NOIRE POV

It was dark for a while when I woke up from my slumber. I had no memory of what happened before I fell unconscious. However, I did know that I had been here before. In fact, this was the very same place that ominous voice spoke to me before coming to Equestria. This place was only missing the voice.

"Ah, you're awake."

There it was. Seeing as it has been almost a month since you two talked, there was something important to talk about. However, I needed to know something before they said anything. "Um, mysterious voice? Where am I?" I asked nervously.

The voice chuckled and responded "Spiritually, you are in the space between realms; the gap between all worlds and the afterlife. Physically, you are in Canterlot unconscious. The battle with Chrysalis and Shining Armour left you severely wounded. I was even wondering if I had to intervene just to save your life and before you ask, yes, Cadance is safe." That's when it all came back to me; the mission, the fight, me jumping into that attack, that power I felt within me.

"You are thinking about the power you released in your fight with the Shining Armour. Don't worry, everything will be revealed to you when you wake up" the area began to shake around you "Which seems to be happening right now. Goodbye Noire, protector of the code..." the voice began to fade away as a falling sensation consumed me.

The darkness soon gave way to light as the falling sensation suddenly stopped. I now felt the soft feeling of a bed and a large object on top of me. When I fully opened my eyes, they were immediately overwhelmed by fur and pink.

"HEY LOOK! IT'S WAKING UP!" a rather excited voice yelled. I groaned and looked up and saw a pink earth pony on top of me. Her mane was of the same colour but darker and had light blue eyes. I looked down and saw her bountiful cleavage mere centimetres from my body. My face turned a deep red and on instinct, I pushed the lady off me. She fell on the floor and was rubbing her head which now had a lump on top. I immediately regretted the decision as now a new pony was now on top of me, this time a light blue pegasus with red eyes and a rainbow mane. Unlike the last one, she wasn't too happy.

"HEY! WHAT DO THINK YOU'RE DOING, HURTING MY FRIEND LIKE THAT?!" she yells in my ear. I grew tired of all of the yelling and got out of the bed I was in. The pegasus got off me though and immediately took a fighting stance. I was not in the mood for it though so I just turned to the person that looked the most reasonable. The person that Cadence was so happy to talk about in her diary, Twilight Sparkle.

"Morning Twilight Sparkle, sorry to ask after the whole... 'thing' that just happened but I need to know. How long have I been out?" I asked her politely. She was taken aback by this sudden politeness and was silent for a bit before answering me.

"You've been unconscious for a week now. Cadance woke up a couple of days before you and she seems fine physically except she's been constantly checking up on you ever since. Princess Celestia has also been here while you have been gone and asked us to watch you and tell you when you wake up to go to her. She's in the dining hall right now."

When she finished, I thanked her and went over to the pink earth pony. However, the pegasus immediately rushed over to defend her so I remained at a distance. "Miss? I am sorry for pushing you earlier. I'm not at my best in the morning. I hope you'll forgive me," the pony instantly went up to me as if she just teleported me and started hugging me tightly and GOD did it hurt but that was just because of my injuries.

"Of course I'll forgive you. Nopony's at their best in the morning. Not even ME! I only eat 15 cupcakes when I should be eating 25!" That explains a lot but not explaining how she just teleported to me. I opened my mouth to speak but the orange earth pony in the stetson interrupted me.

"Don't bother, we all stopped trying to understand Pinkie Pie a LONG time ago" everyone nodded their heads at that except the pegasus, who was still being defensive around me but dropped the fighting stance "Don't worry about Rainbow. She's just looking out for her friend. Sometimes her loyalty blinds her to what is a friend or foe," the pegasus that I now know is Rainbow grumbled in response and walked back to the group with Pinkie.

"Anyway, can you gals lead me to the dining hall... and my shirt?" I asked as Twilight lead me down the halls to Celestia while Pinkie Pie hands me my shirt from inside her mane...

She was going to be an interesting friend.

We finally made it to the dining hall where Celestia and Cadence were waiting. Cadence immediately rushed over to me and hugged me, obviously excited to see me conscious again "NOIRE, you're okay!" she said, giving me a kiss on my left cheek, surprising everyone except Celestia. I blushed lightly before Cadance slapped me on my right cheek, with the same result from everyone "and that was for being an idiot. What were you thinking, jumping into that attack like that?!"

My face stung a lot as I chuckled "I guess I wasn't thinking but at least you're okay, my princess" I said, imitating a bow. It was now Cadence's turned to blush and we exchanged chuckles before Celestia stepped in.

"I'm am also glad that you have recovered from such a battle but now we have much to discuss. Now that you have 'awoken', it is time that I explained to you the threat that now poses this world," she said, gaining all of our attention "I know you all have questions so allow me to explain who is behind all of this and you can ask questions afterwards." We all took a seat at the table and let Celestia start her story.

"It all began with a rift in time and space. Nopony knew of where it came from or how it happened. It just... appeared and from it came the humans. Humans from various different universes. At the time, Luna and I were novice rulers, only being in power for a few months after our parents... left and didn't fully understand the concept of the multiverse. We learned from each other and we were a the verge of a new era until we learned of the person who caused this event; Grim." we all took in the information we were just told, especially me. I feel like I had heard that name before but I couldn't put my finger on it. However, I stayed silent and allowed Celestia to continue "The power he wielded was a power even we could not fathom and in a single day, the kingdom of Equestria was overthrown and we were thrown into the dungeons to rot. His reign lasted for a whole century until a lone human who opposed him came, claiming he too possessed the power of the gods, the power that only humans could wield. The power to see and control the pure flow of magic that binds all worlds that he called 'The Code'. Their collision was world-shattering and when the final blow was struck, the lone human came out victorious. After that day, the human returned all of the humans to their original worlds and erased everyone's memory of the event, both humans and ponies. He left us our memories and as he was on his deathbed, he told us 'Grim will return but another will rise in my place. The protector.'"

Everyone turned to me. I was in complete shock over what I had heard but also what was inferred. Could Chrysalis be working with this 'Grim' guy? The chances were very likely seeing as she was way stronger with Shining as a love battery and Shining himself being a lot stronger as well. This could all be the work of this one man. A voice called out in the midst of all of my chaotic thoughts. It was Cadence waving a hand in front of my face, starting to get worried "Noire! Are you alright?! You've been silent for ages! What's wrong?" she asked. All of the thoughts disappeared when she spoke, just like always she had a way of calming me down when I felt so lost and this time was no different.

"Sorry about that, just thinking about if Grim was behind this whole thing all along. With Chrysalis. With Shining..." she went silent at the thought of Shining being under control but shook it off immediately.

"No, I checked every spell enchanted onto him at the time. He was under no spell and had no influences inside him at the moment. That is why I want to finally get those divorce papers done" Everyone, even Celestia, looked downtrodden at the news "Even before all of this, I knew there was no hope for us in this relationship. All we did was work and were barely awake enough to give each other more than a peck on the cheek. The last act of compassion he showed me was telling me honestly that I am a terrible Princess of Love and an even worse ruler. The only thing I can do right realise all of the mistakes I've made."

Everyone remained silent. Celestia hanged her head down low and Twilight clenched her fists at the loss of her brother. I was having none of this sadness and stood up, getting a rise out of all of them. I grabbed Cadence's hand and led her outside of the dining hall. Once I found an unoccupied bedroom, I forcefully threw her onto the bed. She was about to question me about what I was doing but I interrupted her "When did the mare I swore to protect become this? I remember when I used to be the one all depressed and lost but you were the one that reached out to me when everyone, even your own husband thought of me as a freak. I remember when you defied your aunts, the monarchs of the sun and moon, for me and now here you are, blaming yourself for something you couldn't have stopped. When did the Cadence I cared about feel so down on herself?" Cadence remained silent "Cadence, I don't know if what Shining said about you being a terrible princess is true and I don't know if he still truly loves you but if you continue blaming yourself for this, you'll never escape it or move on. Trust me, I know. You've got to find some light in the darkness just like how I found you in my darkest moments and whatever you find..." I grabbed her hand and pulled her up off of the bed "...I hope I'll be there to see it with you"

No more words were required. We just had to stand there, enjoying each other's company. Cadence slowly closed in on me. I knew what this meant and would have been a liar if I said I didn't want this too. I closed in on her myself, preparing for another kiss until...

"Hey, Cadence are you okay in there?" A voice called out from the other side of the door. Cadence and I quickly separated and cleared our throats. Cadence went over to the door and allowed Twilight and the rest of her friends to enter. I tried to push the thought of me and Cadence kissing after this to the back of my head but to no avail.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but we never got the chance to formally introduce ourselves," Twilight said. It was true that I didn't know these ponies except Twilight but only from the diary "My name is Twilight Sparkle but you already now that from Cadance." I didn't quite understand why at the time but I could feel the hate leaking out of her. Then I saw her quick glances towards Cadance and connected the dots. The conversation that was going to ensue was not going to be pretty but it was one they both needed to have. Shaking this from my thoughts, I focused on the other five ponies yet to introduce themselves.

The white unicorn stepped forward to introduce herself "My name is Rarity and might I add that your attire is atrocious! We must get that fixed immediately! Please come to me sometime today so that I can get your measurements" she said. I could already tell she's going to be that melodramatic type. I nodded silently and let the next pony introduce themselves.

"I'm Rainbow Dash: Fastest flyer in Equestria. Also, hurt my friend again and you'll never live to regret it!" the pegasus yelled. She began to get uncomfortably close to me and it was getting kind of awkward. I gently moved her away and moved on to the next pony.

"The name's Applejack: honest farmer of Sweet Apple Acres" it was nice and simple. I liked her for that.

"My name's Pinkie Pie. Are you gonna come to Ponyville because if you are we can throw you a BIG party... OMGIforgottostartyour'WelcometoEquestriaparty'gottagobye!" she said before dashing off at a speed that even Cadence couldn't explain. I was about to question it but Applejack just gave me a look that just screamed 'Don't.'

"Anyway, wasn't there another pony here?" I asked. Applejack moved to the left to reveal a bright yellow pegasus with long, pink hair hiding behind her. She squeaked and tried to hide behind Applejack but she stopped her. She pointed towards me and patted the pegasus on her shoulder. She took a deep breath and walked slowly towards me.

"Hello, my name's...Fluttershy" she seemed to be the shy type (probably should've guessed that from the name) but I went over to her and extended my hand. Fluttershy retreated for a moment before realising my good intentions and shook my hand.

"Well hello everyone, my name's Noire but you must've already known that. I hope we can all be great friends." everyone agreed at that statement. Rainbow seemed to be a lot tamer towards me but still kept that 'I don't trust you' vibe. "Now I need to go talk to Celestia about something if she's available so I will see you when I see you," everyone said their goodbyes and I left the room to find Celestia. Little to my imagination, 'things' were happening in the room that I had just left, the bad kind that always has to be involved with love.

CADANCE POV

As soon as Noire left the room, Twilight turned to me. Fury was plastered onto her face as she stormed over to me. I was going to ask what the problem was (A stupid endeavour, I know) but Twilight swiftly slapped me across the face, getting a rise out of everypony. "Twilight! What was that for?!" I asked angrily. That awarded me another slap.

"YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID! YOU LET MY BROTHER FALL INTO THE HANDS OF YOUR WORST ENEMY AND A TYRANT!" she yelled back. Her friends were completely silent, not wanting to get in the way of two powerful magic users "AND THAT ISN'T EVEN THE WORST PART; YOU DECIDE TO JUST GIVE UP ON HIM TO GO FUCK YOUR GUARD!"

She must have noticed what happened between me and Noire. I couldn't blame her for how she saw the situation. Giving up on Shining and trying to make out with my personal guard for the second time does seem pretty selfish of me. However, I took Noire's advice and stood up for my actions. "Twilight, I'm sorry about what happened to Shining but I had checked it myself; Shining no longer loves me and I have to accept that and move on. As for what happened with Noire, I just acted on impulse. It may or may not have been love but him and I are working on that and after everything has been resolved, I hope both of us can still be close," Twilight seemed to have calmed down slightly with some input from her friends but she still didn't like my argument.

"What about Shining, huh?! What about my BBBFF that you promised to keep safe when you said your vows?! Will you two still be 'close'?!" she asked me, still shouting but not as loud as before.

I sighed, knowing that the truth might hurt her a lot more than I want it to "If we meet him again and we can't stop him, We may require the elements of harmony or even..." I stopped there as Twilight was left speechless after what I had just said and what I implied. It hurt me too to say such things to the man I once loved but with the revelation of Grim striking once again and this time, with an even stronger Chrysalis and an even more loyal Shining Armour, I couldn't figure out a way to defeat him without killing either one or both.

"I can't believe you. What happened to the loving foalsitter that always told me 'Love conquers all'?" she asked me with a disapproving glare.

"She lost everything because of love and now doesn't even know what love is any more" I replied solemnly. I decided I had enough of this conversation and walked out the door, leaving behind Twilight and her friends "I hope one day you can forgive me, Twilight" I whispered as I walked down the hallways. I needed time alone.

NOIRE POV

I was sat in the dining hall with Celestia, eating breakfast as one usually should in the morning. However, there was too much on my mind which was being excellently portrayed by my barely touched breakfast. Celestia saw this and levitating my fork with my omelette and shoving it down my throat. The sudden action caused me to cough violently, much to my displeasure. She went over to me and started patting me on the back until I stopped coughing. "Oh my goodness, I am SO sorry! I just wanted to tease you a bit," she said sadly, feeling sorry for me.

"It's okay, I was probably asking for it. That was the coldest omelette I've ever tasted" I said. I was really out of it since the whole thing with me having the 'power of the gods' and Grim wanting to destroy us all. "I think everyone is a bit shaken up from what you just told them,"

"Ah yes, I also saw that distress. Especially in young Twilight. She seems to be very upset with Cadence about wanting to divorce Shining and is probably arguing with her as we speak," she said rather calmly. I couldn't blame Twilight for feeling this way. I mean, if I found out my brother was taken by an evil queen and getting divorced at the same time, I would be pretty livid.

"However, that is a problem Twilight will have to overcome herself. Anyway, you came here to talk to me about something, correct?" she asked.

Damn immortal princesses; they could always see right through me. I sighed, knowing dancing around it was fruitless now "Could you teach me how to use this 'code' powers? The first time I used them, I had no idea what I was doing and the second time I was acting purely on instinct and had no control over what I was doing,"

Celestia placed her hand on her chin and thought about it for a literal second before answering me "I don't know much about the code but Luna seems to know a lot more than I do. You would have much more luck with her during night court than me. She, unfortunately, gets very little ponies during her court," she said, chuckling lightly. I mentally noted to talk to Luna when night court started. I nodded and finished my sandwich with a completely clear mind "Oh and before you go, I almost forgot to tell you the state of your unicorn general and changeling that were brought in" she added. That got me to choke on the piece of sandwich in my mouth before swallowing it. How could I have forgotten about her?!

"Don't worry, she's safe in the Crystal Empire recovering. A pegasus managed to get in and recover her and all of the living guards he could find. Quite a fast fellow, he is," she must be talking about Windy. I still need to find out how strong he is but if he has THAT much speed to save multiple ponies without being found, he must be extraordinary.

Celestia finished her meal and stood up "It is time for day court to commence. I will see you later, Noire," she walked to the door and before she left she winked at me and smiled "You must be going as well. Wouldn't want to make your new marefriend upset," she giggled and walked out, leaving me completely confused and questioning how much she knows about Cadence and me.

Speaking of Cadence, I should go find her and make sure she's okay. If Celestia is correct and given by her knowledge, she should be, then I should find her and hope Twilight didn't say anything uncalled for. I got up as well and headed out to where Cadence was. However, before I could find her, I was graced with the presence of Twilight Sparkle once again. "Hey, Twilight? You wouldn't happen to know where Cadance is by any chance?" I asked, pretending like I didn't know about her opinion of Cadance. Everyone flinched at her name except Twilight who's mood instantly turned bitter.

"She's probably off crying about her failures. I don't know where she is and I really don't care. Now if you'll excuse me, I want to finally get something to eat and forget this entire morning," she said, holding her head up high like a noble and walking past me. Everyone else looked at me and her before frowning and following her. From that cruel response, I can see how things went when I left. This was seriously not what I needed; more people who don't like me or Cadence or both of us as a couple. That just seems to be a recurring outcome when Cadence and I are together. We really needed to fix that.

I continued my search for Cadence around the castle, asking nearby guards if they had seen her. I probably should not have done that as some of them went paranoid and started a full-scale search for her. She was certainly not going to like that. After searching everywhere, I was stumped on places she could be. I didn't know the layout of Canterlot so searching there would be suicide. I looked out the window next to me and mentally slapped myself at what I saw; Cadence. On the roof. Of course. Its the only place where she doesn't have to worry about guards or nobles bugging her. I ran to the nearest guest room, opened the window and climbed through to where Cadence was hiding.

She looked less sad than I would have thought. She looked more...lost. I walked over to where she was sitting and took a seat next to her. Looking out, I could see so much more than in the Crystal Empire. I could see many villages and towns. One village was at the very back of the horizon, right next to a very large, dark forest. Cadence looked over to me and pointed to that very same village "That's Ponyville, the village where Twilight and her friends live" she said very sadly "The place where she learns about friendship every day. I hear the ponies there are very kind and friendly. I wonder how many friends she's made since her first day there. Must be a lot," I remained silent and allowed her to let her mind roam free. That lead her to her next thought "Do you think there is a place where I can learn about love?" I had no answer to that. As an inexperienced youth fresh out of college, I couldn't really offer anyone or pony any advice on love. However, if romance novels (NOT the bad kind. Hand on the Bible), then I at least could say this.

"I don't think there is a place where you can learn about love or a person who can teach you. The only way to 'understand' love is to experience it for yourself" I said. Cadence looked at me longingly. I wonder what she was thinking...

CADENCE POV

"Kiss him. I want to kiss him so bad." I thought to myself. He was right next to me, so close that I could feel his skin against my fur. I wanted him so bad but I couldn't. What would everypony think then? Twilight would hate me even more and the others would probably do so too. Celestia would be so disappointed to see me acting like a bitch in heat (Which I wasn't. My heat isn't for another three months). However, their opinions weren't as important to me as the one sitting next to me. What would he think? He would probably say 'Everything's cool', making me feel even worse. Why was he the one always making me feel better? Why do I want him to make me feel better all the time? These questions kept pounding against my head until my heart came to the most logical conclusion. "Because I love him. I want him to hold me every morning when we wake up and every night when we fall asleep". That made sense in my head and my heart at the time. So I did what any love-crazed mare would do at a time like this.

"Are you going to kiss me or am I going to have to make the move on you for the third time?" I asked very seriously. The moment I finished, Noire turned into a flustered mess, fumbling with his words until he got a grasp over himself.

"Cadence? Are you sure about this?" he asked, equally as serious. Neither of us was playing around any more. It was time to settle our feelings for each other. I nodded very sternly and closed my eyes, waiting for a kiss. I expected it to come very gently, like how Shining and I first kissed but no. Noire was nothing like Shining. He slammed his lips into mine as if this was the last kiss he was going to get in his life. I could still feel his tongue's experience, the same as the first time. I reciprocated the force and now we were both fighting with our tongues for dominance until Noire took more initiative, picking me up.

"Where do you sleep?" he asked. His voice was a lot deeper than before and there was an aura of confidence around him. Almost like he knew what to do.

"Third room on the fifth corridor to our left. Do you want me to teleport us there?" I said, gaining a chuckle from this 'new' Noire.

"No need." he merely said as we were then teleported to my room where we made out and snuggled for an hour until we fell asleep.

Meanwhile...

Celestia was on her throne, ignoring more bickering nobles as she looked out of the window, witnessing the new lovers making out "I knew from the moment I saw those two together that they were meant for each other. I should get those divorce papers for her tomorrow. She'll want some time with her new coltfriend," she mumbled to herself. She was soon interrupted by an even louder shout from one of the nobles. "STOP BICKERING IN MY CASTLE AND SOLVE IT YOUR DAMN SELVES!!! I'M YOUR PRINCESS, NOT YOUR MOTHER!!!"

Author's Note

You know, I might get a lot of heat for only realising this now but I think I'm resolving the issues WAY too quickly. Should I focus more on drawing out the issues I create or keep it as it is? Post in the comments about your opinion.

Also, what do you think about my backstory for the code? Terrible? Yeah, I could have told you that but at least it isn't one of those 'I'm OP because of my sexy alicorn harem's parents' or 'I'm OP because I can' or even worse 'I'm OP because I bought Kirito's swords while mastering every spell in Skyrim and possessing the Sharingan and Tenseigan at the same time from a convention while also being the avatar'.

Finally, I know what you guys are thinking and allow me to explain. I didn't want to draw out the inevitable but didn't want to include sex this early and don't worry, there will be LOTS of bumps in the road (because readers have the biggest boner for plot progression, including myself) and sex. Poorly written sex as there is no guide to writing a great sex scene and if there was, the author would be making a fortune.

Hope you enjoyed this one. Stay dizzy. Wuzzy out.