I needed to rant, bad, so i'm posting this much more to blow off my own steam then to actually convence people as I know i'm preaching to the chior here. Even so though, I feel this needs to be said somewhere and if by noone else then by me. (FYI: the rarijack bits take a little bit of wadding to get to, bear with me.)

Rainbow Dash, love her or hate her, is easily one of the most dificult ponies to write fiction about. Thats really odd to hear for anyone who dosn't put her in a lot of fics but its true. Comparing her to someone like Twilight or Fluttershy, who have very defined and easy to identify personalities, (when unsure about what the character would do you just have to go back to there basics, Twilight uses her smarts or magic, Fluttershy runs away, these overarching themes make writing them easy.) Rainbow becomes a very complex character. Really there are two ways to take Rainbow Dash that I think will work out without anybody complaining, as her aregent self, or as her element. Whichever one you chose to focus on will greatly afect the nature of your fiction, as well as its tone. Rainbow Dash normally is a daredevil speedster with a huge ego and a lazy streak. Rainbow Dash when you focus on her element can take on several more compationent emotions and in many ways evolves into a character that could set up for a lot of really emotional ships. HOWEVER there is no way to shape this character for either of these two ponies, and I intend to show just why here.

I'm going to start with Rarity as I see this ship less often and it's easier to write off because of that, not to mention it has nearly no ground to stand on. SO picture this, if you will. Rarity, a lady of high class and with every potential to raise her station in society to the elite upper crusts of Canterlot. A sucsessful buisnessmare who owns her own home and in many ways is self dependent, with a loving sister (just override your "but she dosn't get along with Sweetie Bell" nagging and go with me on that one, there sisters and she loves her, thats that.) and the only thing missing to make her life complete is a stable, dependible stallion, to wrap her arm around. Enter Rainbow Dash. Without really focusing on her element, should she try to woe Rarity she would present a strong and loyal figure, perfectly capible of providing the image Rarity would fawn all over. But when you get down to it Rainbow dosn't have any of the home life skills that Rarity would need. I really highly doupt she could run a buisness efeciently or desighn cloaths, shes to antsy to sit in one place for to long and be romantic like Rarity would want (as all proper ladies love a good rest by the fire in there partners hooves.) and thats not even getting in to all the daredevil stuff Rainbow would want to do that Rarity as a propper lady would flat refuse. If we go by the elemental aproach the pairing does gain SOME ground but this is only because Rainbow would willingly push aside her own desiers to be with Rarity and how in Equestria could i suport a pairing in which one of the pair has to give up her normal life to make the other happy?

On to Applejack, who is after all my favorite pony so i might be a tiny bit biased here. Applejack is a strong willed, strong hearted, just plain strong mare who loves work, play, rough housing, and spending time with her familly who she has close ties to. When shes not running the farm, or the apple stand, shes most likely sitting under a tree or in the barn or something goffing off. Now before somebody goes pointing the similarities out, yes that does kind of sound like Rainbow Dash, but just like with Rarity we run into some very big problems. Rainbow still can't run a buisness, i don't care whos it is or what kind. Apple farms still have bills, they still have to cover the longistics of shipping apples, they still have to set prices and acount for tax and maintain suplie and Rainbow is most likely not very good with any of that, and definetly dosn't have the patience to sit down and work on it. (side note, i hate it when people say Applejack dosn't know anything about math when she OWNS A BUISNESS, unless the show comes out and says Big Mac does every last scrap of the book work, Applejack must know at the very, very, very, least her times tables.) not to mention that the arogent nature of Rainbow Dash would make it so that she would constantly be rubbing against Applejack's stuborn pride. imagin the iron pony compitetion every day of the week, with words, and thats these two's pairing. Fliping it to Rainbow as her element actually makes it worse because now adding in the need to "protect" or show those romantic tendencies (i cant beleave i just described Rainbow as Romantic,) would mean she would try to take a dominent role and Applejack is NOT a submissive, you'd have a power strugle that would never be good for ANY relationship.

For anyone who actually made it this far, I apologise for this post, just really needed to get this off my chest.

Why would RD have to help run the business? Rarity and Applejack seem to be running them on their own without any trouble already.

504330 I would presume that it's in order to be a good partner.

504330
504825

Well theres a little more to it then that, however you are correct Sour Grapes in that it does involve being a pertner. I'm a firm beleaver that a relationship is a partnership, not a union where the male (or stereotipicully dominate figure) is responsible for certain things and the femail (or resesive) others. Sure, Rarity and Applejack do just fine on there own, they really don't need the help to get things done, but that dosn't mean the help wouldn't be apreciated. Are we just going to assume the element of Loyalty would willingly let her partner strugle on something when she knew she could, if only in a small way, help? It dosn't make since to say in a pertnership that one party has to do all the work, and I don't think Rainbow would want it that way. It only makes since to say that she would do her best to help her partner, even if the contribution was small, and Applejack or Rarity, despite not nedding it, would love for Rainbow to help if for no other reasone then to share common intrests/time.

507793
That makes sense. Though it's probably important to note that Rainbow Dash does have her own job, and there's the inevitable Wonderbolts issue that would complicate any serious long term attempt by her to help run a business.

But now you're confusing me.

It only makes since to say that she would do her best to help her partner, even if the contribution was small, and Applejack or Rarity, despite not nedding it, would love for Rainbow to help if for no other reasone then to share common intrests/time.

You've just put together a perfect counter argument for why Dash not knowing how to run a business shouldn't be an issue in a relationship with Rarity or Applejack.

507873

Not exactly, the fact that her partner would try to overlook her inability to help in any seriouse way only furthers my claim. It is ecspected that a partner would overlook faults, but that dosn't change the fact that she would be of little to no use, not to mention she'd probably hate being forced to work. (forced is probably the wrong word there but you know what i mean.) Any relationship that requiers one partner to strugle through an activity there clearly not ment for just to please the other is doomed to failure regardless of wether it seems like both partners are happy with the arangment. I once again submit that Rainbow as Element of Loyalty, would never complain about anything that made her partner happy, even if it made her miserable, and how could i suport a ship where one party isn't happy?

507888
She could easily do some work around the farm, the way Applejack and Applebloom were messing around in Sisterhooves Social, she would probably even enjoy it. But there's very little for her to do at the Boutique, but that's only one of many problems with Rarity-Dash as a ship.

Applying this to the others, she probably wouldn't enjoy working with animals or at a library (I'm not so sure about this one) much either. Though, I don't think Fluttershy or Twilight would want her messing with their animals/shelves anyway. I could see her enjoying setting up parties with Pinkie. Not sure how much they'd actually get done, but I'm sure they'd have fun.

Any relationship that requiers one partner to strugle through an activity there clearly not ment for

I'm no expert, but doesn't this describe every relationship ever?

508560

I'm going to concead the point on strugling through activities if only because there are bigger things to discuss here.

For her doing work on the farm... this is hard to explain because I don't know your frame of referance, so i don't know how detailed i should be. I live in Kentucky, theres a farm ten minutes from my house, a hay feild 2 minutes by car, and a hourse rearer a five minute walk away, and i don't even live outside the suberbs. I've grown up right next to agriculture and i can tell you theres a lot more that goes into farmwork then just putting seeds in the ground and hoping they grow by magic. Theres a lot of real buisness and planning, longistics and economics. You may (or may not, depending on your frame of referance) think anybody could be a farmer, and three thousand years ago you'd be right, but with all the complicated things that go into the modern economy and the ever rising population of a first woulrd country. (not to mention the demands of cash crop growers and the horible HORIBLE marketing system under a capitalist government.) you really need to know a lot about what your doing, or you go bankrupt. I can just see Rainbow out there now shaking up the unripe trees ( as no species of tree in existance has a standered harvest time, if you've ever eaten at a cafateria and gotten an apple that tasted just a little funny, it was picked to early by some machein trying to automize nature.) platting seeds out of rows. (which literally kills them, seeds requier a lot of nutreients and if they get packed to tightly they only half germinate and die before they breach the soil, farmers have to get everything just so or they lose a whole section of there farms productivity and deplete the soil for no reasone.) Not to mention her cronic lazyness is bound to put her off task.

Also, i've learned a very important leasone when shipping ponies, which i share with you if only because i've yet to find a fessible scenario it fails in. When shipping with Fluttershy or Pinkie Pie, if they have any chance at all, it'll work. Now that sounds crazy but just hear me out on this. Fluttershy's this quiet submissive pony, bears the element of kindness, and is always trying to please others. If you take into acount all the ways you can contort that character it meshes with pretty much any personality type. Throw in the stare and her infamouse " YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE ME" scean and she just has to many ways to be writen to NOT work with anypony. If they even had the slightest chance of working, theres a way to write Fluttershy that can make it happen. Plus Pinkie Pie is Pinkie Pie, if you've ever read a Pinkamina story that wasn't cupcakes you know the dept that character can have if you take the time to wright it in. There to easy to twist to what you want to not work in any ship.

Moral of the story.

Rarijack is best ship and all you people should write it.

508630
It's been a long, long time since I helped my grandpa (who, ironically enough, also lives in Kentucky) on his farm, but I have some idea as to the work involved. Even as little kid, I was able to help out with supervision, not any really meaningful way, just little things. I think Dash could help out some, as long someone explained what she needed to do and it wasn't overly demanding or complicated. That said, she isn't an idiot, and very persistent. I expect she could do quite a bit of farm work, given the right motivation.

Would she enjoy it? Possibly, but not much. Would it ruin any relationship she might have with Applejack? Possibly, but it seems like it would take more than that.

You're probably right about Fluttershy and Pinkie. Though, they could both very well have their own relationship problems. I could see them both being overly submissive, letting their partners' personalities overshadow their own. Pinkie has a tendency to get on other ponies' nerves, and might be too clingy. Given Dash's flightiness, that could pose problems. Fluttershy... well, yeah. She's too nice to cause many problems on her own. Maybe she'd be too boring for Dash?

508700

It seems now then that we have reached a stalemate on Rainbow Dash shipping with Applejack as you have introduced uncertanty which leaves me no room to counter point, and it seems we both agree that there are enough problems with the ship to pose seriouse threat to its long term stability, so I copy paste what 508659 said.

As for Fluttershy shipping with Dash, which I personally suport, i'll just say Dash has a tendency to bring out the best in Fluttershy, and theres no reasone to think Fluttershy dosn;t have the copacity to entertain Dash, it all depends on how you see the characters. I personally think of Rainbow as extreamly careing, even if she has extream trouble expresing it. If Fluttershy could bring that side out, which since we're talking about Flutters here would be as simple as taking a step, they could share some really tender moments that I think even i'd be surprised at.

508730
A lot of shipping just has to do with what aspects of the characters the author is choosing to focus on/develop/highlight. If I wanted to write a RariJack, I probably wouldn't focus on Rarity's upper class ambitions, her obsession with proper image, or her general distaste for all things rough 'n tumble. Same goes for any ship.

If I wanted to write an AppleDash, I would focus on Dash's loyalty to her friends, her need for companionship, and her self esteem's dependency on the opinions of others. Aspects of her character I think aspects of Applejack's character compliment.

Taking their personalities as a whole, would any mane 6 shipping be plausible in the long term? I don't think I've ever read a fic that tried.

508805

I'd like to think so, I've run the scenarios over and over again through my head and it always seems to me that despite the characters flaws they would stay together. It's difficult to think of because we're so dependant on the show to give us clues and hints as to the future of Equestria and the mane six's relationship, but certain things always seem to pull them back in. Applejack's stuborn nature for instance, while a big problem to consider if there was ever an argument, is easily overcome by Rarities generosity, or if nessisary her charm. Rarity may strive to be an upper class pony and at first glance you'd never think Applejack could fit in in that life but she did it well enough in manehatten if only for a short period of time. Rarity may not be willing to get as dirty as Applejack but she could at the very least help her manage expenses or plan out the feild layout to do her part on the farm. It really all comes down to the question of wether you think theres any one problem the partner can't counter with there own personality and wether that problem is big enough for them to split over.

509111
The biggest issue, and an issue that all ships with Applejack have (and something I'd really like to write a fic on), is Applejack has her farm, she has her family, then she has Rarity. I worry that Applejack simply won't be able to provide rarity with the amount of attentions she feels she deserves or needs. And there's her obsession with image, and Applejack's complete lack of any care whatsoever about image, but that could be a good thing if she was able to ground Rarity a bit. And there's the inevitable problem of Rarity moving to Canterlot, where Applejack could never follow.

Applejack could fit in in that life but she did it well enough in manehatten if only for a short period of time

That would be a deal breaker. Applejack would never change who was in order to fit in, but I don't think Rarity would make her.

509989

I think you have misread me, I did not mean to sudgest that she would have to change herself in any perminant manor. I was pointing out that she had the copacity, should Rarity wish to atend a formal ocation or have an important meeting with elets or whatever, Applejack could fit in should she feel like it. It wouldn't nessisarily happen often or without cost as Applejack would probbly need a lot of persuation.

I see your point on there posible problems but i offer this to counter. There's no reasone to say Applejack couldn't make a comute from Rarity's to the farm each morning, and due to the nature of farming she'd have five months of the year (or more depending on the length of winter and harvest seasone) plus every night when it got to dark to harvest would be open. Applejack's a smart girl she could work out a way to spend time with her reletives and her partner. I don't think image is a problem because when you get down to it if there relationship has any chance they need to accept that they just have different fassion sences. I'd argue about Rarity moving to Canterlot, but that would involve my own headcannon which I won't bother to bore you with, we'll just have to agree to disagree on that one.

510352
Sort of depends on how far Carousel Boutique actually is from the farm. She could, but that's assuming she'd be willing to move off the farm in the first place, which I highly doubt. Rarity and Applejack just both have their own lives, they're both busy running their own businesses, and I don't think their lives intersect very often. I'd like to think they could work something out. But I'm not sure either of them would be completely happy about the arrangement.

511202

Mayhapse then we are looking in the wrong direction. As much as i'd like to spill out another huge paragraph to continue this conversation, I fear to much spoiling my work in progress It Happened Before, all i can say is they may have more time then you think and more opertunity then you would beleave.

512500
Well, unless you're publishing your story within the next week or so, I'll have almost certainly forgotten this conversation by the time I read it. :P So I'm all ears.

517399

The first three chapters are already up, the title is It Happened Before should you be interested in veiwing it.

520009
Oh, I'll check it out then.