The Bizarre Case Of Minty And Malty

by Speedy

CHAPTER TEN:Balancing Is Easy, When You Sock Somepony

It was early in the morning, an hour or so before one and Whistle was inside the local library standing on one of her hind legs. “Remember, you must ease your mind and relax the limbs” spoke Malty. Using her cane she lifted up books and placed them atop Whistle’s head. “Don’t breathe, don’t speak, don’t even think. Just relax”.

Whistle heard Malty well enough, she could even hear a few ponies telling Malty to be quiet and saw some were shaking their heads. Telling Whistle to be still was like asking a bee not to gather pollen as it’s pollinating a flower, it just goes against nature but she tried her best all the same. Whenever Whistle’s limbs would get tired and shake Malty used her cane to straighten them back into position.

“How would being a statue help me to act proper?” Whistle wanted to ask but she kept her mouth shut out of not wanting to get yelled at.

“You’re doing good, just twenty nine more minutes” Malty spoke as she carefully wiped sweat off of Whistle’s brow.

“Twenty nine more minutes!?” Whistle screamed inside her thoughts, she had assumed she’d been still for half an hour as it was.

She looked around for something to distract her mind with. The floor they were on was packed with towering bookshelves and round tables, off in the center was an large golden spiral staircase that led up to the more restricted and reserved area. All around them were ponies who were trying to read and more than a few were angrily staring at her and Malty and they clearly wanted her to be quiet.

Whistle’s head started to turn when Malty had grabbed her muzzle “Don’t pay any mind to your surroundings” she said as she straightened Whistle’s gaze back where it was.

Whistle gulped, getting somewhat cottonmouth, her entire body just itched to move. Another book was placed atop her head making the count four, though it felt like ten to her.

“Just remain still...don’t even think. Not about my legs, not about the itchy feeling, not even about my belly growling. Just---don’t---thi-I gotta move!” Whistle flinched, the weight of the four books came stumbling down as she fell.

A loud thud was followed by many ssssshhhhhh, Malty growled in annoyance and Whistle had probably said sorry ten times as she was helped up.

“Good first try, no bruises it seems” Malty spoke.

“I’m sorry Malty, I just had a terrible, uncelestial, itch..” Whistle replied feeling quite down on herself. Suddenly the itch became too much and she started scratching herself much like a dog would.

Malty tapped Whistle’s leg with her cane and she stopped scratching at once, “I suppose next time you should ignore it, lucky thee only had four books” Malty spoke as she began collecting the books and placing them atop their reserved table. “Let’s try again, let’s also aim for ten books this ti---”

“You can try fifty books, I bet a silver shilling she couldn’t even stand one book” interrupted a voice and both mares growled among the many sssshhhhh.

It was Edward Horseluck, his two buddies waving from behind as he leaned over the above floor’s railing.

“What, prey tell, brings you here?” Malty asked. She tried to hold her face straight but found it was very hard to do.

Edward shrugged as he came down the spiral staircase, his two buddies mimicked him as they followed. “Thought I’d catch up on a little history” he answered.

“Well thou are on the wrong floorth, you should goth to floor ten” Malty spoke adding moron in a faint whisper.

Edward halted halfway down and his two buddies bumped into him.“Wha-what is that? Floorth? Honestly, I think you don’t even know how to properly use that old language” Edward spoke trying his best impression to mock her. Again, his two buddies mimicked him.

“I can speaketh it fine” Malty bared her teeth. She was very irritated by Edward’s mere presence. “We’re in the middle of something, shouldn’t thou go and disinfect your cut?”

For a fraction of an second Edward had reached to his face which bared a long scar, the very next instant he showed his teeth as well. “If your friend wasn’t connected to Star Catcher, you can be assured I would have had her exiled”.

“Ha! Like she would believe your tell of lies, is she still looking for that thief you said had stolen thou’s monocle?” Malty laughed, only slightly, as she tried to keep her posture straight. She failed utterly bad as she bursted out laughing as Edward had almost tripped down the stairs.

There were many ssshhh and annoyed grunts but neither of the two seemed to had noticed. “Just let it go,” whispered Whistle. “I promised Sparkleworks---”

“See? You see Malty?” Edward spoke fastly. He hurried down the stairs and stood atop a chair as he pointed at Whistle like a eyewitness would when pointing out an criminal in an lineup. “Even Pearl’s daughter knows she’s a weak and disgraceful mare”.

All at once the entire floor fell silent and it felt like they had entered a graveyard full of dread. Edward took noticed and, at first, seemed to had regretted what he had just said.

“Thou would be wise to taketh that comment back” Malty spoke in a very straightforward and angry tone.

The room was filled with great tension now and Whistle had never seen anypony look the way Malty did at that moment. It felt as if, and she hoped that she was wrong, that Malty was about to swing with her cane. Luckily she saw Malty loosen her grip and her breathing became more relaxed instead of heated. Edward smirked as he laughed the tension off.

“We all know Pearl was, like, the most important mare during her prime. But her daughter,” Edward casted a glare at Whistle who despite wanting to bury herself, returned her own glare and he gave another small smirk. “how do you two think she feels at the embarrassment?” he asked his two friends.

His two buddies didn’t really answer him, they just nodded and made hard to hear mumbles.

“Well, not as embarrassed as your mother would be of you” somepony joked and Edward had spun around to see who had dared mentioned his mother.

Whistle and Malty turned to their right and saw two mares sitting at a table. They weren’t sure which of them had spoken but their eyes had focused on the purple pegasus, Edward wasn’t sure why but he got the overall feeling that he shouldn’t mess with her. Whistle noticed this and thought she knew the mare in question but she couldn’t quite place her hoof on who she was.

“This is a library, either be quiet or leave” the purple pegasus spoke.

The other pony at her table was rolling up an invisible sleeve and she clearly wanted to fight. Edward only had to take one look at her mane before immediately changing his tone.

“Very well,” he gulped and bowed his head. “I know when I overstep my boundaries” he then trotted up the stairs with his two buddies galloping each other over as they followed him.

Once they were gone the room felt much more at ease, Whistle let out the biggest sigh of relief that she had ever uttered. She thanked the purple pegasus who started to speak but her friend had managed to say “Don’t mention it, ponies like him are just jealous jerks” right before the two started to whisper to one another.

Malty puffed and straightened her hat. “He’s such a annoying a---Whistle?”

Whistle had took a seat at their table, forelegs crossed she hung her head in a depressed fashion. Sighing Malty took the seat on her right, she wanted to say something but didn’t know what. She knew by now that when Whistle is depressed she’s hard to cheer back up. She pondered on what to say and tossed the idea of comparing Edward to a powerless Tirek out the window rather quickly.

She pondered hard until suddenly something caught her attention under their pile of books. It was a book bound in green leather, the title Approval in golden text laid across a blank cover. She picked it up and opened it, her name was written on the first page which was blank other than a diamond pattern.

“Have thou ever read this?” she asked. Whistle flopped her head up, casted a stare at the book and shook her head. “It’s mine, the first story I ever published. Want me to telleth you about it?”

“Nope” Whistle spoke laying her head back in her forelegs.

Not wanting to be shushed again Malty gave a slow giggle. She took Whistle in one hoof and pulled her closer where she proceeded to shove the first page into Whistle’s face. “Too bad, thou art similar to the protagonist”.

“I am?” Whistle asked as she ceased her attempt at freedom and took a look at the page.

Malty released her and placed the book in her hooves. “Sugar Corn, a mare who desperately needed and wanted the approval of her mother. She goes through plenty of trials, she fails utterly bad, getting laughed and mocked at. But,” Malty paused, casting a quick stare at Whistle. “she doesn’t give up. The worse heckler, one who nearly made her end it all, was the very pony she wanted approval from”.

Whistle jerked her head up extremely curious and a little shocked. “Her mom almost made her--Celestia..”

Malty nodded, patting Whistle’s back she goes on. “She kept at it, oh she wanted to do so much...so much in deed. But she kept it together and, in the end, she succeeded. She outdid every heckler, everypony who had doubted her. She showed them all that she is a pony who deserved life, as well as praise, mind you. The ending chapter is very emotional---I’ll pay for the book, if thou so wisheth to read it”.

Whistle went to say “You don’t need to buy it” but halfway through her sentence she paused and stared at the first page of the book.

She felt a strong and overwhelming urge to see the ending as well as the character herself and see exactly how she resembled her. She quickly nodded and took flight up the spiraling staircase and seemingly to the librarian.

“H-Hey!” Malty had called after her. “We aren’t done her-oh for Tartarus’ sake..oh hush yourselfs!”