Forget Me in the Meadow

Settling in...

Their last destination was the pièce de résistance, the glowing lighthouse on the cliff, which radiated its bright colors against the dusk. Something about the beam reaching up to the heavens was so familiar, Hazy's eyes gleamed with fascination seeing it up close. Intricate designs in the stained glass added to the lighthouse's majesty. The portrait above the large doors depicted three crystals. 'Those must be the artifacts Zipp mentioned, something about crystals of unity?' She thought back to what Zipp said during their walk. In order to prepare Hazy, she had mentioned each of her friends who lived in the lighthouse, the crystals that powered it, and how they found them.

"Zipp, could you tell me about the lighthouse?"

"Sure, we call it the 'Crystal Brighthouse'. That's the Prisbeam shining out of it, it's kind of what gives magic to all of us ponies- and it's also a reminder that we live in harmony. The magic comes from the unity crystals at the top. My friends brought them all together so that we could live like this today."

"Wait a moment, you're saying the crystals give you magic? That can't be right," With furrowed brows, Hazy flapped her wings. It felt the same as ever, as if the pegasus magic resonated from inside of her.

"Why not?"

The question made her pause, unable to put her notion into the right words without sounding awkward.

"It's hard to explain..."

A strange look from Zipp made her ears burn, before going on. "Before I met my friends, no pony had magic. Pegasi couldn't fly, so Zephyr Heights was built on the highest mountain where we could at least walk in the sky again. Our hope that magic would return faded more every day." The white pegasus looked back to the Brighthouse. "That's until I met Sunny and Izzy. They started all of this. Together we tracked down the crystals, put them back together, and- well, you know the rest."

Now, with the doors open, Hazy finally saw the inside of the Brighthouse. The first thing she noticed was the floor's mural in the entryway, then the dual raised walkways, and the rustic living space between them. While the Brighthouse appeared as big as a castle from the outside, it was spacious and comfortable inside. Hazy turned every which way to take it all in, though maintaining a proximity to Zipp.

Sunny was the first to meet them at the entrance, trotting quickly down from the upper floor. She trotted right up to Hazy, pushing the line of her personal space.

"I'm glad you're here! There's so much we can talk about!" Her interest warmed Hazy's heart, but before any conversation could happen, two more ponies joined them.

One of them was a pink pegasus with the fluffiest looking wings ever seen, wearing a stylish golden accessory. Beside her, a purple unicorn played with a strand of her voluptuous blue mane. Luckily, Zipp had already told Hazy a little bit about each of them.

"Ok, here I go. I know Sunny already. So, you must be Pipp, is that right?" Hazy rubbed her foreleg, facing the pink pony. Pipp nodded, holding up her own flattened camera. With a small, awkward laugh, Hazy turned.

"And you're Izzy?" She dipped her head, "My name is Hazy."

"Hello, new friend, Hazy! That's a great name, by the way! A great name for a new pony!" Izzy exclaimed, backed up by Sunny and Pipp's calmed welcomes. Zipp cleared her throat to receive their attention.

"Ponies, I want us all to be on the same page. I know we haven't discussed this before-hoof, but I brought Hazy here anyway because she has nowhere else to go. Plus, Hitch and I agreed the cell wasn't a long-term option." Hazy's surprise quickly soured when Zipp announced it. "And she has no memories from before Sunny's magic blast." Gasps came from Pipp and Izzy, and pitying eyes drifted onto her.