The Irony of Applejack
is a My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fanfiction by Mister Friendly. The story and its two sequels, The Irony of Applejack Aftermath: A Warm Hearth and The Advent of Applejack, are all complete.
Official Description: For most of Applejack's life, she didn't know what she was. True, she understood who she was well enough.
But ponies don't change shapes, nor do they get strength from love.
Applejack never thought too hard on it... until the events of a certain wedding brought about some harsh realizations.
Now, with Equestria still reeling from the surprise attack, will Applejack manage to come to terms with what she is? Will she even be able to keep her secret safe?
For if the royal guards don't get her first, the conspirators in the shadows just might...
Tropes:
- Big Bad: Vigil, though he's merely The Dragon to Chrysalis.
- Things are more complicated in the sequel, but Phantasma emerges as the most dangerous enemy.
- Big Brother Instinct: Big Mac. When the Apple family first found out Applejack was a Changeling, they ran into the barn for protection, leaving the infant alone. When Applejack started crying Big Mac left the barn and without hesitation hugged her.
- Butt-Monkey: Sergeant Carapace.
- Came Back Wrong: Phantasma manages to return from the grave, but as a twisted facsimile of life.
- Cerebus Retcon: Remember that flashback to a previous Apple Family Reunion, where we saw the adorable baby Applejack, while her relative didn't know who she was? Well, it turns out that she was abandoned there.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Dozens of Changelings surrounding Big Mac... Right where he wants them.
- Expy: Vigil's pony form is compared to a male, unicorn version of Daring Do.
- False Flag Operation: A fake attack by the Court of Queens is staged in the sequel.
- Fatal Flaw: Vigil's is his obsession with perfection.
- Grievous Harm with a Body: Pinkie reenacts the scene from Season 2's finale where she grabs Twilight and uses her as a gatling gun. And paraphrases Scarface when she does it."Say hello to my purple friend!''
- Happily Adopted: Applejack turns out to be a young Changeling Queen that was adopted into the Apple Family.
- The Heartless: Changeling Queens go through a metamorphasis that turns them into literally heartless beings.
- Irony: Applejack, the Element of Honesty, is a shapeshifting Changeling. It's even lampshaded by the title!
- Luke, You Are My Father: Steel Shod is Applejack's father.
- Made of Iron: Big Mac has flesh like stone.
- Oblivious to Love: Neither Applejack or Rainbow are consciously aware of their own feelings for each other.
- The Perfectionist: Vigil HATES failure.
- Predecessor Villain: Phantasma, whose wars led to the political scenario that allowed Chrysalis to rise to power.
- Secret-Keeper: Both Big Mac and Granny Smith know that Applejack is a Changeling.
- Sequel Hook: The first story, at least, ended with Vigil confronted with a changeling from another hive and what was implied to be Queen Chrysalis having briefly greeted Applejack incognito.
- Ship Tease: Applejack gets a lot with Rainbow, the only other member of the Mane Six to be tagged as a main character. It becomes more obvious in the sequel which is tagged as a romantic story.
- The Mole: Cassava in the sequel.
- The Stoic: Vigil doesn’t show much in the way of emotion.
- Tomato in the Mirror: Applejack knew she wasn't a normal pony, but she didn't know she was a Changeling, or even what a Changeling WAS, until after the wedding invasion. She doesn't really take it well.
