Sombra's Bat

Sombra and I are in the dream realm a few days later, just talking about his old life and what it's like to live in the Crystal Empire, when he jumps out of his seat in the cafe where we have made ourselves at home, ears pricked, eyes scanning the area.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Somepony else is here."

My stomach lurches. "Who?"

"I have no idea, but if they were to see me here, if they hear me... Our entire plan could be in danger before we even have a chance to make it work. And here I was thinking I would get back everything I lost. Damn Celestia."

"Shh. You don't want to be overheard, Sombra."

"Sorry, I-"

Wishbone trots into the cafe, and the moment she spots, Sombra, her eyes grow wide and her wings flare outwards. She approaches him and snarls, "Get away from my friend."

"And why would I do that if she is my friend too?" The scenery changes to that of a clearing in a forest. Not the Everfree, nor anywhere I recognise, but Sombra probably does. Proof that he is very much in charge. A small display of power, but a display of power nonetheless.

"What?! What do you mean, she's your friend too? Moonlight would never betray me or Princess Luna like that. Would you, Moonlight?!" She turns to me. "Explain yourself."

She doesn't see the wink Sombra gives me, or his lip syncing.

"Do you think I had much choice?" I say.

"No, you probably didn't. Well, it's a good thing Princess Luna isn't too far away. I'm sure she would love to hear what this 'friend' of yours is up to." She casts a spell, and a bolt of magic rips open a hole in the dream, travelling into the dream realm. A spell to allow Luna to find us in an instant.

Sure enough, she appears before Sombra can escape, and says, "Dear me, King Sombra, you never learn."

"You are correct, I don't, otherwise I would have used mind magic to ensure that my new friend Moonlight didn't rat me out." He gives me a glare, but I can tell it is an act.

"Leave, Sombra."

"As you wish, Luna. But may I talk to you a little later, once you have sorted this out with the little bats?"

Luna, to her credit, decides not to bother with trying to correct him. "Fine, then. We may talk later. But leave Moonlight alone."

He smirks, bows and disappears. That stallion is brilliant at acting.

"Moonlight, what happened?" Luna asks once she is sure he's gone.

"He waited a few days, then he started visiting again. I agreed to help him, just to get him to stop trying to give me nightmares. He's been teaching me about the Crystal Empire, but also about his plans to get back in there again."

"His plan?"

"He says there's some form of magic shield keeping him out at the moment, and he's just going to keep attacking it until it wears out. He wants me to go there and speed up the process or something."

"King Sombra will have to do more than that to get to the Crystal Empire," Wishbone says determinedly. Then, with a little less confidence, "Right, Princess?"

"I hope so. I am glad he didn't use any dark magic on you, Moonlight. If he had done so, who knows what the consequences may have been."

"What do I do now?"

"I shall speak to Celestia in the morning, Moonlight. I would not cut all ties with him, in case you find any valuable information that I need to hear. Good night, both of you. I will speak to both of you again very soon." She leaves the dream without another word.

"I thought I told you not to talk to him," Wish mutters.

"I had no choice."

"I know. It's just. Just." She looks at the ground. "We've known each other for nearly a year now. It's not that long for you, considering all the time you spent on the moon, but for me it is. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I won't. Not with you and Luna helping me."

"Good." She also leaves. Finally. I clear my throat, and Sombra appears once more, his mane slightly scruffier now.

"That was close. We'll have to be more careful," I tell him.

"Then listen to your King, get off your flank and travel to the Crystal Empire, worthless mare," he jokes.

"Worthless? Your entire plan hinges on me."

"Exactly. You have one job. Do not make any mistakes."

I pause to think about what Luna said. The Crystal Empire has some sort of protection, probably unicorn or alicorn magic. That means there are ponies there who want to know if Sombra is planning something so they can make a counter-move. Luna now knows that I have information, and she's going to tell Celestia, who of course will want to keep her little ponies safe.

"I know what you're thinking, and it is brilliant," Sombra laughs. "Just make sure that you don't actually tell them all of my plans. Feed them as many lies as possible. Maybe then I will get my kingdom back."

"I'm happy to help you, but I have one question."

"Oh?"

"Would you ever use mind control on me? Or Wishbone? Or Luna?"

He looks away guiltily and hesitates for a moment. "I never take these decisions lightly," he says. "If any of you were to force my hoof, then yes. However, at the present I have no reason to. You have no need to worry, little bat."

I don't bother to correct him. If he wants to call me that, he can and he will. It's better than being called a vampire, and much better than the thought of making him angry. "Thank you, Sombra."

He walks over to me and wraps a foreleg around me. At first, I panic, but then he talks to me and calms me down. "I promise, little bat, I will not allow any harm to come to you. Thank you, for listening."

"You're welcome." I blush slightly, just because I'm surprised. Nothing else.

"I must leave now, but I shall see you soon." He disappears before I have a chance to say goodbye, and I feel a slight pang in my heart. But I ignore it. He's still dangerous.

Princess Luna’s POV

I wait patiently for Sombra to arrive, and he does eventually, that arrogant smirk plastered to his face. He says to me, “Dear Luna, why the long face?”

“I’m not impressed,” I answer

“Why? I agreed to leave you alone, and I have done so until now, when I explicitly asked to speak to you and you agreed.”

“Because of her?” I ask.

“Which one?”

“Moonlight.”

“Whatever is the matter?”

“She is… important.” I choose my words carefully. Naturally, his Dreamwalking skills are too advanced and he reads my mind easily. He bursts into laughter.

“Oh, I understand now. You want her to be protected. Well, I am able do that.”

“You? Protect my sweet child?”

“Why, yes. I am not her enemy. We are friends.” He takes a low bow, like a musician at the end of a concert. Mocking me.

“I never realised that you were as petty as Discord,” I mutter, smiling ever so slightly.

“Excuse me?”

“That only proves my point. I have little doubt that Moonlight will be roped into one of your schemes, but tread carefully. I have kept her out of harm’s way, and I want her to stay there.”

“Do not fret, Luna. I will do nothing to hurt her, and leave her to make her own decisions.” He leaves, and in that moment I know that it is hopeless.

Moonlight's POV

"No, Moonlight. Princess Luna and I will not allow you to risk your life like this," Celestia tells me firmly. The look on her face is a warning that she wants me to leave. I have been here for an hour arguing my case, and I don't plan to leave until she says yes.

"Please, Princess, the bat ponies have burned down my house, and since I have nowhere to go, I want to be helpful. I could help with the battle against Sombra. He could say something important to me, but if I'm here, I can't give the information to Princess Cadance and Shining Armour."

"Moonlight, you make a convincing case, but this is dangerous. A small pony with no combat training could easily get hurt."

I cock my head to one side, insulted. "No training? I was a Lunar Guard before I was sent to the moon, and your sister was a brilliant sparring partner when we were there. I could take down King Sombra with my eyes closed," I boast. Of course it isn't true, but still, a thousand years is a long time to learn how to fight, both with my hooves and with magic.

Celestia looks at Luna, who is suddenly aware of the intricate details sewn into the red carpet.

"Fine," Celestia sighs. "You can go to the Crystal Empire if," she adds before I can celebrate, "you follow the guards' orders and keep out of danger. I will be in touch to make sure you stay out of trouble."

"Thank you, Princesses. I really appreciate it." I bow to each of them, then trot out of the throne room, a spring in my step despite the lies that I have told to my oldest friend and her elder sister. The possibility of seeing Sombra outweighs the minuscule feelings of guilt over telling a little white lie.

Wishbone is outside, and I hug her. She pauses for a moment before hugging me back, and that feeling of guilt in my stomach grows a little.

"When we get there, I want you to stay out of danger, ok?" she asks.

"Of course I will. Thanks for supporting me."

"It's fine. You seem like you really want to go."

"Well, I want to see the Empire and also help out with the effort to drive Sombra away," I lie, "and the villagers ostracising me sort of settled the deal," I finish, telling the truth. I hope that she can't tell that I am telling blatant lies to her face.

"Well, whatever makes you happy," she says, and I internally sigh with relief.

A few hours later, Wishbone and I are on a train heading to the Frozen North. All the more time to snooze and talk to King Sombra. When I fall asleep and get to tell him the news, he actually jumps for joy.

"This is excellent, Moonlight!" he says with relish. "How in Equestria did you manage to convince the Princesses?!"

"I had to fib a bit. I feel like I should be telling the truth, but at the same time I know they'd never let me come here if I did. Even Luna doesn't like the idea, and she probably understands you better than most."

"That is a disappointment. Explain, for I think I have missed something. What is the point of changing if other ponies refuse to let you do so?" he asks with exasperation. He throws his hooves up in the air.

"Good point, Sombra, but we have to keep trying. We have to do whatever we can to show them that you are a good pony. We have to make them see the truth."

"Make them?" He gives me a curious look.

"Well, yes. The easiest way is to show them that you want to be good and rehabilitate or something like that. Try not to break into the Crystal Empire as often, and only attack the guards if they attack you first. That's just the first thing that I can think of."

"What else could we do to make them see, then?"

I give him a confused look. "What do you mean? Visit their dreams? That seems like a disaster waiting to happen. Send them back in time? Most time spells only take you back a week and the others are too dangerous. Force them to see things the way we do with mind control? Illegal, dangerous and downright stupid. Forcing them to walk a mile in our horseshoes is exactly what they'd expect you to do, and we'll never get them to listen to you if we do that."

He sighs. It is annoying that nopony believes us. But we just have to keep trying to be sensible for now.

"We could stage something, maybe," he suggests. "Maybe I could pretend to attack the Crystal Empire, and then you could stop me and tell me that the guards are 'friends', at which point I stop attacking and am nice to everypony, and you are hailed as a hero by all those around you. Of course, I would never do anything without your permission, but it seems fairly logical, if a little childish. Friendship spreads between ponies faster than the flu, so what better way is there to convince them?"

I consider this, and he seems to be right. I am not fussed about being called a hero, I just want to help Sombra out because nopony else will. I can't believe that nopony accepts that ponies can change, especially the Royal Sisters. I would have thought that they'd accept Sombra immediately. Then again, he keeps trying to break into the Crystal Empire, so maybe Celestia has mistaken his efforts to get into the Empire to speak to somepony as an invasion. Luna... She should know better, but I'll have to deal with it.

"I can't think of anything better," I tell him eventually. "We'll stage something where I pretend to protect the Empire from you. It's a deal."

"Then, maybe, we can accomplish something. If I do manage to get reinstated as the King of the Crystal Empire, I am going to need a few guards to make sure the ponies of Equestria don't try to kick me off the throne again. Consider it, would you?"

Going back to being a Royal Guard, but in the Crystal Empire where I don't have to deal with Celestia? That's a dream come true! I grin from ear to ear.

"Of course I will, Sombra. There might not be fresh mangoes, but the further away I am from Canterlot, the better I feel. There's still scars from everything that happened. I mean, Celestia sent me to the moon for a thousand years. I lost all my living friends and relatives in one fell swoop. You can see why I started believing what Nightmare Moon said."

"That must be what caused us to cross paths, then. Our disliking for a certain alicorn with the sun on her flank. When I first met you, I saw you as somepony who would fall under mind control easily, but that isn't so. It looks like I have found a good friend, also." He edges closer to me.

Friend. Right. It might be because he's powerful and somepony I know would protect me, or because I'm the only one who knows that he likes to laugh, but he's beginning to feel like more than a friend. He's more than Wishbone, put it that way. And he doesn't look that bad. It's just taken some getting used to the dark magic and the eyes.

I suddenly feel somepony tapping me on the shoulder, and it's not Sombra. "Wait, I'll have to talk another time, I'm waking up. Bye, Sombra!"

"Goodbye, Moonlight!" is the last thing I hear before I come to.

Wishbone smiles at me as I open my eyes. "Wake up, sleepy head, we're here."

I look out the window, and my eyes grow wide at the sheer beauty of the Crystal Empire in real life. What I have seen of it in the dream realm doesn't compare to this.

Yes, I am here, Sombra. I am here to help you claim your throne again, and show Equestria that you're a good pony.