Nightmare Moon

design and development in the series 1:

The word "Luna" means "moon" in Italian and Spanish, in both cases derived from Latin—Luna is the Latin name for the Greek moon goddess Selene (Σελήνη), who is the daughter of Hyperion and Theia in Greek mythology. In the European French dub, Nightmare Moon is named La Jument Séléniaque, loosely translated as "the mare Selene" or "the Selene Mare." Her title in Twilight Sparkle's book in Friendship is Magic, part 1, "Mare in the Moon," is a play on the mythic story Man in the Moon. The Elements of Harmony guidebook states that Luna's original name was Selena and shows development and concept art of the then-named "Princess Selena"/"Night Mare"; these names are used in a Friendship is Magic storybook. According to Lauren Faust, Princess Luna's name "was Selena for a short time, but there were legal problems with it,"[6] and Nightmare Moon was originally named "Discord,"[7] a name which would later be given to another eventually-reformed villain. Princess Luna has two designs, differing in that her coat is a darker shade of blue and that her mane is partially translucent, rippling and sparkling like Celestia's. Depiction of her as a filly—on the fan-designed WeLoveFine T-shirts "Old School Cutie Mark" (without her cutie mark) and "Flying in Circles" (with her cutie mark)—uses the lighter-coated-and-normal-maned design; depiction of her as a mare has switched between the two designs on multiple occasions:

design and development in the series 2:

Switch between a flashback on page 21 of the My Little Pony: FIENDship is Magic Issue #1 story and a flashback in The Crystal Empire - Part 1 Switch-back before and after being Nightmare Moon respectively in a flashback in Princess Twilight Sparkle - Part 1 and in Friendship is Magic, part 2 Switch between the above point and Luna Eclipsed Switch-back between the above point and page 15 of the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Issue #5 story Switch on page 15 of the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Issue #8 story Her old design is still used in some merchandise, the online game Castle Creator, and the commercial The Fresh Princess of Friendship, and her old mane is partly visible in some shots. Lauren Faust has stated that when Luna is fully grown, she will not look like Nightmare Moon.[5] She also speculated that when Nightmare Moon was defeated, Luna was reborn with very low magic levels, and that her mane was eventually magical and wavy again because her good powers had been restored.[8] A scene with Rarity giving Princess Luna a makeover was cut from the episode Luna Eclipsed.[9] The post-makeover pink Luna appears in a Flash asset of the online game Castle Creator.[10] Luna's design is similar to those of Fleur Dis Lee, Princess Cadance, the Headless Horse, the Mane-iac, "Tropical Dream", Sassy Saddles, S06E20 Unnamed Earth Mare #8, S06E20 Unnamed Earth Mare #9, and S06E20 Unnamed Earth Mare #10.

Depiction in the series 3:

History Nightmare Moon Princess Luna in the prologue S1E01 The younger Alicorn princess, later named Princess Luna, in the first episode's prologue. Princess Luna is introduced in the prologue of the first episode, depicted in a series of medieval-style drawings with a narration that says, "Two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land," and that "the eldest used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn; the younger brought out the moon to begin the night." The narration continues by stating: their subjects, the ponies, played in the day but "shunned" the night and slept through it, which made the younger Alicorn grow bitter, eventually refusing to lower the moon to make way for the dawn. Her bitterness "transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness: Nightmare Moon." The elder sister reluctantly harnessed the power of the Elements of Harmony and "banished her permanently in the moon," taking responsibility for both sun and moon, maintaining harmony in Equestria. Nightmare Moon ID S1E02 Nightmare Moon in Friendship is Magic, part 2. Following the prologue, Twilight Sparkle reads of a prophecy about the Mare in the Moon that states that "on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about nighttime eternal." Indeed, this prophecy comes to pass, and Nightmare Moon appears before the ponies of Ponyville during the Summer Sun Celebration. At the end of the second episode, Twilight and her new friends confront Nightmare Moon and transform her back into Princess Luna with the Elements of Harmony, and she remorsefully accepts Princess Celestia's offer to rule by her side again.

Depiction in the Series 3.5:

Princess Luna with the Elements of Harmony, and she remorsefully accepts Princess Celestia's offer to rule by her side again. The show's developer, Lauren Faust, explained in a comment on her DeviantArt page that Luna could not have been "drawn" from Nightmare Moon for a thousand years, and that Princess Celestia "did what she could" to orchestrate breaking the spell that turned Luna into Nightmare Moon. Faust added that this explanation is "as far as [she] ever got with it," and that the explanation might unfold differently on the show.[11] Luna Eclipsed In the season two episode Luna Eclipsed, Princess Luna appears during Ponyville's annual celebration of Nightmare Night, where ponies dress up in costumes and go door-to-door collecting candy. Luna wishes to join in the festivities, but her extravagant entrance, booming voice, and archaic way of speaking give the wrong impression, scaring nearly everyone she meets. Twilight Sparkle attempts to help, but her methods only alienate Luna from her subjects further and make them more afraid of her. Luna bans the entire holiday out of offended anger, but she eventually learns from a foal named Pipsqueak that ponies like being scared on Nightmare Night and were merely pretending to be afraid of her all evening. Realizing that her subjects do not really hate her, Luna revokes her ban on Nightmare Night, and she is able to enjoy the festivities in earnest. History

Depiction in the Series 4:

A Canterlot Wedding Luna makes cameo appearances in A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1 and Part 2. In Part 1, Luna takes over the night shift from her sister after flying in silhouetted by the moon, and later tells Twilight to remain inside after spotting her running towards the castle. She appears again in the end of Part 2, when she flies in greeting everyone and asking if she missed anything. Luna dances with the other ponies after Pinkie Pie and DJ Pon-3 start the wedding party music which concludes the episode. The Crystal Empire Luna and Celestia discuss Twilight S3E01 Celestia telling Luna about Twilight. Luna makes brief appearances in The Crystal Empire - Part 1 and Part 2. In the first part, she expresses doubt to Celestia over whether Twilight is ready for her task. Celestia shows Twilight a flashback where the two sisters worked together to defeat King Sombra, turning him into a shadow with their magic and imprisoning him in the frozen north. Luna reappears at the end of Part 2. She and Celestia watch as Twilight and her friends return home. Luna then conjures up a spiral-bound book, as Celestia nods, confirming that her student is "much closer to being ready". Magical Mystery Cure Celestia and Luna smiling at each other S3E13 Luna and Celestia during the crowning of Princess Twilight. In the season three finale Magical Mystery Cure, Luna appears near the end of the episode alongside her sister and Princess Cadance, attending the coronation of Twilight Sparkle as a Princess. She can be seen wearing a dress and more ornate, elaborate versions of her crown, shoes, and collar. It is also revealed that the book Luna had produced at the end of The Crystal Empire was the journal of Star Swirl the Bearded, which contained an unfinished spell that Celestia believed Twilight to be capable of completing.

Depiction is the Series 5:

Princess Twilight Sparkle Luna makes appearances in Princess Twilight Sparkle - Part 1 and Part 2. In Part 1, while Princess Celestia speaks to Twilight about the Summer Sun Celebration, Luna is seen on a nearby castle balcony, happily raising the moon. During the episode, she is captured off-screen by black vines growing out of the Everfree Forest. When Twilight drinks a potion given to her by Zecora, she is transported into a castle, where she encounters Luna. Luna proclaims that she will be the only princess in Equestria, and she undergoes a transformation into Nightmare Moon, much to Twilight's horror. In Part 2, Celestia arrives to the scene, and an aerial fight ensues. Twilight soon realizes that the potion has taken her to the past, and that she is witnessing the banishment of Nightmare Moon. Moments later, Celestia uses the Elements of Harmony to banish Luna to the moon. Twilight drinks the potion again and witnesses Luna and Celestia battling Discord and turning him to stone for the first time. She also sees the two sisters taking the Elements from the Tree of Harmony. Later, Twilight and her friends free her and Celestia in Part 2 by giving up the Elements of Harmony to the Tree of Harmony. At the end of Part 2, Luna takes part in the Summer Sun Celebration, lowering the moon so Celestia could raise the sun.

Depiction in the series 6:

Twilight's kingdom In Twilight's Kingdom - Part 1, Luna assists Celestia, Cadance and Twilight in welcoming the Duke and Duchess of Maretonia. Shortly after, Luna joins Celestia and Cadance in a song, admitting to Twilight that she understands how she is feeling. Later in the evening, Luna rushes into Celestia's room when she hears her scream from having a nightmare. She informs Celestia that she did not have a dream, but rather a vision. The next morning, she and Celestia tell Twilight the story of Lord Tirek and his brother Scorpan, and how Tirek was imprisoned in Tartarus. Luna mentions that they believe Tirek escaped during the events of It's About Time when Cerberus left his post and attacked Ponyville. In Twilight's Kingdom - Part 2, she and the other princesses transfer their magic to Twilight; Luna's cutie mark—unlike those of Celestia, Cadance, and the ponies whose magic Tirek steals—does not completely disappear,[note 1] losing only the moon marking and keeping the darker part underneath. Tirek and Discord eventually break into Canterlot Castle and Tirek attempts to steal the three princesses' magic, but soon learns that they have transferred it all to Twilight. Luna, along with Cadance and Celestia, is sent to Tartarus by Tirek as revenge for his original imprisonment. After Tirek is defeated, the three princesses are released and return home to Equestria.

Depiction in the series 7:

The Cutie Re-Mark - Part 2 In The Cutie Re-Mark - Part 2, due to Starlight Glimmer's alteration of the past, she inadvertently creates a future where Nightmare Moon deposes Princess Celestia, banishes her to the moon, and brings about eternal night. Catching word of Twilight Sparkle's method of time travel used to stop Starlight, Nightmare Moon expresses interest in using this magic to prevent the Elements of Harmony from being found, ensuring her eternal rule. However, Twilight gets away and rewrites the timeline before Nightmare Moon can act upon it. In a second alternate timeline, Luna and her sister fail to defeat Discord and are tormented by him as he rules Equestria. A Hearth's Warming Tail In A Hearth's Warming Tail, Luna portrays the Spirit of Hearth's Warming Yet to Come in Twilight's imagining of the story "A Hearth's Warming Tale". In A Royal Problem, Starlight Glimmer is sent by the Cutie Map to solve a friendship problem between Celestia and Luna. When the sisters demonstrate a lack of communication and appreciation for one another, Starlight switches their cutie marks and has them trade places for a day. Because of her difficulty dealing with other ponies, Luna accidentally ruins a fundraiser for school foals and causes a timberwolf scare among delegates. With Starlight Glimmer's help, the two sisters gain an appreciation for each other's royal duties and make amends.

Depiction in the series 8:

In Shadow Play - Part 1, Luna and Celestia are present when Sunburst reads from the Star Swirl the Bearded's lost journal and express interest in what became of their former teacher. In Part 2, they are reunited with Star Swirl after the Pony of Shadows is defeated. School Raze In School Raze - Part 1, Luna takes part in the discussion regarding magic fading from Equestria, commenting on her difficulty in raising the moon. She also cautions Twilight and her friends against the hazards of Tartarus. In Part 2, she appears with Celestia and the royal guards to apprehend Cozy Glow, and later takes her to Tartarus accompanied by a pair of guards. Best Gift Ever In the hour-long special My Little Pony Best Gift Ever, Luna briefly appears spending Hearth's Warming with Celestia in Canterlot. The Beginning of the End In the season nine premiere The Beginning of the End - Part 1, Celestia and Luna announce their decision to retire from ruling Equestria and have Twilight and her friends rule in their place. She also appears in a nightmare vision given to Twilight by King Sombra, transforming into Nightmare Moon. In Part 2, Luna, Celestia, and Star Swirl the Bearded keep the Everfree Forest from encroaching on Ponyville after the Elements of Harmony are destroyed. After Sombra is defeated by the Mane Six, Celestia and Luna decide not to retire after realizing the pressure they suddenly put on Twilight's shoulders, and they agree to only let Twilight take over for them when she is ready.

Depiction in the series 9:

In Sparkle's Seven, Celestia tasks Shining Armor with increasing security to Canterlot Castle, but Luna thinks she and Celestia should be able to protect the castle themselves. As revealed in a flashback at the end of the episode, she is approached by Spike, who notices her dissatisfaction with Shining Armor being brought in to increase security, and agrees to help him get the crown in exchange for his assistance in sabotaging the competition. Between Dark and Dawn In Between Dark and Dawn, Luna and Celestia, emboldened by battling the Everfree Forest alongside Star Swirl, step in to help the citizens of Ponyville with several issues, before being convinced by the Mane Six to take a vacation together. During the trip, Luna prefers activities such as theatre, opera, art museums, and general relaxing, clashing with Celestia wanting to indulge in more exciting activities. This ultimately leads to the sisters arguing and going their seperate ways. They eventually reconcile and climb Mount Filly-mane-jaro together, but are forced to return to Canterlot after Twilight has trouble with the amulet they gave her to raise the sun and moon with.

Depiction in the series 10:

The Summer Sun Setback In The Summer Sun Setback, Luna and Celestia inform Twilight that the upcoming Summer Sun Celebration will be the last time the event will be held, feeling no need to keep celebrating it after they retire. When the event's preparations are sabotaged by Queen Chrysalis, Lord Tirek, and Cozy Glow, Luna and Celestia help fix the damage caused. They later join Twilight on stage to commence the Celebration, and she observes Twilight with pride as she announces the "Festival of the Two Sisters" to replace it. The Ending of the End In The Ending of the End - Part 1, Luna and Celestia make their final preparations for Twilight to take their place as ruler of Equestria. Unfortunately, they are informed by Discord of his masquerade as Grogar and the other villains' imminent attack on Canterlot. When Cozy Glow, now an Alicorn, attacks Canterlot Castle, Luna and Celestia face her, only to have their magic stolen by the Bewitching Bell. Despite this, they help hold off the three villains while Twilight teleports to safety. In The Ending of the End - Part 2, Luna is among the ponies imprisoned by the three villains in the caverns beneath Canterlot. After Discord and Starlight break them free, she joins Celestia and the Pillars in attacking the villains while the rest of the Mane Six and Spike escape. They are imprisoned yet again, but later freed by the magic of friendship, and transported to join the army of Equestria's allies. After regaining their magic, Luna, Celestia, and Discord turn the defeated villains to stone.

Depiction in the series 11:

In The Last Problem, Luna and Celestia oversee Twilight's coronation as ruler of Equestria, merging their crowns into a new one for her. After the coronation is completed-with some mishaps-the sisters announce their intention to move to Silver Shoals, with Luna hoping that Twilight will come and visit them.

Personality 2:

As the Nightmare Moon Much like many archetypal, over-the-top villains, Nightmare Moon is overly confident of herself and dramatically declares that the protagonist is a fool (foal) for thinking she can defeat her, and that "the night will last forever." She is portrayed as vicious and maniacal, shown when she attacks Princess Celestia and cackles evilly in Princess Twilight Sparkle - Part 2. Bitterness The narration at the beginning of Friendship is Magic, part 1 speaks of Luna's bitterness which transformed her. When she first appears, she intimidates the ponies with her evil laugh and pointed questions. She snidely refers to the ponies as her "beloved subjects," but appears genuinely impressed when Twilight Sparkle recognizes her as Nightmare Moon. Manipulation Nightmare Moon uses her magic to set obstacles in Twilight and her friends' path to the Elements of Harmony indirectly, making creatures unwittingly assist her. These include the manticore, whose paw she embeds with a thorn so he'd attack the ponies, or Steven Magnet, whose mustache she cuts off so he'd make the river impassible. She further indirectly attacks the ponies by causing a cliff side to collapse underneath the ponies' hooves and making trees look like monsters. As the Shadowbolts, she tries to persuade Rainbow Dash to abandon her friends so they won't be able to cross a fallen bridge and reach the Elements of Harmony. Despite her indirect approach, when she is attacked by the royal guards, she quickly repels them with lightning, then turns into mist and floats away. She also confronts Twilight Sparkle directly when the two charge at each other, right before shattering the Elements of Harmony.

Personality 3:

Once transformed back to her former self, Princess Luna is remorseful and tearful upon seeing her older sister. She runs to Celestia's side, apologizing for what she had done. The two sisters later join the celebration in Ponyville, where Luna receives a welcome wreath in wonderment, and gazes up with an anxious smile at her older sister. However, as stated in Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?, Luna's sense of guilt causes her to create the Tantabus in order to give herself nightmares every night as punishment for the suffering she caused as Nightmare Moon.

Personality 4:

Excessive decorum Princess Luna reveals herself S2E04 Princess Luna's return. Princess Luna returned to the show exactly one year after the broadcast date of Friendship is Magic, part 2, in the episode Luna Eclipsed. The episode takes place in Ponyville during Nightmare Night. Despite wanting to win over the citizens of Ponyville, the townspeople are frightened of her booming voice and assertive manner. Twilight Sparkle tells Spike that Luna must be having trouble adjusting after being gone for a thousand years. When Luna tries to express her happiness with being purged of her dark powers, Twilight tells her that she sounds like she's yelling, and Luna explains that she's using the "traditional Canterlot voice," the royal we, and high volume in order to properly address her subjects. She uses archaic terms like "hath," "thy," "nay," and "thou," as well as other constructs. Ponies cheer for Luna S2E04 Luna having fun with the villagers. Twilight encourages Luna to lower the volume of her voice, but Luna is hesitant. Twilight Sparkle recruits Fluttershy's help in teaching Luna to speak in a softer voice, and later takes her to Ponyville so Applejack can show her how to be likable. For a short while, Luna manages to mingle with the villagers of Ponyville and have fun with them, by playing games where she throws toy spiders or pumpkins onto a target. In Sleepless in Ponyville, she seems to show less of her former decorum, dispensing with the royal we, and speaking in a far less harsh manner.

Personality 5:

Princess Luna reverts to her intimidating self after Pinkie Pie accuses her of eating Pipsqueak, while she was actually saving him from drowning in the apple bob. She attempts to endear herself to the villagers by turning toy spiders into real spiders, trying to elicit "fun" by making them crawl on their own to the bulls-eye, but the spiders only frighten everyone. The villagers panic and flee, and after a few seconds of indecision, Luna stops the commotion by shouting "Be still!" in her royal Canterlot voice, to the accompaniment of a crack of thunder. She then decrees in anger that since the ponies dishonor and insult her with the celebration, Nightmare Night is canceled forever.

Personality 6:

Thanks to Pinkie Pie's insight, Twilight Sparkle realizes that because of the holiday, Pinkie Pie and her entourage actually want to be frightened, so she arranges for Luna to purposefully scare them. Luna appears as Nightmare Moon, scares the ponies, and bares fangs. After the ponies run away in fright, she changes back to her usual appearance and spits out the false fangs she was wearing, confused as to why Twilight wanted her to do that. Then Pipsqueak approaches Luna on behalf of the children and asks her to come back and scare them again next year, even though she canceled Nightmare Night. Luna begins to understand and reinstates Nightmare Night, at which point Pipsqueak declares her his "favorite princess ever" and hugs her leg. The princess manages to relinquish the use of her royal Canterlot voice, and in the epilogue she plays a variety of games with the villagers, accepts the foals' candy, and frightens Rainbow Dash by firing a bolt of lightning behind her, a trick that Rainbow Dash had been playing on other ponies over the course of the night.

Personality 7:

In the episode Sleepless in Ponyville, she displays kindness and offers wise advice to Scootaloo when she tells her to face her fears. At the end of the episode she gives Scootaloo a wink and a smile, as she knows that Scootaloo has faced her fears and she also knows that she has Rainbow Dash to help her overcome them. In For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils, Luna once again appears in a nightmare; this time, in Sweetie Belle's nightmare. She gives advice to Sweetie Belle and tells her that she as well has a sister that often "shines more brightly" than her and that she struggles with it. She then takes Sweetie Belle into the past at her fifth birthday party and shows her that Rarity did not want to take over the party, just simply save it. Later, Luna tells Sweetie to go inside a door of what the future might hold if she does not fix her sabotage of the headpiece Rarity had designed for Sapphire Shores. Later in the episode, Luna appears again in Canterlot in order to help Sweetie Belle undo the damage she did to the headpiece. In Bloom & Gloom, Luna brings the Cutie Mark Crusaders together into a dream to help dispel their fears about their future cutie marks. In To Where and Back Again - Part 1, she appears to Starlight Glimmer in her nightmare, emphasizing with Starlight's past regrets, and encouraging her to talk with Twilight about her problems.

Magic:

As mentioned above, Luna's chief duty is raising the moon at night when Celestia lowers the sun. Following her banishment to the moon, Luna resumes this responsibility, as shown in Princess Twilight Sparkle - Part 1. In the episode Hearth's Warming Eve, Spike narrates that this magic is not exclusive to Luna and Celestia and that it could be performed by the unicorns of old collectively. In Twilight's Kingdom - Part 2, Luna temporarily transfers her ability to control the moon, along with all of her magic, to Twilight Sparkle. On multiple occasions, Nightmare Moon turns her entire form into mist. She appears in this manner in Ponyville's pavilion where the Summer Sun Celebration is being held, and she follows the Mane Six on their journey for the Elements this way. While in this form, Nightmare Moon manipulates creatures and environments; she transforms into a thorn to hurt a manticore, prompting it to attack the Mane Six, and she transforms into the Shadowbolts at one point. In Luna Eclipsed, Luna transforms into her Nightmare Moon form with a set of false fangs to playfully frighten some foals on Nightmare Night. In the same episode, she transforms toy spiders into living spiders. Weather manipulation Luna 'Forever!' S2E04 "Nightmare Night is canceled....FOREVER!!!!!" Nightmare Moon uses lightning to repel the royal guards in Friendship is Magic, part 2 and thickens the mist over the fallen bridge later in the episode to prevent Rainbow Dash from hearing Twilight Sparkle calling out to her. In Luna Eclipsed, Princess Luna makes clouds swirl above her in the sky when she decrees that Nightmare Night is canceled, and she produces lightning from a cloud to playfully frighten Rainbow Dash.

Magic 2:

Dream duty In Sleepless in Ponyville, Luna appears in Scootaloo's dreams, stating that as the princess of the night, it is "[her] duty to come into [ponies'] dreams," and offers Scootaloo guidance in facing her fears. Headless mare with Luna on the moon in background S3E6 Luna's face on the moon in Scootaloo's nightmare. Luna makes a similar appearance in Sweetie Belle's dreams in For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils and shows Sweetie Belle visions of her past, the present, and Rarity's future. In Bloom & Gloom, Luna visits Apple Bloom's nightmare to comfort her cutie mark anxieties, and also brings Sweetie and Scootaloo into the dream. In Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?, Princess Luna hunts down the Tantabus, a nightmare creature she created that haunts the Mane Six's dreams. She jumps from dream to dream and also creates a dream that everyone in Ponyville shares. In To Where and Back Again - Part 1, Luna visits Starlight's nightmare, encouraging her not to let her past define her, and to talk with her friends. In A Royal Problem, Luna remarks that watching over ponies' dreams takes so much effort that she often ends up exhausted by the morning. Royal guards Luna's guards S2E04 Luna's royal guards. Princess Luna's royal guards look quite different from Princess Celestia's guards. They wear black and purple armor reminiscent of Nightmare Moon's armor. And most significantly, they have purple dragon or bat-like wings instead of the standard feathered Pegasus wings. They are grey-brown and have yellow eyes with pupils in the form of slits. Their ears appear to be furrier than normal. The carriage they pull is aggressive and Gothic, with streamlined shapes evoking bat or dragon-wings as well as arrow-like or spear-like accents. It is built with a low center of gravity, and Luna's royal guards pull it via heavy chains.