//------------------------------// // Into the Past, Part II // Story: Forgotten: Mists of Bridlewood // by milesprower06 //------------------------------// Bridlewood's Elder Keeper stared dumbfounded down at the new and old photographs of Sunset's newest student, twenty years apart. "By the gods... After all these years..." Portfolio mused, adjusting his glasses. "When did she come to you?" "At the end of last week. She came into the school and asked if there were any more spots available. I squeezed her into the evening class," Sunset answered. "I've got to speak with her," Portfolio said immediately. "Whoa, whoa. Not so fast. She vanishes from her back yard without a trace, and shows up out of the blue just after I open the school. I don't think this is the time for all the 'where have you been?' questions." "Why not?" Izzy asked. "She barely has any magical ability. The address she gave me for her student file doesn't exist. I think something is up. She must have relatives in the area. Where do her parents live?" Sunset asked. Portfolio's expressed went from shocked to sorrowful. "She was their only child. When she disappeared, they kept hoping she would be found. When weeks turned to months, and into years... They couldn't deal with the grief forever. They passed away some time ago," Portfolio informed her. "What is it, Sunset?" Izzy asked, when she saw the look of uncertainty and worry on the unicorn's face. "Something Sunny told me before I came here. About how now that magic is back, threats that want to exploit that magic probably won't be far behind," Sunset replied. Portfolio's eyes widened. "Now I'm not saying for certain that this is the case here. I'm not going to jump to conclusions like that. But I am saying we should be wary and not overplay our hand. Based upon the age she vanished, she might not remember much. But right now, I have no idea where she's going at night, because as I said, the address in her file doesn't exist." "So what do we do?" Portfolio asked. Sunset gave a sigh of resignation. "If I was still at Canterlot High, I'd ask for my friends to cover for me while I put all my effort into getting to the bottom of this, but the fact is that I don't have that luxury anymore. I have a school and students to worry about, and without a doubt Sunny is going to come by sooner or later asking about the new magic that earth ponies have. So for now, let's just keep an eye on her." Seemingly satisfied, Izzy turned and began to make her way back up to ground level, no doubt eager to start work on her scooter project. "Portfolio, her parents' house; do you have an address? Who took it over when they died?" Sunset asked once Izzy had started ascending the stairs behind her. "No one, I'm afraid. The property has likely fallen into disrepair. Izzy's not the only one to live in seclusion. It's likely quite grown over by now and will likely be that much harder to spot, but yes, I can point you in the right direction." The record-keeping unicorn spent another few minutes looking up the location of what Sunset was after, as there were many paths that snaked off into the forest, until they weren't really paths anymore. With that, he unfolded a map, put a mark on it, and slid it over to Sunset. "There you are, Miss Shimmer. I am glad Bridlewood is slowly getting over our superstitions. Months ago, no one would dare disturb a site like that. I hope your suspicions about her are wrong, though. To think that she was taken at such a young age just to get involved with something nefarious... That doesn't sit well with me," Portfolio told her. "Nor me. Don't worry, I'm going to try my best to get to the bottom of this, if there is something to get to the bottom to. Thank you very much, Portfolio. Have a pleasant evening." With that, Sunset made her way to the top of the stairs, and found Izzy waiting just outside. "So, what now?" Izzy asked. "This is a lot to think about, and I'm honestly still stumbling around in the dark. Probably shouldn't do anything more this evening, or I'll be literally stumbling around in the dark. We've got the rest of the week's classes, and then a weekend coming up, and I did promise you some one on one instruction. I might as well start with the defensive spells you missed this morning. I'll swing by tomorrow after breakfast, because I know you've been wanting to get started on that scooter of yours too; I might be able to help with that too." Izzy's smile widened, and Sunset's phone started to go off in her saddlebags. She lit up her horn, lifted the flap, and pulled her phone out, and swiped her hoof across the screen, to see a text alert on the notifications screen. Sunny Hey, just wanted to let you know we'll be stopping by Bridlewood in a few days! We're on our way up to the Crystal Empire again to get another load of books. We'll be stopping to rest and visit. Please let us know if you want to tag along. Sunset smiled softly at her phone. "Looks like it's going to be quite the busy weekend, too. So go get some rest, and I'll see you in the morning, Izz," Sunset told her friend. Izzy waved goodbye before she headed south down back towards her house on the edge of town, while Sunset headed back towards the renovated schoolhouse. The crystals on the edges of the path began to glow dimly in the darkening ambience of the forest. Arriving back at the schoolhouse, she went inside before locking the doors, and headed towards the back where she had made her combination bedroom-office. She pulled her phone out and gave a quick reply to Sunny. Sunset We'll keep an eye out. Looking forward to seeing you again. With that, she placed the phone on the charging pad, and hung her saddlebags on the chair next to the oak desk, digging out the map Portfolio had given her, and pinned it to the bulletin board she had hung above her desk, next to a calendar and lesson plan for the month. Portfolio was right; Misty was a sweet mare, and Sunset hated to think that she was caught up in something malevolent. She thought back to her confrontation with Twilight in the middle of the Friendship Games, and that was the primary factor keeping her from attempting to find wherever Misty was outside of class and start interrogating her about her intentions. And if it was something with ill intentions, Sunset wasn't sure she was completely prepared for that yet either. She thought back to all the problems she had a hand in solving in and around Canterlot High. Most of them had been people who had stumbled upon Equestrian magic, and had absolutely no idea what they were getting into. As she fell into bed after shutting off the light, she felt a stinging in her chest when she remembered that the only true sources of magical malevolence they had faced over there had been the sirens... ...and herself.