Chapter 9: I Hope That Something Better Comes Along

As the group continued to drive on, Pinkie turned to everypony.

"Thanks for saving me, everypony!" Pinkie said happily. "I do miss the balloons though."

"Okay." Rarity said nervously.

"Oh brother." Rainbow groaned.

"Um..." Rarity said as she looked around. "Why don't we stop somewhere for the night and have a quiet little dinner?"

"Terrific!" Pinkie said enthusiastically. "I know this great place in Fillydelphia!"

"Uh... I mean along the way." Rarity pointed out.

"Oh." Pinkie said, her eagerness deflating slightly. "My mistake."

"Well, that might be nice." Applejack agreed.

()()()()()

Stopping at the first restaurant they saw, the group split up to give each of them some room to breathe after spending several days stuck in the car. As such, Applejack and Rarity had a table all their own outside on a porch in sight of a crescent moon.

"Huh." Applejack mused. "Woulda thought they'd reserve this here table for a couple or somethin'."

"Yes." Rarity said plainly. "So, did the waiter arrive while I was in the lavatory?"

"Yep." Applejack said. "I even ordered us some wine t'celebrate the trip being two thirds over."

"Oh, that is marvelous news!" Rarity said excitedly.

"Hey waiter?" Applejack called out

The waiter, a slim man with graying hair came up.

"Yes?" The waiter asked impatiently. He seemed to have either had a rough night or was just unpleasant by nature. "May I help you?"

"Uh..." Applejack said, caught off-guard by his rudeness. "The wine, please?"

The waiter looked at the basket the wine was in and pulled it out and showed it to Rarity.

"I think you got the wrong bottle, darling. The label says it's champagne." Rarity said with a kind smile.

"Not exactly." The waiter said plainly. "Sparkling Marceltell. One of the finest wines of Idaho."

"Uh, you may serve us now, please." Applejack said, unsure of how restaurants like this worked.

"Oh, may I?" The waiter asked sarcastically.

He then quickly undid the wrapping.

"Look how he does that." Rarity said, apparently just as impressed with Applejack over how he undid the wrapping around the nozzle since neither had ever really had champagne before.

"Yeah, very fancy." Applejack agreed.

The waiter then tossed the wrapping away and undid the top with a bottle opener. He then held the cap to Applejack.

"Don't you want to smell the bottle cap?" The waiter asked.

"Oh." Applejack exclaimed as he sniffed the cap. "Smells alright."

"Would you like to taste it first?" The waiter asked.

"Uh..." Applejack said as she didn't have the money to afford another bottle as Rarity turned to her.

"I think he's supposed to." Rarity whispered in her ear.

"Oh." Applejack said with relief. "Uh, would ya taste it for us, please?"

The waiter rolled his eyes and took a sip from a spare glass and quickly spit it out.

"Excellent choice." The waiter said robotically.

"It oughta be for ninety-five cents." Applejack told Rarity, which impressed her to no end.

The waiter then poured out two glasses with the wine.

"Oh, may we have straws please?" Applejack asked.

"Yes." The waiter said. "I expected that."

The waiter then unwrapped a pair of straws and placed one in each glass.

"Thank ya." Applejack said sincerely. "That'll be all for now."

"Oh, thank you!" The waiter said dramatically as he bowed down. "Thank you very much! Thank you."

He then left, leaving the two alone.

"That feller was weird." Applejack noted as Rarity nodded. "Drink up."

The two drank the wine as it tasted like a generic, carbonated juice as the two sat there.

"Not too bad." Rarity noted.

"Thank ya." Applejack said just as a voice rang out.

"Rarity?" The waiter called out in general. "Rarity?!"

The waiter walked out to their table.

"You Rarity?" The waiter asked.

"Yes." Rarity asked confusedly.

"Telephone." The waiter said as he walked off.

"Oh." Rarity said as she got up. "Applejack, I placed a call to my agent. It'll just take one teeny-tiny moment. Please don't leave without me."

"No worries." Applejack said calmly as Rarity headed for the desk.

()()()()()

Half an hour after Rarity left, Applejack was still waiting at the table, unsure of what to do as she heard piano music from almost nowhere as he followed it to find an orange mare with a fiery mane playing the piano.

"Evening." The mare said. "The name's Sunset Shimmer. Sit yourself down."

"Thanks." Applejack said as he sat down in a chair. "I'm Applejack."

"Pleased to meet you." Sunset said, not missing a beat on the piano. "I'm not the best, but I get by."

"It was very nice." Applejack said sincerely as an idea popped into her head. "Say, what do ya say y'all come with me and my pals t'Hollywood?"

"What, really?" Sunset asked as her eyes widened until Applejack could see the whites all around the irises.

"Yep." Applejack said, sure none of the others would mind.

"Pal, I'd owe you so much!" Sunset exclaimed excitedly. "Please, let me audition for it, just so you don't regret it."

"Okay..." Applejack agreed, despite feeling it was a rather pointless way to include another musical number.

You can't live with 'em, you can't live without 'em.

There's somethin' irresistabullish about 'em.

We grin and bear it 'cause the nights are long.

I hope that somethin' better comes along.

It's no good complainin', and pointless to holler.

If she's a beauty she'll get under your collar.

She made a monkey out of old King Kong,

I hope that somethin' better comes along.

Still, it's fun when they're fetchin'

And agree to see an etchin'

That you keep at your little pad.

There is no solution, it's part of evolution,

You'll soon hear the souls,

The little feet of tadpoles!

"What?" Applejack asked.

"Metaphor." Sunset explained.

There's no limitation to mixin' and matchin'

Some get an itchin' for a critter they've been scratchin'

A skunk was badgered the results were strong.

I hope that somethin' better,

I hope that somethin' better,

I hope that somethin' better comes along.

"Phone call for Applejack!" The waiter called out as he walked over to the duo. "You Applejack?"

"Yeah." Applejack admitted.

"Telephone." The waiter said as Applejack walked over and took it.

"Well, guess only time will tell now." Sunset said to herself as she went for her dinner break.

As Applejack grabbed the phone, he heard noise from the street and wondered who could be calling as everypony was in the restaurant.

"Hello?" Applejack asked.

"Applejack, hang up!" Rarity's voice called out from the phone. "Hurry! Hur-"

"Rarity, is that you?!" Applejack called out in alarm as her eyes widened, and she quickly realized she was set up and wasn't at all surprised to hear Blueblood on the other end of the phone just as Rarity was cut off.

"Yes, that's her." Blueblood said calmly. "And this is Blueblood. Now you listen, pony and listen well. Step outside the restaurant, right now. My guys will meet you there.

"Well what if I don't?" Applejack asked, trying to sound braver than she felt.

"Then your friend will be glue and marshmallows." Blueblood said as Applejack heard Rarity continue to struggle.

"Applejack, don't do it!" Mara said. "Forget about me, get out of here! Don't-"

The line went dead as Applejack distinctly heard Blueblood hang up, fuming over the gloating laughter she was sure Blueblood was doing right now.

With no other option, Applejack walked out of the back of the restaurant as Blueblood ordered. Just as she closed the door, several men pointed guns at her.

"So, you the guys I'm supposed t'meet?" Applejack asked coolly.

And thus, the plot thickens... When we're already two thirds through it. Also, yes, I know with MLP I can get away with slash, but this isn't a romance story, so I'm dropping that part of the plot. It's not even all that important.