(Spoilers below)
More to the point though, in The Last Roundup, Applejack, confident in her rodeo skills departs from Ponyville to compete in the Equestria Rodeo competition in Canterlot. Prior to her departure and to much fanfare, the mayor announces Applejack's intent not only to come back a champion, but to donate her prize money to help fix town hall.
A week goes by and in anticipation of her return, the other mane-6 ponies organise a surprise party to celebrate her triumphant return. Only she does not return and instead sends an open ended telegram indicating she won't be coming back to Ponyville, but will send money shortly.
Concerned for thier friend's well being, the mane-6 set out in search of Applejack, eventually finding that she took a job at a cherry orchard for some unstated reason. Applejack remains silent about her decision to take the job and remains cold and introverted towards her friends. Again, concerned for Applejack's well being, the other ponies set out to enquire about why she is acting so strange.
Eventually, the other ponies discover that Applejack's strange behaviour is a result of her feeling ashamed that at the rodeo, she failed to make a 1st place finish and didn't win any prize money. Instead of going home, she decided to work and earn the money she failed to win.
With the coaxing of her friends, Applejack realises the important friendship lesson that even if you fail to accomplish what you set out to do, you shouldn't hide your failures and runaway from those who care about you. Instead, you should return to them and know that good friends and family will always accept you, regardless of how well you do.
(End spoilers)
The subtle and capitalistic and libertarian theme permeate this episode in several regards.
The first point is in Applejack's voluntary commitment to donate her prize money to fix the roof of town hall.
Capitalism is NOT about exchanges of money, it is about voluntary exchange, period. In the real world, people do not generally volunteer to give their money to their municipal government to fix up their town hall (although I'm sure the government would GLADLY accept voluntary donations people made to it). Instead, the government TELLS people to give their money to them and if they do not comply, the government sends peace officers to fine or arrest anyone who does not.
In this regard, there are many who accept the fact that they are held at gun point to "donate" to fund the government and so, misguidedly, they believe it's actually voluntary to give the fruits of their labour to the government. Unfortunately, those who disagree and even refuse to "donate" risk being brutalised by that same government as if they were violent criminals. In the real world, the government isn't so kind or direct as the Mayor of Ponyville to simply ASK for tax revenue and instead either outright lie about what taxes are for or simply take it by force.
One of the biggest lies propagated by governments is that taxes pay for essential services that society would collapse without. In the Western world, tax revenues DO NOT fund government services. They do not pay salaries of firefighters, police, soldiers or other government employees. They don't pay for welfare, health care or equalisation programs. Tax revenues pay for the interest on government bonds (debt obligations) the sale of which fund those things. This is basically akin to having a maxed out credit card, stealing money to make the minimum payments on it, and then applying for another credit card and maxing that one out.
The second capitalistic undertone in this episode, a recurring one that especially deals with Applejack is the element of competition and the uncertainty of success. Success and failures are necessary incentives and disincentives for free, prosperous people to grow and learn. Socialists despise failure, so much such that failure is to be discouraged and avoided at all costs. The best way to do so is to eliminate competition and ensure equality. This means no one ever wins, is victorious, or exemplary. No one is special or "better" than anyone else.
Applejack would not do well in a socialist society. She is a competitive pony who aspires to do well. This is evident in her desire to win the "blue" ribbons and come in first in the rodeo competitions she enters. Late in the episode, even when it is revealed that she didn't win, Applejack isn't resolved to her failure, she doesn't decry competition and say it's "unfair" that other ponies did better than her. Even if her actions were misguided, she still took responsibility for her own actions. Whether it's in a rodeo competition or a marketplace this valuable lesson is applicable and indicative of a free, prosperous (capitalistic) society.
The last undertone and again, another one frequent to Applejack's character is the notion that money should be "earned" instead of redistributed, transferred, or entitled to. It is evident Applejack understands that to make money, one must work. In her famous line in the song "At the Gala" she even sings "I'll EARN a lot of money, for the Apple Family" through the sale of goods she worked to produce herself.
In Equestria, it is implied that such is the case. Unlike in the world we live in where half of what you "earn" is taken by the government, in Equestria, if you harvest cherries, make baked goods, or regulate the weather - you earn what the market will pay you.
Applejacks head to force her to work. Better yet, no one from the government had to hold a gun to the head of her employer to hire her. If anything, in this episode, we learn that Applejack was hired at the cherry orchard based on her personal merit and qualifications, not some government "fairness" regulation.
These capitalistic and libertarian undertones, along with talking Derpy, made The Last Round Up one of my favourite episodes of MLP:FIM (if the producers of the show threw in a song - that would have been absolutely epic).
To conclude, I will add a lesson I shared with some members of a gun club I volunteer with last week. Capitalism has very little to do with money. Capitalism has EVERYTHING to do with voluntary transactions between two parties.
The same is true of friendship. Genuine friendships are not made because someone from the government forces two people to get along or because one person buys out the companionship of another. Friendship is a voluntary transaction of time, effort, and occasionally, resources, between two or more parties. This is why both friendship AND capitalism are magic.
Until next week! Brohoof!
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