//------------------------------// // Log // Story: Lutscintorb // by Mary Sue //------------------------------// The little shack Sparkler had seen from afar was actually an outhouse, she realized as they approached. The real main building was a sizeable cabin tucked away into a corner, as the gorge opened up widely and welcomed the encroaching forest. The ground here was much stone as it was dirt and grass, and even a few saplings sprouted out of open cracks in the rock. But a well-worn, compacted dirt path kept these intrusions at bay. It forked off into one path that led straight into the forest, and the other led right up to the cabin. ‘Granite’s Peak’ was writ in bold planks of wood, nailed a small platform protruding from the structure's roof. The building itself was a log cabin, its back pressed firmly up against the rock. The few windows were all opened, leaking a warm and creamy scent. The front door had a little sign that read, ‘Come on in!’ It also had a bell that chimed as Patch Moss pushed the door open. The inside was about what she had expected: a general store-looking thing that offered more knick knacks than anything practical. Although, there was a burning fireplace off to one side and a few lounge chairs spaced around it. A counter blocked off the left side of the building, the wall behind it displaying some of the more pricey items for sale—a giant pinecone for 30₡?!—except for one door marked for employees only. But it did a terrible job of suppressing the smell of a warm meal on the other side. “Roomy,” Sparkler remarked, noting that gratuitous spacing between the two odd aisles and the front entrance. Patch Moss flipped open a little countertop door and stepped behind the counter. “That’s one way of putting it,” he said light heartedly. “Granite’s Peak isn’t exactly a tourist destination. I’m lucky to get one party of a ponies a week passing through. It’s a shame not many ponies are interested nowadays in taking a good hike through the woods.” He produced a heavy book from below and dropped it onto the countertop with a thump. “But hey, that’s life for you. Quatros is a big country for such a relatively low population. Anyways,—” He spun the book around “—if you could sign here first, that’d be great. Just put your name and where you’re from. It’s kind of a ‘look who stopped by’ sort of thing.” Sparkler was offered a pen and she took it between her teeth. Looking down at the registry, she found there had only been three ponies this month. The latest was a “High Inquisitor Sebaste?” she read aloud. “Yeah. Granite’s Peak might not be a thing for Quatrosians, but it sure is hot spot for foreigners apparently!” Patch Moss laughed and walked to the other end of the counter. “Some pegasus from Equestria stopped by five days ago, wanting to take a look at the tomb itself. Can’t say what she was after, but she seemed satisfied just looking around.” “Huh.” Sparkler clicked her tongue and scribbled down the date, her name, and Collisunda. “Yeah...” he continued. “And before her, there was some kind fellow with a strange name. How’d he spell it? Cupric Nose? Circus Pone? Copernicus?” Sparkled looked back down at the registry. “Uh, Coin Spruce.” Patch Moss smacked the countertop with a hoof. “Yeah, that’s it! A strange sort, talked like he was from another planet sometimes, but he's the kind of guy you just can't not love, y’know? Sometimes I wonder what it is that brings ponies by here, in all honesty.” He chuckled again and pulled out a thick cloth bag from beneath the counter, colored deep red with a short white cross sewn onto the front flap. He opened it up and pulled out some clean bandages. “Now, get over here. Can’t let you walk around like you just returned from the dead.” Sparkler smirked and trotted over. “I was thinking ninja nurse, or something,” she said. “Do I really look like that bad?” “A proper shower wouldn’t hurt.” “Now that I can agree with,” she said with a laugh. Patch Moss turned away briefly to produce a bucket of water, a couple of white rags, and some disinfectant. “Too bad I don’t have one,” he said, and then hopped over the counter to meet her. “But we can at least clean that wound. When’d you get it?” “Earlier today,” she said again. “I... fell out of a tree.” He gave her a look. “What were you doing in a tree?” “Good question,” she remarked, and so that conversation point died. After a short pause, he then asked, “May I?” Sparkler blinked at him and then slowly twisted her head. Patch Moss carefully pulled apart the knot holding the bandage together, but a sickly amount of congealed blood kept her wad of paper in place. That didn’t peel off so easily. She winced. “Is it bad?” “Eh, kind of,” he said, dunking a wet rag in the water and wringing it out. “It’s a big cut, but the good thing is that the bleeding’s stopped. Don’t... think I see any debris.” He gently yet firmly patted the wound with the wet rag. “Speaking of injuries, what happened to your leg? Looks like tree bark.” “You’re not too far off,” she said at first, but then caught her tongue before she could expand. “Let’s just say that I’m not terribly fond of trees.” “Then you’re in the wrong part of Quatros,” he joked, as he lifted part of her mane to apply some disinfectant to the wound. He paused. “Now it’s your turn to ask me something.” “What? Oh.” She thought for a moment. “Why become a park ranger, I guess?” “Oh, I grew up in a small village on the other side of the country, surrounded by a different forest.” He hummed, getting the fresh bandage ready. “I really loved the country and I had a thing for going off into the woods on my own when I was a colt. I’d always end up dragging a friend along to show them something cool I found or just a really beautiful spot to do nothing in, even. Then one day, I found a really, really old dragon skeleton! Oldest complete skeleton in the North, actually. It was dated to be around two-hundred thousand years old! Not even the dragon homelands to the east knew of one so old.” “Wow.” “Yeah, I got my cutie mark that day,” he added. “A fossil of a leaf with a little lamp beside it. I knew then, however, that I didn’t really want to go looking for these things. What I really wanted was to share them. And well, one thing led to another and now I’m here. Hold still.” He placed some fresh gauze over her wound and tightly wrapped the bandage around it. “Anyways, that’s my story. How’d you get your cutie mark? Doesn’t really look like something befitting a cartographer, I must admit. “Oh. Well...” Sparkler started, “That’s a... a really long story. But, I guess to put it lightly, one day I was digging for rubies and had to do a bit of history and research some old maps, and I found a really big deposit by finding a pattern in the old records.” “Ha! I love it!” Patch Moss exclaimed. “Maybe you’ll find a bunch of gold around here. There was a gold rush a couple of centuries ago further south.” She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. “Do you have a map?” “Sure do!” He tightened the bandage around her head. “And how’s this? Too tight?” “It’s good,” she said, and he tied it off. “So yeah,” Patch Moss continued, turning back to put all the supplies away. “You’re here on a mission, aren’t you? I got a sense you’re going to want to look at one anyways. I could point a couple of the old mining towns if you’re interested. But they’re quite a few days’ trek away. Heck, you probably came from one, right?” She nodded. “Which one?” “Uh...” She adjusted the bandage a little bit, making sure her mane wasn’t caught too much beneath it. “I forget.” He laughed again. “Yeah, I don’t blame you. There’s almost too many to count.” He had returned to the other side of the counter and stashed the medical bag away. He pulled the red-tainted water and rags off the counter. “Hey, why not have some lunch first? All this talking is making me hungry, and the chowder in the back isn’t helping at all. Then we can take a tour of Granite’s Tour, if you want. I did promise earlier, after all.” She smiled. “Thanks. That sounds good.”