Corruption

Celestia was not having a good year she decided as she stood, battered and bruised in the snowstorm just outside the Crystal Empire. Her soldiers were bravely fighting just outside the city limits, trying to break the shield surrounding the city to get to the Crystal heart. No pony could escape. No pony could get in.

The best unicorns in the guard tried penetrating the shield. Celestia knew that the only way to break it was by defeating Sombra. She gritted her teeth, ignoring the biting cold as she concentrated on the battle ahead. She watched as Sombra clashed his scythe with Luna's sword made from Moonlight. Luna grunted as Sombra sliced at her hoof, leaving a deep cut on one. She stumbled away, crying in pain. Sombra used this magic to toss her away. Slamming her to the ground a few feet away, effectively knocking her out and scattering the elements around her.

Celestia charged forward, creating a sword of light with her magic and throwing herself in front of Sombra. Stopping his approach towards Luna. He chuckled as if this was a joke. As if the war was a joke. That infuriated Celestia to new levels. She slashed at Sombra who effectively dodged it, he shot dark magic at her, causing the sharp crystal to emerge from the ground. She flew into the air as they transformed into dark veins. She gasped as one of them managed to twist around her wing and cause a loud snap of bone.

She screamed as the pain hit her, she hadn't felt this much pain since she and Luna fought Discord. She fell to the ground hard. Feeling the roots tangle themselves on her body. She used her magic to incinerate them and took a quick look at her wing. It was severely bleeding with a bone sticking out of the blood-soaked feathers.

She looked up to see Somba approaching her through the falling snow. He was glaring at her as he used his magic to heal his cuts and bruises with ease. Part of Celestia envied him for having that much power. She pushed those annoying thoughts aside. Her armour was becoming hard to move in as she tumbled away from him.

She fired a beam of light towards Sombra with her sword, he swung it away and fired back with purple and dark magic. The power struggle lasted for only a few moments as Celestia's weakened state was working against her and hit her hard. It burned some of her exposed furs and threw her against a large rock, a few feet from Luna's motionless body.

Her pounding head and battered body were causing her concentration to waver as her vision blurred. She shook her head to clear her eyes and used the rock to pull herself up. She cried out in pain as Sombra slashed at her chest. Cutting through the frozen golden armour and leaving a long deep cut. Leaving blood to drip and mix with the blood of Luna and her own broken wing. She used her good wing to wipe some blood from her muzzle and considered her next course of action.

She couldn't use the elements...Not unless she stole Luna's control over them...

A young Celestia, with a pink mane and tail, trotted into the Royal Library were her teacher Starswirl the bearded, the most powerful unicorn in Equestria stood. Looking over scrolls and books at a long table in the middle of the large library. He looked up at her with a smile and gestured to the chair beside him.

"Good morning, your highness." He greeted with a tired smile. Celestia guessed he must have pulled another all nighter trying to find the Elements of Harmony, that Celestia, to be honest with herself, didn't believe they actually existed. Jewels that could defeat any evil. Sounds a bit too good to her.

"Good morning, teacher!" She chirped and climbed up on the chair. Looking at the magical spells written in the books. Then she tilted her head when she noticed one of particular interest.

"S-p-Spell Tr-Transfer..." Celestia said slowly. "What is that?"

Starswirl picked the book up and quickly read through the spell.

"Well...This is a spell to transfer other ponies' magic to your own." Starswirl said with a nervous expression. Celestia perked up as she realized what that meant.

"Really? Cool!" She said with a big smile. Starswirl smiled and closed the book. Carefully placing the book down on the table.

"Be careful, dear student." He warned with a soft tone. Catching Celestia's attention. "This spell is dangerous. It is wrong to take ponies magic without their permission. If you promise me that you will use this spell, ONLY when you have no other option. I will teach you. But, I will also teach you how to give the magic back. Understand?"

Celestia nodded with excitement, ready to learn more magic to help the kingdom to prevail.

---.

Celestia gasped as she remembered the old lesson her teacher, who disappeared a long time ago, taught her. Celestia went through all the spells she knew as fast as she could. There must have been another option. She wouldn't steal Luna's magic! That would be...Evil?

Celestia was brought back to reality when Sombra slammed her against the large rock, pressing his hoof against her injured chest, causing her to cry out. She came to the conclusion that there was no other option to stop him. She had to use the elements by herself. She wasn't even sure it would work.

her eyes turned white as she activated her horn and blasted Sombra off her. Obliterating his weapon and tossing him into the snowstorm. Disappearing for the moment. She heard a faint scream of rage as she galloped over to Luna. Allowing their horns to touch, she accessed the magic realm. She saw Luna's memories, she saw the magic she had that controlled the moon, the elements and the dream realm.

She carefully extracted the magic. In a moment. It was over. She stumbled away from her sister's limp body as she felt the power assert itself into her magic. She heard Sombra approaching fast. He growled and shot at Celestia, she jumped out of the way. She gathered the elements and swirled them around her. Sombra yelled in rage, trying to wrap his roots around her body, The Elements power deflected the magic. It lifted her into the air, turning her eyes white as she directed the magic at Sombra. She shot a powerful rainbow colour at Sombra.

He screamed and reared up on his back legs, causing the battle near the city to stop and watch as the Sun Princess banished the Evil King. His final spell was shot towards Luna. Turning into a dark flame and dived into her chest. Celestia wasn't exactly in the mindset to notice this important detail as she completed the final action with the Elements. She was immediately dropped the moment Sombra was banished to the ancient icy caverns deep within the snowy landscape. Where no pony has ever...Will ever be.

The Corrupted citizens that were fighting the royal guard dropped their weapons and groaned as their minds became their own again. They smiled at the enemy before disappearing in a flash. Celestia's eyes dropped as the final thing she saw was the beautiful Crystal Empire and all her citizens disappear.

Celestia found that she couldn't care as the adrenaline from the battle wore off and she collapsed to the ground. Her eyes fully dropped and she fell into a deep slumber as the Alicorn beside her groaned in pain and opened her eyes in confusion. Expecting to see the war still going on...Not her sister badly injured next to her. The Elements scattered around them and...Nothing. Just a snowstorm. The guards remaining helped the injured and returned to the Princesses looking for orders.

H-How was Sombra banished? Luna couldn't help but wonder as she got up on unsteady hoofs and checked her sister's pulse. It was weak but stable. She gave out a sigh of relief, she started to order the unicorn guards to carry her sister when a rough male voice entered her mind.

She doesn't care about you. Only herself. Leave her to die.

What frightened Luna is that she actually considered the option. But she quickly pushed the thought and strange voice to the deep end of her consciousness and finished her order. They bowed to her and followed the action. The Sun and Moon army started the long journey home through the worsening snowstorm.

A few weeks later, Celestia's routine had returned to normal. She has fully healed thanks to the unicorns in the medical wing and was quietly trotted through the dark hallways of the castle of the Two Royal Sisters. The torches lit the hallway enough for her to see where she was going. She stopped at the large double royal blue doors with a crescent moon at the top.

She used her magic to open the door slightly, she peeked in to see her sister, Luna, sleeping peacefully on her large bed. Tucked into her covers, looking over the dreams of other ponies.

Celestia had recently noticed that Luna had grown more and more distant in the time that they returned to the castle. She had started avoiding her. Hiding in her secret passageways that she thought no pony else knew about. She carefully stepped inside, hoping the light from her horn didn't wake her sister.

She was here for a very important reason. Celestia was here to give her back her side of the Elements. She was, of course, guilty about taking it from her dear sister. She considered that this was the reason for Luna's strange behaviour. She released the multicoloured stream of magic into Luna's horn.

Suddenly it shot back at her, she let out a little gasp and stumbled away.

It failed. It failed. It failed. It failed. It failed.

She stopped breathing for a moment as Luna moaned and shifted in her bed before falling back into the dreams of Equestria. Her gaze was trained on her sister. Did she reject the magic? Was it some other force that prevented her from accepting it back? Does she admit she was scared that she couldn't give back that magic? What happens when the next enemy that requires that use of the elements comes and Luna finds out she can't use the elements with her?

She would find out what she did. The thought scared the daylights out of her.

Celestia tried again. Failure again. Luna groaned once more, her eyes fluttering open. Luna adjusted to the darkness and gave her sister a confused expression. "Sister? Wh-What are thee doing here?" She asked, taking a moment to yawn and adjust herself to be more comfortable. Celestia gave her sister a weak smile and shrugged.

"I am just checking up on you." She said in the most steady voice she could muster. "I was a bit worried."

"Why?" Luna asked with a yawn.

"I...Um...Have noticed that you have been a bit off recently." Celestia admitted with a weak smile.

"Do not worry, my sister. I am fine." Luna replied a bit too abruptly. Celestia nodded. Choosing to trust her sister and said her final goodnights before closing her door. What Celestia didn't see was her younger sister gasp and flinch in pain. Then a single tear went down her face as she looked towards her beautiful moon shining its light into the dark Princess's room.

"Maybe you are right," Luna whispered out loud to the male voice that had been poisoning her mind. "Maybe...You are right about her."

---End of Chapter One---