The Pie´s rock farm could be described in one word, quiet.

Aside from the constant picking of stones, there was barely any sound in the farm. It was dull and quiet, not even the birds making any sound. Most ponies will call this place boring but for the Pies it was rather peaceful, a place away from the hustle of the big cities and where they could actually stop and listen.

All the Pies of course but Pinkie Pie. She just couldn´t avoid making noise, either humming a song or just weird sounds to pass the time. It was like she had a musical company behind her every step, every movement she made was responded by a trumpet, a cymbal or even a kazoo. To the ponies of Ponyville this was hardly a surprise and they were used to it, some will even say the town wasn´t the same without Pinkie´s music; so this long weekend where she was away from them Ponyville must have been a very dull town.

Pinkie Pie had decided to spend the Holidays with her family. Winter made the rocks slippery and hard to collect and they needed all the help they could get, plus, despite all the fun she had living with the Cakes, Pinkie Pie still missed her family from time to time.

The years away from the farm had taken their payment and Pinkie was struggling to get a rock rolling.

“Come on rock, cooperate…” she said, trying to push it. “Well, someone here is being a Mr.Uncooperative, isn´t he? We need to work on that attitude, mister!” Pinkie Pie said to the big boulder, who remained mute. “Don't give me that look! Here in the rock farm we have a very strict policy. You either cooperate or you´re out of here!” Pinkie turned around with her arms crossed and waited for a few seconds. “What was that?” The rock said nothing. “Okay now, wasn't that better? Apologies accepted Mr. Now-cooperative! What do you say if we move you over to the left side of the farm, shall we? I´s easy look at me,” Pinkie said and rolled on the snowy grass.

Limestone Pie and Marble Pie, Pinkie Pie´s sisters, watched the whole event with blanks expression. They turned around and both raised an eyebrow.

“She is talking to the rocks. Again,” Limestone said.

“Why are you doing that?” Marble asked Pinkie.

“I´m teaching Mr. Rock how to roll. See, I´m rolling and he´s rocking? got it?”

Pinkie expected a laugh but her sister merely raised an eyebrow again.

“No, why are you moving a founding rock?” Limestone asked.

Now it was Pinkie´s turn to raise an eyebrow.

Both sisters sighed before Limestone explained, “Founding rocks are placed in one spot to serve as a starting point for a rock seeding. There´s two on every quarter of the farm and they can't be moved.”

“Literally,” Marble added, pointing at the fact the stone was too big to be moved.

“Oh, I forgot about that.”

“Seems sister has forgot about basic rock farming facts,” Marble said to Limestone.

“Indeed. Even Loudmouth Slacker learned them in her first day,” Limestone said and they both snickered.

“Loudmouth who?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“The replacement unicorn father hired last year. We called her Loudmouth Slacker because she never shut her mouth but never finished her work either,”  Limestone explained.

“We also called her Snorts at Work,” Marble added and they both snickered.

Pinkie Pie faked a laugh. She loved her sisters very much but she found her sense of humour was a bit strange. They were not mean at all, they just found fun in things that Pinkie couldn´t understand.

“Marble! Limestone! Pinkamena! It is time to polish the grey stones! their mother called from the house.

“Oh polish rocks! That sounds like fun!” Pinkie Pie said, bouncing up and down.

“You probably should stay for this one, sister,” marble said.

“What? Why? I remember how to polish the rocks. It was...well, actually, I remember it wasn´t very fun but now we can do it together, like sisters!” she said, hugging them.

“Have you been polishing many rocks in Ponyville, sister?” Limestone asked, her and her sister expression remaining dull the whole time.

“Well...no, not really,” Pinkie Pie admitted.

“Show us your hooves, sister,” Marble ordered her.

Pinkie obeyed and showed the inside of her pink hooves. Both sisters shared a concerned look.

“Figures, Soft hooves,” Marble said.

“Very soft,” Limestone added.

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Your hooves should look more like this,” Limestone said and they both raised their hooves, showing them all scratched and sturdy.

Pinkie winced, thinking that Rarity will faint at the sight.

“You better stay here and rest, sister,” marble said and turned around.

“We´ll tell mother you´ll stay and push the secondary rock,” Limestone added, following her sister.

“O-okay, thanks Limey, thanks Marby!”

“Don´t mention it…” Marble said.

“Soft Hooves,” Limestone added and they both snickered again.

Pinkie Pie watched them go and stayed under the snow, covering her snout with her scarf.

“Thanks Mr. Founding Rock. That´s...very kind of you.”

*******

Even in winter, Sweet Apple Acres could be described in one word, warm. Yes, evne with the fields covered in snow and the trees mostly devoid of any leaves, the farm still had that welcoming air and the smell of hot apple pies coming from the house.

If Pinkie Pie´s melodies were the sounds of Ponyville, then Sweet Apple Acres and their inhabitants were the heart of the town. Just like the founding rocks in the Pie´s farm, without the Acres there would be no Ponyville since it was the Apples´ farm what  set the town in motion. Ponies all over the country came for the delicious apples and their by-products and some decided to stay, eventually building the town that ponies came to love.

When winter arrives, Sweet Apple Acres goes to sleep, just like some animals. The farmer got less and less work to do until eventually they just spent the Hearth's Warming Eve merely enjoying a cosy fire and a tasty apple treat. The season was about to end however and soon there will be work to do, so Applejack was roaming the fields, inspecting each of her beloved trees.

“Howdy, Mary Lou. Mary Ann. No need to hurry, Billy Jo. Soon you´ll start turning bright and green again and have all shiny red apples to share with all the ponies!”

She caressed every tree she passed by, showing the same kindness and tender a mother would to a child. To Applejack, the apples trees were almost like her children. She once heard Princess celestia refer that way to all the ponies in her kingdom and she chuckled. She could understand her.

“I know, Big Bert. I miss Bloomberg too but, he´s a good place now. Remember that it´s always sunny at Appleloosa. Or at least, that´s what cuz Braeburn keeps saying,” she chuckled, gently stroking a big, sturdy apple tree.

“He says it more like Applelooooosa but yeah, I´m sure it´s bright and sunny over there.”

The sudden voice startled her and Applejack looked around, trying to find this invisible pony. She then got hit by something and looked up, finding Pinkie Pie resting in a tree branch.

“Pinkie Pie?”

“Hi Applejack.”

“How long have you been there?” Applejack asked, slightly embarrassed.

“A little while.”

“So, were you hearing all of that right now? You don't think it's strange I´m talking to the trees, right?

“Why would I? Everypony needs somebody to talk to. I brought Mr Turnip to make me company. Say hello, Mr. Turnip,” Pinkie said, leaning down to show a bucket of turnips to Applejack.

“Ehh, hello there.” Pinkie returned to the branch and took a bit of a turnip., “Pinkie, when did you came back from your folks´house?”

“Just this morning. I just unpacked at the Cakes house,” Pinkie Pie answered in a very montone tone.

“That´s a surprise. What happened to the own-welcoming-party-party that you promised when you left?” Applejack chuckled.

“I pospone it. I don´t feel like in the mood of celebrating,” Pinkie said, tossing a bitten turnip.

“So instead, you decided to spend the morning resting atop of Old Gert here?”

“He says it was okay.”

“Pinkie Pie, I know you. your answer to everything and I mean everything, it´s to throw a party, either big or small. What´s really bothering you?”

Pinkie played a bit with a turnip before she decided to answer. “Thing is...I don´t think my family trust me.”

“Pinkie, it´s your family. They love you.”

“i know they love me but they don´t think I´m good enough. I tried to help at the farm but they all ignore me and gave me easy tasks, like I couldn't handle the rocks anymore. It´s like when the Cakes didn't want me to take care of the babies, I feel like I was useless. I don't like that.”

“I doubt anypony does, Pinks. But maybe you´re looking at it the wrong way. Didn't you leave the rock farm because that wasn´t the life for you?” Applejack said.

“I did but, this is different. I want to show my parents and sister that I can too handle all the hard work. I´m a farmer too! If only there was a way to prove them wrong…”

“I don't know about that, Pinkie. Besides, you´re right that farm work is hard work. Trust me.”

“Maybe I need to find another farm to work in. A candy farm maybe? Do those exist?”

“You are not even listening anymore, are you?”

“Uh uh, I know! How about we trade places for a few days, Applejack? You take care of the bakery while I work in the farm here!” Pinkie Pie proposed, bouncing atop Old Gert.

“I´m not sure,” Applejack said, scratching her neck. “Remember what happened last times we traded jobs? Rarity still can´t be reminded of those dresses I made…”

“Yeah, take them away! Take them away! hahaha!”

Applejack looked at Pinkie Pie and sighed. Her mane wasn't straight so she wasn´t that depressed but she was certainly hurt, it was a different kind of hurt. It was her pride that was hurting.

Applejack knew a thing or two about having a big mouth. She also knew how big her ego could ge tina competition but you could make the case she didn´t had nearly the pride of somepony like Rainbow dash or even Rarity. In all honesty, and Applejack was all about that, she couldn't hold a grudge for too long. She thought about telling Pinkie to talk to some other pony that could help more but then she took another look at Pinkie. She was sad, sadder than Applejack had ever saw her, juggling a turnip with a hoof while holding the bucket with ehr tial, a sight that should be funny but it wasn´t. She needed help right now and Applejack was the only pony around and what kind of pony, especially an Apple pony, leave a friend when she ask for help?

“Hey Pinks, tell you what, Winter Wrap- Up is coming up. Each year, right before we clean the farm, we, the whole family, take a journey up country to get some new seeds. Would you like to join us this year?”

“Uh, like a road trip?”

“It´s sorta like that. We take a cart and took turns to pull it. It may not seem like much but it is hard work. We can even stop by your folks farm in the way back. You in?”

“I´m in? Pinkie shouted and jumped down, landing inside the turnip bucket. “Get it?”

Applejack laughed at her silly antics and Pinkie Pie laughed too. Maybe they were not family but they were friends and that´s another type of family, fi you think it a certain way.