling in the back of her mind that simply wouldn't let her go for a few moments. Still, she did her best to push such thoughts aside, as Pinkie continued.

"You know, we should really spend more time together, Fluttershy. We've known each other since we were kids, and...well...you're pretty special, Flutters."

A blush came to Fluttershy's cheeks, and for a while, she didn't really know how to respond to that.

"Um...thank you, Pinkie?"

And the other girl just kept on going.

"I mean...you're sweet...you care so much for people and animals...you've never hurt a fly, and...you know...it always feels good when you're around. It's kind of this effect you have."

Naturally, Fluttershy was a little taken aback by this sudden and unexpected barrage of compliments from her friend.

"Er...Pinkie? Not that I don't appreciate you saying that, but...can I ask why?"

Pinkie, for the first time in Fluttershy's memory at least, seemed to look just a touch nervous.

"Oh! Well...does there need to be a reason? I mean, yeah, I maybe was thinking about asking you here for some time, and yeah, I'm probably happier than you know about how much fun you've had."

She paused, but only briefly.

"Did I ever tell you that was a good kiss we had?"

Instantly, Fluttershy erupted into a massive blush.

"W...what?!"

Pinkie shrugged her shoulders.

"You know that one from a while back? When we did that truth or dare night with the girls?"

Though still stunned, Fluttershy nevertheless seemed to clam down a bit, nodding, while her blush subsided somewhat.

"Y...yes. I remember."

Pinkie stared at her for a while, and during that time, it seemed as though she was thinking hard on something, which was fairly unusual for her. Then, after a while of that, she spoke again.

"...Did you enjoy it?"

Fluttershy looked to her, and now started to feel a little nervous herself.

"I...enjoy what?"

Pinkie raised an eyebrow.

"You know...the kiss?"

Fluttershy gulped, but even so, she was no longer the cowering girl of her youth. Even with such a forward question, not to mention the sheer bluntness in which Pinkie had delivered it, she simply took a deep breath, calming herself down, then looked over to her friend and, for the first time in a while now, smiled.

"Yes...I did enjoy it. I...I've actually been thinking about that moment a lot since it happened.”

Pinkie's wide smile returned.

"I liked it too. And after we did it I...well..."

Again, she paused, and again, it only lasted a few seconds.

"...I kinda figured...maybe it might be worth...you know...getting closer than...than we normally do."

Fluttershy looked to her, and while she did her best to remain as calm and collected as she could, there was no denying that such words had surprised her. Pinkie, for her part, seemed to be both excited and worried about what her friend was going to say after this. Fluttershy thought on the matter carefully, then slowly turned her gaze down to the milkshakes they'd been sharing, before once more looking up to her.

"Pinkie?"

Pinkie leaned in closer.

"...Yeah?"

Taking another deep breath, Fluttershy asked the question.

"...Was all this...a date?"

Well, there it was. The words had been spoken, and Pinkie knew there was no getting around it. So, after poking her fingers against each other for a while, she slowly glanced back in Fluttershy's direction, wearing as big a smile as she could under the circumstances.

"Um...yes?"

A silence fell between them, and Fluttershy thought long and hard on that answer, all while Pinkie awaited her response in a clearly-worried manner. While there had indeed been many moments in their shared history where Pinkie came across as the more confident of the two, here, that confidence seemed to have melted away, and Fluttershy now appeared to be the more collected and assured one. And speaking of whom, Fluttershy, after that long and quiet moment had come to an end, let out a sigh.

"Well...this is...quite a surprise."

Pinkie giggled, albeit nervously.

"Yeah, um...it kinda is."

Fluttershy turned to look at her.

"...I would have preferred being asked before going on a date. By all rights, I should feel upset that you’ve sneaked one in like this."

Pinkie glanced away, seeming more than a little ashamed, but remained quiet as Fluttershy continued.

"But...considering everything...it's not something I'm unhappy with."

Her head snapping back in her friend's direction, Pinkie's face lit up.

"R...really?!"

Smiling at last, Fluttershy nodded.

"Yes, I mean that, Pinkie. I mean, my history of dating isn't all that great. The one with Amira never went anywhere, even though we stayed friends, and I never really thought about asking anyone else out after that.”

A few seconds passed before she carried on.

“Truth be told, I might not have considered it at all before now, but...the thought of it...you and me...it's not something I think I'd be against."

Pinkie, as one would expect of her, was having quite a hard time keeping her excitement in. But Fluttershy, asserting her dominance in this particular situation, placed her finger gently upon her friend's lips, keeping the latter’s squeal from escaping, at least for the time being.

"But, if this is going to happen, no more secret dates. If we go out, both of us know it's us going out. Deal?"

Nodding, Pinkie placed her hand over her heart, raising the other hand, before speaking up.

"I promise."

Fluttershy smiled to this.

"And one more thing. We don't know if this is going to last. Us, I mean. But even so...we should probably tell the others."

Pinkie smiled giddily yet again, nodding in an even more enthusiastic way than before.

"You betcha! Can you imagine the looks on everybody's faces?!"

Raising a hand to her own lips, Fluttershy gave a giggle herself.

"I can certainly imagine Rainbow's. I may need to pick her jaw off the floor afterwards."

The two girls laughed together, the mood of the place now just as positive as it had been when this surprise date had first begun. Then, when the laughter once more died down, Fluttershy leaned forward and, in a move that gave Pinkie no end of surprise, planted a soft and gentle kiss upon her cheek. Though certainly stunned by this, Pinkie soon looked to her new girlfriend with clear joy, to which Fluttershy couldn't help but smile back to.

"Consider that a present. Something to start off something that, I hope...will be wonderful."