//------------------------------//
// Unresolved Threads: C.M.C. 
// Story: The Mask of Despair and the Face of Hope 
// by Wings of Black Glass 
//------------------------------//

“Now that you are back in Ponyville, what are you going to do next?”  Spike, Starlight, Sable, and I were all sharing breakfast this morning.  For once Sable got up at a reasonable hour.
“I’m still not sure.”  Sable took a bite out of his waffle, chewing while he thought.  “I suppose it’s back to searching.”  He tapped his flank with a wing panel.  “I wish I had a better plan.”
“About that.”  Starlight took a sip of coffee.  “It just occurred to me that I don’t know if you ever met the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”
“The who?”  He nibbled on another waffle corner.
“Just before the accident I suggested Twilight introduce you to them.  They specialize in helping foals and fillies find their cutie-marks.”
“Really?”  He dragged out the word, eying me with some suspicion.  “And you never thought to tell me because…?”
“Hey, don’t blame me!  When I offered you said you didn’t think they could help.  Although, that was quite literally right before the accident.”  I shrugged.  “I guess I thought you still felt the same.”
“Well then.”  He lifted the rest of his waffle off the plate and shoved it whole into his mouth, chewing and swallowing quickly, then wiping away a stray bead of syrup before it could drip onto his coat.  “I think it’s time I see if that’s still true.”  He delayed only long enough to down the rest of his water before heading to the door.
“You might be jumping the gun just a bit there.  Do you even know where, or who, they are?”
“Not a clue.”  Pretty upbeat sounding, considering.
“So you planned to wander around town looking for somepony you don’t know?”
“No, my plan was to stand outside with a dumb expression on my face until they spontaneously appeared before me.”  He rolled his eyes as we laughed.  “Obviously I was going to have to ask you for directions.”
“I’ll take you there.”  I volunteered, I was the one there who knew the Crusaders the best anyway.  “Spike, you can go ahead and get started without me.”
“Sure, why not, it's not like I enjoy all the paperwork or anything.”
“Ha, you know how much I appreciate all the help.  I’ll be back soon.”  Then I headed out beside the Unicorn in the black coat.
“Good luck, Sable!”  Starlight called out as we left.  Sable paused just outside, taking in a deep breath of clean morning air.
“Somepony is in a good mood this morning.”  I steered us towards the Crusader’s clubhouse, on the other side of town.
“I’m just relieved to be back in Ponyville.”  The tone of the final note made it sound as if he were about to say more.
“And…?”  He glanced my way, mild suspicion written plainly in his expression.
“And you need to stop reading me like an open book.”  I giggled.  “Pinewood is a cozy enough little frontier town, but I can never really be comfortable there again.”
“The memories are too painful?”
“Not in and of themselves.  But when I see the faces of those there, all I can see is what I did to them, the years I stole.”  He let his head fall, and silence lingered between us as we walked.  It took me a minute to find something that might brighten his mood.
“If it makes you feel any better.  When I was taking your enchantment apart, I noticed how particular the effect was.”  He looked away, at the ponies talking and working and living.  One Earth Pony stallion in a nearby cafe looked up from his breakfast and watched us back.  “You may have taken the memories of yourself from them, but that was all you took, you were very careful about that.  They didn’t lose anything else.”
“I think it does help, actually.”  We continued towards the Crusader’s clubhouse for a few more moments until a voice called from behind.
“Stardust!  That you, dude?”  Sable stopped and turned back, the pony that saw us before galloped up, seafoam green in color with a very short blond mane, and his cutie-mark was a surfboard on a wave.  “There you are!”
“I’m sorry?  Have we met?”  He sounded genuinely confused.
“That’s not funny, man.”  The newcomer frowned.  “You haven’t responded to any of our letters in months; we were starting to get worried something happened to you, dude.”
“Excuse me, but who are you?”  I went to Sable’s rescue; he was already starting to back away.  Only now did the excited pony address me, his eyes opening wide when he saw who I was.
“Princess!  I’m sorry!  My name is Wave Dasher.”  He bowed towards me before turning his attention back towards the Unicorn in the black coat.  “Why didn’t you tell us you were hanging with the Princess of Friendship?”  Wave Dasher jerked his head towards me, sounding outright impressed.  “You’re a lucky dude.”  Something not quite recognition flashed in Sable’s eyes and he must have come to the same conclusion I did.  Wave Dasher must have been a pony he met while he wandered Equestria before settling in Ponyville.
“Wave Dasher, I’m sorry.”  I heard him about to say more.  Wave Dasher, however, did not.
“That’s alright.  It's just nice to see you haven’t fallen off the map.”  Wave Dasher turned to wave at another pony coming our way, a red Earth Pony mare with a pale pink mane nearly as short as his own, her mark a series of musical notes.  “Ruby Song and I are heading out to Las Pegasus.  We stopped by Ponyville to see her parents.”  He kissed the mare on the cheek when she stepped up to them.  Sable nodded towards her.
“Wave, we’ve got to go, or we’ll miss the train.”  She had a voice that chimed brightly.  She bowed quickly to me and waved to Sable.
“Go on ahead, babe, I’ll be right there.”  Ruby Song giggled and headed over towards the station, Wave Dasher hung back for a moment longer.  The greenish Earth Pony smiled as he faced Sable.  “I’m gonna propose to her; I’ve got it all planned out!  Never would have met her if not for you.”  With a mischievous smile, he jabbed Sable in the ribs, causing the Unicorn to stumble and flare his wings for stability.  “So I finally get to see your sweet wings, dude!”  He smiled appreciatively for an instant as he eyed them.  “Gotta dash!”
“Good luck!”  Sable called out, somewhat uncertainly, as the excited Wave Dasher chased after his marefriend.  “There’s got to be a story there.”  Whatever confidence had been in Sable’s voice faded away to sullenness.  “Maybe someday I’ll know it.”  When the two visitors had disappeared out of view, I turned back towards the Crusader’s clubhouse, and Sable followed.
“I guess you kept in touch with some of the ponies you met before arriving here in Ponyville.”  Inwardly I reprimanded myself; I had foolishly assumed he had no friends left from before he came here.  “We should see if the post office has any letters for you, in case there are others.”
“I had not considered that possibility.  I should also go back to the cathedral tree; maybe there were one or two in my mailbox before the fire.”
“It wouldn’t hurt to check.”  Without further interruption, we arrived at the Crusader’s base a little while later.  The clubhouse sat perched in an apple tree in a relatively private part of Sweet Apple Acres farm.  It was relatively large for a treehouse and had a little ramp which could be drawn up to prevent access, leftover from when it was a playhouse for Applejack.
“Twilight, just how old are these Cutie Mark Crusaders?”  Sable eyed the clubhouse with some trepidation.
“Don’t worry; they are more experienced than you might think.  They got their own cutie marks helping others realize theirs.”
“That was… not what I asked.”  I chuckled and climbed up the ramp to the door to knock. I heard voices inside.  Sable remained on the ground, frowning.
“Apple Bloom?  Sweetie Belle?  Scootaloo?  Are you there?”  A moment later the door opened, revealing the trio of fillies.  The wall opposite the door was covered in pictures of foals the group has helped before.
“Twilight!”  Apple Bloom, Applejack’s little sister, invited me in with a wave.
“What can the Cutie Mark Crusaders do for you today?”  Scootaloo, the little orange Pegasus, bounced with each word of their group’s name.
“Hey girls, I have a new client for you.”
“Really?!”  Sweetie Belle, Rarity’s little sister and resident white Unicorn, beamed a wide smile.  All three were always excited to jump in to help.  “Where are they?!”
“He’s right outside.”
“Uh, Twilight?”  Scootaloo looked out one of the front windows.  “There’s only a stallion out there, is he dropping off his little brother or something?”
“This case… might be a bit special.”  The three Crusaders shared a glance, all equally confused.  I poked my head back out the door.  “Come on up, Sable.  Don’t be shy.”  The dark purple Unicorn hesitated, walking only slowly up the ramp.  I turned back to the trio.  “He’s a bit sensitive, so try not to overwhelm him, please.”  Sable stepped inside and stood beside the open door, looking down at the young fillies with some reservations written plainly on his face.
“Oh hey, I know that guy.”  Apple Bloom spoke up, and the other two faced her.  “He helps out at the farm sometimes.”  Now she addressed the stallion.  “So how can we help you?”
“Are you sure about this?”  He directed this to me, clearly doubting the capability of the little ponies.
“We’re already here.  Give them a chance.”  I shut the door, severely limiting his options.  He sighed, and using magic flipped his coat up, and held his wing out of the way so the trio of little ponies could see.
“Whoa.”  As one all three ogled his wings and stared at his blank flank, somewhat amazed.  He returned the coat to its normal position, shifting uncomfortably as he folded his wing.
“I’ve never seen a blank-flank stallion before.”  Sweetie Belle was the first to break the silence.  Sable’s wings twitched slightly.
“It’s a unique event, as far as I can tell.”  The trio turned towards me.  “And I have to make you promise not to spread it around.”  When the Crusaders appeared not to understand I stamped my hoof sternly, the clubhouse creaked slightly, and Sable flinched.  “Seriously, girls.  Promise me you won’t go gossiping about this.”  At this, all three Crusaders placed a hoof over their hearts.
“We promise, no blabbing!”  Then the Crusaders turned back to the larger Unicorn.
“Into the deep end, I go.”  He shook his head disapprovingly.  “Very well.  I am Sable Stardust.”  He tilted his head slightly and nodded to them, that same familiar and respectful bow.  “And I require your assistance.”
“All right then.  I have to get back to the Castle.”  I opened the door and started out.  “Good luck, Sable.  And have fun, everyone!”  As I left, I could hear the Crusaders already grilling Sable about his past and developing plans and activities to help him find his mark.
Several hours later, well into the afternoon, I returned to the Crusader’s clubhouse only to find it empty.  There were clear signs of recent activity, scattered across the floor were numerous papers and charts and drawings detailing dozens of quick attempts to find a mark.  The Crusaders were obviously equally confused and confounded by Sable’s blank flank.  On one such page, I found a long list of activities, all marked with a large ‘X’ aside from the one at the bottom, fishing.  They must have been down at the lake.
When I reached the lake, I indeed found the group all along the shore, four fishing rods sitting before them.  Of the Crusaders only Scootaloo was still watching her rod, Sweetie Belle appeared to have fallen asleep.  Apple Bloom was not even bothering to pay attention to hers, pacing back and forth underneath a nearby tree with a little scowl on her face.  For his part Sable was sitting stone still, from a distance I could almost mistake him for one, watching the water as if in a trance.
“How’s everything going out here?”  Apple Bloom and Scootaloo startled.  When I approached, Sable turned ever so slowly, exaggeratedly, to face me and blinked as slowly as he possibly could.  I couldn’t stop myself and laughed.  The sound rattled Sweetie Belle awake.
“A fisher, I am not.”  Sable stood and stretched his legs and wings; he must have been sitting there for a while.  I wondered if his wings responded so naturally because the spell reads his body language or if he did it manually to look natural.
“Or an alchemist.”
“Or a carpenter.”
“Or a songwriter.”
“Or sculptor, baker, calligrapher, cartographer, acrobat, dancer, or half a hundred other things I don’t even remember anymore.”
“I don’t know what to say, Twilight.  We’ve been at it all day, and we aren’t any closer to figuring it out.”  Scootaloo pouted.
“And here I thought we were getting better at this.”  Sweetie Belle let her gaze fall to the ground.
“I’m starting to think we might be out of our depth here.”  Apple Bloom stomped a tiny hoof in agitation.  “I mean, he’s been looking for his mark for longer than we’ve been alive!  How are we supposed to find it in a day?”
“Don’t get downhearted, girls.  I told you this would be a special case.”  I sighed.  “I didn’t honestly think you were going to find it today.”  The Crusaders all shared another concerned glance at my words.
“The reasoning is simple.”  Sable walked over from where he was collecting the fishing rods, and he deposited them in a pile nearby.  “Exactly what you said.”  He used one wing to tap Apple Bloom’s side, indicating what she had said.  “I suspect I have tried most of these things in the past myself.”  He must have already explained his missing history to them.  This did nothing to reassure the Crusaders much.  “Thank you for the effort, but I think I’ve had enough for one day anyway.”  With this said he turned and headed away.
“Well, think about it some more.  Maybe you can come up with something he hasn’t tried yet.”  I waved goodbye and followed after Sable.  We didn’t get far before Scootaloo ran up to the dark purple Unicorn.
“Um, Mr. Stardust?”  He paused, looking down at the little Pegasus.  “You said you made those wings using a spell right?”  He nodded.  “I don’t suppose… you would do that for me, would you?”
“Why?”  He tilted his head.  “You already have wings.”  Scootaloo pawed at the ground, unwilling to meet him eye to eye.
“My wings are stunted.”  She bit her lip and scrunched her face.  “I can’t fly.”  I looked at Sable, wondering what thoughts were going through his head.  Surely he could see the similarity to himself, a pony unable to do something which comes so naturally to others.  “Please?”  The little Pegasus let her eyes beg.  A long moment passed, I expected him to start casting.  His expression shifted from compassion to something harder, and then back to sympathy.  Until at last, he had an answer for her.
“No.”
“Why not?”  Scootaloo and I complained as one.
“Two reasons.  Firstly.”  He walked over to a tree and snapped his wing open, crashing it against the trunk and shattering the glass spell.  “These wings are very fragile.  And secondly.”  He picked up Scootaloo with his magic, and with a flick of his head, flung her out over the lake in a long arc.  The little Pegasus screamed, the other two Crusaders shouted her name.  Before the filly hit the water, I snatched her out of the air, teleporting her back to dry stable land.  She was a little surprised but uninjured.
“What was that for?”  I rounded on Sable angrily.  “You could have hurt her!”  He met my angry gaze calmly with his own.  The other two Crusaders rushed to Scootaloo’s side.
“And that is why I will not give her wings.”  My anger faded as I quickly came to understand.  He stepped over to the filly and her friends.  “If Twilight had not caught you, you would have gotten wet.  An inconvenience, at most.”  He shifted his gaze to the little white Unicorn.  “Sweetie Belle is not quick enough or skilled enough to have caught you, or she would have.  If you had been flying using my spell and so much as clipped a wing on a branch you would have fallen, uncontrolled.  Possibly into hazardous terrain.  If you had been high enough in the air, you could be seriously injured.  I will not be responsible for putting you in harm's way in such a manner.”
“What about you?  You take that risk every time you go into the air don’t you?”  Apple Bloom, defiantly standing between them, tried to turn his reasoning against him.  I knew he had a retort for this as well.
“You are correct, I do.  But I am quick enough and skilled enough.  And even if I were not, it is my choice to use the spell.”  He turned his neon blue eyes on me.  “I am not asking another to take responsibility for my own wellbeing away from me.”  His eyes went back to the little Pegasus, who appeared nearly in tears.  “Don’t cry just yet.”  He lowered his head until his eyes were level with hers.  “You are still young, in time your wings might grow in.  There are still other ways to fly, Be hopeful.”  Now he stood back to full height, nodding deeply to her.  “Farewell, little Pegasus.”  With more finality, he turned and headed away.
I looked down at the Crusaders, moving to comfort Scootaloo.  The little Pegasus was watching the Unicorn leave, somewhere between dismayed and disappointed.  I pat them each on the head and then went to follow Sable.
“That was a little harsh, don’t you think?”
“If you really want to, you could go back and give her wings yourself.”  He glanced at me out the corner of his eye.  “I know, for a fact, you can cast the spell.”  I almost did.  “You’ve seen how energetic the little filly can be.  Do you really think she won’t go too far, push herself too fast?”
“You’re right.  She’s not ready.”
“Not yet.”  He nodded.  “Although… there might be a way to make it safer… I’ll have to think about it.”  He was silent, deep in thought, the rest of the way back to town.





	“I thought you weren’t going to give us much ‘slice of life’?”
“Well, I was thinking about how Starlight mentioned them this morning, and wanted to let you know how it went when he did go see them.”
“It was also nice to hear that he does still have other friends.”
“To be honest, you’re not the only one who thought he didn’t have any.  The thought had crossed my mind too.”
“What about the letters?  Did he have any more waiting for him?”
“I think so, I later saw him with several.  I’ve only got one more unresolved plot thread to cover, and then we’ll get back to the conflict with Despair.”