Applejack strolled down that final hill, following the road through the rock farm towards the house that rested at the center.

"Hello, cousin," greeted an acidic voice. Limestone emerged from behind a rock, eyes on Applejack. "I wasn't expecting you around anytime soon."

Applejack reached up to tip her hat. "Howdy! Long time no see. How're things?"

"Eh."

"Well, uh, Ah was... just checkin' in."

Limestone arched a brow at Applejack. "That's a long way to go just to 'check in' with us. I'm not buying it."

Applejack flashed an awkward smile before sighing, head sagging a little. "Well fine, we're makin' sure nothin' bad happened round hereabouts that would have Pinkie in a snit."

"You try asking Maud?" When Applejack look confused, Limestone rolled her eyes. "She lives near you, and she'd know if something happened around here about the same time Pinkie would."

Applejack's jaw worked soundlessly a moment. "Oh yeah... Huh, that woulda been a lot smarter..."

Limestone shrugged with a potentially cruel smile. "Happens to the best of us. So, now that you know none of us are dead or anything, you'll be running back home, right?"

Applejack perked an ear, hearing a hint of resignation in that voice. "I don't need to go right back. 'Bout time I talked a spell without Pinkie around being... Pinkie. I love her to pieces, but, well, you know."

"Yeah, I know." Limestone threw a leg over Applejack and crushed her close. "Alright, you're with us. Marble! Tell the folks we have family over for dinner."

Marble came scurrying out from behind the same stone, galloping for the house and avoiding making eye contact with Applejack.

The prince woke up with a soft murmured grunt.

"He's awake!" blurted Pinkie, bouncing beside the bed he was in.

"Huh, who? Oh. Why were we watching a pony sleep?" Rainbow tilted her head with obvious confusion.

"Check your notes, Dash," sighed out Pinkie. "Again."

"Notes? Right! Notes." She pulled up the notebook and scanned over it rapidly.

The prince sat up, blinking. "What happened? I was in the middle of talking, right? I... I kinda hated that."

"Hated what?" Pinkie tilted her head. "We brought you back to your room to rest."

"My memory's a little fuzzy. I'm usually the one that remembers." He slipped from the bed. "Thank you, both of you. Man, I... must be such a pain. Why are you putting up with this? Why haven't you let me wander off already?"

"This can't be right." Rainbow was peering at her notes. "I've forgotten eighteen times?! But I remember deciding on this system, so... wow..."

"And you didn't tell me what it is," added Pinkie, though her eyes were on the prince. "Rainbow believes me, even if she isn't quite sure what she's believing."

"Well, I mean, him right there, right?" She trotted over towards him. "Why though? Did you make somepony that mad they'd put a super curse on you?"

He opened his mouth, only to slowly close it again. "What if I knock myself out again?" he barely whispered. "Pinkie... I'm scared."

Pinkie couldn't hug him fast enough, crushing him with both arms. "We're here, promise! Let's start with nodding or shaking. Do you know anyone that could be that mad at you? You had to know them before it happened."

He went a little red, perhaps from the pressure pushing his blood, or just the proximity. "Uh..." He shook his head slowly. "I mean... Wait..." He frowned, thinking back. "One person."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "She said nod or shake your head, dude, but that works too. Who's the one person?"

"Yeah, tell us. We'll go teach them a lesson or two." Pinkie clopped her forehooves loudly.

"If they can curse me that good, who's to say they aren't protected the same way?"

"Maybe." Pinkie lifted her shoulders. "Let's find out."

"Before I came to Equestria, I got a few messages asking me what I wanted, and that's when it started." He rubbed behind his head. "I don't know who it was though..."

Rainbow snorted softly. "Well, sounds good, but not much to go off of. Where were you before Eq--Wait, are you a human? Like Jake?!"

He perked his ears. "Oh, Jake, yeah. I talked with him once."

"Nice guy, a little obsessed with me." She smirked softly. "He's the biggest member of my fanclub. He's also a human too, and we don't forget him, even when we want to."

Pinkie slapped him on the shoulder. "See, you were able to tell us that without anything exploding. Stop worrying so much."

"That's... good at least." He gave a shallow nod, not looking entirely convinced. "Pinkie?"

"Yes?"

"If you forget me... I won't bother you. I'll just let you get back to--"

She popped a hoof in his mouth. "I won't forget you, but if I did for some reason, I'd want you to bounce on me until I came to my senses. I'm not giving up!"

Rainbow smirked at the sight. "And now I remember, sorta, why I wrote sappy. So, alright. You're from human land, where there is no magic, so whoever that was couldn't have put a curse on you, because no magic."

The prince considered that. "Yeah... I guess... that's true?" He wasn't entirely convinced of that. "So what do we do?"

"But you were cursed the moment you showed up?"

He could faintly remember that first mare in the city. "Right away... At first I thought it was just... me being me... People never paid a lot of attention to me to start with. It's not like I gave them a lot of reason to, I guess." He rubbed behind his head. "People confuse me sometimes."

Rainbow snorted softly. "You should talk to Fluttershy, except then the conversation would slow to a crawl, and she'd forget who she was talking to."

Pinkie frowned at her friend. "That wasn't nice, but... probably accurate." She rubbed behind her head. "She has a point though, I bet Flutters would get where you're coming from."

"And I bet you already know her." Rainbow leaned forward with a grin. "Jake said humans know way too much about Twilight and her best friends, which would include her."

"Y-yeah, but wait, there was something off." He reached a hoof back into his pocket and drew out his long dead smartphone, setting it on the ground.

Pinkie perked an ear at the curious device. "What's that for?"

"He was surprised to even hear about these, but they were everywhere, for years." He gestured at the device. "Like he'd never even heard of one... I didn't get it, and I still don't."

Rainbow tilted her head softly. "I mean, interesting, but off-topic? Look, you keep talking while I add to my notes." She got to scribbling on the paper. "This is the last time I forget today. We have to go report this."

"Report it, to where?"

"Twilight?" he guessed.

"Got it in one, keep talking."

The prince smiled a little. "It's, uh, easy to forget you're all good... people. I mean, you were just a show where I came from, and shows like to exaggerate and lie... I think I was a little... scared that you'd all be worse than you were showed in the show."

Pinkie sat up tall. "But, instead, we were even better than that show of yours?" She leaned in close, noses almost in contact. "Now, we may not fix all of this tonight, but I'm feeling really good! Rainbow's on the case, and she doesn't give up easily."

"And you do?" He reached up to put a hoof on her nose, gently pushing it back. "I gave you permission to give up a few times now."

"Thank you for the permission I didn't ask for." She stuck out her tongue at him. "Sheesh, it's almost like you want ponies to forget you."

"But I don't!" he shouted, only to turn a dark red. "I don't," he repeated a little more quietly.

Marble was watching Applejack quietly. Limestone was far less reserved, grinning in what could be a troubling way. "It ain't a holiday, you know. So... what's Pinkie been up to that has you worried?"

Applejack nodded across the table towards Pinkie's parents that had been sitting there quietly. "Thanks kindly fer invitin' me in. Now, uh, could be nothin', just Pinkie acting... kinda funny, but she is who she is, so it could just be us overreactin'."

Igneous nodded stoically with a soft 'hmm'. "She has always been a curious one, twice so since her... coming of age."

Cloudy smiled demurely as she tilted her head, ladling some slop into Applejack's bowl that promised to be a taste experience. "All our girls are wonderful."

Limestone leaned over, seated beside Applejack as she was. "That's key for 'it would be impolite to be specific.'"

Applejack laughed nervously. "Now don't be that way. Y'all are family, and ain't nothin' wrong with ya. I'm here to check up on ya. Glad ta say ah..." She noticed Marble then, staring in that shy way, moisture in her eyes. "Ya alright?"

Marble hid behind her mane with a miserable squeak, but Applejack kept right on looking, not having the decency to forget she existed. "W-well... Um... How... How is Big Mac... doing?"

Applejack opened her mouth. "He--"

"--Because I think about him," cut in Marble. "I think about him, maybe too much. I know he has a mare. Good for him! Good... for him..." The tears were spilling down her face. "He deserves to be happy. Big shy guy... I thought... I..." She suddenly stepped down from her stool and took off, sobbing.

Limestone let out a slow ragged sigh. "Great, now she's miserable." Her volume raised as she directed it towards the fleeing Marble. "Welcome to the family!"

Applejack forced a smile. "Well, uh..."

Cloudy nodded towards Applejack. "Think nothing of it. She's at that delicate time in every mare's life. She'll come around. Now, how is your farm doing?"

"Yes," agreed Igneous with a more firm nod. "Are your hard efforts rewarded with bounty?"

Applejack's smile eased a little into a more natural expression. "Oh, yes! The apples are big and tasty smelling and we just can't wait fer harvest season. Gonna be a goodun." She swung a hoof for emphasis. "How're things round these parts? Rock farm, uh, producin'?"

Limestone elbowed Applejack. "Hey, food's getting cold...er."

Applejack glanced down at her slop. It wasn't rock soup, instead some kind of mashed... something? Barely any scent reached her nose from the lukewarm whatever it was. Rock soup was a holiday thing, right? She kinda wished Pinkie was there to help translate a bit for her. "Well we can't have that!" she said in an exaggerated tone, trying to be more enthusiastic than she felt.

There was nothing for it. She reached for the bowl and lifted it up between her hooves. With a tilt, she braved the new culinary challenge. It was... alright, as it turned out. It was neither strongly good or strongly bad. She was left... reasonably satisfied as she half-drank it down. "Mmm," she said, trying to imply she liked it more than she did.

Igneous gestured with his head. "The fields yield well to our work. The farm is secure, provided we continue to labor justly."

Applejack wasn't sure how one labored in a just or unjust manner. "That's good t'hear. Speakin' ah that, I should get up and move before ah go missin' the train. Ah'll be sure to tell Pinkie ya'll say hi."

"I didn't say hi." Limestone raised a brow. "Whatever, go ahead. She'll probably like it." She rolled her eyes with a huff.

Applejack made good her escape, food devoured and goodbyes shared around. With a lively trot, she fled towards home. They were family, but that didn't mean she really understood them.

She had things to report in to the others. "Wonder what they found..." Hopefully more than she did.

Author's Notes:

I feel Applejack visits the Pies could be a story all by itself... But we have other plot threads to focus on.