This is an opinion poll first and foremost, just remember that and leave an actual serious opinion.

I believe that Nightmare Moon seriously wants what's best for Luna. I see Luna as a soft-hearted, kind and by the book co-ruler of Equestria. Nightmare Moon exists to fill the role of tough, cold protector that would go to any length to make Luna happy. Which leads me to ask... What if Luna and Nightmare Moon were like Jodie and Aiden from "Two Soul"? How plausible is that?

I'll just leave you with this song to illustrate my view on the relationship between Luna and Nightmare Moon. (Try to think of the song from Nightmare Moon's Point of view and seriously read the lyrics)

2097881 she was evil for a while, but now she's better

The end

2097881 The comics explain that Nightmare Moon is a separate entity that preyed on Luna's pre-existing psychological weaknesses, and then used them to take control of her. It ends up doing the same thing to Rarity in the comics as well.

2097881
I would have to disagree on the whole protector part. Nightmare Moon rose up and became tyrannical, almost to the degree of Sombra yet not enslaving everypony. Just wishing to cover the land in eternal night. But that's just my take on it. Luna's just different than Celestia, and if anything, Luna's more rigid and unforgiving in certain circumstances than Celestia.

Nightmare Moon is to Luna what Nightmare is to Siegfried.

... whoops, I think I just gave myself an idea.

2097921 I would never have thought about it that way...

i agree with the subconscious brought to life, after all magic is very...unpredictable at times, besides who is to say the creation of nightmare was involuntary ?

2097921
What? Siegfried and Luna meeting and helping each other with their inner demons so to speak... lol.
Or maybe Nightmare Moon is Soul Edge!

2097881
Myself, I see Nightmare Moon as an alternate personality created to do what Luna wanted to do all along but couldn't bring herself to go through with it.

2097897
The whole parasitic thing they make it out to be in the comics... can you say Venom? Yea, not really a fan of that cliché. I prefer it to be completely a psychological struggle. Throw in some parasitic entity and suddenly they're just another victim.

2098058

Say it with me...

2097891
I'm in this camp. Even if NM is its own entity now, it's just not the same if Luna's psychological issues aren't the origin.

2097881 I actually get what you mean here; it makes sense. Nightmare Moon seems to be the side of Luna that wants what she thinks is right and fair. If I may bring something up, I'm actually trying to do a similar story with my OC Metal Quill and his alternate personality Malice.

2098058

And psychological struggle characters are played off as less of a victim? Honestly, I see them played up more as a victim than anything. Always built up as some helpless slave to their emotions, then they are never really forced to face punishment because "they weren't in their right mind".

Having a real tangible opposing force doesn't change the story at all most of the time.

Just to set the record straight, possession is one of the universal, tried and true "good story" conflict tropes. It's weathered the test of time and it's neither dead, nor painful to read.

2098333
It's neither dead nor painful to read, but it's boring when used without a fresh spin. NMM-as-possessed-Luna is usually written to be pretty boring and I have yet to see anyone put an interesting spin on it. We've all seen that storyline a thousand times already.

2097881

The Nightmare is a formless entity bent on taking over Equestria through the power of others (like Luna or the moon creatures). So I don't think they have that personal of a relationship. If I go fanon route, I'd say Luna created a different personality to carry out the acts that would lead her to power, in order to subvert her own beliefs and inhibitions.

2098096
If the Nightmare was created by Luna's psychological struggles, that is far more symbolic than if it's just a malevolent entity that preyed on her when she was weak. The problem with it being a separate entity is if it isn't part of Luna, then it doesn't really represent Luna's inner struggle; it wouldn't matter what Luna was struggling with as long as she was weak. And at the same time it absolves Celestia of a great deal of her guilt. Not completely of course, but a great deal.

It is a far more tragic backstory for Luna to have been driven so far as to create such a beast than if she was just a little depressed and some evil entity happened to come along and took control of her. The first is real tragedy; she's the author of her own downfall, the second; she's just a victim of a common villain.

Yes, common. I don't mean just as far as villains that possess others either. Just about every villain out there will manipulate people when they are weak... I mean I just watched Star Trek: Into Darkness and that's one of the first things that happens... a guy's daughter is dying, villain offers to save her in exchange for his services.

Basically I'm saying the comics make it a much less intriguing story; which is why I completely ignore them.

2098333
I used possession myself in Midnight Star. I don't have a problem with possession; but I think the story behind NMM told in the intro of the series is a far more tragic and intriguing story than Luna just getting taken over by some outside entity.

2097881 I always thought Nightmare Moon was living 'Envy.' Kinda like how dragons are living 'greed.'

2097881
Possesser / Possessed.

That's all

2097921>>2098058
I smell a crossover . . .

2097891
This explanation works for me, though I don't mind the comics' explanation either. After all, Luna would have had to have psychological weaknesses to begin with to fall victim to the Nightmare. The argument here seems to between whether or not Nightmare Moon originated internally or externally as an extension of Luna's fears and doubts. In either case, her weakness was the same.

2098476 I think you're trivializing what Luna supposedly went through up to the point of possession. Also it isn't clear if she sought it out, or if it just "happened along."

It might have more gravity if it's one of Luna's own machinations, true. However it doesn't take away from the events that would have weakened her to that state to begin with. And it's not like she got off easy either, she was still sent to the moon.

We'll have to agree to disagree. Maybe we'll learn what happened, maybe not. To be honest I kind of doubt it, what with all that seems to be going on in the teasers. I don't think they'll spend much time explaining it.

2098526

Comic didn't change anything though. The shows intro didn't tell us anything beyond she got jealous then turned into NMM. Not to mention that season 4 appears to have an episode where Twilight sees what happened to Luna from what appears to be Celestia's perspective. In that clip, we see that Luna was extremely shocked and surprised when she turned into Nightmare Moon (Think Eddie Brock/ Venom. He didn't think that there was a problem until he started being really bad outside of his hatred for Peter).

If I was a writer and wanted to make convey someones jealously turning them into a monster i'd show them slowing degrading and eventually falling down a slippery slope. But we'll see. Honestly, I believe it to be a combo between what the comics said and what the intro said. I think grew jealous, but beat it back. Repressing it caused it to grow into it's own alter ego. Said alter ego possessed her when she let her dam of emotions break.

but I think the story behind NMM told in the intro of the series is a far more tragic and intriguing story than Luna just getting taken over by some outside entity.

I disagree, but things like that are subjective. I believe both to be equally as tragic and intriguing. I believe that how much mileage they can get depends wholly on the writers. That's just me.

2098454

But what isn't boring when no new spins are put in? And does it even need to be done a new way most of the time. Often times even if a story element isn't done in a particularly unique way it can still fun to read if written in an engaging manner.

The Immortal Game wasn't unique anywhere (no disrespect to AestheticB). But it was a blast to read. Neither Eternal wasn't unique nor were Past Sins, Into the Black, and Fallout Equestria.
The effort was put in to make them so good that they stood out and were entertaining. But I have yet to see a story put a real unique twist on anything.

2112971
It's all opinion at this point; I just think it's more tragic to fall to a monster of your own creation than to just be a victim of another. I've chosen to ignore the comics myself and have never read them. I see them as being similar to the DBZ movies; they can be fun, but most don't fit into the canon storyline even if they came from an official source. And yes I already made the comparison to Venom.

That clip from season 4 seems like a dream sequence to me; a nightmare (no pun intended) that Twilight has while trying to adjust to her new role.

... Isn't this thread a bit redundant, considering we'll get the answer to that question within the month?
No offense, but I don't see the value in a speculation thread that will be almost certainly discarded after the next episode airs on the origin of Nightmare Moon.

It is like asking what it would be if Twilight had a brother, if we were made aware of the wedding episode having that at the beginning of 2012. You'll get a firm canon stance on the issue that will render all discussion about it to obsolescence, and any headcanon on the premise pointless. Again, there is little logical sense in discussing something that will get the true answer in the very near future.

Just be patient and hold your horses chap.
We'll find out soon enough was the holy gospel known as the TV show will have to say about this.

2113337

The thread till has use for Alt universe writers. If the actual events prove unsatisfactory, perhaps someone can find an idea here.

Everyone isn't as foolish as Pen Stroke and other authors can be at times. Most of use are content with our head canon and mostly use show canon to shape the foundations of our world. I know that I won't rewrite my story just because something voids my headcanon.