"No, Moonlight. Princess Luna and I will not allow you to risk your life like this."

The Royal Canterlot Voice is quite a spectacle. The Princesses rarely have cause to speak in such a condescending tone. Luna once tried teaching other ponies how to use it. Long story short, they couldn't. It is far too powerful.

It hurts even more when you are in the firing line of the speaker.

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

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

I cock my head to one side. "No training? Hmm. I was a guard before I was sent to the moon, and Luna was a brilliant sparring partner when we were there. I could take down King Sombra with my eyes closed."

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."

"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 big sister. The possibility of meeting Sombra far outweighs the miniscule 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.

"When we get there, stay out of danger, ok?" she asks.

"Of course I will. Thank you 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 ostracizing 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 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 that they would never let me if I did. Even Princess Luna, who understands both of us and our points of view, doesn't like the idea of meeting even though you have said to her face that you want to change your ways."

"But what is the point of changing if other ponies refuse to let you do so, my dear?" he asks with exasperation, throwing his hooves into 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. 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?"

"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 forbidden because they are so dangerous. Force them to see things the way we do? Illegal, dangerous and downright stupid. You have to be able to use dark magic really well and..." I suddenly realise who I'm talking to. "I know you can use dark magic really well, but we are trying to show them that you do't just use it for your own personal gain, and forcing them to walk a mile in our horseshoes and controlling them is exactly what they think that you would do."

"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. Of course, I would never do anything without your permission, but it seems fairly logical. 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 correct. I am not fussed about being called a hero, I just want to help Sombra out because nopony else will. I cannot believe that nopony accepts that ponies can change, especially the Royal Sisters. I would have thought that they would accept Sombra immediately. Then again, he keeps trying to break into the Crystal Empire, so maybe they have mistaken his efforts to get in as an invasion.

"That, and a conference with the Royals in the dream realm, are the only things that I can think of," I tell him eventually. "It would work better if we staged something first where I pretend to protect the Empire from you. It's a deal." I suddenly feel somepony tapping me. "Wait, I'll have to talk sometime else, I'm waking up. Goodbye, Sombra!"

"Goodbye, Moonlight!" is the last thing I hear before I wake up.

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 its sheer beauty.

Yes, I am here, Sombra.