Four days had passed since Edward’s murder and neither Amethyst nor Malty had yet been found. Despite Star Catcher’s best efforts to stop news of the event from spreading it had been leaked out and now the whole city knew. Rumors and gossip had started up almost like a bug infestation and soon enough it had reached outside the city, Star Catcher’s efforts to solve the crime now became much more important than her duties as mayor.
It was going on past four thirty and Whistle couldn’t help but hear every little word as she trotted about the town. Ponies knew she and Malty were friends and some seemed to believe they were in cahoots.
“Going to see your buddy? Hope you won’t be next” she had heard one of them speak.
She ignored her desire to buck him and pressed on. The sky was still more cloudy than she would had liked, being stuck on the ground irritated her more than ever today. She turned a corner and saw two familiar stallions talking to a shop owner, she quickly ducked back around the corner but they had seen her. They called out but she galloped, she took a quick glance behind her and saw that they were following. She galloped faster, they tried getting her attention but she kept on ignoring them.
She had turned another corner when her hoof got caught on a gardener’s hose and she tripped, her face slammed against the concrete. The two stallions caught up and Whistle tried untangling her hoof but one of the two grabbed the hose, he pulled and tightened it. The gardener insisted they stop but they bared their teeth and he fled like an frighten chicken. They demanded where Malty was, Whistle cried for help and when it seemed as if they were about to drag her off, it came.
A pony came from behind and socked one of them behind the skull and they too face planted the concrete. Whistle’s eyes widen, the pony slammed down her cane and spoke in a loud growl.
“If I ever see you harming her again, I promise, you’ll see Edward soon enough!” the two stallions yelped stumbling over the other as they got up and galloped off. “Hmp, stupid stallions”.
“Malty! T-Thank you..” Whistle sighed in relieve. Malty turned and began untangling her hoof.
“What are you doing here?” Malty asked as Whistle’s hoof became free. “This is the High Class section, the dragons would be more hospitable”.
Whistle suddenly went for a hug but Malty had pushed her off to avoid being choked. Whistle puffed but shrugged it off.
“This was the last place I figured you’d be,” started Whistle. “hadn’t you heard---”
“Indeed, I have” Malty interrupted as she casted stares around them. “Listen, now may not be the best time to catch up. Follow me”.
Malty led Whistle further up this section of town, they took to the alleyways and once or twice Malty had halted Whistle to see if the close was clear. After about two minutes they had arrived at a towering building with, from what Whistle could tell, an extremely sharp needle atop the roof. They entered the back door and climbed the emergency staircase until they had reached the twenty fifth floor.
Malty peeked through the door and nodded that the close was clear. She went to the fourth door down, took a key from her coat pocket had to pull Whistle inside as she was about to say hi to somepony who had appeared in the hallway.
“Why were we sneaking?” Whistle asked which resulted in Malty snorting a slight laugh.
“You must know, it seems new gossip started about me and Amethyst” Malty spoke as she took off her hat and placed it atop a hanger by her bedroom.
Whistle saw her mane flop down for the first time since they had met. She hadn’t noticed how long it was and it looked ten times more messy than usual, which she already thought was an impossible feet. Malty trotted off into the living room and climbed atop a sofa that looked similar to the one she and Sparkleworks had tossed out an year ago, it even had the same ripped fabric so Whistle assumed it was the same sofa.
Whistle found it was cool to see an friend had took something that to her had countless memories sewed into it.
As she trotted over to the sofa she suddenly noticed Malty had kept her overcoat on, and feeling quite sweaty herself she was about to ask her “Didn’t you forget your jacket?” but trailed off as her eyes met the rest of the room.
It looked to had been fairly neat but half of it was recently turned upside down. Some dressers were on the floor and a few shelves were tossed aside, the carpet, which was fuzzy and dark purple, was all twisted and rolled up to the middle where it was more flaten.
“Sorry the place is a mess, hadn’t been a good last few days” Malty spoke breaking Whistle out of the trance the room had brought on.
“This is your home?” she asked hovering next to Malty on the sofa.
“Yeah, heh, really need to clean it don’t I?” Malty chuckled.
“It looks familiar..” Whispered Whistle. She just couldn’t shake an annoying feeling that she had seen this apartment somewhere before.
Malty jumped down and kicked at the carpet, “Forgive me, you wanted to ask about the proper lessons, correct?” she asked while straightening it out.
Whistle shook her head. “I was worried, you hadn’t been seen in days”.
Malty raised her head before she just shrugged. “Ah, well you see, it wouldn’t had been a prime idea to roam the streets”.
“Why not?” after she asked this Whistle had caught a strange look in Malty’s eyes.
“Well, Amethyst hadn’t been seen either, and already gossipers assumed I’m the murderer.“ Malty laughed loudly. “These ponies are always so quick to assume, it’s almost funny”.
Whistle shrugged as she hovered down and took the carpet’s other end. She pulled along with Malty and brushed it with her tail to remove any rickles. While doing this she said “I don’t believe it was you” to which Malty raised an eyebrow at her.
“You think it was Amethyst, then?” she asked.
For a fraction of a second Whistle looked like a still photo of an extremely guilty suspect and on the very next frame she shook her head. “Of course not”.
Malty laughed, stroking her mane backwards and off of her face she spoke “Don’t be so sure”.
“Huh?” Whistle asked tilting her head curiously. “What do you---”
“We may be friends now, sort of, but you hardly know me. I doubt you even remember how Amethyst was like. My dear, you need to be better open to stuff you find hard to believe” Malty explained. Whistle stared at her, the gears in her head were so visible Malty couldn’t help but utter another laugh. “You are so gullible, it’s rather cute”.
Whistle blushed, she hated how easy it was to trick or confuse her. She opened her mouth, closed it and then reopened it, finding the right words when embarassed was proving to be hard.
“Do you think Amethyst did it?” she finally asked. Malty ceased her laughter and looked rather surprised at the question.
“I do know, in fact I hold hardly know without doubt that she was not involved” Malty answered. It was now that Whistle had finally noticed her voice sounded rather hoarse.
“Know where she is?” Whistled asked. “Star Catcher’s been loo---”
“She’ll never find her” interrupted Malty.
“What?” Whistle tilted her head as Malty had turned her gaze away from her.
“Nevermind” Malty spoke. After what felt like a full minute she looked back and asked “You really can’t remember her?”
“Remember Amethyst? I never met her” Whistle answered. She wasn’t sure why everybody kept asking this one question, why can’t anypony just believe her word?
Malty could tell by just looking at Whistle that she was being honest and also knew that she was totally wrong, but it was what she believed. Malty could just tell her the truth, that she did know Amethyst but she simply wouldn’t remember and thus assume Malty was lying.
Flicking her mane she trotted into the other room. “I dare say, Minty won’t miss her at all, she probably skipped town or is in hiding as well”.
Malty trotted back some moments later with many books and a dining tray in her forelegs. She stopped and casted a glare behind her but then turned immediately to Whistle who had noticed a shrug in her shoulders. Whistle didn’t bother asking more questions and felt like she shouldn’t had even brought it up. Over the course of a hour they had resumed the lessons and Malty was somewhat surprised at Whistle’s new efforts.
“Amazing, five books and yet your limbs are steady” Malty spoke surprised.
Whistle went to nod but felt the weight of the books and immediately froze. She felt her legs itching to move but she fought against them, sweat started forming and the weight felt like it had doubled. Malty smirked, Whistle wasn’t sure how she kept from falling over when Malty, by some strange miracle, had slid the tray under her single standing hoof.
“You noticed it had an impression, balancing is more difficult when it feels as if you’re atop a small surface” spoke Malty. Her smirk grew wider as she placed more books atop Whistle’s head by the use of her cane.
As the cane passed by her face Whistle suddenly noticed it seemed different somehow. Malty’s cane should round out into a ball for the handle, but this one is more flat and had a curve to it. She pointed it out and Malty snapped her head to face Whistle, then she held the cane up as if it were an sword.
“Ah, you noticed. I seemed to had lost the other, doesn’t really matter as this one was a gift from Amethyst” Malty answered.
“Oh really?” Whistle asked. She immediately lost focus and fell over, the books fell atop her like hail.
“Ugh..and you were doing so well too” Malty shook her head as she spoke.
Whistle’s sorry was muffled by a book covering her face. Malty picked the tray up, trotted into the kitchen and came back. The tray was now stacked with food and drinks. She dropped them on the table which she had pushed back against the sofa, she then handed Whistle a knife and fork.
“Let’s see if you had been practicing” Malty spoke as she nudged a plate of steaming hot steak to Whistle.
Whistle looked at the utensils in her fore hooves and dug them into the steak, she started cutting but had flinched back suddenly. “Don’t add too much force” she whispered to herself. As she gripped the utensils once more her mind traveled to Approval and focused on a similar scene it had to this one.
She saw the paragraph reading itself out in her thoughts and she followed them like instructions. Treating the steak like a gentle butterfly she began cutting and stopped the knife once she had made a square. She lifted it with the fork, slowly moved it to her mouth and bit into it by the edges of her teeth. Malty was amazed as before Whistle couldn’t even stop breaking the plates.
Malty’s smirk turned in a genuine smile and as she patted Whistle on the back she spoke “You did very wel--um Whistle? There was bone? Tartarus’ sake, well, at least your posture and mannerism was good” she patted her back once more before cutting into her own steak. “I suppose my book did indeed help you?”
Whistle nodded, cutting her steak she made sure there was no more bones before taking a bite. Whistle smiled, then took a soft sigh. She looked at the steak and then at the utensils, her mind had drifted off to her mother and the times she had attempted to teach her these very lessons. Her hooves gripped the utensils tightly before resting them beside the plate, Malty was in the midst of cutting into another piece when she had took notice.
She placed the fork down and tapped the tablecloth to her lips. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
Whistle at first just shrugged, then she asked “Do you think my mom would be, happy?”
Malty’s lip had a strange curl as she answered “You mean about this? Of course she would be proud you’re learning---”
“N-No.” Whistle interrupted her friend. “I mean about---me”.
“..Whistle” Malty whispered. She wrapped a hoof around Whistle’s shoulders, as her friend stared into her face she nodded and raised Whistle’s chin with the other hoof. “She would be the proudest mother ever”.
“Malty---thanks” Whistle gave a soft smile. The two hugged and Whistle, although she wasn’t sure why, felt safe in her friend’s embrace. “Say, your hug, it feels just like Min---”
Suddenly Malty jolted and grasped her chest. Whistle didn’t need to ask why as she flew up asked where her meds were. “N-No bother...no need, I mean..” Malty mumbled as she rolled off of the sofa with a thud and started to drag herself to an open door in the back.
“Is that your room? Are they in there?” Whistle asked hovering past Malty and into the room before her friend could even answer.
“W-Whistle! Get out--of---there...” Malty suddenly collapsed as she grasped her chest even tighter.
Whistle was frantically searching the room, pulling the dressers apart and looking in all the obvious places where medicine might be. She landed on the floor and was about to look under the bed but as she gripped the covers Malty’s cry of pain interrupted her. Whistle leapt and saw her lying on the floor, she began galloping over but just then her eyes had caught a glimpse of a small chest that was just barely visible from behind the door.
She kneeled down and opened it, her frown grew at seeing it was just filled with candy. She slammed the top shut but had almost immediately reopened it as she stared back and forth from Malty and the chest. An idea hit her as she flew over, taking one of the candy she slammed it down Malty’s throat. She gagged, coughed, and then she sighed in relieve as she loosened the grip on her chest.
Whistle was so relieved she could had fallen over and pass out herself, as she helped Malty to stand up she held the chest of candy into her face. “You have Hypoglycemia, why didn’t you just say so!”
Breathing normally once more Malty choked as she answered “It’s embarrassing---ugh my chest---needing to eat sugar to keep from entering a coma, it’s not something you just share, my dear”.
“Well! Minty has it, why do you think she eats like ten peppermints a afternoon?” Whistle returned sternly. “Wait a second..” Whistle casted a second glance at the chest’s contents, they were all peppermints with blue and green coloring. “This color, they look like Minty’s exper-what you call it candy…” Whistle stared up at Malty like she couldn’t believe her eyes. “You took them?”
“Of course not! I’m merely just testing them, yes, a taste tester” Malty returned heatedly. She stumbled to the kitchen and made a glass of water that she gulped down as if she had been in the desert for months.
“Minty never uses taste testers, she told me it was too dangerous”. spoke Whistle.
“Well, I suppose dangerous for you” Malty replied as she gulped down a second glass of water. “I suppose that’s enough for today” Whistle nodded in agreement as she hovered over to help her friend trot. “You did very well, I dare say you should show your friends at dinner”
***
The very next afternoon Whistle did just that, with Minty’s help they had invited nearly all of their friends to dinner. The location, while nowhere close to a manor, the dining room could had easily been stolen from one. It was large and was likely able to fit thirty ponies quite easily with pretty of elbow room, the walls and floor were made of marble and reflected the scented candles so beautifully it looked unreal. Hanging over the long and wooden table was a chandelier, the candle coverings had cuts in them and when spun around the shadows casted from them danced about the room with perfect harmony.
Everypony was surprised as they had never seen such a room before. “I still can’t believe Malty lent this to you” spoke Sparkleworks, her eyes widen by the dancing shadows.
Whistle giggled and hovered over to the table. After twenty minutes had passed the butlers had closed the dining doors, Whistle looked about her friends and was a bit letdown that a few were missing.
Suddenly the doors reopened and a pony trotted in, “Sorry I’m late..somepony was trying to sneak candy” spoke Tropical Dream who looked behind at Minty who looked quite sugar deprived.
“I only wanted to bring one peppermint” she whispered to Tropical Dream as they trotted over to the table.
“Psst, and ruin dinner? I think not” Tropical Dream returned.
As the two were seated Whistle leaned in and asked Minty “Where’s Lily?”
Minty shrugged as she replied “Beats me, she hadn’t showed for work since three days ago”.
“I believe Star Catcher is quite busy as well, that’s why she’s not here” spoke Tropical Dream who had overheard the two.
The butlers trotted by the table, levitating trays upon trays of food about the table and many mouths watered at the sight of food that they had never even heard of before. Another butler set about dining utensils, as Whistle picked her’s up she casted one more stare around the table.
Minty, who had already started to cut into her food, took notice and asked her “What’s wrong?”
“Malty’s not here, this was her idea so I wonder where she could be?” Whistle answered looking a little crestfallen.
Sparkleworks leaned over and whispered “I suppose she didn’t want to see Star Catcher, what with being a suspect. Perhaps she just didn’t want to be seen?”
Whistle sighed a little, she had hoped to show Malty for who she really was and thought it would had helped in ceasing the latest gossip. Since she likely wasn’t going to show Whistle had to force her mind to focus like Malty had told her to do in every lesson. The last thing she wanted was to mess up now of all times. As they ate Whistle demonstrated how to properly eat and more than a few tried mimicking her with most failing and ended up with broken plates instead.
Ponies laughed as they blushingly hide the plates and Whistle, who had broken more than her fair share, laughed along side them. Luckily a few of the butlers magically repaired the plates, although they did so grudgingly. Some of Whistle’s friends had brought their foals and every single one of them were very messy eaters, across the room they could hear and see the butlers growling with head shakes. One of the foals was holding a small stack of hay that she mistakenly dropped and as she hopped down to get it her rear had bumped the table tipping her cup over.
Whistle leaned down to help pick it up but she suddenly froze. Her eyes locking dead center on the orange contents and, for just a moment, she felt an itch to jump and lick it all up. How could she or Malty have forgotten to teach Whistle the hardest lesson of all, to ignore her urges for orange juice? It seemed quite obvious to had brought it up but they hadn’t, throughout all the eating and drinking lessons how did this one simple detail slip them both? Her forelegs were shaking in anticipation, her mouth had already began drooling, the dinner utensils fell from her hooves as she clenched them together.
“Do it” she heard her inner voice speak, “You hadn’t drunk orange juice in days and this is the perfect moment...drink it, drink it now! ”
“Whistle?” came Sparkleworks’ voice that had broken the silence that had fallen.
Whistle snapped around to face her and suddenly, at seeing her concern face, it felt as if a wall had shattered and she returned to the dining room. She peered around the table and saw her friends staring, then she turned back to Sparkleworks and her focus became even stronger. Biting her lip rather hard she fought her instincts and held her shaking hooves down upon the table, Sparkleworks laid a hoof on her’s and for a third time Whistle looked up at her.
“Oh forgive me, my daughter’s only three..” spoke the foal’s mother who had begun wiping up the spilled juice.
Shaking uncontrollably Whistle forced herself to nod slowly. “No worries---it’s just juice” she forced herself to say with great difficulty.
Whistle heard gasping but she kept her eyesight focused on Sparkleworks, fearing that if she broke eye contact that she would lose control of herself.
“She’s resisting orange juice?” spoke one of the ponies.
“She’s usually on the floor gulping it down by now, Celestia she had changed!” spoke another.
Sparkleworks smiled and Whistle’s shaking body had ceased at once, she felt completely normal all of a sudden as she felt a huge weight being lifted. She returned the smile, taking a leap of faith she turned over to the mother who was still cleaning up the mess her foal had made. Whistle hovered over and to everypony’s third surprise of the evening they saw her take up a napkin and helped the mother clean up.
Soon after an waitress trotted over and levitated what was left of the orange juice into the air and left the room with it. The mother thanked Whistle as she returned to her foal who was neck deep into ice cream that the waitress had brought over.
“You helped clean?” Sparkleworks’ mouth fell open as Whistle retook her seat as well. “Y-You never---you actually, grown, since you saw Malty”.
Whistle gently smiled and hugged Sparkleworks who was genuinely surprised that her grip was lighter than normal. Hours had passed rather quickly as by the time everypony was starting to have fun it was time to leave. Soon enough only a few ponies remained, mostly to help clean up and to continue chatting.
“Malty has Hypoglycemia?” asked Minty who was collecting the plates along with Tropical Dream.
“Yeah, she doesn’t get heart pains at all. Well she did grab her chest so---by the way Mints.” Whistle took a pause as she threw the plates atop her back into the sink. “She said you gave her candy to taste test”.
“She eats my candy? I’m spee--wait what!?” Minty’s plates fell as she jumped around, Tropical Dream just barely caught them in time. “I don’t use taste testers! You know that!”
“Well, that’s what she said..” Whistle whimpered.
“Well, it was a lie” Minty paused as Tropical Dream trotted past with her plates. After apologizing she asked “Were you sure it’s mine?” Whistle nodded and Minty suddenly had an light bulb go off in her mind. “So that’s where my supplies went..I noticed my candy stock is shorter than it should be, and Malty was seen approaching my building..”
They heard Tropical Dream gasp. “Minty, you’re not going to say---”
“Well, it’d make sense!” Minty snapped and immediately apologized to Tropical Dream once more. “Though I suppose I could be wrong, even my mom isn’t thief material”.
“Oh she is, she also steals credit” came Sparkleworks’ voice suddenly. She had a rag over her shoulder and her hooves were dripping wet.
“Done washing the dishes?” Minty asked as she eyed the butlers who had taken to cider in another room.
“Yes.” answered Sparkleworks. “But if you think Amethyst was there to steal from you, well it would also explain Edward”.
“Sparkleworks, Malty isn’t a thief” spoke Whistle.
Sparkleworks stared at Whistle before she shook her head and threw the rag to the floor as she stormed out. “You don’t know her, nopony ever listens to me”.
Whistle turned to Minty who had said “Maybe you should talk with her” and she nodded.
Whistle followed Sparkleworks through the door and spotted her at the table. Whistle hovered over and sat beside her but Sparkleworks didn’t even turn, she just kept her eyes on the table.
“Sparkleworks?” Whistle asked.
As Whistle placed a hoof on Sparkleworks’ shoulder she raised her head at her. Sparkleworks said “Amethyst---pfft---M-a-l-t-y, I’m happy she’s helping you, really. But---I just can’t wrap my head around why”.
Whistle wasn’t sure what to say, she thought Malty wanted to help out of friendship but even she couldn’t say that was totally the truth. However Malty hadn’t gave her any reason to think she’s cruel or anything, Whistle thought that she acted very calm and well mannered. But her two best friends seemed to think differently, why was that? What happened to make them think so lowly of Malty and Amethyst? Whistle wanted to know, she just had to know why, she also wanted to know if they were the same mare but she pushed that question out of her mind.
Whistle looked up at Sparkleworks and she could just feel her depression. After she had built up her courage she asked “What happened with you and, Minty’s mom?”
Small tears were visible in Sparkleworks’ eyes and it made Whistle feel like crying herself. “You wanna know?” Sparkleworks asked rubbing her eyes and for just a moment seemed to had second thoughts before she blurted out “She might seem nice to you, she might even be a friend but back when I was a foal she was anything but a friend”.
She took a pause to sniff and rub her nose, using one of the leftover napkins as a tissue. “I was five when I first saw a fashion show” she spoke suddenly and after rolling up the napkin she continued. “The dresses were so beautiful, diamonds were embedded into the fabric and after the fact they were all everypony remembered. The dresses inspired me, for two years I tried my hoof at recreating them, but with my own twist. Heh, you and Minty looked so adorable in the first dresses. Then the time finally came, I was given the post as dress designer in a school play”.
“Did it go well?” Whistle asked and Sparkleworks offered a single laugh.
“I don’t even remember it either, it was the big night and my final designs were ready. I rolled them backstage, ready to show them all what I had made, but---” Sparkleworks paused, tears dripped down her cheeks as she began ripping the napkin unintentionally.
Her hooves shaking Sparkleworks spoke “Another foal had their designs ready, I asked her what are you doing and she told me to get lost. Well, I didn’t. I brought the teacher over to get her to remove her dresses, it was my big night and she was taking it without so much of the teacher’s permission. Amethyst, who was talking to Minty at the time, trotted over and butted her nose into it”.
Whistle outstretched her wings to wipe Sparkleworks’ eye and flinched as she instead plucked a feather.
“It was none of her business, yet being the main funder her word went heavily. Well, she prefered Suri’s designs and called mine---she called them trash!” Sparkleworks shouted as she slammed her hooves and plucked another feather as she blew her nose. “Nopony would even back me up, they must’ve been scared of getting kicked out, poor things...only Minty really spoke up but Suri’s dresses were used just the same. I spent years on them but thanks to her...I never even got to see them wore”.
Sparkleworks plucked a third feather and Whistle wrapped her wings behind her back in fear of a fourth one being taken.
“I was distraught, I thought I could still use them but Suri went and STOLE them!” Whistle nearly jumped out of her seat as Sparkleworks angrily kicked the table. “And everypony knew it too! But because Amethyst backed her up, they did nothing! Two years of sweat and labor, two years of dreaming and my chance finally came...just to be taken away and shattered, I never understood why either...but I knew, I could never try again...she had made sure of that..”
Sparkleworks sniffed and reached behind Whistle’s back where she took another feather, cringing Whistle outstretched her hooves and pulled Sparkleworks into an embrace where she held their heads close. There Sparkleworks’ tears poured out like a river going over a rapid waterfall.
“W-Why are you c-c-cr-crying, for?” Sparkleworks asked when she had heard a sniff from Whistle.
“Because I can’t stand seeing you cry..” replied Whistle.
Sparkleworks pushed herself free of the hug and saw Whistle’s face was a complete mess, “Oh Whistle..” she shed even more tears as she began wiping Whistle’s away. She said “Don’t cry, look---I did get a talent”.
Sparkleworks pointed to her Cutie Mark which showed two fireworks being set off. “See? My talent---”
“Yeah, but that was a sad story..” Whistle sniffed. Unable to see her cry Sparkleworks brought her into another hug and patted her back.
“Honey, please stop..it’s all OK” Sparkleworks spoke. She was basically rocking Whistle back and forth in her forelegs like an foal.
Whistle sniffed again as she stared at the side of her friend’s head, as she nuzzled her face into Sparkleworks’ mane one more tear ran down her nose. Whistle tried speaking but her words were all jumbled and nothing would come to her mind.
Suddenly the hug was tightened, as Sparkleworks took a deep sigh Whistle thought it was an dying gasp and she became scared. “...You’re like a daughter to me, so please don’t cry anymore” she heard Sparkleworks’ voice.
Whistle felt her heart jolt, she leaned upward and stared at Sparkleworks who had just as many tears as she did. Both looked so pitiful the other just couldn’t stand it. Whistle nodded suddenly as she used her wings as tissues.
Looking at each other the two mares smiled and as they hugged one more time Whistle said something that had made Sparkleworks’ heart skip a beat. “I know, and you’re like a mom to me, too”