My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (Live Reactions & Discussion)

Guessing they needed someone to serve as the straight man for the main cast and since they emphasized Twilight's perfectionist tendencies and her Celestia worship from season 2 onward, Applejack seemed like the best fit.

Plus we do get some moments of Applejack's flawed side after season 1 too with The Last Roundup emphasizing her pride, Honest Apple with her Brutal Honesty tendencies, Bats bringing back some stubborness in butting heads with Fluttershy over how to deal with the fruit bats, and Somepony to Watch Over Me and Grannies Gone Wild emphasizing her over protective tendencies toward her family.

I remember reading somebody saying that “Somepony to Watch Over Me” was Applejack’s “Lesson Zero.”

I smell magic in the air. Or maybe barbecue.

She should had more moments like this, making her character more fun and interesting. Relating to that, do you think that's the reason for that "background pony applejack" meme, because Applejack didn't had any interesting character traits after writers changed her character? And yes, before someone in their posts will try to correct me, I know it also is due to having less episodes dedicated to her than the rest of main characters, but I'm wondering if her character change was also responsible for that.

Edited by Filip04 on Mar 7th 2024 at 7:51:12 PM

Here are the episodes dedicated to Applejack in the show (not counting the stuff from Equestria Girls)

• Applebuck Season
• Look Before You Sleep
• Fall Weather Friends
• The Last Roundup
• The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000
• Apple Family Reunion
• Spike At Your Service
• Bats
• Pinkie Apple Pie
• Simple Ways
• Somepony to Watch Over Me
• Leap of Faith
• Made in Manehatten
• Hearthbreakers
• The Mane Attraction
• Applejack's Day Off
• The Cart Before the Ponies
• Buckball Season
• Viva Las Pegasus
• PPOV (Pony Pont of View)
• Where the Apple Lies
• Honest Apple
• The Perfect Pear
• Non-Compete Clause
• Sounds of Silence
• Going to Seed

So in terms of number of Applejack focused episodes in each season, it's 3 in season 1, 2 in seasons 2 and 3 each (though 3's a short season), then increases with 5 in season 4, decreases back to 3 in season 5, peaks at 6 in season 6, goes back down to 2 in seasons 7-8 each, and is at its lowest in season 9 with only one focus episode.

Seems Applejack's focus actually sorta peaks in seasons 4 and 6 rather than season 1, but took a hit after season 6 with season 9 being Applejack's least involved season.

Ironically, it was during Season 2 that she got hit with the "Background pony" meme, even though Rarity went from 2011 to 2014 without having a focus episode.

Qui odoratus est qui fecit.

Now that we've cleared up the episodes thing, do you guys think her characterization change to more, how to put it delicately, bland character contributed to this meme?

I liked her best in somepony to watch over me and cart before the ponies as those had be overprotective and oblivious to apple blooms wants even though she was supposed to listen. When Applejack is right all along (horse play) it is very boring.

Though we did get a good episode for big Mac about him feeling apple bloom can't admire him the way she does Applejack which wouldn't have worked if Applejack had kept her earlier hot-blooded characterization.

see my completed Tangled (Varian) fanfic collection! https://archiveofourown.org/works/24467056/chapters/59049532

Damn, surprised you liked Applejack in those episodes considering I've seen many consider her behavior in those to come off as more annoying than anything.

And Horse Play didn't focus on Applejack so her being right is at least passable there.

Hello, it's me again. Due to the fact that tomorrow will be the premiere of Kung Fu Panda 4, in honor of it I decided to ask you the following questions in a fun way in order to learn if there more Kung Fu Panda fans like me who are also fans of our little ponies. So let's the game begin!

Do you think that Mane Seven (aka. girls and Spike) could have feel sorry for Lord Shen despite the fact that he committed an even worse crime than Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy Glow did at the end of the series?

How do you think Yona would have reacted to Kai, a fellow yak who for some reason doesn't speak like a yak?

Does Chameleon could remind Thorax, Pharynx and Ocellus of Queen Chrysalis, given that as far we saw she is personality-wise similar to the former queen of changelings?

Which member of the Furious Five (and Po) do you think would be friends with which member of the Mane Seven?

How Celestia's and Luna's interactions with Oogway and Shifu would look like?

Does Young Six could be able to get along with Zhen, given her Sticky Fingers, which could have clash at what they had learned at School Of Friendship?

In similar to the first question, does Mane Seven could feel sorry for Tai Lung, given that he only wanted Shifu's approval?

1. If Lord Shen refuses to change, then I doubt the main cast would feel bad for him.

2. Yona would probably just be confused but roll with it.

3. Haven't seen the fourth movie, can't comment.

4. Imagining Monkey with Pinkie Pie, Applejack with Crane, Rainbow Dash with Tigress and Mantis, Rarity and Fluttershy with Viper, and Spike with Po.

5. Probably friendly enough as the mentors.

6. Haven't seen the fourth movie, can't comment.

7. Depends if Tai feels remorseful for his actions or not and chooses to change.

By 3 and 6 question I meant what we had seen in clips and TV spots so far, because I also didn't saw the movie (such as this clip that shows Zhen Sticky Fingers). I also thought that Pinkie will get along with Monkey, Viper with Fluttershy and Spike with Po. I just wanted to know what others think of who will be friends with.

@Filip04: What I mean is if Gaia Everfree has an Equestria counterpart, how do they have magic unlike all other human world versions?

As for Rainbow and Fluttershy, maybe whatever made them childhood friends was stronger than Rainbow's annoyance, or maybe she developed her intolerance afterwards (look what happened to Gilda between that time)?

@Redmess:

A reason Applejack and Rainbow to not have an apple and rainbow cutie mark respectively? And what does this have to do with Fluttershy? (If you meant each others Element, I can see AJ fit loyalty but not how Rainbow Honesty.)

And wouldn't Red Oni hot-blooded Applejack be redundant with Rainbow Dash?

Edited by Ferot_Dreadnaught on Mar 7th 2024 at 7:14:42 AM

Gilda has the excuse that she had a terrible environment that made her bitter. What's Rainbow Dash's excuse for acting harder on Fluttershy than usual in Dragonshy and treating her like a burden rather than being more encouraging and patient with her like later episodes despite being childhood friends?

It's more of a stretch to think Rainbow Dash somehow got less patient with Fluttershy and learned to be more patient with her later.

I said in my first post that she's Equestria's Mother Nature, so she naturally has magic.

So Rainbow Took a Level in Jerkass and later Took a Level in Kindness towards Fluttershy? That's what you mean?

Edited by Filip04 on Mar 8th 2024 at 10:49:09 AM

I meant their elements, yes. And Dash does tend to be more honest than loyal in the first season.

Optimism is a duty.

Maybe her patience with Fluttershy had reached it's end in the decade or so since.

Something happened to make Rainbow not immediately be poached for the Wonderbolts and be more cynical than as a filly. (This makes Rainbow's past seem unexplored.)

Yes for Rainbow. For Gaia that seems at odds with the human world lacking magic beyond what leaked in from Equestria, thought how might be a fun story to explore.

What traits/moments Made S1 Rainbow better fit for Honesty?

Your idea of something happening to Rainbow resulting in her becoming more of a jerk to Fluttershy sounds like one of a heck Fanfic Fuel, and I wonder if someone will write a story around it!

When it comes to Human World!Gaia Everfree, I like to think that she was originally a normal human girl (if you are curious what skin color she had, I will tell you that she had green skin, which could had foreshadow what she will become) living during the ice age/stone age (as a justification of her being ancient nature spirit in a shape of human and make sure her backstory is similar to Equestria's!Gaia which I well tell you right soon), who during escaping from the american lion (because Canterlot City is located in North America) - who ambushed her when she was swimming in a lake - came into contact with Equestrian magic that somehow leaked into human world (I will not explain how, just deal with it) which transformed her into her form that we saw in Timber's story. I got inspiration for Gaia's backstory after I saw this fanart that apparently shows her younger self. As for when it comes to backstory of Equestrian!Gaia, is that before becoming Equestrian Mother Nature she was originally a normal fordeer doe (who else here is a fan of Sirzi's Cervyderia?) living in Equestria's equivalent of ice age/stone age (before Grogar even thought about conquering Equestria, making her older than him) who one day during escaping from the eurasian cave lion (the reason why her human counterpart was chased by american lion was because I wanted to avoid Misplaced Wildlife and be 100% paleo-accurate) encountered the old spirit of nature, that scared off the predator that was chasing her and asked her if she will fuse with them. She agreed and thus Gaia Everfreee was born. Fun little fact tho, even before this day that changed her life, Gaia's name was her actual birth name, given that Sirzi gave his deer characters names related to nature. What do you guys think of my backstory for both Gaia's?

Edited by Filip04 on Mar 15th 2024 at 3:12:26 PM

I agree, that sounds like good fanfic fuel, and I think that is a really good question.

Because it sure is odd that Dash was the top flyer of her class, and famous for performing a Sonic Rainboom, but was never approached by the Wonderbolts or any other recruiting organisation. Heck, the Wonderbolts didn't even know who she was.

There is a definite air about faded child starlet about the whole situation. Someone who was successful and even famous as a child, but for some reason or another couldn't translate that into a successful career as she grew up.

Optimism is a duty.

Testing Testing 1 2 3 does show Rainbow Dash was struggling with studying for the Wonderbolts test so maybe the reason she didn't get in the Wonderbolts sooner was because she kept failing the test due to her struggles in learning.

Because it sure is odd that Dash was the top flyer of her class, and famous for performing a Sonic Rainboom, but was never approached by the Wonderbolts or any other recruiting organisation. Heck, the Wonderbolts didn't even know who she was.

They presumably have an age requirement, although it *is* odd that they didn't remember her from the Sonic Rainboom incident.

Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play

If you mean the Sonic Rainboom from when she was a filly, no-one knew she did it. But "Parental Glidence" showed she was only a bit younger than future Wonderbolts who were recruited before Rainbow despite her outflying them even back then.

Something that caused her to fall out of the system and graces of said Wonderbolts who should have remembered her talent personally seems the only explanation. There's a lot of potential for complicating her relationship with Fluttershy.

Did she submit Wonderbolts applications before "Wonderbolts Academy "? If not why'd she wait that long (I get waiting until after "Sonic Rainboom" but why this long after?)

From the YMMV page:

• Mandela Effect: Diamond Tiara is sometimes misremembered as being a unicorn rather than an earth pony, probably because many unicorns in the show are associated with the upper class and snobbery.

I've never seen that at all. Thoughts?

Edited by Ferot_Dreadnaught on Mar 8th 2024 at 9:05:20 AM

What do you mean, no one knew? She did it in a stadium full of ponies. It would have been very hard to miss who did that. And I've said before that it is a bit odd that no one seems to remember that.

Optimism is a duty.

There's no guarantee that Spitfire, Soarin, and the other Wonderbolts where there when Rainbow Dash did it was a filly. And it's not like they were running the Wonderbolts at the time of Rainbow Dash's fillyhood, so there's a chance maybe Spitfire only recently became the head of the Wonderbolts shortly before season 1 and that's way it took so long for her to recruit Rainbow Dash.

Plus, they don't specify how much time passed between Sonic Rainboom and Wonderbolts Academy.

Why would they have to be there? Why would that time matter? This is not the sort of local event that would go unnoticed. Rainbow Dash shhould be, by all rights, famous across Equestria for that event. But she isn't.

Optimism is a duty.

Hoops, Dumbbell, and Score still bullied her even after she did the Rainboom as a filly so maybe it wasn't that public.

And the fact Celestia doesn't appear to be aware of this despite being the ruler of Equestria is telling.