This question had been itching at the back of my neck for quite a while: Why didn't Nightmare Moon killed Celestia. I mean... If I was banished to the moon for a thousand years and has that much ham to boot, I would seriously the person who sent me there.

I know the obvious answer that Hasbro or DHX didn't want to say that she killed her. However, I like to think that despite how much she want to boast about the night, Nightmare must know that the world would die unless it gets it's little bit of sunlight. If Celestia was on the moon, then maybe she can still raise the sun and give the plants the food that they need to grow.

Then again: It's both funny and ironic to lock up the jailer in their own jail cell.

4893290
I think Nightmare Moon would definitely go for the ironic, humiliating punishment if she could. She's all about the drama and the ham, about subduing her subjects through force of will and displays of power rather than brute force. Placing a constant reminder of her victory in the sky would be totally her style. :)

4893290
4893293
And we have to consider, that she said: My reign will last forever. It is a greater punishment if her sister resides in the moon for all eternity. She was only in there a millenia.

4893290
I'm pretty sure the reason that Nightmare Moon didn't just kill Celestia is because that would be too easy. Sending Celestia to the moon for eternity would be a fate worse than death and it would be sweet revenge for Nightmare Moon to make her suffer the same thing she did.

And on a more sunny (see what I did there?) note, Nightmare Moon might not just had wanted to kill her own sister.

But yes, most likely for the novelty of it, Nightmare Moon is the kind of villain who would enjoy ironic punishments.

4893293 That and because after all it's still a show for kids

The moon looks so much cooler now tho!

4893290

Simple, because deep down, Nightmare Moon is still Luna. There is a part of her that is Luna and that part of her still cares for and loves her sister. That part of her would never try to kill her sister, so thus she held back.

4893380 agreed

4893290 I know if I took over an entire world and planned to rule forever, I'd stick the rightful ruler in an unreachable prison on the tallest cliff in the world just so that they could see everything I do to their precious world.

I haven't done any thoughts about that, because it's rather obvious to me:

She has imprisoned her in the moon as sign of her triumph. For showing her subjects how powerful she is and as a constant reminder that they can't stop her.

4893322

And on a more sunny (see what I did there?) note, Nightmare Moon might not just had wanted to kill her own sister.

Nightmare Moon isn't Celestia's sister, Luna is. They are two different entities. So Nightmare Moon would not care about her.

4893380

Simple, because deep down, Nightmare Moon is still Luna. There is a part of her that is Luna and that part of her still cares for and loves her sister. That part of her would never try to kill her sister, so thus she held back.

Nightmare Moon tried to kill Celestia in her final confrontation with her before she was sent to the moon. So, Luna had no control over what happened. And even before Nightmare Moon took her over, she already expressed quite clearly that she wants to dispose of Celestia, so in all her rage and jealousy, she probably wasn't objecting so much what Nightmare Moon tried.

4893604

Well, in the finale Nightmare Moon did still call Celestia her sister, and felt the need to defend the decision of banishing Celestia to the moon by saying right after that it is simply a fate to which Celestia sentenced her. Implying that she was wronged and is simply making Celestia taste her own medicine, not doing anything wrong herself.

Furthermore, if Celestia was simply an enemy to be defeated, Nightmare Moon's guards wouldn't had been so wary of Celestia's name being mentioned aloud. Apparently Nightmare Moon still hasn't been able to get over the issue, if the mere mention of her sister's name can drive her into rage, even after her complete victory,

I'm not saying you are wrong, it is a sign of triumph, but her behaviour seems to suggest that there are other elements in play when it comes to her character.

4893732

Well, in the finale Nightmare Moon did still call Celestia her sister

Yes, I heard that, but everything we heard about Nightmare Moon in the past was clearly showing that Nightmare Moon is a different entity from Luna. No matter if we look at the official comics or the show, both made that very clear.
Nightmare Moon calling Celestia her sister is contradictatory to all of these informations and this tiny sentence can't uphold against the massive amount of other information from the past. So, there is another reason why Nightmare Moon said that.
Maybe it was Luna regaining some control for just a very short moment, so that it was her who sneaked in the word "sister". Nightmare Moon wouldn't react surprised to this since she knows that Luna is trying to fight her from the inside (with no chance of succeeding).
Or maybe it was because Nightmare Moon is in control of Luna's brain, so some memories overlapped and she said it accidentally. Which would again be something that happens more often, explaining why Nightmare Moon wasn't surprised.
Or, a little less likely, but still possible, Nightmare Moon meant it ironically/sarcastic and was referring to it that Celestia thought at the beginning that she is still Luna in a sardonic way. A slightly sadistic attitude would fit to Nightmare Moon, I would not be surprised if she had such an attitude.
These are explanations that work better, as they are aligned with past informations we got.

4893745

Yes, I heard that, but everything we heard about Nightmare Moon in the past was clearly showing that Nightmare Moon is a different entity from Luna. No matter if we look at the official comics or the show, both made that very clear.

Heard from whom? The fans of Luna?

While it is a nice thought, I'm not thrilled with the idea. I feel it diminishes her character and makes her far too innocent.

If we are talking about an outside force possessing Luna and turning her into Nightmare Moon against her will, I feel it destroys her as a character as a former villain struggling for redemption. If Luna herself is not the blame for Nightmare Moon, then her blaming herself just seems pointless because she was not in control of her actions and thus not responsible.

I feel it's a wrong message to teach children. That good people who turned bad were just misled by others and not their own negative emotions.

4895592

I agree with you completely, and here it is where it shows that comics do not follow the same script the show itself does. The comics established early on that Luna was in fact possessed by a force outside and had no control over her actions, and that Nightmare Moon is a completely different entity.

Yet the show itself in this very season made an entire episode about the horrific amount of guilt Luna feels about her past actions, and how she punishes herself about it every night about what she did as Nightmare Moon. If you assume that the comic interpretation is canon, then that entire episode more or less loses it's point, doesn't it?

This is why comics are a poor source of information, because they have established a great deal of backstory for both Sombra and Nightmare Moon, which the show itself completely ignores, along with everything else the comics have done.

4893290 Maybe it was that sweet, sweet poetic justice.
Or maybe Alicorns are too hard to kill.

4893604 4893732 4893745 4895592 4895785 I always thought of it as being akin to The Mysterious Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. They are different and separate in terms of mind and personality, but one of them was born from the other, and pretends that they are the same.
It really makes you think, doesn't it?

But that's just my way of thinking. Feel free to take it with a grain of salt.

4895785 You can still reconcile the two, though. Even if Luna was possessed and without any control over her actions, it was still her body doing everything, and I can imagine her feeling horrendously guilty over just that.

Or, suppose she was possessed by a Nightmare Spirit, but she had summoned the it herself. Maybe she realized what was going to happen; more likely she didn't - but she still feels every bit at fault, and in a very real sense, she still is.

4895785 One fan theory I can honestly say that I would get behind, is the idea of Sombra being the cause of Luna's descent into madness. Not by intent, but by his abilities.

From the Crystal Empire episodes in Season 3, it is shown that Sombra represents Fear. He uses fear as his greatest weapon. When Twilight and Spike try to find the Crystal Heart in order to stop Sombra from re-taking the Empire, they both fall victim to one of his traps that shows them their greatest fears.

Over a thousand years ago, Celestia and Luna fought King Sombra and banished him. We are never given any exact details as to what happened during the fight. The only best example is this fan video:

While the video is an overly epic representation of that clash between them, it does help create a reasonable idea on how Luna ultimately fell.

Sombra didn't turn Luna or plant something evil that grew over time. That would imply that Sombra somehow knew he was going to lose. He accidently added fuel to a fire that was already present in Luna to begin with.

Luna always feared that she wasn't equal to Celestia. That their subjects praised her sister's sun more than her night. That she was destined to be forever alone and unloved.

These feelings enhanced by Sombra's actions would (or probably did) unlock a darkness inside Luna. A darkness that showed her that she was stronger than she looked and could get whatever she would want, at the expense of going against her own sister.

After Sombra's defeat, Luna would at first hide these feelings and struggle to be the good sister. But ultimately her resentment and hatred towards Celestia's fame grew before it finally boiled over.

4893290

Because there's enough of Luna in Nightmare Moon that she'd much rather not kill her Sister? And Celestia, after all, didn't kill her when she had the chance.

but yeah, its a demonstration of power, a lasting symbol of her victory, and sweet tit-for-tat revenge for being stuck on the moon for 1,000 years.

And again, the moon looks fabulous with the new color scheme.