Lutscintorb

by Mary Sue

Crouching Unicorn, Hidden Stallions

That night, Sparkler awoke with a start and a gasp for breath. A mysterious cold sweat came over her, which was a struggle to fight against and brought an intrusive set of shivers rippling up her back. It took her a second to realize the spots in her eyes were just the stars above, but it wasn’t until she finally remembered where she was did she at last calm down.

The boring days in the middle of nowhere always went by too fast. “Not again,” she muttered, pressing her hooves against her temples. A sharp pulse like a second heartbeat throbbed at the side of her head, and her attempts to suppress the headache were doing zilch. She let out a defeated sigh and decided she wasn’t just going to lay here and wallow.

Her hooves twisted for something to grab and pull herself upright. It wasn’t like she’d be falling asleep again anytime soon, anyways. Not with this headache. She pulled herself onto her hooves and took an uneven step forward. Something creaked back at her but, against her better judgement, she ignored and took another step. This time her hoof met open air and her eyes went wide, and she tumbled right over the edge of the roof of the stagecoach.

She was lucky enough to roll when she hit the ground, but it was without the care to make it not hurt. She staggered hastily back onto her hooves, trying to walk off the new pains in her shins.

“Stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid!” she hissed, angrily making a circle in the grass. “Why’d it have to be the middle of nowhere?” she asked the world around her. The quiet winds were her response, which wasn’t good enough, so she paced around looking for something to take her mind off and ease the pain in the head.

She walked around Whiskey’s hammock and the smoldering remnants of the campfire, until she found herself back at the stagecoach. The side with the large opening, to be specific. She stared into the shadowy shell, finding several pleasant distractions coming up to her. One of them was the vague memory of their being a medicine box tucked away inside. She wondered if there was anything in there that could placate her headache. Then she wondered if she should ask first before going inside the carriage.

As she pulled herself over Whiskey’s little guard rail, she wondered if she could’ve brought a light of some kind. But it was too late for that, and as quietly as she could she started fumbling through the contents of the carriage.

A few minutes later, and after looking underneath a pile of trash, she found a metal box. She took it out into the moonlit night for a clearer picture. If what she held was a medicine box, all the paint had been scraped off and it had received many a dent over the years. A simple set of latches held it fast, but they came unlocked with ease.

Inside, however, were nothing resembling medical supplies. Just a bunch of folded up papers, a pair of strange wire-mesh cones, and a metal bar. In the faint light of the moon, she guessed it was either silver or platinum. Curiosity got the better of her and she slowly sat down in the grass. She picked up one of the cones and found a bright-blue bead at its tip, but that didn’t gather much of her interest. Instead, her eyes quickly settled on the faint and telltale lines befitting a map, sitting folded among the pile of papers.

She took that out and, as suspected, unfolded it to reveal a map of the Green Stretch. There wasn’t nearly enough light out for her to try and copy it, and she suspected there wouldn't be much night left besides. But she could at least make out a few odd borders. However, what took her attention the most were countless notes and symbols scribbled all over the page. She could barely read the writing, but after a few minutes of scouring she found the names of Agrisaltar and Collisunda. Not that she knew precisely where on the map they were.

Sparkler glanced back at the stagecoach and quietly closed the box back up. The sky was lighter now, the stars starting to recede. On the tips of her hooves, she made sure to place the box back exactly where she had found it, and then crawled back on top of the carriage. Confident the two stallions were still fast asleep, she pulled her satchel close and took out her notebook. Opening to a random page in the middle of it, she placed a folded up piece of paper inside and shut it.

She made a mental note to ask about something to relieve her headache in the morning. But she was content, and could surely suffer for another day in any case.

Comments

[Emotional Flight]

Opening to a random page in the middle of it, she placed a folded up piece of paper inside and shut it.

What paper? Did she take the map?

Hmm.

[Revan]

Well, color me intrigued.