I will forever thank my lucky stars that Las Pegasus just happened to be within easy travel distance of Ponyville the week after Hearth’s Warming. Otherwise I might’ve endlessly agonized over where to take Fluttershy on our first date.

Now, I know what you’re thinking, why would I want to take Fluttershy to someplace as loud and busy as a pony version of Las Vegas? As it turned out, Las Vegas was home to a petting zoo that had some more exotic animals, such as koalas, scarlet king snakes, and panda bears. I had also checked online to see if they had a bad reputation and to my relief they had several recommendations from various animal welfare groups.

So it was that Fluttershy and I were on an airship sitting next to each other and as this was my very first date, I was feeling a lot of things one might expect: Nervousness, bashfulness, and anxiety, to name a few. However, one thing I wasn’t was panicky.

There was a sense of security when it came to dating Fluttershy. I wasn’t worried about needing to impress her in some over the top way or otherwise needing to ‘prove’ myself to her. This was probably a combination of the fact that we had known each other for a few months before I asked her out and the fact we were both relatively uncomplicated, low maintenance people.

“We are now arriving at our destination of Las Pegasus! Thank you for choosing Clear Skies Airways!” A voice came over the intercom system. Sure enough, a moment later the airship shook slightly as docking clamps secured it. Once that was done with, Fluttershy took my hand and pulled me up.

“Come on Ranma! I can’t wait to see all those adorable animals!” Fluttershy’s enthusiasm lit up her face. Fluttershy was always adorable, but with the expression on her face, her adorableness was going even further beyond! Yes, I made a DBZ reference, no I am not sorry.

Hand in hand we made our way quickly to the petting zoo. I had already paid for the tickets online and printed them out, so we ended up in a much shorter line. Truth be told, I was surprised how long the line for the petting zoo was to begin with. I guess a lot of people want the chance to play with a panda bear cub, which I couldn’t blame them. Adorable fluff balls should be lavished with attention.

“So, what do you want to see first?” I asked as we entered the petting zoo. The zoo itself was split into separate habitats that visitors could walk through. There was a reptile house for the cold blooded creatures, an enclosure for various kinds of butterflies and moths, and various artificial environments for all the other creatures they had. It was mindboggling that all of this was built on clouds, but that’s magic for you.

Fluttershy looked at the map of the zoo and cutely chewed at her bottom lip as she tried to make up her mind. Her eyes roamed as she weighed each choice, trying to break free of decision paralysis. Finally she spoke.

“I want to go to the butterfly enclosure,” She decided, “And you pick the next one, Ranma.”

“Sounds good to me,” I replied and using the map, we made our way to the butterfly enclosure. As soon as we entered, Fluttershy started working her charms and soon she had to spread her wings to offer as much room as she could to perching butterflies and moths. I happily took a picture of her with a disposable camera I had bought for the occasion.

The rest of the day was spent going from habitat to habitat. I got to play with a boa constrictor, which was super cool. The panda cub was just as adorable as I’d hoped and the combined powers of Fluttershy and the panda cub nearly sent me into diabetic shock. Another highlight was a lion cub that seemed dead set on using the top of my head as a perch on which he would survey his domain.

However, as all things must, the day eventually came to an end. As the sun was setting, I saw Fluttershy back to her cottage.

“Thank you for today, I had a lot of fun,” Fluttershy said warmly.

“I enjoyed myself too,” I replied, “I’m glad we got to spend the day together.”

Fluttershy smiled at me and then kissed my cheek. I felt myself blushing, “See you later, Ranma,” She then walked into her cottage and closed the door behind her.

I will admit to being a massive fucking dork and had a huge stupid grin on my face and was blushing like a school girl over a kiss on the cheek. I had never experienced romance before. As a kid I had been too cowardly to state my feelings and as an adult a mix of my mental health problems and the crushing realities of adulthood had kept me firmly out of the dating scene.

Still, if a kiss on the cheek was enough to make me happier than I can remember being in a long time, then that was just fine with me.

If you degens think we're skipping right to the sex, then you got another thing coming! Eat your wholesome veggies before you get your lewd disserts!