Rarijack is one of those great opposites attract ships. Enough differences for a good conflict, but enough in common for some common ground. Applejack is a simple country girl who understands that life doesn't need to be complicated. Rarity is a sophisticated high-class girl who understands the complexities that life will often throw one's way.
However, they both have a good work ethic, a deep love of family and their friends. Their personalities balance well, and they keep each other from getting too entrenched in the separate worlds that constitute their working lives.
In addition, they won't be rivals. Applejack isn't interested in fashion, and Rarity isn't interested in athletics. That's why though a lot of very good authors have written very plausible stories, I can't see AppleDash working for very long. True, Dash is more of a show-off than an athlete, but they are still very much rivals. Nevermind Dash's general LACK of anything resembling a work ethic.

390712
Finally! someone who sees the truth about appledash and why rarijack would work better

390740 I know, right? I know conflict may make for great make-ups, but I could very easily see their athletic rivalry come between them. Never mind Rainbow Dash's ambition to join the Wonderbolts.

390770
once again so true rivalry really would get in the way i just see them too much as sisters I think Applejack needs someone a bit feminine in her life so to speak not someone who wants to compete against her all the time, Rarity balances Applejack while Applejack balances Rarity. Dash will only fuel the fire and that in my eyes isnt very healthy

390780 Yes, indeed. Anything between Rainbow Dash and Applejack would burn fast and hot, then would lead to bad feelings. Also, Applejack's got her farm. Dash wants to join the Wonderbolts. Rarity could be a Canterlot Belle, but she learned that her heart and inspiration is in Ponyville. And that the Canterlot scene is something best visited on occasion, if she wants to get any work done.

390839

Not only do i agree with everything thats been said here (Namely that the freindly rivalry between Rainbow and Applejack would lead to a short relationship.) But looking at it from each ponies perspective the other is a perfect compliment.

Rarity sees herself as a lady, a damsel in a town of pesants waiting for a white knight to come and sweep her away. Somepony who can truely treat her like the lady she knows she is. As such she probablly has her eye out for, if you'll permit me "knightly" traits. A Pony who is strong, mannerly, able to defend her, and probably most important able to feed her ego with his/her very existance. This in my opinion leads to some of the best setups for Fimfic wrighting as Applejack fits this description perfectly but it can take time for Rarity to realize that. Just at a glance you can tell Applejacks strong and has no problem defending her freinds (as she did when the manticore attacked) but you would never guess how easilly she can fit in with upper society. (She managed to completely lose her accent and at least apear at home in Manehatten if not actually feal at home there after only a day or so time, and that was as a filly!) And as petty as this may sound dateing the farm girl is a scandle Rarity would adore untill she realized the extent of her feelings.

Applejack is a tougher nut to crack as to what she wants in a relationship. Being Element of Honesty she dosn't need somepony to help her in that department, she's a pretty hard worker so definetly no lazy ponies, likeing apples is a must, but beyond that what is there? I'd go into detail but this comments long enough as it is, I think one of the major things Applejack needs that even she may not realize is somepony who can win an argument with her. Rarity can be very...persuasive not to mention the fact that her beauty would...lets put it nicely and say it would "captivate" Applejack. This is important because Applejacks stubborn nature really needs a counter in her partner. You can even point to this as one of the reasones AppleDash wouldn't work. Rainbow would never be able to win an argument without turning the situation into a compitition of some sort. With Rarity the balance is much more even, sometimes she'll overpower Applejack (A trait in my opinion Applejack would find extreamly attractive) and sometimes Applejacks stubornness will win. On a lesser note, Applejacks dominet personallity is ripe for a...submisive isn't the right word here. She needs somepony that WANTS to take the submisive role or the "girls" role if you prefer. But also has every ability to keep her in check. It's why AppleLight (which also has some good fanfics.) wouldn't work, Twilight would never be able to turn the tables.

I can't find a better pairing for either of these two ponies and I hope i never do. They work to well together and i've invested to much time in dawwwing over them.

(Oh and for the record, since i'm here and all AJ IS BEST PONY)

391014 *applauds* Well said. Very well said.

391345

*bows to the applause*

Thank you, thank you, your admeration makes the twenty minutes it took to type that worth it in every way.

I was gonna post a comment, but everyone else has summed it up perfectly.

And I'm more than okay with that.

(rarijack is gud cuz its so friggin cute durrr)

391593
Ditto. Damn you all for being so good with words.

But for real, 391014 has summed it up quite nicely. The dominant/submissive thing is especially interesting to me in the context of this shipping because it can go either way. I've seen a lot of folks who ship Applejack with stallions criticize each other's pairings with statements such as "Caramel/Soarin/your crappy OC just isn't manly enough for AJ." And let's not kid ourselves, the "slash" genre in fanfiction of all sorts is notorious for promoting a seme/uke dynamic that attempts to emulate heterosexuality, or at least a perceived notion of heterosexuality.

In other words, if you have two males or two females in a relationship, one of them--and only one of them--has to be "the man," or things get confusing. Allegedly. Well, I guess what I'm trying to say is this: if I'm reading about m/m or f/f ships, I'm not interested in the chronicles of some weird gender-based power play. (Heck, I don't like it in my straight ships, but it's something you eventually come to expect, am I right?)

Anyway, before I trail too far off-topic, ponyfic authors don't even have to touch this subject if they're writing Rarijack. It's well-established that the two have obvious differences, and that's good. There's no need to change, for example, Rarity's character, to pair her with the decidedly less girly Applejack. Does that make it a better ship than Appledash? Hell no. It just means I don't have to watch some fool butcher the ponies' characters to squeeze one into "masculine" and the other into "feminine" because the illusion is already in place. As someone who's often described as a tomboy, I believe Applejack merely subscribes to her own brand of femininity, but whatever.

My point is that Applejack and Rarity tend to stay in-character when they're shipped together, unlike many stories centered around Appledash or Rarishy, for example. With ships like those, 95% of the time somepony's altered to be more impulsive, less assertive, or something that similarly screws up their personalities and removes my suspension of disbelief.

I know this thread is titled "Why Rarijack works" and not "Why can't people start writing other ships in a way that isn't sucky and unrealistic," but it honestly irks me to death, so I hope you all enjoyed my psychobabble rant.

(By the way, Backburner, Pinkie Pie is best pony. Lol.)

391686

Don't get me started on this debate, i WILL win and you WILL cry. I'm already likeing you due to the fact i agree with the majority of what you've said here, don't make me vebally castigate you in front of your peers.

Applejack is best Pony. And Rarijack is best ship for best pony

391834

(Rarijack is best ship, though, srsly.)