Calm.
Calm is good. Calm is key. Calm is what makes the world go round, and calm is what is going to keep me from vaporizing a continent.
Calm. Clear skies, meadows full of flowers. A gentle breeze coming off the ocean, smelling of salt and GODDAMN IT NOT WORKING!!!!
Pissed, so very very pissed off right now.
My hands were clenched so tightly they were literally smoking, and I was grinding my teeth so hard that it made an audible, high pitched whine.
Must.
Not.
Incinerate.
Planet.
I'm sure Celestia and Luna were surprised when the stained glass window portraying their battle shattered. I'm sure they were also surprised when all the little shards of glass melted, then were burned into nothing.
The saying 'stares that kill' has entirely different meanings for Celestial and Hellish beings.
“U-uh....Uncle Cor-” I raised my hand to silence Luna so quickly it produced wind strong enough to shake the crystal chandelier overhead. Luna clamped her mouth shut hard enough for me to hear it.
I stood still and silent for several more moments when I heard Celestia take a tiny step forward. “I-I'm sorry that-”
I whirled on her. “YOU'RE SORRY!? YOUR SISTER NEARLY FALLS FROM GRACE WITHOUT YOU BOTHERING TO SUMMON ME, AND YOU SAY YOU'RE SORRY?!?!?!”
The force of my voice blew the two girls off their feet and shattered every piece of glass in the castle. They slid across the room and landed in a pile against the far side of the room. The large door leading into the throne room burst open and a pair of white unicorn guards stormed in, ready to defend their princesses. With a wave of my hand, both were violently ejected from the room and the doors slammed shut again.
I turned my searing gaze back on my nieces, who were attempting to untangle their limbs. I advanced towards them, and unconsciously my hand found the hilt of Nameless.
I froze mid-step. Luna and Celestia's eyes swelled to the size of dinner plates and locked on my right hand.
It was at that moment I remembered who I was looking at; the same two little alicorns who I had helped raise. They were practically my own daughters, and I was watching them cower before me like I was a monster. I had even raised my sword hand, like they were Damned demons!
Instantly, all my anger abated, and I turned to look back at the empty space where the stained glass had been. I decided against trying to repair it.
After several tense moments, I looked back at my nieces, who were leaning against each other for support. Their cheeks were tear stained, and there was still fear in their eyes. I lowered my gaze in shame. The floor around me was scorched.
“I'm sorry.” My voice was quiet, and I made absolutely sure it contained no trace of anger.
Celestia crossed the room and stood in front of me, her head down in shame as well. “I am sorry too, Uncle. But, when Luna nearly Fell, I......I panicked.” Celestia looked at Luna sadly, and Luna herself wore a heavy burden of guilt on her face.
“I recalled all the stories you told me, about all the Fallen, and I was scared. I though that, if I summoned you, y-you might.....h-hurt Lulu.” Celestia began to cry again. Gently, I reached out and cupped her cheek. I caught her eyes with mine, and I gave her a small smile.
“You know I'd never hurt my little Woona.” I gave Luna a smile as well, and before I could say anything else, both sisters had me trapped between them in a group hug. I wrapped an arm around each of their necks in return, before taking a step back and putting on a serious face.
“But you girls know how serious that situation could have been. You both carry the Blood of the Heavens in you. If either of you had Fallen, I would have had to......” I trailed off, unable to finish the thought, but the idea hung heavily in the air.
“So how did it happen?” I asked, eager to distance myself from the subject of consequences.
“It began about fifteen hundred years after we sealed Discord and you and Mother went back to Heaven,” began Celestia. “Luna and I decided that, instead of leaving the ponies to their own fate, we would act as their guides until they could stand on their own and the last of the residual Chaos magic faded.”
Luna cleared her throat before continuing. “We moved the Sun and Moon just as Mother instructed us to, and we kept her Elements close by in case there was a danger we could not overcome ourselves. We ruled together, everything was equal. But eventually....the ponies began to distrust me.”
Celestia draped a wing over her sister and took over the story. “I tried everything I could think of, but after Discord, ponies were so distrustful and just..... scared that they turned away from Luna and her night. They saw my day as a beacon of hope and safety, and in doing so abandoned the comforts of the night.”
Luna nodded slowly. “Eventually I.......I became jealous of Celly. All the ponies loved her, and they would barely spare me a glance. Nobles stopped coming to me for decisions, stallions stopped trying to join my Night Guard, even the common ponies began to think of me as a figurehead, not an equal.
After several centuries of this, I snapped. I simply couldn't accept being ignored in my own country, one I had myself helped free! So....I allowed Evil to enter my heart, to make me strong so ponies would have to acknowledge me! It was my misguided hope that I could make them see how great I was! That I was just as strong, just as beautiful as their beloved Celestia!” Luna dropped her gaze.
“But the Evil was seductive. Before I knew what was happening, I declared myself Nightmare Moon and refused to lower the moon. When Celly asked me to lower it as was my duty, I rebuffed her. I attacked, and nearly killed her. She fled, bleeding from the Castle. Days later, as ponies suffered under my grand 'Eternal Night', Celestia stormed the Castle with the Yoke of Harmony around her neck and gave me a final chance. She begged me. And I laughed at her. She was left with no choice, and banished me to the moon for a thousand years. That was a little over a thousand and two years ago.”
Wet spots appeared on the floor. Luna's tears. Celestia nuzzled the younger alicorn. “It wasn't you Luna. You weren't yourself.”
Luna sniffled, but said nothing. After a few moments, she collected herself and raised a curious eyebrow at me.
“The thought strikes me; Uncle, why have you ventured down to the Mortal Plain?” she asked.
My face hardened and my hand returned to Nameless' hilt, this time intentionally. One word sent a chill through the room.
“Discord.”