Time and Masks

by Hopeful_Ink_Hoof

Poisonous Nightmare Part 1

Nightmare Night!
What a fright!
Give us something sweet to bite!

Dinky checked her outfit one more time, adjusting her hat. A wide grin spread across her mouth, even if hidden by the mask she wore. It had been a surprise when she had tried it on and found that it fit quite well. It was a little loose, but not enough that it seemed to need to be adjusted. Satisfied, the filly left for the night.

Outside, Twinkleshine was waiting. Her mane and tail had been dyed into a deep royal purple color. The tail had been styled into a slow curl and the mane fell to one side of her head ending in a similar manner. A pair of red glasses rested on the tip of her nose, and a measuring tape around her neck.

"Wow," Dinky said as she caught sight of her friend, "you look just like Miss Rarity."

"Why thank you darling," Twinkleshine replied. She even attempted to make the r in "darling" sound more like an h. "Shall we begin? I have our path planned out for the best opportunity at most candy."

"Yeah."

The two of them began to walk through Canterlot. They had fun as they went from one house to the other to get candy. The pair even met other ponies close to their own ages. Some recognized one character or the other (which surprised Dinky who had no idea Mare-Do-Well would be know outside of Ponyville), some recognized both, and some asked who they were.

As they went, Dinky noticed a pony not far ahead that seemed to be walking alone. The one up ahead seemed to look at other ponies as they approached, but seemed to shy away slightly and not say anything. Dinky got Twinkleshine's attention and pointed out the lonely foal. After giving a nod, the two moved to meet the other.

Getting closer, the two friends got a better look at the third. The pony was dressed in a blue jump suit with yellow lightning bolts designed to be a part of it. On the flank of the costume was a lightning bolt with wings on it. The pony had a mane and tail of dark -- almost black -- blue. As Dinky and Twinkleshine got beside the new pony, they noticed a pair of wings pulled up against the side.

"Which Wonderbolt are you supposed to be?" Dinky asked. The question caused the pegasus to turn and look at the masked filly, the moon light reflecting off the goggles covering the eyes. The pegasus smiled.

"Soarin," he said. "My parents actually got to meet him once at a bakery."

"I'm Twinkleshine," the fashionista said, "and this is Dinky."

"I'm Wind Tunnel," the pegasus replied, smiling back and forth between the two.

"We were going to visit some more houses and then go to the carnival at the town square," the masked filly explained. "Do you want to join us?"

After Wind Tunnel agreed, the three of them continued on together now. It was all quite exciting as they visited houses to get treats. With Twinkleshine's planning, the three of them hit the houses which supposedly gave away the best candy. By the time they got to the town square and the carnival, they had more candy than Dinky had ever seen.

It actually made her a little sad for Ponyville. Yes, there was a lot more candy, but she had no idea who most of the ponies she met were. It was clear she was not the only one either. Most of the other foals who were out running around knew which houses had the best treats, but none really seemed to know anything else about the adults that were giving them out. It made her remember how everypony seemed to know each other back home, and she found she kind of missed it.

As they walked, Wind Tunnel told them how his family had recently moved to Canterlot. He kind of seemed unwilling to talk about why though, so neither of the unicorns pushed the subject matter. Instead they shared a little bit of their own lives with him.

The conversation was dropped as they drew closer to the town square, the sound of music beginning to fill the night air. The sound made the trio more excited, picking up the speed as they approached. As they got closer, they looked around, Dinky and Wind Tunnel with great excitement. As the carnival came into view, the two stopped and stared in awe.

Several ponies stood watching, looking to be in uniform instead of costumes. The trio moved forward, walking through the crowd. They looked around as they went, taking in all the games and snacks that seemed to be available. As they went, the three came closer to a stage.

"Are timing should be perfect," Twinkleshine explained as she looked around. "If I'm right, we should be here just in time for the main concert to start."

Before anything more could be said, a rose colored mare with a deep purple mane headed out onto the stage. The instrumental music slowed down as she stepped out and stopped completely as she walked out toward the center. As the mare reached the spot, she stood and looked out at the crowd. Practically all of the ponies in the town square were watching the mare. Her horn began to glow and the band began to play once more.

The gentle melody began to fill the air, creating a soft song that fit the calmness of the moment for that quiet night. It was gentle with a slow, steady rhythm; almost like a lullaby. As the song turned steady, the mare on stage opened her mouth and began to sing. Her voice was deep and rich. Listening to it made Dinky think of when she was at the candy shop in Ponyville, watching Bon Bon pour the melted chocolate to make them into candy bars. It was almost hypnotic.

A blue orb flew over the heads of the audience and onto the stage. The sound of shattering glass echoed as the burst up into the air, revealing it to be a powder. The explosion hid the singer, coughing bright from inside the cloud.

"What was that?" Wind Tunnel asked, looking at the stage.

"I don't know," Twinkle Shine answered before turning to Dinky, "Do you?"

"I don't think so," the masked unicorn responded. Her eyes narrowed as she turned her head. "But... something about it looks... familiar..." She rubbed at her chin, looking at it and trying to place where she had seen something like that before.

As the cloud dispersed and faded, the singer continued to stand on stage. Aside from bits of the blue dust sticking to her. Coughing a moment, she resumed her position from prior to the attack. The performer closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The mare opened her mouth and croaked like a frog.

"Is this a joke?" Wind Tunnel blinked, tilting his head to look at the performer.

"Joke?" Dinky gasped. "That's it!...Oh no. Oh no oh no." She looked around quickly, head low as she tried to find where it came from. The sound of another croak from on stage reached her ears.

"Joke?" Twinkleshine shook her head, thinking a moment. "You mean... You don't think...?" She turned to look at the stage again, her own eyes going wide.

"What?" Wind Tunnel nearly shouted, looking between the two. "What is it."

"I think it might be a plant called Poison Joke," Dinky finally explained. "It's a plant that grows not far from where I grew up."

Before the conversation could go any further, a figure jumped up onto the stage. It was a figure dressed all in black. The only spot of color was a poison joke flower on the flank where the cutie mark would have been. A blue aura encompassed the covered horn as to more sphere's levitated in the air. Looking at the audience, the black figure tossed the orbs backwards at the band, covering them in the cloud of blue powder.

"We need to get out of here," Dinky said as she began to move backwards away from the stage. Twinkleshine nodded and started to follow. Wind Tunnel did the same, moving slowly as he looked back at the stage.

"What does this stuff -- LOOK OUT!" The pegasus lunged, pushing the other two ponies.

The three of them hit the ground, Dinky being pushed further and stumbling back in the process. Several of the orbs were thrown out at the audience. One shattered beside Twinkleshine and Wind Tunnel, the two of them coughing as they were engulfed by Poison Joke.

Dinky got back up and moved toward the cloud. Her horn began to glow as she used it to grab her hat and wave it back and forth to try and disperse the powder away from her friends faster. It was actually a relief when she could see her two friends again.

"Are you two okay?" she asked, moving toward them, "Talk to me!"

"I'm okay," Twinkleshine said. "I'm... no I'm not." She glanced around. "I... I can't see..." She started looking around frantically, her breathing turning rapid and erratic. "Dinky? Where are you? I-I-I..."

"I'm here," Dinky responded, pressing against her friend. "I'm right here. Don't worry. Wind Tunnel, what about you?"

"I OKAY!" the pegasus boomed. A massive blast of air exploded from his mouth, hitting the two unicorns hard enough to knock them off their hooves and send them flying nearly ten feet.

"SORRY!" Wind Tunnel shouted, looking up toward the sky to keep from knocking them back again. "ARE YOU TWO OKAY?"

"I'm not hurt," Dinky responded, "Twinkle?"

"Nothing new to add." She reached out to grab her friend. "We need to get the cure though. Do you remember what it is?""

Dinky moved to stand up then helped her friend. She pushed Twinkleshine over to Wind Tunnel.

"Lean on him. I need a moment to think."

Her gaze glimpsed up to the stage. On it the black clad unicorn continued to throw the orbs. This time she seemed to be aiming more at the guards attempting to approach instead of random targets. There was no way of knowing how many orbs there were or where they were being pulled out from. Dinky shook her head and looked away, starting to pace back and forth in front of her friends.

Think, she told herself. Try to remember what Apple Bloom told you. After Applejack and her friends were affected by the plant, Apple Bloom had shared the entire story with the class during the next show and tell. She had even brought the book and talked about the ingredients Zecora had told her to find and collect. Now Dinky needed them. If only she remembered what the little earth pony had said.

The unicorn tapped her head as she tried to remember. She was supposed to be dressed as a superhero after all. Super! The word made something in her head click. The book had the word supernatural in it. With one domino tipped, the others quick fell and the idea finally came to her.

"That's it!" she cried out. "Twinkle, do you think you could make it to the library with Wind Tunnel's help?"

"I think so," the blinded unicorn replied, "Why?"

"You two go and look for a book called Supernaturals: Natural Remedies and Cure-alls That Are Simply Super. It should have the cure for Poison Joke. Take it and get it to the castle and tell the captain of the guard. He'll make sure they can get the ingredients out to everypony who needs it."

"WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?" Wind Tunnel asked.

Dinky turned and looked at the stage again. None of the guards were able to reach the wicked unicorn there. Turning, the villainous mare started to run off. Dinky let out a sigh and shook her head.

"I guess I'm going to be stupid and try to play the hero." She started to run after the escaping criminal before either of her friends could say anything more.

Comments

[Luckyfanisaac]

Dinky should speed herself making the area around her slow down to catch up to the black pony.