Applejack is Best Pony

My opponent clearly didn't get the joke of my last conclusion. It was a reference to the opening scene of "Wonderbolts Academy". In any event I think a 2500 character last round is a good idea. In this round I'll start to wrap up the debate as I see it, much like Rainbow is wrapping up winter here: RebuttalBear in mind that Pro has the BOP. It is not enough for both ponies to be equally matched - pro has to prove RD is worse than Applejack overall.CaringRD can be a slacker... ...but not when it comes to caring for her friends. As the extended theme of the show goes "When danger makes me want to hide / I'll Rainbow Dash to your side".Pro still does not show how Applejack is supposed to have inspired RD's loyalty in "Friendship is Magic Part 2". She also showed loyalty as a filly in "Cutie Mark Chronicles".One can care for one's friends without putting oneself into peril, however several statements pro made about RD not being in peril in rescuing ponies are incorrect. In IV and V she actually gets herself badly hurt, and in VI she does succeed in a rescue WHILE dodging countless falling beams coming at her from all angles.One can also care for friends while trying to beat them. "Blow away" usually means stun or impress - that the ponies were literally blown away in Wonderbolts Academy is an interesting visual gag but not something Rainbow could be reasonably expected to foresee. None of my other evidence on this point has been engaged with.Lesson Zero was not the episode I cited for the fog, it was Too Many Pinkie Pies. See also: One can help friends without intending to help them. This is also caring, and what RD for the most part did in Cutie Mark Chronicles. Nothing that she did in that whole episode was actually done in her interest at all."Many accounts of all five ponies pitching in" only proves that all the ponies are just as caring as each other. I'm not arguing RD is any more caring, but that Applejack is not conclusively the most caring pony on the show.RD can't do anything about it if Gak commercials cause 3 ponies to pass out. What's she supposed to do, yell "Gak commercials incoming"! Or maybe Applejack just ran in and knocked three ponies out while everybody else was distracted by commercials. Point is, RD did what she could. Not being able to be more caring is not the same as being less caring.Applejack could have told the town she only came second but was raising money. As it was, she just ran away from her problems, with no concern for the feelings of her friends and family in her letter to them. In the end, she didn't help. She didn't even finish her job to help the town, instead preferring to run away again.MoralsApplejack could not make enough cider by herself to beat the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy in any given hour, but Flim and Flam would not have been able to even make their pitch if Applejack had made enough cider anytime in the whole YEAR that she had to do it.The other things my opponent puts aside as mistakes Applejack has learnt from. RD, too, has learnt from many mistakes my opponent attacks her for.By being silent, RD did the right thing. She might not like being humble, but she has the MORALS to do what's right rather than what she wants.Pro can either accept the reality of the metaphor underlying Discords choice of order, or put it down to circumstance. I still maintain that it's symbolic of moral strength of character. It's a matter of "do you see it or don't you", and there's little I can say beyond that.The question is who's more moral. Both clearly display moral values, and moral flaws. My opponent has not shown the superiority of Applejack here.StrengthIn "Games Ponies Play" all Applejack's tail lifts are half the weight of Twilight and Fluttershy (the latter of whom weighs so little that a swarm of butterflies or two birds can carry her). Rarity was away doing Cadance's hair, and RD was flying in a heart shape around the whole formation. Proof pro is incorrect: AJ could not do a Sonic Rainboom if she was a pegasus - it requires a lot of wing power, and developing that takes dedication - Applejack is dedicated to bucking apples, not flying. Besides, Applejack is not a pegasus. The resolution is who IS stronger, not who COULD BE stronger.As for the rodeo that Applejack keeps losing - the one feat of strength she's ever won (compared to the many titles held by Dashy) - the fact about Spike only proves that the event rules make the winner somewhat arbitrary. Therefore, Applejack has never won a fair strength contest.RD is clearly established as a strong character on the show, and the strongest pegasus by far. In contests that Applejack can compete in, Rainbow ties with or beats her - without even training for it. But Rainbow does train her wings, and her undisputed status as "best in the world" at her chosen event renders her a better athlete.My CaseDreamsAt most, pro only proves AJ is more useful - NOT that she dreams higher.This comes down to three issues. First, whose dream is more worthwhile? Applejack's dream is to fulfill a portion of the dietary requirements for Ponyville. This is not only setting the bar very low, it's also not exactly something that's going to end up being remembered as a great achievement. After all, Ponyville could have always imported apples from Appleloosa, or oranges from Manehatten. A Wonderbolt captain is the kind of job title you would expect to see immortalized through the ages. "Serving more ponies" is an ideal RD shares (see my points on caring), but the difference is that RD also likes to push herself further and harder. Being a Wonderbolt is not unproductive either, and episodes like "Secret of my Excess" and "Sonic Rainboom" have shown that many ponies probably owe their lives to the Wonderbolts.Second, who is better at fulfilling their dream? If Granny Smith received a hip, there is no evidence that it was Applejack's doing. Despite years of running out of cider, Applejack still did not put in the effort to feed the townspeople's needs. RD has taken clear steps throughout all the seasons to get closer to her goal of becoming a Wonderbolt. However, it should come as no surprise that it should be easier for Applejack, since her goal is so low.Third, whose dream is best for the show? My opponent has refused to engage with this, tacitly conceding that a bigger dream is better for the character because it allows all kinds of development to happen and gives them more reason to exist.CoolnessThis comes down to two issues. First, is RD cooler than Applejack? My opponent has no response to most of my justifications. "Cool" is what society in general determines to be cool, and Urban Dictionary happens to be a site where definitions are set by society in general. Rainbow has won this contest both in pony and in human society. In this particular case, I further presented an overwhelming number of justifications for this coolness, ranging from predicting Gangnam style (whether it inspired Psy or not, it is pretty awesome) to her exploits with dragons (which would also explain, by the way, her relative confidence in how to deal with dragons in "Dragon Quest") to her being a pegasus. And if Earth ponies can be cool like Rainbow Dash - then why isn't Applejack cool? She doesn't turn time or drop the bass - she just sells apples. My opponent more or less concedes this when he says "Rainbow Dash has swag".The second issue, a new point by pro in this round, is whether being cool is actually a qualifier for best pony. The whole premise of the show - the thing that people have latched on to more than anything - is the message, that "friendship is magic". In "Griffon The Brush Off" it was established that friendship is also cool. It follows that a cooler pony is a better fulfillment of the premise of the show. Since Rainbow is the coolest of the ponies, this makes her better. Even if Lil Wayne is bad at everything else, being cool is an achievement to be respected.ConclusionApplejack is a background pony