The sky was already glowing with the dark purple shade of post-twilight when Stormflower, Sunkick, Joan, and Scootaloo's train arrived at its final destination. The four ponies walked out of the train and through the small station.

"Remember this place?" Joan asked as they walked past the platform.

"Yeah," Stormflower replied. "This is where we first met."

The ponies fell silent as they walked into the calm, lantern-lit town. They soon came across a carriage connected to three tall, muscular stallions. Joan walked up to the head stallion and pulled out a bag of coins.

"Where to?" asked the head stallion.

"Edgar Cross's rock farm," Joan said.

"That'll be three bits each."

Joan handed twelve coins to the head stallion who proceeded to toss them into a small satchel hanging over his back. Stormflower, Sunkick, Joan, and Scootaloo then boarded the small carriage and they were off.

Scootaloo yawned as the carriage left the the town and entered the dark uncertainty of the surrounding wilderness. The only light sources in the area now were the lanterns dangling from the exterior of the carriage. Stormflower looked outside and could just make out a large grassy field bordering the trail. There were few trees and most of them were thin and had no leaves. The grass soon disappeared and was replaced with that of a plain of dirt and rocks.

"Are we almost there yet?" Scootaloo asked as she leaned against Sunkick.

"We should be there soon," Joan replied. The orange stallion looked out the window of the carriage and sighed.

"Are you okay?" Stormflower asked.

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine. It's just that...it's been so long since I was last here."

"Really?"

"Yeah. On the day you met me, I didn't come to the station from town. I came to the station from another train. Like you, I had to wait at that station while I waited for the next train to take me to Ponyville."

"That makes sense. So how long exactly has it been since you were last here?"

"I'd say around five years or so."

"Where have you been all during all that time?" Sunkick asked.

"All over the place. I've had a large variety of jobs and have been able to make a small fortune for myself."

"That explains why you were able to stay at the Hay and Stay Hotel for so long," Stormflower deduced.

"Exactly."

Lights began to pop out from the darkness and Stormflower could just make out the outlines of medium-sized houses in the distance.

"So those are the rock farms?" she asked.

"Yeah. There's tons of them out here. It's basically a spread out town," Joan responded.

"I prefer places like Cloudsdale, Ponyville, and Canterlot," Sunkick stated. "This place is too...lonely for me."

"That's understandable."

Sunkick looked down and saw that Scootaloo had fallen asleep against him. He chuckled and patted the young pegasus on the forehead. Stormflower smiled and leaned against Joan, who blushed slightly.

The carriage soon came to a smooth halt. The four passengers exited the carriage. Scootaloo was sound asleep on Joan's back.

"Have a nice night," said the head stallion.

"You too," said Joan. The stallions then turned around and the carriage disappeared into the darkness. Stormflower looked ahead and could just make out a two-story house at the end of a long dirt path. Lanterns stood on the edges of the path and formed an eerie trail of floating lights. A large grain tower stood several feet from the house and the outline of a dense forest stood off at the very edge of the plain of rocks. "Well, are we going to go greet them or stay out here all night?"

Stormflower cleared her throat and they began making their way down the pathway. Gravel crunched underneath their hooves and Stormflower gulped at the sight of the dark shadows and outlines glaring at her from the distance. It was at least a seven minute walk to the house and by the time they had made it to the porch Stormflower was shaking slightly. Joan knocked on the door and, after a few seconds of silence, the door flung open.

"Well I'll be!" exclaimed Edgar Cross as he stood in the doorway with a massive grin on his face. "If it isn't Joan Silver and Stormflower!"

"How have you been, Mr. Cross?" Joan asked. "Sorry to drop in on you like this but we, as in Stormflower and I, wanted to visit you and we didn't have much time to send a notice."

"Don't be sorry! Joan, you and any of your friends are welcome here any time! Please come in!"

Joan stepped aside and let Stormflower and Sunkick enter the farmhouse first. Before Stormflower entered, however, her eyes fell upon the outline of a large, rounded stone sitting out at the edge of the front yard. The rectangular, rounded shape of the stone was enough to tell Stormflower what it was. She turned away from the stone and headed into the house.

It was warm and welcoming inside the childhood home of Pinkie Pie. A small fireplace sat at the edge of the living room and a series of couches and chairs were scattered amongst the other furniture.

"You can go ahead and put the young one upstairs in the green room," Edgar said. Joan nodded and disappeared up the stairs with the sleeping Scootaloo. Stormflower and Sunkick sat down on a nearby couch and Edgar sat in a chair across from them. "Well I have to say that it's a pleasure to see you again, Ms. Stormflower."

"It's nice to see you again too. This is my brother, Sunkick, and the filly that Joan just took upstairs is named Scootaloo," said Stormflower.

"It's a pleasure to meet them too. So how have things been for you since we last met? How is your sister doing?"

"My sister?"

"You know. The one you told me that you went to visit."

Stormflower and Sunkick turned to each other and sighed sadly.

"She's actually part of the reason why we're even here in the first place," Stormflower replied.

"Really?" Edgar asked.

"Yes. You see...my sister, Rainbow Dash, was...she was-"

"Murdered," Sunkick interrupted. Edgar sat back and fell silent.

"I...am so sorry for your loss. If you remember, I too know what it's like to lose somepony you love," Edgar sighed.

"I remember. You're daughter, Bellamina," said Stormflower.

"How...how did you know her name? I don't recall mentioning it to you."

"Your eldest daughter, Irena, told it to me. I know your two remaining daughters, Irena and Pinkie Pie. I met Pinkie Pie upon my arrival to Ponyville over a month ago and I met Irena when she came to visit several weeks ago. She's still there."

"Did...did Irena tell you-"

"Well Scootaloo's asleep and I think it's time for all of us to hit the hay," Joan said as he came downstairs. "So, Mr. Cross, where's Mrs. Cross?"

"What? Oh...she's visiting her sister. She should be back by tomorrow afternoon."

"Excellent. I've been dying to try one of her famous pumpkin pies ever since I agreed to come back here with Stormflower."

Edgar turned to Stormflower and Sunkick and smiled.

"How about we continue this conversation tomorrow over breakfast?" he asked.

"Sounds good I guess," Sunkick said awkwardly as he stood up.

"Joan, how about you show Stormflower and Sunkick to their rooms?"

"No problem," Joan said with a smile. Sunkick followed Joan up the stairs and Stormflower began to follow when she stopped and turned back to Edgar.

"Tell me," she said. "Is that rectangular, rounded stone sitting out in the yard what I think it is?"

"It is," Edgar replied. "That's where we buried her ten years ago."

"That's all I wanted to know for tonight. I guess I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight, Mr. Cross."

"Goodnight, Ms. Stormflower."

Stormflower turned around and proceeded up the stairs. Edgar sat back down in his chair. A tear rolled down his face as a wave of old memories came roaring back into his mind.