Sombra's Bat

Our trip into Equestria was oddly successful in a way that I didn't expect to happen. I thought maybe we would be able to sneak in undetected, learn about Celestia's motives, maybe seize a small town to worry her. None of us knew that we would find another one of us: a misfit, somepony who doesn't match Celestia's ideals. Starlight promises to keep in touch and tell us about any juicy gossip drifting her way from the likes of Manehattan, which is more than we could ever hope for. Though we don't see eye to eye on the whole cutie mark thing, she's quite an interesting pony.

We return to the Crystal Empire by teleportation the next morning, making sure everypony watches us walk off until we are behind the mountains first. The last thing we need is an entire village watching us using dark magic. Starlight might start drumming it into the rest of the town that Celestia isn't the perfect princess everypony thinks she is, but regardless of that, the villagers aren't on our side yet.

Chrysalis immediately asks us how our trip went, and Cozy starts explaining everything before Sombra and I have a chance to stop her.

"Well, in this crazy village there were no cutie marks and then we met the village founder who gave us a tour of the town and then she cooked dinner and it turned out she had a cutie mark that she was hiding and she nearly took away our cutie marks but then Sombra convinced her not to and then it was really late and-"

"Stop there, Cozy," I tell her. Chrysalis doesn't need to know about me and Sombra, and the awkward conversation we had. "Long story short, Starlight Glimmer, the founder of the Town of Starlight, is helping us."

"Well, at least we have somepony in Equestria on our side. How did you convince her?"

"Well," Sombra hesitates, "we told her that we had no intention in hurting her. She probably felt a bit pressured into helping us, but in the morning she was really nice to us. She must have rationalised everything in her head. She's had a little run-in with our sun princess as well."

"I probably helped a bit. I had a nightmare and she popped into my dream to help me out," I admit.

All eyes turn to me. Cozy's surprised face is adorable.

"What?! I can't help having nightmares. Yes, I know that it was really stupid of me to just let her waltz into my dream without any idea of what she was going to do, but we had a conversation and she decided that working with us isn't so bad."

Sombra roll his eyes. "Really stupid is the understatement of the year, Moonlight. Honestly, stop rushing into things like this. One day you'll rush into something that you can't get out of."

I snort. "I didn't rush into anything. I can't do anything to stop Dreamwalkers from walking into my dreams, which is why I'm not keen on them in the first place. Also, about getting into sticky situations, that'll only happen if I'm on my own. I doubt that will ever happen now. I've got Starlight, Rutherford, Luna and you three. Sombra, you issued a warrant for my protection and happiness for eternity when you gave me that engagement ring or bracelet or whatever you want to call it. I doubt I'll ever escape your wonderful kingdom. I might have escaped that room when I was 'ill', but you actually wanted me to work out how to get out. If you don't want me to do something, I don't have a hope in Tartarus of doing it."

"Well, that is mostly true, but I worry about you. You are so determined, so strong that you get a bit arrogant, and I don't want you to get hurt."

"You're saying that I get arrogant and the rest of you don't."

"That is not what I am saying at all. All of us can get arrogant and egocentric, but you... you paint yourself into corners without a second thought. Here, my love." He wraps a foreleg around me. "You are going to stay right here. I want you to promise that you are going to think before you do things. Think about all of the consequences and whether something is worth the risk. I didn't think things through once. The result was that Cozy was sent to Tartarus and I ended up in Limbo. I even met a few other ponies there who did the same thing as me, plus a few Sirens, nasty creatures who like to cause arguments. Meeting Starswirl the Bearded taught me quite a lot, even though he was still filled with that unicorns-are-superior nonsense. I might be a unicorn but that doesn't make me better than anypony else. What makes me better than everypony else is that I use dark magic, rule the Crystal Empire, am a significant threat to Princess Celestia herself and have you here with me."

"Starswirl's in Limbo?! Is that where he disappeared to, then? He went missing hundreds of years before Nightmare Moon and I went on our forced holiday to outer space, according to the history books."

"Yes, along with the other Pillars of Equestria. One of them has been turned into a creature that looks like a cross between an Umbrum and what I have seen of Nightmare Moon in the dream realm. From what I gathered, he just wants a little respect, but I never got a chance to speak to the pony inside the shadows. He was rather busy attacking us, and none of the Pillars could get on with each other because the Sirens kept causing trouble. That's besides-"

"Gee, you two have forgotten that Chryssie and I even exist," Cozy pouts. Chrysalis glowers at her for using the nickname. "I have an idea. Surely, it's possible to go to Limbo, speak to these ponies and convince them to join us, and then drag them out."

"Uh, Cozy, Starswirl the Bearded was Celestia and Luna's tutor. He probably taught Celestia that unicorns are supposed to be at the top of the tree," Sombra reminds her.

"Oh. Right."

Sombra clears his throat. "That is besides the point. Moonlight, you have to engage your brain so that I don't have to worry about you."

"You don't have to worry about me anyway. I've told you to stop worrying plenty of times as well. Anypony who says that once you fall in love you live happily ever after needs to have their head looked at, because to be fair, we've been given a lot to worry about. Just remember, you and I are meteors travelling together through space and time."

"Stop that as well, cheeky."

"Never."

He pins me to the wall and laughs, "Equestria and the Crystal Empire, constantly at war! The servants of Celestia against the valiant King Sombra! Will the conflict never end?"

I struggle to get free, but he is so strong that there is nothing I can do. I tell him, "It will. There may not be a happily ever after, but there might be a true love's kiss." I give him one just to prove it. Cozy and Chrysalis start scowling.

"She started it," Sombra replies, releasing me. "Cozy, Chrysalis, none of us three started the fire that burns inside Celestia. We are only here now because of my little bat." I reach for his mane, and he turns to face me again. "Stop messing up my mane, you crazy mare. I'll have you thrown in the dungeon for that. Then you will never escape, and I can decide to keep you close to my heart forever."

"Poetic. I thought that was exactly the kind of thing you didn't want me to say. To be honest, we should probably go down to the dungeon at some point and see what information we can get out of that Solar Guard."

"I will go down there," Chrysalis volunteers.

"Me too," adds Cozy. "I'm not staying here whilst you two can't say anything that makes sense. Once you're done winding each other up, come down and tell us so we can continue running this country."

I giggle, "Fair enough, Princess Cozy Glow, the pegasus representing cuteness, cuddles, friendship and cunning. We'll see each other later."

Chrysalis and Cozy leave the room. Sombra and I fire silly spells at each other. At one point I give him a villain's moustache, and I end up with a much longer mane flowing behind me in an invisible breeze, just like the Royal Sisters. I try to make him sprout bat wings, but they look more like those of a moth. He makes my tufted ears look more like a cat's.

Another spell hits me and the world goes dark.

I suddenly have a flashback of Luna and I fighting after the Elements of Harmony got rid of Nightmare Moon. Immobilised by fear, I begin to breathe deeply. I can hear Sombra asking me if I am alright, telling me that everything will be fine. Then there's an additional set of hoofsteps, somepony running towards me, and I snap out of the trance. Sombra is by my side.

"What did I do to you?" he asks softly.

"The argument after Luna's return. I saw it all again. What spell was that?"

He refuses to make eye contact. "I... wasn't aware of what I was doing until it was far too late. I had a glimpse of what memories you were seeing, and I realised... I am so sorry. No secrets, no spies, no pain, no lies. What was I thinking?!"

Still shell-shocked, I put the pieces of the puzzle together. "Mind control. So that's what happens. That's why I kept having nightmares when you started visiting me in the dream realm."

"Unfortunately, yes. The spell makes you relive bad experiences and nightmares for a short period of time. Fear makes ponies easy to control. I didn't even think about what spells I was using."

I hug him. "It's fine. We all make mistakes. You don't need that spell to get me to forgive you."

"Your fault." He strokes my mane. "You asked for it. I don't like moustaches."

"I hate to admit it, but villainous moustaches don't suit you. You're also half right about Celestia not liking us. It's partly my fault, but Nightmare Moon helped me quite a lot. Oh come on, stop giving me that look. I know you're upset with yourself, but you shouldn't be. I didn't actually do anything under mind control."

"You didn't feel tired?"

"No."

"That means the spell didn't work properly anyway. I didn't hurt you."

"Wait, why didn't the spell work?"

"I am not entirely sure, but it isn't important at the present. What matters is that you were not harmed."

"Do you think we should go and see that guard? Let off some steam?"

"Maybe. Let us hope we don't have to use that spell again today."

We walk down the stairs to the dungeon together in silence. I have a nasty thought. If that spell makes ponies relive their worst memories, what did Wishbone Willow see?