A low sun hovered over the Apply family's barn. Sparse remains of food and drink were scattered across a few tables. Only a few ponies were inside, with some familiar market ponies waving as they left, leaving the elder Apple daughter with four of her closest friends.
Applejack closed the barn door behind Golden Harvest and Moe Lasses and gave a sigh. She walked to a few of the tables and started clearing messes off of them. Her friends watched from afar and, not sure what else to do, also picked up plates and glasses from the tables around them. While doing so, Twilight Sparkle and Rarity came within whispering distance.
"I still can't believe Pinkie didn't come," Rarity uttered under her breath.
Twilight gave her head a subtle shake. "Me neither," she replied. "I'm really starting to worry about her."
"I'm more worried about Applejack," said Rarity. She looked over her shoulder to see if any of their other friends caught wind of their conversation. "Can you imagine?"
"I really can't," Twilight admitted. She levitated a few used napkins into a garbage bag. "To be honest, I really don't know what I would do if—"
"Um... Hi, girls."
The barn was already very quiet, but its silence doubled with all of its occupants suddenly coming to a halt. Five heads twisted to see a sixth pony standing in the barn's entrance. The usually energetic pink pony appeared exhausted and somber.
Twilight collected herself enough to use her gaping mouth to speak, but before she could, a blur of blue feathers rocketed towards Pinkie Pie.
"Where were you?!" demanded Rainbow Dash. She landed in a brutal fashion in front of Pinkie Pie, who flinched in turn. The pegasus continued, "You ran off days ago, and now you decide to come back?! Of all the lousy—!"
"Rainbow Dash!" A purple haze surrounded the blue pegasus and pulled her back a few paces, giving Pinkie Pie some breathing room. Pinkie look relieved, but didn't move or speak. Twilight walked around Rainbow's side and dropped her magic before continuing, "What's gotten into you? That is no way to behave!"
"What's gotten into me?!" Rainbow Dash roared. She pointed an accusatory hoof in Pinkie's direction. "What got into her?! The one time a pony really needs her friends, and she—"
A soft yellow hoof found itself on Rainbow Dash's outstretched one and lowered it gently. Rainbow whirled around to find another pony to yell at. She met Fluttershy's tearful gaze; the yellow pegasus could only shake her head.
"You've gotta be kidding me!" yelled Rainbow as she wrenched her hoof from Fluttershy's. "Pinkie Pie leaves for no good reason, and I'm the only one upset about it?!"
"We're all upset about it, Rainbow Dash," Rarity said, stepping forward, "but Pinkie is our friend, and I'm sure she had a very good reason."
"Yeah, to get an imaginary flower!" Rainbow said incredulously. Her anger sent her airborne. "She goes running off after a fairy tale just because she doesn't want to admit—!"
"Rainbow."
The blue pegasus' expression dropped, and she lowered her body back to the ground. She and the others looked back to Applejack, who spoke for the first time since Pinkie's arrival. The orange mare approached her pink friend slowly, and their friends gave her path a wide berth. Applejack held her head low with her trademark hat covering her face, but when she came to a stop, she looked directly into Rainbow's eyes. The speedster snorted and folded her forelegs, but otherwise remained quiet. Applejack turned to Pinkie Pie; the orange mare's green eyes were dimmer than usual.
"Pinkie Pie," said Applejack simply.
Pinkie opened and closed her mouth multiple times, and each time she did so, the tears in her eyes increased. Eventually she managed to blurt out, "I am so, so sorry Applejack! I thought I could find the Joyflower, but I couldn't! It was too hard! And I tried so, so hard to get it! You and everypony else were just so sad, and I felt like there was nothing I could do, and I just didn't want to admit that I was sad, and that I couldn't do anything, and I—"
Pinkie's apology was interrupted by a deep hug from Applejack. Pinkie sat with a blank expression for a moment before returning the favor. The two mares held each other in silence. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, earning a scolding look from Twilight.
"How... how can..." Pinkie Pie unhooked herself from Applejack's embrace. "How can you just forgive me like that? For leaving like that?"
Applejack gave an earnest smile. "Pinkie Pie, when you left, all Ah could think about was how bad you musta been hurtin', and how lonely you musta felt. Right now, Ah think both of us just need our friends an' family, an' that's exactly who you are to me."
Pinkie Pie smiled back, but her eyes welled up even more. She rubbed them with a hoof before saying, "I did manage to bring something back, though." Pinkie reached into a saddlebag on her back and pulled out a small pouch from inside. She held it out for Applejack to take, who did so with hesitation. Applejack pulled the pouch's drawstring and peered inside.
"Pinkie Pie... these are apple seeds," Applejack said.
Pinkie nodded.
Applejack sighed. "Pinkie... look... it's nice an' all, but Ah own an apple farm, remember? Ah grow mah own seeds all the time."
Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but Pinkie Pie cut her off.
"They're from the Appleachians," Pinkie told her.
The other looks baffled, but Applejack's jaw dropped. "But... that's where..."
Pinkie Pie nodded and rubbed one of her forelegs. "I thought... I thought it might be nice, you know? To have something like that here?"
Applejack tried to answer, but struggled. She walked over to a nearby table and dropped the seed pouch onto it. She stared at it.
The others looked to Pinkie, but the party pony's gaze didn't waver from Applejack. Pinkie cautiously walked up behind her and cleared her throat.
"Um..." Pinkie swallowed. "Can... can I see her?"
Applejack spun around to meet Pinkie's gaze. Two pairs of eyes had a hard time meeting. Applejack instead looked over Pinkie's shoulder and caught sight of Twilight. The purple mare nodded and ushered their other friends from the barn. Rainbow Dash was still pouting, Rarity was looking at Pinkie with a worried expression, and Fluttershy was hiding behind her mane. When all four left, Applejack put a hoof on Pinkie Pie's shoulder.
"C'mon," the farm pony said, "she's on the hill up yonder."
Pinkie Pie followed Applejack quietly out into the orchard as the sun set on the horizon. Their path led to a bit of an incline, but not one nearly as bad as the mountain she and Gummy so recently left. At the hill's crest sat three headstones, one with fresh soil at its front. Pinkie sat and read the lettering on its surface, but said nothing. A crow cawed in the distance.
"It overlooks the whole west orchard," Applejack said, breaking the silence. When Pinkie didn't respond, she added, "It's got the best view of the whole farm."
Pinkie Pie wiped her nose with a hoof. "So she's still watching over it... in a way..."
Applejack nodded. "Her an' Ma an' Pa too."
Pinkie shivered. A cool breeze whipped a few leaves around them.
"I just can't believe she's gone," Pinkie managed.
Applejack sighed and took a seat next to her friend. "I think," the farm pony began. She licked her lips. "Ponies are never gone, Pinkie Pie. They're just around us in different ways."
Pinkie Pie gulped and nodded. She took a deep breath before saying, "I'm sorry, Applejack. I really should have been here for you, but I couldn't... I couldn't..."
Applejack put a hoof around Pinkie's shoulders. "It's okay, sugarcube. Ah know you care. Granny knows you care. We all just deal with it in different ways."
Pinkie wiped her nose again. "Rainbow Dash—"
"Is dealing with it in her way," Applejack said sternly. "Hey." She gently turned Pinkie's head so her friend could see the honesty in her eyes. "Ah'm not mad at you. To tell the truth, Ah do wish you hadn'ta left, but Ah'm still touched that you tried to do so much for me. For all of us." She tilted her head back towards the barn. "An' that little sack of seeds? From Granny Smith's birthplace? That is something really special, Pinkie Pie."
A smile struggled onto Pinkie's lips. She gave Applejack a second deep hug, which the orange mare did not hesitate to return. They shared a still moment in which no more words could be said as the sun continued to set in the distance. As fireflies began to make their presence known, Applejack finally parted the two of them.
"C'mon," Applejack said to her friend, "there's still some food leftover from the funeral. The Cakes really outdid themselves this time. Ah think we could both use something to eat and there's some things I want to write in that journal of ours."
Pinkie Pie tried to laugh, but it came out as more of a cough. "Yeah," she said, "I think I've got a story to tell too."