The Mask of Despair and the Face of Hope

by Wings of Black Glass

Reintroduction

“So much more happened in that moment than any of us knew, or could even guess.”

“What do you mean?”

“…I don’t want to spoil the story just yet. I’ll get there, it all makes sense in the end, I think. From here on, everything I am about to say hasn’t happened yet. Most of it never will. This is where my timeline diverges from the real world.”

“So, why are you telling us at all?”

“Because I want you to know what happened. To me, to Sable… to all of you.”

“That’s alright Twilight, I understand.”

“Thanks, Fluttershy. Immediately after that…”

---

“Starlight, go check on Spike, and then get the doctor.” Glimmer glared at me in annoyance.

“Why me?” She sounded positively indignant.

“Because I need to keep an eye on Sable.” I hoped I left enough implication of distrust over Stardust that Glimmer got the message without frightening the injured pony. Starlight Glimmer looked from me to the purple Unicorn still prone on the floor and nodded before turning away and heading out at a run. The aforementioned purple Unicorn tried to sit up but only fell back against the floor with a grunt of pain. “Just stay still, the doctor will be here in a few minutes.”

“I feel like a brick wall fell on me. What’s going on?”

“You don’t remember?” My eyes dropped to the Alicorn Amulet on Sable’s chest. “Would you mind taking off that amulet? It's not safe.” Sable felt around his neck, finding the chain. He lifted the amulet in front of his eyes, and flipped it around once, taking a long look at it. There was no sense the Unicorn knew what it was. Without fanfare or complaint, he just removed it, and I let out a held breath as I quickly took it out of his reach, dropping it on the map table. Sable’s eyes drifted over the room from where he lay, despite the poor angle of vision he could still see the wreckage.

“What a mess, what happened here?” I briefly considered telling him at once, but something inside said that would be a poor decision.

“There was… an accident, you’re hurt.” My vague response satisfied his curiosity, for the moment at least.

“Why don’t I remember?” He sounded apprehensive, but it was not fear I heard in his voice, it was confusion and curiosity. It was as if this was all just a puzzle to him.

“While we wait for the doctor, tell me the last thing you remember.” I cleared away some of the rubble from the immediate area with a quick spell, and sat down, facing Sable. I stayed silent, letting him think.

“I was standing outside a door.” His eyes moved to the entryway and then darted around the room before coming to rest on me again.. “I think it was like one of those, and I was going to knock.” That could be today, or the first time he came to the castle. “Then, I saw you. I was envisioning… fire? And then we were in the air I think… I can fly?” He looked at his side, confused again. “I can’t fly, I’m a Unicorn.” That was only a little while ago; maybe he had only temporarily lost his memory then. “Then you flew away, and I went back to the ground.” He seemed to be recovering, that's something at least.

“I passed a little dragon, did something… I can’t remember, and he fell over.” He tried to stand again I restrained him with magic, I didn’t want him aggravating some injury. “Is he alright? The little dragon person? Spike? I didn’t hurt him did I?”

“Spike will be fine.” I hoped. “Please, continue.”

“I went into the next room. There was another Unicorn. I said ‘You have something I need.’” His eyes glazed over for an instant. “I… I took something, I don’t know what or why. I reached out and… nothing, it’s all a flash of light after that.” Now he looked up at me, very clearly frightened. “I did this? Didn’t I?”

“I’m not going to hurt you, don’t worry. You’re my friend.” I spoke softly, setting a gentle hoof on his shoulder. I wasn’t sure this helped, although he did seem to calm. What indeed did not help was Rainbow Dash suddenly zipping into the room at speed, stopping abruptly in mid-air directly over the table.

“Twilight! What’s wrong?! The door is pulled right off the castle?!” Dash spotted Sable on the ground, surrounded by rubble and several piles of ash. She pointed accusingly. “You did this, didn’t you, Starbust!” I could tell she was using the insult intentionally.

“That's not my name.” Sable protested innocently and without anger, as before he seemed more confused than anything else. This startled me, last time Dash called him that his reaction was quite a bit more explosive. “It’s Sable Stardust. Isn’t it?” His casual attitude towards this knocked Dash off balance; she looked from Sable to me and back.

“What in tarnation is going on!” More ponies entered the room; Applejack was the first to speak, she was joined by Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie as they entered the room. Spike stumbled in alongside Rarity, looking like he had a headache, but otherwise alright.

“Everyone, calm down. The situation is under control.” I turned to face them, standing between them and Sable. They all stopped and looked around the room, taking in the damage.

“We all felt the table calling to us, would you care to explain what was so urgent?” At Rarity’s question, I looked back at Sable, who was taking this all in rapt attention.

“It’s… complicated. Just give me a minute.” I leaned down to speak quietly to him. “Please, stay here and try not to move.” He nodded, eyes darting from one pony to the next, he didn’t seem to recognize them either. I herded the others to the opposite side of the table and kept my voice low. “Sable was doing something to the map. Starlight thinks he was trying to time travel.” Spike gave me a look that said he knew I left out the part where Sable attacked him but did not speak.

“Isn’t that incredibly dangerous?” Rarity gasped.

“And where did Starlight go?” Pinkie interrupted.

“Very, very dangerous. Starlight went to get the doctor. Sable’s spell failed, something went wrong, and now he’s hurt.”

“Oh dear, is he alright?” This from Fluttershy as she looked over the table at the purple Unicorn, himself straining to see over the map in the way without injuring himself further.

“I think he wiped his own memory by accident.” I shook my head.

“What do you mean by that?” I suspect Dash understood despite the question.

“He barely even remembers his name.” Rarity gasped again. “I don’t know what he was trying to do here, but the map clearly thought it was in danger.” I shook my head again, this time trying to clear it. “Everything happened so fast. I’m just as lost as you.” Something made a popping noise from outside, and I heard Starlight complaining loudly. Sable’s teleport re-direction spell must have still been active; I was going to have to fix that too. The others heard it also, and we all waited for a few short moments for Starlight and the doctor to arrive.

“There, that's him.” Glimmer entered the room looking a little disheveled, being redirected during a long-range teleport with passengers can be rough, and she pointed to Sable on the other side of the room. The doctor followed her in and rushed to Sable’s side to begin examining him. “Oh good, everyone is here. Did you tell them what he did?” Starlight stepped closer to the group.

“Most of it.” Starlight affixed me with a withering glare, suspecting I may have left something important out.

“And the part where he attacked me?” The others joined Starlight in staring at me, all demanding the full story.

“Yes, I was going to get to that, eventually.” Glimmer urged me to continue with an irritated wave of her hoof. “Sable didn’t know any time travel spell, so he trapped her in crystal, and I think he somehow stole hers right out from Starlight’s mind. I think he regrets it now.”

“He will when I’m done with him.” Glimmer huffed.

“I didn’t even know that was possible, stealing knowledge right out of someone’s mind?” Rarity was aghast at the possibility.

“It’s pretty dark magic. Most books that even mention the subject don’t include the spell itself, too dangerous. They are probably right.”

“So what are we going to do with him now?” Dash presumably meant to punish him, based on her tone. I hung my head.

“I think he’s being punished enough already.”

“There’s no way he gets off scot-free for this! I don’t care how sad his story!”

“Isn’t the loss of everything he’s got enough punishment?”

“What do you mean?” Fluttershy at least seemed willing to listen. I stepped closer and lowered my voice so Sable wouldn’t overhear.

“His house just burned down.” Applejack winced, and Fluttershy seemed close to tears, Rarity and Spike didn’t know what to say. “There’s not much left.” Everypony seemed pretty down.

“So that’s what that smoke was.” Dash said it matter of factly. For once, Pinkie Pie was silent; there were no jokes to be made now.

“Why did he do this? I thought he was your friend?” Rarity’s expression was one of pure disbelief. “I know he was angry with us, but I didn’t think he would do something like this.” The white Unicorn waved at the map room now in disarray. “Even outright attacking Starlight Glimmer!”

“Yeah, he got me too.” Spike spoke up. “Just knocked me out though. I’m alright now.”

“Only he can answer that, or maybe he can’t. Although I have a theory.” I considered telling them everything Sable told me, but that promise I made not to reveal his secrets sat heavily on me. The others waited for me to continue. “He told me something when I went to talk to him the other day, and it might be related.” I paused to consider how to phrase it. “The short version is there was an accident he blames himself for, and I think he was trying to go back and undo it.” The others fell silent, and I hoped my vague answer was enough for the time being.

“It must have been a truly awful mistake to risk messing up history.” Starlight shuddered, uncomfortable with the topic of time travel, I knew it reminded her of her own great mistake.

“For him, at least, it was.” I was saved from further explanation by the doctor coming up behind me, with a stiff looking Sable in tow. I noticed Sable limping when he put weight on his right foreleg. I addressed the doctor. “How is he?”

“He’ll be sore for a few days, and he twisted an ankle, but he’ll be fine in time.” Now the doctor turned back to face Sable. “Remember to take it easy, that cracked rib will give you trouble if you strain it. If it gets worse, don’t hesitate to come on down to the hospital.” Sable nodded, and the doctor excused himself to get back to the hospital. Sable looked at each of my friends, his gaze stopped on Spike and Starlight, and it was to them that he spoke first.

“If I could explain why I did those things, I would.” He bowed deeply towards them, as best he could. “I am sorry.”

“I’m alright now, I accept your apology.” Spike at least was willing to forgive. Starlight was more resistant, holding her head high and glaring down at him. After another tense moment, her expression softened, I assumed she recognized the need for second chances, having needed one herself.

“Very well.” She sighed. “Just, don’t do it to anyone else, ever again.” Sable brought his head back up, and I could see then he was taller than I had thought, he was always hunched over or hanging his head. I gestured to the gathered ponies.

“Sable, do you remember my friends? Anything at all?” Sable swept his eyes over each of them again. They didn’t seem familiar to him as far as I could tell. He tilted his head slightly and squinted when he focused on Pinkie Pie.

“Why do I get the feeling that whenever we meet, I somehow end up in pain?”

“Uh…” Pinkie squirmed uncomfortably. “…Really bad luck?”

“Alright then.” Somehow her non-explanation satisfied him. “Let me see if I have your names right.” He looked towards the orange Earth Pony. “You are… Applejack, yes?”

“That’s right.” She tipped her hat.

“And… Rarity?” He faced the white Unicorn.

“You are correct.”

“I believe you are Fluttershy?” This to the yellow Pegasus.

“Very nice to meet you.” He nodded, and I was pleased that Fluttershy was allowing him to treat this as a first meeting. Then he looked over at the blue Pegasus. He eyed her for a moment, confused.

“I want to say Rainbow… crash.” The mare with the multicolored mane made to complain with an irritated expression before he corrected himself. “No, Dash.” She fixed a scolding eye on him.

“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

“…maybe.” He smiled wryly. This itself surprised me, I did not expect him to joke about names after the last time. “Spike.” He nodded towards the dragon, who nodded back. “And Starlight… Shimmer?”

“Glimmer. We’ve never actually met yet, peacefully.”

“Oh, do me next! Can you guess me?” The energy in the pink Earth Pony’s mood was already returning.

“Pinkie Pie.” He said with a low moan, his annoyed feelings over her appeared to be one thing he did recall. “And, of course…” Now he swiveled his head towards me. For a long moment, he only stared, and I began to find the silence uncomfortable. “I’m sorry. But I don’t remember.”

“It’s… Twilight Sparkle.” I said it sadly.

“I understand that I am familiar to all of you.” Sable swung his gaze over all of them. “However, to me this is our first meeting, so please allow me to introduce myself again. My name is Sable Stardust. I think.” I smiled, as the ice seemed to finally break. Maybe this time, everything would turn out for the better between us. “Now, if anypony wouldn’t mind, I think I need to go lie down for a while.” He started to turn around as if to leave and looked around the room. He did this for a moment before turning back, looking just as confused as ever. “Does anypony know which way my home is?” Twilight grimaced, everypony looked uncomfortable.

“About that…” I hesitated when he looked my way. “Maybe it would be better to show you.”

---

“His memory is gone? Shouldn’t we go check on him?”

“No, he’s fine. He didn’t lose his memory. Well OK, he did, but not this time.”

“Uh…”

“Let me try to explain it to them, Twilight. The Sable Stardust we know, the one who Twilight let go home, he’s fine. The one in the story, that’s the one who lost his memory. They are not the same pony anymore.”

“Oh, OK. That makes sense now. I think.”

“Time travel is so confusing.”

Author's Note:

Part 3: Restarted begins.

Now is never, the first scene is what happened, this is what could have.

Comments

[undeadninjas]

So, now I have to reread the first chapter

[Luckyfanisaac]

“It’s pretty dark magic. Most books that even mention the subject don’t include the spell itself, too dangerous. They are probably right.”

Oh come on it’s not that difficult!! My people do it all the time.

However, to me this is our first meeting, so please allow me to introduce myself again.