Sunset and Wallflower had finally finished packing up all the trees as they were now ready to be carried off in two wagons. During her time in Equestria, Sunset couldn’t help but feel her pride in showing what her skills in empathy and friendship had as far as making a difference to those around her. Although her initial goal was simply to help Wallflower out as a means of letting Applejack see Granny Smith, Sunset had also effectively understood Wallflower’s psychological issues and how they could be corrected for the better. The initial job of packing the bonsai trees went rather quickly, but there was also the matter of escorting them to Mustangia, as Wallflower certainly wasn’t able to carry both wagons by herself.

The two ponies carried the wagons over to the far edge of Ponyville, and eventually toward another station that had a waiting train with coaches that specialized in carrying freight. There was still plenty of time to spare for loading the trees onto the train itself, but Wallflower wasn’t in big rush as she likely would’ve been, had a unicorn not volunteered to assist her. However, making it all the way to Mustangia for her business deal with time being of the essence, she decided to not waste too much time with loading them aboard. With Sunset’s help, it once again didn’t take too long, and she was now set to arrive back at her hometown to start setting up her business.

“Thank you so much again for both the labor in packing, and also the valuable life lessons on my behavior.” Wallflower said, gratefully. “We still have around 30 minutes to spare before the train leaves, but it’s good to be ahead of schedule. This was why I really needed to get everything done before noon, but as you’ve taught me, there could’ve been a much better way to approach it. I’m still just… really torn up about the times where I had been lied to in the past.”

“No problem.” Sunset smiled, before alluding to certain bad memories she had encountered in the past few days. “I’m still glad things worked out and you were able to turn a new leaf, unlike… other disreputable ponies I’ve come across myself recently.”

“Yeah, but to be completely fair, some of the first few encounters I’ve had with dishonest ponies, it was kinda my own fault for being dumb.” Wallflower sighed. “Like this one time I hired somepony in delivering my flower pots to Ponyville, only to find out later that they never arrived. I paid the pony upfront for this job, and then she just flew away like that. I never got to see my bits or flower pots ever again.”

“She… flew away?” Sunset questioned, realizing Wallflower was implying this pony was not only female, but also a pegasus. “Out of curiosity, do you remember much about what this pony looked like? Did she happen to have an orange coat, as well as blonde hair, purple eyes, and green eyeshadow?”

“Y-Yes…?” Wallflower’s eyes widened. “How did you know that?”

“Let’s just say I’m doing a little side investigation to a pony who’s been committing acts of thievery all over Equestria lately, and I was given a tip that somepony with those exact characteristics is likely the culprit.” Sunset explained. “Do you by any chance remember her name?”

“Afraid not.” Wallflower frowned at her dumb decision. “I should’ve known better than to trust a seeming stranger and paid her upfront for a job, only for her to not do as she was told. I guess that’s the price I pay when I’m desperate.”

“I see, really sorry that happened to you, Wallflower.” Sunset empathized. “But hey, look on the bright side. Now you have an outlook on how to effectively communicate with other ponies, and it’ll play a major part in your business. Plus, it looks like you’ll be able to travel home safely without the worry of being late.”

“All thanks to you, my friend!” Wallflower smiled. “I’m… kinda surprised to call somepony else a friend, since I’ve admittedly not really made any friends here in Equestria, up until now. Would you like to come to Mustangia with me?”

“Maybe some other time.” Sunset decided, as she’d still prefer sticking with her original plan in being with Applejack and visiting Celestia later on. “I do have some other plans for today, and your main objective with loading the trees onto the train is finished. I’ll be sure to visit Mustangia sometime, it does sound like an interesting place I’ve yet to see. Good luck with your business and new communication skills in the meantime.”

“Alright, sounds cool, thanks!” Wallflower replied, before boarding the train herself and waving goodbye to Sunset. “Hope we can keep in touch.”

Sunset finished waving goodbye and began heading back the way she came. Looking at the time on a nearby clock, it was 11:34 AM, meaning that the hospital’s visiting hours were almost over. Although Sunset’s main concern was returning to Applejack, two other things began to flood her mind. Firstly, whoever this orange pegasus was, she was most certainly a ruthless, disreputable scumbag, even more than that Crafty Crate stallion Derpy had mentioned before. And secondly, since she was likely going to be joining Applejack at the hospital, she began wondering if the hospital itself could provide any information regarding her missing family. It seemed to be worth a shot, as there could also be a chance that the hospital Granny was staying at was the same clinic she was born in, given how Sunset and her father lived in Ponyville at one point.

It was rather simple to locate the hospital Applejack was referring to, as there were only two clinics in Ponyville, and one of them was completely opposite from the direction Applejack proceeded to from Sweet Apple Acres earlier. In a matter of minutes, Sunset trotted along the path and eventually found it, the only other hospital which was located on the far, opposite end of the farm. Visiting hours were likely over by the time she arrived, but it didn’t seem to matter, as asking questions at the front desk was normally allowed. There was also the matter of joining Applejack in praying for Granny’s health, assuming she wasn’t already too late. With this in mind, Sunset casually trotted through the hospital’s front doors, and to her surprise, immediately saw Applejack, along with the pony Applebloom, and Big Mcintosh in the main lobby, looking very heartbroken.

Sunset also noticed that accompanying Big Mac was a pink unicorn who looked just like that Sugar Belle gal she had met at the cafe back in the human world. She appeared to be escorting Applebloom and Big Mac into another room to comfort them, while Applejack remained behind in the lobby. Sunset noted that Applejack was also now wearing a bandana, which looked exactly like the one the human Granny Smith wore. Considering what Applejack had already mentioned earlier regarding Granny’s condition, as well as the issue of not being able to afford her treatment, Sunset began to wonder if the inevitable had already occurred.

“AJ…?” Sunset asked from a distance, as Applejack looked over and waved, signaling Sunset to come up to her.”

“Well Sunset…” Applejack begin, barely able to speak. “I’m not sure if you could immediately tell just based on how me and my family were actin’, but… it’s just as I had feared this mornin’. Granny Smith was just taken from us all about 15 minutes ago. We were all sittin’ in her room hopin’ she could make a miraculous recover, but… we unfortunately heard her breathe her last breath before she went completely limp.”

“I’m so sorry to hear.” Sunset said, sadly. “It’s just so frustrating that the hospital wasn’t able to save her because of some bill.”

“Actually, Sugarcube?” Applejack began explaining, before sharing a flashback of what she had just experienced.

Almost an hour before Granny Smith’s untimely demise, Applebloom, Sugar Belle, Big Mcintosh, and Applejack, who had just arrived to join her whole family, were sitting around Granny’s bed. Applejack began to express her words of sorrow in failing in gathering enough funds.

“I still feel… really, really bad that I wasn’t able to gather enough bits for your treatment, Granny.” Applejack sighed.

“Maybe… it’s for the better, Applejack…” Granny said, weakly.

“For the better?” Applejack asked, perplexed, before turning to the rest of her family, as she knew taking the energy to talk was making Granny feel worse than she already was. “Why is that?”

“Apparently, we were all told by the doctor everything concerning her condition and it all being late-stage.” Sugar Belle explained. “In the end, it was said that at best, she had four, maybe five months left, and that’s only if she was kept in the hospital, hooked up to machines constantly.

“While you were at the farm yesterday, we were talking to Granny after the doctor delivered the news.” Applebloom further elaborated. “We’ve known her all our lives, and knew that wouldn’t have been an existence she would’ve wanted.”

“Nope.” Big Mac agreed strongly.

“It doesn’t matter to Granny now, because she’s happy that she’ll still be getting some time with her first granddaughter.” Sugar Belle assured.

“Granny…” Applejack put her hoof on her dying grandmother’s bed. “We can’t lose you like this, I’d even be willing to sell Sweet Apple Acres just to give you that further four or so months.”

“Sis…” Applebloom interjected. “You and I both know Granny would not want that. She would much rather we continue the family business for many more generations to come, even after she’s gone.”

Although it appeared to be subtle, Granny was able to weakly nod her head in agreement to Applebloom’s statement, as a way of communicating to Applejack that her second granddaughter was right in expressing her own thoughts on the matter. Applejack then seemed to die on the inside herself, realizing that this truly was the end, and there was no going back, whether she had made enough bits or not to cover Granny’s treatment. If Applejack’s heartstrings weren’t being pulled before, they certainly were at what Granny was about to do next. Granny had weakly used her hoof to point at her bandana, as Applebloom took notice of this.

“That’s right.” Applebloom began tearing up. “Sis, Granny also told us that after she’s gone, she wants you to keep her apple-spotted bandana. Not only so that you’ll always have a piece of her to remember for many more years to come, but also as her way of sayin’, you’ll be the mare of the farm from now on.”

“Granny, if that’s really what you want, I won’t let you down.” Applejack sniffled. “I’ve kept Pa’s hat my whole life ever since he passed, and now I’ll be gettin’ your bandana too…”

Granny Smith took one last look at her oldest granddaughter and smiled as Applejack took the bandana off of her and placed in on her own neck. With the grandmother satisfied at her grandchildren for respecting her wishes and giving everything they finally could, Granny then closed her eyes and motioned into a nap, not knowing that it would already be her very last. She passed away around an hour later, as Applebloom, Applejack, Big Mac, and Sugar Belle all held each other and cried profusely, regardless of them all knowing this was inevitable. Applejack’s flashback then ended, as Sunset finally had full context of everything that had happened while she was helping Wallflower.

“My condolences, AJ.” Sunset said, as her ears went down in sadness. “I really wish things didn’t have to end this way…”

“Sunset…” Applejack looked up at her friend with her hoof on her own chest. “If it wasn’t for your beautiful act in helping me out with Miss Blush, I wouldn’t have gotten to see Granny Smith before she was gone. Nopony else I know would’ve been that empathetic and puttin’ others before herself. The fact you were willin’ to do this for me, a pony you barely know compared to whom I’d assume being the other… me? I can now see you truly are the most carin’ pony in Equestria, and you’ve truly embraced what Twilight has taught you over the years. This is genuinely the most beautiful gift I have ever gotten, since there’s no greater gift than family.”

“I’m so happy to hear.” Sunset smiled at Applejack’s kind words. “I just couldn’t see you miss out on your one opportunity to see Granny before visiting hours were over, and since I know myself now to never take my own family for granted, like I had all those years ago. I wanted to pass on my philosophy to others in the same way, because by this point, I’d do anything just to meet my own parents one more time. The whole idea of family being forever, if that makes sense?”

“Family truly is forever, and it is sadly a common part of Equestrian society to take it for granted.” Applejack elaborated. “Time is one of those very limited and precious things that… once you use it, you can’t ever get it back. Even if Granny herself would’ve decided against it, I would’ve honestly given up everything at the farm just to have one more year with her. Me, Applebloom, and Big Mcintosh have spent our entire lives with Granny, and even now, we still feel we didn’t get enough time with her. She was all we had left after Ma and Pa passed, and now she’s out there with them, watchin’ over us.”

“I’m sure Granny Smith will now be proud for what you and your family will end up doing with the business for many more years to come.” Sunset assured. “She may be gone, but her legacy and what she’s left behind certainly still remains.”

“That’s certainly what she wanted me to believe myself before she took that final nap.” Applejack sighed. “I just wasn’t prepared for this, since Granny seemed perfectly healthy and capable when she attended both Big Mac’s wedding with Sugar Belle, as well as Twilight’s coronation. But I’m guessin’ the sudden buildup in her system ended up taking her unexpectedly, and so sudden too. If there’s a major lesson about anypony’s family, I’d say that… just cause they’re here today, doesn’t mean they’ll still be here tomorrow. Nopony lives forever and… it’s just now a sad truth that this is pretty much what me and the family have to accept as ‘normal’ now…”

“I would certainly understand this all being a lot to take in, AJ.” Sunset sympathized. “I’m legitimately glad that I was still able to provide you that opportunity to see her one final time, as I could tell how much you loved her. Taking the whole day to gather enough funds for her treatment certainly makes you a one of a kind granddaughter in my eyes.”

“Much obliged.” Applejack replied. “And even if I wasn’t able to get everything together for her treatment, I suppose we can now put the extra funds toward Granny’s funeral. In all my life I’ve known her, Sunset? Granny really reminded me of how you are, yourself now. She was always a kind mare who put everypony else before her own needs. Sure, she didn’t initially approve of Ma and Pa marryin’ each other, but the important thing being, she accepted Ma when she truly saw Pa was happy. But now since Ma, Pa, and Granny are all gone, sayin’ that I’ll miss them all would certainly be an understatement.”

“I miss my own parents in the same way.” Sunset sighed. “I have no idea who they were, where they lived, or whether or not they’re still alive. For all I know, I might possibly be going on a wild goose chase with finding my missing family, since everywhere I’ve currently looked, I’ve hit dead ends. All I have to go off of is, somepony who was supposedly named ‘Solstice’, at least on the bottom of my saddlebag.”

“That must be so hard, Sunset.” Applejack responded. “I’ll tell ya what, Sugarcube. The Apples have family livin’ all over Equestria, like I mentioned back at Twilight’s coronation. I’ll of course be contactin’ the rest of the family about Granny, but I’ll also put in the word to any of them if they know anypony by that name. It’s really no trouble at all, and it’s the least I could do for you. You helped me see my family before they were gone, so I’d feel it’s only right that I’d do the same for you.”

“I’d really appreciate any leads I could get, thank you.” Sunset smiled.

Just then, coming out of the other room was the aforementioned wife of Big Mcintosh, Sugar Belle. Sunset still remembered the other Sugar Belle she had briefly met at the cafe before confessing to her human friends about her desire to take an extended stay in Equestria, so it was a nice surprise to see a familiar face she had just met. Although Sunset didn’t really know much about this Sugar Belle, she could still immediately notice that the unicorn was just as heartbroken as the rest of the Apples over now losing her grandmother-in-law.

“Big Mac and Applebloom are certainly taking the news rather harshly.” Sugar Belle sighed. “But I think I was finally able to dry their tears. I’m so sorry that you lost your loving grandmother just like that, Applejack. She may be gone now, but at least she was able to see Big Mac and I get married, and her entire family in Ponyville by her side before she passed.”

“I guess that’s true.” Applejack replied, before introducing Sunset to her sister-in-law. “This is the pony I was tellin’ you about before Granny had her final nap. She was the main reason I was even able to come, since some demanding Earth pony nearly prevented me from doing so. This is Sunset Shimmer, a pony I’ve met recently whom in my honest opinion, truly exemplifies everything regardin’ what family is all about.”

“Sunset Shimmer?” Sugar Belle said, before introducing herself. “Sugar Belle here, nice to meet you. And thanks so much for letting Applejack see Granny again before… well, you know…”

“Nice to meet you as well.” Sunset replied back. “I’m just happy to help wherever I can, since I’ve kept my belief that true friends are family no matter how hard life becomes. That said, I still honestly wish I could see my own family once again, since I’ve pretty much locked them out of my memory up until recently.”

“I did say I would spread the word to the rest of the family, so I guess I could start with Sugar Belle.” Applejack said. “Sis, do you know anything about somepony supposedly named ‘Solstice’, by any chance?”

Sunset was still thinking that the main source of information she had left was any knowledge of Celestia. She knew for certain that if her former mentor supposedly said that she wanted to give her the mother she needed, Celestia definitely knew something more dark and deep that she had kept hidden for her entire youth. Given how almost everypony else she’s asked seemed to know nothing about anypony named ‘Solstice’, Sunset began to think even Sugar Belle would hit a dead end. However, she and Applejack were about to hear something rather surprising from the baking unicorn.

“Actually… that does sound familiar.” Sugar Belle replied, as Sunset and Applejack’s eyes widened. “Now, that’s not somepony in my family, but I seemed to vaguely remember I had a personal vocal tutor by that name when I tried out for singing as a filly. She was a really good mentor, and we had a lot of fun together. But shortly after I discovered my passion for baking, I decided to focus on that completely, and my parents told her that her lessons were no longer needed. Baking’s just been my true calling for everything I’ve done since then. Well, unless you count when I was part of Starlight’s village and let her take away my cutie mark, but you know how the rest of the story goes, AJ?”

“Sure do.” Applejack affirmed. “But like Sunset here, Starlight’s certainly a much better pony than she was when she did that.”

“So… you knew of somepony named ‘Solstice’ in the past, and she was a mare?” Sunset began brainstorming. “Do you remember anything else about her, and was she by any chance a unicorn? Do you know where she might be now?”

“I unfortunately don’t remember much about what she looked like, but I’m fairly certain she was a unicorn.” Sugar Belle recalled. “And I’m sorry, but I wouldn’t know where she is nowadays, and neither would my parents. I definitely remember that as a filly, I was crushed when I was told that they had completely cut contact with her after her singing were deemed to be obsolete, and I had already gotten my baking cutie mark. That’s all I know about anypony being named, ‘Solstice’, I’m afraid.”

“I see…” Sunset began thinking further. “Thanks for at least trying to give me a lead on my missing family, but if you no longer know about her whereabouts, I might’ve hit another dead end. Plus, it could be possible that this isn’t the same ‘Solstice’ I’m looking for, and it’s just a coincidence.”

“Wait a second, Sunset…” Applejack began to observe. “While sittin’ here and listen to you and Sugar Belle talk to each other, I’m beginnin’ to notice you both sound pretty similar to each other.”

Although Sunset and Sugar Belle seemed rather confused initially at what Applejack was getting at, they were eventually able to understand what she meant after deciding to focus on directly hearing each others’ voice, rather than having a casual conversation. This began to get more noticeable when they started to finish each others’ sentences.

“Do we…” Sunset began.

“…really, Applejack?” Sugar Belle finished, as she and Sunset then understood what Applejack truly meant.

“Huh… no wonder I did have an initial feeling something about Sugar Belle reminded me a bit of myself…” Sunset reiterated, though she was mostly referring to the human Sugar Belle when she said those exact words. “Sugar Belle’s voice might be softer than mine, but you’re right. I can definitely hear some kind of connection between our vocals.”

“What do you suppose this implies, Applejack?” Sugar Belle questioned, curiously.

“Is it entirely possible that Sunset had a relative by the name of ‘Solstice’, who just happened to coincidentally be Sugar Belle’s singin’ teacher, which by that virtue, could be the reason you both have similar voices?”

Sunset and Sugar Belle looked at each other with a mixed feeling, before Sunset spoke up.

“That sounds…” Sunset began.

“…like a bit of a stretch, I know.” Applejack finished Sunset’s sentence. “Perhaps I’m just overthinkin’ things, like I always used to do when feedin’ the pigs back at the farm.”

“No, not at all, AJ.” Sunset assured. “I was going to say that actually sounds like a brilliant theory. I have a lingering feeling that my dad’s name isn’t ‘Solstice’, but have no information about my mother. And since Sugar Belle confirmed Solstice was not only a mare, but also a unicorn, she might possibly be my real mom. Plus, you were able to connect the dots with me and Sugar Belle’s voices, since Solstice not only taught Sugar Belle how to sing, but also gave me my inherited voice. Considering how I’ve asked so many other ponies about any information regarding somepony named ‘Solstice’, they’ve all come up with nothing. So since Sugar Belle had a vivid memory on somepony by that name, I might finally have a legitimate lead on something. I only recently discovered the name ‘Solstice’ engraved on the bottom of the saddlebag I’ve kept all my life, and for quite some time, that’s the only hint I’ve gotten. I can’t thank you enough for the tip, Sugar Belle.”

“Of course, like you’ve said yourself, Sunset.” Sugar Belle begin reiterating. “I’m happy to help my friends and family out wherever I can too. Speaking of helping out families, Applejack? Should we contact all our friends and family on when Granny’s funeral will be held?”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Applejack agreed. “Well, Sunset? I’m glad things worked out to some extent, but I’ll still contact the rest of the family in whether or not they got further leads on this Solstice pony you’re curious about. In the meantime, I’ll still need to deliver the hard news about Granny being gone to everypony else, and we have to start setting up things back at Sweet Apple Acres for the funeral.”

“Applebloom and my Big Mac might still need some time to mourn this loss, so I might stay with them a little bit longer.” Sugar Belle explained. “Maybe you should go on ahead with the funeral plans without me? We’ll all catch up with you soon.”

“I understand.” Applejack agreed. “Sunset, would you like to accompany me a little bit longer?”

“Sure, AJ.” Sunset smiled. “That hospital bill already made you lonely for quite some time, so I’d want to make sure you’re never alone when family is forever.”

With that said, Applejack and Sunset exited the hospital together, as Sugar Belle returned to the other room to continue comforting her husband and little sister-in-law. In the meantime, Sunset was happy she was not only able to prove how much of a genuine pony she was to Applejack, but also how she seemingly hit a major breakthrough in becoming closer to solving this mystery behind her parents. She still didn’t quite know anything remarkable regarding her father, but now had reasons to believe she seemingly used to have a mother by the name of ‘Solstice’, who was responsible for why specifically Sunset noted something about Sugar Belle reminded her of herself.