Soon enough, the chest stopped rattling. Crosspatch took a sip of tea to ease her throat. Fluttershy calmed down.
“It must have been dust,” she said.
She stepped off the tablecloth and onto the gondola floor. She found that there was so much dust about, that she wasn’t even leaving hoof prints.
“It wasn’t a ghost that attacked Crosspatch,” she said. “It must’ve been some kind of bird.”
Discord slinked out from behind Tree Hugger. “How rude. This is a private party.”
“If birds have been nesting in here, then we’re the trespassers,” said Tree Hugger.
“I’d have said we could share our biscuits with them if one of them hadn’t tried to scratch me,” groaned Crosspatch.
Fluttershy took a few steps towards the dark corner of the gondola the attacker had been flung into.
“Hello? Are you alright?”
No reply or movement.
“You should apologize, Crosspatch,” insisted Tree Hugger.
“Oh, sure. Sorry I’m immune to unwarranted scratches and bites,” Crosspatch griped. “How about you calm the idiot down with your sonic bliss?”
“Isn’t that what prompted the attack in the first place?” inquired Discord.
“Oh, yeah. You missed her, stupid bird.”
Fluttershy ventured forward and walked around the chest towards the dark corner. The chest made no noise or movements.
“It’s alright,” Fluttershy said softly. “We’re not gonna hurt you. My friend didn’t mean to throw you backwards. She can’t help it. It just happens whenever she gets attacked.”
“Chirpy’s just lucky he didn’t attack me by accident,” Discord whispered to Tree Hugger and Crosspatch. “I’ve got my own built-in defence mechanism. It makes the attacker break dance involuntarily.”
Tree Hugger and Crosspatch stifled their snickers as Fluttershy kept her eyes peeled for movement in the dark gondola corner. Then, out of the shadows came a small grey cat.
“It’s a kitty,” beamed Fluttershy, extending a hoof to the small animal.
“A cat? Why is there a cat in an airship?” asked Crosspatch. “Did you plant one here, Discord?”
“You’d know if I planted something here,” smirked Discord.
“Airship crews liked to have cats aboard,” said Tree Hugger. “They kept the rats from chewing on ropes.”
“I think you’re thinking of water ships,” said Crosspatch. “What kind of ropes would they have aboard airships?”
“Anchor ropes. Sandbag ropes. Tow ropes,” said Tree Hugger.
“Fascinating,” Discord scratched his chin.
The cat wouldn’t let Fluttershy pet him.
“How did you get on this ship?” asked Fluttershy.
The cat just hissed. Fluttershy turned to her fellow picnickers.
“He won’t answer,” she said.
Her back wasn’t turned to the cat for long before he took a swipe at her. She yelped and jumped backwards.
“Man. That cat’s a total square,” Tree Hugger groaned.
The cat meowed in an aggravated way.
“He said he wants to go back to land,” said Fluttershy.
“So he doesn’t live here. How’d he get here?” asked Crosspatch.
Fluttershy could see the cat was in an ugly mood and most likely wouldn’t answer.
“I could take you home if you like,” she offered.
The cat’s grumpy face lightened and he stepped towards Fluttershy. He meowed again.
“Was that an obscene insult?” asked Discord.
“No. He said it doesn’t matter where I leave him,” Fluttershy replied, “as long as it’s solid ground. I’ll just take him somewhere beneath this air ship.”
The cat jumped onto Fluttershy’s back and sunk his claws into her.
“Ow!”
Discord produced a grey apple out of nowhere and held it out to Fluttershy.
“Oh, quit it,” groaned Crosspatch over Tree Hugger’s giggling.
The view was lovely. Fluttershy completely forget that she was carrying a moody cat stuck to her back for a moment.
“So many lanterns down in that village,” she said. “It’s like there’s two skies. I wonder what village this is.”
As Fluttershy descended, she couldn’t see any ponies about. Perhaps everypony in town was in bed.
“I guess I’ll have to be quiet down here as well,” she said, glancing up at the REF Palimpsest, which was partially obscured by the clouds in the red/purple sky.
When she touched down onto the dirt path that ran through the village, the cat meowed, which Fluttershy understood to mean “I can find my way home from here.”
“Alright. Goodbye,” Fluttershy said warmly as the cat retracted his claws from her back and walked away.
She watched the cat walk down the path for a moment before taking one last look around the peaceful village.
“I hope the next time the Cutie Map sends me somewhere, it’s this place,” she said. “Although, I don’t know what could cause strife in such a pretty town as this. Then again, Starlight’s village looked trouble-free too before we found out why everypony looked so happy.”
She took to the air back towards the REF Palimpsest. As she got closer, she realised that the airship itself was just as photogenic as the village. Fluttershy had never felt this way while flying before. She was usually so worried about being so high above the ground that she had hardly ever stopped to admire the view. She was so dazzled by the Palimpsest, she circled around it once before returning to the gondola.
When she re-entered, she found it was deserted. The table cloth and tea fixins were gone, and Discord, Tree Hugger, and Crosspatch were nowhere to be seen.
“Huh? Where is everyone?”
A hole suddenly opened beneath her. She fell into it and found herself inside a tube slide, which slanted, twisted, and turned for a minute before opening into a short pool in Ponyville. Discord, Tree Hugger, and Crosspatch was standing at the end.
“Sorry to cut our little get-together short,” said Discord, “but I’m a bit behind on my crazy-sleep. I’ll meet you ladies tomorrow and we’ll have some more fun then.”
And he flew into the slide, the only part of which was visible was the exit. The hole vanished as soon as he disappeared into it. None of the mares said anything as they returned home. They were all quite tired themselves, and a little shook up by the evening’s events. Crosspatch led Tree Hugger back to her house without a word, and Fluttershy went to her cottage feeling exhausted, but pleased. The only time she spoke for the rest of the night was when she told Angel where she’d been upon her return.
“I’ve just had the best picnic ever.”
Tree Hugger spent the following day observing Scavenger as he lounged about at home, and for an hour on duty when Crosspatch was called upon to chase an osprey from Seafoam’s koi pond. She was glad that Scavenger was getting plenty of exercise, and that Crosspatch had invested in a hefty supply of dietetic food for him. Fluttershy dropped by Crosspatch’s house that evening, and found her and Tree Hugger in the backyard with Scavenger. Tree Hugger was just saying that she’d like to see how Scavenger gets on in the evenings.
“No! We’re supposed to be with Discord,” Fluttershy interjected, landing in the backyard.
“Oh, yeah,” smiled Tree Hugger. “He’ll probably have some far out activity planned for us.”
“I hope so,” said Fluttershy.
Crosspatch chuckled. “Me too. I actually enjoyed myself last night. I thought Discord was scary at first, but he does such funny stuff with his magic, I don’t mind being around him so much anymore. I mean, that way he sends you mail… hilarious.”
“Yeah. And until he came along, I never would have thought that there are some animals in this world that are just plain jerks,” said Tree Hugger.
“And I liked being on the Palimpsest,” said Fluttershy. “I felt… excited on that ship. I was terrified to start with, but then I found out how beautiful it was. I’d love to picnic up there again.”
“Did Scavenger just lay an egg?” asked Tree Hugger.
When Fluttershy and Crosspatch looked at the round white object next to Scavenger, they quickly learned that it was one of Discord’s jokes. The creature himself hatched from the egg and perched himself on a coop he conjured from nowhere.
“I gleaned a great deal from our get-together myself,” he said. “I got to learn about airship cats from Hugsy, and I got to see Patchy’s zap apple magic for myself. It was such a thrill watching it catapult that cat away. Why I’ll bet that defence could even ward me off.”
And without warning, he sprang forward and took a swipe at Crosspatch. Sure enough, the two of them tensed up, Crosspatch’s eyes flashed multi-colour, and sparks ignited all over her body. Moments later, Discord was shot backwards into the sky. Along his way, he stretched his arms, reached down to the ground, and grabbed Crosspatch, Tree Hugger, and Fluttershy. He carried the three mares with him along the way through the sky, and they sailed through a gondola window and landed on a floor caked with dust. They were back aboard the REF Palimpsest.
“Welcome back, ladies,” chirped Discord, not appearing phased at all by the force of Crosspatch’s magic.
He made a tablecloth and multiple pie dishes appear.
“Didn’t we just do this?” asked Crosspatch.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, man,” said Tree Hugger. “We had biscuits last time. Those are quiches.”
“I believe I heard Fluttershy say she’d like for the four of us to eat up here again,” said Discord.
Fluttershy was delighted. “Thank you, Discord. This is gonna be so much fun.”
It didn’t take long for Fluttershy to realise that this wasn’t to be. It wasn’t nearly as much fun this time around. They all knew to keep their voices down so they didn’t disturb the treasure chest, there were no animals aboard to pounce on any of them, and when Fluttershy flew out to admire the view, she didn’t find it as attractive as she had last night.
“Maybe you were just so happy to find out it was a cool-looking ship after being so terrified of it at first,” Tree Hugger suggested when Fluttershy told them this.
“Maybe,” sighed Fluttershy.
“Disappointed?” asked Discord. “I mean, this is what you wanted, isn’t it? To do the exact same thing as we did yesterday evening?”
Fluttershy smiled. “I think I made a mistake. I didn’t realise it wouldn’t be as fun so soon. It’s just not the same knowing what to expect. I guess if you do something you enjoy too often, the novelty can wear off.”
Crosspatch and Tree Hugger agreed, and Discord showed no sign of annoyance.
“In that case, what’s say we leave these quiches behind and go with Tree Hugger’s plan of watching Scavenger?”
He didn’t wait for a response. He teleported the four of them away, leaving their second meal aboard the Palimpsest barely touched.
Tree Hugger didn’t stay in Ponyville for as long as she’d intended. Discord joked that she must have been sick of hearing Rainbow Dash’s voice, which went from disappointed to excited when she learned that the release date was going to be sooner. Tree Hugger decided she was satisfied with how Scavenger was being looked after, and presented Crosspatch was an Equestrian Society for the Preservation of Magical Creatures stamp of approval for owning a cockatrice as a pet. Crosspatch, Fluttershy, and Discord gave Tree Hugger a nice send off the day she left.
“I’ll be sure to scope out another stimulating picnic location for your next visit,” said Discord.
“Groovy,” smiled Tree Hugger.
“Are you still looking for something to inspire you for the next Nightmare Night, Fluttershy?” asked Crosspatch.
“Oh, no. I decided I’ll keep my promise to my friends,” replied Fluttershy. “But I think I’d enjoy picnicking in a dark, scary place again, as long as I stagger these get-togethers.”
“Sounds fine,” shrugged Crosspatch.
“Glad I could find something all four of us can enjoy,” said Discord. “In moderation, of course.”
Fluttershy wasn’t a Daring Do fan despite knowing that the stories weren’t fictional, but the title of her next release grabbed her attention when Rainbow Dash zoomed around town clutching her freshly bought copy.
“Daring Do & the REF Palimpsest?!”
The blimp on the cover looked incredibly familiar. She asked if she could join Rainbow Dash as she read the book for the first time. Rainbow read aloud in her most dramatic voice, which fitted the story to a tee. She was getting through the story quickly, and when she reached the point where Ahuizotl had tied up and gagged Daring Do and shut her in a wooden chest, several passages peaked Fluttershy’s interest.
“A high-pitched scream infiltrated the chest, prompting Daring to raise her head and peer through the key hole. All she could see was a white vapour. She lowered her head again, her mind racing to the old legends of pirates and ghosts. They were sure to be attracted to a large wooden chest like the one she was imprisoned in. She heard an eerie noise; not a scream like before, but she was sure it was a voice. As she raised her head to peek through the key hole again, there was a flash of light, and something white flew towards the chest. Panic absorbed Daring Do. She thrashed about inside the chest, unable to break free of her bonds. Soon, her depleting energy gave out, and she lied on the bottom of the chest, allowing her fear to grip her soul.”
The next few paragraphs were difficult for Fluttershy to listen to, as they descried an anxiety and hunger that she didn’t think she could cope with herself. Eventually, another part of the story caught Fluttershy off guard.
“She rolled over in her sleep, and awoke with a start. Her head was resting on her left foreleg. She realised that she hadn’t eaten for so long, she’d lost so much weight, the ropes weren’t constricting her anymore. She wriggled out, took the hanky off her mouth, and felt around the dark chest. Her long sleep had rejuvenated her enough to conserve her energy despite the ache in her stomach, and the nightmare she’d had only made her more determined to break free. It took her four tries. She threw her whole weight against the lid of the chest, and broke free at last. Her nose was immediately filled with the smell of fresh quiche. Without a care for where it came from, without worry that it might have been placed there by ghosts and that it was somehow cursed, she lunged for the neatly spread chequered tablecloth, seized a tin, and shovelled quiche into her mouth.”
That grey cat… thought Fluttershy. What if it was just covered in dust?
Fluttershy knew that Rainbow Dash wouldn’t approve of what she felt like doing, so she bought her own copy of Daring Do & the REF Palimpsest.
Discord was playing a hydra’s heads like a drum kit when an entire book dropped out of his nose.
“Has my dear little Fluttershy sent me a recommendation?” he chuckled as he inspected the book.
He saw that some of the pages were bookmarked with yellow feathers. He found a number of highlighted parts of the story, and on the very last page, she had written “Care to explain?” with her highlighter. Discord took his antler from his head, clicked it, and wrote a response under Fluttershy’s inquiry.
“Well, I figured if the atmosphere aboard the Palimpsest didn’t inspire you,” he dictated with a smirk, “we might provide somepony else with some much needed inspiration. Besides, it’s not the first time I’ve meddled with Miss Do’s affairs.”