Corruption

Luna had been preparing for this day since the Crystal War ended two years ago. She let out a toothy smile as she passed a window. Showing the bright sun that she had grown to despise over the months. Deeply despise. She was absolutely sick of it. All the ponies cowering in fear at the sight of her. Not appreciating her beautiful moon. She had witnessed many nightmares of the citizens, filled with creatures hiding in the night. Even herself in some of them. If they wanted to be afraid of her...She will give them a reason to fear her.

She had been creating an army of bat ponies, destined to help her rise to power as she took her final step forward to an eternal night. She stepped into the throne room. Her Batponies had already begun to attack the castle by the distant but growing closer sounds of a large battle.

Luna stepped up to the pair of thrones and a large stained glass window depicting the sun and moon. She heard a pair of hoofs gallop into the throne room and come to an abrupt stop a few feet away from her. She turned her head slightly to see the confused expression of her older sister. She chuckled and looked back at the window.

"Hello, sister." She spat out. She heard Celestia take a few cautious steps towards her.

"Luna..." She said with a pause of hesitation. "What have you done?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Luna asked with a slight sarcastic note. "I am taking control. I am choosing my own destiny."

Luna spun around. The voice in her head, assuring her again that this was the right choice. If she wanted respect. If she wanted what Celestia had so selfishly kept from her, this is what she had to do. Even if she wanted to cower away, she couldn't, She had gone too far now. Celestia's ears dropped as her confusion morphed to a combination of anger and annoyance. Not the reaction Luna had expected but she would take it.

Luna reared up and stomped her front hoofs to the ground, the force amplified by her magic that it caused a crack to form. Leading from the damaged floor up to the window. Smashing it open. Celestia growled and took a few more steps toward her sister. Thinking that she had finally gone off the deep end and this would be handled like a teenage outburst. They would yell and fight with each other and it would be over. She would get punished and life would move on.

The voice was ordering her once again, Luna was becoming increasingly annoyed at its orders. Fueling her anger.

"Sister. Stop this madness. You have gone too far this time." Celestia yelled. Luna let out maniacal laughter as a response. She flew into the air. Using her magic to cause a Solar Eclipse across Equestria.

"The only Princess in Equestria...Will be me!" Luna yelled. She used her magic once more, using a transformation spell with a hint of dark magic to become stronger, more powerful, she became Nightmare Moon. "I am Nightmare Moon."

Celestia backed away as a few injured guards came to report to the Princesses.

They faltered and clumsily came to a stop behind Celestia.

"I-Is that-P-Princess L-Lu-Luna?" One of the guards whispered quickly. Some nodded their head in agreement, others did not.

"N-No way...Princess Luna doesn't look like...That!" Another guard stammered next to him.

"I don't know...I see a resemblance." Another guard admitted.

"Quit talking and attack!" Another hissed with confidence. The five guards looked at the guard with disbelief.

"We weren't trained to deal with an Alicorn!" One of them argued.

"We weren't trained to chicken out either yet here we are." Another one pointed out.

They finally silently agreed that they had to protect their Sun Princess, no matter what. It was their duty. They raced past the Princess, too focused on the fight ahead to hear her protest against their actions. The unicorns flared their horns, the pegasi flew into the air at top speed, the Earth ponies brought down their spears and galloped towards Nightmare Moon.

"Pathetic." Nightmare Moon stated. She caused thunder to erupt from her mane, hitting the pegasi, it burned them and broke their wings from the force, slamming them down to the ground with her magic at a high speed. The unicorns chose to ignore the short-lived struggle against the Alicorn and shot their most powerful attacks at her. She easily deflected them, while turning the spears against the Earth ponies, violently stabbing them in the hoofs so they can not trot. They screamed in pain and collapsed. Pools of blood started to quickly form as Nightmare Moon, then focused on the unicorns.

They fired at her again. She shot their own attacks back at them. They dodged it rather clumsily and flared up their horns again. She flared up her horn as well, causing large black spikes to appear underneath them. Celestia cried out in horror as they were stabbed. Screams cut short as the spikes went through their vocal cords. Silencing them forever.

Celestia had enough. It was one thing to ruin her home. She could live with that. But harm her citizens. Her ponies. This was war.

She galloped forwards, teleporting the guards that still lived to the medical wing as she tried to not look at the unicorns and one Earth pony who had bled to death. She shot into the air. Firing a powerful beam of light at Nightmare Moon.

Nightmare Moon shielded herself and shot magic at the roof. Collapsing it. Causing debris to rain down. Celestia took this opportunity to escape. Knowing that in her present state she couldn't beat her. She flew into the night sky. Shivering at the cold wind as she looked down at the battle below. Bat ponies and guards were fighting on both sides. It seemed like the Royal guards had the upper hoof at the moment but not if Nightmare Moon won.

They needed to retreat to a safer area. Come up with a plan of attack before-

Blue magic missed Celestia by a few millimetres. She was pulled out of her thoughts and dodged Nightmare Moon's attack, She twirled in the air as the blasts of magic attempted to reach her. A few even did. Burning her fur and leaving bruises and cuts. She flew under a bridge that connected the castle's entrance to the path leading out of the forest.

Nightmare Moon's magic hitting the bridge, causing the guards on it to fall down a deep ravine. Celestia didn't notice this as she continued to erratically fly before catching a glimpse of the elements in the corner of her eye. Yes! The Elements! Why didn't she think of that before? Suddenly, Nightmare Moon fired at Celestia, her powerful attack at the moment Celestia's concentration was broken.

She screamed as it smashed through her necklace and hit her chest. Leaving a deep hole in her chest. She struggled to breathe as Nightmare Moon shot at her wings. The power ripping some of the feathers off, damaging both severely. She felt herself fall and heard laughter as her eyes closed and she faded to oblivion.

She opened her eyes again to see the marble floor of the room where they kept the Elements of Harmony. She used her magic to push down the pain. Ignoring the fact the some of her fur was soaked in blood. She ignored the deep hole in her chest, She was very lucky it didn't hit her heart. That could kill an Alicorn. She checked her wings. They were missing feathers and a bit burned. She knew they were useless at the moment which didn't help her situation.

She struggled to get up. When she did, she looked up, through bloodshot eyes and the hole in the roof, Nightmare Moon was blasting away the pegasi guards who dared approach her. She limped towards the Elements. They were their only hope now.

She grabbed the elements as Nightmare moon smashed down the wall, scattering debris into the room.

"Why?" Celestia cried out in a pathetic way as she backed away into the mount where the elements were kept. Nightmare Moon landed and let out an evil chuckle.

"The voice." Nightmare Moon growled. "The voice told me the truth. The truth of the evil terror that you are. You seek to make everypony hate the moon. You selfish, controlling, pathetic pony."

Celestia found that she couldn't argue the truth of her words. All except the part where she claims the moon is being put down. She is right, she deserved more of Celestia's attention. Not this. Celestia looked back at the elements. She didn't want to do it. But she knew she had no choice.

Celestia pleaded with her sister, praying that she was inside to hear her desperate pleas.

"I will gain control of Equestria and I shall rein long after you have perished under my magical superiority." She boasted.

"Sister-"

Nightmare Moon blasted at Celestia, slamming her against the throne of the Elements of Harmony. Allowing them to fall to the ground. Harmony. There used to be harmony between the sisters'. That was a distant dream. A distant dream that fades away as the days pass.

Celestia got up on shaky hoofs as Nightmare moon stepped closer towards her. Lowering her head with a smug grin, Showing her sharp teeth.

"Spare me your precious speeches. I know you are going to attempt to use the elements. Which will be for not. They can't work for a pony who is evil. Alone."

Anger flared in Celestia as the power she did not know she had left, blasted her enemy back. Nightmare Moon screamed in surprise as she was flung back and was knocked outside onto her back. Taking a few moments to steady herself and attempt to understand what had just transpired.

Celestia grabbed the elements and was lifted into the air by their power. Fulfilling the action she had taken two years ago on the evil king, against her own sister. Nightmare moon shot pure black magic towards her, different from her usual dark blue magic. Celestia allowed it to hit her as she couldn't put up a shield, her energy focused on the elements. She didn't care about anything else but protecting her citizens.

She didn't even seem surprised when the magic hit her chest and didn't even feel anything other than the usual pain. Her body seemed to absorb it like a pony absorbs water. The elements activated. She let out a large ray of rainbow power straight towards her own sister. Nightmare moon, to her credit, was powerful. She managed to hold it back with her magic for a few moments before it engulfed her and disintegrated Nightmare Moon. Sending her to the place she loved the most. The Moon. She banished her own sister to the moon.

Celestia hit the ground, the elements scattered around her. She wasn't sure how long she laid there but she heard the sounds of battle retreat and felt warm tears run down her cheeks from her emotional and physical pain.

Hello, little sun.

Celestia's ears perked up and adrenaline kicked in at the sound of the rough male voice. She knew that voice...But from what? From who?

Too weak to talk with me, I see?

The voice was in her head. She must be hallucinating. She pushed herself up on her front hoofs. Gasping for breath as the voice continued to grasp for her attention. She ignored it of course. Believing that it was her mind playing foolish tricks on her. She heard the rustling of armour and familiar sounds of galloping from behind her.

"Princess? Princess! Are you-" The Captain of the Royal Guards gasped with a few others once they saw the condition of the Sun Princess. "We must get you to the medical wing immediately!"

Another guard shook his head sadly.

"W-We can't, sir. It collapsed in the battle. There is...Nothing left except rubble and...Death." The guard revealed.

"Regroup all the guards that have survived. Gather the injured. The closest town is a few miles away. We should get started on the journey there is we are to make it by morning." Celestia ordered. The Captain of the guard relayed the orders and stayed with the Princess until they were ready to leave.

---End of Chapter Two---