//Of Stone And Feather:A1\
//By: Iink Dash
//Edited: Bright Idea
//Chapter: 1:Genesis\
Ch1
Spitfire leaned tiredly on the counter, left hoof against her crestfallen face, sipping vodka. The bar was empty, save for her and the tall, shaggy looking bar tender, who was wiping down the counter, about to close shop. She picked up her drink to let him towel the area where it had been resting. After the bar keep moved on, she set her drink back down and brushed a tear from her amber eye before it ran down through the citrus colored fur on her visage.
Just then, a bell jingled, signaling the door opening. A tall, azure colt, whom she instantly recognised, without even looking back at him, as her neighbor and closest friend, Soarin, strode in, instantly galloping to Spitfires side, sitting in the seat next to hers. He seemed to be more giddy than usual which almost always meant that he had found something "exciting" like free pie from Sugarcube Corner. It was almost always nothing, or just simply something stupid, but she always listened anyway. It's not as if she ever had anything better to do.
"What do you want?" Spitfire said quietly, still not looking up at Soarin
"Spitfire!" Soarin exclaimed "You wouldn't believe what I...were you crying?"
"No..." Spitfire muttered, turning her back to him and wipping yet another tear before it could run down her face "I'm fine...Just hurry up and spill it, will ya?! What did you find this time?"
"Oh...Well anyway, I found another map!" Cheered Soarin. He held up a thin, crinkled piece of parchment.
Spitfire turned back to Soarin to see the map. On it was a map of Equestria with writing in a foreign tongue scribbled in the margins. Her brain was too distracted trying to read the writing that she failed to notice that another tear had run down her face, trickled off the tip of her snout and dripped onto the wood floor below.
"You are crying..." Soarin mumbled, lowering the map.
"No I'm not!" Shouted Spitfire "I'm fine!..."
Soarin sighed. "Yes you are. Now tell me why or I won't let you see the map and I'll go by my self"
"I'm just having a bad day. I dont want to talk about it." Spitfire replied, rubbing her eyes "Now show me the damn map and tell me what it leads to!"
Soarin handed the folded parchment to Spitfire.
"I got it from Daring. She says that she doesn't know where it leads!" Soarin aplauded.
"Daring gave you this?" Asked Spitfire.
Soarin nodded happily.
"And she says that she doesn't know what it leads to?" Continued Spitfire
"Uh huh." Replied Soarin.
Spitfire sighed. "Oh Celestia, you're such a dumbass, Soarin..."
"What? Why?" He asked.
"Daring is a world famous explorer." Spitfire began "Do you honestly believe she would have a map to which she does not know the endpoint of? Even if it is real, she probably already got whatever ancient treasure used to reside there."
Soarin lowered his head glumly.
"Buck up, Soar. Let's go talk to her. We'll see if we can get a real one" Said Spitfire, smiling reassuringly.
She turned to finish off the last sip of her vodka but made the smart choice not to because a cockroach had beaten her to it. Instead, she dropped 3 bits onto the counter to pay for the drink, pushed away from the bar and trotted out the door. Soarin followed close behind.
---***---
Spitfire and Soarin approached the house which belonged to none other than the world famous Ms. Daring Do. It had an extravagantly decorated exterior(see Ext. Description in authors note) that Spitfire had always admired. She and Soarin knew Ms. Do surprisingly well despite the fact that she lived on the other side of town.
Spitfire strolled up to the house and knocked casually upon the thick, eight panel, mahogany door. The knock was answered shortly by the sound of a lock moving and the door opening. A tan, pegasus mare of average height, grey scale mane and a compass rose cutie mark with a broken wing and a pith helmet stood in on the threshhold of the doorway grinning like a cheshire cat.
"Salutations, friends. I see Soarin was fooled by my joke yet again. Though you should have followed the map, that restraunt has the absolutely best cheese cake!" Giggled Daring.
"Yes, yes he did." Chuckled Spitfire, looking back at Soarin. "We came to ask if you happened to have a map that actually lead to actual treasure that you haven't already gone and collected. Do you?"
Daring thought for a moment with her hoof to her chin."Hmmm...I think I might. Come on in." She said, motioning into the house.
The three entered the house and trotted up the stairs to the second story study. Upon entry to the room, the smell of aging treasures, such as a dusty book that resembled a foreign bible, lingered in the room. Old maps and ledgers, along with the treasures and artifacts that they lead to were spread everywhere on stands, shelves and pedistals all around the room. Against the wall in the back corner sat a large chest with a rustic, old time pad lock on it. Daring produced the skeleton key, which opened the lock, from under her pith helmet and inserted it into the lock, turning it with a click. The lock opened and fell off, allowing the latch to flip open and the lid to creek ajar. Inside were rolled and folded pieces of parchment in various sizes with various letterings and designs inscribed upon them.
"These are all the treasures I have maps for that I have not yet gone and found." Said Daring, motioning to the parchment filled chest and smiling "You may have your pick at anything in here and even keep what you find!"
"Thank you, Daring. I never regret coming to see you!" Replied Spitfire, smiling and hugging Daring as she strolled past her. She reached into the chest and pulled out a random map.
"Anything for a great friend!" Daring announced joyously.
"What does this lead to?" Spitfire asked Daring, holding up the parchment.
Daring took the parchment and unfolded it. She stared at it breifly, examing the lines and markings closely.
"Are you familiar with any griffon mythology?" Questioned Daring.
"Um...Not really." Replied Spitfire, now slightly regretting her choice of treasure.
"Oh..." Muttered Daring. She turned and picked up the dusty tome that had been resting upon a pedistal in the center of the room. Hoofing it to Spitfire, she said "This should help. It's a book on Griffon mythology. The parchment that you chose describes the location of The Golden Feather. The feather originally belonged to a great griffon whom reigned over the land with a mighty iron...or should I say, golden claw. It's all in the book, starting on page three fourty-one."
Spitfire accepted the tome hesitantly, almost dropping it due to its sheer weight, which Daring didn't seem to notice. "Thank you...How much of this do I have to read?"
Daring smiled impishly. "three fourty-one through four hundred."
Spitfire was not amused by Darings cheshire grin. She glared as she heaved the massive, burdensome treatise into her saddlebag, which was almost tearing from such a combersome tome.
"I have more supplies to give you." Began Daring "But, it's getting late. You should stay here tonight. I also would like you not to take my fathers book from the house...not to mention that I doubt you could fly with it."
Soaring began to object but Spitfire cut him off. "Thank you for your hospitality. I'll take the couch, Soaring can get a sleeping bag."
"But I..." Soarin began.
"Shut the buck up, Soar." Spitfire interupted. "Home is too far from here to fly at this hour and I'm too tipsy anyway."
Soarin nodded.
The three trotted back down the stairs to prepare for bed.
