Chapter 11: I'm Going to Go Back There Someday
"Well, how do you like the film so far?" Flim asked Flam as the film was being repaired.
"I've seen detergents that leave a better film than this." Flam said as Flim chuckled at the joke.
"Well I don't care what anyone else says!" Applebloom protested. "I'm having a great time!"
"Good." Applejack said with a smile.
"Okay!" Cheese called down from the projection booth. "The film is fully repaired."
"Alright." Applejack said. "A bit of a patriotic part's coming up."
"Should we stand up?" Applebloom asked.
"No." Applejack replied.
The gang, now including Sunset, were riding through the Rocky Mountains as Rainbow began singing the song, America the Beautiful.
Oh beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain.
For purple mountains' majesty
Above the fruited plains!
America! America!
God shed his grave on thee,
And crowned thy good
With brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
"Not bad, Rainbow." Sunset noted from her seat.
"Thanks." Rainbow said. "I always considered myself something of a patriot."
()()()()()
Not too far from where the gang was driving, a group of Blueblood's new hired guns were practicing by shooting a cutout of Applejack Trixie was holding, and they were all missing by a mile.
Eventually, Blueblood drove up in his limo and came out.
"Hold it, boys." Blueblood said before raising his voice to be heard over the blaster fire. "Hold it!"
The men stopped firing and went to Blueblood as Trixie stood up and listened to what was being said.
"Now boys, no offense for the work you've been doing, but I decided to bring in a specialist." Blueblood explained.
Just then, a blue, bulky man with yellow eyes came out.
"Boys, I'd like you to meet Ironwill." Blueblood explained. "Ironwill, tell them what you do."
"Kill ponies." Ironwill said as he took a rifle and shot a hole right between the eyes of the Applejack cutout.
()()()()()
"How much longer is it to Hollywood?" Rainbow asked as they continued to drive through the desert.
"Well, we have ta get there by tomorrow." Applejack explained. "So hopefully it should only be a couple more hours."
"Hey Applejack, are you gonna get an agent like Rarity had?" Pinkie asked as Applejack shrugged and looked out the window as she saw Rarity waving them down.
"I don't believe it!" Applejack called out. "It's Rarity! Stop the car, Wedge."
"Okay." Rainbow said.
The car stopped as Rarity came in.
"Hey everyone." Rarity said as she got in. "Thanks for stopping."
"How did you catch up to us?" Cheese asked.
"Oh, my agent drove me out here after the commercial." Rarity explained. "So Applejack… How are things?"
"About the same." Applejack said with a smile. "Thanks for coming back."
"Well I promised to, didn't I?" Rarity responded.
"So who are you?" Rarity asked Sunset.
"Sunset Shimmer." Sunset explained. "I was playing the piano at that restaurant from a few days ago."
"Oh." Rarity said. "Glad to meet you, sir."
Just then, the music they were listening to stopped.
"You've been listening to music to hunt ponies by." An all too familiar voice said over the radio. "This is Blueblood saying that if Applejack doesn't stop right now and agree to be my spokesman, she won't be doing anything else ever again."
The radio cut off as everyone was clamoring.
"Applejack, what are you going to do?" Rarity asked.
"Nothin'." Applejack said. "All we have t'do is get ta Hollywood, and Blueblood won't dare try anythin'."
At that moment, a loud bang emanated from the engine.
"What is that?" Pinkie asked.
"It's nothing." Rainbow said quickly. "We're doing fine. We just need to get to the gas station. No problems, we're fine."
The car stopped dead on the road.
"Oh, we're in trouble…" Rainbow groaned nervously. "I wish I still had my Studebaker."
"Sounds like the radiator." Sunset observed.
"Hey, don't worry!" Pinkie assured them all. "Someone is bound to come along."
()()()()()
Three hours later, it was nightfall, and not a single person or pony had driven by. The gang had started a campfire to keep warm as everyone was starting to get dejected.
"Well," Sunset said as she stoked the fire. "I guess we blew it, huh Pinkie?"
"Yeah." Pinkie said with a sigh before looking at the stars. "But the sky sure looks beautiful tonight."
"That is what I love about you, Pinkie." Cheese said with a smile as he took her hoof. "You always find the silver lining."
"We uh…" Rainbow began as she turned to Applejack. "We're gonna miss the auditions tomorrow, right?"
"Applejack?" Rarity asked.
Applejack could only look at the fire, saddened at all the new friends she'd made, and how it all led to being stranded in the middle of the desert for nothing.
"Boy, you could get lost in a sky like that." Pinkie noted. "I wish I still had those balloons."
"So much for Hollywood." Rarity said with a sigh.
"Listen gang," Applejack said, though he doubted anyone really heard him. "I never promised we'd make it. I… I never promised anythin'."
Eventually, Sunset began playing a harmonica. Inspired, Rainbow grabbed his guitar and began strumming.
This looks familiar, vaguely familiar,
Almost unreal, yet, it's too soon to feel yet.
Close to my soul, and yet so far away.
I'm going to go back there someday.
Sun rises, night falls, sometimes the sky calls.
Is that a song there, and do I belong there?
I've never been there, but I know the way.
I'm going to go back there someday.
At this, Rarity began harmonizing along with Cheese.
Come and go with me, it's more fun to share,
We'll both be completely at home in midair.
We're flyin', not walkin', on featherless wings.
We can hold onto love like invisible strings.
Eventually, Applejack just wandered off to be alone, barely listening to the rest of Pinkie's song.
There's not a word yet for old friends who've just met.
Part heaven, part space, or have I found my place?
You can just visit, but I plan to stay.
I'm going to go back there someday.
I'm going to go back there someday.
"I didn't promise anypony anythin'." Applejack insisted out loud. "What do I know about Hollywood anyway? Just a dream I got from watchin' too many double features."
So why did ya leave the farm anyway? Applejack asked herself.
"Because some agent guy said I had talent." Applejack said as she scoffed. "Probably says that to everypony."
On the other hand, if ya had stayed home, you'd be feeling pretty miserable anyhow.
"Yeah, but then it'd just be me bein' miserable." Applejack argued with herself. "Now I've got five other ponies miserable and freezing too. I brought them out here into the middle of nowhere. It's all my fault."
Still, whether you promised them somethin' or not, you've gotta remember that they wanted to come along.
"But that's only because they believed in me."
No. They believed in the dream.
"Well, so do I, but…"
You do?
"Yeah!" Applejack called out. "A'course I do!"
Well then?
"Well then…" Applejack realized as she finished talking with himself. "I guess I was wrong when I said I never promised anyone. I promised me."
As Applejack looked at the sky, somehow renewed, he all of a sudden heard band music and rushed back to camp to find Daring Do and the Electric Ponies having a jam session with the others in a decked out bus.
"Hey, what's happenin'?" Applejack asked.
"At the moment, we're what's happening." Shining Armor said with a smirk.
"So you're finally back." Daring said with a smirk. "Hey Sweetie Belle?"
By this point, everyone but Sweetie Belle had stopped playing.
"Sweetie Belle!" Cadence called out. "Cool it."
"Sorry." Sweetie Belle said with slight embarrassment.
"Hey look," Applejack began. "It's wonderful to see you guys, but how'd ya ever find us?"
"Oh, you left your script with us." Shining Armor explained.
"Right." Daring went on. "We read ahead and found out you were going to be stuck in the desert outside the Rocky Mountains. We knew just where to find you."
"Pretty fortunate, huh?" Cadence said with a smile.
"Hey listen, when do you guys have to be at that audition?" Daring asked.
"Two o'clock tomorrow afternoon." Applejack pointed out.
"Then hop on the bus." Daring said with a smile. "We'll have breakfast in Hollywood and Vine."
Everyone cheered. They were almost home free, now.
Only two more chapters left, people.
