Why am I just thinking of this NOW? · 3:45pm Nov 9th, 2019
Well, the answer is that recent return to bookplayer's 50 headcanon questions got me thinking about pre-canon stuff, I guess. :B
So, I'm listening to this story, and I have an epiphany. I usually say that Rarity and Applejack knew each other as foals, right? That makes sense, and it provides a lot of background for their rivalry and eventual romance. It's a good idea!
But the one thing they can't have been is classmates. And the reason why is so old, it's a wonder I never noticed before.
In Call of the Cutie -- you know, the first episode with Zecora? -- AJ says, and I quote:
Y'know, I was the last pony in my class to get my cutie mark, and I couldn't be prouder of it. I knew my future was to run Sweet Apple Acres, and these bright shiny apples sealed the deal. Come to think of it, Granny Smith was the last one in her class, too. Huh, same as Big McIntosh.
And we know from Cutie Mark Chronicles that she and Rarity got their cutie marks on the same day, from the same event. So this means one of two things:
- AJ is either a year older or younger than Rarity, or
- She got held back a year, so they were classmates at one point, but not when they got their cutie marks
The second admittedly depends on how poorly you want to think about Applejack's mental faculties. :B You can't blame it on her running away to Manehattan, either, since that was when she got her mark. And the first doesn't have to be exactly a year, one of them could have gotten into school a year earlier due to birthdays. It does beg the question of just how many grades can fit in that tiny little schoolhouse, though.
Point is, that canon's so old, it's a wonder I ever wondered about it. :B So I guess you can stick that in your headcanon and smoke it. Unless you already have. In which case, you are wiser than I.
I always thought AJ and Big Mac were home-schooled and it was the influences of the Oranges on Applejack that got them to send Apple Bloom to school.
Another possibility: One schoolroom, multiple classes throughout the day. AJ's could well have simply been an afternoon class set up for the various farmponies who had to help out with chores for most of the day.
I never assumed the Mane 6 were the same age, at least in Equestria (it's pretty clear they're meant to be in EqG). In fact, in my timeline I place Applejack as the eldest and Twilight as the youngest with an almost three-year difference, although AJ and Rarity are the same age within six months via that timeline (and yes, I really do have a timeline).
But ignoring that we don't actually know their ages in relation to one another (other than Fluttershy being a year older than Pinkie), there's no reason to believe they weren't classmates. AJ saying she was the last doesn't exclude her being tied for last. And, if we accept as a given that they are friends and acknowledge their regular habit of "I'm a better friend than you!" arguing, is it a stretch to suppose that AJ accepted the mantle of "last" after such a fight, i.e. "I'm the better friend, so I say I got my cutie mark after you!"
Of course, there's an argument to be made that they weren't friends at the time, merely acquaintances (see Look Before You Sleep). But AJ has long been established to be a kind and friendly sort to not cause undo trouble for others, and it's hard to imagine that filly-Rarity wouldn't have been even more of a drama queen than she is now. I wouldn't be surprised if Applejack decided, entirely on her own while watching Rarity show off her cutie mark, to accept the mantle of "last place" so that Rarity could not have that insignificant little rug ripped out from under her.
Or, as generally agreeable ponies, they could have simply seen that they both had cutie marks and decided, in mutual agreement, that they would "share" last place status.
Or, if you really want to nitpick, you can recognize that AJ very well could have gotten her cutie mark after Rarity. Rarity got hers by being dragged to a rock, seeing the gems inside after the rainboom, and then going on to make perfect costumes for her play. Applejack saw the rainboom in Manehattan, but didn't get her cutie mark until after she came home to Sweet Apple Acres. Bear in mind, we have no idea how long it took her to get back, or how long it was between Rarity finding the gems, redesigning the costumes, and putting on the play with the new ones. There is no time scale by which we can compare the two, and thus no direct proof that Rarity didn't get her mark before Applejack, if only by a day or two.
In summation, it is still very possible that Rarity and AJ were, in fact, in the same class.
Applejack could have been referring to whatever class she went to while staying in Manehatten.
Uh... Zecora first appeared in Bridle Gossip.
Speaking of AJ's sojourn in Manehattan:
How are the Oranges actually related to the Apples? In my old "-ology" series, I had AJ's mother be an Orange from Manehattan, but we now know that's not the case. Maybe Granny Smith's husband was an Orange, and AJ latched onto the Oranges when they came out to help at the Acres after AJ's parents died?
Mike
Also, let's take a look at the definition of "class". Two ponies might be "classmates" in the sense that they are in the same physical space, that is, the one-room schoolhouse which is shown, regardless of age or achievement levels. Note that Applejack could be using the term "class" meaning a graduating class, one that matriculates in a given year, which would allow for apparent contradictions regarding age etc.
Or it could be a typical cartoon where humor, necessity and/or convenience to the plot trumps all reason, any sense of a timeline, and fans are free to use and abuse events in their stories as long as it make sense give the original material, they are internally consistent, and lastly and most importantly, are entertaining.
YMMV.
I know: I'm a killjoy.
That's because this was all settled years ago
edit: I should fix all the broken links to dropbox pictures some day,
5152612
I like this, and it's not the only good idea in this post! :O
5152628
It's been nine years, leave me alone. DX
5152632
I always figured Mrs. Orange was Granny's daughter. And, y'know, Babs's mom, though I don't think that was ever resolved in canon for some stupid reason, :|
5152725
Thank you. :D
5152820
And now I want to see a story in which Rarity learns AJ's claiming the status of "last cutie mark in our class" and decides to "correct the record", leading to the discovery that the two of them never stopped arguing about it and it has been the catalyst of all their "better friend" sparring ever. Then the CMC try to resolve the issue by going detective mode to find out who really got their cutie mark first. Then AJ and Rares find out and put a stop to that nonsense because – dirty little secret – neither of them care and they just want to keep fighting because it's a beloved trademark element of their enduring friendship.
The simplest answer to me is that she had to take a break or quit school when mom and dad kicked the bucket.
But Applejack and Rarity being childhood pals makes a lot of sense to me, too. They have a pretty unique relationship among the Mane 6, which speaks of a connection, but it's one that evolves from Look Before You Sleep rivalry to heartfelt compliments and bedroom eyes every third episode. This evolution says to me that they grew apart and then back together once Twilight entered the scene.
So.
Rarity and AJ, whether or not they're actually the same age, are schoolyard buddies. The EQG comics gave us a story of the popular Rarity befriending a misfit AJ, but Ponyville was a farming community with no other trans-atlantics in sight. Here it was the friendly, conscientious AJ who made a point of involving Rarity. Rarity was a fussbucket, but a good kid who proved loyal and grateful to her bestie, and was devastated when AJ vanished - first to adult-or-die when the parents passed, and then when a few years of that crushed her and she tore off to Manehatten. Rarity grew up and made other friends, as did AJ. They crossed paths now and again in Ponyville, and certainly possessed lingering affection. But their work and hobbies could scarcely be less connected, and both had become stubborn, confident adults. Their few conversations highlight their growing differences, and neither sees much need to bridge the gap.
Enter Twilight. They pair share space more and more, which initially causes friction from their different worldviews. But they also have a much deeper camaraderie than the others, and oft find themselves on the same page of thought. Reconciliation gives way to coy compliments and lingering hugs. Rarity fusses with Applejack's hat while Applejack makes a flattering pun from Rarity's name. They act closer, are closer... and grow closer.
Then in the future, Rarity is often out for business and Rainbow Dash house-sits with Rarity's lovely wife, Applejack.
I'm sorry, what was the original question?
5152857
I wish we got an episode for that.
Sort of a bookend to their squabble in Look before you sleep.
5152857
I love the hell out of this. Write it.