"Why do I even bother?" Sombra stepped towards the edge of the balcony, a victorious smirk on his face. "As if you had even a faint prayer." He leaned over the side, looking for the broken form of Sweetie, and ideally the other pathetic--

Bright landed on his back with a powerful double-kick, knocking Sombra free into the embrace of gravity. "Sucker! Freakin' jerk."

Sombra didn't hit the ground, Luna's powerful bolt of energy cutting the space he had been a moment ago.

Rarity hissed with fury, diving at where he'd dodged towards. "Uncouth creature! I'll show you..."

Sombra waved a wall of crystals in Rarity's path, cutting off her charge. "Enough," he roared, raising his other hoof to conjure darkness in Luna's projectile's path. "Impertinent creatures. I will tear you all apart."

But that meant his attention wasn't above him. Bright landed on his head, stomping downwards with his thick feet. "No! Bad pony! Bad!"

Sombra howled furiously as the impudent lapine-creature pummeled his horned skull from above, crystal magics disrupted and tendrilled mane recoiling defensively. Shackled shadows flaked away further revealing the fiery wrath burning underneath the usurper king's dark facade.

He thrashed violently, erupting spikes of razor-edged onyx lashing from all sides seeking to dislodge the vexing pest clinging like a burr behind his curved horn. But Bright's unique gifts lent acrobatic finesse letting him ricochet nimbly overhead even as wounds opened from glancing dark shards.

"Vermin!" Sombra snarled, redoubling efforts to disentangle himself. Before another savage spire could fully form however a gossamer prismatic net dropped abruptly from above - teeming with radiant vines that swiftly entangled his four legs, blooming mystic flowers clinging inescapably everyplace they touched shadow-sheathed obsidian.

"What mockery..." his outrage trailed off in strangled coughing as golden glitter-laced fumes wafted skyward with each blossom's unfurling. The searing illumination scoured exposed patches between writhing umbral plates like divine salt in a demon's wounds, seeping burns beneath armor of the damned.

Crimson eyes blazed hatred up at grinning Bright still clinging cockily atop despite his own freely weeping injuries. But the lapine agent merely snickered louder as hateful eyes located the artistic architect of this flamboyantly humiliating bondage.

"Rarity, you traitorous wretch!" Sombra raised a crystalline hoof to shatter the smug designer responsible for such galling effrontery but gasped instead as violet flames roared to life before him, scorching aged air and casting hellish highlights across Night Eternal's ruined king.

Silhouetted amidst the raging violet pyre stood Luna, terrible and beautiful as the merciless dark between stars.

"Touch her, cur...and embrace darkness eternal."

"Hmm." He said as if considering the next move of a good game of chess instead of a life and death bout. He melted into the shadows beneath him, and those were gone in a moment, leaving them all standing in the empty inner courtyard with nothing but agitated dust to accompany them.

Bright shook a fist in the air. "Yeah, run! Get out of here!"

Sweetie popped up from where she had been thrown. "That's not good. This mission isn't complete until Sombra is defeated and can no longer harass pony's dreams. Luna, ma'am, course of action?"

Luna looked from agent to agent. Two of them looked considerably injured, with Bright and Sweetie bravely ignoring their wounds. "You two go back to town. Me and Rarity will finish this task."

Bright crossed his arms. "Yeah, no. Not even you, Lulu, is getting me away from Rares."

Luna huffed. "My name is Luna, and I am you boss. I say leave."

"Rather quit than that." He scrambled up onto Rarity's surprised, but not displeased, back. "We got a baddie to punch!"

Luna buried her face in a hoof before looking to Sweetie. "Go."

"Ma'am." Having far more discipline, Sweetie clambered down off the rubble she had been buried in and trotted away.

Rarity stifled a proud smile seeing staunch Bright's stubborn devotion matched only by the moonlit alicorn whose ancient authority and mythic might moved mortal lives like tide-tugged seas. Few would dare defy Princess Luna's commands so flatly!

Yet Rarity understood Bright’s deeper motive in this impulsive act. Their shared life force forged a bond breaching etiquette’s bounds. To abandon each other proved abandonment of self - no rule retained reason to the familiar heart’s relentless compass.

Luna clearly grasped this too in the flicker of wistful warmth ere it vanished behind dutiful discipline narrowing night-sky eyes. She pronounced next words like nails closing a subject's coffin.

"Deem not your brand of bravery unique, lapine knight who'd discard my creed for your heart's singing whims." Luna loomed larger, scepter striking cold stone. "Many beyond counting would dare death gladly to stand thus by my side."

Even Rarity felt instinctive awe ...At least untill a rabbit paw gently covered her hoof in wordless reminder.

She squeezed Bright's paw in subtle solidarity with her magic, a small smile on her face.

Thus Rarity cleared diplomatic throat; “Princess mine we acknowledge your decree: three stand as one. Come; night remains our arena - let triumph herald daybreak!”

Luna rolled her eyes. "If you two are bound." She pointed at Rarity, then up at Bright. "And you are a creature of unnatural abilities, can you heal him?"

Rarity brought up a hoof to clop on her head. "Yes," she admitted, blushing with shame for having forgotten such a thing. "But it will stir the hunger in me."

Luna flashed a deadly smile. "Good thing we know someone here who is willing to surrender some."

"Darling!" Rarity glowed with red hues, focusing her vampiric powers on her familiar, mending them slowly. Quite fast, compared to waiting... "I only drink from the willing, and from him? That cad... My teeth ache at the thought. I have taste, dear."

Luna waved off Rarity's flustered excuses with an indulgent snort, starry mane wafting knowingly. "Think not to convince me thy fangs fail to crave a certain bold buck's bounteous sanguine sublime sustenance..." She winked slyly. "Nor that one so tightly twined as thy familiar yearns not to provide thy pythonic palate paramount provender!"

Rarity huffed delicately as Bright snickered atop her back, nibbling a tempting ear. Luna smothered her own smirk observing the fanged fashionista struggling against her own burgeoning appetite and mischievous mount's mutual thirst, though of a different sort.

"Stay vexed then, for now..." Luna relented, alighting gently skyward. "Just know that no law will find you for a supper on a creature so deserving of punishment." Wings beat towards the vanished villain’s lingering aural trail. "Onward swiftly now lest the shadows swallow safety's scent!"

Rarity shivered, licking over a long and sharp fang. She glanced over her shoulder, but she could feel it. Bright was back in a fighting order. "Let's go." She spread her wings and took flight after Luna. "We have a pony to hunt before they get their own affairs in order."

They all took flight through the narrow confines of the castle, following what could be felt but not seen. But they could hear it, dark laughter that felt like it came from all around them.

Luna pointed as she banked around a corner sharply. "Of course." There, on what was once the throne, sat Sombra as they merged into the throne room. "Ever the prideful one, aren't you?"

"You failed to defeat me before." Sombra raised a hoof, bringing with it a rough shape of a pony in crystal, eyes glowing with simple purpose. "You will again." With a wave, he sent the great creature lumbering towards Luna and her little agents."

Luna flared her wings defiantly as the crystalline juggernaut stamped forward, thunderous footfalls promising merciless impacts should the implacable thing connect. She spared the briefest glance towards her bold companions, fresh confidence kindling in her breast. She didn't face him alone, or even with just her sister. She had a team.

"The past ever prologues yet the present pages remain ours to pen, vile shade!" Luna lit her horn with brilliant intensity. "Your summoned minion knows but fury's drive - while we wake war's wisdom earned leading towards dawns you dismiss!"

Rarity and Bright arced into flanking attack trajectories heeding their princess’ rousing call against seemingly impossible odds. Rarity whispered an arcane phrase, horns and hoof shining in sync as ripples of reality warped around zooming Bright...

Suddenly a dozen duplicates ricocheted through the air, confounding perspectives and turn order tactics! The pony crystal juggernaut stomped forward unthinking as always...only to meet empty space as the lead bouncing bunny winked out of expected existence!

It whirled, plodding programmed protocols straining to strike elusive lightning-fast targets while processing their improbable evasion physics...A glittering spell crashed abruptly as a chittering cream puff crashed down horn-first out of nowhere, directly through its back plating!

The improvised bunker-buster burrowed deep as magical explosives followed his piercing entry wound...until at last the light left its lifeless eyes and the hulking automaton toppled. Luna nodded approvingly as her flanking team regathered with fierce smiles.

"Let us dispatch yon dead-eyed dredges and bring living harmony home!" Their determined eyes locked with Sombra's across the dividing distance. The snickering specter stood slowly as hellish flames ignited his gaze...and arrayed behind him stood rank upon rank of glowering glassy warriors and worse - risen now to enforce their grim lord's ghastly ambitions against those who dared dream of better days beyond his bitter rule.

The odds were insurmountable. But together, they were ready to face whatever nightmares awoke to test valeur and virtuous vision undimmed. Luna raised a defiant hoof as bat wings and bouncing fighter flanked faithfully. "Charge!"

Bright chuckled at that, teeth set. "I was losing you, Lulu, but I understood that one!" He pointed forward as Luna sailed beneath him, the two in easy sync.

Sombra had made a mistake. That great behemoth of a golem had taken much of his power and with it, his fatigue was ramping quickly. "Damn you all." He caught Rarity as she thumped against him.

But that left Bright open to leap over her head and come down fist first into the pony's cheek, driving his head back to the side. "What you deserve." Not that he was staying still, hitting the ground and bouncing around Sombra as if daring a counter attack.

Rarity was on him, mouth at his neck, biting, drinking. Sombra gasped in shock. Bright gasped in jealousy.

Luna did neither, smirking. "You are defeated." She landed beside Sombra, wings wide. "You have no power left."

Sombra sank as Rarity pushed him down, feeding greedily on him. "How... the mighty... have fallen. Relying on... this..."

Luna creased her face in a frown. "I am not mine sister. She will guard the day. I, the night. No more piteous sobs that a creature of my domain has bested you."

Bright walked around, snickering as he stood just over Sombra. "Rares can get things done... But it's time for you to sleep." He brought up both hands, knit together, and slammed them down together, knocking Sombra out, and them free of Rarity's fanged hold.

Rarity blinked, the blood no longer flowing. "Oh dear... Darling, I didn't... I swear!" She covered her messy snout. "I didn't mean to! I'm a good pony, I swear!"

Luna set a hoof on Rarity's back. "You are more than a good pony. This night, you are a hero. While we cannot suggest this as a habit... You did nothing wrong this evening."

Bright hiked a thumb at himself. "If you need a drink, you have a willing source right here. I bet I taste better than that jerk anyway."

"Darling, yes." She nuzzled Bright warmly, getting blood on him in the process. "A million times more. His blood is potent, but foul... But it did slake my thirst..."

Luna's horn glowed as she conjured a floating napkin to offer to Rarity. "Clean up. I'll gather this one." She hefted Sombra's sleeping form in her magic. "Another one taken care of. A victory for us all."

Author's Note

And... assignment completed. Victory!

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