The Last Roundup

The Last Roundup
Season №:	2
Season episode №:	14
Overall episode №:	40
Original airdate:	January 21, 2012
Written by:	Amy Keating Rogers
Storyboard:	Sabrina Alberghetti & Nicole Wang
Featured characters:	Cherry Jubilee
See also
credits • transcript • gallery • allusions animation errors • statistics • speculation
Episode guide
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The Last Roundup is the fourteenth episode of the second season of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic and the fortieth episode overall. In this episode, when Applejack refuses to return to Ponyville following a rodeo competition in Canterlot, her friends determine to find out what's going on.

Production and release

The episode is included in The Friendship Express DVD, and its title was revealed a month prior to airdate.

On November 8, 2015, episode writer Amy Keating Rogers posted a scene from the first draft of the script on Twitter that was cut from the final episode. The scene involves Applejack reluctantly accepting a saddle from Rarity before she leaves for the Canterlot Rodeo.

The uncensored audio is, rarely, available with censored video via the English audio tracks on some foreign channels.^{​[​citation needed​]​}

Controversy

Shortly after airing, some viewers complained that Derpy's portrayal was offensive to mentally disabled people and contradicted the show's lessons about friendship. Amy Keating Rogers responded with a statement which was republished on Equestria Daily. According to Rogers, Derpy's scene was originally longer and included a flashback that showed how town hall was damaged; when Derpy was removing lightning from thunderclouds, she "bucked bolts" too close to the building. Rogers intended this clumsy pony to be called Ditzy Doo as a reference to the episode Winter Wrap Up, but was asked to name her Derpy as a "tip of the hat" to the fans.

The episode was removed from rotation and iTunes due to complaints about Derpy's portrayal, and was later put back up, after Derpy's voice and eyes had been changed, and the mention of her name removed. The original version of the episode is retained in The Friendship Express DVD, but reruns on The Hub and the one on the Season 2 box set are the altered version. Treehouse TV in Canada also airs the altered version. The streaming company Netflix has the edited version, although subtitles on the system retain the original dialogue and, therefore, the use of "Derpy". Discovery Kids Latin America only airs the edited version; dub director Maggie Vera only dubbed the edited version; ^{​[​citation needed​]​} and most other dubs also only air the edited version.

Summary

The Equestria Rodeo competition

Town hall is damaged and needs repair.

At Sweet Apple Acres, as Applejack finishes a bout of practice for the upcoming Equestria Rodeo competition in Canterlot, Apple Bloom compliments her performance and expresses confidence that she will win. Later on, Mayor Mare holds a send-off ceremony for Applejack at Ponyville’s town square and thanks her in advance for donating the prize money to fix the dilapidated town hall building. Applejack promises to make Ponyville proud, and when the train arrives to pick her up, she confidently reassures her friends and family before taking off.

One week later, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity help the Apple family finish preparing the barn at Sweet Apple Acres for a surprise party in anticipation of Applejack's return from Canterlot. Everyone hides when they hear someone approach only to realize that it's just a courier with a telegram. Twilight reads the message aloud, causing alarm when it turns out to be a note from Applejack saying that she won't be returning to Ponyville but will send money soon. As the Apple family agonize over the news, Twilight promises that she and the rest of the Mane Six will find Applejack and bring her home.

Dodge Junction

It turns out that Applejack is working for Cherry Jubilee.

The five friends travel to Canterlot and solicit information about Applejack from the rodeo workers, who eventually direct them to Dodge Junction. As soon as they complete the long train ride there, Pinkie rushes to the restroom and encounters Applejack en route. When the friends ask Applejack what happened, Cherry Jubilee appears and recounts how she saw her at the rodeo and hired her on as a cherry farm worker upon hearing that she wanted a "change of scenery.” The girls confront Applejack about her decision but are just told to return to Ponyville and assure her family that she's doing fine.

Applejack's friends get jobs at the cherry factory.

Unsatisfied with her response, Applejack's friends decide to work next to her as cherry sorters while she runs on a treadmill to power a conveyor belt. Soon after the work starts, however, Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash begin probing Applejack about what happened at the rodeo. Their questions become increasingly directed at her refusal to return to Ponyville, causing her to run faster and faster on the treadmill until Fluttershy, still trying to sort the cherries on the now overflowing conveyor belt, calls out to stop. The sudden halt causes a mass of cherries to fly off the conveyor and splatter all over Applejack, leading her to walk away in indignation.

As the rest of the Mane Six clean up the mess, they conclude that the situation calls for "desperate measures".

Spilling the beans

Pinkie Pie following Applejack.

While bucking cherry trees later on, Applejack encounters Pinkie Pie and accepts her offer to help on the condition that she not ask questions. She ends up permitting Pinkie to ask if she's tried a "cherrychanga" before, though this quickly escalates into an incessant ramble about silly-sounding words that leads Applejack to beg her to stop. Rainbow Dash approaches wearing earplugs and demands that she "spill the beans" in order to stop the rambling. When Applejack agrees to do so at breakfast the next day, Pinkie makes her commit with a Pinkie promise.

"Giddy up, fellas, I gotta get the heck out of Dodge!"

— Applejack

The friends give chase.

The next morning, the five friends head to Applejack's bedroom but find it vacant, causing Pinkie Pie to become enraged. As Applejack waits anxiously at the train station, she sees the rest of the Mane Six running toward her and takes a nearby coach to leave town. The friends find an empty cart nearby and use it to chase Applejack through the desert. At one point, Pinkie Pie leaps aboard her coach and demands she apologize for breaking her Pinkie promise, though Applejack points out that the promise was to confess at breakfast, which she did not attend. Pinkie Pie accepts her excuse for the time being and jumps backwards directly into Rarity, sending them both flying off the cart.

As Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Twilight Sparkle continue to give chase, Applejack tries to lose them by rushing her coach through a railroad crossing moments before a speeding train passes by. Her victory is short lived when the near miss prompts the coach ponies to abandon her at the same time that Rainbow and Fluttershy fly their cart over the train cars. Applejack attempts to run away on foot but gets tackled by Rainbow, spilling a large stash of award ribbons from her saddlebag onto the ground.

"But if you don't come back, we'll never be able to fix the hole in our hearts."

Defeated, Applejack admits to her friends that she never managed to win any first place ribbons or prize money at the Equestria Rodeo, which made her feel too ashamed to return to Ponyville. She explains her intent to send money that she earned working on the cherry farm. Her friends assure her that she isn't a failure regardless of what place she came in at the rodeo, and the group make amends.

Returning to Ponyville

"Ohh...You're going to GET it, Rainbow Dash."

As she heads back to a warm reception in Ponyville, Applejack prepares a friendship report for Princess Celestia about how there is no reason to hide when you don’t do as well as you had hoped, and that you should turn to your friends and family instead of trying to run away from your problems. Meanwhile, Rarity makes her way back to Ponyville in a handcar while Pinkie Pie rambles about silly words across from her.

Quotes

For more quotes, see the episode's transcript.

Apple Bloom: You're the ten-time rodeo champeen of Ponyville! Why, you've got more blue ribbons than anypony in Ponyville ever! And I can't wait for my big sis to win every blue ribbon in Equestria and bring home the title of Equestria Rodeo champeen!

Pinkie Pie: Speech! Speech!

Applejack: Oh, shucks. I'm not much for speeches.

Pinkie Pie: Alright then, no speech!

Rainbow Dash: Seeya in a week!

Apple Bloom: With lots of new blue ribbons!

Mayor Mare: And lots of money!

Fluttershy: Oh, I hope Applejack is surprised by this surprise party!

Rainbow Dash: Well, that is the point.

Fluttershy: I know, but I hope she isn't so surprised she's startled, because while being surprised can be nice, being startled can be... very startling.

Pinkie Pie: Surprise!

Fluttershy: [gasps] Oh, Pinkie, you startled me.

Rainbow Dash: Why didn't you come back to Ponyville?!

Rarity: Yes, why are you here?

Fluttershy: Are you okay?

Pinkie Pie: Do you have any snacks?

Pinkie Pie: Nopony breaks a Pinkie promise!

Applejack: Giddy up, fellas, I gotta get the heck out of Dodge!

Applejack: Yee-haw!

Coach ponies: [in unison] Lady, you're trouble.

Gallery

The Last Roundup image gallery

References

v • e Episodes, films, and animated shorts

Make Your Mark
Episode 1 Izzy Does It	Episode 2 Growing Pains	Episode 3 Portrait of a Princess	Episode 4 Ali-Conned
Episode 5 The Cutie Mark Mix-Up	Episode 6 The Traditional Unicorn Sleep-Over	Episode 7 Hoof Done It?	Episode 8 Have You Seen This Dragon?
Episode 9 Top Remodel	Episode 10 The Jinxie Games	Episode 11 Sunny Side Up	Episode 12 The Manesquerade Ball
Episode 13 A Little Horse	Episode 14 Missing the Mark	Episode 15 Cutie Blossom Bash	Episode 16 Family Trees Pt. 1
Episode 17 Family Trees Pt. 2	Episode 18 Father of the Bridlewood	Episode 19 Mane Smelody	Episode 20 Nightmare on Mane Street
Episode 21 The Isle of Scaly‎‎	Episode 22 Roots of All Evil Pt. 1‎	Episode 23 Roots of All Evil Pt. 2