Forget Me in the Meadow

Pegasi belong to their flock!

Pale rays of light painted the horizon over a sleepy seascape town. The fresh sea breeze wafted over the coast, covering every flower, leaf, and blade of grass with salty dew. There was hardly even a peep from the critters. Not everypony was asleep, though. One pegasus was awake with the dawn, leaving the lighthouse that rested on a cliff. She used the sky as a shortcut over the bay and into the town. Upon landing, her hooves tapped against the sidewalk and alerted another pony, who happened to be the sheriff of Maretime Bay.

"Morning, Sheriff Hitch." The pegasus greeted, sauntering up to him.

"Hey Zipp, didn't expect to see you up early. Not everyone's a morning pony." Hitch said, erecting an 'out of office' sign on the door.

"Sunny mentioned to me that you walk around the town in the morning. It just so happens that I've been waking up early, too, so I thought I'd fly over to see if you'd want company. Besides, cold air is good on the wings." Zipp offered, dropping into a stretch. 'If I could sleep past sunrise I would, but I can't. So this is better than laying around the Brighthouse.' There was no way she would admit it out loud, but oftentimes she found herself bored without a steady job.

Hitch took his time in thinking it over, but he eventually shrugged. "Alright, that actually sounds quite nice." Before heading off, he appointed the deputy critters in charge until they returned. Zipp followed his lead from above, beating her wings.

"So, what's the route?"

"I was thinking about heading up the dirt road by the Brighthouse, it's scenic. We can walk down and circle back toward town." Hitch suggested, and Zipp shrugged her approval.

The sun warmed up the air little by little, carried by a breeze that ruffled their manes. The sensations of the air all around her filled Zipp with satisfaction. 'This was how pegasi were supposed to live, with our wings stretched and the sky all around us. We were made to see the world from above. I still can't believe we've gone so long without flying.' She felt the rush of joy but something else tugged at her. 'Even though magic is back, I haven't studied it very much. It's the only thing I can do since I moved here, I don't have a real job like Hitch or Pipp. Sunny has been asking for answers but I haven't made much progress. Maybe that's why I haven't been sleeping well.'

Due to her distracting thoughts, Zipp realized that her hooves were on the ground. She kept pace beside Hitch, who also had a thoughtful face. To help him snap out of it, she nudged his shoulder. "So, Hitch, what have you been involved in lately?"

His head lifted. "Well, unsurprisingly, not many ponies have control over their earth magic, including me. I'm not confident that it's safe for ponies to use it freely, especially when tensions are still high." Zipp wasn't surprised. Earth pony magic was still so new, it was similar to teaching a foal how to walk. But the high tensions in town were another story. It would take much more than new magic to change the way ponies have acted for centuries. 'Posey drove that point home rather quickly.' Zipp knew that time and kindness towards one another meant more than words. 'But I can't let him stay down.'

"Well, no pony can inspire a town like the sheriff. You know, magic isn't unnatural, it's a part of us." She pointed out. Her words seemed to make Hitch stand a little straighter, after he fixed his badge.

"I know the town relies on me to keep them safe. I'll find a way to make sure magic doesn't get out of control."

The pair arrived at the shift in the road, where the sidewalk turned into dirt. Up ahead, Zipp saw the shapes of two ponies galloping their way. The closer they came, the easier it was to see their faces. She exchanged a look with Hitch, who intercepted them, before flying ahead to see what they had run from.

"Whoa there, what's going on?" The ponies, both unicorns, fled from a lone pegasus who stumbled up the road. One of them hid behind Hitch, staring with wide eyes and heaving their breaths. The other stood like a barrier at their side.

"We were minding our business, taking a lovely stroll, and that pegasus began shouting at us! All because we are unicorns. She accused us of stealing something, and betraying somepony. She wasn't making sense." The bold, red unicorn informed, "Marble tried to reason with her, but they could hardly get a word in." She tossed her head toward the incoming pegasus, whose wheezing could be heard now. "Then she tried to attack, but, well, she's too weak to raise a hoof let alone land one. Still, I had to get Marble away from her."

"It's the truth, we didn't see her until we got close to the forest." The smaller pony, Marble, chimed in. Zipp faced the strange pegasus, trying to make sense of it.

"And what do you have to say? Why would you attack these ponies?" By the looks of it, the unicorns had told the truth. There was a layer of dust all over the newcomer's coat, her mane was incredibly tangled, and there was an unsettling grayness to her body. Even her sharp eyes held little color. When the stranger snapped back, Zipp felt a shudder run down her spine.

"As a pegasus, shouldn't you be more worried about your kind than some pathetic unicorns?" The stranger remarked in between wheezing. She scrunched her face into a snarl, and pinned her ears. The wobbling of her hoofsteps made the jewelry strung on her jingle about. "They think us pegasi have our heads above the clouds, but we are the strongest race of ponies. We have conquered the skies, we have controlled the weather for the benefit of all, we could have-'' Her speech was cut off by inhaling a deep breath, bracing herself against the swaying of her body.

As she eyed the unstable mare, Zipp found herself unsure of what to say. 'This is hard to watch. She's pushing through exhaustion just for this petty fight.' Just as the mare was about to spring, Zipp stood as a barrier between her and the others. Surprise in her opponent's eyes turned into anger.

"Why are you standing in my way? Ever since magic has begun fading, the unicorns have been hiding away whatever is left. Artifacts, talismans, anything that could be of use. It's unforgivable! They would rather watch pegasi suffer on the ground than share!" The bewilderment in her voice caused the others to whisper in confusion.

"What do you-?" Stampeding hooves drowned out Zipp's words. At a glance, she recognized the familiar coats of her friends coming from the direction of the Brighthouse.

"Zipp! Hitch! What's going on?" Sunny was the first to inquire about their situation.

"These ponies, are they your friends? Earth ponies and unicorns?" The stranger scorned, only addressing Zipp. "Pegasi belong with their flock, especially in these times."

'Flock? I haven't heard that term in forever.' Zipp felt her gut sink, remembering the feelings she battled with living in the kingdom of Zephyr Heights. Her ill will toward the other races was shaken off when she discovered the abandoned hangar under the palace. She listened as her friends sprang into action. Pipp galloped up the road to keep curious ponies at bay. Izzy stood by her fellow unicorns while Hitch took down their statements. And lastly, Sunny stood by Zipp's side. Their readiness to help spurred her to respond.

"Of course these ponies are my friends, my flock. I don't understand what you're trying to say about magic fading or unicorns having some connection to it. But that's not how things are. This is what Equestria is now, and what it was before." Zipp gestured to everypony behind her. "Nopony is more important than another, including pegasi. And knowing that is why magic returned to Equestria." There was a moment of silence afterward, and she hoped that it sunk in. But as the pegasus mulled it over, pacing with unsteady hoofsteps, the flames of anger seemed to fan inside her.

"You've been influenced by them, that's a shame. No matter, I have a job to do, and you can join them beneath me!" She declared, sinking into another spring. Zipp's heart sank into her stomach, paralyzing her hooves. A powerful glow emanated beside her, coming from Sunny. Turning to face her friend, she noticed that the outline of wings and a horn appeared. 'Her alicorn magic? What is she doing?' The surprise on Sunny's face as she levitated off the ground told Zipp that this wasn't on purpose. Between all of her friends, wisps of magic emitted from each of their cutie marks and combined with Sunny's. The bright orange light intensified, making everypony cover their eyes. It compacted into a beam, discharged from Sunny's horn, then engulfed the stranger until her screams of terror faded away. It only lasted a few seconds but left everypony frozen for a few more, staring at the unresponsive pony lying in the middle of the road. The slow rise and fall of her flanks was the best indicator that she was still alive.