Violet Lace

by DemonAngel13

A Night for Secrets

"Violet, please tell me this is not the place we need to go." Cloudy said. Right now the two fillies were peering over a hedge, staring at a large estate with white walls and gold molding. The lights were on, but from what Violet could see, most of the commotion was taking place on the first floor. The shadows of what seemed to be all of the elite would flash against the windows and the cry of a harp and cello could be heard from where the fillies stood.

"Sorry." Violet said. She was staring at a second story window. From her childhood filled with forced play-dates and sugar-free gum 'mysteriously' appearing in her mane, she remembered how Shimmering's mind worked. She changed her room and ordered everything out of her old one at a moment's notice. Though her father constantly provided her with new furniture, the filly still had horrible taste. Violet easily spotted the bright pink, gold embroidered, sapphire studded curtains even from behind a bush.

"But..." Cloudy whined. "She's so close." Cloudy was looking miserably at a patch of foliage. "The tree that's in our front yard is right there! She's in walking distance."

"Knowing Shimmering, she wouldn't go anywhere near your home, even with a hazmat suit and a life-time's supply of perfume imported straight from Prance." Violet said. She knew they could just walk in, what with the before party taking place. But the real problem was sneaking up towards the second floor. It being Canterlot, Violet was sure that they wouldn't be the only ponies snooping around. If there was one thing Violet admired about Canterlot ponies, it was their determination to get the latest gossip.

"That makes me feel... strangely better." When Violet gave Cloudy a bewildered glance, clearly not listening to a thing she really saying, Cloudy simply shrugged and flashed a content smile.

"Let's just... head inside." Violet said. A small bundle of nerves appeared in her chest. What if we get caught? She asked herself.

"Hey, don't worry." Cloudy said, readjusting Violets dress. "We look like any other ponies in there- and I've gotten a lot of practice when it comes to sneaking around."

"How?" Violet asked, her eyebrows raised in shock. "...And when?

Cloudy blushed. "What? Did you think my parents vanished into thin air when night fell. I had to learn the Canterlot waltz, even if that meant speaking though my teeth and jumping out of my window in the middle of the night."

Violet had barely registered what Cloudy had just said before she was pulled towards the estate. Looking at it now, Violet realized how massive it was. Though it was the average size for houses on this street, the challenge ahead made her seem tiny in comparison.

Cloudy, with a skip in her step and looking beautiful, looked as though she belonged... or like she was supposed to belong. Violet saw her personality shine through her curled mane and pretty blue dress. They also seemed to be the only ponies with a noticeable lack of make-up, which certainly helped.

The before party was a lot smaller than the actual ball. The music was deafening and the sound of chattering ponies echoed though the halls. Violet could only make out a few dozen or so, which was only a pathetic sliver compared to all of the ponies that were invited to the ball itself.

"That's our goal." Violet whispered to Cloudy. She pointed at the door directly across the foyer. Cloudy nodded and they both started to skim the outskirts of the crowd.

On occasion the two of them would catch the eye of a random pony. Violet would simply look away, having pretended that the pony didn't even exist and instructed Cloudy to do the same. It was something she learned as a foal. Most of these ponies have no idea what they were really talking about, and instead were discussing what this or that pony said instead of their own views on things. With that being said, most of these ponies were not entirely to eager to join a new conversation- at least until the pony they were talking to slipped and said something scandalous. With a discrete glance, Violet saw the pony back in her previous conversation. If anything, she seemed to be ignoring the two of them now.

They were so close. Violet could see the entrance to the corridor that led directly to Shimmering's room. If it wasn't for her carelessness, they could've made it there without a problem. She bumped into a stallion who was innocently wandering in their direction for the sake of grabbing a beverage.

"Oh! Terribly sorry about that, my dear." Fancy Pants said. "I hope I didn't cause you any trouble."

"Oh, um..." Violet stuttered. She had been so busy focusing on finishing the game, that she didn't think there were other players. She calmed herself down and quickly cleared her throat. "It is of no discomfort, Mr. Fancy Pants."

Fancy Pants chuckled. "Glad to hear it." His gaze fell behind Violet. "I hope I didn't startle your friend as well?" Violet looked to see Cloudy, her eyes wide and frightened. She quickly signaled her to calm down and follow the Canterlot script that she provided.

"Good afternoon, Sir." Cloudy said while attempting a small curtsy. "My name is Cloudy Sun. I hope that you are finding the festivities as enjoyable as I am."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Miss. Sun." Fancy Pants said, bowing in return. "To be perfectly honest, I'm just simply scoping out the competition. Can't be beaten when it comes to these types of things, you know." He leaned close to the two fillies to whisper. "Between the three of us, I'm also sneaking an extra slice of cake." He winked. The two girls watched in a dazed state of awe as he simply walked away as though nothing had happened.

"If he can act like that, why are the rest of the elite the equivalent to timberwolves?"

"They say there's one born every hundred years-"

"Shut up!" Cloudy said, stifling her laughter. "But seriously, how lucky are we that we ran into him?" She asked. "What if it was somepony else?"

"Our entire plan would be foiled by a pathetic excuse for a hive-mind." Violet answered. She shook her head and focused on the task at hoof. "Come on."

The two fillies at last found their way out of the main room. With the gossip and chatter now behind them, they quickly trotted up the stairs to the left wing.

"Your house isn't nearly this big." Cloudy commented. She stared, wide eyed at the seemingly endless corridor of doors.

"I've only shown you the upper half- and it's going to stay that way." Violet said bluntly. "There's nothing for you to see down there anyway."

Violet quickly found the thing she was looking for. A vent. When she was little, Shimmering always stole her things out of anger and boredom. (And jealousy, but Violet had enough sense not to say it out loud, even back then.) No matter how many times Shimmering changed her room or style, her closet always stayed in the same place: in the highest room of the estate. Traditionally, one would only be able to get there through a single door, which was under lock and key, both magical and physical. It wasn't until Violet found the shreds of one of her favorite books, caught in the vent's draft, did she find her little secret.

"How come you never managed to tell anypony?" Cloudy asked as Violet pried the vent off it's hinges.

"Why in Equestria would I tell them?" Violet pulled again, this time the it opened. It squeaked and groaned on it's hinges.

"Well... I don't know... What if you're not the only pony who has dealt with this?" She theorized. "You could've told them about this."

"It's not like they would have told me." Violet peered into the vent. She gently crawled inside, the outer parts of her back hooves sticking out. She was making sure the vent could support her weight. "In case you don't remember, I wasn't necessarily the most talkative pony back in those days."

"Oh... right." Cloudy blushed. "Sometimes it's a little too easy to forget that." She watched as Violet crawled inside the vent. It only just occurred to her how peculiar this looked. She let out a desperate whisper. "Please Celestia, we promise we're doing this for a good reason..."

"Oh...kay..." Violet said, confident that the vent could support her. "Climb on in." Cloudy grunted as she bumped her head, hissed as she twisted one of her hooves in an odd angle, and let out a gasp as the cold metal met her stomach.

"Tight...squeeze." She said as they started crawling. "Violet, are you sure this is safe?"

"Nope." She called behind her. Both of them flinched as her voice echoed against the metal walls. "But don't worry about the fit. If my memory serves me... there's an opening nearby."

"You know, normally you're the one who thinks things through."

Violet grunted. She was sweating though her gown. Strange feelings of anger bubbled up in her stomach, and the uncomfortable, sticky sensation caused her to regret her decision. Why didn't she think this through? Normally, this wouldn't have even crossed her mind, let alone convince her and leave her crawling though an air vent.

"But hey!" Cloudy said optimistically. "Look on the bright side; now we might pass for White Rose impersonators."

Violet chuckled and thought of White Rose, the spy pony. Her charming, quick witted mind only counteracted with her intense fear of rats. Her determination, her strength. Violet saw her crawling though the vents, same as them, but not complaining and certainly not going so slow. She saw herself moving faster, the lives of dozens, hundreds, even thousands of oblivious ponies at stake.

το λευκό τριαντάφυλλο ανθίζει... Violet twitched her ears and shook her head.

"Did you say something?" She asked Cloudy behind her.

"'White Rose impersonators'?" She said again. Cloudy's eyes were full of confusion. "I know it's not that funny, but I felt as though I should have lightened the mood."

Violet looked ahead. "No, I-" She started. "Nevermind, must just be my imagination." Gosh, this was really starting to get to her. The small seed of regret had sprouted into a noble sapling. It was big enough to be noticed, but not big enough to slow her down. She crawled though the tunnel with sense of spirit. It was as though her limbs had been trekking though vents all their lives.

"Hey!" Cloudy called. Violet looked behind her to see, much to her surprise, that her friend had fallen a considerable ways behind. "Wait for me."

Guilt washed over her. "Sorry!" She called. She waited patiently as Cloudy inched towards her. When they were close again Cloudy's breathing was ragged and heavy. "Are you okay?"

"I should... ask you the... same question." She said between breaths. "How... did you do that?"

"I... I don't know." She said. How did I do that?

The two fillies continued their mission. On occasion, Violet found herself having to stop moving in order for her friend to catch up. After what seemed like days- though it was probably only a few minutes- did they actually reach the place they needed to be.

"Is that it?" Cloudy asked for the thousandth time.

Violet nodded. "Yes. She peered through the tiny openings. Bright fabrics of all textures and patterns were all she could see. Shimmering's closet was brightly lit with five crystal chandeliers that twinkled and chimed. A huge mirror stood against the wall opposite to them, taking up the entire space. To their right was a large jewelry display and to their left was what looked to be a make-up station. Cloudy squeezed next to Violet. Upon seeing the huge closet, the sun-colored filly let out a breathy 'whoa...'.

Violet was about to open the vent to the inside before Cloudy stopped her. In the silence she heard voices.

"Right this way, Fancy Pants, sir." They heard Shimmering's nasally voice though the walls. After several small beeps and the sound of electrical magic being drained from a power source, the two ponies quickly scrambled back into the shadows. The door to the outside was opening.

"Quite a lovely setup." Fancy Pants commented, looking around at Shimmering's closet.

"Thanks- it used to be one of the maid's bedrooms. Daddy made it so much more useful, don't you think?" Shimmering said hotly.

Fancy Pants wasn't listening. He was to busy gazing at one of Shimmering's many life-sized statues of herself. "Hmm? Oh, yes! Mm-hmm." Violet heard him whisper 'What fine detailing! I must get her father to tell me the carver!' It was the first time Violet had seen Shimmering Ruby happy when somepony wasn't staring at her. She supposed having somepony stare at a perfect stone replica of her was the next best thing.

"I'm glad you agree." Shimmering said. She went about digging through her closet, discarding clothes and folding them carefully back into place.

"Tell me, my dear, how does this dashing mechanism work?" Fancy Pants asked.

"It's a magical lock." She answered. Violet saw her sniff a scarf and wrinkle her nose. "It can't be broken- father got the best unicorns in all of Canterlot to make it when I was born." She unfolded the scarf, revealing a run in one of the stitches and a few splotches of a faint stain hardly visible to the untrained eye. Violet saw that Shimmering was looking for flaws- and that scarf being one of the most flawed in the entire closet- Shimmering folded it up into a nice square. All of the flaws themselves were hidden in the folds.

"I'm the only pony who can open it." She said. "I'm the only one who has a key." The words were spoken with a smug smile.

"That's amazing." Fancy Pants said in awe. He cleared his throat. "Sorry!" He blushed. "I used to have a thing for these 'magical machines'... seems as though I've lost my touch."

Shimmering shrugged. She grabbed a loose ribbon from one of her garments and quickly tied a bow around the scarf. "Here you go!"

"Ah!" Fancy pants lifted the small bundle of fabric in the air. "I'm sure she'll love it, Shimmering Ruby. She's been so sad ever since she's lost her old one."

"I'm positive that this one will pale in comparison." She said. The words sounded fake, as though spoken from a script. "But I hope I bring a smile your daughter's face."

With that, the two ponies were gone, off to join the rest of the party. Violet quickly opened the vent and felt the refreshing feeling of cool air.

"Who's Fancy Pants's daughter?" Cloudy asked.

"Satin Scarf." Violet answered. "You've seen her. She's the quiet one that tail Shimmering everywhere she goes."

"The one with the white scarf... and white mane... and white... everything?" Cloudy asked. Violet nodded. She began to crawl out of the vent. Once her full body was out, she stretched and popped her neck and legs. Cloudy quickly did the same.

"So," Cloudy said after a moment of intense stretches. "Where do we begin?"

The two fillies began to look around. It was troublesome, considering they couldn't necessarily dig into the huge piles of clothing or drawers. Not without looking like criminals, anyway. It wasn't until Violet saw a small horseshoe box laying under the white leather couch did they actually find it.

"Yes!" She said in triumph. "Success." Once the shawl was back in her hooves she quickly wrapped it around her neck. It felt so right. All of the happy memories came flooding back; The walk down Canterlot's market with Cloudy and Mrs. Sugar. The passionate ramblings of Mr. Parch when you got him talking about his new job in the Canterlot Archives. The cups of cocoa she and Cloudy had shared after a long day of ice-skating. Putting the shawl back on almost brought tears to her eyes.

"That's great!" Cloudy cheered enthusiastically. "You found it!" As soon as her bright smile appeared, it was gone. The deafening sound of hoofsteps echoed outside the closed door.

"Quickly!" Violet whispered harshly. "Get under the table." She pointed her hoof at the table that stood beside the door. On top of it was a marble bust of Shimmering Ruby's head. Violet quickly joined her after placing the horseshoe box back under the couch. As soon as she tucked the last folds of her dress under the wood of the table, Shimmering sauntered inside. With the loud slam of the door, it was clear that she wasn't happy.

"That Iron Wing!" She shouted at one of her numerous mareniquins . "Doesn't he know that I'm the most eligible filly in all of Canterlot!" She quickly stomped over to her mirror do adjust her mane. "I have everything." She continued. "Money, beauty, power... what more could that feather brain want?"

Violet shrunk back against the wall. She saw, with a flutter of hope appearing in her chest, that the door was open.

"Hmmph!" Shimmering scoffed at her reflection. "How dare he! Dancing with that Phoenix Heart," She spat. "Pathetic excuse for a mare- probably doesn't have a bit to her name! I never liked her."

She trotted angrily to the room where all of her clothes hung, waiting to be worn only once. "I'll show him!" She screamed.

Both Violet and Cloudy sprinted for the exit.

...

They were almost there. The exit, a freshly cleaned glass door, lead straight for the garden. She and Cloudy could cross the low hedges. They could easily jump them, and head straight for Cloudy's house where Mr. Parch and Mrs. Sugar would be there getting ready for the actual ball.

It would have been so easy if a certain stallion hadn't stopped them dead in their tracks.

"Why, hello again!" He said kindly. Fancy Pants stood next to Hoity Toity himself, in all of his pompadoured mane and brown-nosed glory. The grey stallion looked at the girls, with their flushed cheeks and slightly sweaty manes, with an obvious grimace.

"Uh... Hi." Violet said dumbly. She was so eager to get out of the estate, that she couldn't think of a single word to say. Cloudy seemed to be in a worse position, only mustering an audible grunt and a nod of her head in greeting.

"And what are you lovely ladies doing?" He asked. Violet thought quickly. She racked her brain for a phrase that would answer everything, but still give them a reason to continue running towards the exit.

"Hide and Seek!" Cloudy suddenly shouted. All of the ponies, including Violet herself looked at her in confusion. Hide and what...?

"It's a game we played back in my old... city." Cloudy explained. Violet quickly played along, nodding her head in agreement. She also noticed the fact that Cloudy skillfully dodged the term 'Ponyville'. "It's fun. A group of ponies hide, while one pony tries to find them."

"It's all the rage." Violet said, finally finding her voice. Hoity Toity's suspicious eyes turned into eyes of approval when he heard the comment.

"Ah! Good." He said. Violet cringed at his voice. He truly was the true essence of the Canterlot elite. "I should hope that my daughter is playing as well?"

"Of course." Cloudy said, her voice and eyes calm and even. Violet saw, with so much amazement that she hardly hide it, Cloudy's muscles relax and her eyes become calm blue pools of innocence. "In fact, she's the most important player: the seeker."

The two stallions nodded in approval. "What a delight," Fancy Pants said. "having such wonderful fillies in our company."

Cloudy beamed. The smile she gave practically caused Violet to actually believe what she was saying. Her bright white teeth stole her breath, and she could only see Cloudy as this innocent being, like newly blossomed flower or a chick hatched straight out of its egg.

"Thank you, sir." Once she talked, her smile dissipated and Violet snapped out of it. Both of them needed to get out of this house now! But she continued to stare in awe of her best friend, as words continued to spill out of her mouth like the calm bubbling of a brook. "It really is quite fun! And Shimmering Ruby is such a wonderful player, it truly is very delightful that we could be spending our time with such a brilliant pony."

At this rate, all of Cloudy's innocence could be seen through. At least by Violet anyway. The two stallions, especially Hoity Toity, looked as though those words were spoken by Celestia herself. "My name is Cloudy Sun, daughter of Sugar Crystal and Yellow Parchment."

"Yellow Parchment...Parchment... ah!" Fancy Pants's horn flared in recognition. "That's right, your father works at Canterlot castle, restoring documents in the Canterlot archives, isn't he?" Hoity Tioty looked shocked. Violet was surprised that he didn't bow down to the two of them, given his facial expression. Fancy Pants looked at Violet. "And the beautiful Violet Lace- I thought I recognized you, but you've seemed to have changed so much! I didn't want risk it! Yellow has told me so much about the two of you, and your beautiful friendship! Congratulations, girls. I promise you, a friendship like yours doesn't come around to often!"

Hoity Toity had had enough. He looked as though he was about to explode with glee. "Well!" He said with gusto "It is an honor to have you at our little soiree." He bowed. Violet nearly got a mouthful of his manespray-covered pompadour. "Please, continue on with your game!"

"We were hoping to hide in you beautiful backyard garden." Cloudy said. Violet grew even more impressed.

"Of course, be my guest." Hoity Toity said. He stepped to the side to let the fillies pass, which was almost unheard of in Canterlot society. The two fillies delicatly trotted towards the garden.

"Please don't tell Shimmering Ruby you saw us." Cloudy called over her shoulder. "It would make it look as though she doesn't play fair!"

"Wouldn't dream of it!" Hoity Toity called back.

"You girls have fun!" Fancy Pants said in goodbye. As they were trotting towards the exit, Violet heard the words 'Wonderful fillies' and 'I will be inviting them again'

...

"That...was...awesome!" Cloudy said. Her breathing was ragged and shaking. Both she and Violet had sprinted away from the estate, taking the quick rout of crashing through gardens to get to Cloudy's house. Violet had accidentally crushed one of Hoity Toity's beds of petunias, but she didn't care. Adrenaline was pumping through her body and the cool evening air chilled her burning lungs.

"Oh my Celestia!" Cloudy continued as they entered her backyard. "Violet, you should have seen yourself! You were all like: zooooom!. Then you crawled through those vents like a star spider- then just, woooosh! You fly through the hall like a first-place winning wonderbolt!"

"We would have never gotten out of there if it wasn't for you." Violet smiled. "That was amazing! You could talk a dragon out of their gold with that kind of acting!"

Cloudy beamed again. "I told you," She poked Violet's chest with her hoof. "I had practice."

"Even still! That was so cool!"

"You acted exactly like White Rose! You were a million times more cooler than me!" Cloudy said. Violet let the words sink in. She was quick to deny the 'cooler than me' part, but the part about White Rose... Yeah... She did act like White Rose, didn't she? It was as though she and her character were one and the same.

"Come on!" Cloudy said. "We can marvel at our greatness later. Let's head inside and... Violet?"

Violet's vision blurred. A skull splitting headache started to form in the center of her forehead. She felt her mane start to prickle with a sudden heat flash, and her mouth was dry and sticky. She barely recalled falling to the ground. The last things she heard was Cloudy calling out to her parents for help.

She smelled smoke and apples. Her eyes fluttered shut.