Several weeks have passed since Cadence first set eyes on the strange, black amulet. In that time the two have spoken casually several times, though not for very long. The amulet has shown that it not only understands her, but that it can also remember passed conversations and seems to grow more and more lively with each conversation. She has taken to calling the amulet “Noir”, as it has no name, and considers it a fun, secret friend that nopony else has.
The sun had long since passed beyond the horizon and the moon glowed softly overhead. Along the empty castle corridors a lone pony could be seen as she spun and danced her way silently around the glowing white courtyards and halls to music only she could hear. Princess Cadence was returning from a date with a young guard named Shining Armor and she was feeling lighter than air after the revelation that they both felt very strongly for each other. It was the first time in a long time that she felt truly and unabashedly happy and no one, not even her Aunt Celestia, could take this little spark of joy from her.
And yet, as she continued down the empty halls of Canterlot Castle, she can't help but feel a small pang of worry begin to bury itself in her chest as she approached the tall door to her private chambers where the amulet- her friend Noir- was waiting. With a final spin, she opened the door to her room magically, whirling inside before the door clicked shut behind her. Hurrying across the room, she quickly scooped up the amulet in her hooves and grinned, “Oh Noir! I had such a wonderful night! I almost wish you'd been there with me. Shiny was such a gentlecolt and we had the most magical evening together!” She giggled and spun once with the amulet held tightly in her hooves before she fell back onto her bed, the excitement from the evening draining away as the rest of the night began to catch up with her.
“Oh my,” Noir's voice was warm and Cadence could tell the amulet was smiling, but what kind of smile was impossible to say, “it sounds like it was a very good evening for you. So tell me what you two did on your date.”
“We went out to dinner and then saw a movie. It was all very fun, though I don't remember much of the movie at all. We were... ah... less concerned with watching it than...” Cadence blushed and hurried on, “a-anyway! Dinner was wonderful! It wasn't the most expensive place in Canterlot, to be sure, but the food was exquisite and Shiny and I were able to talk about lots of things together. For instance, he's been offered a promotion! He's going to be Celestia's new Captain of the Day Guard! Shiny's been working for this since he was a foal and I'm so happy he's finally doing what he's always wanted to!” As Cadence drew her story to a close, the amulet felt a strange twinge in her heart, one he was all too familiar with.
“Ah... but there is something inside you that is not happy, Cadence. I can feel it, you know- it's no use trying to lie to me... although I applaud you for trying, at least. So Shining Armor is going to be living his dream, what is the problem then?”
Cadence huffed and scrunched her muzzle tightly, “I wasn't hiding anything from you, Noir. You asked what I did, and I told you. You didn't ask how I felt about everything.” She paused for a moment and sighed, “but there is something bothering me. Shining... after he told me about his promotion, he started talking about his sister. He hasn't mentioned her in... a while and I was hoping he wouldn't... but he did. He said he's been worried about her, since she's all the way in Ponyville and on her own. Not that he needs to worry- she's always fine. He said he's been so busy working with the guard that he hasn't been able to write her lately and she hasn't written to him either. He's upset that they're drifting apart and... and...” As if she can't bear to face the revelation again, Cadence buried her face in her pillows before mumbling, “and I'm glad they are.”
“You're glad that Shining Armor and his sister are not on the best of terms..?” For a moment, Noir's voice was confused, but it did not last. After a few seconds of silence, he caught on, “oh yes- his sister is Twilight Sparkle, of course. I'm sorry, I had forgotten his family for a moment. So he brought up Twilight on your date, lamenting that he has lost touch with her and it bothers you that he wishes to be closer to her, yes?”
“No!” Cadence's voice was indignant, even through the pillow, but she sighed, “yes... maybe?” There was a short pause as she sat up again before she continued, “I shouldn't be mad- she's his only sister after all... if I had any siblings I'd want to be close to them, but it's Twilight and... and I can't help but worry that if he gets close to her again that... that he'll just forget all about me.” She hurried to finish what she was trying to say before the slow build up of tears in her eyes overflowed, “it's just stupid of me... isn't it?”
Noir hummed in a strangely soothing way for a moment, the melody calmed Cadence and dried her tears. When he spoke, his voice was warm and gentle, “Now now, Cadence, no tears. Tears will not help you in this endeavor... well, not right now, at any rate.” Noir smiles and the amulet in her hooves warms again, “Twilight has taken much from you and it's not 'stupid' to fear a repeat performance. Quite the contrary- if you ignored the possibility of such an outcome, you would indeed be 'stupid'.”
“Is that so?” Cadence was strangely calm after the emotional turmoil she had been feeling just moments before, “then... perhaps there is something to fear from Twilight?”
“Is there?” Noir made a thoughtful noise, “well, unless the societal presidents about a brother and a sister having a relationship beyond that of siblings has changed in...” For the first time, the amulet paused mid-sentence, but quickly recovered, “since I was made, then I don't think you have much to fear of her stealing Shining Armor away from you.” There was another short pause before the amulet continued, his voice affectionate, light, and playfully teasing, “I am a simple amulet and not well versed in such things, but I would say that you are much more beautiful than Twilight.”
Cadence smiled at Noir's attempt to make her feel better, allowing his words to warm her troubled heart before she said, “I am not worried that Twilight is prettier than me- or that she might steal Shining in such a way... but what if something were to happen to Twilight? Would he leave me to be with her? If she suddenly didn't like me, would he listen to her words over the memories and time we've shared?” She rolled the amulet over in her hooves to look at the stone from different angles as she thought aloud, “I may be working myself up over nothing, but she's done this before with Celestia... and you said I'd be stupid to ignore these things.” She stopped turning the amulet when the stone faced her, “what do you think?”
“If you are worried that he may choose her over you in times of duress, then you must ensure he has ample reason to choose you instead... and as for what I think?” The amulet pulsed gently in her hooves, “I think you have an opportunity and that to ignore it would be beyond foolish.”
“An opportunity?” Cadence watched the amulet carefully, her interest piqued, “what do you mean?”
“Think, Cadence. You find yourself worried that the colt who rightfully is yours will choose another instead of you. You feel that jealousy that you have spoken of even now, pricking at you deep inside your heart, motivating you to ensure he stays with you.” Noir's voice was colder, less casual than before, “I will keep my council for now... until you tell me this: taking all these things into account, what do you think I will tell you to do?”
Cadence was silent for a long moment, her mouth pressed into a tight line as she thought hard about her answer. Slowly, she began to string her words together, “You told me that I would have to make him feel that I am more important to him than she is. And to do that... you would suggest that... that I insert myself between them?” Another pause as she shook her head, “no... that's too direct and he would suspect something which might drive him farther away from me... I can't have that.” She set the amulet up on her forehead before letting her forelegs drop to her stomach. “Come on, Cady,” she murmured quietly to herself, “you can do this! Noir... you would want me to make him mine... in a way he can't just leave...” She sat up so quickly that the amulet on her forehead was thrown forward into her lap, “Are you saying that I should marry him? If I were Shining Armor's wife, there would be no way Twilight could come between us!”
Noir's quiet chuckle rose in her mind as a warm breeze, “a very astute observation, my young Princess. Indeed, if you were his wife then his ties to you would be stronger than his ties to anypony else... but what is it that makes those ties so strong? Surely there are ponies who are more loyal to others than their wives. Tell me what makes ties bind tighter than anything else and I will reward you, my vivacious Cadence.”
Cadence felt her cheeks flush, “well, that's love, of course. Love and friendship are what tie ponies together.” Her voice became quieter as a realization hit her, “you want me to make him fall in love with me, that's what you were getting at...” Her blush turned a deeper shade of pink and her eyes dropped down to the comforter on the bed, “I... I guess I got a little carried away with... with marriage... didn't I?”
“Perhaps just slightly, sweetling,” Noir said gently, a small smile in his voice, “but it is not wrong to have a goal in sight. And certainly marriage is the goal. It is the best way to ensure Twilight never comes between you, but you must make him love you- wholly, desperately love you- before a thing like marriage will bind him to you.” The amulet warmed against her lap, sending darts of feelings through her in ways that made the young princess blush again, “I'm certain you can do that... can't you, Cadence?”
“O-of course!” Cadence said, though she was clearly flustered by the feelings Noir had given her, “I am the Princess of Love! If anypony could make another pony fall in love, it would be me!” Getting to her hooves, Cadence tossed her mane. Noir slid safely onto the bed and she could feel him watching her as she continued, “I know I can make Shining Armor fall in love with me... because I am in love with him.” Her voice softened as she allowed herself to feel the love and happiness she'd felt earlier that evening with Shining Armor. She'd not had the courage then to tell him so boldly, but now... now she knew she would.
“Good, Cadence... very good,” the amulet appeared to shimmer in the light of the room, but as Cadence turned to look at the large black stone, it could have just been a trick of her eyes. “And then you will have won a great victory against Twilight Sparkle... and won't that be a victory to savor?” Even though she was looking down at the amulet, Cadence suddenly got the feeling that Noir was a much older being looking down at her. The thought made her smile and shudder at the same time. “Now, would you like to know what your reward is going to be?”
The pink alicorn blinked, having almost forgotten that Noir had mentioned a reward for her careful thinking, she was caught off guard. “Of course!” She picked up the amulet in her magic and lifted it towards her, “but if you don't mind me saying, I don't know how you might reward me. You're just an amulet, after all.”
Noir's chuckle filled her mind and body in a way that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end, “Oh my sweet filly... you would be surprised at just what kind of rewards I could give you... but this is a simple one: an exchange of sorts. You have shared so much of you life with me... and now I shall reciprocate. A little at a time, of course- I fear that showing you too much all at once might be traumatizing for you- but little by little I shall show you more of me. If you wish, of course.”
Cadence was quiet for a moment as she thought over the amulet's offer. With a smile, she nodded and said, “I'd be delighted to experience some of your memories... as you are offering to share them.”
“As you wish,” Noir smiled his dark, secret smile as he continued, “you'll have to relax, Princess, and... try not to think of anything.”
She settled herself back onto the bed, the amulet resting carefully against her chest. Closing her eyes, Cadence sat in darkness until images began to flash across her eyelids, images that were brought into being not by her thoughts, but by the amulet she held close to her heart.
At first, the images were disjointed, flickering from one subject to the next with little coherence or theme. Cadence's eyes flickered back and forth behind her eyelids as she watched the memories dance before her, seeking a solid image to rest her eyes on. Finally, just when she thought she could stand no more and was about to open her eyes, the images slowed and solidified onto the figure of a dark black stallion, his high collared black cape cascading down his muscular figure like a midnight waterfall. The stallion's eyes were bright green, but there was none of the grassy warmth there that Cadence felt there should have been; instead, the alicorn felt more like she was staring into twin blocks of green sea-ice rather than the eyes of a living creature. The stallion's horn was glowing a rich royal blue, and even thought Cadence knew that she was viewing memories she could tell that the stallion was channeling an immense amount of power through himself.
The image stayed stationary for several long moments before Cadence's perspective began to float upwards in a fashion that was disconcerting to the Princess. It felt as though she were being lifted upwards by some unknown force, but as she continued to watch she saw that she was actually being held in the stallion's magic. He lifted her and pulled her closer, his eyes scrutinizing her intently.
He was muscular beneath his cape, and across his chest he wore a metal breastplate emblazoned with an insignia that Cadence did not recognize, but something that tickled the back of her memory as if she should remember it. Sweat beaded across his coat as he turned Cadence first one way and then another in his magical grip, his gaze sweeping her in a way that made the Princess blush despite the fact that she knew he wasn't actually looking at her.
After several long moments the stallion seemed satisfied and stepped back from Cadence, a smile touching him lips for the first time. It was not, however, a happy smile or even a smile that said he was happy with his work. Instead it was a hollow smile, the smile of a pony who was smiling more out of reflex than of the desire to do so.
“This will have to do,” he muttered under his breath, his deep voice echoing in Cadence's ears despite the low tone. “This shall be the last one... the one that I shall wear.” Cadence's view shifted so that she was looking down at the stallion as he lifted her up into the air. “My greatest creation...” he whispered reverently.
The image faded rapidly, leaving Cadence staring into blackness as the image of the black stallion burned itself into her memory.
Cadence's eyes flew open as the images disappeared into darkness and she gasped heavily, as if she had been holding her breath for some time, and as she thought back on the black stallion Noir had showed her, she found herself again short of breath. What is this feeling? She thought to herself, confusion written clearly on her face as she looked down at the dully shining amulet. It is nothing like I have felt before! Is it fear? NO, I do not fear him... though he is certainly a pony to be feared. If anything... I believe I may admire him and yet I know nothing of who he was or what he was, save he created the amulet! Hold on, perhaps Noir can tell me more about this strange stallion... her gaze refocused on the amulet and she asked cautiously, “Who was he? The black stallion you showed me? The one who created you?”
Noir was silent for a long moment before he answered, “Indeed, he was the one who created me. I wanted to see how far back I could show you, and it seems I am able to remember even that far back...” He fell silent, though Cadence could feel that his presence had not retreated.
“Should I leave you alone to recover?” Cadence asked, concern in her voice, “I do not wish to press you for answers if you are not able.”
“I am at your beck and call, Princess- if you ask then I shall answer.”
“Very well,” Cadence felt her worry subside, though no disappear completely. Sometimes it was difficult for her to remember that Noir was not a pony, but a magical construct that did not tire in the same ways she did. “Then tell me more about this stallion. He... intrigues me. I feel I should know him, though I know not how. You are, undoubtedly, an ancient artifact and therefore the pony who created you must be long dead for he was not an alicorn. And yet... I cannot shake the feeling that I have seen him before.”
“Ancient I am, though I am far younger than Celestia... and the pony who created me...” There was a hesitation in Noir's voice for a heartbeat before he continued, “he is not dead, though because of circumstances beyond my control he is no longer the... master I once knew.”
“I see...” Cadence lay back against the stack of pillows up against her headboard and yawned, “that is certainly something to think on...” another yawn cut her off. “A pony who is not an alicorn surviving so long? But any answers will have to wait until morning, I'm afraid.” She sat up and used her magic to turn the lights in her room down before setting the amulet on the nightstand next to her. “Good night, Noir,” she murmured quietly as her eyes closed.
“Good night, Princess... I hope you sleep well...” Noir's voice faded as he retreated into the amulet.
As sleep overtook the young alicorn, her thoughts should have been filled with memories of her evening with Shining Armor, but instead her evening date was eclipsed by the much more ancient memories of a black stallion. Mysterious and dark, his icy green eyes sparked in the background of her dreams... and nightmares.