//------------------------------// // CHAPTER NINE:A Typical, Non Busy Day // Story: The Bizarre Case Of Minty And Malty // by Speedy //------------------------------// It was a quarter past noon, Tropical Dream and Lily were in the kitchen to clean and dust it to be shiny and make it look brand new. The two seemed to get along well and wouldn’t stop talking. Minty, who was in her candy lab, had taken to earmuffs to get some peace and quiet. She yawned and shook herself awake before pouring some green liquid into a large beaker. She didn’t slept well last night as her mind was plagued with images and thoughts that had made sleeping near impossible. What had Tropical Dream and her mother been talking about? Maybe they were secretly planning to take over her business, or sabotage it, or maybe she was trying to get Amethyst to attend a party? Minty could already hear her mother’s voice, “Thou haveth wasted years of your life with candy, a uncouth lifestyle that your father would surely---” Her nose bumped into her chemical set and she quickly grabbed and stopped them from falling over. She yawned again and knew she was starting to dangerously doze off now. “Where did I put them?” she asked scanning around the room before her eyes settled on a closet. She trotted over and upon opening it she took up a nearby chair. She climbed atop the chair and searched the high shelve that she couldn’t had reached otherwise. It took only a minute before her hooves touched what felt like a tiny box, she pulled it out of hiding and flicked the top off unto the floor. Inside the box where many candy corn-looking peppers, Minty took one of them and waved it under her nose. Some two seconds later a jolt of spicy warmth had surged through her entire system. She hopped off of the chair as if her hooves had touched something very hot, shivering her legs unconsciously stretched as she shook her head furiously and swore her body had deflated. “Ah...these never fail to jolt me awake,” Minty spoke as she wiped sweat off of her brow. “sad they're far too spicy to eat though”. She sat the box of candy peppers in the chair and closed the closet before returning to her experiment as she felt fully awake now. She stirred the green liquid around while simultaneously pouring a bright blue liquid into the same beaker, they mixed and changed into a bright hue of pink. Minty took an single sniff and immediately held her nose, “Note, the smell is awful” she wrote down in her notepad. She stood up and trotted to one of her newer cabinets that she had borrowed from Star Catcher, the only benefit to being hospitalized was that you can get free stuff and Minty had her eye on this particular cabinet for a while now. Inside it were potted plants that looked all too strange and the leaves were polka dotted blue. She took one and balanced it atop her head as she went back to the large table. Being very careful she poured the pink liquid into the pot’s dirt and watched, she grinned as bright and shiny apples began to grow almost immediately. She plucked one and bit into it, she shivered as her tongue was hit with many flavors. She quickly took to her notepad, “A success! My new candy sauce, when combined with my new Eatable Plant experiment, had bloomed apples! I need time to tell the flavors, they went by so fast! P.S, do not tell Pinkie nor Whistle about these”. Minty took another bite from the apple but she still failed in noting the flavors. She took a third bite, using her tongue to roll the small piece back and forth inside her mouth she  managed to point out one single flavor. “Hm, strawberries? Cider? Strawberry cider? Eh, I’ll write it down as both” she spoke aloud. As she wrote her ears had picked up on the sound of laughter, she knew it was Tropical Dream and Lily laughing again. She debated for a moment or two before she trotted up to the double doors, down the grey hallway and stopped at the kitchen door where she peeked through the small window before she opened it. Tropical Dream and Lily were cooking something instead of cleaning, had they finished early or took a break? Suddenly Minty’s nose caught a quick sniff of something that she hoped was pumpkins. Tropical Dream was cutting up carrots by using her hooves instead of her horn, Lily was magically stirring a spoon inside a cooking pot. Minty could hear them talking but it was very muffled, she suddenly remembered her earmuffs and facehooved in stupidity. As she slid them down onto her neck Lily had asked an question, “Minty really did that?” her horn was as bright as an firefly as she spoke. “Just don’t mention it to her, she still blushes about it” giggled Tropical Dream. Minty could only guess at three possible answers to what they were talking about, and none of which she was happy about and she felt a little betrayed that Tropical Dream was joking about one of them. “So, you knew Minty since you were foals?” Tropical Dream had asked. She paused to levitate the cut up carrots into the pot while simultaneously getting a new carrot to chop. “What was she like?” “A total sock maniac” laughed Lily and her horn grew even brighter. “She used to collect them, about the only thing her mother didn’t object too” she added as she extinguished her horn’s glow by using a wet rag that was around her shoulder. “How come?” Tropical Dream asked, her hooves pausing in place. Lily shrugged. “I never asked, Minty seemed to find joy in her socks. You know, one Hearth Warming she felt so bad about something she had done, she thought giving away her socks would make up for it”. Minty blushed, she remembered that Hearth Warming Eve all too well. She was surprised Lily even remembered it, though she admitted to herself it was a pretty big night. “Minty tried to find Santa?” her head had jerked back up at Tropical Dream’s voice so fast that her neck cramped up, surely Lily wasn’t telling her that bit, was she? “Yeah, and nearly got herself and Whistle killed in the progress. Ever wondered where Whistle got her fear of clouds from?” asked Lily. “My...that must’ve been a intensed Hearth Warming.” spoke Tropical Dream, “Ouch!” she added, suddenly cutting herself. “And that’s why I use magic,” Lily giggled for only a second until she suddenly gasped. “oh dear that’s a little---um---deep”. Minty fully opened the door and galloped up to Tropical Dream who, along with Lily, jumped at her entry. “Oh Tropical, hold on I’ll get the first aid kit” Minty spoke. Minty trotted to the other end of the kitchen, ducked under the counter and dug through various items. “Was she eavesdropping?” whispered Lily. Tropical Dream just shook her head, “I never knew her as the type” she replied. “Found it!” Minty mumbled, carrying the first aid kit with her teeth. “Tropical, I know it burns but please hold your leg still” Lily told her friend who had jerked and yelped as they disinfected the cut. Minty usually was the one to wrap up the cuts and bruises, but Lily’s magic was faster than her hooves were. Tropical Dream bit her lip and held back another yelp as the bandage was tightly tied. “That should do it, you might wanna refrain from cutting with your bare hooves for a bit.” Lily spoke, placing everything back into the kit. “Will do, you always say that but you never do it!” Minty snapped at Tropical Dream before she had even spoke. “Oh come now Minty, surely she’ll be more careful” Lily chuckled as she levitated the first aid kit across the room and tucked it back where Minty had found it. “Mind telling me how she cut herself in the first place?” Minty asked. She took a sniff from the cooking pot and grinned widely. “We were talking and I just got distracted” answered Tropical Dream. As she held her bandaged hoof in the other she now knew why Minty had hated that eyepatch so much. “What were you talking about?” Minty asked suddenly. “I heard you two laughing from my candy lab”. “Were we that loud?” Lily asked as she clearly made a fake gasp. “Well I was telling her about that Hearth Warming where you broke the---” “Well I’m sure it was pretty funny, my mom sure didn’t found it funny, did she, Tropical?” Minty casted a stare over to Tropical Dream who nervously didn’t make eye contact with her. “Tropical Dream wasn’t there, wait were you?” Tropical Dream started to shake her head no but paused for a second or two, then she just shrugged. “Well, if you were then why were you acting as if it was brand new to you?” “Well, I wasn’t there per-say...but---” “Maybe my mom told you, when you went to see her last night?” Minty interrupted her orange friend. Lily casted a very suspicious and shocked glare, “Did you really?” she asked Tropical Dream. “I wanted to see if she would attend a Hearth Warming party” Tropical Dream answered. She was still avoiding eye contact with Minty and had lowered her head. “Well, I should ask Pinkie Pie if she could use my eatable socks as decorations?” Minty grinned wickedly. “Oh no Minty!” Tropical Dream grabbed her mouth, surprised she had out bursted she added “I mean---it was meant to be a surprise party, you know how she gets when you break promises”. Minty raised an eyebrow and suddenly sighed, if she had made a promise herself she would rather lie than face Pinkie Pie’s wrath. “Tropical, you would never lie to me, right?” she asked, sounding quite mute. There was a quick silence, Minty thought that Tropical Dream looked odd but she couldn’t place her hoof on why. Lily remained silent as she thought it’d be best not to interrupt. Tropical Dream felt scared and very worried, she looked down at the floor but the very next instant she looked over at Lily who had mouthed something to her that luckily Minty hadn’t noticed. Tropical Dream nodded, took a small gulp and spoke “No, I wouldn’t lie to you”. “Then, do you know where my mom lives right now?” Minty asked. She thought that this was the best possible, and safest, way to see where she might had been yesterday. Tropical Dream wasn’t sure why Minty had asked her that, it almost felt out of character for her but she assumed that she had seemed out of character herself lately. “Well, I don’t know where she lives.” Tropical Dream politely answered. At seeing Minty’s reaction, which had made her look like she was just slipped, Tropical Dream quickly added   “But, I heard it was near Dragon Town”. “Dragon To-surely she doesn’t live in Dragon Town,” Lily started but paused to levitate a water bottle that was half empty from the counter. “very few ponies do and for good reason”. “Well, that doesn’t really matter” spoke Minty. She didn’t really care where her mother lived as long as she doesn’t bump into her, in fact she could live anywhere for all she cared. “Thanks for telling me Tropical, sorry if I seemed a bit harsh” Minty bowed a little bit as she spoke. She realized how silly it must had seemed to be bowing and straighten herself up with an blushing chuckle. “A bit har-come now Minty, you would never be harsh!” Lily laughed and Tropical Dream nodded in agreement. “Well, when you two are done with---whatever you’re cooking, I have a new candy you could help taste test!” Minty said with a smile. “Really?” Tropical Dream almost gasped in surprise. “Wow Minty, you usually test your candy by yourself. Why the sudd---oh dear!” Tropical Dream pointed to the cooking pot which had began smoking excessively. Lily gasped, “We were suppose to take that out by now!” she shouted as she galloped over and after turning off the oven she levitated the pot upward and placed it on another stove eye. “There goes our carrot stew..” Tropical Dream signed shaking her head. “I hate starting over”. “I agree, hm it doesn’t look too ba---” Lily paused as she turned around to face Minty who was laughing herself into an fit. “What’s so funny Mints?” “I don’t know, guess it’s just fun to see others mess up for a change.” Minty replied in between her laughter. Tropical Dream was about to make a smart reply but instead ended up tilting her head at Lily. “Mints?” “Oh, that’s her childhood nickname.” replied Lily. “Well one of them, wanna hear the other?” All at once Minty had went from a laughing foal to an enraged mare. “You better not! You ankle promised you would let that name die!” Both Lily and Tropical Dream bursted out laughing and Minty blushed heavily, her nose steamed as she stared at the floor. “W-W-Wh-what is a ankle promise?” Tropical Dream asked. Minty honestly felt they were going overboard with the laughter now. “Is it like Pinkie’s Pinkie Promise?”