Thumper (Patreon)

While Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash spend their first morning together in bed Link elsewhere 2 other ponies enjoy each other's company in my Equestria dreamscape.

     It was a warm summer morning at Sweet Apple Acres . Chickens pecked and clucked as they foraged around the the bright red farmhouse and barn looking for assorted seeds and bugs. Under the eaves of said building dozens of barn swallows chittered and clicked as they tended to their nests and chicks. Meanwhile their partners twisted, dove, and rocketed through the air as they chasing numerous airborne insects. Amongst the rows of apple trees bees buzzed around purposefully. From a nearby workshop there was a steady series of metallic clanks as Big Mac repaired some piece of farm equipment.

     Applebloom and Stone Mane sat on the farmers porch as they stripped the husk and silk from ears corn then they put them into a metal wash basin of water to soak. Corn chowder was on the menu tonight. It was tedious work but the awning of the porch provided shade which meant that it was relatively comfortable there. Still the foals felt like they'd been at it for hours but pile of unshucked ears of corn didn't seem to be getting any smaller.

     What made it more annoying was that you had to grasp the husks and silk with your lips and teeth to strip it from the ears. This made talking a sporadic affairs at best. Short moments of conversation between placing a shucked of ear corn into the water and reaching for the next one. Still the 2 foals were able to talk some.

     "So Stone! Ya know the Ponyville County Fair is in a couple weeks dontcha?" Applebloom paused and ripped the final, long strip of green husk from an ear of corn. "Yer gonna love it!"  She tossed the finished ear in the water and grabbed another one.

     Stone Mane stripped off a piece of husk off a new ear that he was holding in his front hooves. He spat out the husk and then looked down at the ear he was holding in front hooves. The colt made a face. "Oh ick! This one has got a big old worm in it!"

     Applebloom leaned over and looked at the ear in question and made a disapproving face and then pointed with a front hoof over at a little cart which already had few ears and other food scraps. "Yyyyeeaaahh. Why dontcha toss it over in the pile fer the piggies. That'll be grub fer their dinner tanight!"

     The colt grabbed another ear of corn as he spoke. "So you said the fair is soon. We have something like that Baltimare. It's called the Summer Sea Festival and Regatta! There's all kinds of cool things to do, and you can watch the sailboat races from the shore!"

     "Never seen a sailboat befer. Well except as pictures in books, but it sounds neat." Said the filly. "But the fair is the biggest thing in these parts after the Summer Sun Celebration! There's heaps things ta do and see! And all kinds tasty grub ta eat. Oh! And there's rides ya can go on! Including the biggest Ferris Wheel ya ever seen!"

     "Wow! Ferris Wheel are neat! Sometimes there's one at the Sea Festival. Does the one at the fair light up at night?!"

     "Yep! And when ya r at the top of it during the day ya can see fer miles around, and at night it's like yer flying like some pegasus pony flying amongst the stars! I can't git enough of it!"

     "Do they stop the wheel every once and awhile?" The colt glanced over at filly.

     "Yeah they do!" Filly giggled. "Sis says its ta give everypony a chance ta really take in the sights, and ta give someponies some time ta themselves. Whatever that means?"

     Stone Mane was quiet for the next minute as he prepped another ear of corn. As he tossed another ear into the water he spoke softly. "I wouldn't mind spending sometime with you on it."

     Applebloom's head snapped around and she looked at the colt with a big grin on her face as her tail started slowly thumping on wooden boards of porch."Yes! I would luv goin on it with ya!"

     "Well that's great! I'm really looking forward to it now....." He paused and leaned over and looked down at the filly's thumping tail with a quizzical look. After a second he spoke. "Um, Applebloom why does your tail do that?"

     "Do what?" Filly continued to stare at the colt as her tail kept thumping away.

     "Your tail?" The colt pointed at the filly's deep rose red tail as it kept a steady beat on the porch.

      Thump. Thump. Thump.

      "What about my tail?" Applebloom gave the colt a confused looked.

     Stone Mane stared confused at the filly for a second; then he started giggling. "Don't you know what your tail is doing?" He chuckled and pointed at it with a front hoof. "You're one silly filly!"

     The tail suddenly stopped and Applebloom blushed and looked away. "Does it bother ya?" She said softly.

     The colt stopped laughing. "Does it bother me? No. I think it's adorable! Its just that you're like some big puppy at times!"

     The tail resumed thumping now faster and more vigorously now.

     Thump! Thump! Thump! The filly giggled herself. "Well Granny has said more than once that when I was just a teeny weeny filly that Winona was like a second mum ta me." She glanced back at her tail and blushed. "Guess she kinda rubbed off on me a bit!"

     The colt was now laughing uncontrollably. He flopped on his back and stared up at porch awning for a moment. For next minute his laughter filled the barnyard. Finally it subsided. Wiping tears of mirth from his eyes he spoke.

    "Thumper!" He said.

     "What?" The buttercream yellow filly cocked her head to one side causing her bright red bow to flop to one side.

     "Thumper!" Stone Mane said as he pointed a front hoof at the filly. "That's the nickname I'm giving you. You're Thumper. That's my special name for you!" He grinned at the filly. "Do you like it?"

     Applebloom said nothing but a big smile spread across her face and her tail was now a blur.

     Tttttthhhhhuuummmmmppppppp!

     Stone Mane looked over at her tail and grinned. "I'll take that to be a yes."

To be continued.