So, I'm working on a post that would be sort of an "Intro to AppleDash" guide- highlighting some of the stories I would want to point people towards if they hadn't read much AppleDash before. I'd love to hear opinions on what I have so far. In the completed version I'll include links to fics and authors, but for right now you can look them up if you don't remember.

Notes:
This is not official for the group! Anyone else can put together their own!
I'm sure I forgot something obvious. That's why I'm posting this, let me know.
These are based on my opinions, but I'm willing to reconsider if you make a good argument for something else.
Yes, I included The AppleDash Project and Wet Feathers. This isn't as advertising, I just think they fit in the two sections.
I'm trying to avoid anything incomplete here. The only one on the list is Awkward, But Worth It, and that's because it's episodic.

Where to start:

If you want to test the waters with something short, go with Trial Run by UnliscensedBrony, for a cute, well written ship fic, or Pick Me Up at Seven, by Jondor, for something with some extra humor. Both don’t do much more than get the relationship together, but both are totally in character, and enjoyable to read.

For something a longer, Left Behind, by Gold, offers a Disney-movie like romance/adventure, complete with a great villain and exciting rescue. Another long form option, and one that’s been the starting point for many, is Those Blue Wings, by Tchernobog, which features Tchernobog’s enjoyable subplots to keep the story moving along.

If you’re more interested in seeing how a relationship would play out than how they got together, The AppleDash Project by bookplayer and Awkward, But Worth It by bahatumay are episodic fics that follow the progression of the relationship. Both rely on comedy and are broken up into bite sized chapters of only a few thousand words.

Where to go next:
Treating Her Right by Rated PonyStar
Fighting Feelings by TAW
Pillow Thoughts by Will P Sherman
What Would Daring Do? by CommissarAJ

Advanced:

If you’re looking for fics that go a little deeper into the relationship, there are some really good ones out there. These fics explore some tough issues the couple might face:

Chocolate Covered Grapes by Callisto, is a fic about the beginning of the relationship, but one that frames it with struggles surrounding Applejack and Rainbow Dash accepting the impact of their parents, or lack thereof, in their lives.

D-I-V-O-R-C-E by SanityLost, and Wet Feathers by bookplayer both take aim at the obvious flaw in AppleDash: Rainbow Dash’s dream of being a Wonderbolt will take her away from Ponyville one day, while Applejack is unlikely to leave Sweet Apple Acres.

While there are plenty of fics out there that deal with Applejack being afraid to reveal that she’s a fillyfooler, Burning Bridges by Ninestempest offers a twist on it, with a very specific reason that Applejack can’t tell her visiting mother about her relationship with Rainbow Dash.

Keep the Earth Beneath My Hooves by BronyNeumo goes for a tragic look at the love and sadness involved in ead of life care.

Mature:
If you don’t mind pony sex, these fics feature good stories with some steamy stuff worked in:

Stuck by Callisto
The Cupcake Chronicles by MilesPrower06
Trixie’s Magic Bit and the rest of the Trixieverse by Applejinx
Sex, Lies, and Cowpony Hats by O

1005986
How dare you not include one of my story.

I guess it's quite complete. I do reckon there are more good mature rated fics out there.

1006009
I also didn't include other people whose stories I love dearly. This can't be a list of every AppleDash fic ever, so I tried to stick to the ones that people who aren't already AppleDashers would like best.

And as to mature fics, I tried to stick to ones that tell a good story, as opposed to focusing on the clop.

1006022

I also didn't include other people whose stories I love dearly. This can't be a list of every AppleDash fic ever, so I tried to stick to the ones that people who aren't already AppleDashers would like best.

I was sooooo totally being serious

And well, with mature stories you have to think, why do people search for mature stories? I think most of them would say, clop or violence. non-mature stories usually have good enough stories as it is :)

1006030

And well, with mature stories you have to think, why do people search for mature stories? I think most of them would say, clop or violence.

Which is exactly why people who are interested in good stories might have missed these- if they weren't looking for clop or violence, they might have dismissed them without reading. But if they're looking for good stories and don't mind those things, well, here's a list.

I still find it amazing that Blue Wings is the starting point for so many people. I mean, I kinda cringe when I look at it now. I wish I could rewrite it from the ground up complete, given what I've learned from writing, but I can't really do that since I know the damn thing by heart >_>

1006036
Right, fair point

1006040
This is exactly why you need to write a new epic AppleDash fic. There was only one Tchernobog fic I could put on that list! One!

1006060
When I get around to the changeling fic, I shall! :P

1006071
Ahem...

In the words and emote of the great AppleDash Overlord: WRITE IT!!!

You included O! All her Appledash stuff is a personal favorite. Seconded

Thanks for the shoutout- it would be kinda sad to write an entire book series only to have 'em shunned on general principles. And it's been super interesting digging into some of the *ahem* more private details, not only of the characters but of their species, biology etc. while I was at it. And I ain't done by half

1006083
I still say you need to have a look over TMB's first chapter - it may be how it was first published, but the rest of your stuff is so far beyond that, that you're doing yourself a disservice at leaving it like it was. A bit of revision would do it, and new readers, a lot of good :)

And yes. O's awesome. Ehehe.

1006083
I'm glad including O is seconded. O and I are kind of... close.

1006089
Are you implying something with that chuckle?

Speaking of, should Zap Happens be on there? It's close, but I feel like it doesn't have quite the story worked in that Stuck has. But it's been a while since I read it.

Also, you've read every AppleDash fic ever, is there anything I missed, or you'd argue deserves a mention?

1006125
You'd be shocked at how many appledash fans from the german brony forum started with the Dash Diaries, and list it as their favorite. I'd argue that it deserves a mention, perhaps? Arguable though, I don't think it's of as high quality as many others here (though it is good).

Other than that, I can't immediately think of any others, without looking at a list of fics. You've named those that come to mind immediately.

edit: chuckle? Implying? Me? Noooooo >.>

An intro to Appledash guide sounds like a cool idea. There are a few in there that I haven't read yet (namely, everything in the Where to go next section), so I've already found it useful

And you included Trial Run! Yay, I'm honoured!

1005986

I'm squeeing like crazy here that you put Pick me up at Seven on your list. I've been tempted to fix up a couple little things and try submitting it to EqD once they get their fanfic department in order again, but your acknowledgement means more to me.

As for other suggestions, I'll have to look over my favorites when I have a chance and see if anything sticks out.

1005986
Oop, I do see a typo.

sadness involved in ead of life care.

Am I seriously looking at an Appledash Fan Fiction 101: Because You're Too Dumb to Use the Browse Feature guide?

1006606

Personally, I find the browse feature clunky and difficult to use. It was better before the last redesign, but not by a lot.

1006125
There could also be an "old classics" section, point at some of the early stuff (To Fix You, and so on. Not that I can remember much else that existed that early on, for that matter)

1006636
People who like Appledash have a lot they can look for; art, fan fiction, music... I like to think they're not all clueless animals with no sense of judgement whose opinion of a ship they potentially like depends on the quality of certain chosen fan-made content.

Keep in mind the people in this group represent a minority of the Appledash shippers, and a very specific one at that.

1006663
I agree. I'm not sure how throwing everything in a chaos of unsorted boxes of all sizes is supposed to be a good idea. I've learned to just type them in, for example "rom[return]hum[return]cro[return]apple[return]dash[return]" and click on "Human" and "Crossover" to disable them. I don't like having to type, though, because if I'm on this website, it's because I feel lazy.

1005986
Thanks for including my story!

1007006
Actually, the idea here is not so much for people who like AppleDash (though it might be useful for some of them who are just starting out) but for people who don't really like AppleDash, specifically those who are "meh." (either about AppleDash, or shipping in general.) In those cases, this is a list of things they could use to "give it a try" with a little more info than just the descriptions or the ratings. For example, I Do by kits is one of the highest rated AppleDash fics, but in my personal opinion it's not one best places to start. I also wouldn't recommend starting with Wet Feathers, though I think it's a good fic for people who already understand the ship.

This way, if I'm talking to someone who's like "Eh, I don't really like AppleDash/shipping, but I've never read that much," I can offer this list as a place they can go to have a more informed opinion. If they like the stories, hopefully they'll look for more. If they don't, at least I know they had access to the "right" (in my personal opinion) stuff to make a fair judgment.

1006577
There are a few typos I've already fixed on the google doc of the write up (UnlicensedBrony's name, for example.) I'll get the whole thing cleaned up before I post it.

1006409>>1006428>>1007083
Thank you guys for writing great stories!

1006771
I'd like to include more older fics like To Fix You, but to be honest I can't remember many.

If anyone, not just Tcherno, wants to look through some older stuff and point out some gems I might have missed, I'd really appreciate it.

1007193
As much as I am into Appledash, I'm not sure what there is to "understand" in a ship. Since there is no right or wrong way to do something that is purely subjective, I do not see how a guide that presents a few select fan fictions helps, especially considering some of them I wouldn't read were they about a ship I don't really like.

For example, Pick Me Up At Seven and The AppleDash Project abruptly establish a relationship without much of an explanation. If it were a ship I am not especially fond of, I would most likely skip those for offering no introduction to a reasoning behind the two characters crossing the border between friendship and romance. As much as I enjoy those stories, and many more that could have served as equivalent examples, they simply shove two ponies together to see what happens, instead of having the ponies slowly lean towards one another. One might argue that the actual testing and development of the relationship over time is the focus, but if I didn't care about the ship to begin with, the beginning would most likely be a miss for me.

I think stories like Left Behind, Pillow Thoughts or Those Blue Wings make much better stories to read first, as those more subtly advance into romance territory. They aren't just about two ponies suddenly wanting to be more than friend; there is an intrigue to them, something that motivates the reader to thread further whether they are into the ship or not.

And, well, there are some stories I simply wouldn't recommend at all, but I think we already know about that.

1007657
Well, for me there's a way of understanding a ship. I didn't really get TwiDash until I read Twilight's List- I just couldn't see what they might see in each other, and kits did an awesome job of showing the connection.

As for the fic choices, it's a matter of different people liking different things in a fic in general. I tried to offer a variety:
Trial Run is a great ship fic. Nothing happens that's too crazy, it's just a sweet, fun read. Pick Me Up at Seven, on the other hand, is a great comedy, even if you don't like AppleDash that much. If the show were to somehow do shipping, I could see the episode being something like that.

Left Behind is a great fast paced adventure story, while Those Blue Wings is a great slice of life story, both of which offer more in terms of the why and how of AJ and Dash getting together. (Pillow Thoughts would work here as well. I just went with Those Blue Wings because it's more widely known. But that's why Pillow Thoughts in on the "Read next" list.)

The other side of that coin is The AppleDash Project, and Awkward, But Worth It. Both of those get AJ and Dash together in a non-dramatic way, but then go into what the relationship would actually look like afterwards.

So, for example, if the imaginary person told me "I don't really like shipping, but I'll give it a try," I'd expect them to pick Pick Me Up at Seven or Left Behind to read. If they like shipping stories, but never really tried AppleDash, then Trial Run or Those Blue Wings might be more appealing. If they said "I can see how AJ and Dash would find each other hot, but I don't see how they could stay together without fighting," I'd expect them to look at The AppleDash Project or Awkward, But Worth It.

Wait a moment? Using "Magic Bit" in an Appledash list? It's mindless sex and thoughtless futa just so trixie and bone everything. Frankly, the inclusion makes me think you're taking the piss. A good one! Very subtle.

1005986

It hasn't gathered a lot of attention, but To Touch the Ground by blue harvest might have a place somewhere on the list.

It's a little poetic for a first-pony Dash fic, but otherwise the characterization feels just right, it's on the shorter side (5K words), and it does a pretty good job at showing a slice of their ongoing relationship (right at the point where Dash realizes she's become a defacto Apple family member).

That's the only thing I've got that's not already on your list.

A dash of apple is my fav by far, a nice list of fics there to start on either way :)

The Dash Diaries is still one of my favourites, and one of the first shipping mlp stories I read. Its a nice length and has a good amount of character development, I think. Its been a while since I read it, but I think it'd be good for people who were into shipping but still on the fence about Appledash. *Shrugs*

Applejack and Rainbow Dash make a snow pony in my personal opinion that one is awesome. It's super funny, well written, and short. You should put it on for those reasons alone. It's one of my favs so I recommend!!?

One of the earlier AppleDash fics I recall reading, and would recommend, is "fading colors" by J-Webb, though I'm not sure where that would fit...maybe if there was like an "old classics" section perhaps, but I think it's more 'old' than it is 'classic', in the sense that not everybody knows it.

(I recall enjoying it a lot, but I first read it about a year ago, probably more, so it may not be as good as I remember)