Time and Masks

by Hopeful_Ink_Hoof

Wins and Losses

Dinky let out a sigh, adjusting the ice pack currently resting on her head. She tossed the newspaper aside, glaring at the headline: Canterlot Cracked! Pony Prison Break-Out!

It seemed that while Mare-Do-Well was busy battling Stone Breaker, there had been an attack on the Canterlot dungeons. A small number of the prisoners escaped and several guards were injured. There were even two killed. Most of the town guard were attempting to prevent the escape and curb any rioting. It was the reason more had not escaped. It was also why there was so little assistance against Stone Breaker.

Dinky felt a twinge of back pain and adjusted the ice pack there. Her fight with the strange stone stallion had gone easier than she expected. Well, for her at least. It bothered her that Stonehoof and two guards were currently in the hospital with injuries. Made her wish she could have moved faster than she had. At the very least, she should have been able to prevent one guard from having a broken wing.

She had been lucky. Nothing was broken, just a headache from overexertion with her magic and a sore back (maybe some bruising) from being thrown around. Both could easily be explained by being hit by a boulder and getting trapped in rubble until the guards managed to rescue her.

A golden aura encompassed the paper, lifting it from where it landed. Princess Celestia walked into the room, taking the paper with her as she walked around the table to her seat.

"Good morning Dinky," Celestia said as she walked by. "Aren't you usually on your way to training by now?"

"It was cancelled," the unicorn responded. "Official notification and everything. Between the damage to the yard and injuries of Drill Sergeant Stonehoof, guard training has been discontinued for the summer."

"That seems to cancel most of your summer plans as well."

"Some," Dinky admitted, "not all. Wind Tunnel is supposed to come by later with the material for the cape. With the extra free time, I can work to put protective spells into the fabric earlier." She winced. "I mean, once I feel better. Then maybe I can help catch the ponies that escaped."

"I believe you have a lovely opportunity to relax," Celestia said. "I suggest that you take some time off." The tone she used indicated that it was not a suggestion. "Perhaps you should take a week and spend it in Ponyville to recuperate and reconnect with your old friends."

"Do I actually have a choice in the matter?"

"I could easily make it an order, but I would prefer not to. You have been pushing yourself quite hard, which I am proud of you for, and working to reach your full potential. The problem is that you have taken very little time to relax and enjoy yourself. You have to keep a balance in your life between work and fun."

"Alright," Dinky conceded. "Carrot Top would probably be happy to see me, and I could probably spend some time with Ruby."

"Wonderful." The Princess stood up. "I have to get going. Quite a busy day ahead."

Dinky watched her go then turned back to the table. Reaching out with her magic, she picked the paper up and looked at it again. She was tempted to crumple it up and toss it. Or fire. She could set it on fire and burn it. Instead she just tossed it aside.

If she was going to visit Ponyville, it would be a good idea to let her friends know so that they would be ready for her. She was basically waiting around for Wind Tunnel as it was anyway. Decided, Dinky headed to her room and wrote two letters; one to Ruby and another to Carrot Top.

With that done, Dinky was uncertain what to do with herself until Wind Tunnel arrived. There were no classes for her to need to study for since it was summer. She was supposed to be in guard training, but that was cancelled after yesterday. She tried reading, but could not really concentrate on it. The Mare-Do-Well costume had already been cleaned of the mud and just needed the cape and boots. The cape was what she was specifically waiting on at the moment. She was waiting on a some pieces for the boots as well, but that was a different matter.

Dinky laid on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. She kept pushing the thought of the dungeon break out from her mind. After all, there was nothing she could do about it. She was busy elsewhere. Using her magic, she picked up Bubbles and floated the puppy above her. She hummed to herself as she played with the stuffed dog. The amusement lasted only a few minutes. She let out a groan of boredom as she waited.

"Dinky?" Wind Tunnel called out from the doorway. "I didn't think you'd be here already."

"You're here," she called out with relief. "Training's been cancelled for the rest of the summer and I have no idea what to do today. I'm sooooo bored." The young mare rolled over, looking at him. "Do you have it?"

"Yeah." Wind Tunnel opened his saddlebag, pulling out a large piece of black cloth. "I don't know if it still works though."

Dinky reached out with her hooves and took the fabric, looking at it. It had been an idea that Wind Tunnel had after he first got his cutie mark. Dinky had even helped him with it. Unfortunately, they could not get it to work how the pegasus had wanted it to.

"Well there's one way to find out," the mare responded. She took the fabric and put it around her neck as she would a cape. Her horn began to glow as she conjured her magic. The unicorn then concentrated the energy into the cape. As the magic engulfed the fabric, it shifted and moved, shaping itself into a shape similar to wings or a glider.

"Ready?" she asked.

"For what?"

"To catch me if it doesn't work." Dinky ran for the balcony, hearing the pegasus let out a yelp of surprise as he realized what she was up to. The unicorn jumped up onto the banister and leaped off, pushing herself into the air.

There was a moment of weightlessness as the momentum of her jump came to an end. As gravity began to try and pull the pony down, the wing-shaped fabric caught air. It did not let her actually fly, but it did let her glide. Instead of falling straight down toward the ground, she moved forward, slowly dropping further and further down toward the grass below. Less than a foot from landing, Dinky dispersed the magic, letting the cape turn back to normal as she dropped the last bit.

As soon as her hooves hit the ground, Dinky stumbled before falling forward. Unable to catch herself, she hit the dirt with her face. There was a burst of pain as her nose slammed into the ground, sending a shock through her neck and skull. It caused her headache to come back stronger and her back to hurt anew. The rest of her body collapsed shortly after.

"Are you okay?" Wind Tunnel asked as he moved to land beside her.

"I'm dead," Dinky groaned out. "Just go ahead and bury me right here."

"Well the gliding worked fine. Looks like you just need to learn how to land."

"Should be helpful if I need to land running." She lifted her head, spitting out some dirt. "Maybe add some more shock absorption to the boots if I need to land at a full stop."

"Well we should probably drop this conversation," Wind Tunnel said with a grin. "After all, we don't want to... run it into the ground." The pegasus laughed at his own joke, but the laughter turned into a cry of pain as he got smacked in the foreleg.