The Forgotten Bridge

    Twilight now stood in front of the bridge and the detail was amazing. Carvings of flowers and plants surrounded the start of the bridge. Beautiful plats wrapped all around it like a miniature jungle. The bridge was about thirty feet long and about five feet across so it was a standard hoof bridge. Not to mention the arches underneath creating little boat ways for ponies to get past.

    It was like a whole summer in one bridge. The vines that hung off the sides just set the mood as a peaceful getaway. Twilight walked onto the cold stone to the center and looked over the side. The water gleamed and glistened under Luna’s moonlight. Oh how beautiful it all was. All the lights made it look like a Hearth’s Warming Eve and the little flowers on the railing. She tripped. Twilight brought herself to her hooves. She was admiring all the scenery, she hadn’t notice she reached the end of the bridge.

    Twilight got a look of surprise. It wasn’t the hill that surprised her, it was the small cottage that now sat in front of her. She walked slowly to the home. The lights were on inside and smoke came from the chimney, so she thought that somepony was home.  She walked up to the door and knocked. “Hello? Anypony home? Sorry to bother you at such a late hour, but I seem to be lost and I’m having trouble remembering how I got here.” She said.

    She knocked again and waited. Nothing. Then, before she could knock again, the door creaked open. Nopony was home. She walked inside and smiled wide. Books! Twilight ran up to the bookcases and looked at the titles. Most of them Twilight had back at the library, but some she had never seen. Twilight then noticed a small tome of a table. It was a journal. “Journal of Jonathan H. Smith, 1728?” she whispered.  The year then surprised her. 1728!? This house and that bridge are two hundred, eighty-five years old? Then by her normal nature, opened the book and began reading.

August 12, 1728

The war was finally over. All the years of pain and sorrow, the enemy had retreated. I was so happy to live life again at the fullest, but my dear father was one to fall. I had cried all night in my mother’s arms. She too would die of old age, but we will get by until it happens.

August 13, 1728

Today, they started building a bridge in memory of the dead. It was a beautiful sight to see when it was finished. So by permission of the mayor, I built my home on the other side to stay near my beloved father.

August 14, 1728,

Mother visited me at my new home to wish me well. We talked, we ate, we cried. I enjoyed every minute. Of joy and of happiness.

   Twilight closed the book. She had tears in her eyes from the sad entries she had read. She then found, thankfully, a sack of apples. Why they had not gone bad over the years, Twilight doesn’t know, but she was satisfied by the fruit. She walked around the house and soon came upon the bedroom. Sitting in the corner, was a soft, comfy bed. She lay down, turned to her side and fell asleep.

~~~

   Twilight woke up, happy to see it was finally daytime. She ate another apple and trotted out side. She saw beautiful waterfalls she hadn’t noticed the night before and decided to sit on the edge of the river and dip her hooves in. As she sat there she noticed something odd. One of the waterfalls didn’t seem like a waterfall. It seemed more like a stream coming from out of the side of a cliff. Twilight went to investigate. She stood in front of it and then noticed light coming from behind. There were stairs behind it leading to a small cave. Sitting in the center of the cave, a table sat with a piece of paper on top of it.

   She slowly walked  towards it and  read the words that made her shiver with fear.

GO NOW! THE BRIDGE ISN’T WHAT I THOUGHT IT WAS!  IT’S A-

The rest of the letter was missing. Ripped right at the end. Twilight quickly turned and ran towards the stair. When she was out she ran across the bridge and back onto the trail. She ran down the hill and didn’t stop until she reached the spot where she woke up the night before. Twilight breathed heavily trying to slow her speeding heart. She looked around her body to make sure she wasn’t cut of bruised. She sat there terrified from what she saw. She wanted to go home. She wanted to see her friends, she wanted to hug the Princess to get the comfort she needed.

    Twilight rested her heart and thought of the bridge. It was a sort of danger, but didn’t know what kind. It looked like a beautiful bridge that you would see anywhere in Equestria. She sat down and started crying.

    Twilight woke up to the smell of food. She lifted her nose and inhaled. It was definitely food. She looked around, trying to find the source. Then she saw it. A small cobblestone house sat at the edge of the forest. It wasn’t there before unless its occupant was asleep the night before and the lights were off, but she now had a full view of it. Twilight stood up and started walking to the home. It was her last chance to see another pony. When she reached the home, she heard humming inside. There was definitely somepony in there. She found the front door and then stopped. What if it was a trick? She thought of what to do before she finally knocked. “Hello?” She called out. The door opened within a few moments. There a stallion about her age stood in front of her. He was a deep red with moderately dark red eyes. He was a unicorn and he wore a vest and a black hoof band on his left fore hoof.

“Hello.” He repeated.