Appledashery

by Just Essay

Table Topped

Lyra took a long, hearty swig of cider. She ended with a belch, rubbed her muzzle dry, then pointed across the table with a smirk. "Make a move on her the first chance you get."

"Lyra!" Bon Bon hissed.

"I'm tellin' ya!" Lyra smirked, twirling her empty mug around. "It's now or never, girl! Overnight hiking, huh? Plenty of time to pitch a tent... in more ways than one, if you get me."

"Ugh..." Bon Bon rolled her eyes. "That makes absolutely no sense and you know it."

"Uhm..." Caramel smiled, blushing. "I get it."

"Well of course you do, princess." Lyra licked the edges of her mug. "Well, not for long, anyway."

"Ahem..."

"Heh..." Rainbow Dash leaned back in her chair across from her friends at the pub. "How many times do I have to tell you girls. This is not that kind of camping trip?!"

"Then why even bring it up?" Lyra slurred. "We're basically your 'Team Freckle Pounce' posse at this point, aren't we?"

"She brings it up because she wants some support, Lyra," Bon Bon said. She turned to smile at Rainbow. "And I, for one, totally agree with this decision that you're making. I think it's a fabulous idea to reconnect with Applejack... or the rest of your friends for that matter!"

"Just don't do anything too flirtatious," Vinyl droned while levitating a periodical on the underground music scene.

"Don't flirt too much, though," Bon Bon said.

"Be sure to give Applejack some space," Vinyl added.

"Make sure your marefriends maintain boundaries!"

"Let her start conversations... as well as end them," Vinyl said.

"Oh!" Bon Bon grinned. "And let Applejack lead in most of the conversations!"

Vinyl rolled her shaded eyes. "What am I? Mute?"

Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. "All great advice. Really. But... I kinda sorta had all of that stuff in mind already."

"Pffft..." Lyra shrugged. "Then why even bring it up?"

"Guess I just wanted to know if I was... y'know... being crazy."

"Why 'crazy?'" Caramel raised his eyebrow. "I mean... eheh... it's no more obsessive than how you usually go about things, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow winced. "Ow."

"Erm..." Caramel blushed. "Sorry."

Bon Bon patted Caramel's shoulder. "She's right, though, Rainbow." She looked over at their pegasus friend. "This feels like taking a few steps back. A good few."

"Right..."

"Do... do you regret it?" Caramel asked.

Rainbow gulped. "I guess that remains to be seen. I mean... so long as Applejack is comfortable, then... what's the big deal, huh?"

"When is this little shindig anyways?" Lyra asked.

"Well..." Rainbow shuddered. "Things have come together, and it looks like... uhm... th-that we'll be getting together in about two days." She smiled. "I have a large enough hole in my schedule and Applejack's been double-dipping into farmwork to free herself."

"Well, hey..." Vinyl droned. "Sounds like somepony besides you is gung-ho about this."

"Whose idea was this again?" Lyra asked.

"Mine. Well... mine and Fluttershy's."

"She's in on it, huh?"

"She's always in on it. Just—unlike you guys—she has a habit of cushioning things."

"Heehee..." Bon Bon winked. "I guess we all love you a little bit differently."

Caramel grinned. "I love you in pink!"

"Steady there, Lieutenant Fwoofles," Lyra exhaled in a monotone. "This is just for friendship purposes. Isn't that right, Dash?"

Rainbow bit her lip.

Lyra rolled her eyes, then growled a little louder: "I said... isn't that right, Dash?"

"It's always the long, crazy, winding road to something else... something more." She gulped. "Only... now I think I'm starting to look at it all a bit more realistically."

"Realistically how?" Bon Bon asked.

After a sigh, Rainbow smiled and said, "I'm just trying to clear the weeds from the path away. Cuz... after all... a road like this won't be awesome if I'm just trotting it on my own."

Comments

[Sharp Quill]

"Well of course you do, princess." Lyra licked the edges of her mug. "Well, not for long, anyway."

i.imgur.com/GYpGkAK.png

[viofriedsevey]

Literally PLEASE give us some genuine Appledashery on this trip, it'll make my fucking life.

[Aatxe360]

6703169

Just more Applejack, regardless. Lots more, please?

[Hestia]

Progress! I'm jumping up and down! I can't wait for this camping trip.

I'm excited! Are you excited?! Ohmigosh, I've never been so excited!

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

Just how many chapters are you planning to do?!

[Phoenix Kitten]

There's too much optimism about..
I'm.. hopeful, but at the same time, cautious.

[Bulbajer]

"Erm..." Caramel blushed. "Sorry."

Bon Bon patted Caramel's shoulder. "She's right, though, Rainbow."

Is this a typo, or is Caramel trans? I thought he was just gay. Sorry if I'm being offensive.
6703234
You must be new here.

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

6703337 Eeyup, joined just last month on the 26th

[Lightning Bearer]

6703337

Pretty sure he's trans.

[unknownbore]

Vinyl rolled her shaded eyes. "What am I? Mute?"

Dat reference.

[CommanderCuddle]

Mmmmm, can't wait to see how this trip spirals into pain inducing madness

[YoshiFawful64]

6703337 6703364
The narration still refers to him with "he" pronouns, though, so I'm pretty sure that's just a typo. (Well, y'know, unless Caramel is bigender or something, and uses both "he" and "she" pronouns).

[Phoenix Kitten]

6703878 I direct your attention to chapter 32

“Yeah!” Caramel smiled. “It’s good to know that you’ve gotten over the past, Rainbow! I’d hate to think you were still a secretly clingy mare with untold amounts of insecure baggage!”
“Yeahhhhh…” Rainbow’s wincing expression pulled her head into a dumb nod. “So, how’s the operation coming, ‘Melody?’”

Caramel seems to be a Stallion-to-Mare pre-op.
No word on if she's doing hrt.
Though I'd wager she's keeping it under wraps cause her parents wouldn't be happy.
Hence why she's not insisting they call her by her chosen name or gender. S'not something she wants public knowledge yet.

The values of having friends all over the spectrum.

[YoshiFawful64]

6703977
That's... actually a pretty good point. It's honestly been so long since I caught up that I'm starting to forget some of the details. I'd reread all the bar chapters, but finding them would take a while. If only we had some kind of fact checker who could compile them all...

[Bulbajer]

6703348
Welcome! Have you caught up already?

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

6704688 no, I've just started it

[Phoenix Kitten]

6704622
I only really recall that part cause I had a big discussion about it with one of my trans friends. That was the conclusion we drew.

I think AFC has enough on his plate with close to 1500 chapters of Easthorse to look through.
If you're trying to suggest I take up the moniker of Appledashery Fact Checker... that's not happening, I value my sanity too much.

[zaponator]

Mmm, it's always great to see this gang back together.

[Bulbajer]

6704690
You've got quite the ride ahead of you!

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

6705107 Ya think?

[arancaytar]

Vinyl rolled her shaded eyes. "What am I? Mute?"

"It's always the long, crazy, winding road to something else... something more ." She gulped. "Only... now I think I'm starting to look at it all a bit more realistically."

Your door, Rainbow. It's "to your door".

Huh, those lyrics actually seem surprisingly topical.

Many times I've been alone and many times I've cried
Anyway you'll never know the many ways I've tried