Violet Skies

by Fluttersnake31

Chapter 4 - Flowers and Thorns

Flowers and Thorns

Violet groggily awoke to the sound of machinery and that sort of factory smell that reminded her of work. As she opened her eyes, she noticed she was of course in a factory, but not one she was familiar with. There was a great conveyor that was moving the basic frames of the individual body gear that were the base of the weather clearing suits. Looking around a bit more, she could see that there were only a few pegasai running the machines, and two were standing guard not so far from where she lay. She was strapped to an inclined table, as if they stole it from a dentist or something. Her dress lay on a table a ways away, messy and torn with a little blood on it. The fact that they removed it while she was unconscious worried her a little, causing her to look down at herself. 'Oh, good, they took it off to bandage my leg. Wow, I don't remember getting cut though. Ugh, it really hurts now!' she thought to herself.

Moving around in her bonds to try and loosen them, or at least get in a more comfortable position, she noticed that the guards didn't really care about her being awake. They seemed to be on edge, waiting for something. Violet just grunted, unable to move in the straps. One guard turned at her with an angry glare.

"Shut up, or we'll knock you out again." the armored pegasus whispered. All the pegasai wore the same modified suits that she had seen back in the street. However, she couldn't recognize any of the guards, and that giant mech wasn't anywhere in sight.

Violet raised an eyebrow, "Why are you whispering? I can barely hear you over the machines."

"I said be quiet! Don't make me come over there!" he whispered loudly. Just then, a stallion's scream echoed across the factory, followed by a yelling.

"Where are you!? Come out where I can see- AH!" a pegasus yelled, before the sound of him falling hard on the ground.

The main guard ran over to Violet, a knife flipping out of the hoof-piece of his suit, pressed against her neck. She squirmed and tried to use magic, but they had put a blocking ring onto her horn, which jolted her immediately. Tears were in her eyes and her horn stung. All she could do was scream for help. Suddenly, a yellow beam shot through the other guard's neck, causing him to fall to the ground with what looked like a dandelion stuck into his neck, the stem deep into their neck like a needle.

Still holding the knife to Violet, the last pegasus started to pull the table infront of him to block anything that'd come. "What in the name of Celestia did you do to him!? Stay away, I'll kill her! I mean it!"

An echoing laugh broke out as a loud calm voice spoke, his voice seemed to be coming from every direction at once. "He's unconscious, obviously. My dandelion intoxicates him to the point of causing him to black out immediately. Now, let the nice mare go before I get you too."

"There's no way I'll give her to you, alive of course. But you want her, I'll give her to ya' dead!" He raised the knife-hoof, about to stab Violet.

Quickly, a loud blast sounded behind the stallion, a sort of launcher sending out at least forty high-velocity grapes like a sort of shotgun. It hit the stallion in the back hard, causing him to stumble and knock over the table holding Violet. The stallion stood in anger, turning to face the assailant who threw a small tube that that fired the grapes aside. It was a unicorn wearing some sort of costume, looking similar to the mysterious Mare-Do-Well without a hat, but in a dark green with a dark yellow highlights, with a full head mask covering his face and eyes. The stallion swung the knife at the costumed stallion, who easily rolled out of the way. Landing behind him, the costumed pony kicked the pegasus in the back hard. There was an audible crack from one of his wings and he fell to the ground, turning onto his back where his suit protected him. Pressing a button on the knife-hoof leg, the knife fired at the vigilante.

With the knife slicing the caped pony's cheek, he grunted in pain and then lit his horn, levitating the knife into the air. With the knife in his control he sliced through the side strap of the pegasus' armor, throwing aside the front piece and stabbing the knife into his shoulder. "Where did that machine go. What is your gang planning?"

Chuckling a little, the stallion panted. "You won't get anything out of me, Flowercolt. Everypony knows your game, and you're going to lose this one." The pegasus reached to the inside of the suit's shoulder. An enchanted gem that was the power source for all the suits was inside the shoulder-piece. Quickly, he thrust his hoof into it, hitting it hard and causing it to glow irregularly.

Stepping back quickly, the vigilante turned and ran to free Violet. Without warning, he lifted her onto his back and began to run out of the factory. Once outside, a magic blast blew up where the pegasus had been, causing all the unfinished suits to begin a chain reaction. After they were far enough away from the blasts, the stallion set Violet onto the ground. He was breathing heavily from carrying her so far. Violet just glanced back and forth between him and the remains of the building.

"What just happened." was all Violet could say. She felt lost. All that happened so quickly to her, she didn't know what to think. How would she begin to explain this to her father?

The stallion turned, about to leave, but stopped. "You were taken by a very deadly gang of armored pegasai into a stolen factory. You're lucky to be alive. Just try not to wander the streets of Canterlot in expensive dresses. They could've done a lot more to you than they did."

Violet glanced at her bandaged leg, then looked back up before he left. "Wait a second, I know you. You're Golden Olive. Why are you the vigilante that ponies are talking about."

He stopped in place again. "I- No I'm not. How could you relate me to a vinyard owner?"

Violet laughed, "Well, dandelion wine is my dad's favorite kind. And your vineyards are one of two in all of Equestria that still make them. That and the dark green obviously represents half of your name. But Flowercolt? You seriously need a better nickname. That's just... Kinda dumb, if you ask me."

Sighing, he carefully looked around, making sure nopony was looking. He took off the mask. Violet was right. "Well, I didn't make the name, it's just what they call me. I apologize for leaving the party early, but I suppose you know why I left now. Please, you mustn't tell anypony who I am. Those pegasai killed my brother, and it is my one and only goal to stop every member of their gang. If they find out who I am, they could hurt the rest of my family."

Frowning, Violet pointed at the factory's remains. "I get what you're trying to do, but what I saw was more than just a gang. They kept on saying weird things that I think means they plan on starting a war. You can't think you'll be anything special enough to stop them. That's stupid. You need to move on, or move away from Canterlot. You can't fight an army alone."

Golden looked into her eyes. "I will do everything that I can to prevent their war. If you think I alone am not enough, then join me. I like you, and I bet together, we could stop them. You could help me get information about them in ways I can't. There's no way I can just forget what they did."

"Are you serious? I'm not going to join you. My father is a guard and once I tell him about what happened today, maybe he'll get Celestia to wake up and realize how bad Canterlot has gotten and send the entire royal guard after them. I'm sorry Golden. Thank you for saving me, but I can't do what you do. I'm just a cloud maker, and I don't even work as one. So, I'm going to go home. Goodbye." she said, holding back her emotion. She started trotting away quickly, hoping he wouldn't follow. Her father needed to know what she saw.

Golden stood, watching her go. Would he ever see her again? Canterlot was going to be hit hard, and that's what he needed to focus on. Wherever that massive machine went, he needed to find it and find out what it does before it would be too late. He put his mask on and ran off down the street. War was coming, and he needed to prepare.