This story is a sequel to Companion
Longdesc
A lot has changed in the years since Twilight Sparkle left Ponyville to become the ruler of Equestria. Weddings and breakups and newborns and fashion empires and becoming leader of the Wonderbolts.
But Applejack is still where she has always been. At the edge of Sweet Apple Acres, resting against the dry stump of a long-dead tree, watching the sun set on the horizon after yet another day of honest work. Watching the years tick on by. Not getting any younger.
Today, Rainbow Dash is there, too. She isn't getting any younger, either.
Continuity
A partner piece to Companion, which expands on the future of the RariTwi relationship mentioned here, though that relationship is quite unhealthy.
Author's Note
Not only am I a 100% Rarity simp as my current bio indicates, but I also am a total simp and cuck for the RariJack ship. Yet older AppleDash is canon, thus I must bow to its reality. Both Companion and this story are my way of resolving this, though this story is the much happier half.
Thanks to Decaf for prereading the first draft!
Why call yourself a Simp? Why not Lover or a Pony/Furry Waifu?
Because the "Simp" is not have very good qualities on yourself. Plus, it sounds like Rarity is not treating you well. Like a certain Dragon in the earlier seasons.
= 😡
Cute and exalant Chatter 1 I give it 10 out of 11 .
Hears a idea for Chatter 2 it involves ther daughter
That's what age does to you
Bah. Why bow to a displeasing reality when you can create your own? The nice thing about fiction is that that's actually a viable option.
But this is still a touching meditation on acceptance, maturity, and the particular challenges these two face in their later years. Though I find it hard to believe that any town that features both Pinkie and Discord can ever truly grow quiet. And I have to wonder who sees Dash as a Cool, Responsible Aunt. Possibly Li'l Cheese, but now I find myself wondering if Scootaloo found romantic success before her mentor.
In any case, thank you for the double feature. Let's throw in a thematically appropriate song.
10674735
I mean, I hope they're not quite in their "later years", yet! Like, in my timeline I'm only 5-7 years behind where they are...
Elite athletes tend to retire in their early thirties, and Rainbow Dash is past that point here, which is why she's no longer the fastest on the team. That's also the age I am now, though I am no athlete. And yes, I am imagining RD is Cool, Responsible Aunt to Li'l Cheese.
And thank you for the double reading!
10674757
"Later" is a relative term. In this case, it just means "later than we're used to." No negativity intended towards characters or author.
Mhmm, totally thought that tree was the Bright Mac/Pear Butter one. But that tree is grown around a rock. Anyways, a good story about an existential crisis.
I don't understand the poor ratio whatsoever. My compliments to the author!
:)
10674918
I can guarantee you most if not all of the negative voters haven't even read the fic, they just saw Appledash and instantly went for the downvote button
Well, this makes a nice contrasting, uh... companion piece to Companion. Very different in tone, even if it's not exactly upbeat. I like it, though.
10674863
Thank you for saying the story is good! Though this is not the first reaction I got that used the words "existential crisis", which makes me worry I did not do my job, because I did not intend Applejack to seem as if she were in acute tension with herself or the world or her aging. But maybe I am biased because I am writing into Applejack the the thoughts that are starting to come naturally at my age, and so to me they don't seem that bad.
10674918
Thank you for the compliments! I believe around the time of your comment last night it was at 24/12, which is an unusually bad ratio for my stories and I admit did confuse and worry me, since I expected a bad outcome to be a lack of interest rather than a lot of dislikes. At the time of writing this comment it is 30/12.
10675093
As nice it would be for my ego to believe this, looking at other AppleDash stories on the site, a lot of them have far more likes than this fic with only 0 or 1 dislikes, which seems unlikely under the null hypothesis of there being an army of automatic AppleDash fic dislikers.
10675109
Thank you for liking Partner. And I personally think it's very upbeat. Applejack's old best friend she was a lot closer to in her twenties literally flies down back into her life to announce that she's left the boring dude she's with to pull Applejack out of her years-long semi-self-imposed celibacy that began when her high-femme on-and-off-again ex finally left her for good for bigger and better things. I mean, that's just straight-up fantasy wish fulfillment, right?
10675093
10675354
My best guess is that the additional downvoters either thought the back-to-back story publishes were too spammy, or got butthurt over you specifically referring to AppleDash as "canon". Can't recall where exactly, but I've definitely seen something similar happen before.
Whatever the explanation is, it's still rather outré. I've seen many objectively worse stories do much, much better.
Thanks for the fic! The tone was a lot happier that the first one.
"not a note different from it had been on the day they"
"not a note different from how it had been on the day they"?
"was wondering! Why did you keep"
"was wondering! What did you keep"?
"she saw that day proved had Rainbow Dash wrong"
"she saw that day had proved Rainbow Dash wrong"?
"as many trees you did back then"
"as many trees as you did back then"?
And even more tired and short on time than when I left the previous comment, because annoyingly that's how time works, but that was nice. :)
Thank you for writing!
10675378
Eh, maybe said dislikers don't bother reading stories that seem objectively bad from the get-go, and thought this one looked promising but was mediocre. Though I like it, it's not a perfect story, and I can see why some people would dislike it.
10675581
Thanks! That was a goal of mine.
10676032
Thank you for reading, and for looking out for typos!
Applejack's a very shippable pony.
She's a solid foundation and support to any one of her friends, and they in turn offer opportunities for her to expand her experiences, widen her world in ways that she'd not do on her own, without losing her footing.
So yes, the Appledash here, with both of them a little older, a little wiser, a little more mature, works very well. And the ending shows that they still aren't above being silly when it's a good time for that!
10676049
Heh, you're welcome. :)
This story is definitely the lighter, happier companion to... Well, Companion. No doubt that factored into the more "colloquial" naming of this one (along with it fitting AJ's speech patterns). Both stories seem to grapple with themes of identity, acceptance, and "settling down" (and maybe even "settling," in Rarity and Twi's case), but this is a much more mature and honest take on it than the other one. Applejack's presence helped in that regard, no doubt. I love that she both dispenses bits of wisdom and accepts them from Dash here.
I'm guessing this is Soarin? In any case, while it is grown-up to try and make things work, but it's even more grown-up to know when those efforts have been exhausted.
This is an astute observation. Can't say I disagree with it.
My favorite part of this has to be Applejack destroying the carved heart. Not only due to the obvious symbolism, but because it transitions into her enjoying what she has in front of her. Both the dirt and soil that she so reveres in the beginning, and her relationship with Rainbow Dash—which is also just beginning.
Lovely work here. Thoughtful with a sweet ending.
10692357
Yep! That difference between Rarity and Applejack was the reason for the naming, but in retrospect as a standalone the title is a bit meh? I am wedded to abstract systems a bit too much sometimes!
Tentatively, but since non-Spitfire Wonderbolts aren't given much in the way of canon personalities I could've made it anypony on it, I think. So I was tempted to avoid pronouns to leave it open but that impulse lost out against establishing Rainbi Dash.
Oh yeah, Applejack always struck me as more mature and settled into her life arc than the rest, and as I get older I appreciate her more and more. (Except that sentence doesn't make sense since only six months have passed since I started watching the show.)
Awomen to that.
Yep, it's fascinating to think about. I love my friends and think they are special and amazing, but if I had ended up living in a different major urban metropolis or in different internet communities I would have made different friends I love just as much and think are just as special and amazing.
Thanks so much! I am a bit unsatisfied with some parts of how this story turned out, but you enjoying it does make me feel a bit better about it.
https://www.fimfiction.net/group/215146/pens-and-couches-reviews/thread/473040/review-partner-by-bicyclette
10883941
Thanks so much!!
Hey there! Quite a while ago, you submitted this story to be reviewed by the Pens and Couches Review Group. This group has since undergone some changes and rebranding, and your story now has a review!
passion and poor health because of it sucks