AJ just works better when she has somepony to work off of. She's the Straight Mare of the group, unless things are going wrong, like in ABS she's just to level headed and calm to really create drama on her own.

But she is also perfect when paired with any of the other ponies, she's definitely my favorite to watch work off of others, it's just on her own, shes to level and practical to do more then just go about her day. Which admittedly would be fun to see once.

pagetopper

edited 19th Sep '12 8:26:38 AM by Seraphem

@Mio That's canon, not fanon. Rainbow Dash was racing to defend Fluttershy's honor when she got her cutie mark, remember?

edited 19th Sep '12 8:28:09 AM by PerpetualLurker

Not according to the shippers.

While she often acts as a Straight Mare, she does have defining flaws to work off of and cause trouble, much in the same way as Twilight. I think it may be more she's a more realistic, harder to define character than the others, so maybe writers have problems getting her to hold the story personality wise.

Amy Rogers for example makes a lot great personality centric moments for AJ, though it is admitedly at the cost of making her a bit more of a Jerkass. Maybe that's why she seemed a bit more vibrant (albeit also more arrogant) in the first season, where the large majority of Rogers' episodes were AJ centric (not that it's wrong that she tried new characters and dynamics in season two).

I guess it may be more enthasis in terms of RD and Fluttershy's chemistry. Dragonshy was a huge Characterization Marches On moment, and while she was shown in a friendlier light in later episodes, she still tended to treat Fluttershy as something of a bullied toady (Hearts Warming Eve is basically an exagerrated version of this dynamic). Hurricane Fluttershy is the first time RD is really shown to be rather gentle and self sacrificial in her treatment of her.

edited 19th Sep '12 8:34:35 AM by Psi001

AJ's a mite more stubborn and a terrible gambler.

@Lurker: That is one incident of RD coming to the aid of FS, which I believe can be explained away by RD just not liking the bullies. Other then that there is nothing to show that they were any more then vague acquaintances. If they were closes friends they would know more about each other then they actually do, and would have been friendly from the get go.

I personally would like a second RD and AJ episode, mostly because I can see their character development working in such a way that they become less friendly towards each other. I personally don't mind AJ being a bit of a Jerkass myself.

Also one could argue that SSC S6k was the beginning of the more friendly transition, but that does require a little bit of reading into RD's actions.

edited 19th Sep '12 8:35:18 AM by Mio

I tend to enjoy the RD vs AJ dynamic (especially in Fall Weather Friends) so I wouldn't mind another episode revolving around it. I love when two bumbling egotists go to war.

RD was definitely well intentioned in her treatment of AJ in The Last Roundup, even if she handled it in a very aggressive manner, she made it clear she wanted her back, arguably the most out of all the others.

I see AJ as being a bit of nuanced Calamity Jane figure myself, very altrustic and well intentioned, but sometimes causes problems in her rowdiness and pride, not to mention being very rough around the edges in terms of manners. I think Bridle Gossip was the nearest to her becoming an out and out jerk, and even then she was just caring for her baby sister.

edited 19th Sep '12 8:40:27 AM by Psi001

She gave up her spot in teh cider line for FS.

I actually see it being more how AJ's development seems to be moving her away from some of the things her and RD had in common (competition) and how that effects their friendship. And as much as people hate Merriweather's characterizations I can see their friendship becoming more like how RD and AJ usually interact in those episodes.

edited 19th Sep '12 8:39:20 AM by Mio

AJ and Dashie are totally bros. Mayhap we get an episode where Dashie realizes she owes AJ bigtime, and tries to make up for it secretly without being found out for various reasons.

It's more like instead of being complete loggerheads, they've learned to be friendly rivals.

edited 19th Sep '12 8:42:00 AM by AceOfScarabs

If I remember correctly, Merriweather tends to depict AJ as trying to keep RD in line and scolding her for her behaviour, only to sometimes become overzealous (eg. MMDW) or completely lose focus of why she was doing so in the first place (eg. HWE). Fall Weather Friends took a similar direction, AJ is definitely the more moralistic of the two, but ends up looking just as bad due to her lack of patience towards RD and using a 'two wrongs make a right' ethic.

Looking at Bridle Gossip and Call Of The Cutie, I could see a good episode being made with RD butting heads with AJ over being a bad example for Applebloom.

edited 19th Sep '12 8:45:57 AM by Psi001

In most of those cases AJ comes across as the one in the right (or most in the right). I think it would be an interesting reversal if AJ was the one coming across to harshly on RD for whatever reason, or perhaps even insensitive to her goals and desires.

That's also an interesting thought about Applebloom, but what specifically is she being a bad example about?

Faust: Rainbow Dash wouldn't make a good sister.

edited 19th Sep '12 8:49:40 AM by Mio

@Psi: AJ-Bad Example, RD-Worse Example.

Hmmm, maybe she misunderstands the way Dashie schedules her training/resting cycles.

@Mio: Well, that's what Character Development can fix :P While it's true Dashie wouldn't be the best big sister right now, she can learn.

Scootalove for S3 :3 maybe Dashie can learn to be a better big sister figure by taking care of Scoots :3

edited 19th Sep '12 8:51:06 AM by AceOfScarabs

RD and FS were also together in Party of One.

Fluttershy also took Dashie to see the butterflies migrate before Dragon Quest.

(Shipping Goggles note: Flutters has butterfly cutie marks. Which butterflies was Dashie watching again...?)

RD as shown in Call Of The Cutie has a very impulsive manner of testing kids skills, I get the idea if AJ knew what she was putting AB through she would have blown a fuse.

Not to mention her laziness and fun loving attitude. Anyone seen that episode of Friends where Ross and Chandler scold the other over trying to control Joey's schedule in the opposite manner with an all work vs all play ethic? AJ would likely see RD as being a Toxic Friend Influence and passing off her lazy immoral ethics onto her sister, while RD would likely see AJ as a funless slave worker.

While they have been shown being friends in brief forms before, I think Hurricane Fluttershy was the first time it was given heavy spotlight and shown how deeply RD cared about her, to point of even betraying her usual characteristics and "winning is most important" behaviour.

edited 19th Sep '12 9:03:19 AM by Psi001

Never quite appreciated how accurate it is to the original.

@Psi: AJ knows how to have fun, Sisterhooves show her and Bloom goofing off while doing the chores.

edited 19th Sep '12 9:01:32 AM by AceOfScarabs

And RD does work when she knows it's important, I think it's more their antagonism towards each other would lead them to over exagerate the situation like in Fall Weather Friends, where they are convinced the other started the feud and is using dirty tactics.

edited 19th Sep '12 9:04:08 AM by Psi001

@Psi 001: Eh, I don't see it working out that way since RD and Applebloom only interacted once, and Applebloom shows no real desire to hang out with her again. I could see that working with Scootaloo though.

Alas, poor Tom.

Eh, just a thought. It could work with Scootaloo, but the problem is she has no established family or authority figures to take offense. Sweetie Belle could also work, but only to the same effect as AB really.

edited 19th Sep '12 9:05:42 AM by Psi001

Well, here's to hoping they bury the Scootaloo Orphan meme with onscreen parents for her.

Or they could use Spike I guess, Twilight already takes offense to his obnoxious behaviour without RD rubbing more onto him.

I could see a more poignant dynamic being made from it however, like maybe the older sibling is jealous of how much their younger one likes RD while the latter would pine over having her own little sibling and be overzealous in spending time with them.

edited 19th Sep '12 9:09:45 AM by Psi001

Spike's already pretty well-behaved for a Dragon :V

It could make a nice callback to the previous Spike episodes, with Twi insisting they stop encouraging his feral dragon instincts.

Anyways, I prefer it to be her having to take care of Scoots for whatever reason, and she has to learn the difference between simply having a fangirl and actually looking after her as a "kid sister".

edited 19th Sep '12 9:12:58 AM by AceOfScarabs