//------------------------------//
// The Key to Everything 
// Story: Violet Lace 
// by DemonAngel13 
//------------------------------//

	"Thanks for the tea, Uncle Fancy." Cloudy sipped her sugar loaded tea. There was a pale sludge at the bottom where the sweetener collected. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you."
"Not at all, my dear." Fancy Pants sat in front of her in a cozy looking armchair. "Your parents explained everything they could. Violet working at the castle for... "classified reasons". With the looks on their faces, as well as yours just now, shows that it isn't as joyful of an occasion as it would traditionally be?" Cloudy wrinkled her nose. Fancy Pants let out a hearty chuckle. "I figured not. Violet never seemed like that type of girl. I hope she's coping well."
"She's fine, really!" Cloudy insisted. "Actually... she's a lot better than I thought she would be."
"And you're okay with that?" Fancy Pants asked, a worried frown causing his handsome brow to furrow. 
"No... yes?" Cloudy sighed. "I wish I could tell you everything that was going on... it's just... so much so fast."
"I thought you young ponies enjoyed a little excitement!" Fancy Pants laughed.
"Uncle Fancy!" Cloudy whined. 
"Alright, alright... I'm sorry." The stallion put his tea cup in it's saucer and placed it on the table. He stared at Cloudy, her eyes trained on the swirls of milk and sugar in her drink. "I remember when you two were fillies. You all were... so small. You, Cloudy, were the picture of innocence."
Cloudy let a humorless laugh slip. "Yeah, yeah I was." She focused, no longer on the milky swirls, but on her own reflection in the golden liquid. "Still am, it seems."
"And Violet, well..." He leaned back in his chair, carefully watching her expressions shift with a fatherly eye. "She was quite peculiar, wasn't she."
"A nebula who thought she was a black hole..." Cloudy mumbled the phrase without thinking. Once she realized she said it, she looked up with startled eyes. Fancy Pants looked back at her with a knowing smile. Her face fell. "But... she didn't stay that way."
"No?" His brow furrowed in confusion. "How so?"
"Don't pretend like you didn't see it." His eyebrows rose. "Mom and dad saw it, and I know you saw it too. You just didn't realize how big it was."
"I'm afraid I don't know what your talking about, my dear." He rubbed his mustache. Cloudy's acting lessons told her that he wasn't lying, but he wasn't telling the truth either. It was an expression she always saw. He had seen that Violet had dulled, just like her parents, but it seemed so... gradual, so small and insignificant compared to everything else, that they blocked it out. But now, everything else was gone. Cloudy allowed herself to be harsh with the uncle she had grown to love like true family.
"You can't just say you didn't see her obsession with her routine." The words escaped her lips. They had been locked up for so long. She couldn't even imagine herself saying the words to her actual parents. It would break them. "It was... scary. And so unlike her."
Something in Fancy Pants's eyes flickered, like a key unlocking a door to another room in a house, a room that hadn't been explored in years. Dust and memories long forgotten were released, eager to be cleaned and valued again. "I suppose... it was always hard to tell with her. In all fairness, Cloudy, she probably felt as though she needed to be that obsessive in order to be healthy."
Cloudy sighed again. "I know... that's why I never said anything."
Fancy Pants let out another chuckle. "We parents can do a lot of things, my dear, but nothing can compete with the bond you two have. If you felt as though something was that serious, you should have mentioned it." Cloudy let out another sigh, signalling to the stallion that he was right. "I hate to be frank."
"Yeah, well... it's over now. It doesn't seem to be a problem anymore." She swirled her tea, messing up her reflection and causing it to ripple and contort. There was a tense silence.
"Are... you alright with that?" Fancy Pants asked carefully.
"Of course I'm okay!" Cloudy shouted at her tea. "I mean... she... she's great. Beautiful, talented..."
"Cloudy?" Fancy Pants looked at her with soft eyes. "Cloudy, it would make perfect sense if you were to be a tad bit overwhelmed."
"I'm not, it's just... for the past four years, I was always the one who... lived... and now I just feel as though I took that for granted." She swallowed. "I would be lying if I said I didn't pride myself in being the..."
"Pretty one?" Fancy Pants finished for her. One of his brows was raised. Cloudy let her head hang.
"I'm such a horrible pony." She put her tea cup down and placed her head in her hooves.
"No... no you're not, my dear." Fancy Pants got out of his chair and took her hoof in the crook of his elbow. "You're young and are trying to figure out who you are. You're bright and talented and social and cheerful. It would make perfect sense for you to put yourself into that category- and put Violet in a different one."
"I guess, I just... feel so bad." Tears pricked the back of her eyes. Fancy started to walk them down the hall to Satin's room. 
"You love your sister, don't you?" Fancy Pants asked her. She nodded silently."You didn't think anything bad of her, did you?"
"No... no I didn't." She muttered.
"Well, then I don't see a problem." He gently knocked on Satin's door. "You suppose she's done with what she was doing?"
"What was she doing, anyway?" Cloudy was feeling better.
"Something with unicorn magic." He shrugged. "She's been asking some of the staff, as well as myself, to levitate certain objects for the past two weeks."
"Weird..." Cloudy mumbled. Fancy Pants silently nodded.
They didn't get another word in. Satin, tiny and unassuming, opened the door. Her bright white coat and mane shined, and her brilliant green eyes shined with knowledge that neither pony could begin to comprehend. 
"Hello daddy." Satin said, giving her dad a brief hug. "Sorry, I didn't mean to take so long."
"It's more than fine, sweetie." He stepped away from the hug, and started walking presumably towards the living room. "Be careful now!"
Cloudy was about to engage in nice chit-chat, but Satin dropped all casual conversation opportunities right from the get-go.
"I need to talk to you." She said, her voice quiet but direct. "I heard about Violet, and I didn't like my lack of answers to my questions."
"Well..." It took Cloudy a while to compose herself. "Clearly we can't tell you everything."
"I know, I know..." Satin waved her hoof. "But... you can take me to the castle... can you not?"
"If you think that you're going to sidetrack me, you're dead wrong." Cloudy held her ground. "We need to do something first. We need your journals."
"Whatever for?" Satin asked, completely perplexed. "Those things are diaries... I mean, I don't mind sharing them with you, but what type of situation could you possibly be in in order to need them?"
Cloudy took a deep breath and prepared herself for the bomb she was about to drop.
"We need you to tell us everything you know about Shimmering Ruby."




"Princess..." Midnight breathed. "What.. is this place."
"We are not sure." Luna answered. Her eyes were big, awestruck. She took it upon herself to wander inside a few hoofsteps. All three ponies jumped as her metal shoes made a sound similar to a short tuning fork on the ground.
"That... doesn't sound right." Midnight commented. Violet was left with her knees rigid and her mouth hanging open as wide as the entrance before them.
"It's... metallic." The guard continued. She rubbed her armored hoof on the ground in front of her, looking at it's polished shine.
"We must continue." Luna stated. She continued to walk forward. Violet almost shouted at her not to go, to return and close the door and never look back. She didn't know what was in there, Clock Mage had clearly done something she wasn't meant to do! This wall was practically a historical sight, it was so old! The pathway in front of them broke every single rule of reality.
"Come on, Violet. We need to go with her." Midnight was by Violet's side, nudging her gently. Violet, without thinking, followed instructions and went inside the dark, modern cave. Darkness fully encompassed them, and only the sound of armored and silver adorned hoofsteps kept the three ponies company.
"This place... it smells..." Midnight tried to put the words together.
"Clean." Violet finished. She was right, this room or cave or wherever they were didn't smell of age or dirt. It smelled like floor wax and cleaning spray. 
"What's that!?" Midnight hissed. It took a while for Violet to tell what she was talking about, but once she saw it she wondered how she had missed it in the first place. A bright blue light shined just ahead of them.
"Must be some sort of magic." Luna commented as she walked towards it. She was wrong. As they got close enough to see each other's faces in the glowing blue light, Violet and Midnight could tell that it was nothing magical, only technological. A button. In the faint blue glow, there were more buttons, a few keyboards and dials. A few pieces of paper that nopony could read due to the lack of light.
"We... do not know what to do with this device." Luna said after staring at it for the longest time. She was most likely overwhelmed with the highly advanced technology that surrounded her. Violet was overwhelmed too, but in an entirely different way.
You press it. Violet held her tongue. She didn't want anypony to press the button, she didn't know what would happen if they did. It already looked as though they were intruding on something they really shouldn't have been, but the fact that this place wasn't supposed to even exist sent the entire concept over the edge. Sadly, her guard didn't get the memo.
"You're supposed to push on it, Princess." Midnight answered, much to Violet's dismay. "It may give us some answers."
Luna's hoof, in an agonizingly slow manner, pressed on the button. All of the ponies in the room shrunk and cowered as beeps and sounds came from the machine. The lights, bright and blinding, fired to life and caused Violet to moan in pain. It seemed like forever until it all stopped, and Violet as well as the princess and her guard lifted their heads.
"What... is this?" Midnight looked around, her eyes wide and curious. Her expression almost looked too innocent considering the situation they were in.
The hallway wasn't just a hallway. If either one of the ponies had wandered a little bit more forward, they would have met an area where it branched like the trunk of a large tree. Violet, through windows in the doors and in the hallway itself, saw rooms that were empty, she saw rooms that held things that she didn't know were the name of, she saw rooms that held desks and chairs, what looked to be beds, and another that was given the mundane and ordinary appearance of a break room. The walls were various shades of black and blue, and the floor stopped being a metallic silver and became a matte cement, carpet, and simple grey and white speckled tile. 
"It's completely empty." Luna said, looking around. Her eyes fell on the large window that stood before them, over the desk with all the buttons and dials. Behind it, on the other side, was nothing more than what looked to be some sort of ball room.
"Aliens like to masquerade, apparently." Midnight whispered.
"We do not think it has anything to do with extraterrestrials, Miss Gust." Luna stated bluntly, not allowing the joke to last. "Madam Clock Mage has clearly  been very busy."
"Great, she gave us a headquarters." Violet had figured it out. This was a place for planning, for training and gathering troops to prepare for war. She swallowed a lump that had manifested in her throat. "But what's the point when there are no ponies to recruit? What about Celestia, she should know about this."
Luna's brow furrowed. She looked around and her eyes landed on a simple piece of paper sitting on a clipboard. It rested on the desk, acting like it didn't mean anything. Midnight picked it up and read it aloud.

Hey! Wowza, this took forever to build! You don't even want to think about how exhausted I am, going back and forth in order to get everything I needed. (By the way, Luna: There's going to be a string of robberies about a decade from now, but don't worry! It's all for a good cause!)
Anyway, you probably have quite a few questions. First off, Violet was right, this is officially deemed "Headquarters", and I have prepared you with all of the basic equipment you need to get started.
"Except for the ponies." Violet mumbled.
Violet, shut up and let me explain! Midnight snorted and Violet's eyes darted around, looking for the time pony under one of the black chairs in one of the rooms. The troops will be arriving soon enough, they were... tricky. I could get you the equipment just fine, but I can't allow other ponies to travel with me, it takes too much of my energy and it's only temporary anyways, so I had to get creative. Simply put, Luna, you should be expecting a few (about 50 or so) ponies to arrive on midnight tonight. Some have been training themselves for this for decades, some have no training at all. Don't worry, they all have a purpose, I promise.
""Midnight"... why is she setting all of this up so that our sister doesn't get involved?" Luna asked. Midnight continued to read.
Because she, along with her student, will have their own problems over the next few years. Granted, you may be involved in a few of those as well, but you're needed specifically in order for this to happen. You play an important role in this story, from start to finish, so you are needed when your sister is not.
"We play a role?" Luna looked at Violet, who simply shrugged completely at a loss.
They will arrive at midnight through various means, so keep an eye out! Some have been waiting for this for years, others for weeks,I think there may be a few that are even in the "day" range, so they may or may not arrive on time. They should all gather at the castle entrance, and once all of them are there, you need to direct them to headquarters as soon as possible.
There's a large packet of paper in the second drawer of this desk. Inside of it are three copies of an explanation I've wrote giving you all of the knowledge you need to move forward without me for a while. Along with that is a map of headquarters, a list of the ponies names for Luna, and special instructions only to be read by Violet. 
Please be careful, and good luck.
- Clock Mage

All three of them looked towards the drawer. It didn't move, it was just a drawer after all. but it was still making all of them tense and scared.
Luna, after taking a deep breath, pulled the drawer open and pulled out three distinct envelopes. One with Luna's name in blue, Violet's name in plain black, and Midnight's name in purple.
"Me?" She looked shocked. "What in the world can I do?"
"You're my personal guard and a good friend. I don't think it's that surprising that you would have a role to play." Midnight blushed at Violet's words. 
When Luna transferred Violet's packet to Violet's own magic, the weight of the packet itself left Violet curious and shocked. It was lighter than what she imagined. She expected there to be a large booklet, giving all the proper explanations of why things are how they are. What could possibly be said on only a few pieces of paper that could explain everything?
On the back, in bright orange letters, was the phrase :Trust nopony with what this envelope contains! 
"What do we do know?" Midnight asked.
"We suppose we head back." Luna answered. Her eyes looked around once again, and she wandered a few hoovesteps forward to look through some of the door windows. 
"We have every right to look around." Violet said, levitating the envelope above her. "Just a little bit."
"We do not think there is much to explore." Luna said, her voice nothing more than a whisper. "Though this place is large in size, it is rather sparse and clean."
"T-that's true." Violet felt the blush form round her cheeks as she looked at what was now obvious. Most of these rooms were empty, and those that weren't were no more special than the break room. Arguably, the most interesting thing here was the desk, and it was sitting right in front of them.
"Let's head back to the castle." Midnight suggested. Luna nodded with her. "Cloudy should be coming back soon, she said she was going to return by dinner."
"Alright." Violet agreed. The thought of sitting in her room, on her comfy, overpriced bed, reading the instructions and explanation sounded exciting and oddly calming. They all walked out of headquarters together. Violet had no explanation as to how the door closed behind them without a sound.




"This... is so surreal." Satin said as she had stepped foot inside Violet's bedroom. "I don't think Violet would like anything like this."
"It's what she got." Cloudy said. She looked around the hall again in order to make sure they hadn't been spotted. "It's helps that I'm here, I guess. And we met one of the Lunar guards- Midnight Gust- and she's really sweet."
"Lunar guards... I've been hearing some interesting things about them." Satin said, she looked at the empty bookshelf with a sour expression. "Bet I can observe them for a few hours while I'm here."
"Nonononono..." Cloudy shook her head. "You're helping us first."
"Forgive me if I'm not eager to help you with you're storytelling." Satin picked up a pillow and spun it around, observing the shine on the fabric swirl and twist. 
"I told you, it's true!"
"I don't doubt the fact that you believe yourself." She said.
"Why did you come to the castle then?" Cloudy asked. "If you don't believe me..."
"A new princess shows up, out of the blue, with a new species of pony by her side." Satin put the pillow down and sat on the couch. "Of course I would be interested in exploring."	
"Technically they're just magically transformed pegasi..." Cloudy corrected, remembering Violet's explanation.
"None the less, I've been eager to learn more. Once I heard that Violet had applied for a job and actually achieved in getting it, I made it one of my highest priorities to talk to the two of you."
"She never applied!" Cloudy shouted.
"Hm... right." Satin let the conversation die, considering neither pony was making any progress. Cloudy was getting a headache right at her temples, and it throbbed with every beat of her heart. She didn't blame Satin for not believing her explanation, it was half-assed and didn't provide her with nearly enough information. She had to be silent about a lot, and because of that it came off as more than unbelievable. However, that didn't mean that Satin had to be... herself, and make blunt statements about how Cloudy was just simply "coping" with her sister moving on and "living her own life".
She took a deep breath. "Look, I get that it's a lot-"
The door swung open and Violet stepped inside with Midnight by her side. Her pale grey magic was holding two envelopes above her, and her face screamed of secrets she was about to tell behind closed doors. And hunger. None of them had had dinner yet.
"Violet!" Cloudy shouted. "How did it go?" She ran up to her sister and tackled her in an unexpected hug. Quiet enough for nopony but Violet to hear, she whispered into Violet's mane. "Satin's driving me insane! You need to tell her everything!"
"What?" Violet didn't allow herself to be discreet. "Cloudy, you know we can't do that."
"Well, you're going to have to anyway." Cloudy released her from her tight grip. "What with you looking like that and all."
"I didn't think you'd actually bring her to the castle!"
"Well, I did, and now you need to tell her everything!"
As both sister's harshly whispered at each other, neither one of them saw Satin get off the couch and completely ignore them. Her eyes were focused on Midnight, who was watching her like a predator not wanting to be disturbed. Her glowing eyes illuminated the inside of her helmet, and she bared her fangs at what she presumed to be a threat. An unfamiliar pony was not only inside Violet's room, but also going near her with a very determined look on her face. Her eyes were cold, but clear with the need to examine and learn. With all of the martial arts training that Midnight had gotten over the years, that look caused her hackles to raise. This pony was trying to find her weak points.
"Satin!" Violet shouted. The look on Midnight's face caused shivers down her spine. "Trust me when I say that you do not want to go anywhere near her without her consent. She is my personal guard after all. She can beat your ass if she deems it necessary, and it would be entirely legal."
Satin stopped moving. She looked at Violet for the first time... and didn't recognize her at all.
"How do you know my name?" She asked. The room went completely silent with shock.
"Seriously?" Cloudy asked. "I told you she would look different, but really?"
"Satin... it's me!" Violet tucked a piece of mane behind her ear. "Violet. Violet Lace. We've been friends for half a decade."
"V-violet!" Satin looked completely stunned. Her normally emotionally constipated face stretched with clear surprise. "But you... you... that's not scientifically possible."
Cloudy groaned. "I've been trying to tell you-!"
"Clearly a lot has happened." Violet butt in before her sister could lose her cool. "And though I get it must be frustrating and hard to believe, you need to take our word for everything."
"Vi... Violet... you..." Satin had completely cracked. She ran her tiny white hoof along Violet's shoulder, as though testing if she were actually real.
"What all did you tell her?" Violet asked Cloudy. For the sake of politeness, she let Satin continue with her examination.
"I told her that you were asked to work for Luna by the princess herself, that there was a threat on Equestria... I may have told a little about the time-pony..." 
"How in the world did you gain all that weight in only a few days?" Satin mumbled.
"Yeah... I think that did you in." Violet pushed Satin away and gently sat her on the couch.
"Satin, I need you listen to me." Violet looked her in the eyes. 
"You're eyes are darker... there's more purple in them... like a grey sunflower." Satin held on to herself and curled up on the couch like a little filly.
"Yeah, I know." Violet cleared her throat. "Look, I know you can't... accept things without knowing, but you need to this time in order to help us. You do know what you need to do, right?"
"I need to tell you... about... Shimmering Ruby." 
"Yes!" Violet nearly jumped for joy. "Can you do that?" Satin nodded.
"Good." Violet went silent after that one word. What was she supposed to do know? Satin was still staring at her like she was some sort of monster that had crawled out of her closet.
"Isn't she the smart one?" Midnight asked. It was the first time she had spoken since she and Violet had gotten back.
"Yep." Cloudy answered. "Best grades in the entire school."
"... I didn't think Canterlot would hold education to such a low standard." Midnight mumbled.
"Would you two be quiet!" Violet shouted. She looked at the clock. It was ten, dinner time. She would begin her watch of the courtyard in about an hour, so she didn't miss any of the ponies arriving. But she still needed to read her instructions, update her sister, clear up everything with Luna... "We need to fix her, and fix her quick. We have a lot to do tonight." Understatement of the century right there!
"I... um..." Cloudy furrowed her brow. "Maybe... if she meets the princess, things will get better?" She suggested. "Like... she won't be able to deny anything if it comes from the princess's mouth!"
"I don't think talking to the princess will help... she's awkward."
"Yeah..." Midnight added. "If anything, I think that would make it worse."
"You didn't have a very good response to her, remember?" Cloudy frowned, but nodded none the less.
It was then that everypony heard the gentle sound of Satin's body falling onto the couch. She had fainted.
"Well then." 
Violet sighed. "Let's just... make her comfortable." She pulled out Cloudy's blanket from the morning before and draped it over her white body. "We'll deal with it when she wakes up."
"What are you gonna do now?" Cloudy asked. She started looking at the envelopes that Violet had put on the writing desk. "What all did I miss."
"Oh boy!" Midnight shook her head. "You're not going to believe this!"
"Midnight, can you catch her up while I read my instructions from Clock Mage?" Violet levitated her instructions to her bed.
"Sure. Do I tell her about...?"
"Just... keep it simple. Until we know everything." Violet clarified. 
"Got it." Midnight said with a nod. Violet got comfortable and closed her curtain around herself. She was engulfed in darkness, and with the light of her horn, she opened her envelope and pulled everything out. There was a packet of paper, just like she figured, but there were also two smaller envelopes and a tiny piece of something wrapped in white fabric.
"Where to begin?" She picked up the packet. It was only three papers thick, and on it was Clock Mage's nearly perfect calligraphy. Ink swirled on the page with a practiced talent that took Violet's breath away. 
		Hello Violet, pleasure reading my writing again, I assume?
You must be very curious, as well as very anxious to here what I have to say. I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you and say that I can't tell you everything. As much as you want the answers, it doesn't take a genius to see the problem in me telling you exactly what's going to happen exactly when you encounter it. It doesn't work.
I can, however, give you a little information on who I am, and what I do.
It's all very complicated, but at the same time so simple, so forgive me if I scratch a few places out, or if it goes on longer than you wish. But as soon as you have the ability to explain the concept of time to anypony, you'll be sure to understand.
It can all be summed up in a simple phrase: Time can never be changed. What's going to happen, will happen, and there's nothing you can do to stop it. Not without doing something you'll regret.
Fate is another word for this. My parchment, the thing you see me pull out of my mane, is enchanted. Being an earth pony, magic was always a bit of a mystery, but time was always something I could understand even when I was a filly. I researched everything I could about time, and with the help of a very special pocket watch, I had the ability to do what I do. The parchment arrived as soon as it all began, and written on it are the events that are meant to happen. 
Time travel isn't necessarily new. There are spells on the subject in the archives. And yes, ponies have traveled through time before, for brief instances. However, ponies always act like time is this delicate thing. In all fairness, it is pretty easy to mess up. But not in the way everypony thinks. No, you're not going to rip the universe apart, create a paradox, or anything along those lines. If anything, you're just going to go down a timeline you're not going to enjoy, which sucks, because most, if not all, don't know how to fix it. I don't even think you're meant to fix it. What happened to you was something that I had never done before... well, maybe that's a bit of lie.
You see... I have done this before. With you. A lot. Nearly a dozen times, I've taken you out of your timeline. I've lived through the future that I have, where the Diamond Empire has taken over, almost an indescribable amount of times. It was so hard to find out you were the key. I couldn't even fathom why. I still don't know why you're so important! I don't know what you're meant to do, because I've never experienced it! Every time I saved your life, we got farther than we could without you. Of course, certain things couldn't be changed, but apparently your existence- your survival- is important enough to the point where the entire kingdom rests on it.
And that's another thing, I don't want you to feel as though this all rests on your shoulders, on your choices, because it doesn't. You can't help what you choose, and you can't do anything about the mistakes that you make. Everypony is important in this matter, and I would be lying if I said that I didn't say those things because I really needed you to join forces with Luna. I'm sorry. It's just... there were times where I saved you, not take you out of your timeline, but saved your life when you were a filly, and things didn't go well. You need to be with Luna in order for things to work out. But it's not just you that makes the final decision. I don't think. Like I said, we've never made it that far. But you need to be alive, and you need to join the Lunar Brigade. That I know for certain. I didn't spend the better part of ten timelines looking through records to find you as the constant in order for you to quit now, so please don't stray too far!
The Lunar Brigade...? Is that what Luna is going to name her new force? Violet kept reading.
	Ah! Right! The Lunar Brigade. You're reading this before midnight, right? I figured you would. I have reason to believe that you're going to watch all of the ponies arrive in the courtyard from your bedroom window? Good. Do that. There's nothing really depending on you doing this precisely, but you do need to join the force. You and your sister become a pretty prominent team, along with that white pony friend of yours. I didn't really get the joy of meeting her, but I assume she's nice. She doesn't really join your team, necessarily, she more along the lines becomes an scientist and tests weapons and develops cures
Looks like Cloudy found a job here at the castle...
	You're probably wondering what the Lunar Brigade is. In all honesty, I can't take all the credit in forming the idea. I got inspiration from a Rebelion Group from the old timeline, the one I'm traditionally from. I just... sped things up a bit. In essence, the Black Diamonds, the way they got stronger was not through brute force. They're more than a millennium old, Violet, they're good at what they do. They expanded throughout Equestria in order to take it down, and that's what the Lunar Brigade is meant to stop. How all the ponies go about it is their choice, I never wanted any say, even in the beginning, but you and your sister are crucial in defeating multiple groups where they have collected. You especially.
As of this moment, I won't be able to reach you guys. Not for a very long time. For you see... I need to do something else. Sleep. I need to sleep. I'm not even going to deny that. I've been busting my tail off for the past few days getting everything in order, not to mention everything I did before this... sleep will do me good. If I get tired while going through the timeline, things get more than messy.
In this envelope are two things. I don't know what they are, you gave them to me a long time ago. Apparently they're important, so you do with those as you wish.
As always, good luck. Follow your heart, Violet. I can't tell you much, but I can tell you that it's waited a long time for this.
- Clock Mage
Violet finished and put the papers down gently. Black Diamonds... all over Equestria? She felt a nervous prickle at the back of her neck. She assumed that the cult was in hiding, living in sewers or in caves. it was then that she realized that they probably all looked normal and were walking around with all of the other ponies. She imagined the average mare or stallion, picking up groceries or their children from school. She shivered. They could be hiding in plain sight!
Luna knew about this, chances are she's read her instructions by now. Though she didn't get all the answers she wanted, she got enough to be partially satisfied. She knew now what she needed to do: join the Lunar Brigade and work on defeating the Black Diamonds one party at a time. She had to. And apparently, she was going to be successful at it, according to Clock Mage, so that eased her pounding heart considerably. How the group was going to go about doing it, she still didn't know. Where they going to defeat them through warfare? Magic? Clock mage scratched out a few bits, but she saw the word "cure" at the end of one passage only partially covered. Perhaps biological warfare was at play? Was the Lunar Brigade willing to stoop that low? 
She would have to wait and see.
She then focused on the last two objects before her. Apparently, these were objects that she, herself, actually gave to Clock Mage to give to herself. So they probably weren't deadly.
She opened the smaller envelope and pulled out the piece of paper that was inside. It was a picture of sorts, old and clearly taken at a different time, if that phrase held any meaning anymore. Two ponies looked horrifically familiar. It had something to do with Satin, she remembered that, but she couldn't remember why. Were they members of her family, taken forever ago, or perhaps they were ponies that she had talked about once upon a time? Violet couldn't remember. She shined her horn brighter. 
Three ponies stood in the image. Two stallions and a mare. One one end, was a stallion with a white coat and a blue mane holding a martini class in one hoof and smiling wide at the pony taking the picture. The mare stood in the middle, wearing a pretty ivory dress that bunched up in places and was decorated with pretty pale green flowers and silk bands. Her coat was what looked to be an intense lilac, and her mane was covered by a white hat and more flowers to the point where Violet couldn't see it, as well as part of her face. The third stallion stood by the mare's side to her right, dressed in a dashing navy blue and black tux from the time. A red rose poked out of his pocket, and his mane and tail were... interesting. Violet couldn't quite tell. The picture looked to have aged, yellowing the paper. Whatever color he was, he was dark. His mane and tail shined, and his eyes were so devilshy looking at the mare, that Violet had blushed. His eyes were hungry, making her think of all of the romance novels she had read throughout the years. They were burning with lust and love, and the mare, though half of her face was covered, was looking directly at him and meeting his spine-tingling gaze with one of her own.
She flipped the picture around and found her own writing staring right back at her. 
I know an excuse when I hear one! Don't you dare even think of tricking yourself into thinking you're the victim, Violet Lace!
What did it mean? Violet didn't know, but she figured that she would figure it out eventually. She looked towards the bundle of fabric that had conveniently rolled down to the weighted area between her bed and leg. Picking it up and untying the leather straps that held it closed, she unwrapped it and let the object dangle by it's chain.
It was a key. A silver key, clearly old and covered with the permanent dirt that seemed to collect on things worn by time, dangled in front of her nose. It stirred something in her. The way it smelled, the way it looked. It felt warm in her magic like only the special things that she held close to her heart would. So, taking a leap of faith that the future her knew what she was doing, she placed the necklace around her neck and held it close. It warmed the skin it touched.
The only thing she had to do now was live.