Sombra's Bat

I teleport onto the balcony where we made the announcement just a few hours ago, and spot the unwelcome "visitor" immediately. At the edge of the Crystal Empire there is a single pony, stubborn enough to be carrying a sword that has probably been enchanted. I feel my emotions boiling over and am about to leap into the air to chase her when Sombra cries, "No, Moonlight!"

I feel his magic latch onto me, and it holds me in mid-air. It drags me back to his side though I struggle to free myself.

“Let me go,” I say.

“No.”

“Why not?”

"Moonlight, she might try to kill you."

"Let her try," I screech, baring my fangs.

"If we go down there, we go together and with two members of the elite guard." He looks at a crystal pony stallion, who nods and leaves us on the balcony. Sombra stops using his magic on me. Instead, he embraces me with one foreleg. Comforting but still restraining.

"Why is she here?! I warned her, I told her not to come back, and she did!"

"She probably has her reasons, Moonlight, none of which have any huge value. We shall see if she wants to leave or if she is here for a fight, and then we will make our moves. If she is only here to deliver a message, I will get her to send a note to Sunbutt asking her to use the Equestrian Mail Service."

"What if she is here for a fight?"

"If I must, I will let you give her some trouble. Go easy, though."

The two elite guards - the ones who are under Sombra's complete control - arrive. Sombra teleports us down to where my enemy is standing, and we surround her.

"Wishbone Willow, why are you here?" Sombra questions her.

She points at me. "Celestia has a message for you: hand over the traitor or she destroys the Crystal Castle with you inside it."

"Three problems, Wishbone," I answer casually. "One, I am not a traitor, the circumstances have been stacked quite deliberately against me. Two, Celestia would never do that because she knows the falling rock would crush and kill everypony in the Empire. Three, how are you going to get that message to her so quickly?"

"Sombra's control over you has also lowered your IQ. It would take several weeks to plan it all. The first part of the plan is this: release me so we can begin planning, or Celestia assumes that there's a problem and comes looking for me."

"Interesting, Sombra," I say to him, "what do we do? We send her back, and they start Operation Blow Up The Crystal Castle. We keep her hostage, and draw Sunbutt's attention to us, and also potentially allow her to spy on us. We kill her, and we end up dying too, because Sunbutt will never allow such a thing to happen to her slaves."

"At least have the decency to call her Celestia."

"Sombra?"

"All three options are mercy to her. There need to be some regulations. How about... this?"

I watch as shadows snake towards the liar and surround her, lifting her form into the air. She screams, a blood curdling wail of agony, and notice something happening to her. Purple dark magic flashes by her temples, and she falls to the ground, unconscious.

"What did you do?" I ask Sombra. There is no hint of regret or pain in my voice, just mild curiosity, as if I were asking him how the weather was last week.

She wakes up, blinking a few times. Sombra, the two elite guards and I approach her. She tries to cast a spell and nothing happens. She tries again. Nothing.

"What have you done?!" she shouts.

"Not a whole lot. You just cannot use magic for a while. Your powers will be severely restricted for about a week, and then you'll wake up completely fine.”

"You're letting me go?"

"Not exactly." Sombra winks at me. I can almost hear him telling me, have some fun now, my love.

"No, I am afraid that we can’t let a spy go back so easily." I teleport us all to the dungeon room where she was kept before, with the other prisoners from Equestria. "Plus, we need a little chat. Two girlfriends, face to face."

Before she can react, I hit her chin with my hoof and lean down to whisper in her ear, "why? Why did you come back?"

"Because of you, it's all your fault these ponies have no minds of their own. You did this. It was you."

"Now I don't think that's why." I kick her flank, and she rolls over, hissing in pain. "Tell me."

"No," she whispers. Then she screams as Sombra uses a pulse of magic to shock her. I don’t really want to hurt her, but she shouldn’t have come back.

"I’m looking for the truth, and I always find the things I’m looking for. I could take a look in your mind and find out everything in a second, or I could just force you to tell me, but I’ll give you a chance to tell me on your own terms, because we’re supposed to be friends."

"I came here to kill Sombra."

"Why, though? Did you really want to do that, or did somepony else want to?"

"I came to end this for other ponies and get you-"

I focus all of my anger and frustration on her and ask her, "Why did you come to the Crystal Empire again?"

"It was Princess Celestia," she replies in a monotone voice. "She wanted to end this feud quickly and free the Crystal Ponies. She does not want to go to war, and thought that if she got rid of you and King Sombra before the situation worsened then the damage you have done could be reversed. I agreed to help to clear my own name: I am being investigated for aiding and abetting. Also, I want to talk to you again, because as you said, we are supposed to be friends."

"Finally, I have an answer. Celestia bribed you into this."

"Bribed? I chose so I could finish this, because I care. He's using you. And the two of you will never win," she says with defiance as the spell wears off. "Celestia will always win, because friendship is the most powerful magic of all, and I'm going to get my friend back no matter what."

"Sombra and I have that magic within us, and as long as we do, Celestia can’t hurt us."

Wishbone lashes out, but I gently place a hoof on her chest and hold her down. "What should I do now? Should I let you go? Or not?" I pick up the sword she brought with her and hold the blade above her with dark magic. I wait to see what she thinks of her predicament.

"Death is near for everypony, Moonlight. I’m not afraid. I have been in the dreams of the dying and it hasn't fazed me. Put me through as much pain as you like. Regardless of what happens, Celestia will come looking. She and I both want the best for Equestria and the Crystal Empire, but you’re standing in the way. Once she knows which side you've chosen she doesn't hold back. She banished her sister to the moon for a thousand years, so a little bat pony like you shouldn’t be a difficult problem to get rid of. And I..." She whispers, “I don’t want that for you.”

I nick her wings with the sword, and say to her, "I know that if she catches me she won’t show a shred of mercy, but she has to catch me first." I walk over to Sombra and place the sword by his hooves.

"Listen to me, Moonlight."

"What is it, Wishbone?"

"You're being an idiot. You keep trying to act like some tyrant, but that's not the pony I know. Don't let Sombra take the real you away."

"Celestia took the real me," I snap at her to bury the emotions threatening to rise in my chest. I look at Sombra. "Do something, my love."

"Do you want to let her go?"

"Really, yes, I can't stand being in the same building as her, but she'll tell on us if she gets back to Canterlot. Then again, if we don't return her, then it gives old Sunbutt another reason why not to leave us alone."

"If she is healed, then there is little that they can do." His horn is surrounded by a purple glow, and she screams as I watch her bruises disappear and her cuts heal. "I must at least try to keep the peace between our countries."

"Do you see what has happened to you, Moonlight? You're a monster. You're torturing me and healing my wounds so you can repeat the process for fun. Don't talk to Sombra any more. He will destroy you. I spent more than a year getting to know you well and keeping you out of trouble, and he has ruined your soul. If you walk away from this now and come home to Equestria with me, I will not judge you in any way. Even if you break bones and heal them to play your silly games time after time."

"It's too late now." I hold up my hoof and let her look at the gold bracelet. "Sombra asked me if I would stand by his side, and I said yes. I appreciate all the things that you did for me, but this is where I am meant to go with my life and I wouldn't want it any other way. I have tried to show you that he can change, but you are not interested, which is why I made this little game up. Just for you and me. Tell Celestia that if she wants to talk, we are free all the time in the dream realm. Leave before things get nasty."

She glowers at me. "Teleport me to Canterlot and I won't return. I can't do so myself, thanks to your childish antics. I’ve tried to salvage the best of you from the effect Nightmare Moon had on you, but there is nothing else I can do." She gives me a look, the look of a mother grieving the loss of a child. I make a portal for her to walk through, and she slowly drags herself to her feet. She walks through the portal and it closes behind her. I seal it so that nopony can reopen it.

“That was difficult," says Sombra to nopony in particular.

"I think she still wants to protect me, but a mother's love can only reach so far before a child walks off into the world."

"She needn't worry about you. She will, but she doesn't have to. Nothing will happen to you as long as I am here."

We stand together in silence for a few moments, then head upstairs for dinner, trying to put these events behind us, though I know Wishbone will come for me again one day. But more troubling is what she said about me turning into something I’m not. She acted like she was trying to protect me. The question is, who or what is she so worried about?