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Nightmare Moon was a bit of a wasted opportunity


Zoraxe

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As much as I like Season 1 and how it ended with the Grand Galloping Gala instead of something epic, I feel like season 1 could have both started and ended with Nightmare Moon, and that would have been better.

 

Considering we don't see Luna again until the 2nd season, it makes me think NMM could have instead escaped instead of being defeated but not reformed after the first two episodes and had a season finale be based on NMM to end season one with, and that it would have been better. We don't really get to enjoy her as a villain as she doesn't do much.

 

Also, Luna became jealous of Celestia and that's why she turned evil, that's about all the explanation we get, I'd like to get some more insight on why Luna felt wronged enough to turn evil. Was Celestia manipulative towards to Luna? Did ponies actively fear and hate her? Why? (No, I do not count the Nightmare Rarity comic arc as an explanation, its a slap in the face to Luna fans)

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I agree that Nightmare had more potential than was allowed in the show. Perhaps the entirety of season one could have been devoted to the mane six discovering their elemental power and the friendship bond between each other.

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I agree as well. We got to see in the s4 premiere the flashback of Luna being banished to the moon, but we haven't really be explained why she wanted to be the only princess. I don't get why she just suddenly decided to revolt against Celestia when in earlier times the two princesses seemed to get along.

Edited by rpc8169
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Honestly, when I heard Nightmare Moon was going to return in S4 I didn't think it'd be in a flashback in the first two episodes.

 

I do hope that Luna and Nightmare Moon have a duel at some point. Luna facing her demon and Nightmare Moon attempting to take back control.

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I'm with you. Nightmare Moon could have been developed into a lot more, but it was unfortunately rushed due to being in the first episode and them having to set up basically everything else about the series. They didn't even do much more with her in the Season 4 premier when Twilight has thousand-year flashbacks.

 

Now... if Luna were to suffer a relapse...

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I agree that Nightmare had more potential than was allowed in the show. Perhaps the entirety of season one could have been devoted to the mane six discovering their elemental power and the friendship bond between each other.

 

I agree. The first season may had gotten me into the show, but it is by far the worst season due to the total lack of flow. 

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Honestly, when I heard Nightmare Moon was going to return in S4 I didn't think it'd be in a flashback in the first two episodes.

 

I do hope that Luna and Nightmare Moon have a duel at some point. Luna facing her demon and Nightmare Moon attempting to take back control.

The staff has mentioned a couple of times where Luna will be the one with problems in the dream realm, so I expect Nightmare Moon to be involved in that episode

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The staff has mentioned a couple of times where Luna will be the one with problems in the dream realm, so I expect Nightmare Moon to be involved in that episode

 

Yep yep 

 

 

Hasbro SDCC Panel - One episode, "Luna will have a nightmare."

 

 

I think that we haven't seen the last of Nightmare Moon.  :o

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Yep yep 

 

 

Hasbro SDCC Panel - One episode, "Luna will have a nightmare."

 

 

I think that we haven't seen the last of Nightmare Moon.  :o

 

I have to wonder how that will mix with the Nightmare Rarity angle, considering that the "Nightmare" was essentially a separate element entirely. While I could see both concepts staying, this might be one of those cases where show canon will override that arc of the comic series.

 

Anything is possible, but I'm excited to see what the writers come up with.

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I have to wonder how that will mix with the Nightmare Rarity angle, considering that the "Nightmare" was essentially a separate element entirely. While I could see both concepts staying, this might be one of those cases where show canon will override that arc of the comic series.

 

Anything is possible, but I'm excited to see what the writers come up with.

 

I'm assuming they will just not mention Nightmare Rarity leaving it up to the fans to reconcile any deviations. It could be done with a simple "remnant" explanation like the magic sticking around in Rainbow Rocks. Pony Magic is sticky stuff. It's gets on you and you never get it all off. 

 

Huh, Nightmare Moon is basically a stain. 

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I hope she's back, more like the S4 flashback rather than the S1 openers. She was far more threatening in that brief flashback than the entirety of the first 2 episodes IMO.

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I'm assuming they will just not mention Nightmare Rarity leaving it up to the fans to reconcile any deviations. It could be done with a simple "remnant" explanation like the magic sticking around in Rainbow Rocks. Pony Magic is sticky stuff. It's gets on you and you never get it all off. 

 

Huh, Nightmare Moon is basically a stain. 

 

Fair point. If there is one thing that's proven true this far is that MLP canon isn't exactly set in stone. The show is above all, of course, but it isn't a stickler like in Star Wars or Star Trek.

 

In any case, my point stands. Will be nice to see NMM again.

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I would love if they could somehow split the essence/memories of NMM off Luna(possibly from this nightmare episode), and let NMM be some separate phantom entity, that can be a reoccurring(or season finale) villain for the mane 6. Perhaps she can be more of a Scarecrow/Freddy Kruger type villain, playing on fear, and messing with your mind, and such(since she has no physical body). As long as they don't turn her into a Team Rocket knockoff, where she fails because bullshit.  :maud:

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I am not so sure. It's been shown in Season 4 that they are building upon Nightmare Moon....Even the IDW comics build upon it with Luna's character. I do think they missed the opportunity in Season 1, but that fact that they are building upon it at all means that the opportunity is not yet gone. I believe they will continue to build upon it as Luna is further fleshed out....There isn't much to Nightmare Moon beyond the magic behind the transformation and the alteration of Luna's mindset, but there is much more to Luna than Nightmare Moon and we should focus on that. :)

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Yeah, the first two episodes could be easily turned into a whole season long story arc. Here's how I would do it if I were in charge:

 

First, Twilight Sparkle in Canterlot finds the old legend about Mare in the Moon, and digs through her books to find out more about it. And in her old copy of "Predictions and Prophecies" she finds the prediction about Nightmare Moon's return. When she tries to warn Princess Celestia about that, she sends her to province (Ponyville) from some reason. Here I'd tell some more about the frustration Twilight gets from that, and how Celestia's decision is irrational for her. She simply doesn't know that Celestia did this on purpose, to let her meet with the other future "element wielders". This part of the story is really hard to tell, because in the original version we have to sit through all those scenes of meeting different ponies we don't know much about yet, wondering why is it important at all. So there are some clues to the audience missing, which would hint that all these meetings are not coincidental (they're all on the list, and there are no other ponies on it, so it was all set up by Celestia from the very beginning). Then we have this Nightmare Moon return scene, which ends the first episode. Up to this point, everything seems to be OK (just some minor hints and foreshadowing are needed).

 

But from now on, the story arc could evolved into something more complex, culminating in the final battle with Nightmare Moon in the LAST episode of that season, or somewhere in between (half-season perhaps?).

 

Next episode begins well: with Twilight digging through her books to find out more about the Elements of Harmony, and her new friends came up there.

But here's where I'd change the flow of the story:

Let's say the book contains a legend about some mysterious Elements of Harmony, and there are some hints about how to find them. But it's not just some easy deal as simply going into the nearby castle where the elements were kicking around for a thousand years, and no pony ever knew about it or took them from there. No. Here's where the journey begins, and Twilight and her new friends set out into a quest for finding these elements. I'd split it in such a way that each of the Mane Six would find her element in one episode, by solving some friendship problem. Pretty much what happened in the second episode, but spread into several episodes, and with more complex story. It should be made clear that whenever one of the ponies finds her element, she did something which reflects this element's feature.

 

In the meantime, Nightmare Moon would spread her menace over Equestria, causing more and more damage. The sun went down and it doesn't go up, there is no morning anymore. I would show how it influenced the lives of ponies, which hasn't been shown in the show at all. E.g. how plants are dying out without the sunlight, the food supplies are running out, ponies start to panic etc. This would be a great antithesis for the beautiful scenery of Ponyville we begun with, which introduces more contrast, and motivates our heroes for their journey. They see the misery of all ponies around, and they seek for some way to stop this. The only drawback could be that we would see more darkness throughout several episodes, but it might be balanced by hope and friendship of Mane Six striving to keep together in these dark times and overcome the evil. It wouldn't be much different from how "The Lord of the Rings" or "Harry Potter" are constructed, so I don't think it would scare little kids or something, if played well.

 

And finally, when they complete all five elements, there's still that six one which is missing, so the whole effort seems to be fruitless. But then, suddenly, Twilight Sparkle realizes that the missing element was Magic of Friendship – something she was missing when she lived in her literal "ivory tower" in Canterlot, where she wasn't interested in making friends. It should be emphasized more, with flashbacks etc., that this is it, and how important Friendship is to solve this mystery and defeat Nightmare Moon. I could even use some "scene rhyming" by showing the same idea from the point of view of Luna: She turned into Nightmare Moon when she had lost her "spark", and become bitter. And now Twilight Sparkle and her friends confront her, with their Magic of Frienship, which reminds her what she had once lost. She can even admit it after being defeated and converted back into Luna, and the process of reforming her could begin, with the episode about Nightmare Night in a different order than in the original. For me it was quite weird to wait through entire season to see Luna back (what's more: looking completely different, bigger and older than in the second episode :P ).

 

PathfinderCS, on 07 Nov 2014 - 7:37 PM, said:

I have to wonder how that will mix with the Nightmare Rarity angle

Hmm... You've just inspired me into some interesting idea:

 

Remember the spiky book Spike found in "Inspiration Manifestation" episode and gave it to Rarity, who then changed into Nightmare Rarity under its influence? Then recall where did this book be located: In the dungeons under the Old Castle of the two sisters! :>

 

What if the same exact book somehow "inspired" Luna that she can be better than her sister and enchanted her into Nightmare Moon? :>

 

Edit: There are rumors that there will be full-time movie with ponies, somewhere around 2016 if I remember correctly. Meghan McCarthy said that on her Twitter. So I hope they will use this opportunity to show some more of the history of Luna becoming Nightmare Moon, and how the Elements of Harmony, along with the Tree of Harmony, came up in Equestria anyway.

 

And I've said it several times already: Where's Season 2.5?! :P (see also this massive follow-up explaining it in more detail).

Edited by SasQ
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Edit: There are rumors that there will be full-time movie with ponies, somewhere around 2016 if I remember correctly. Meghan McCarthy said that on her Twitter. So I hope they will use this opportunity to show some more of the history of Luna becoming Nightmare Moon, and how the Elements of Harmony, along with the Tree of Harmony, came up in Equestria anyway.

 

 

 

1. FiM Movie is not a rumor. It is coming out in three years 2017. :yay:

 

SasQ, only click at your peril. Season Five Spoilers. 

 

 

 

2. It is speculated that Nightmare Moon will return in some form this season as one episode is Luna centric and she has a Nightmare. 

3. The origin of the Tree of Harmony is in the synopsis for the Season Five Premier. 

 

 

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@@Jeric, good to know. Is there anything more about that movie?

 

As to the spoilers, I knew them both, but thanks anyway ;) They don,t spoil much anyway.

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Yeah I know she sucked, I heard that originally they were planning to have the story arc for the pilot split across six episodes but it was shortened to two, if they had gone with six episodes I imagine Nightmare Moon would have been more interesting.

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I agree, Nightmare Moon & season 1 was a bit of a missed opportunity, but done is done.  The idea of Luna confronting her Nightmare Moon self in a dream is interesting.

 

To RPC8169, who says they don't understand Luna being jealous of Princess C.  No offense meant but you have GOT to be an only child.  It's in the bible.  God invented Heaven & Earth, then He invented Hell, then He invented families.  Cain & Abel, Joseph & his brothers, sibling rivalry is probably as old as humanity.  For anyone who has ever had an older sister, being jealous of your sister is about as hard to understand as Tic Tac Toe.  (Of course, Rarity has trouble with it, so maybe I'm being too harsh.)

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