The honied rays of the setting summer sun were painting the few clouds left in the sky in brilliant oranges, reds, and pinks as Applejack ambled back down the road out of Ponyville. It had taken him a few minutes to get used to his newly lengthened stride, but the distraction had soon faded before a growing sense of anticipation.

This plan had seemed impossible when he’d first come up with it. Impossibility hadn’t counted on Twilight Sparkle’s encyclopedic knowledge of obscure spells, though. Applejack certainly had, and so far everything was going to plan. Being a stallion was definitely an interesting experience.

Even his perspective had changed. The several inches of height that he’d gained in taking on a masculine form made everything seem slightly smaller in comparison, and the powerful ripple of muscles as he walked was quickly bringing a new appreciation for just how strong Macintosh really was.

“No wonder he was so worried about me gettin’ the Acres harvested by myself,” Applejack muttered under his breath as he approached the fork in the road that led out towards the Everfree forest, “I ain’t nearly this strong.” His musings were cut short by the sound of two very familiar voices approaching up the other side of the fork, cheerfully bantering back and forth.

“... so then I told her ‘Inkie, you can’t eat that, it’s got fur!’ and she said ‘Pinkie, kiwifruit are supposed to have fur!’ then I said ‘But they aren’t supposed to be blue!’ and then she said ‘You should know, you’re the expert on eating things with blue fur!’”

Pinkie’s cheerful tirade was cut off by a slightly outraged groan from her companion, followed by good natured chuckles. “Pinks, you didn’t have to tell her about us!”

“Silly Dashie. It’s not like I’m gonna lie to my sisters. Besides, I like ponies knowing you’re mine.” The emphasis on that last word was enough to quirk one of Applejack’s eyebrows, just in time for the two mares in question to come around the last bend in the path.

Pinkie Pie was in mid-bounce, the obviously heavily loaded saddlebags strapped to her back clearly no impediment to her usual one beat gait. Her eyes were narrowed in concentration as she attempted to nip the tip of the rainbow striped tail dangling just out of her reach.

The slightly blushing blue pegasus above her was clearly toying with the pink mare, twitching her tailtip just a little to occasionally brush Pinkie’s nose teasingly as she smiled down playfully.

“I wouldn’t want you to, Pinks, but I dunno how our friends are gonna react...”

Dash’s words trailed off in mid-sentence as she spotted the pony approaching on the road, and she squinted against the sun to try and figure out who else was out here.

“Hey, Pinkie, I think we’ve got company!”

Applejack had just enough time to pull up to a stop before he found himself nose to nose with a very excited pink pony. More than just nose to nose, in fact, as Pinkie didn’t so much come to a stop as bounce off of his chest, knocking him back on his haunches in the road, all the while grinning like mad.

“Hiiii~!” Pinkie Pie warbled in sing-song greeting from somewhere against Applejack’s broad chest.

A lopsided grin made it’s way onto Applejack’s face in response, as he carefully helped the other earth pony back onto her hooves before straightening his battered hat.

“Afternoon, Pinkie.”

Pinkie Pie pulled back to stare up at him, blinking in confusion.

“Ooo. How’d you know my name,” she asked curiously.

Applejack just rolled his eyes and chuckled.

“Well, Pinkie, could be ‘cause I’ve known you since the day you moved into Ponyville.” He said, looking over at her with amusement.

Pinkie Pie blinked at him a couple times, then giggled, her smile returning like the sun coming out from behind a cloud. It was a good look on her, Applejack thought. Nopony else could get away with that sort of almost aggressive cheerfulness without it seeming forced.

“Oh, hey, AJ!. You got a cold or something?” Pinkie asked as she shook herself to re-settler her saddle bags.

“Somethin’ like that, Pinkie, only... well, not like that at all, actually. What’re you two doin’ all the way out here?”

Pinkie Pie brightened even further at the question, waving a hoof at the pegasus still making her way towards the pair.

“Oh, we went out to my parents’ place today. Rainbow Dash had never met my family, so she came along on my usual visit!”

Applejack smiled over at Pinkie for a moment before standing back up off his haunches, noting idly that Pinkie’s mane was still at least a couple inches taller than he was.

“Sounds like a good time to me. Your folks are right hospitable, Pinkie.”

Candy pink curls bounced around as Pinkie nodded, excitedly hopping from one hoof to the other as she chattered at Applejack.

“They really are. They liked Dashie a lot too, which is the bestest.” Leaning in, the pink pony mock-whispered conspiratorially. “She was super nervous about making a good impression.”

A chagrined groan from above brought Applejack’s eyes up to his best rival and sometime good friend, who had caught up and was just now hanging from her wings with one hoof over her eyes, limp with embarrassment.

“Piiiinkiiiee, AJ didn’t need to know that either!”

A bubbly giggle was Pinkie’s only response, and Rainbow Dash just shook her head. “I swear you do that on purpose, Pinks.” Running one hoof through her tousled mane, Dash eyed Applejack with curiosity.

“So, I gotta know, what’s got you all... stallion-y, Applejack?” A sudden grin flashed onto Dash’s face, and she swooped down to hover at Applejack’s eye level.

“Finally give up on beating me in a race fair and square?”

Applejack just chuckled, refusing to take the bait. “Not hardly. Y’all know Twi’s been itching to try that gender-swapping spell of hers out, so I volunteered.”

“Ooo, it works? Neat!” Pinkie giggled enthusiastically.

Suddenly, Applejack was very aware of his changed anatomy, as he became the focus of a curious Pinkie Pie. “I... yeah... wait...” The pink mare bounced around him, poking curiously at his heavily muscled shoulder, then dropping to examine one shaggy fetlock before vanishing out of his line of sight.

A curl of fluffy mane brushing someplace that was definitely not for public consumption was enough to draw a strangled yelp out of the stallion, who jerked up onto the tips of his hooves and took a couple quick prancing steps to firmly put Pinkie in front of him.

“Pinkie Pie,” Applejack shouted in a mix of embarrassment and irritation, “Cut it out!”

Applejack’s shout was a bit louder than expected, but the strangely plaintive note was enough to stop Pinkie in her tracks. Embarrassed, she looked away for a moment, scuffing one forehoof in the dust before turning back to the stallion who was giving her a look that had a hint of fear to it.

“Um... whoops. I kinda got carried away there.” Pinkie said sheepishly, a slight blush glowing against the pink of her coat. “Sorry, Applejack!”

Clearing his throat nervously, Applejack nodded. “It’s alright, Pinkie. I just ain’t used to this whole being a stallion thing yet, and you startled me there.”

“I think AJ’s got other things on his mind than being your jungle gym anyway, Pinkie.” Rainbow Dash said as she dropped to her hooves, folding her wings neatly. “Besides, we’re running out of daylight here.”

Pinkie Pie nodded her agreement, eyeing the sunset’s colors. “Silly sun, setting on us.” She then turned back to Applejack with a grin. “We totally told the Cakes we’d be back in time for dinner, so time to go! Seeya, Applejack!”

Applejack nodded, a bit relieved but doing his best not to show it and hurt Pinkie Pie’s feelings. “S’alright, Pinkie. You two have fun now!”

The pink pony just grinned, and turned to Rainbow Dash. “Well, what are we waiting for, Dashie? Let’s go!”

A chuckle was her reward, as Dash reached over to ruffle Pinkie’s eternally tousled mane. “I’ll give you a head start, Pinks. First one to the Corner gets to pick dessert?”

“DEAL!” Pinkie’s shout echoed off the nearby woods as she took off for town, bouncing along at a deceptively quick pace. “Bye Applejack!”

Applejack just waved to the rapidly retreating form of his friend, then turned to the pegasus next to him. A little bit of nervousness tingled through him as he wondered why she had decided to stick around after sending Pinkie Pie back to town.

“So, what’s up, Rainbow Dash?”

Dash didn’t reply right away, instead opting to circle Applejack for a moment, looking him over appraisingly. She smirked a little at the flowers peeking out of his saddlebag, but kept quiet as she paced. Applejack’s skin was starting to crawl with nervousness by the time Dash broke her silence.

“Going out to Fluttershy’s?”

Surprise at Dash’s calm question added to Applejack’s nervousness, but he nodded, swallowing to moisten a suddenly dry mouth. “Eyup.”

Dash nodded, looking far more serious than usual as she spread her wings, fluttering over to hover directly in front of Applejack and look him in the eye. “The daisies are a good call. She likes daisies.”

Applejack nodded slowly, not quite sure what to say as Rainbow Dash turned away for a moment, running a forehoof through her mane. Turning back, the pegasus grinned.

“I’m no good at this stuff, but listen.” Turning back to Applejack, Rainbow barreled on, speaking bluntly to cover her own awkwardness. “Fluttershy is probably the closest thing to a sister I’ll ever have. I know you, AJ, and you’re a good pony.”

Rearing up, Rainbow threw her forehooves around the startled Applejack’s withers, crushing him in a surprisingly fierce hug. He stood there for a moment, blinking, before one forehoof almost reflexively rose to hug the smaller pony back.

This is nice, he thought. He’d spent a lot of time around Rainbow Dash, of course. She was one of his best friends, after all, and they were constantly finding new ways to compete with each other for fun. But this was the first time he’d ever realized just how light the rambunctious pegasus actually was, despite the strength of her forelegs around his neck.

Her coat was soft, where it slid against his own, and surprisingly warm. As Rainbow tucked her head against his neck, her wild mane buried him to the chin, the faint scents of clean rain, ozone, and mare that he suddenly realized were just her becoming so much stronger this close. Applejack lowered his chin, hugging her closer and burying his nose in her mane.

He stood for a long moment there in the setting sun’s last light, breathing in her scent and marveling at the contrast of warm softness and hard muscle pressed tightly against his chest. Marveling at the feelings welling up inside, the warmth of friendship laced with a heat that he had never known as a mare. The strangeness of it all sent a shiver through Applejack’s skin, followed by another as a throaty chuckle from Dash caressed his neck with warm breath.

“Thanks, Applejack.”

The stallion’s reply came out a touch higher pitched than expected. Trying to ignore the blush spreading across his cheekbones, Applejack cleared his throat before continuing.

“For what, Rainbow?”

Setting her hooves against his shoulders, Rainbow Dash pushed herself out to forelegs’ length, grinning up at Applejack from beneath her tousled bangs.

“For helping Fluttershy out like this.” Smirking, she quieted his automatic disclaimer with a gentle hoof pressed to Applejack’s lips. “Don’t tell me anypony would do the same, this is above and beyond. Just... be good to her, okay?”

Applejack barely had time to process that before Dash darted in, pressing warm lips against his own in a quick kiss before pushing off of his shoulders to throw herself back into the air. He could only stand there bemused as the pegasus took off for Ponyville, calling back one last time.

“If you break her heart I’ll break your knees!”

He stood there for several minutes, lost in thought. The faint cherry taste of Rainbow’s kiss still on his lips and a fire raging in parts of him that were entirely new to his experience as his scrambled thoughts raced. Eventually, a broad smile cracked the stallion’s confused expression, and he chuckled.

“Silly Dash, of course I’ll take good care of her.”

Still blushing slightly and walking a bit carefully, Applejack turned down the path towards the Everfree, and the warm glow of the cottage-tree silhouetted against the shadowed woods.

Author's Note

I promise, there is clop in this story somewhere. It just keeps spawning more narrative for me when I try to get to it!