After a few days of walking around Canterlot in the dark, playing card games with bat ponies and having Princess Luna scare off any sign of King Sombra in my sleep, Wishbone and I are free to leave. Although staying in the castle was amazing, I am glad to be back in my ranshackled little home.

The day after I return is the day that I see Sombra again. When I fall asleep, my dreams take me to the Crystal Empire. I look up at the Crystal Castle and it fills me with joy.

"Hello, beautiful," he whispers, and I start.

"Hey, I don't think that I can help you, judging by Princess Luna's reaction," I force myself to say.

"Hmmm, it does look difficult, sadly. There is only one other solution that I can think of."

"Say again? You think you have an answer?"

"Well, the ponies now are always talking about friendship being the most powerful magic of all, so maybe I need somepony to be my friend. If you are up for the job."

"Me?"

"You said yourself that you want to help me now that you know the other side of the story," he reminds me.

"I guess, but it's difficult being friends from so far away."

"That is your answer then. Come to the Crystal Empire. Tell everypony else that you are there to help, in case I accidentally give you any valuable information. Stay there for a couple of days, then sneak out just before sunset one day so that you can talk to me."

"Sounds like a plan. First of all though, you are asking me to be friends with you, and I don't actually know much about you. You can probably read my thoughts like an open book when you go Dreamwalking, but I can't do that."

"What do you wish to know?"

"Favourite colour, favourite animal, favourite things to do. Silly things that you did as a foal."

"Well," he considers, "my favourite colour is grey."

"Grey?" I ask him doubtfully.

A huge hunk of rock appears by his side. "Yes. Rocks of different kinds are usually grey, brown or black on the outside, but inside," the rock splits open, revealing deep blue crystals, "it could be a stunning geode of any colour. Just like you."

I snort with laughter. "Oh really. So you're saying that I'm boring and dumb-looking on the outside, huh?"

"I never said anything like that! I said that you were beautiful on the inside. I was complimenting the fact that you have offered to help me despite my own ghastly appearance and reputation."

"You commented on my inner beauty but compared my actual appearance to an uninteresting hunk of rock."

"Ah, fair enough. I have lost this one." He shakes his head sadly, mocking me but not in a mean way.

"I never knew that you had a sense of humour," I tell him, surprised. "If only we could show everypony how nice you are face to face, and maybe Princess Celestia would agree to help you."

"We will change their minds. These things take time, though. Talking of time, you're waking up."

Everything starts going hazy, so I shout to him, "See you, Sombra!"

"Goodbye, Moonlight!" he calls, and then I wake up.

Sunlight is still pouring through the skylight, so I wonder briefly why I am awake at this hour. The sound of other bat ponies talking concerns me, and I jump out of bed. I rush outside, and about twenty ponies are stood outside holding signs that read "No to King Sombra" and "Out With The Dark Magic." Some of the others have a picture of my face on them, covered by a big red X.

I think that my mouth forms that perfect comical O as they all give me the daggers and start shouting. How did this even get out?! Ponies have such slack jaws that they will spill absolutely anything to anypony else.

"WISHBONE!" I yell, flying in the direction of her home.

She is perched on the roof by the time I reach her. "Somepony told everypony about Sombra. They want rid of me."

She sighs sadly, "Ponies will talk about anything, Moonlight, but the next day the talk stops, and they start on something else. By three o'clock in the morning they'll be talking about passion fruits, just you watch."

The night crawls past, and it just does not happen. The angry mob does not dissipate, but instead grows until about two thirds of the village is involved. I lose count of how many times Wishbone and I facehoof.

Nopony goes home until eight o'clock in the morning. They blockade the door and the skylight for all of that time. Honestly, there is a good reason why other pony races call us vampires. At the best of times, we are cuckoo. At the worst... Well, they can cause enough trouble to make a draconequus proud.

Sombra calls my name, and I relax now that I know that I am dreaming. Apparently I am in such a state that my appearance in the dream has been affected, because he comments, "Why, you look absolutely dishevelled. Anything wrong?"

"Coming from the stallion who looks like a dragon ate him! But plenty of things are wrong," I admit. "Somehow, my whole village knows about you and they have the wrong idea. They want me to leave. Somepony told them."

"Oh dear. That is an unfortunate predicament. I would rather have waited for you to make a decision on whether you would visit the Crystal Empire, but now it looks as though you have to leave your village, and might be able to pay me a visit."

The real meaning of his words clicks in my head, and I roar at him, "Sombra! You visited the villagers in their dreams! How could you?!"

He takes a few steps back, eyes wide like a startled rabbit. "I am sorry, I wasn't sure of how they would react. Or you for that matter. I am just so desperate to have a good friend after such a long time." He looks at the ground in shame.

My anger fades instantly, and I replaced with guilt. "I understand. I felt very similar when Nightmare Moon was defeated and Princess Luna came back. Luna hurt me without meaning to, and I left Canterlot, but then I realised that I had nowhere to run to, no friends to have my back, not a single shoulder to cry on. Sorry I reacted that way. Just next time, try not to do something too extreme. I was going to come along anyway. One problem: how do I explain to the Princesses?"

"Say that I might let something slip while tormenting you, and that you would be able to pass on the message immediately to the useless idiots who keep trying to blast me across the horizon. Of course, not the last bit. Call them the guards." He chuckles, and I join in. "Meet me in three days?"

"Will do, Sombra. What can we do now, though? I want to enjoy my sleep, because I will probably get woken up early."

Sombra's horn glows royal blue, and the scenery changes to a clearing in the forest. A red and white chequered blanket appears on the ground and a picnic basket a moment later. I walk over to it and open the lid. Inside is a fruitcake, decorated with chestnuts and slices of apple. I find cutlery and bowls in the other side of the basket and cut a slice for each of us. Even though I know I am dreaming, I can taste the different flavours.

"Sombra," I say in between mouthfuls, "you are definitely forgiven."

He laughs, and I feel even happier than when I was with Nightmare Moon. This is the best that I have ever felt in my life, and something tells me that I won't forget this dream so easily when I wake.