The nightclub in canterlot was at its peak moment right now. Guests were everywhere top to bottom, on both floors. The ambient lighting was pulsing to the beat playing throughout the club, the bass blearing with confidence, making the rhythm of the music reverberate through the polished marble floors, making the guests' hooves vibrate in tune with the beat. The nightclub's walls were adorned with intricate tapestries that caught the changing lights, casting a mesmerizing dance of colors across the room. Mirror balls spun overhead, scattering fragmented rainbows onto the walls, and the scent of sweet potions and fruity cocktails hung in the air.

But in the more quiet area of the club sat two friends. The Pegasus was drinking her usual Midnight Blast, which was an electric purple concoction of a drink, much like her mane. Her coat was nardo gray, and atop of her head were some lavender colored rose flowers. The Kirin had a new drink for himself tonight, or rather just a shot of some of the strongest vodka that the club had. For a fifteen bit drink, it better knock him out.

Shamrock Clover, with his ocean-blue eyes and serene demeanor, was said Kirin who carried a history of solitude, his past marked by struggles to control his inner fire. Starry Dusk, on the other hoof, was the Pegasus with a penchant for laughter and adventure, having grown up in Canterlot's fast-paced society. Despite their differences, they found a profound connection through their shared love for laughter and quiet moments. Shamrock had been in Canterlot for almost a year, and had known Starry Dusk from the beginning. Having been friends since then, it had been clear that they were a good match for each other. But for Shamrock, it wasn’t right. He didn’t think that taking their relationship to a new level wouldn’t work, but to him, it felt wrong. While his ego had the audacity to think that he could swoop her off of her hooves, he just didn’t think that he should. Being friends, he had the well-known anxiety that staying friends would be better than possibly ‘ruining’ it over him reading signals wrong.

As Shamrock glanced away from Starry Dusk, and looked to his drink, he sighed. Continuing to stare at his glass, his mind became whirlwind of conflicting thoughts. He wondered if his desire to preserve their friendship was worth denying the possibility of something more profound, making his heart race as he grappled with the fear of failure and the pang of regret if he let this chance slip away.

Starry Dusk was known to be very flirtatious, and when mixing drinks into the situation, it did not help, (obviously)... But that was the problem too, because she was flirtatious with everypony, no matter their gender or race. Not to forget that Shamrock was a Kirin. He was in a way ‘dangerous’ to an extent, especially when he gets overwhelmed. The fire part about him was controllable, but for a relationship, during the more intimate parts? Probably not a good idea for the Pegasus to experience that. In a way, it did upset Shamrock when he was with Starry Dusk. It felt so real, the flirting, the looks she gave, all of it. But he had to remind himself that she was off-limits, that it wasn’t real, that it was just her being herself.

When Shamrock drank the alcohol, it surprised him. Being a Kirin, he usually had no problems with drinks in terms of the ‘burn’, but this one caught him. After swallowing, he hunched over and sighed, propping one hoof up to his cheek, and tilting the glass around with his other as if he was looking to see if there was any drink left.

“Shamrock.”

Shamrock then glanced up at the bartender, who was looking at him. She had a happy look to her, smiling at him. From what he could tell, it looked as if she had been standing there for a while.

“Hey, Shamrock!”

The bartender then levitated a note up to him, along with the bottle of vodka he had, giving him his second round. When the note got to its destination, he saw a phone number, and a little face of a mare, winking at him.

As he took the note and inspected it, Shamrock felt a presence next to him on his right, weight being put into his side. When he shifted his head slightly, he realized that it was Starry Dusk, embracing him, snuggling into his mane, a… jealous(?) look on her face.

His eyes widened, why was Starry Dusk doing that?

The bartender’s ears lowered as she walked away. From the looks of it, he just lost the bartender.

When the bartender focused on another customer, the mare let go of Shamrock.

“Uhh, Dusk, what was that?”

“Dude, I called your name a bunch of times and you were just spaced out.”

“Sooo the best option was to hug me?”

Starry Dusk smiled, lowering her hoof down to his lower abdomen. “Oh babe, for you, I can do more than just that.”

Shamrock squirmed away. “Yo Dusk stop…”

She retracted, but her attitude didn’t change. “Oh c’mon Shamrock, I can take you,” She leaned close to him, her voice lowering, “can you take me?” She then licked his cheek.

This was perhaps the most aggressive move that Starry Dusk has taken.

Shamrock’s eyes widened again, his head snapping towards her. “Star!”

Awkward silence was now in the air, as Shamrock swirled the clear concoction in his glass as the ambient lighting pulsed in harmony with the music. He caught a glimpse of Starry Dusk, her lavender-colored mane a vivid contrast against the nightclub's vibrant hues.

Sensing tension, the mare decided to try and lighten the mood. “You know,” Starry said with a mischievous twinkle in her eye,”'I've never seen you blush quite like that before.”

Shamrock smirked, raising an eyebrow in response. “Well, it's not every day a mare tries to catch me off guard like that.”

‘Okay, that seemed to help him…’ “Oh please,” Starry chuckled, playfully nudging him. “Admit it, Sham, you're not as unflappable as you want everypony to believe.”

He chuckled in return, shaking his head. “And you're not as smooth as you think.”

The tension between them now carried a hint of flirtation over awkwardness, a dance of words that masked deeper emotions.

Starry Dusk leaned in closer, her voice lowering. “Well, maybe I'm just saving my best moves for the right moment.”

He chuckled, taking a sip from his glass. “Is that so?”

The nightclub's energy pulsed around them, the music and laughter forming a backdrop to their unspoken connection.

“Yeah, it is.”

The mare then nudgedforward, their muzzles nearly centimeters apart.

“W-… what are you doing Star?”

…

Okay, Shamrock was officially blown away. This could not be happening, not a chance. His best friend was kissing him, in a nightclub, drunk out of her mind. A current of electricity surged through Shamrock's body, sending shivers down his spine. His heartbeat intensified, matching the tempo of their kiss, and he felt a warmth spreading from his cheeks to his chest. It was as if the world around them melted away, leaving only the sensation of Starry Dusk's lips against his. But Shamrock didn’t pull away, but rather leaned into the kiss, putting a hoof up and around her back, supporting the mare.

But as soon as he did so, she pulled away, licking her chops as if she was trying to savor the taste.

The Kirin was stunned, shocked, hell mortified at the situation. What in Equestria was happening?

The Pegasus noticed this, her smile now gone, ears now flat against her head. “You okay there Shamrock?”

He started panting, panic began to build up in his voice. “Why did you do that?”

“Shamrock it’s f-“

“Starry Dusk that was very uncalled for!” Shamrock had never used her full name. “Why would you catch me off guard like that?”

“Did you… not like it?”

The question from her made the stallion panic once again. “What- no! Or, I mean, the kiss was fine, but that was completely inappropriate. We’re friends, and friends don’t do that!”

Starry Dusk got the answer she was hoping for, now letting her fears go away. “Why do we have to just be friends?”

From the look on his face, this question broke the stallion. “What?”

“I said-“

“No I heard you Star…” okay, he was back to calling her by her pet names. That’s a good start. “You… you want to be more than friends?”

A scoff from the mare. “C’mon Sham, you can’t tell me you haven’t seen the hints.”

“Actually I can.”

The mare tilted one ear in confusion, “Huh?”

“You flirt with everypony. In what world are there hints?”

She smiled, “A hint like this?” And she leaned back to him to give his other cheek a long lick, keeping eye contact with him as much as she could.

After leaning back, she saw a more relaxed look of her friend, but his fears were still visible. “Star, don’t make me take you home tonight.” She knew what he was doing. He was trying to be cocky like he usually was, but the shaky tone in his voice gave it all away.

Unfortunately for him, she’d bite, scooting closer to him, putting a hoof under his stomach. “Oh, really now?” A wink from her to him.

Shamrock shifted uncomfortably, trying to make it seem like it was just him adjusting.

But now things got more serious as Starry Dusk leaned back again. “Look Shamrock, seriously, I mean it when I say that I wouldn’t mind being more than friends. I think you are a wonderful friend, and I know you could be a great lover. Buuut if you want to stay friends, I’m always happy to still be that to you, I’ll understand.”

“L-look, Star… I just don’t want to mess things up between us. What if it didn’t work? I can’t lose you.”

“Who says it won’t work? Shamrock, if you don’t try, you’ll never find out what could have been. Sure, there’s a chance that it won’t go the way you want it. And I know from my end that no matter what, if it didn’t work, I would still want to be your friend.”

Shamrock looked back at his glass, still full from the second fillup.

A nudge came from his chest. He looked back to Starry Dusk. “Come on Shamrock, give me a chance?”

He then turned back to his glass, then to her, and finally back to the glass, drinking it all in one go. This time the burn wasn’t even there.

He then hopped out of his chair, rearing up on his hind legs, grabbing the mare, enveloping her into a kiss.

Now she was the one to be shocked.

The feeling was mutual. It was as if fireworks were going off, their hearts in sync.

When they separated, Starry Dusk saw a smile.

“You know, I… want to give it a try.”

A goofy smile followed with a laugh came from her. “C’mon Shamrock, let’s get outta here.”

He let go of her, and she hopped down from the stool, leading the way to the exit, a small sway in her step now.

‘I have to be the luckiest stallion out there. I just have to be. There’s no way that this is happening. Right? … … … oh it’s happening…’

Author's Note

Hey everyone.

I hope this short story was a good one for you to read. It may be a lot shorter than the ones I usually write, but I didn’t want this one to be too long, as that wasn’t the intention here.

I don’t want to say that this is a story to just buffer the other ones that are coming, but I do believe this is a good time to put it up, as it personally feels like a really good quick read.

The intention behind this story is nothing more than to just make the reader smile at the cute banter between the two. I wanted the story to be one of those that get the ‘aww this is so cute’ reaction. It’s designed to be simple, yet impactful.

I hope I’ve lived up to my quality standards since my first story posted, even if it isn’t nearly as long as it.

For now, take care.
~Waffle