The Mask of Despair and the Face of Hope

by Wings of Black Glass

An Evening with Twilight

The next day I was walking home after dinner with Applejack and her family. Spike and I spent longer than we intended there, and it was already past sundown. The night was still quite pleasant, the air crisp and the breeze gentle. Spike had fallen asleep and was snoozing on my back. Everypony else had gone home for the night so the way back to the castle was clear. I decided to take a detour through the park to enjoy the stars. That was when I spotted another pony out in the dark, in the moonlight they seemed to be little more than a black shadow on a nearby hilltop. My curiosity compelled me to see who it was, and I gently set Spike down before approaching.

“Good evening.” I greeted the pony softly as I walked up. A pair of neon blue eyes turned towards me.

“Twilight Sparkle.” Sable Stardust dipped his head and flared his wings slightly as he bowed. If he was still upset about the other day, it did not show. He was sitting on his haunches, watching the stars turn above him. I hesitated, wondering where to start, before deciding the direct approach was best.

“Listen, about Rainbow Dash…”

“I know. She didn’t mean it.” He sighed, something he seemed to do often. “Once again, I find I have to apologize for my behavior.”

“Water under the bridge.”

“Enough water can wash out a bridge’s foundations.”

“…Was that a joke?”

“Not a very good one I admit. It doesn’t even make much sense in context.” He returned his attention skyward.

“So I’m just curious, but what are you doing out at this hour?”

“Just walking. I was enjoying the solitude.” He looked towards me out the corner of his eye. “Keyword: was.”

“Do you want me to leave?” Then he looked at me directly but took a long moment before speaking.

“No. No, I don’t.” He sounded almost surprised. I sat down next to him; he shifted a few inches further away. “Although I could ask you the same thing.”

“I was on my way home from Applejack’s, and no. In that order.” Sable humphed, almost a laugh.

“Caught on quick.” He looked back up at the sky, and for another long moment, there was silence between us. I rubbed at my neck, trying to come up with a conversation topic.

“Sable Stardust, do you…” He raised a hoof slightly to stop me.

“You don’t have to use my full name.”

“Would you prefer I use Stardust, or Sable?”

“It makes no difference to me, it doesn’t matter.” He slowly shook his head.

“Sable, then. Do you do this often? Come out here at night and watch the stars?”

“Not really. I guess that depends on how you define ‘often.’ A few times per month, give or take.” Sable looked down, his gaze on the grass. “Sometimes it helps.” I suddenly got the impression he wished he hadn’t said it, it was hard to say precisely why, just some subtle shift in how he held himself. My first instinct was to ask why, but I stopped myself. This time, I let it go. It was time to change the subject. So I looked up at the stars myself, noting the positions of the constellations. I pointed at a cluster of stars, hanging low over the mountains.

“Look at that, ‘Orion’ is over Canterlot.” Sable faced the direction I was pointing and then looked higher to another set of stars.

“And above that, ‘Taurus.’ Now would be a poor time to make momentous changes, if you believe that.”

“You know astrology?” I recalled seeing an astronomy book I had seen in his small collection.

“Astronomy, rather. My father was an astronomer. I grew up with star-maps and telescopes, he never took stock in any of the legends or superstitions. Although he knew all the stories anyway, ‘part of the fun’ he called it.”

“At least one of those old superstitions came true. The stars really did help Nightmare Moon escape her imprisonment.”

“Truly?” He chuckled a little. “I wonder what he would have said had he seen that.” I saw him blink a few times, but then he shook his head and pointed to a bright star in the north. “There, Sirius.” Then to another. “Rigel.” And then to a third. “Vega.” He threw his limb wide. “I could once point to any light in the sky and tell you its name.”

“Once?”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had to care. The names of stars and the motions of the planets were my father’s joy, not mine.” Just at that moment I noticed he only used past tense when referring to his father.

“Sable?” I guessed it would be painful for him, so I tried to be gentle. “What happened to your father?” I reached out to put a hoof on his shoulder supportively. At my touch he twitched and pulled away seemingly by reflex, to stay just out of reach.

“That… that is a story for another time.” I could tell he was trying to hide something in his voice.

“I’m sorry.” He nodded, forgiving me implicitly. I didn’t see the same angry expression I saw when Fluttershy said the same thing. What was so different about this moment? He was silent for a while longer.

“That's why it helps.” He spoke, at last. “I come out here to think, somewhere I’m not surrounded by all my history. Or inquisitive ponies.” I let him continue uninterrupted, despite the minor jab. “It’s just me, the wind, and the stars.” He unfolded his wings and let the breeze blow over him, eyes raised towards the heavens.

“Do you know what else helps? Talking it over with your friends.” He humphed again and managed to look me in the eyes as he folded his wings.

“I don’t make friends easily. Maybe you haven’t noticed.”

“I had, actually.” I smiled softly. “But that's alright, there are plenty here in Ponyville who would like to get to know you if you would give them a chance.” Sable took a long look at me, and I got the sensation that I was being judged.

“You don’t give up do you?” He narrowed his eyes, inquisitively suspicious.

“Never.” I let some pride slip through, he apparently noticed.

“Good for you.” It was hard to tell if he was being sarcastic or not. “I have given others chances before. It has rarely ended well.”

“Surely it can’t be that bad.”

“You would be amazed just how bad it can get.” Again, he seemed to instantly regret opening his mouth. Sullenly, he looked away. I let the silence linger for a few minutes, hoping he would open up again.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He glanced at me from the corner of his eye, I could guess what he would say. “Let me re-phrase that. Will you talk to me about it?” I saw an appreciative flash in his expression before it turned somewhat darker.

“You think just talking about it will make everything turn out for the better?” He sounds incredulous, disbelieving it could really be that easy. Maybe he’s right, maybe not.

“You would be amazed what you can accomplish by just talking things over.”

“If only.” His voice dropped to a low whisper, almost inaudible. I was about to ask what he meant when Spike stirs behind me, groggily calling my name. “Your dragon wakes. We will speak again.” Sable stood and walked away, apparently intending to end the conversation there.

“If you change your mind. You know where to find me.”

“That I do.”

“Come on Spike.” I lifted the little dragon back onto my shoulders and turned towards the castle when Sable spoke again.

“Twilight Sparkle.” I faced him, standing at the top of the hill and illuminated by moonlight. “You were right.” Then Sable spread his wings wide, the sparkling starfield on the glass panes shimmering in the breeze, and leaped into the air to all but completely vanish into the night. There was nothing but the wind until a whisper came to my ears from somewhere nearby. “It does help.” I looked around, but he couldn’t be found. Even though I couldn’t see him anymore, I smiled anyway.

“Twilight? What’s going on?” Spike rubbed at his eyes, which he could barely keep open.

“I was just talking to a friend, let's go home.”

---

“He really opened up to you there, didn’t he?”

“Not as much as I would have liked…”

“I didn’t think he was that… introspective.”

“Yeah, I guess I thought he was just angry all the time or something.”

“Not everypony is who they seem to be at first glance.”

Comments

[Golden Fang Ryu Shenron]

“Not everypony is who they seem to be at first glance.”

This is true in our world as well.

[Luckyfanisaac]

“I was on my way home from Applejack’s, and no. In that order.” Sable humphed, almost a laugh.

“Caught on quick.” He looked back up at the sky, and for another long moment, there was silence between us. I rubbed at my neck, trying to come up with a conversation topic.

What?

ask why, but I stopped myself.