Violet Lace

by DemonAngel13

Hot Sunlight and Thick Curtains

"Alright, sounds like a plan."

"You can't just say that and assume that everypony agrees with you!" Violet shouted.

"Well, you have any better ideas?" Clock Mage flashed an out of place smile in Violet's direction.

"I..." Violet looked towards Canterlot Castle from the alleyway that the three ponies were in. "Things are going to fast. We need to slow down. I just got what seemed like a thousand years of information magically beamed into my head and ricocheted back into my own timeline-"

"With all due respect, Violet, we don't really have time to slow down." She winked. "Trust me, I know."

"Regardless, we need to be back in the castle by nightfall." Luna suddenly added. "It would mean the moon to me if you were to go with me Violet Lace. For the sake of your protection."

"Protection?!" Violet shouted. "That's another thing! What are you two protecting me from? Where's my family?"

"We assure you, your family is completely safe." Luna said with a calming tone.

"Then where's everypony else?" Violet's voice held a tone of fatigue. She had only woken up a few hours ago, but she felt as though she hadn't slept in a lifetime.

"With your family, obviously!" Clock Mage beamed.

"You guys aren't telling me anything!" Violet shouted. Clock Mage jumped back in surprise, while Luna's eyes narrowed in a look of worry and slight annoyance.

"We'll explain in the castle." Luna started walking. She was heading in the back entrance, which Violet felt was strange, but didn't question it. She didn't know what to expect from Luna, but simultaneously, she was never surprised by her antics. Information spells were only performed by the most powerful of unicorns, due to their high controversy. They were nearly banned hundreds of years ago, and only a few privileged individuals were taught the spell as it was passed down from family to family. Most that know those spells today, don't even have the capability of performing them anymore. So when Luna suddenly arrived and showed that she now only knew the spell, but that she's used it several times throughout her years, caused Violet to quickly realize that she was no ordinary unicorn. In fact, Violet's mind would sometimes get a few strands of images, blurred and nearly impossible to decipher, causing her to think that she wasn't even a unicorn at all. But as soon as she thought she grasped what she was, she would doubt that what she was seeing was legitimate, and dismiss it.

They began sneaking inside castle grounds. They darted through shadows caused by the early-afternoon sun, and quickly avoided the guard.

"Why are we sneaking into the castle?" Violet harshly whispered in Clock Mage's ear.

"Why don't you ask Moon Butt over there?" She answered bitterly. She was in a foul mood due to one of necklaces getting caught on a bush branch, and having to leave it behind.

"You're the one who dragged me into this situation!" Violet said venomously. "Start giving me answers, or I'll walk onto the nearest balcony and scream my heart out."

"Okay! Chill out!" They both watched as Luna walked close to the heavy curtains that hung in the hallway. Her eyes were darting from one crack to another, looking outside for ponies who might have been watching. "Luna is new here... and it's sort of a big deal. Because of that, she's gotten very little time to herself, and can't risk getting caught, getting dragged somewhere else and leaving you and I vulnerable."

"What are you protecting me from?" Violet asked, making sure to not loose sight of Luna as she darted from shadow to shadow.

"She said that she would explain that later."

"Tell me." Violet pleaded. "You must have the most information, at least now! Please!"

Clock Mage sighed. "They call themselves the 'Black Diamonds'."

"'Black Diamonds'?" Violet repeated.

"Not the most creative name, I know, but bear with me." She and Violet turned a corner. It was safe to say that, if they were alone, they would quickly get lost. "They... were once a group of ponies, harmless enough. But that was more than a thousand years ago. Things have changed. They had humble beginnings, strangely occult and hell-bent on what they deemed 'order', but they were a small group that ponies simply glanced over."

"Then why are they a problem?" Violet asked.

"Well... it turns out that the 'god' they believed in, wasn't a god at all. Instead, he was simply a unicorn with too much power. He let that power corrupt him, his judgment, and a lover of his. He went into the 'heavens'- as they used to put it- and simply lived as a mass of magical power and darkness."

"That sounds..."

"Yeah, I know." All three of their ears perked up when they heard hoofsteps. They quickly dove behind the heavy tapestries until they were gone. "All of that darkness and hatred for a world he deemed imperfect had changed him and made him power hungry, even though he was nothing but power at this point. His followers, being the loyal and horribly ignorant and devoted ponies that they were, followed his lead."

"But... that was centuries ago." Violet said. "What does this have to do with me?"

Clock Mage let out another heavy sigh. Her annoyingly chipper and happy attitude seemed to fade right out of her. "It's complicated. Simply, and poorly, put; They never let their civilization die. It's been sitting, in the shadows, fermenting. Now it's home to some of the most powerful ponies in all of Equestria, thanks to their abundant talent at gathering priceless jewels and other things of the like. I guess being a follower of a dark being of mass destruction and death has its perks."

"But that still doesn't tell me what that has to do with me!" Violet harshly whispered again. "How am I involved?"

Clock Mage was silent for a moment, as though gathering her thoughts. "I'm not entirely sure. I know stones in the path, not the entire path itself. I suppose it could be because you're Luna's assistant. You have a lot of influence on the future Equestria."

"Assistant...?" Violet felt the word in her mind. "Is that what I am?" Clock Mage shrugged.

"It changes depending on the pony, to be honest. I've met a few of them, they were all very distant, but different..." Luna finally stopped at a large door. It was pale blue, with a giant moon carved into it. "Assistant is sort of the 'default' term until you find your place." The door opened with a loud clang. All of the ponies flinched as the sound radiated down the hallway.

"Let's go." Luna said. She stepped inside the room. "We can have some privacy in here."

All three of them entered the spacious bed room.

The first thing that Violet thought was: Damn, this pony has good taste. The entire room was done in cool blues and purples. Thick mulberry curtains blocked sunlight entirely, and a marble patterned carpet matched with mulberry and purple hues. A giant bed, in the shape of a crescent moon, stood center stage in the largest compartment of the entire space.

"Luna..." A sick, slimy feeling appeared in Violet's stomach. "... this is your room, isn't it?" Luna nodded. The slimy feeling quickly dissipated, replaced with hot, boiling anger.

"No!" Violet shouted. Luna and Clock Mage both jumped at the outburst. "No no no no no no nononono...." Violet's vision started to blur. "You can't just-"

Her emotions went haywire, she shifted without even realizing it. The feather of her cutie mark changed into a water drop. She started speaking with an accent similar to that of Clock Mage's.

"throw this all at me! I.. I- I woke up this morning, I woke up hours ago! My family is missing, I just got information beamed into my head, and just figured out that time-travel is possible," She pointed her hoof angrily at Clock Mage, who shrunk back in a small amount of fear. "because of her!"

She shifted again. Her mane straightened out slightly, and reflected pink. Her body became more nimble, and her eyes keen on details in the room. It only made her angrier. The water drop turned into a rose.

"My sister is missing!" She screamed in a voice that could only be described as 'devilishly posh'. "My friends are gone! I've been plagued with nightmares for nearly half of my life, a shithole family for the other half- the least you two can do-"

The pink in Violet's mane faded, and changed into a copper hue. Her eyes turned from their usual gray, to a brilliant gold. Her cutie mark shifted to a gear.

"Is cut me some slack!" Her breathing became heavy, and she winced at the burning in her throat from tears that she prohibited from falling down her face. "Did you two even think about this?!" She pointed an shaking hoof at Luna. "Where were you? What happened? What am I? I didn't ask for this!" She pointed angrily at her own cutie mark. "I didn't want this to happen! I just wanted to graduate, maybe become an author! Not have the entire fate of Equestria placed on my shoulders!"

Luna finally spoke. "Ms. Lace-"

"And that's another thing, how do you know my name? How do you know me at all? You were supposedly gone to who knows where, how do you know anything?"

"Ms. Lace-"

"You could have helped me with my nightmares, since we're apparently so close. I mean, you walk through dreams right? At least, that's what I think you do! I mean, my head is filled with half filled information! What? Did you both expect that I would just figure things out? That I wouldn't be totally overwhelmed and freaked out by the situation?!"

"Ms. Lace!"

Violet was quickly silenced by blue magic circling around her muzzle. Her emotions were still going crazy, so she was left standing still, restrained by Luna, subtly shifting from one form to the other.

"This must be a result of being apart of her timeline again." Clock Mage said absentmindedly. "She's starting to progress again-"

"That is enough out of you, as well!" Clock Mage's muzzle was held in a similar fashion to Violet's. She struggled momentarily, groping at her pocket watches and chains, trying to enforce the lack of time.

"Yes, yes. We understand that we are running out of time." Luna said in a bored tone. "But we can also say that you have been quite a nuisance as of late. We were supposed to be resting this afternoon, the first day's sleep in more than a millennium, but instead you suddenly appeared and had us running around a kingdom we don't recognize and writing letters to ponies we don't know." Luna quickly looked at Violet, who was silently fuming, but also listening to Clock Mage get told off with a disturbing amount of pleasure. "But wish to know."

"So," Luna said, pulling Clock Mage close. "We must get you to understand your place. We understand that you've been through a lot in the past few days, seeing Equestria falling sounds like a horror that not even we can comprehend. And we also understand that you're simply looking at everypony's best interest, but you need to understand how confusing everything you're doing is. We are a princess of Equestria, and you will do what we say."

She let both Violet and Clock Mage go. Violet cleared her throat, feeling slightly embarrassed for her loud outburst, especially considering that they didn't want to get caught and dragged out of the castle.

"I just want to find my family." She said. Luna nodded, expecting as much. "I understand that things are serious, and that this is real, and..." She shook her head, trying to straighten her thoughts. "They are my first priority. I want to make sure that they are safe... then I'll help you."

"Very well." Luna lead Violet to a window that was tucked away in a corner. Using her hoof to part the thick, dark curtain, Luna let bright light stream into the room for the first time. Both she and Violet winced, having gotten used to the dark lighting of the bedroom. Violet took a while to adjust and recognize what she was seeing. At first, she thought she was seeing a garden with hundreds of different flowers. Instead, she was looking at a large crowd of ponies all sitting in front of the castle. They were cheering, jumping around, and celebrating even though nothing was happening. She instantly noticed her mother's reflective mane in the crowd, and saw her sister and father sitting next to her.

"They are celebrating our return." Luna answered. "We believe that our sister was... excited, and accidentally gave the impression that it was a mandatory event." She followed Violet's gaze. "Is that them?"

"Yeah..." Violet was filled with so much relief at seeing them, she didn't have the ability to notice their expressions until now.

"They do not seem as though they are enjoying themselves." Luna said, noticing as well. They sat still, in stark contrast to the energetic crowed that seemed to cause cheer to seep through the tinted windows.

"They're probably worried." Violet said. "I don't think my night ended very nicely, last night." Luna grunted.

"Is your mind at ease?" Luna asked. She didn't bother letting down the curtain, letting Violet look a little longer.

"Y-...No." Violet brushed a lock of mane out of her eyes. Now that she knew that her family was okay, she had shifted back to her original form. "With everything else that's happening, it's almost ludicrous to think that I could calm down." She let herself take a deep breath.

"Understandable." Luna said. "We figured you needed more time."

"But we don't-" Clock Mage was silenced again by Luna's glowing horn.

"She's safe here, isn't she?" Luna turned her head over her shoulder. "We enchanted our new bedroom with a security spell. Only our sister and us, plus a few exceptions can enter without our permission. Any other pony who dares to step through that door will be thrown against the opposing wall."

"Exceptions?" Violet asked.

"You, of course." Luna said, looking Violet straight in the eye. Violet felt a blush creep up her cheeks. "Plus, anypony you deem worthy. The spell can allow a few more exceptions, but only a limited few."

"A-Alright..." Violet said, still processing the fact that she had the ability to barge into a princess's sleeping chamber. "I'm safe here."

Luna nodded. "That's right." There was a moment of silence where Luna seemed to ponder something. "We suppose you are more than deserving of an explanation."

"I-"

"If you wish, we could arrange for you to spend the day here. We could give you a proper explanation of what is happening. Plus, we might be able to learn some new things as well." Luna suggested.

"What?" Violet's ears perked up in shock. "W-what about my family? They are probably worried sick! I mean, look at them!"

"We can have it arranged to the point where your parents would be reassured of your safety. We understand that your life has been very hectic over the past few days, Violet Lace, but we think that we could all unanimously agree that you need to educate yourself on this matter as soon as possible."

"I- I!..." Violet felt her arguments fall short under Luna's imposing stature and cold eyes. "You're right." She sighed sorrowfully. "... But... can I write the letter?"

Luna nodded. "If you believe that is best."

"Hello!" Clock Mage shouted, startling the two of them. "Did you two forget that I as here?"

"Ah, yes. Ms. Clock Mage." Luna stood tall, looking down on the smaller time-pony. "As grateful as we are for your interference, and trust us, we are, we must insist that you leave for the time being. We and Violet need to spend some time alone, evaluate the knowledge we have, and then we'll get back to you when the time demands it."

"The time always demands it!" Clock Mage insisted, suddenly going ragged. She looked towards Violet desperately. Violet could only imagine what the pony saw in the alternate timeline. To speak that way to a princess, new or not, was dangerous. Clock Mage was clearly very frightened.

"Look on that little piece of parchment of yours." Luna said, letting her cold eyes flicker towards her bright white mane. "What does it say?"

Clock Mage pulled the piece of paper out of her mane hesitantly. She scanned over the parchment, and let out a sigh. "Clock Mage leaves the room for... ten hours." Luna and Violet cocked an eyebrow simultaneously. "She finds Princess Luna and Violet Lace in the..." Clock Mage swallowed, uneasy. With tight lips, she put the parchment back in her mane and wrinkled her nose in content. "Alright, I see your point. I can't go against the parchment."

Why not? Violet thought. It was just a simple piece of paper, wasn't it? Then again, she barely knew anything about time travel. None, if the stuff she's read out of teen-romance novels didn't count. She figured she should let the expert do her thing.

"Okay, so..." She grew another one of her large smiles. "I'll get on my merry way then, now that I know nothing bad is going to happen. I'll just, uh... leave this." She pulled a large roll of parchment out of her mane, similar to how she pulled out the ever present time-parchment. "You need to read this at ten-oh-two tonight, alright? No earlier." The two of them nodded. And with that, a bright flash of light caused Violet to squint her eyes shut. When she opened them again, Clock Mage was gone.

"She had good intentions..." Luna said once the room got quiet. "But, we are not sure she knows how to handle them."

"I think she's scared." Violet said. "I can't imagine my favorite book store being closed, much less all of Equestria being destroyed." She thought about the scene that Clock Mage had showed them before they left for the castle. It didn't seem real, it was as though it was a scene in a movie, or some sort of horrible hallucination. If Violet were to be perfectly honest with herself, that last suggestion might of still been on the table.

"We are ready for your questions, Violet Lace." Luna announced after they got situated. "Ask away!"

"O-okay..." Violet stuttered. "What... am I?" Violet's tone was unsure. She had a lot of questions, more than even she knew, but she was also numb. The shock of everything happening, seeing Luna, and sneaking into Canterlot castle, a place where even the most elite of Canterlot can barely manage stepping into, it left her feeling raw and vulnerable.

"We do not understand." Luna said, perplexed. "You are a pony, are you not?"

"No! nonono." She pointed towards the crescent moon on her cutie mark. "How am I related to you? What am I?"

"Ah." Luna's ears lowered. "That requires a complicated answer. One that you will gain the knowledge of over time, and you shall gain even more knowledge than us. We have some books that may help you, if you wish to read them, we understand-"

"NO!" Violet shouted. She quickly placed her hoof over her mouth at her own rudeness. "I'm sorry! I mean,... no. I'm fine, thank you."

Luna nodded. "If you wish to have a brief explanation, we are afraid we wont be able to provide you with a proper answer. From our perspective, the lunar cutie marks are a phenomenon that we can not explain, but simply accept."

"So you didn't ask any questions? You didn't wonder or ponder what it could be? You just simply let those ponies into you life without a second glance?"

"A grieving heart is desperate for relief." Luna's face was like stone. No emotion other than the cold personality that resonated from her. But her eyes grew dark, and Violet knew that it was a touchy subject that she should probably figure out on her own.

"Okay, um..." She pulled another question out of the large jar in her mind. "Who are the Black Diamonds?"

"That is a question that we can answer." Luna cleared her throat. "They started small, with a tiny civilization north of the Everfree forest. They were mainly kept afloat using the rare gemstones that they somehow manage to acquire, and practice a large amount of dastardly and corruptible magic. They were never considered a threat, not in our time at least. The ponies that made up the cult just simply considered themselves better than everypony else, and stuck to socializing with themselves. They were harmless, the mortal participants."

"What about the ones who weren't mortal?" Violet asked, growing slightly frightened.

"Hungry. He grew hungry. We are not entirely sure of his motivation, but we, along with our sister, knew we had to put a stop to it. His lover, Ruby, came down to us to warn us of his destruction in form of dreams and red flowers."

"Ruby..." That word caused a shiver to travel down her spine. "My dreams! What about my dreams?"

"We do not know how to answer this question."

"I've had nightmares for the past four years! You have the ability to walk through dreams! That can't be a coincidence!" Violet insisted. "What do they mean? Why are they there? How did you manage to make them end every night?"

Luna silenced Violet with a silent hoof raised int the air. "We do not know what we are talking about. We suppose that our essence could have helped you, but not even we have an essence strong enough to last for more than a few nights. You must have just simply been experiencing a type of prophetic dream. It's quite a common occurrence. We have seen it many times."

"I..." Violet furrowed her brow. She wasn't sure, but Luna was more than an expert on dreams. Should she really question her? She decided to change the subject. "How will I stay protected? Aren't the Black Diamonds a constant threat?"

Luna turned her head at a confused angle. "We thought that was obvious. You are to stay here, at the castle, until further notice."

"What?" Violet stood up from the place where she was sitting on the carpet. "I can't stay here! I have a family-"

"Which you've pointed out numerous times."

"And... a life! What? Am I suppose to live under your bed for the rest of it? I just got back into my timeline, I want to start progressing again! I want to do new things and meet new ponies!... I wan't to tell my sister that I wan't to do new things and meet new ponies! Oh, she would be so happy!" She thought of Cloudy, taking everything in stride, and just simply accepting the fact that Violet was back to normal. Violet felt her chest lighten with the thought of doing it.

"You will obviously still be in contact with you family, and you're not going to be forced to stay by any means. We will provide you with accommodations."

"Where?"

"The time pony said that everything was settled."

"Are you really going to trust her word?" In all fairness, Clock Mage wasn't dishonest. But Violet's life was on the line, so she was more than hesitant.

"Yes." Luna answered without hesitating whatsoever. "She said 'I took a short trip a few centuries ago to put everything into motion. Now, everything is ready to go at your word.'"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Violet asked. "That doesn't mean I'll be provided with a house! Or food!"

"That won't be a problem, you can simply stay in one of the castle's numerous rooms."

"For how long? What am I supposed to eat? Do you know my allergies?"

"For as long as you must. You'll eat whatever you choose, the cooks are very capable. You can alert them of your allergies if it is necessary."

Violet turned into a stuttering mess. "I-you can't... I!-" Luna silenced her with a gentle hoof on her shoulder.

"Violet Lace, you must understand. Even without the fate of Equestria in the balance, We would have still met and would probably be having this conversation. But... given the circumstances, things are very different. We originally meant for you to make a choice, and given the past mistakes that we have made, we probably would have pushed you to refuse our offer and have you decide to choose your own life as you please. But now..." Luna's ears lowered with an unexplained sadness. "You don't have a choice, and I'm sorry."

Violet felt her resolve cave in like a slow sink hole. It must have been the century long connection between her and Luna, the one she still didn't understand, that caused her to be so quick to bend to Luna's suggestions.

"I... I...." She let her words fall. The entire fate of Equestria rested on her shoulders, whether she liked it or not. Whether she truly processed it or not, and whether she was ready or not. "I'll go write... the letter."

She turned to head towards a dark section of the bedroom. An individual cubby, with a desk and chair. It was new, freshly polished, and lit with a single magical lantern that was shaped like the moon. She went on about, scribbling a letter and holding back tears. She told her family how much she loved them, and that she was in the castle for... a reason. A reason she couldn't tell them about due to royal matters. She told Cloudy specifically that she was fine, better than ever, actually! She told her about how she wanted to try a new technique with writing that required colored ink and a new quill. Violet was sure that Cloudy would enjoy seeing those words.

While she was silently putting ink to paper, she heard Luna's voice gently float in the room in a quiet whisper. It had caught Violet by surprise, given that they both agreed that the alicorn should get some sleep.

"I'm very sorry."

Comments

[Akernis]

Glad to see that Violet is behaving like any reasonable pony would under these circumstances, being really confused and wanted to take it all one thing at a time.
Seems that Violet and I are in a accord of finding Clock Mage's chipper nonchalant attitude quite a bit annoying.
Damn, her talent went into overdrive, and what an outburst.
That was a nice moment, seems fitting for Luna's personality at this point when her patience is tested, to silence and restrain the two of them to get the situation under control before things escalate.
"Sounds like a horror not even we can comprehend" - oh I don't know, after almost causing the same thing herself barely hours before, and being trapped as Nightmare Moon for a thousand years, I think she might more than an inkling of what horror is.
Heh, great to see Luna take charge like that :)
A little thing I find odd, Luna mentions that she is a Princess of Equestria, and makes references to her sister, but Violet doesn't even reaction to this, no realisation, or shock or anything. She even mentions that Luna is an alicorn in the second-last line with no reaction to that fact.
Clock Mage mentions that the Black Diamonds 'centuries old' but Luna talk about them as existing 'in our (Luna's) time', which would mean that they are over a thousand years old, there seems to be some discrepancy there.
That was a sad note to end on, but at least Violet is back to normal again :)

[DaydreamsOfAStranger]

... Just read this whole story from the beginning...
...The heck is going on?!

Either way, you have some crazy good writing skills! Good job!

[DemonAngel13]

7239492 *Evil Chuckle*

[DemonAngel13]

7239036 *Continues to laugh while petting cat maliciously*

[Snow]

7240060 Of course! I didn't mean to belittle, just provide an example! Consider it a source of inspiration <3

[Snow]

A lustrum is 5 years.
A decade is 10 years.
A century is 100 years.
A millennium is 1,000 years.

The time scale for Luna's banishment 1,000 years, thus a millennium.

[tomas35]

7240066 this story is good and fun to read even if i get lost sometimes. it is like if you decided to explain it backwards for the fun of confusing people.