2014 MLP Forums MARCH MADNESS TOURNAMENT (NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP)

[DryGuy84 (Inactive) 927]

Yea but we're not going to assume that victory is our. We want to support AJ from the beginning to the end.

 

Yea! That's why I wasn't on for hours!........Wait...

[Stellafera 3,836]

I'm gonna talk a bit about why Rainbow Dash is great.

Since this will be long and lovely, it's in spoilers.

 

Please hold your questions.

 

Rainbow Dash never attracted me on a superficial level. I didn't think she was cool in Season 1. I still don't. I didn't think she was awesome or radical either. I was initially attracted to Rarity; "not being girly" was not a thing that endeared me to a character. No, I only started liking RD, much like the other mare in this poll, late in Season 2. I only admitted her into the category of second favorite when Sleepless in Ponyville aired, though it was a long time coming.
 
Conversely to the popular consensus, I dearly love all of RD's Season 2 moments, and it ranks right next to the season that it follows as a wonderful time for the blue pony. That's because Season 2 is the darkness before the dawn. Season 2 brings her flaws out bare into the open, and lashes them with the whip of Aesopery until they form rainbow-colored welts. And I loved that, because it was bold and honest and it lead up to the change. 
 
I mark Hurricane Fluttershy as the bright side of her plot arc beginning. She's caring, she's trying to be good even when it fails.. it's a new Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash in Season 3 manages to get across quite a complex story in her episodes of the mare who knows that she can be a tool and is fixing that. Wonderbolts Academy, as I will happily point out to anyone who will believe me, is the spiritual sequel to The Mysterious Mare Do Well. Rainbow Dash knows just how horrible she can be when she's jealous, so she ignores her own instincts in an attempt to avoid that, though eventually overcomes this fear of Mare Do Welling by the end. Maybe you much preferred seeing her sequel portrayal, but that ugly side had to be confronted to understand that.
 
So Rainbow Dash is neat because she's a story.

 

Of course, I voted for Applejack.

 

 

Applejack, to put it simply, is lovable on all levels. Does Applejack have a story? Yes, and it's an interesting one, involving how she went from hotheaded stubborn cowgirl to a pony whose plots focus around responsibility and how much one should feel responsible for other people.
 
But, let's get things all a'straightened out; I always get excited when Applejack's onscreen. She's funny. She's heartwarming. She gets all the best one-liners. She's adorable. She's badass. She's a total dork. She's everything that makes the show fun to watch. 
 

Her face follows mine exactly while watching her go from happy to sad. The power of Jackie Buckaroo, people. 

 

Note already how my tone is more chipper with this essay compared to my rather downbeat RD one. She makes me happy, because Applejack is a chipper sort of pony. That's not all, naturally. AJ can express a whole range of emotions; I once did a 7 minute long song of the girl going from rage to sadness to hope to despair and she pulled through just fine. 
 
She really is one of the most human of the ponies. I love that her flaws are not easy ones to pick out or ones that you could just slap on her character type. It may have seemed that way at first, but ever since The Last Roundup, the writers have gone deeper. Applejack wants so badly to be good at everything that she considers herself a failure for not living up to absurdly high expectations. She considers hard work something that she can just APPLY to a problem like a sledgehammer. The harder the works, the better of a mare she is. Work is goody good.
 
Her life frames this; has always had to deal with a lot of responsibility at an early age. But AJ's not solely defined by that, either. Which is good because otherwise my parents would have to be dead for me to be like her. 
 
My variation on the AJ problem is in a slightly more intellectual bent, but I feel that. At the end of The Last Roundup, this Applejack, this character who was never in the foreground of my mind, suddenly came into focus. She's not "stubborn country girl", she's more. She grew out of those plots and she's a smarter, more thoughtful mare now. And she's come so much further since.
 
Season 3 continued to flesh her out; she got a shitton of focus and certainly more than the leader of the Mane 6 did. We got to see Applejack in all sorts of situations, and that balance of being one of the most outwardly mature of the Mane 6 and this
 

 
was explored. That dichotomy still exists; I would easily define her as both "goofy" and "grown up". This, by the way, is one of the reasons why AJ and Rarity fans seem to play so nicely. 

 

Season 4 just builds on more wonderfullness and applejack and oh my gosh heavy breathing she's just so APPLEJACK and I'm so proud of her for getting so far and working so hard up into people's hearts like mine and applejack I mean the name just makes me smmmmillleee and she's so funny but so many feelings and this essay is deteriorating or building up to a climax which one it is depends upon if you're a fan of any other pony but applejack but anyhow

 

That, my friends is why, despite the fact that I wrote an essay on Rainbow Dash...

 

The pony I voted for and the pony that I love most... is Applejack, every time.

 

Have fun voting, y'all!

 

 

If you're the Applejack fan on the go and desire a TLDR version you can enjoy a self advertisement instead because I'm narcissistic and I wrote a whole essay for you what did you expect you ungrateful salt cube?

 

Edited April 4, 2014 by Stellafera

[-Lyra Heartstrings- 100]

WAY TO GO FLUTTERS AND RARITY! VOTIN AJ THIS ROUND

[Something Floaty 1,334]

Well, I think this is officially a beatdown. If Twilight vs. Rarity was Game 7 of the 1991 World Series, Applejack vs. Rainbow Dash is Game 7 of the 1985 World Series. 

[Yellow Diamond 7,568]

Well, I think this is officially a beatdown. If Twilight vs. Rarity was Game 7 of the 1991 World Series, Applejack vs. Rainbow Dash is Game 7 of the 1985 World Series. 

 

Does that mean Rainbow Dash's wing got caught in the tarp roller? That actually seems like the kind of accident she would have.

[Bhending the Rules 697]

Well, I think this is officially a beatdown. If Twilight vs. Rarity was Game 7 of the 1991 World Series, Applejack vs. Rainbow Dash is Game 7 of the 1985 World Series. 

 

No, this is more like the 2007 Spurs-Cavs NBA Finals, or one of those Lakers romps from the Kobe-Shaq days.

 

Speaking of Shaq, Pinkie-Derpy is coming up tomorrow, and Shaq has the perfect quote for the occasion:

 

"Print media, they gonna hype it up. NBC's gonna hype it up. ESPN's gonna hype it up. The China stations are gonna hype it up. The Yugoslavia stations are gonna hype it up. Everyone's gonna hype it up. And it will be the most televised, watched game in the history of all sports."

 

Looking forward to it.

 

 

Quote source is this vid, which is quite entertaining:

 

 

[Adorkable 2,737]

Oh I'm sure Ghostie is getting a kick out of that last match. ^^"

[Doctor XFizzle 8,669]

This still has til tomorrow afternoon but dang, Rainbow Army. Where have their troops gone? Rainbow rode a giant wave to win the whole thing last year.

 

Perhaps this year truly is the year of the Rarijack.

[Something Floaty 1,334]

No, this is more like the 2007 Spurs-Cavs NBA Finals, or one of those Lakers romps from the Kobe-Shaq days.

 

Speaking of Shaq, Pinkie-Derpy is coming up tomorrow, and Shaq has the perfect quote for the occasion:

 

"Print media, they gonna hype it up. NBC's gonna hype it up. ESPN's gonna hype it up. The China stations are gonna hype it up. The Yugoslavia stations are gonna hype it up. Everyone's gonna hype it up. And it will be the most televised, watched game in the history of all sports."

 

Looking forward to it.

 

 

Quote source is this vid, which is quite entertaining:

 

 

 

Let's not compare this to basketball, we should stick with good sports. 

[CharmingStallion 63]

<---Part of the Rainbow Dash / Pinkie Pie army here and voted accordingly .

 

If it comes down to it the craziest Pony should always win...soo we might as well crown Pinkie queen of the multiverse now ;-).

[Oblivion 20,266]

Welp, very disappointed my Dashie didn't do better...durn it!

[Celli 4,338]

I wasn't here for the end of the last match. Work sucks. Did Rarity beat Twilight? What was the final score?

[Ruddboy Olaf 10,628]

I wasn't here for the end of the last match. Work sucks. Did Rarity beat Twilight? What was the final score?

Rarity=103 votes

Twily=98 votes

 

Rarity won.

Edited April 4, 2014 by Judge Claude Frollo

[_Kurtis 636]

I wasn't here for the end of the last match. Work sucks. Did Rarity beat Twilight? What was the final score?

Rarity: 103

Twilight: 98

Truly an amazing match. 

[Celli 4,338]

Rarity=103 votes

Twily=98 votes

 

Rarity won.

YESSSSSSS! IN YOUR FACE, TWILIGHT!

Ahem, I mean, you did well, Purple Smart! And Nice job Rarity!

Rarity: 103

Twilight: 98

Truly an amazing match. 

I'll say, that score is real close.

Edited April 4, 2014 by DiamondRumpPony

[Felix 1,363]

Wow. Didn't know there were so many Applejack fans. Welp, that blows away this competition.

[Oblivion 20,266]

Dashie shall rise from the ashes!

[silvadel 1,393]

This still has til tomorrow afternoon but dang, Rainbow Army. Where have their troops gone? Rainbow rode a giant wave to win the whole thing last year.

 

Perhaps this year truly is the year of the Rarijack.

This is the year of FLUTTERSHY... 

 

http://25.media.tumblr.com/f1907f90b2209110ad883f576bf47120/tumblr_myxzlqOgUp1rqvvxno1_500.jpg

 

She is preparing for the winner.

[Something Floaty 1,334]

This is the year of FLUTTERSHY... 

 

http://25.media.tumblr.com/f1907f90b2209110ad883f576bf47120/tumblr_myxzlqOgUp1rqvvxno1_500.jpg

 

She is preparing for the winner.

 

Yeah, but is she prepared to lose to Pinkie for Best Pony overall? Because Pinkie is going to win. 

 

You know, despite all of the talk about the voting, it never occurred to me until this moment that my Best Pony and ghostie's Best Pony will face each other after Pinkie wins her round against a background character with two lines in the whole series. When the voting starts for that round, ghostie is going to HATE me. 

Edited April 4, 2014 by Something Floaty

[Anilewe 2,178]

114 votes for AJ? Good job!

Applejack is happy.

 

 

 

[Yellow Diamond 7,568]

I think Applejack 3:16 just whooped Rainbow Dash's flank.

 

And that's the bottom line.

[hawkflame 3,310]

Well, I think this is officially a beatdown. If Twilight vs. Rarity was Game 7 of the 1991 World Series, Applejack vs. Rainbow Dash is Game 7 of the 1985 World Series. 

 

Actually, it's looking more to me like the 1969 World Series, where everyone expects the Orioles in a cakewalk but the Mets knock them out in 5 games before they know it. 

[Yellow Diamond 7,568]

Actually, it's looking more to me like the 1969 World Series, where everyone expects the Orioles in a cakewalk but the Mets knock them out in 5 games before they know it. 

 

If AJ blows it here, we'll be looking at a 2004 ALCS-style meltdown.

[Something Floaty 1,334]

Actually, it's looking more to me like the 1969 World Series, where everyone expects the Orioles in a cakewalk but the Mets knock them out in 5 games before they know it. 

 

Oooh, that's a good one too. I think 2007 is a good one too, the Rockies were on fire, they won 21 of 22 games in September, blew through the Phillies and Diamondbacks, and everyone was prepared for an awesome series against the Red Sox...and then BAM. Four-game sweep. The Rockies barely showed up.

[hawkflame 3,310]

Oooh, that's a good one too. I think 2007 is a good one too, the Rockies were on fire, they won 21 of 22 games in September, blew through the Phillies and Diamondbacks, and everyone was prepared for an awesome series against the Red Sox...and then BAM. Four-game sweep. The Rockies barely showed up.

 

Eh, I was going for the whole "underdog" idea where everyone thought the Orioles would walk all over the Mets, and instead they're the ones getting steamrolled.  Sort of like how the popular Dash is getting upset by a "background pony". 

 

And to throw some more support behind the pony I now consider my second favorite character (thanks to some good episodes this season and Pinkie's decline):