Forget Me in the Meadow

The way pegasi should live.

The waking world manifested as Hazy startled up in the bed, heaving each breath as she looked around wildly. This time, she quickly recognized the interior of the station. Having to spend the night alone wasn't as bad as she thought, but the dream made it hard to fall back asleep. Thankfully, the thick blanket provided comfort while she calmed down.

The sun rose shortly after, lighting up the room gradually and bringing the sheriff with it. When he came in, Hazy had begun snoozing, still wrapped up snugly.

"Good morning, Hazy." She stirred to the sound of his smooth voice, seeing him outside of the bars. There was a hint of compassion in his voice. "I hope you slept well."

"Oh, I did, thank you," Hazy dipped her head, a yawn escaping. 'He's still being nice to me, even after telling me everything... I don't understand it. What I did was horrible- at least they seemed to be telling me the truth. But why can't I remember it? It's no wonder they locked me in here.' Every thought put more weight on the heavy stone in her stomach. 'I need to figure out how to get back home to my family, the ponies that know me. Perhaps they can help me with this amnesia, and we can find a way to make it better. Wait, my fam-'

In the middle of her thoughts, the door opened and shattered her attention. A petite pony walked in, looking for the sheriff before turning to Hazy. From her perch, she noticed their fidgeting. Hitch stood up from his desk to meet them.

"Good morning Marble, I didn't expect anypony to come in so early. What can I do for you?"

Marble seemed to stand up a little straighter after a moment. "Actually, I'm here to see, um, her." They clarified, pointing to Hazy. Hitch stepped aside, looking back and forth. "I've had some time to think, so I came to talk to her myself. "

Bringing her ears forward, Hazy listened with surprise. "You came to see me? I would've thought you'd want nothing to do with me after... well, you know." She fumbled, but Marble nodded along. Their eyes swirled between emotions, making it hard for her to read. She approached the bars with her gaze lowered, akin to a foal who had been scolded. It was hard to think of the appropriate words to say, so Marble beat her to it.

"You're right, at first I didn't want to see you again. But I kept thinking about it, and now here I am. My name is Marble, and my friend, the other unicorn, is Cherry. I heard that you don't have one..."

"I have a temporary name, Hazy. Zipp thought of it. What made you change your mind?" Hazy asked, using a respectful tone. The unicorn dug at the floor with their small hoof.

"All I could think about was the struggle you kept up, no matter how exhausted you were. You pushed on just for that, a petty fight. You really don't remember what you said to us? Or how you chased us down the road?" Marble asked, with reservation in their voice. "I mean, I watched Sunny use her magic on you, but I suppose I didn't expect it to do this. Magic is still new to us all."

"I'm sorry, I don't remember anything but waking up here..." Hazy murmured, glancing back at the bed. The conflicted feelings in their voice caused her to tense up. 'Don't spare me because you feel bad about this, you must be upset.' But as they conversed, Marble began letting their thoughts out.

"You really frightened me, you know." Their tone hardened a smidge. "The way you were talking about dividing ponies. We've all been working hard to come together for the sake of magic. But magic isn't the only important thing in the world. Friendships are worth more than all of the magic in a lifetime. And it doesn't matter what ponies have friendships, because we've lived just fine without magic before." They finished, matter-of-factly.

"I don't believe in ponies living divided." Hazy muttered. "In my hometown, all ponies live in harmony. I understand that you might not believe me. But, whatever happened to me doesn't excuse what I did, or how I made you feel. All I can offer you right now is an apology and the promise that I will become a better pony." Hazy lifted her eyes to meet Marble's, who sat across from her, and saw them soften. They stood up, barely meeting her eye level.