Tea and thoughts

Floralbloom giggled, "It's no problem, really. I'm sure anypony else would have done it." She stirred more sugar lumps into her tea and a drop of honey before sipping it.

He chuckled at Thunderclap's comment. "She just cared enough to ask me... then I talked to her about my nerves and she was very kind to me. Yeah, Floral; this is Thunderclap. Y'know, the one I told you about." He put a foreleg around his friend's shoulders.

Thunderclap stared at his friend's foreleg. "Are you coming on to me?" He asked. He tried to keep a straightface, but couldn't. He soon broke out into laughter. "To be honest, I really don't know what he sees in me."

Floralbloom smiled, "Nice to meet you Thunderclap, I've certainly heard a lot about you," She said staring at his muscles, recalling what Arpeggio said earlier.

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not, Thunder. I can be if you want me to be." He laughed as well. "Don't worry, it's all good, I promise."

Thunderclap giggled nervously. "Um, ya, its all good, and stuff." Although he knew his friend was probably joking, he still felt awkward when Arpeggio acted like this. He smiled trying to diffuse the tension.

Floralbloom laughed knowingly, then turned to Thunderclap, "You're fairly new here too, right? I just moved here a few days ago."

Arpeggio removed his foreleg from his roommate's shoulder, sitting back down. He drank his tea quietly, letting Floral and Thunder talk.

Thunderclap nodded. "Ya, I came to town a couple of days ago. You see, for about the last year or so I've been wandering throughout Equestria. Going from town to town, landmark to landmark. To be honest, when I first came to Ponyville, I had no intention of staying. But then I saw how lively and wonderful it is, as well as made a few friends. I couldn't bring my self to leave." He said. "Now what about you, Floral. What brings you here?"

"So you've seen all of Equestira? That's really enviable!" Floral chirped. "Me? Oh well, it's quite a long story. I grew up in Canterlot with my parents and two siblings. They were quite renown ballroom dancers, and had high expectations for me and my siblings. Both of my siblings got their cutie marks rather quickly, both of them dancing professions, but me, I didn't get one till a long while after. My parents were convinced my cutie mark was going to be something amazing, but to their dismay I was destined to become a humble florist." She sighed.

"My parent's did a bit of bragging about my cutiemarklessness and they seemed a tad ashamed of me, although they didn't want to show it, I knew it was there. So when I became old enough, I decided I wanted to move some place else and eventually I got enough bits together to come live here and perhaps one day set up shop. I still visit my parents occasionally but I visit my siblings a whole lot more." She smiled weakly.

"They seem to like my cutie mark more than my parents."

"I've never had siblings... though I've heard some horror stories from my acquaintances. Seems like it wasn't like that with you, though. You said you plan to start a shop?"

Thunderclap nodded. "Ya, I never had siblings either. Then again, back in my home town, you would treat every other pony as your sibling. So I guess I kinda know what it is like. " He said. "And I may need to stop by your shop eventually. I may not be too into flowers, but my mother loves them
"

"And as for cutie marks, well, they weren't as important back where I came from. They would come at their proper time. We never actively sought them out." He leaned back farther into his chair. "In fact, mine came out of pure necessity. A big storm was about to destroy our crops, and I went out to try and break it up."

"Planning is the right word, I'd very much like to have a shop someday. But I'm not sure if I can make it, it's a lot more than I thought it would be, but if I wanted it to be easy I would have stayed in Canterlot. I'm thinking perhaps using my house as a place to sell it and just live upstairs. Well, if you ever need anything to do with flowers you know who to come to." She laughed.

"I thought everypony wanted their cutiemarks! I guess I was wrong. You're quite the hero then," She smiled at Thunderclap then turned to Arpeggio, "How did you get your cutiemark?"

"I got it when I wrote my first composition for my mother. I was the last one in my class to get it and got teased a lot for it, but my parents always believed in me. Seeing my mother's happy expression when I gave her my piece that I wrote for her soprano voice..."

He smiled, remembering it.

"It was wonderful."

Thunderclap smiled. "That's sounds nice, you seemed very sweet back then." He shuffled around in his chair. "I just don't understand some ponies obsession with cutie marks. I watched young ponies be bullied and called names because of their lack of cutie marks. I've also seen young ponies go through crazy lengths to get their cutie marks. They come when they come. I actually didn't get mine until I was quite older." He said.

"In that case, you should let me hear you sing sometime, Arpeggio!"

"Being a blankflank is quite frowned upon in most places, unfortunately. Fate decides on it's own, but fate isn't a concept you understand when you're that age I suppose!" Floral thought for awhile. "I bet some time ago it would have been strange to have a cutie mark early, perhaps even frowned upon. I guess that's how culture changes." She sighed, "Prejudice will always be lingering."

"Foals will be foals. I don't get their obsessions with them either; I see these three fillies racing around town from time to time, doing all kinds of crazy things to try and get their marks... ah well."

"I love to perform; I'd be happy to sing for you sometime."

"Ya. Arpeggio is awesome. You really need to hear him. As soon as possible." Thunderclap smiled. He looked at the other two ponies. "So, what shall we do?" he asked