//------------------------------// // CHAPTER FIVE:Something's Odd About Minty // Story: The Bizarre Case Of Minty And Malty // by Speedy //------------------------------// On her way back to the shop Tropical Dream was reflecting on the fun she just had, “Oh Minty, you really should’ve been there” she spoke, closing the front door behind her. Levitating her saddlebag on a table she helped herself to a small cupcake, trotted around the front counter and opened the cash register. She shrugged and closed the empty register and took from a bottom shelf a notepad, then after a quick glance she laid it on the counter. “Well, no customers and the schedule seems empty. Hey Minty!” she called out, after five seconds had passed she called out again. “Ugh that mare is so like her---” Tropical Dream paused as she entered the grey hallway and saw the door on the other side was slightly open, “Minty never leaves that open..” She trotted forward and nudged the door open and peered inside, she then bucked it all the way open as she galloped into the room. “Minty?!“ she shouted, trying to get a response from her unconscious friend. A quick look about the room revealed there was no struggle, nothing was turned over or missing although Tropical Dream never really paid attention to Minty’s towering pile of notes, she rolled Minty over and gasped at an black eye. Tropical Dream attempted to levitate Minty but she had never lifted a full grown mare before and found her friend was too heavy and her magic immediately canceled out. Jumping up Tropical Dream went to get help but her eyes suddenly caught something that was concealed under the table. Being much smaller she was able to levitate it over and saw it was a broken beaker with a single drop of blue liquid inside, she had expected to see the rest under the table but instead her eyes met an unusual scene. “What in Equestria..?” she asked, seeing colorful plants growing under the table. She was puzzled, at first, but her mind was fast on returning to her friend. She tossed the beaker aside and left Minty for only a minute or two before returning with a guard who immediately said  “Go get Star Catcher, I need to inspect the crime scene” then he trotted over to Minty, held at hoof to her neck and felt relieved that she had a pulse. *** “I told you, I don’t know what happened!” Minty shouted for the upteenth time, as she was resting uncomfortably in a hospital bed. Star Catcher, who now wore her official guard uniform which was a brilliant shade of garnet and gold, was writing on a clipboard as she asked questions. Peering over her clipboard she caught Minty scratching a large white bandage, “Minty, please stop messing with the eye patch” she kindly spoke. “It itches..” Minty replied while fighting against the urge to rip it off and tear to pieces. “It’s healing your black eye, leave it alone or you might have to keep it on longer”. “Can’t you just use a spell or something to heal it?” Minty asked, the annoying beat of her heart monitor distracted her only for a brief moment before the urge to scratch became even more unbearable. “Or at the very least a spell to stop the itchiness!” Star Catcher sighed, she rolled her eyes and said “I’m not a Alicorn. Here, these drops should subdue the itching.” she trotted over to an nightstand by the bed and picked up a small bottle that she held out for Minty to take. She immediately took the bottle and added a few drops to the eye patch, “Aaaaaaahhhh....that’s much better..” she moaned in great relief, her head sinking into her pillow. “Now, did you see anypony prior to---” “How many times do I have to say it, no I didn’t see anypony!” Minty snapped, she started to feel really irritated at Star Catcher. “I was working on a new sauce, syrup if you prefer, for a candy project” she crossed her forelegs and stared angrily out the window. “I just completed the third batch when the next thing I knew, I woke up here. I don’t know what happened”. Minty sighed, wishing she could just go home already. Star Catcher wrote on her clipboard and said “Hm, well the only logical answer would be a stunning spell” but Minty wasn’t listening, her head had turned to the door at the sound of a faint whistle. “But that doesn’t explain your black eye, the doctors seem to think it was a result of hitting something after you fell unconscious”. Minty still didn’t reply, she grunted and kept looking at the door. Star Catcher didn’t need to look at Minty to know she was irritated, she stuck her quill behind her ear and stuffed the clipboard under her wing. “The guard unit I sent to investigate your place should be done by now, I’ll go and see if they found anything”. Minty sunk under her covers, the thought of guards snooping around her secret and private lab made her feel sick and she shuddered to think what would happen if Star Catcher read a few of her notes. “You have some guests” Star Catcher spoke gently, Minty peered over the covers and saw three ponies trotting in. “Hey guys..” spoke Minty. She wanted to be left alone for a few minutes but couldn’t help but feel a little grateful at the same time. “How are you feeling Mints?” asked Sparkleworks who came to the foot of her bed. “Me and Whistle heard what happened”. “Are you alright Minty?” asked Whistle as she took a seat, the very same one that Tropical Dream was about to sit in. Tropical Dream stared unhappily at Whistle before she took to the other side of the bed. “As fine as you would exp---” Minty trailed off as Tropical Dream had laid a saddlebag on her nightstand. “Is that what I asked you to get?” she asked launching over and lifting the saddlebag onto her bed before her friend could even answer. From the saddlebag she took out a rather large mint that was almost as big as her head, her eyes widen as she sunk her teeth into it. Her friends started to feel somewhat awkward as Minty sucked away on the mint, one coughed and Minty, the giant mint still in her mouth, offered a mumbled “Oh..sorry..” There was a loud pop as Minty spat the mint out of her mouth. “Sorry,” she repeated, laying the large mint by her pillow. “don’t ask me what happen, I have no idea myself”. Whistle reached an curious hoof for the mint but Minty swatted it away with a slow hiss, she coughed awkwardly as her friends stared at her. Tropical Dream gave a faint cough as well. “But surely you must---” “Tropical, you know I tend to---” “Tend to what?” Whistle titled her head curiously. Minty had froze with her mouth hung open mid sentence, “Forget it, how was the picnic?” she asked, pounding her pillow before flopping her head onto it. “Oh it was great!” Whistle fluttered her wings happily, then whistled as she added “Malty isn’t your mom by the way, asked Tropical Dream”. Minty stared a hole right through Tropical Dream who nervously coughed and fumbled with her wording. “Well---you see---she isn’t Amethyst---but she resembles her quite--” Minty stared at her more intensely and she nervously scratched the back of her head. “Her eyes are yellow, and her voice was---” “How do you know my mom’s real name?” Minty asked raising an eyebrow at her. “Ah---I---well...” Tropical Dream seemed to be fumbling even more as if her mouth was completely dry, she looked over to Sparkleworks for a change in subject but saw she was staring suspiciously at her as well so she nervously gulped. As Whistle started to hum Tropical Dream said “I’m sure you mentioned it once befo---” she paused as Minty shook her head and crossed her forelegs. “I might’ve heard it once when a group of my peers were gossiping about Malty, yes, yes I believe that’s how I knew”. Minty knew Tropical Dream was hiding something, she began to speak when she suddenly felt an uncomfortable itch. “UGH I hate this thing!” she shouted and started to pull at the tape around her eye. “Minty don’t pick at it!” Tropical Dream shouted loudly and used her magic to pull Minty’s hoof off of the eye patch. “Use the drops, you know what the doctor said!” she added, levitating the eye drops into Minty’s hooves. Minty growled, raising her hoof she aimed to throw the drops into the trash but then her eyes met her friends’ gazes. She remained frozen for a second or two and felt somewhat embarrassed, she took a big inhale and then exhaled as she leaned back into her bed. “I’m sorry. I’m just so annoyed by all of this..” she said, reluctantly adding a drop to the eye patch. “It’s alright, we understand” spoke Sparkleworks who went on to tell Minty one night that she had to spend in a hospital bed herself. “You did not break your leg skateboarding!” laughed Minty after Sparkleworks’ story was over. “I mean that’s so unlike you! It’s like---Whistle passing a I.Q test with a perfect score”. “Hehe yea-hey!” everypony laughed as Whistle angrily blushed. “Well it was true, back in my adventurous stage I was quite the stunt master” Sparkleworks grinned, laughing at her fond memories. “Oh I loved that scooter, but as time went on I grew out of it and gave it to my sister instead. She gave it to her daughter, who believe it or not she says is the spitting image of me as a foal. I told her if that’s true then she should expect many hospital bills”. It irritated her eye but Minty couldn’t help but laugh along, as she added another eye drop she said  “I heard my niece finally got her Cutie Mark, seems she is following in my hoofsteps”. “Oh? That’s good to hear!” giggled Tropical Dream. “How is little ol’ Twist by the way?” “To be honestly I’m not sure,” Minty shrugged. “I hadn’t seen her since her birthday some months ago”. As Minty laughed Sparkleworks couldn’t help but feel there was something odd about how she was laughing, it sounded different than her usually snorting. Minty had caught her stare and ceased at once, uttering a cough she rolled her eyes about the room. “Well it’s getting close to supper time, Whistle---” “Don’t tell me we have to leave!” Whistle interrupted. She gave big puppy dog eyes as she wanted to stay longer but Sparkleworks shook her head, “Don’t worry, if you like you can bring Minty some leftovers later”. “Oh! Yeah! Minty loves cheeseburgers!” Whistle smiled as she hovered from her seat and towards the door. “Let’s go and get some!” she whistled, hovering her way out of the room. Sparkleworks smile but also sighed, she stood up from her seat and had just reached the door when Minty suddenly called after her. “Can you and Tropical Dream do something for me?” Sparkleworks turned to Whistle who was standing outside the room impatiently, “One minute” she mouthed before closing the door. Whistle stared at the door and gave an annoyed whistle as well an slight curse. Trotting around in place she impatiently awaited Sparkleworks, half tempted to trot in and demand she be part of whatever they were doing. As she took to a small bench her mind drifted as she lost track of time, nurses were going and coming out of the different rooms with dinner trays or medical supplies. Suddenly two nurses, one yellow and the other purple, emerged from an room down the far corner and when she had seen them Whistle flew out of her seat. “Hi!” she whistled happily. “Snowheart, Sweetheart! It’s feels like forever!” The yellow nurse, Snowheart, snickered to her friend who gave a light chuckle. “By forever, do you happen to mean last week?” “What? O-Oh yeah..” blushing Whistle hovered down onto her hooves. “But it felt like forever though!” Nurse Sweetheart chuckled once again, Whistle stared and wondered what she found so funny. “I sincerely hope you’re not here for attention again?” she asked, holding a hoof to her mouth giggling. Whistle grabbed her mouth in an gasp, the two nurses started to laugh and it was now clear that they were just poking fun at her. “How is your grandfather doing Thistle Whistle?” asked Nurse Sweetheart. Whistle hadn’t expected them to ask about her grandfather and was taken a little bit off guard, “Oh, my mom says he’s doing just fin---Oh hi Rhyme!” A small filly had just turned the corner in an gallop, in between gasps she said “Nurse Tenderheart needs you two right away!” “Whatever for?” asked Nurse Snowheart who patted Rhyme’s back in an attempt to help her regain her breath. Rhyme shook her head and began pulling on Nurse Snowheart’s leg. “Patient in room 203, she’s having an attack!” Gasping the two nurses read the other’s mind and galloped off without so much of a goodbye, Whistle felt abandoned as she watched the two disappear around the corner. Suddenly the door to Minty’s room opened and out trotted Sparkleworks along with Tropical Dream. Immediately forgetting what had just happened Whistle hovered over to them, “Why did you leave me out!? What were you three doing for five minutes anyways?” “Whistle, it was only one minute” Sparkleworks giggled. “Well---it felt like five to me!” Whistled complained, giving them her best hurt impression. “Minty just wanted us to pick something up from her home darling” replied Tropical Dream, who couldn’t help but chuckle as Whistle gave them a suspicious stare. “Oh, what is it?” Whistled gave them a curious expression. Tropical Dream again chuckled as she patted Whistle on the head much like she would a puppy’s. “Oh, nothing you need worry about. I’ll be getting it as you two eat supper”. *** “Oh curse me for getting caught up at the shop!” Tropical Dream scolded herself as a cloud of darkness fell over fillydelphia, “Visiting hours will be over any minute, oh Minty is going to chew my ear off!” she added as she turned a corner. Galloping along a busy sidewalk she stumbled, galloped around or even jumped over ponies least she collided with them. “Sorry!” she would call back at the angry ponies who snarled and cursed threats at her. She saw a large line blocking her way forward so Tropical Dream, blood pumping furiously and unable to stop, jumped kicked herself off of a store’s window and hurled herself into the air. Landing flawlessly Tropical Dream scolded herself for such a dangerous stunt but kept galloping. She galloped around another corner, saw the hospital just a few feet away, then she came to a screeching halt before galloping right into oncoming traffic. “Oh horse apples!” she uttered in a loud yet faint curse. Tropical Dream had heard of rush hours before but this was ridiculous. The Earth ponies who pulled the carriages zoomed by as if they were on fast forward, or were mimicking Pinkie Pie who tried to beat her fastest time on a sugar rush. Tropical Dream tried to risk galloping through at least twice but the quick breeze of a carriage nearly hit her and the cursing of ponies had rebelled her back like the road had suddenly formed a protective bubble. She was getting mad, galloping up and down the sidewalk and catching fast glimpses of the front entrance in between the carriages, her legs trotted in place and cursed to Celestia for not being born as a Pegasus. She heard a loud chime, on a large traffic clock she saw the hour was closing and threw her hooves down into a stomp. “Argh curse you Celes-wait a minute...that flying spell Starli-yes! That’ll be perfect!” Tropical Dream smiled, counting herself lucky for her good memory. Closing her eyes Tropical Dream concentrated, remembering her friends’ words like an echo of her own voice, “She just pictured herself flying and---oh my---!” she gasped at seeing herself three feet off of the ground and couldn’t help but mimic Whistle at this moment. She felt weightless, and was rather surprised she succeed on her first try. Clapping her hooves together she smiled. Flying over the busy traffic she had never felt so free, her legs became outstretched as she allowed the flow of air consume her. By the time she came to land at the entrance her smile had grew double in size, feeling goosebumps at the thrill she had just experienced. She wanted to turn around and fly for hours but her inner voice was shouting “Hurry, you don’t have time for being free!” so she galloped inside and the smile never left her face as she galloped for the nearest elevator. Finally at a complete stop inside the elevator Tropical Dream, having galloped for miles, fell to her knees exhausted. She gasped for air to enter her lungs, held her chest as her heart felt like it was having an episode, she gulped and slowly inhaled before immediately coughing her lungs out. “Oh Celestia...I am SO---using---that flying---spel-ack!” Slight motion sickness had set in and Tropical Dream felt like throwing up, as the elevator opened she stood up, held whatever was in her throat down and sluggishly trotted out into the overly cold hall. She went straight to a nurse who was carrying away empty trays and uneaten lunches and kindly asked for something to drink. She would’ve drunk anything at this point, she didn’t care what as long as it was cold but the nurse levitating her some grape juice was the very last thing she was expecting. “Oh, no it’s fine---thank you Ms.Green Mane, grape juice is just divine...” Tropical Dream mumbled through gritted teeth. Trotting down the hall she stared at the carton in disgust, levitating it she aimed to toss it in the nearest trash bin but froze suddenly as the door to Minty’s room slowly opened. Out came a pony in an green patient gown, a short top hat, and what she thought was a snowy grey scarf wrapped around their face. The pony trotted out on tiptoes and closed the door as gently as possible, tiptoeing along the pony suddenly spotted Tropical Dream and took a jump backwards. Eyes locked the two stared at each other and Tropical Dream, who was staring dead center at the pony’s concealed face, swore their eyelids had glued themselves open as they twitched. “I---um---” spoke the pony, their voice clearly deepen deliberately. “I was just---checking on---oh, what to say?” Tropical Dream could tell the pony, whoever it was, was stuck in a spot they clearly didn’t want to be caught in. Leaning her head forward Tropical Dream squinted her eyes, focusing on the pony’s face. The scarf concealed the pony’s face well as, instead of simply covering the mouth, was wrapped around the head as if mummified. Looking closely however Tropical Dream could faintly see the pony’s pink eyes, they were darting back and forth and sweat was evident. “Amethyst...is that you?” The pony jerked their head back in response and mumbled faint curses that Tropical Dream wished she hadn’t heard, “No, I am not..” the pony tilted their hat down over his or her face. “I know your voice,” replied Tropical Dream. ”you deepen it once before. Don’t you remember? That time in Dragon Tow---” “I surely not know what thou speakest of, child.” interrupted the pony who at seeing Tropical Dream giggle let out a very low sigh. The pony shrugged and removed part of the scarf from her mouth as she spoke “Thou are an annoyance, thou knoweth this, right?” and Tropical Dream found her voice was much more audible now. “So, what brings you here? And, do pray tell, why are you masking your own face?” Tropical Dream asked, she found it odd Amethyst would go so far as to mummified her own face to remain hidden. Amethyst had the look of being upmost unpleased, her eyes followed her horn to the grape juice carton that was just inches from a trash bin. Scuffing Amethyst grabbed the carton, ripped the plastic straw free and stuck it inside the top. “Thirsty, I see?” Tropical Dream spoke in a friendly manner, she was still thirsty herself but the cold air was helping in relieving her of cottonmouth. “About the only thing these low lifes can offer are juices, thou would think---” Amethyst took a quick glance around before taking a deep sigh. “---they would have more than enough bits for a wider variety of drinks. I dreadth the day that I would ever end up in this hospital, Minty on the other hoof---” “You came to see Minty?” At Tropical Dream’s interruption Amethyst snapped her eyes dead center on Tropical Dream’s face, then she gave a clearly fake cough. “I dreadth that thought too, young mare, I merely came to see whether or not her whistling friend had left something of mine behind”. Tropical Dream stared at Amethyst really puzzled, she was sure she must had misheard her. “What would Whist---” Amethyst pushed her aside as she trotted past. “I must be going, thou can do whatever pleaseth thee, good day”. Tropical Dream watched as Amethyst trotted passed the open elevator and around a corner, awestruck at her odd behavior. She wondered why Amethyst was acting so weird and as she was shrugging it off she suddenly spotted a pony standing by a vending machine down the hall, she rubbed her eyes and took a second glance. She spoke up to get the pony’s attention but she had trotted into the open elevator. “Oh wait will yo--” The doors closed and the elevator descended before she could finish. She stared at the closed doors until her eyes glanced up at the floor numbers, the ground floor lighting up. “Was that---couldn’t be, but who else has bright purple fur?” Tropical Dream shook her head and pulled her eyes off of the elevator as she didn’t have any time to dwell on it, if she didn’t enter Minty’s room soon a nurse might boot her outside again. She trotted to Minty’s door and gently nudged it open and spotted her friend soundly asleep, her faint outline growing and shrinking with each breath she took. Carefully trotting inside the moonlit room she closed the door, there was a clunk as it closed and she heard groaning. “W-Whistle..?” Tropical Dream facepalmed the door, “It’s just me.” she spoke, not bothering to be quiet as she moved. Taking a big yawn Minty flicked on her nightstand lamb, “You’re here late” she yawned again. “Well, traffic, you know how dreadful it is at night” Tropical Dream replied, taking the chair that Whistle had stolen from her earlier. “You sound hoarse, ran too much again?” Minty asked, offering what little water she had left. Tropical Dream nodded as she took the water bottle and gulped it dry in ten seconds flat. “Thank you dear, I needed that…” she spoke, levitating the empty bottle into the trash. ”I did  asked a nurse for something to drink, but she gave me grape juice..” “Ouch” Minty had the impression of seeing something very painful. “I know how much you hate grape juice, but you could’ve just---” “Minty...” interrupted Tropical Dream. Minty’s face was half lit in the lamp’s light and was mostly shrouded in shadow yet she thought something was off about her. Minty nervously darted her eyes about the room as Tropical Dream leaned forward. “Your eye patch!” she exclaimed, levitating the lamp closer to Minty’s face. Pushing the lamp away Minty asked “What about it---oh..” and nervously held a hoof over her eye only to have Tropical Dream pull it away. “You removed it? You know that needed to stay on for twenty two hours!” Tropical Dream scolded. “Oh Minty..” “T-The nurse took it off, see? It’s all healed!” Minty explained, sweating she pushes the lamp away and uncovered herself. “That lamp is making me swea--” “It is not healed!” Tropical Dream shouted, laying the lamp back on the nightstand as she jumped from her seat. “I’m getting the nurse”. “No! Tropical Dream wait..!” Minty cried out, almost falling off the bed as she reached for her friend. Tropical Dream stopped at the door, she had already turned the doorknob but at hearing Minty’s voice, which was clearly frightened, she took a deep breath. Her inner voice was talking again, saying “Just let it go, she’ll have to wear it even longer tomorrow” and she had to agree. Exhaling Tropical Dream went back to her seat. Minty laid down in great relief only to prop up a second later. “Oh yeah...did you manage to---” “Right here, in my saddlebag” Tropical Dream interrupted, levitating her saddlebag onto Minty’s bed. Without warning Minty tore through the saddlebag, tossing item after item out, “Oh come now!” Tropical Dream shouted, frantically catching everything Minty was recklessly tossing aside.  “No need to-hey that was my mother’s pendant!” Minty turned the saddlebag upside down and Tropical Dream bared her teeth at the thoughtless her friend showed for her belongings, out of the various items fell a bright red sock with cotton around the base. “Remind me again why that sock was so imp-Minty!” Tropical Dream gasped as Minty ripped at the sock, she gasped again when something fell from within the stitching. Minty snatched it up quickly, Tropical Dream stared as she unfolded what seemed to be a small parchment. “Oh thank Celestia they didn’t find you!” Minty held the parchment to her chest, opened the nightstand and tucked the parchment inside it. Holding a hoof to her mouth she whispered “Now just don’t tell anypony!” before she tucked the ripped sock inside as well. “You never even told me that sock had a piece of paper hidden in it!” Tropical Dream exclaimed, she started to wonder what she had snooped around a crime scene for. “What is it exactly?” “My most secret recipe, for---” “That orange sauce you are so fussy about?” Tropical Dream interrupted for the upteeth time. Minty stared sternly at her, “It’s not just a sauce or syrup,” she snapped. ”It could be my prize creation, you know---a candy that never goes bad”. “Oh come off it,” Tropical Dream snapped back which had made Minty jump. “You had that orange---whatever you call it, for months now. You never speak of it, it’s like you never even use it!” “That’s because I been remak---” “Nearly all of your---strange---candy creations had a side effect that takes a simple week or two to fix, four at most. Now, you want to tell me what the side effect of this particular sauce has that’s taking you nearly two years to fix?” Minty’s mouth fell open, before now she only knew Tropical Dream as a pony who had such a motherly feel to her and this sudden talking back felt so uncharacteristic she was half tempted to call her out as a Changeling. Grumpily Minty turned over on her side and covered up again, this, it seems, only served to irritate Tropical Dream more. Gritting her teeth Tropical Dream flicked her head and the bed covers flew off, Minty gave a loud pffft but didn’t move. “We are going to talk, now get up!” Tropical Dream flicked her head again and Minty felt her body tugged for a brief moment before she flopped back on the bed. “H-Hey---! Don’t you dar---” Minty felt an even stronger tug, one moment she was grabbing at the bed frame, the next moment she felt her face hit against the cold floor. “Oh I’m sorry!” Tropical Dream cursed herself as she kneeled down by her friend. “I only meant to---” Minty pushed Tropical Dream’s helping hoof away and rubbed at her nose, she felt a searing pain rush through her system. “O-Ow..you broke my nose! I think..” Feeling a sudden rush of guilt Tropical Dream quickly called the nurse and luckily for her, Minty had kept her mouth shut about what had happened even after getting a new eye patch. After the still ranting nurse had left Tropical Dream gave Minty the best apology she could had offered, she felt so guilty she also offered to resign. “No, I want to fire you over far worse than this.” Minty sternly returned. At first Tropical Dream looked afraid, more scared than she had in her whole life but when she saw Minty’s glare shift to an grin “oh you horrible mare!” she felt insulted, but Minty’s grin grew even wider and the two ended up laughing. Over the next few minutes the two talked about their work and what Tropical Dream would have to do until Minty gets released. She liked talking with Minty, it made her feel like they were close friends and that she was important. She wanted to drop the previous subject on her experiment but there was one question that instantly started eating away at her and the more they talked the more she was determined to talk about it. “Say Minty,” Tropical Dream began in her sweet motherly voice. “that orange---whatever you call it, think whoever attacked you was after it?” Minty stared at Tropical Dream as if puzzled on what she was talking about. She shook her head once, held a hoof to her itchy eye before resting it on her friend’s knee. “If they were, then they would’ve ended up a bigger klutz than I was.” Tropical Dream cringed at the idea of ponies being the massive klutz that Minty used to be, “What do you mean?” she asked, pushing that image as far from her mind as she could. Minty shrugged her shoulders and fixed the cotton swab that was taped to her nose, “Eh, they might probably just faint.” Tropical Dream slowly nodded along and tried her best to keep the thought of many Mintys away but as a light bulb went off in her head she unintentionally grabbed ahold of Minty’s leg. “Wait, you mean it was that orange---whatever---is that’s what been making you faint?” Minty nodded, looking down she asked “Can you let go of my leg?” but her words were met with silence. Minty thought Tropical Dream had entered a trance, her eyes were darting from one side to the other as she tried thinking of something to say to her “Why didn’t you tell Star Catcher!?” Tropical Dream suddenly blurted out, Minty had jumped so far she was halfway off of the bed. “AH! Don’t do that!” Minty shouted. Tropical Dream blinked and saw Minty was trying to pull herself up like a injured foal would with a leg brace, frowning at herself Tropical Dream helped Minty by use of levitation. Once she was comfortable again in her bed, and after threatening to really fire Tropical Dream if she caused her to fall again, asked if she would repeat her question. “Why didn’t you tell Star Catcher, you know the guards are going to be looking into a case that likely has no attacker, right?” “If I told them then they would’ve taken it away!” Minty fastly answered. Tropical Dream shook her head disapprovingly. “If it makes you faint, then I dare say that would’ve been the---” Minty slammed a hoof against her friend’s mouth and whispered to her. “Don’t tell anypony about this, I’m so close to perfecting it! Besides, I likely hit my eye as I fainted. Star Catcher said that was a possibility afterall”. Minty removed her hoof so Tropical Dream could reply, instead she just gave Minty the type of stare she hadn’t seen in years. The type of stare she was met with every single day as a foal, the type that brought back memories that she was all to happy to had forgotten. It made her enraged, as well as depressed, to see it on one of her friends’ faces felt like a spear had pierced her chest. Minty glared right back and soon Tropical Dream found that Minty had turned from the friend she knew to an angry mare she had never even seen before. Before long Minty’s face had the utmost impressive of utter hatred on it and Tropical Dream found herself sweating excessively. “Never---give me---that stare---again. Are we clear?” Minty’s voice sounded rather strict, which was very unusual as her voice was always filled with happiness and joy. Tropical Dream gulped and found her throat was dry yet again. She bit her lips shut and nodded, wiping her brow she saw just how sweaty she was all of a sudden. Hooves shaking she looked up at Minty who was holding her head suddenly and shook it as if trying to knock something off of her. Tropical Dream leaned on her bedside and took a look at her face. She had her mouth in a gasp and had launched backwards in the chair with such force it tipped over. Minty jumped up to check if Tropical Dream was hurt, she had rolled over onto her belly and was rubbing her head. “Are you alright?” Minty asked concerned. Tropical Dream sat the chair upright, nodded and took out a tissue from her saddlebag which still laid discarded on the bed. Levitating it to Minty’s eye with the patch she patted it, Minty was half way into asking what she was doing when she gasped upon seeing the tissue was soaked in something red.