The crowds disperse, and Sombra and I go back inside, joined by Wish, Hope, Cozy and Chrysalis. I only need to look at Sombra to know that I am not the only one with questions. Eventually, I decide to break the silence.

"So, how long has everypony been planning this for?" I question them.

"Hope and I haven't been here for that long," Wish answers.

"I don't know exactly," says Cozy.

"It apparently started with a stallion guard called Obsidian," Chrysalis tells us. "I noticed when I first arrived that the ponies here were still recovering from the shock of you two suddenly rising to power. However, he was very optimistic in comparison to his friends and colleagues, and it seemed to spread."

Sombra looks at a guard. "Find the guard Obsidian and tell him to meet us in the throne room. Also, tell him that it is for a good reason, though I would rather you didn't specify what that reason is." He puts on a mischievous smirk.

"Yes, your majesty," he answers, sprinting down the corridor.

"This Obsidian is going to get the scare of his life. You just earned the respect of your subjects, and you-"

"Not my subjects. Ours."

"Anyway, we've earned everypony's respect, and you just have to go and play a joke like this."

"Yes, I do."

"I'll have you in the dungeon for treason."

"You would never do that, my queen."

Cozy sighs, "Gee, they're like an old married couple already. I wonder how long it takes them to start yelling at each other."

Sombra and I glare at her.

"Evil little fire starter," Hope giggles. "Cozy, you need a bar of soap in your mouth."

Cozy squirms. "Sorry! But those two are constantly bickering over pointless stuff. It drives me crazy. I mean, aren't you supposed to be in love? Surely this isn't-"

We ignore her, and continue walking up the flights of stairs to the dining room.

When we get there, dinner has already been laid out. It's stew tonight. Nothing too fancy, but still delicious. Stew has always been a favourite of mine. You can rely on it to fill you up when there's not much in the cupboards. I always had enough to eat when I was growing up, but Hollow Shades and the Everfree Village aren't connected to the rest of Equestria, so there were often long waits in between shipments of food. Thankfully, almost everypony had a vegetable patch, and if one pony was going without food, everypony else used to pool together their resources. Here in the Crystal Empire, many ponies grow some of their own crops, there are a couple of farms, and the yaks bring us a lot of food. However, the meal makes me slightly nostalgic. It also makes me think of my stepmother, running around the kitchen, carrying pots and pans. Who was she?

"Moonlight, what's up?" asks Wish.

"Just thinking," I reply. "I think I'm only just beginning to realise what I've been through in my lifetime. None of us have led normal lives, but I've always seen it as normal because I never knew anything else."

"And it should stay that way. Don't start pining for what Celestia refused to give you, because none of us have had normal lives either, except maybe Wishbone," says Sombra.

"I had a normal life, until a whirlwind dropped on my doorstep," Wish deadpans. "Everything 'normal' went out the window when Moonlight turned up. But you know what? I like it that way. My life was boring up until then. What was it Neighsphere said about life? 'To be or not to be? To endure the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune?' We've had the most outrageous luck, and I think all of us are willing to put up with it."

"Gee, don't go like this on us," Cozy tells me. "Be happy. Smile. If your time on the moon was anything like my time in Tartarus, then it was probably maddening. But you had Luna, and even though I couldn't do anything about the massive door keeping me in there, I was able to fit through the bars of my cage and speak to other creatures. It might have been crazy, but it could have been much worse."

Chrysalis speaks next. "I have never had a 'normal' life even by changeling standards, I must admit. I was raised differently from my brothers and sisters. The queen before me singled me out and chose me as her successor. However, a 'normal' life to me does not sound like a life that I would want. Also, we have not had the worst luck. The Element Bearers have had to deal with Luna, Discord and us, and we - or rather you and King Sombra - have stopped them and knocked them off course. It is rather amusing, actually."

"Fair enough," I laugh. "Worse has happened to other ponies." I take another spoonful of stew. "I was just thinking about family. The one I grew up with. I'd like to know who the mare who raised me was. I know barely anything about her."

Sombra, Cozy and Hope share one of those looks. Cozy says, "Gee, you think you've got it hard? Spend eighteen years in an orphanage, and we'll talk. Maybe part of why I put up with being in Tartarus is because it was better than that place."

"You have no idea, Moonlight," Sombra groans, though I can see he is smiling.

Knock, knock.

"Right, everypony, pretend we've been having a serious conversation and look really annoyed," he whispers. I wipe the emotion from my face and Sombra calls, "Come in."

Three guards enter. One walks slightly behind the others. He has a straight coal-black mane, a grey and white spotted coat, and greenish eyes. I recognise him. I once had a go at him for calling me 'miss.' This could be fun.

He takes a low bow. "Snowflake Obsidian," he introduces himself.

"Obsidian, we have heard rumours that you were the pony who came up with the idea of creating the cloaks and rings for myself and the King, as well as my crown," I say calmly. "I hope you are aware that this means you stole materials from the mine that we asked to be brought to the castle, and kept secrets from us."

"But-"

"No buts. Your methods were illegal, and the opposite of what any sensible pony would have done." He gives me a look of horror and opens his mouth to speak. I hold up a hoof and smile at him. "Relax, I'm joking. Please don't hate me for it. It was King Sombra's idea. Not only did you have the guts to do that, you also convinced everypony else to accept us. You gave us the most pleasant surprise we've had in our time together, except maybe the moment when Sombra proposed to me. You are one amazing pony. In fact, you remind me a bit of myself. You noticed what nopony else did, and tried to do the right thing. Thank you."

He sighs with relief, then glares at his colleagues. "You two told me I was in trouble. What happened to that whole speech about taking our roles seriously?" He looks back at me. "Your majesty, surely you could do something about that?"

"I will tell my co-ruler to act sensibly," I say. "Isn't that right, Sombra? You are going to act like a king. You're going to be regal, and have your thoughts collected. You will be focused on the matters at hoof. Not playing games like this and abusing your power. As I am now your equal by law, I could oust you whenever I like."

"Fine. If you were anypony else, I would be upset, but you have a point. Obsidian, I apologise. Now, all three of you, leave before Queen Moonlight starts telling me off in front of you."

The three of the bolt for the door and slam it shut behind them.

We continue to eat in silence for a few minutes. A letter arrives, telling us that Celestia's army is retreating but more guards are needed. It gives me an idea. The leaders of other countries are going to want to know about me becoming the Queen, after all. Two in particular come to mind.

"Could somepony bring me a piece of paper, a quill and an ink pot?" I ask.

"Could you get it yourself?" Cozy shoots back.

"I am the Queen of the Crystal Empire now. There is a hierarchy in this kingdom, and Sombra and I are right at the top. Chrysalis is too. The rest of you, including you, Cozy, are Royal Advisers, and whilst you are near the top you are still beneath us. So get me a piece of paper, a pot of ink and a quill. I've left you to your own devices a lot, but now I am officially in charge I'm not going to let you mess around."

Cozy grins. "Right you are, Queenie." She fetches the materials I need, and I begin to write. The others watch me with anticipation as I carefully choose my words. I want to make it comical, but also get a point across. I smile as I think of something to say and scribble it down. I sign the product with my name, and look up at my new family.

"Ready to hear it?"

Five nods reply.

"Dear Princess Celestia and Princess Luna: we write to inform thou that We hath been wedded to the noble King Sombra of the Crystal Empire, and We are now legally recognised as Queen of the Crystal Empire. Said wedding and coronation happened earlier this afternoon, and We received the full support of Our subjects. This means thou no longer hath reason to be at war with Our nation, and we ask thou to revoke thou decision. If these demands are met, We will leave Equestria and its ponies unharmed. If not, prepare for Our wrath upon thy kingdom. We shall give thou one whole week to make thy decision. We view that as a more than reasonable amount of time. Choose wisely. Sincerely, Queen Moonlight of the Crystal Empire."

The five of them stare at me for a moment, mouths open, completely gobsmacked, before they burst into a hysterical fit of laughter. Even Chrysalis cannot stop herself.

"Is this for real?" says Cozy, hovering over to me and reading over my shoulder.

"Yes. Now that We are the Queen, We insist that We speak only the language of Royals, known amongst commoners as The Royal We. Or maybe not. It's exhausting, I'm telling you. That was just for a laugh."

"Who do you think will be most annoyed?" asks Wish. "Celestia was probably looking forwards to crashing your wedding in changeling style, with a whole army." She nods to Chrysalis, who transforms into a clone of Celestia, sporting thick black eyebrows and a pair of oversized glasses. "Then again, Luna probably wanted to be there to see her daughter being married off."

"Oh no. She's going to have a fit," I say, as the doors open and the kitchen staff carry in a small wedding cake. I gasp, "You shouldn't have!"

The silver-coated mare replies, "Nothing is too much trouble, your majesty. You pay us, and we cook. Now enjoy it." The servants leave.

Sombra cuts the cake into six pieces. Each piece is levitated onto a plate and lands in front of us. I use magic to send the letter to Canterlot Castle, and tuck into the luxury chocolate cake. Being a bat pony, I have an affinity for anything sugary, including fruit, biscuits, cake and sweets. Wish also thoroughly enjoys her slice of cake, and practically licks the plate clean.

When we're all finished, Chrysalis bids us goodnight and leaves the castle. Wish, Hope and Cozy leave the dining room together, leaving Sombra and I alone. I get out of my chair, and start walking towards the exit closest to my bedroom.

"And where in the Crystal Empire do you think you're off to?" questions Sombra.

"What do you... Oh." I suddenly realise what he's talking about, and walk back to his seat. I plant a gentle kiss on his cheek and smile. "I understand. As you wish, your majesty."

I follow him through the labyrinthine halls of his castle - no, our castle - and think of the first time he spoke to me. All your dreams will come true was one of the things he said. Now, I have a stallion who cares for me, I'm friends with Luna again, I've become the Queen of the Crystal Empire, and Celestia is absolutely furious. I think that's pretty close.

Author's Note

Bonus: Celebrating the 50th and final chapter of Sombra's Bat, what to expect in the sequel, and other little notes from the author

Whew. We did it. 50 chapters, over 100k words, one epic journey. This is the final chapter of Sombra's Bat, but by no stretch of the imagination is it the end of the story. The next story is already in the making and I'm excited to see what you all think of it.

Moonlight and Sombra are now the official King and Queen of the Crystal Empire. Celestia now has a growing problem to deal with. From the beginning, this story was the story of how Moonlight and Sombra fell for each other and how they became the Crystal Empire's leaders. But they also stole the limelight a little from some of the even more interesting aspects of the tale.

Their entire tale revolves around chaos theory. Every action has a consequence. That's why dark magic exists; which is why Celestia hates bat ponies, and why she made Luna give up Moonlight; why Luna went to the moon with Moonlight (I need to expand on that because currently you don't really know what I'm talking about); and why Moonlight and Sombra met each other and Moonlight helped Sombra take back the Crystal Empire. But that is going to have consequences too. One thing I've not really spoken about at all is what the ponies of Equestria think of all of this. We saw the reactions of the Everfree villagers when they found out about Moonlight and Sombra back in the early chapters (I will explain that later too) but a lot has happened since then, including the famous infiltration of Tartarus and the trip to Starlight's village. Now, all of this could have some serious effects on the rest of Equestria.

One idea I have is to include snippets from newspaper articles - I can imagine the headlines for certain stories clear as day. There's potential for a chapter in the dream realm where Moonlight or one of the other Dreamwalkers could interact with a pony from Equestria just to talk to them, but that one's less likely to take off. Of course, I can occasionally switch point of view, and I'm going to do that a little, but I don't want to overuse this. In fact, the only reason I introduced this is because eeeeNOPE I am not going to spoil that for everypony. You'll have to wait and see what I'm talking about.

Another potential spoiler, but one I won't cover up. This story has a few red tags, but the death tag hasn't really been used. It's just because the characters talk about it a bit. But I have a bad feeling that not every character will make it to the end of the sequel. Now you just have to wait and see who I'm talking about.

Now, here comes the fun part. Inventing a title for the new story. I'm currently thinking of something along the lines of Fire and Shadows, but I'm not 100% sure if I'm going to go with that or not. I am open to suggestions if you have anything better in mind. I might even make a blog post where you get to vote on a selection of names, but it depends if anypony thinks of anything else.

Oh, and the sequel's cover art will hopefully look pretty cool. I've got a few ideas floating around in my head.

I hope you've been enjoying this story, and I can't wait to hear your thoughts on the sequel!

~ Angel