//------------------------------// // Aftermath, Part II // Story: Forgotten: Mists of Bridlewood // by milesprower06 //------------------------------// Sunset didn't wait around for Sunny as she made her way for the school, so by the time Sunny had gotten there, and opened the front door, Sunset was nowhere to be seen in the main room. "Sunset?" Sunny asked, really not sure if the unicorn wanted to be left alone after that outburst just outside the infirmary. She continued past the tables and Sunset's 'desk' that used to serve as the bar when the building used to be the Crystal Tea Room, and went around to the back rooms, where she heard chests being unlatched and items being dug through. She walked through the doorway to see Sunset levitating a bunch of magic spellbooks around her, looking at the titles before quickly dismissing them. Ray skittered around in his terrarium. "Sunset, is everything okay?" Sunny asked. Sunset gave a frustrated sigh. "I'm probably wasting my time looking through these tomes for some kind of reversal spell. There were only, like, five alicorns in all of the recorded history I've read... Opaline makes six... So what the hell, why not make it seven?" She said, quickly shoving the books back into their places on the shelf against the wall. "Would you just explain to me why this change evidently isn't a good thing?" Sunny asked, once again attempting to get her attention. "I already explained why, Sunny. I'm the last pony who should have this kind of power. I crossed dimensions because I wouldn't listen to my mentor who stressed that I should be more patient," Sunset replied. Sunny took a breath. "Have you really not forgiven yourself after all this time? After all the good that you did over there?" The earth mare asked. "It's not a case of forgiving myself. That doesn't mean that this door should be automatically re-opened." "Well, I don't completely understand the force that grants alicornhood, but apparently it disagrees. You put life and limb on the line to defend your students, whom you've only known for a few weeks. More importantly, an alicorn living in and defending Bridlewood will make Opaline think twice about trying this again," Sunny reasoned. Sunset took a breath as she walked over to her desk and fell into her chair, swiveling around to refill Ray's water dish with the pitcher of water she kept on the back cabinet, before turning back to the front desk, facing Sunny. "Fair point, you're probably right about that," Sunset admitted. "I know at least part of what you're feeling, Sunset. When I first started putting that museum wing together, some ponies came in just to see 'the alicorn', and not the history I was gathering. You're always going to have ponies like that. Just never forget the good that you can do with something like this," Sunny told her. Sunset took another breath. "I meant what I said; if I hear the word 'Princess' while anypony addresses me, they'll learn very quickly not to do that. I'm not going to be the Princess of Bridlewood or anything like that. School Headmare is quite enough for me," Sunset told her. "A lesson I'm sure they'll learn quickly, Sunset. So... Any idea what you're going to do with Misty?" Sunny asked. "I suppose that all depends on what she has to say when she's on her hooves again," Sunset answered. "Alright, well, I'll get out of your mane for now. I'll be here for the next couple days, at least, before heading back home." "Thanks, Sunny." With that, Sunny turned and left the office, and shortly after the building entirely. When she was back out in the open area of the forest, she dug her phone out of her saddlebags, and brought up her list of contacts, immediately starting a video call. A few moments later, the standby screen was replaced with a live feed from a familiar white pegasus. "Hey Sunny, what's up?" Zipp Storm asked. "Hey Zipp. If you're not terribly busy, I'm wondering if I could get a favor." Sunset really couldn't ask for better weather as the late afternoon sun shone its rays down through the Bridlewood canopy as she made her way through the thick outer forest on the outskirts of Bridlewood. She paid close attention to the topography on the map Alphabittle had given her. She was hoping to finish up here before it got too dark. She slowly scanned what little of the horizon she could see between the trees, and paused when her gaze passed over a foreign object. There it was, a small one-pony tent about thirty yards away. Paying careful attention to her horn, she slowly stepped forward, watching out for any traps or alarms, magical or otherwise as she approached the campsite. It was rather minimalist; not even a fire ring to keep warm, nor an air mattress inside the tent; just a pair of saddlebags and a sleeping bag. She pulled the saddlebags out of the tent, and found them rather light; a few protein bars, and a locket. Sunset could feel the magic coming from the locket. Lighting up her horn, she cast a nullification spell on the locket, temporarily eliminating any magical threat it might pose, before putting it in her own saddlebags. There was little else here; Misty Brightdawn had come to Bridlewood with next to nothing. Sunset stood in the back room that she had repurposed to her bedroom, consisting of a twin bed, dresser, and full length mirror. She stared at her reflection, and in the back of her mind, she heard what Celestia had told her so long ago, standing in front of the mirror portal. 'Look into this mirror and tell me what you see.' She also recalled her insanely self-absorbed answer to that question. 'A beautiful pony that has nothing but power and potential.' She knew that was why she wanted nothing to do with these wings; she didn't want to acknowledge the snide, ambitious mare she used to be. She knew that mare was long gone, but even with everything she had been through, she still wasn't comfortable with this new power. But she knew Sunny was right; this would open up a whole new repertoire of spells, and any threats to the forest would never know what hit them, or if they knew what waited within the trees, would certainly think twice about attacking. She heard the front door to the school open, and she immediately turned and headed out into the main hall, and saw Misty Brightdawn nervously approach the bar area in the middle of the hall. "A-Alphabittle said you wanted to see me, Miss Shimmer," Misty said. "Are you feeling better?" Sunset asked her as she took her place on the other side of the bar, setting the file folder down on the polished wooden surface. "Yes, I am," Misty replied, still unable to hide the worry from her voice. "Then yes, I do want to see you. We can start at the beginning. Did Opaline send you here, Misty?" Sunset asked, motioning for the mare to sit down at the table closest to the bar, facing her. Misty nodded as she took a seat. "What did she want you to do here?" Sunset asked. "Find her high-level spellbooks," Misty answered. "Is that where she got the meteor spell from? From you?" Sunset asked. Misty nodded, visibly shaking. "Where did you find it?" "The Crystal Empire, in the guard's house I was searching with Sprout," Misty told her. "I thought you gave the Class V book you found to me." "I f-found two. Opaline told me to give one to you, to avoid suspicion," Misty replied. 'Clever', Sunset silently admitted to herself. Because the ruse had worked. "Did you know she was going to attack Bridlewood?" Sunset asked. Misty shook her head, sniffling as she came closer to tears. "No. No, I had no idea," Misty said, her voice wavering. "So you gave her a Class V pyromancy spellbook, and you didn't think she would use it?" Sunset asked. "Sh-she told me she was the last alicorn in existence. That she was looking to reclaim what was rightfully hers, that had been taken and hidden away generations ago." Sunset remained calm while Misty was unable to hold back the tears any longer. She reached into her saddlebags and pulled out the locket she had found at the campsite. "What is this?" Sunset asked. "H-How I communicated with her while I was away. How she gave me instructions," Misty told her. "And she didn't tell you that she was coming to Bridlewood?" Sunset asked. Misty shook her head. "Not a word, at all, I swear," Misty answered, her voice quivering again. Sunset took a quiet breath as she picked up the file folder and began walking around the bar, and sat down at the table in front of Misty. "I have a feeling that Opaline is all you've ever known for most of your life. So it wouldn't exactly be fair if I held whatever lies she may have filled your mind with against you, now that she's shown her true colors. So Misty, I'm going to give you a choice..." Sunset put the locket on the table in front of the mare. "You can take that locket, leave Bridlewood, and never return..." Sunset told her, letting her words sink in a moment to let her know that she meant it, before setting the file folder on the table. She slid it towards the mare, and opened it, revealing a copy of the missing pony poster from twenty years ago, complete with a photo of her. "...Or you can stay here, forsake your allegiance to her, and you and I can find out as much as we can about this long-lost filly, together." Misty swallowed the lump in her throat, as her gaze went back and forth between Opaline's locket, and the old photo of herself. Slowly, she picked up the locket, and looked down at it for barely a moment, before tossing it down to the floor, where it rolled a couple times before coming to rest on the floor. She looked up at Sunset with an uncertain hope in her eyes. Bridlewood's new alicorn gave her the slightest of smiles before lighting up her horn. Misty's eyes went wide, then Sunset turned her head towards where the locket had come to rest on the floor, and fired a bright yellow beam at it. The locket glowed, sparked, then melted as the enchantment on it disintegrated, and it became nothing more than a pile of ash on the floor. With that, Sunset stood up, closed the file folder, put it back into her saddlebags, then offered Misty her front right hoof. "Come with me, Misty."