Forget Me in the Meadow

The life I'd dreamed about.

Daybreak meant that most of the townsponies retired to their homes after a job well done. Two ponies waited in the living room for their companions to return. The echoing groan of the doors signaled that Pipp and Sunny finally home. Now was the time to share their news, so Zipp went to beckon them over. But one of the friends remained missing, nowhere to be found in town or in the Brighthouse.

"Does anypony know where Izzy went? We have to talk with everypony."

"Oh, she didn't tell you? Izzy went to visit Bridlewood for the next couple of days. She planned a sleepover with a bunch of her old unicorn friends. You can tell us though." Sunny unclasped her helmet and kicked off her roller skates.

Viridian stepped forward, after sharing a look with Zipp, and began the conversation. "Before I catch you up, I wanted to apologize to you, Sunny. I'm still grateful for your support, I suppose I just needed to be alone to process everything. And once I had time to think, something came to me." She explained, fighting the twisting of her belly. "I have reason to believe that I was turned to stone."

Like when she had told Zipp, both ponies' eyes widened. Sunny responded first, though her tone sounded more fascinated than appalled. "Turned to stone like from the legends? Is it really possible? But that's such ancient magic..."

Zipp held out a hoof. "We haven't proven anything yet, just hear her out."

"But, like, how are you going to? And what happens if it turns out to be true? Sunny told us all the same story, Zipp, remember?" Pipp asked, it wasn't hard to guess what she was thinking about. Viridian wanted to sink down to the floor and cover her ears. 'They all know the stories, then. Being turned to stone was only ever mentioned when it was used against the 'villains of Equestria'. What does that mean for me? If it's true that I became a stone pony, there must have been a reason for it.' She flinched when the pink pegasus echoed the anxieties she tried so hard to avoid. "In the legends, wasn't being turned to stone only used against evil-"

"We can't just assume that, Pipp." Zipp's hard tone surprised everypony, including Viridian. It halted the white-hot panic about to shoot through her, and she felt a comforting wing stretch over her back that helped keep her steady.

Pipp had snapped her mouth shut quickly, while her face became red and her ears went back. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that..."

"It's alright, I don't blame you for thinking that way." Viridian's voice was soft, mirroring her own uncertainty. "But we will find out the truth tomorrow, Zipp and I are going to find the place where I came from. If we find it, it will provide answers."

"Wait, you two are going alone?" Sunny interjected, giving Zipp a look with her muzzle scrunched.

"Well, no, we were going to ask you-"

"Hey, I'm not missing out on a mystery adventure! Mane Melody will be fine without me for a day, it's not like I have to be there all the time." Pipp argued, backing Sunny up.

"And it also won't hurt if I took a day off from making smoothies. If this is important to you, I'm coming." Sunny placed a hoof on Viridian's shoulder, and something told her that the insistence wasn't just for support. There was a strong wave of excitement around Sunny that she could understand. 'If you come along, we'll all uncover history together.' Fur brushed against her flank, and she turned to find Zipp sitting beside her.

"It looks like everypony wants to come with us, I will tell Hitch, too." Zipp said. The eagerness from her friends gave Viridian the courage to face her past, come what may. All that was left for them to do was rest and wait for morning to come.