Applejack

Applejack is an earth pony and one of the main characters of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. She lives and works at Sweet Apple Acres farm with her grandmother Granny Smith, brother Big MacIntosh, and little sister Apple Bloom. She represents the element of honesty.

Development
Applejack is one of the only two members of the main cast who were part of the original My Little Pony cast in the 1980s animated series–the other member being Spike. This is because Hasbro did not maintain the trademarks to nearly all of the original character names. Lauren Faust adopted the character's G1 color scheme, abandoning the dark red color from the G3 toy line.

Personality
"This is your sister Applejack - remember? The loyalest of friends and most dependable of ponies?!"

- Applejack, talking to her brother

Applejack is a reliable and hard-working pony, although headstrong about doing things on her own. She tackles the annual apple harvest all by herself while her brother Big Macintosh recovers from an injury in Applebuck Season, while simultaneously helping out all of her friends with an assortment of tasks. This proves to be more than she can handle, yet she refuses Twilight Sparkle's many offers of assistance. After she diverts a stampede that was headed to Ponyville, the townsfolk hold a ceremony in her honor, where her close friends exult her willingness to help anyone. She receives her trophy without much fanfare and goes back to her applebucking, nearly dying of exhaustion before finally being able to look past her pride and request help. "Ho, doggies. If you can take this bull by the horns, you better be ready for a ride!"

- Applejack

Applejack speaks with a Southern American accent, similar to the accent of the southwestern Missouri Ozarks, where there are a number of apple orchards. She seems to have no reservations about getting dirty or messy, much to Rarity's dismay when they hold a sleepover in Look Before You Sleep. Applejack has said in A Dog and Pony Show, "Now I'm used to pickin' myself up and dustin' myself off, but Rarity won't even TOUCH mud unless it's imported." She also seems to dislike things that are "too girlish" like frou-frou dresses, though in a flashback in The Cutie Mark Chronicles Applejack describes how she tried being a pony of elegance for a short time as a young filly, but ultimately decided to return to the farm after she realized it wasn't for her. She is almost always seen wearing a light brown stetson hat, which she usually only removes when sleeping, and is the only one of the six main characters to keep her mane and tail tied back in a "ponytail" instead of letting it fall loose.

Though she's normally kind and considerate, Applejack lacks patience with aggressive or rude behavior and has no hesitation in returning it in kind. In Look Before You Sleep, she lets her feud with Rarity ruin Twilight Sparkle's sleepover, and in Fall Weather Friends she allows herself to become just as underhanded as Rainbow Dash in her attempt to win. In both of these situations, however, she eventually proves herself the better pony by being the first to apologize. She is quick to argue with Rainbow Dash in Over a Barrel, making the tension between the Appleloosa and the buffaloes worse.

In Party of One Applejack finds it difficult to go against her natural honesty and lie about why she can't attend Gummy's after-party. She sweats and grins nervously under Pinkie's scrutiny, despite having the most credible excuse, needing to buck apples.

When corrupted by Discord Applejack becomes a compulsive liar, throwing hurtful and sarcastic jabs at her friends. Initially her lies are not particularly convincing or malicious, but as time goes on the corruption worsens and her lies grow more ridiculous and harmful. She is the first pony to have her corruption removed by Twilight, and one of the first things she does is apologize to Twilight.

Skills
Applejack possesses extraordinary athletic abilities, and she is both strong and dexterous. When she and Dash hold an Iron Pony competition in Fall Weather Friends, their various athletic feats draw a sizable crowd. She is also very skilled with the lasso, demonstrating her ropework in Boast Busters, Look Before You Sleep, and Fall Weather Friends. She is described by Pinkie Pie as "one of the best bakers ever" in Applebuck Season, though this may be hyperbole. Even so, she is shown making several different kinds of foods and desserts using apples as the main ingredient, and sets up a concession stand in The Best Night Ever. She is very business-minded, using her time at the Grand Galloping Gala to set up a the aforementioned concession stand and use the money to benefit her family.

She is an accomplished herder, and Twilight's first choice when she is looking for a way to herd the parasprites out of Ponyville in Swarm of the Century. She stops a cow stampede in Applebuck Season with only the help of her herding dog, Winona.

Her skills at "applebucking", harvesting apple trees by kicking them with her hind legs, are shown to be superb; even when extraordinarily sleep-deprived, she is usually capable of knocking all the apples off a tree with one kick while leaving the tree apparently intact in Applebuck Season. In comparison, the Appleloosans can only knock off several apples per kick in Over a Barrel.

She gets a little testy with her brother when he warns her she can't harvest the hundreds of apple trees by herself, snapping at him and his "fancy mathematics", although she respects Twilight Sparkle's studies when she inquires about Twilight's knowledge of Night Mare Moon in Friendship is Magic, part 2.

History
Twilight Sparkle first meets Applejack and the rest of the Apple family when checking up on food preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. In the second episode, when Twilight Sparkle is about to fall off a cliff, Applejack convinces her to let go so Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy can catch her. This action is later explained as representative of Applejack's honesty, in the rather contrived fashion of not telling Twilight Sparkle why she had to let go, and simply asked Twilight Sparkle to trust her, possibly because Twilight Sparkle would have panicked otherwise.

She is one of several ponies humiliated by Trixie in Boast Busters.

In Call of the Cutie, she reveals that she was the last one in her class to get her cutie mark, a trait that seems to run in the family. In The Cutie Mark Chronicles, the full story of a young Applejack leaving the farm to live with her upper class relations in the big city is revealed. Once there however, she found it hard to fit in and became terribly homesick. The rainbow left in the wake of Rainbow Dash's sonic rainboom led her to return home to the farm. Once there she realized that she truly belonged there and finally gained her cutie mark.

Hasbro.com description
''Having grown up working hard to keep her family's famous apple business growing, Applejack has come to be known as the most down-to-earth, resourceful, and dependable Earth Pony this side of Ponyville! A proud pony to the core, she's not afraid to get her hooves dirty and to her, there's nothing a little horse-sense and elbow grease can't take care of. Incredibly, honest, Applejack would never stoop to tell a lie and this makes her a beacon for those seeking advice. Applejack has impeccable ability to break a situation down to its core and fix it fast, and usually topped off with a wacky country anecdote told with a charming of country twang.''

Hubworld description
''Applejack is a country pony who grew up on her family's apple farm. She's down to earth and dependable, and she's not afraid to get her hooves dirty. To her, any job can be done with a little horse sense and hard work. Applejack has a knack for figuring out how to fix a problem -- fast!''

Teacher for a Day description
''The apple of most farmers' eyes, Applejack is one hard-working pony! Dependable and down-to-earth, she isn't afraid of jumping in with all hooves and getting the job done!''

''A real problem solver, and incredibly honest, she is the go-to pony for advice. Charming to the core, this country girl is a friend indeed!''

My Little Pony magazine description
Applejack is Ponyville's resident farm gal! Never afraid of getting dirty, she loves to play outside and would never hurt another pony's feelings.
 * Playful
 * Practical
 * Honest

Relationships
Twilight Sparkle – Since Applejack and Twilight share many traits in common, both are good friends with each other. They both value politeness and honesty, seem to both be hardworking and stubborn and also appreciate each other's talents and skills. In a way, Applejack often takes the role of "second in command" on many expeditions, directly consulting with Twilight Sparkle and using her own leadership abilities to motivate the others. Applejack is also the first pony that Twilight learns to trust in a dangerous situation. During Applebuck Season, Applejack shows her stubborn side to Twilight when she offered to help Applejack in her tasks. Though still appreciative of her friends trying to help, she still does not accept it and feels she can do these things by herself until she finally realizes that she has "bitten off more than she could chew".

Fluttershy – Applejack has the most amount of patience with Fluttershy, almost to the point of a mother-daughter relationship. While the others remark how difficult Fluttershy makes their trip in Dragonshy, she defends her from the others' accusations and even takes the long way around the mountain with the pegasus in order to help her up.

Rainbow Dash – Applejack and Rainbow Dash both possess great athletic ability and love to test themselves against each other. They are very competitive against each other.

"We want to see which one of us is the most athletic pony, EVER!"

- Applejack and Rainbow Dash respectively

However, Rainbow Dash's rude and argumentative personality grates with Applejack's own and often leads them to have arguments. They seem to treat this as another part of the competition, however, and neither holds any grudges, often being shown laughing and talking with each other in the very next scene. Though when Rainbow Dash starts being too rash, especially to her own friends, Applejack often restrains her by holding Rainbow's tail with her teeth.

Pinkie Pie – Applejack's easygoing personality leads her to accept Pinkie Pie without comment, and she states that like many residents of Ponyville, she has grown used to her odd behavior. The two share an interest in baking, with Applejack occasionally helping Pinkie Pie out at her job. Applejack also trusts in Pinkie's rather abnormal and involuntary twitches.

Rarity – Uniquely among the central cast, Applejack and Rarity occasionally show disdain towards each other. Applejack considers Rarity to be stuck up, condescending and finicky, while Rarity considers Applejack to be ignorant, crude and tasteless. Even with their disagreeing personalities, they don't seem to have any large arguments unless it's a moment where their differing traits need to surface. More importantly, Look Before You Sleep allows them to overcome some of their issues and form a somewhat better relationship.

In Season 2's Sisterhooves Social, Applejack does not take particular offence at Rarity's opinion of the farm-held Social being "uncouth", simply stating to Sweetie Belle that big sister Rarity thinks that everything is uncouth, but that she will come around in time. She also willingly offers Rarity advice on how to compromise, get along better with Sweetie Belle and on being a better big sister, which Rarity openly accepts without question.

Apple Bloom – Apple Bloom is Applejack's own little sister, and Applejack is very protective of her. She seems to enjoy the big sister role but can be a little overbearing sometimes. She is prone to considering Apple Bloom "the baby" and being patronizing or dismissing her opinions. This sometimes causes friction between the two but they remain close, both understanding the feelings behind the other's actions.

Big MacIntosh – Big MacIntosh is Applejack's older brother, and he is trusting and confident enough in her skills to leave the running of the business to her. His calm attitude and practical wisdom often serves as a way to cool his sister’s hot temper and fierce pride when it threatens to get the best of her. Sadly, it doesn't come through to her most of the time, and sometimes he just leaves her be with her stubbornness, only to give a peaceful "I told you so" attitude in the near future to teach her a lesson about how bad she's acting

Granny Smith – The oldest pony in the Apple family. In The Ticket Master, Applejack wants to raise money by selling apples to fix Granny Smith's hip, amongst other things.

Appearances

 * See also character appearances

Applejack appears in all episodes so far except Stare Master.

Quotes
"YEE-HAW!"

- Friendship is Magic, part 1

"Soup's on, everypony!"

- Friendship is Magic, part 1

"Are you alright, sugar cube?"

- Friendship is Magic, part 1

"Whoa there, Nelly!"

- Friendship is Magic, part 1

"Now listen here. What I'm sayin' to you is the honest truth. Let go, and you'll be safe."

- Friendship is Magic, part 2

"Oh wait, I think I stepped in something."

- Friendship is Magic, part 2

"Gee, Twilight! I thought you were just speaking a lot of hooey, but I reckon we really do represent the elements of friendship."

- Friendship is Magic, part 2

Gallery

 * Applejack image gallery

Trivia

 * Her name and her nickname in Bridle Gossip 'Appletini' are those of alcoholic drinks. Applejack is a strong alcoholic beverage produced from apples, popular in the American colonial period and thought to originate from the French apple brandy Calvados. Appletini, which was ostensibly given to Applejack by Spike for her diminutive size, is a cocktail containing vodka and an apple-flavored juice or liquor.
 * Applejack seems to be the only one of the main characters who has yet to suffer a mental breakdown, besides Spike.
 * In Applebuck Season, Applejack became the first pony to have her name abbreviated to her initials, being called "A.J." by Twilight Sparkle, a nickname that is repeated by Big MacIntosh in Winter Wrap Up.

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