”What would have happened if the Mane six had been the Mane seven? How would the story change because of this? How would the series have played out?” - Part of the original description
Off the Record is a series of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fanfiction stories by The King of Hearts
that explore an Alternate Universe where our hero Alex, a high school student is teleported to Equestria and helps Twilight Sparkle and her friends defeat Nightmare Moon.
The story consists of ninety-six chapters and five side arcs that started October 2012. While the stories focus on being a Slice of Life Romantic Comedy adventure, two side arcs have the tragedy tag.
The series thus far:
- My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic: Off the Record
- Off the Record: Chasing the Rainbow
- Off the Record: Fall of the Night
- Off the Record: Haven Station
- Off the Record: Return
- Off the Record: Lament
This story provides examples of the following tropes:
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Friendship is Magic: Off the Record
- Big Damn Heroes: Averted. Rainbow Dash was already back in Equestria by the time Time Turner and Derpy knock on Alex's door.
- Eldritch Abomination: Unknown, but is said to be arriving
- Butt-Monkey: Prince Blue Blood during the Best Night Ever chapters
- Crapsack World: In a future where Discord won
- Doorstopper: If this were to have a physical copy...
- Enemy Within: See Red Oni, Blue Oni
- Expy: Time Turner is Equestria's version of the Doctor and is even referred to as “The Doctor”
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: Alex and Spike
- Mind Screw: King Sombra does this to Alex when he and Rainbow Dash search for the Crystal Heart
- Noble Demon: Alpha and Dax
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The story's overall motif on the Elements of Harmony. Dax's selfishness for Alex's selflessness; greed for Rarity's generosity; deceit for Applejack's honesty; betrayal for Rainbow Dash's loyalty; wrath for Fluttershy's kindness; sorrow for Pinkie Pie's laughter. Magic is still up for grabs
- Shout-Out: Loads of them
- Rainbow Dash is referred to as Sarah Connor when in Alex's world
- Pinkie Pie wears an eye patch and a cardboard box when infiltrating Ponyville
- Taken for Granite: Alex, taking Discord with him
-
The Woobie: Alex before he is transported to Equestria - Time Travel: The Doctor grabs Alex and unintentionally sends his TARDIS forward three months
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: Between Alpha and Twilight
- Voluntary Shapeshifter: Spike, with the help of Rarity and Heart’s Desire, transforms into a unicorn. Though his transformation is permanent
Off the Record: Chasing the Rainbow
- Battle Butler: Ramsley was a security guard at the Wonderbolts arena in Manehattan before being hired by the Oranges.
- Heel Realization: Comet Chaser after Rainbow Dash drops dream of being a Wonderbolt to be with Alex.
- Jerkass: Jango
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Comet Chaser wanted Rainbow Dash to do something she never could, and forbade her from seeing any of her friends, even Alex.
- The Power of Love: Alex/Dax for Rainbow Dash
- Shout-Out: Dax refers to Jango as Boba, then immediately corrects himself
Off the Record: Fall of the Night
- Bittersweet Ending: Alex/Dax and Rainbow Dash rescued Luna and Bolt's daughter, but they could never tell her
- Downer Ending: It's a story about Luna's fall from grace.
- Shout-Out: Luna and Discord have a Castlevania: Symphony of the Night-esque discussion:
- Luna: “Because you don’t belong in Equestria!”
- Discord: “It wasn’t by MY hand that I was brought here, I was brought here by ponies who wished to pay me tribute!”
- Luna: “Tribute?! You steal their lives, and make them your slaves!”
- Discord: “Perhaps the same could be said for any god.”
- Luna: “Your words mean nothing! Ponies have no need for a ‘god’ like you!”
- Discord: “What is a pony? A miserable pile of lies!”
- Time Travel: Was the idea to figure out Alex's involvement as the element of Selflessness, but that was put on the back burner
- Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Princess Luna after finding out about Bolt's death and thinking their daughter is dead as well
Off the Record: Haven Station
- Batman Gambit: Almost pulled off by Alex and Dax near the end of the arc
- Body Horror: See Shout Out below
- Shout-Out: Dax splits from Alex in the same way as Evil Ash
- Sidetracked by the Gold Saucer: Haven Station was advertised as one
- Voluntary Shapeshifter: The changelings disguise themselves as pony employees
Off the Record: Return
To Do: Add Stuff
Off the Record: Lament
- Back from the Dead: Dax appears while the Nightmare enters Alex.
- Big Damn Heroes: Rarity as she absorbs the Nightmare from her possessed sister.
- Bittersweet Ending: The Nightmare sacrifices herself to prevent herself from ruining more lives and Rarity was the last one to see her.
- Body Surf: The Nightmare takes over Rarity for a while, leaves her, jumps into Alex, immediately leaves his body, then takes over Sweetie Belle, then back into Rarity
- Distracted by My Own Sexy: The Nightmare for a moment while possessing Rarity
- Enemy Within: Avarice, could also pass as a Noble Demon
- Heel Realization: The Nightmare, while inhabiting Rarity.
- The Power of Love: Spike for Rarity; Rarity for Sweetie Belle.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Avarice to Rarity's generosity
-
What Could Have Been: The Nightmare could've resided inside Rarity's subconscious for future interactions. - Wouldn't Hurt a Child: The Nightmare, while possessing Rarity.
