//------------------------------//
// Let's Try Again 
// Story: The Mask of Despair and the Face of Hope 
// by Wings of Black Glass 
//------------------------------//

I didn’t see him again for the next few days, and Rarity and Fluttershy came back from Manehatten.  I met them in the map room in the castle of friendship.  We were catching up over a pot of tea.
“So everything went well?  What was the problem?”
“There was a wedding, and the bride and groom were getting cold hooves.”
“Really now, it wasn’t even that complicated.”  Rarity sipped her tea, flipping her hair out of the way.  “Everypony involved just needed a good talking to.”
“Oh, yes.  They really were not considering each other’s feelings at all.”  Fluttershy shook her head disapprovingly.  “But everything turned out well in the end.”
“I mean, the hard part was finding them in the first place.  Manehatten is a wonderful place, but it’s just far too large to search if you don’t know where to look.  Ah well, I was able to check on my boutique while we were there.”
“I take it that means everything is going well there?”
“Quite well, everything in is good order.”
“One of these days the table needs to send me to Manehatten.”  I pouted a bit.  “It seems everypony else gets to go.”
“Dear, you do know you can just go there yourself whenever you want?  If you want to enjoy the sights, you don’t have to wait for the table to send you out on an errand.”  I smiled sheepishly at Rarity’s jab, Fluttershy giggled quietly.  Someone knocked on the front door, the sound echoing down the hall, pausing our conversation as I looked towards the massive doorway.
“I’ll get it!”  Spike called out from elsewhere, rushing through the room and then down the hallway.  I heard the hinges groan as he pulled the door open.  “Uh, Twilight… I think you have a visitor.”  He shouted from the front door, seemingly worried.  I shared a quick glance with the other ponies; they appeared just as confused as I was.  I set my teacup on the table and walked over, pulling the door open slightly more.  Standing out in the open, looking somewhat uncomfortable, was the dark Purple Unicorn wearing the ragged old black coat.
“Sable Stardust?”  He raised his head slightly, taking several deep breaths to steady himself before speaking.
“I need to apologize.”  I didn’t get a chance to respond before he continued.  “I was out of line, attacking you three like that.”  He rushed through his words, not leaving any time for me to get a word in.  “It doesn’t matter if you were trespassing, I shouldn’t have acted so badly.”  He bowed his head respectfully.  “So… I’m sorry.”  For some reason, I hadn’t expected him to apologize at all.
“That's alright. I forgive you.  We shouldn’t have gone in without permission, and nopony got hurt.”
“Twilight?  Is something the matter?”  Rarity called from within.
“No, nothing is wrong, just a moment please.”
“You have guests.  I should go.”  Sable Stardust turned away without waiting for an answer.  He seemed downtrodden, and I got the strange feeling that his apology was more for his own benefit than for mine.  As he walked slowly away, I felt a pang of pity for him, realizing that he might be lonely.
“Wait…”  He looked back over his shoulder, and I gave him a soft smile.  “Please come inside and meet my friends.”  He hesitated visibly, glancing away in the direction of his home, his ‘hovel’ he called it.  “We can start over, try again.”  He grited his teeth, I could see from the doorway, and with a surprising amount of effort for merely turning around lurched towards me.
“I think I would like that.”  He spoke calmly; I could almost hear the willpower it took him to just say 'yes.'
“Well then, please come on in.”  I pushed the door open a bit more and stood aside, gesturing down the hall towards the table room.  Spike looked up at me, curious.  I glanced back with an expression I hoped would tell him I would explain later.  Slowly, uncertainly even, Stardust stepped inside.  I led him back until we stood before the table.  “Rarity.”  My white Unicorn friend flipped her mane aside again and nodded toward him.  “Fluttershy.”  The yellow Pegasus smiled cutely and gently waved with a hoof.  “This is Sable Stardust.”  I gestured towards him.  “Sable Stardust, this is Rarity and Fluttershy.”  He nodded to each in turn before taking a seat in Rainbow Dash’s chair, where he could keep them both in view.  I sat back in mine, and Spike climbed into his much smaller chair beside mine.  For a long moment, there was silence, each expecting the others to speak first.
“Well, Twilight, why don’t you tell us how you two met.”  Rarity broke the silence, at least someone said something.
“We only ran into each other for the first time a couple days ago.”  I jumped on the conversation starter.
“In a rather literal sense.”  Sable Stardust deadpanned.
“What do you mean by that?”  Rarity blinked rapidly several times.
“If I said Pinkie Pie was involved, would that explain it?”
“I think I understand.”  Fluttershy laughs softly.  I could swear I saw him smile, for just an instant.
“I… what?”  Rarity looked to me for an explanation.
“We physically bumped into him.  Pinkie knocked him over.”  Rarity gave an exaggerated sigh as I explained.
“I take it then you are the Rarity who owns the Carousel Boutique?”  Stardust took it as his turn to ask a question.
“Yes, I am, as well as another boutique in Manehatten, and a third in Canterlot.  ‘Rarity for you’ for whatever fashion needs you have.”
“And I hear you are the veterinarian, correct?”  Stardust directed this to Fluttershy.
“Actually, I am the caretaker for the animals, not the veterinarian.  I do what I can if some creature needs some help, just first aid.  The veterinarian in town is Dr. Fauna.”  I let Fluttershy finish, before facing Sable Stardust again.
“So now you know who we are, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself.”  He didn’t answer my question immediately; I think he was gathering his thoughts.  I suspected he was more introspective than I initially guessed.
“There is not much to say.”  That was disappointing, I could tell he was trying to dodge the question.
“Don’t say that, everypony has a story to tell.”
“I keep to myself, I value my privacy.”
“I can understand that.”  He shook his head when Rarity said it and whispered something so quietly I couldn’t hear it.  Fluttershy did, and glanced my way with some concern.  I decided not to press him on it.  “What about your hobbies and interests?  Your job?  Give us something please.”
“My particular skillset is… not in high demand.  I don’t have… stable employment.”  That helped me understand why he had such a pitiful looking little home, he probably couldn’t afford better.
“Oh, I’m sorry.”  Fluttershy meant it to be sympathetic, but for some reason Sable Stardust shot her an ugly glance.  He held his tongue despite the cruel expression.
“I guess that explains the sorry state of your outfit there.”  Rarity waved dismissively towards his coat.  “I would be pleased to fix it up for you if you bring it down to the boutique.”  He clenched his coat closer around him.  “Tell me, Sable Stardust, why do you wear that?”  Rarity sized him up quickly, finding something mildly distasteful.  “Black on purple on black is all very monochrome.”  I was observing his reactions carefully and noticed a tiny flash of annoyance, but it vanished quickly.  The expression I had seen was replaced with something quieter as he looked down at his forelegs.
“It keeps me warm.”  He answered, at last; I got the sense he was considering his words carefully.  He didn’t look up.
“Really, in this weather?  Surely…”  Sable Stardust’s ears flattened against his head, suddenly defensive.
“Rarity.”  Fluttershy interrupted softly, shaking her head slowly, before she turned to face Sable Stardust.  “You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to.”  She had seen the same thing as I did.  Sable Stardust nodded towards the Pegasus, and I saw the thanks in his expression.  Fluttershy blinked several times, gazing at Sable Stardust’s side.  “Pardon me, Mr. Stardust, but are you an Alicorn?”  The dark purple Unicorn looked down at his side, flexing something black against his coat where a pair of wings might be.  I did a double-take, rubbing my eyes and checking again.  I thought I imagined it the other day.
“Not as such.”  Despite what he said, two wings unfolded momentarily, just partially, and resettled against his side.  They were the same black color as his coat, making them almost invisible.  “They aren’t quite real.”
“How is that possible?  You didn’t have wings before.”  The dark Unicorn looked up to meet my gaze, for an instant anyway.
“You disappoint me, Twilight Sparkle.  It was you who gave me the idea in the first place.”  Both Rarity and Fluttershy looked to me for an answer.  I had no idea what he meant.
“I think you might have to explain; I did what now?”
“It was quite a while ago.”  He sighed.  “I was in town one day when I saw you and your friends passing by, and Rarity was sporting a rather substantial pair of butterfly wings.”
“Oh yes, I remember that quite vividly.”  Rarity shuddered.  “Those wings almost got me killed.  If Rainbow Dash hadn’t caught me…”  She trailed off and shuddered again.  Spike went to her side and put a claw on her arm.  She smiled down at him.  “I’m alright.”
“The point being, I knew it was possible to give a Unicorn wings.  I later overheard someone mention you had cast a spell that did the trick.  After that, it was easy to get the spellbook itself.”
“How?  I thought I had that book?”
“You are aware that before you moved in that was the public library, yes?  I simply waited until you left, and then asked your assistant for the book.”  Spike jolted back to attention on his way back to his seat.  “It turns out Spike can be profoundly helpful.”  Sable Stardust gave the dragon a respectful nod.
“Wait, I don’t remember that.”  The little dragon scratched his head as he got back into his chair.
“I think you were… distracted.  I copied the spell down and returned the book rather soon; you never missed it.”
“I’m impressed.”  I really was.  “That's a difficult spell.  I personally found it to be more effort than it was worth.  It was so draining; I almost didn’t manage to cast it that first time I tried it.”
“It took me six weeks to get it right.”  Silence dropped after his admission.  Fluttershy coughed uncomfortably.
“If it’s so difficult, why do you even bother?”  As his only response to Rarity’s question, Sable stood from the seat and opened his wings, holding them high.  Only now could I see how different from typical wings they were, these had no feathers but rather long almost rectangular panels with a glass sheen to them.  Speckled tiny silver dots scattered across their surface shimmered as he breathed.  It was almost like looking at a field of stars reflected on the surface of a lake at midnight.
“Oh my, That is quite pretty.”  Fluttershy openly admired the wings.  Rarity, on the other hand, dropped her teacup in her dumbstruck awe; I could see her eyes twinkle like when she looks at a particularly fabulous dress or large gemstone.  Sable Stardust flapped his wings once and then used one to point towards the yellow Pegasus.
“There, that is why I bother.”  He folded his glass wings and sat back down.  Something didn’t sit right with me; it took me a moment to recall that spell in detail.
“Hold on.  That magic only grants butterfly wings, how in Celestia’s name did you manage that?”  At this Sable Stardust straightened in his seat a bit, sitting a little taller than before.
“I tweaked the spell.”  I could hear his pleasure with his accomplishment in his words.
“Tweaked?  That's a serious understatement.”
“I spent a long time, months and more, casting and recasting it before I finally got it right.  It's the…”  He paused here, considering his words carefully.  “It’s just something I’m proud of.”
“And rightly so, bravo!”  Rarity applauded before she cleaned up her spilled tea.
“They are still quite fragile though.  Recently I had to recast it twice in one day.”  He glared quickly over at me, and I grimaced, his annoyance with me and Pinkie then made even more sense.  “But enough about my wings, feel free to continue your conversation I am sure I interrupted.”
“You can’t seriously expect us to just drop the subject, after a demonstration like that.”
“I can only hope.”  Sable Stardust turned his attention to the table before him, taking in the map.  “This is a curious table.”  His forced attempt to change the subject made it clear he was not going to say any more about his magic trick.  I let it pass; I planned to go back and look over that spell again later.  Maybe I could ask him about it some other time.  There weren’t many Unicorns interested in magical theory in Ponyville for me to have much of a conversation about it.
“There’s quite the story about it.”  Fluttershy took Sable Stardust’s bait, quite intentionally I was sure.  “Do you remember when Tirek attacked?”
“That was… hard to forget.  I assume there is more to the story?”  Together we told him the story of the Tree of Harmony and the magical chest which granted them the power to defeat Tirek.  He remained silent throughout the telling.
“When it was all over the magic of harmony created this castle, and this map.”  Rarity gestured around at the rest of the castle.
“It wasn’t long before we realized the magic of the map connects to us, through our cutie-marks.”  Something in his eyes flared, or was it my imagination?  “Sometimes it senses something wrong somewhere out in Equestria, and it calls us here via our cutie-marks.  Those it calls go to where it marks, and we strengthen friendships wherever we end up.”
“Very interesting.”  He refused to take his eyes off the table.  It looked to me like he was examining it carefully.
“Fluttershy and I just returned from Manehatten as a matter of fact, and we were discussing what happened when you arrived.”
“I wonder how it works?  Must be powerful magic…”  He didn’t seem to have heard Rarity.
“Hey Twilight, I’m back!”  The conversation was interrupted by an energetic Pegasus flying in through an open window.  The blue Pegasus with the multi-colored mane and tail flew in dizzying circles around the room at speed, overly excited.  “I’ve got this awesome new move to show you!”  She was quite impossible to ignore, drawing the Unicorn’s attention off the table.
“Rainbow Dash, I presume?”  He didn’t even try to keep up with the spiraling flier, addressing the question to me.
“Dash, hold up.  You should meet my guest, Sable Stardust.”
“Yeah, hi.”  Rainbow Dash spared barely a moment to greet Sable Stardust for the first time.  “We were also practicing this new formation you’ve got to see.”
“Rainbow Dash is a member of the Wonderbolts, the stunt flier team.”  Fluttershy explained helpfully before he had to ask.
“Dash dear, do slow down.  You’re going to hurt yourself again.”  It was only at this from Rarity did Rainbow Dash land, sliding to halt on the table.
“Right, right.”  Dash glanced around quickly, only then really noticing the new purple Unicorn.  “I don’t think we’ve met.  Stable Starbust right?  Good to meet ya.”  Sable Stardust stiffened, eyes narrowing.  Dash didn’t notice, clearly, but Fluttershy and I did.
“Don’t call me that.”  He almost whispered it, and again Rainbow Dash didn’t hear what was said.
“Rainbow Dash, Wonderbolt!”  She spread her wings confidently and gestured flamboyantly with a hoof projected into the air.
“Uh, Dash?”  Fluttershy tried to get her fellow Pegasus’s attention and failed.  “Maybe you could…”
“I know it can be daunting to meet a Wonderbolt up close, but please hold your applause.  Or don’t, cause I’m awesome.”  Dash leaped from the table, landing next to her chair and the Unicorn occupying it.  “So what can we help you with, Starbust?”
“Do not call me that.”  He snapped hard.  His voice boomed, amplified by magic, as he slammed a hoof down hard on the floor.  Bright lines, like little bolts of lightning, danced away from his hoof and skittered across the stone.  He seethed, breathing hard through clenched teeth as the thunder echoed away.  Rainbow Dash was stunned into silence, everyone frozen still by the outburst.  The moment passed, and Sable Stardust faced each of us in turn, seeing the surprise and a little fear in our faces.  Wordlessly he turned to leave.  I stood, ready to reprimand him, but to my surprise, it was Fluttershy who reached him first.  She stood in his way; he couldn’t seem to look her in the eye, he was letting his head hang low.  “I should go.  Before I do something else I’ll regret.”  The yellow Pegasus looked down at him for a moment longer, and then her expression softened and she stepped aside.  He paused at the door, seemingly trying to say something.  “Twilight Sparkle knows where to find me.”  It was all he managed before closing the door softly behind him.  I heard another crack like lightning from outside the map room, the same sound as when Sable Stardust teleported back at his hovel, and then silence.
“What was that about?”  Rainbow Dash made to go after him, her wings twitching indignantly.
“Don’t bother, Dash, he’s gone.  He teleported away.”
“Well, someone has a temper.”  Rarity huffed.
“I think you hit a nerve with that one.”  Spike pointed at the door.
“Dash, you were pronouncing his name wrong.”  Fluttershy came over and stood beside the other pegasus.
“I was?”
“It’s Sable Stardust.  Not Starbust.”
“So it was an innocent mistake, he didn’t have to explode.”
“Remember how you felt when the bullies at school called you Rainbow Crash?”  Dash cringed, but her wings relaxed.  “I think he has a history with that name.”
“Don’t worry about it.”  I sighed.  “I’ll have a talk with him, later.  Now you said you had a new move to show me?”  Rainbow Dash grinned anew and prepared to leap back into the air.  “But, outside please.”





“I sort of feel like we already know this all.”
“It was only a few days ago.”
“Well, I wasn’t there!  I want to know what’s going on too.”
“I'm including pretty much everything I think is relevant to the story of what happened.  That way no one gets left behind.”