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The Red Parade

Cars are still parked outside. If the rapture had happened, why was it unrecognizable? Why was the sky blue? Why did no one tell me? Do these things not announce themselves?

The Red Parade Joined 17th Jun, 2017 · Offline

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Low Res didn't know what it meant to be special, until she met Lilac Meadows.

Evergreen has a big choice to make. Apple Split has all the faith in the world he'll make the right one.

After Velvet Light's accident, Rocky Storm and Star Hunter are worried about her.

With help from Apple Bumpkin, Ballad gets ready to show who she really is to one of her oldest friends.

And finally, a troubled Autumn Leaf explores what it really means to fight for something.

This story is completed and will be updated daily, totaling at five parts.

Each chapter of this story was written for a Quills and Sofas Pride Month contest: part one won first place in the Lesbians contest, part two won third in the Gay contest, and part three placed third in the Bi contest. Part four was written for the Trans contest and part five was written for the 24 Hour Contest.

This story is an entry for Pride and Positivity (Bigots, you know where that downvote button is!)

Cover art by Mushroom, who also preread this story.
Chapters (5)
Complete Published: Jul 2nd, 2021 Download
10,562 words
Comments ( 17 )
Charlie_K
Charlie_K #2 · Jul 2nd, 2021 · · · Part One: Your Song ·
Reply

Huh. Interesting take on the subject. But then again I like the idea of adult blank flanks. Hell, my headcanon is that Tempest Shadow never got a cutie mark and has a blank flank under her armor.

wishcometrue
wishcometrue #3 · Jul 3rd, 2021 · · · Part One: Your Song ·
Reply

This was already adorable and great in the contest, and every addition you've made has only made this better. Great work, and I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the Galley Alley stories!

wishcometrue
wishcometrue #5 · Jul 3rd, 2021 · · · Part Two: Miss Me ·
Reply

Apple Split and Evergreen are so cute! God I love them. Great work again.

Charlie_K
Charlie_K #6 · Jul 3rd, 2021 · · 1 · Part Two: Miss Me ·
Reply

My only real complaint/criticism is just how many times Apple Split's name actually gets mentioned before Evergreen is actually introduced. If Apple Split is the only actual character in a given scene, his name doesn't really need to be repeated in each subsequent paragraph before Evergreen shows up.

IAmApe
IAmApe #7 · Jul 3rd, 2021 · · 10 · Part Two: Miss Me ·
Reply

It's very easy to call strangers you've never met "bigots".

SigmasonicX
SigmasonicX #9 · Mar 22nd, 2022 · · 1 · Part Five: A Resolution ·
Reply

Finally got around to reading this. It was really interesting seeing these disparate groups of background ponies with their own stories crossing over and coming together. It reminds me of a sort of non-tragic and more LGBT+ version of RENT. I'm surprised Low Res didn't get her cutie mark in the end, but as the story shows, it's fine if she hasn't yet.

Bicyclette
Bicyclette #10 · Aug 14th, 2022 · · · Part One: Your Song ·
Reply

Underneath the sticker was of course nothing: just like how there was nothing every single day of Low Res’ life.

oof, that is a sad horse

The mare giggled. “Hiya! I’m Lilac Meadows, I run the flower store down the street!”

aww, sticker shop and flower store AU, my favorite!

I had a deal with Clear Tape at the Stall Depot but he’s decided to retire.”

hehe, Stall Depot, love it

Specialty? My specialty is nothing.

oof, that is a sad horse

Her pace slowed at that. There was probably already a pony in the city whose special talent was in sticker making. Who was she to take away their business when she wasn’t talented at anything?

oof, that is a sad horse, also relatable as a creator!

“Oh, here!” as she reached for one of the sheets her hoof brushed against Lilac’s, and for a second she froze.

lewd

Low Res followed her hoof and realized she had accidentally included the sheet of her “cutie mark.”

“Isn’t that your cutie mark?” Lilac asked.

oh nooooo

Low Res sucked in a breath at that. “Y-yeah! I just like to, y’know, include them in orders for free. Gotta promote myself, y’know?” she offered a weak chuckle.

Luckily, Lilac seemed to accept this. “That’s amazing! You’re really good at brand-building, huh?”

damn, nice save!

Low Res gasped, going stock still. Did… did Lilac notice?

She considered this. Lilac hadn’t said anything, and her expressions felt so warm and genuine…

oof. also, does this work as a metaphor for the trans experience?

Low Res groaned, slumping onto the counter and burying her head in her hooves.

“Why does life have to suck so much?”

oof, that is a sad horse

Low Res beamed as Lilac poured over a set of stickers. The stickers each bore the colors of a particular pride group: brilliant shades of blue and white, purple and blue, and several others covered the entire sheet: in bold defiance of whoever dared oppose them.

hell yeah, gamer! augh, pride flags go so well with pastel ponies

Her companion was quiet for a second. “So, Res,” Lilac said after clearing her throat. “I’ve been doing some thinking.”

”Res” is one spot on the keyboard away from “Red”, really makes you think

I’m going to a party… with other ponies. Who will be looking at me.

oof, that is a sad horse. also, relatable

“Apple Split hired me to do the decorations.

hell yeah Apple Split

“See you there,” Low Res said automatically. She didn’t breathe until the ringing of the bell shook her from her trance.

What did I just get myself into?

me when i agree to any social obligation

Rain didn’t mix well with adhesive; perhaps there was a magical solution, but Low Res wasn’t a unicorn and as such had no answer to rain mixing with her sticker. Even a raincoat and umbrella offered minimal protection, especially when the wind was behaving as erratically as it was now.

oof, definitely understandable why she hates rain

By the time she reached the flower store she was certain that she was more water than pony.

oof, that is a wet horse

In truth, Low Res hadn’t noticed how cold she was until Lilac pulled her hoof away. Her body missed its warmth almost immediately.

auaugh

Lilac nodded. “Well, we’ll make do no matter what happens. Have you ever been to Galley Alley?”

title drop!

As they rounded the corner, they paused in front of a light pole that was covered with familiar stickers. “Huh,” Low Res remarked, trotting up to it.

“Well, you did tell ponies to use them ‘wherever,’” Lilac laughed.

hehe, i can picture this scene in the movie!

The two turned to see a foal and their mother across the street, pointing at them. “Mommy, how come that pony doesn’t have a cutie mark?”

oh noooooo also children are so rude!

She put a foreleg around her neck and pressed their bodies together, using her own body to hide Low Res’ naked side.

lewd

“But I’m 21 and I don’t have a cutie mark yet,” Low Res sulked. “How… How can I not feel like I’m useless? Like I’m nothing at all?”

oof, a metaphor for Society

“Because friends have each others’ backs,” Lilac answered, ruffling her mane and sending small specks of rainwater flying. “And, um… welltobehonestIthinkyou’reprettycute,” she blurted, a bit of red stinging her cheeks.

gay

Lilac sighed. “Well, here’s what I say: screw them! They’re a bunch of jerks anyways. You don’t deserve them, so who cares what they think?”

hell yeah!

Low Res is the name I gave to S04E12 Unnamed Earth Mare #1

lh6.googleusercontent.com/sjn_6nU41ImSf3e0sAGsMA-BTYgIfYd0XOQyWkkvPUzkYJCyYCuEjfYaEcB4i9vnLJrfIcjbLnSkw5__KTPxnsrdEyDkPE_oiloR4WzJc06dRye2gALNxjN329weoZEiqj0mxy1lReCiGM0vSjTWsE8

Lilac Meadows is the name I gave to S05E12 Unnamed Earth Mare #1

lh3.googleusercontent.com/81ZOpVuKvb6HzAuC25UXGbiRsjOLzFvo-STmV5MeCFNqMhMiiP5athjnMuluJkZSck3Z3q_C2Ztyp9lNxINcVXjKrvj_UQLrYQBCuKYaYD84xFAOdq--GCezzg_Xqsv_kr7WWCyYz1w9Mn66v3ifRAA

um i love them? and yeah, her cutie mark really does look like a sticker fr. also aww, i love ship already!

Bicyclette
Bicyclette #11 · Aug 14th, 2022 · · · Part Two: Miss Me ·
Reply

Every morning, Apple Split awoke to the sound of a whirring lawn mower outside of his window.

hell yeah, second-best Apple relative after Apple Fritter

Apple Split feigned shock, holding a hoof over his heart. “You don’t even ask how I am?! Do you care more about my plants than me?”

“Do you want me to answer that honestly?”

Apple Split laughed. “Come up here and I’ll show you.”

hehe, this is fun banter

Apple Split blinked. “Oh… Oh, I see. Well, that’s what you wanted, isn’t it? To be a full time groundskeeper?”

“It… it was,” Evergreen confessed. “But that’d mean moving away from… you.”

oof…

“Well of course I’ll miss you, but us Apples always find ways to make do. Besides, it’s not like we’ll never see each other again. You know where to find me and I’ll know where to find you.”

aww, yeah, it could be a lot worse!

Evergreen blushed a little, but Apple Split just laughed. He leaned in and kissed Evergreen on the lips, drawing some ‘d’awws’ from the pegasi.

d’aww!

He thought of Apple Split and the times they shared together: the warm dinners at the corner cafe, taking walks through the city, browsing the selection at Lilac’s flower store…

Evergreen paused on the corner, noticing a lightpost erected on the corner. Its surface had been covered in a series of stickers, with some of the colorations feeling familiar to him.

love how these bits are interconnected! the Galley Alley Literary Universe

Apple Split loved him, and he loved Apple Split.

so true

“I’m happy here,” Evergreen replied, gesturing to the buildings. “With you.”

it really does feel like a magical place that would be hard to leave

camo.fimfiction.net/kuGOrLTGhApwBnAa93bdfUVA6pNf5QjzyqgtPI8aF2E?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.wikia.nocookie.net%2Fmlp%2Fimages%2Fd%2Fd0%2FEvergreen_ID_S5E10.png%2Frevision%2Flatest%2Fscale-to-width-down%2F416%3Fcb%3D20150621000749
Evergreen

camo.fimfiction.net/V1y1mT03oRwuYizi4dMbpzRpdD6vj0Uf7AQ3Y9WwiUY?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.wikia.nocookie.net%2Fmlp%2Fimages%2F0%2F08%2FApple_Split_ID_S3E8.png%2Frevision%2Flatest%2Fscale-to-width-down%2F600%3Fcb%3D20150510215520
Apple Split

love them, love bringing background ponies to life like this

Bicyclette
Bicyclette #12 · Aug 14th, 2022 · · · Part Three: With You ·
Reply

“Ugh!” Rocky Storm poked her shoulder. “You’re literally being a drama queen right now!”

litrally

“What’s going on?” asked Star Hunter as he poked his head into the bedroom. He narrowed his eyes at Rocky. “Rocky, Velvet needs her rest. Leave her alone.”

hey, Star Hunter from earlier!

Star trotted over and Velvet felt a weight on the edge of the bed. “...do you want to talk about what happened?” he asked gently.

His voice brought with it a crashing wave of humiliation and anxiety. Velvet bit her lip, blinking rapidly to dispel the tears in her eyes. “...no.”

oof… and it’s been long enough since i read this in the speedwrite that i do not remember what had happened, can’t wait to see it all over again

“Oh! The flowers!” Star nodded with a grin. “Yeah, I got them! Lilac gave me these really cute stickers too, I’ve got to ask where she got them!”

hehe, i, the reader knows where she got them!

“Ugh! Because the two of you are so talented and good at so many things, and I just feel like I’m dead weight,” Velvet replied, sinking deeper to the ground. “I… I saw this one trick the Wonderbolts do where you fly really high then fall, before you pull up at the last second and I thought it’d look really cool and…” her voice wavered and fell to a whisper. “...impress you.”

oof, that does sound very silly when said aloud, all the more difficult to talk about for her

Velvet laughed as her two lovers bickered with each other. She was glad that she wasn’t the only silly one.

aww!

“Could you bring me another cup of cocoa?” she called to the kitchen.

“I think you’re getting a bit too used to this service,” came Rocky’s reply.

Velvet snorted. “As if you weren’t going to bring one!”

“...you got me there.”

gottem

Soon Rocky appeared with some fresh cups of hot chocolate and joined the two on the couch. “Geez, is Evergreen really still out there?” she asked as the faint hum of a lawnmower echoed from below.

“Think so,” Star answered. “I wonder if he’s applying for that groundskeeping job?”

yay continuity

“Awww!” Velvet giggled, and soon Rocky and Star did as well. The earth pony caught their eye and grinned before pulling his companion into a kiss.

“They’re adorable,” Velvet said.

whoa, somehow i only now connected these three to the three pegasi from earlier!

A second of silence passed before Rocky spoke again. “I can’t lie though… Evergreen’s kinda hot, huh?”

Two slaps echoed through the apartment followed by a chorus of laughter.

hehehe and aww, this triad just seems very fun! kids in love, very adorable

Bicyclette
Bicyclette #13 · Aug 14th, 2022 · · · Part Four: Welcome Home ·
Reply

She saw Lilac Meadows arranging some flowers, an unfamiliar green-maned mare standing next to her and grinning as Lilac pattered on about something or the other.

aww, love that ship!

She watched as a green pegasus in a safety vest trotted along the paths, inspecting some of the plants and making a note on his clipboard occasionally.

oh hey i know that guy

“Well, ain’t exactly that bad,” Apple Bumpkin quickly clarified. “Said she don’t quite understand it, because when she grew up they always said you were either a colt or a filly. Ain’t never heard of someone fallin’ in between. But they said they understood, and they’d stop callin’ me ‘Apple Dazzle’ from now on. Said if that was who I was, they weren’t gonna question it.”

“Oh!” Apple Split perked up. “Well now, that’s a relief to hear.”

The conversation caused Ballad’s heart to quicken a bit. Hearing Split’s words caused something to stir inside of her. Something that felt like… hope.

aww, that is nice! good to see more exploration of non-binary identity in trans stories, and also nice to see things turn out well like this

Apple Split made a face. “That’s… that’s insane. I always forget that some ponies actually think like that. Your identity is your choice, who gives a buck if others think it’s weird?” He narrowed his eyes before continuing. “...do I have to go beat someone up? Evergreen can probably hide a body, y’know.”

hehe, nice! and yeah, a groundskeeper pony definitely could!

“Awww. I’m always gonna support you,” Apple Split replied, hugging her again. “Hope you know that. All of us here are always gonna have your back. That’s the way we do things in Galley Alley.”

so true

Ballad made a face. “Turns out they’re not too keen on the whole ‘transgender’ concept,” she muttered. “I dumped them back in Fillydelphia.”

oof…

“Yeah… glad it did though,” Ballad muttered. “I dunno if I can handle another disaster… especially not here.”

yeah, knowing what happened with her bandmates, her anxiety here is sadly understandable

Apple Bumpkin slung a hoof around her shoulder. “Hey now. Even if everythin’s goin’ wrong, you gotta tell yourself that it’ll get better soon. That’s the only way we keep ourselves goin’.”

and aww, a wonderful lesson for us all!

Bicyclette
Bicyclette #14 · Aug 14th, 2022 · · · Part Five: A Resolution ·
Reply

It was no surprise that Autumn Leaf loved autumn.

ya think?

His friends often joked that it was hard to tell what came first, the season or him. And he’d roll his eyes and laugh along every single time, even when the joke got too old to be funny.

Even when he found out what his “friends” really were.

Nowadays he didn’t like that joke anymore.

oof, that sounds like a sad story

“The owner is a firm believer that the gender you are born as is the one you get,” Evergreen replied monotonously. “He wasn’t too happy to find out that Ballad was a mare.”

oof!

Autumn blinked at that. “...Wow. And he still did all this just for a friend?”

“Friends stick together,” Evergreen answered.

friendship is magic!

Autumn turned to see a bright, orange face beaming at him. “Oh, hey Lilac. What’s up?”

“The sky, silly! What’s up with you?” replied the mare without missing a beat.

aww that is so Lilac, love her

“Nice to meet you too,” Low Res muttered, almost hidden behind her curly green mane.

Lilac threw a hoof around her. “She’s a bit shy, don’t mind her!”

love them

Autumn sighed, rubbing his forehead with a hoof. “I… I haven’t talked to them since. I just… it baffles me. We’re supposed to be a country of friendship, aren’t we? How are we ever supposed to progress if we can’t let go of old, outdated ideals?”

so true! really makes you think about certain people who are supposed to believe in friendship

Autumn kicked at the ground. “I don’t know. I… I feel like I’ve been ignorant to this stuff for so long because nobody talked about it where I grew up. And to think that I associated with people who hate you guys…”

really makes you think…

“No… no, you’re right,” Autumn said. “You all have courage to fight. I need to find it myself if I want to help.”

Lilac smiled and hugged Autumn. “That’s the spirit! And thank you, really. I’m happy we’re friends.”

“Me too,” Autumn replied, patting her on the back.

yay, friendship!

Lilac led the way, dragging Low Res along as she pranced over to some cushions. The two plopped down onto them, Lilac giggling the entire time. Her infectious energy put a smile on Low Res’ face as she nestled into the cushions. For a second she glanced back at her flank, but Lilac quickly recaptured her attention by leaning into her shoulder.

augh it is them so much! that flank look, and Lilac distracting her from it, love that

Next to them three pegasi climbed on top of each other, jostling one another for seats.

“Ow! Cut it out, you’re going to hurt my wing,” Velvet whined, shoving Rocky Storm away from her.

Rocky rolled her eyes. “You’ll be fine. C’mon, let’s get closer!”

augh it is them so much! they are so gremliny

Evergreen rubbed his back and nuzzled him. “You gotta take care of yourself, Split.”

“I’ll try.”

“Hey, whatever you need, I’ll be there.”

Apple Split smiled and pecked him on the cheek. “Thanks, bud. I’m lucky to have you.”

“And I’m lucky to have you.”

augh it is them so much! they love and support each other while doing so much for the community

With that, all of Galley Alley began to sway in time with Apple Bumpkin’s notes, and Ballad’s voice began to lift them from the ground to the sky, before falling to the ground like raindrops in the night.

and what a perfect and lovely way to bring the four little stories here together! this was a delightful experience, and i am glad to finally see the whole thing here together, which made the pieces i loved in the speedwrites last year shine all the more brighter.

honestly, it’s hard to think of a Pride fic that is more central to the idea than this! the range of queer experiences covered by the breadth of its characters, the way the little stories all connected with each other between their characters and the place of Galley Alley, and the way this last bit both addressed allyship and the homophobes that are just so incongruous with a place that is built on friendship, without losing sight of celebrating these characters and their loving and being and thriving.

great stuff!

PresentPerfect
Author Interviewer
PresentPerfect #15 · Feb 26th, 2023 · · · Part Four: Welcome Home ·
Reply

Ballad blinked, the world coming back into view around her. “Huh?” She winced at the sound of her own voice as it dipped an octave before clearing her throat and trying again. “What’s up, AB?”

Oh boy, now I have perspective that also makes me wince, because I totally get it! D:

Evergreen can probably hide a body, y’know.

Oh my god, I love these guys. XD

PresentPerfect
Author Interviewer
PresentPerfect #16 · Feb 27th, 2023 · · · Part Five: A Resolution ·
Reply

my guy, I feel you

that song's cute :)

Rikad
Rikad #17 · Jul 24th, 2023 · · · Part Five: A Resolution ·
Reply

I really liked this story. The way that all of the character's stories fit together was really neat.

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