Princess Luna (Tales)

By MyLittlePonyTales

• April 13, 2013




Age: Ageless Mare

Gender: Female

Species: Alicorn

Appearance: Her hair is wavy and elegant, mirroring the night sky and shimmering stars above. Her mane and tail are both a deep midnight blue, although they are also somewhat translucent. It shimmers and waves, even without a breeze. Luna's coat is a deep blue as well, almost matching her hair. Her Cutie Mark is a white moon over a black splotch, but nopony is sure if the black spots are just her coloring or actually part of her Cutie Mark.<br /><br />Princess Luna's eyes are turquoise, but fade from a dark to light gradient. Her wings also have a unique shape, her feathers taking on a more round and cutesy appearance. As for physique, Luna is slightly taller than most ponies, having a fit and sleek body type.<br /><br />The princess is never seen in public without her black crown, silver shoes, and moon crested chest piece. They are a symbol of her status as a princess, and of her authority. Not that Luna wants to brag about that fact, the metal pieces are just traditional, and have been passed down through generations.

Cutie Mark: A white crescent moon with a black splotch behind it. Once a symbol of Harmony in Equestria, in recent times it was seen as a symbol of fear. Princess Luna hopes to change this image of herself.

Personality: Princess Luna has become quite a bit more adjusted to life in Equestria since the Nightmare Night fiasco. As such, her speech is much more fluent and normal, since she has had a lot of time to practice (hey, what else is she going to do?). She isn't adjusted to society so much as she is language—so there are a lot of objects (balloons, cameras) and buildings (night clubs, malls, courthouses, etc.) that she doesn't recognize and/or know their purpose. Imagine how much Earth technology has changed in 1000 years. It's just a [i]slight[/i] culture shock (kind of like discovering the internet).<br /><br />Luna is timid around others, but can show her authority if need be. She's very strict in regards to rules and tradition, having been raised with a heavy [s]hand[/s] hoof. She's reluctant to make friends and speak to others, so she often times stays in Canterlot Castle. She will venture out to Canterlot to see the city, still having a curiosity to explore. Much of the land she knew has changed, due to cities, fields, or even just forests. Old maps compared to new ones offer little guidance.<br /><br />She could be called shy, but that's not quite correct. Luna is more wary than anything. And why not, after what happened at Nightmare Night? Sure, everything turned out alright in the end, but there are still ponies that mistake her for Nightmare Moon... a memory she won't soon forget.<br /><br />Luna has a longing to make friends, there's no mistaking that. She's just not the best at it. Royalty has always been separate from the [s]people[/s] ponies, being of a higher rank and standing. Association with 'commoners' was always done at large events or when somepony needed assistance or advice. There was no buddy-buddy-ness like is possible now. She's used to being revered, rather than ponies trying to pretend princesses are just like everypony else.<br /><br />Of course, everypony holds respect for the princesses, but it's just not the same as it once was. As mentioned, Luna is still adjusting, and she won't stop trying any time soon. With the help of Celestia and a few friends, Luna hopes to overcome differences and become accepted by the majority of Equestria.

Backstory: Over a thousand years ago, Princess Luna and her sister Princess Celestia were assigned the task of ruling over all of Equestria. Celestia raised the sun during the day, while Luna raised the moon at night. But things were in Celestia's favor. While everypony enjoyed the daylight that Celestia brought, they slept through Luna's night. It seemed they cared only for the gifts of the elder sister.<br /><br />Once the holder of half of the Elements of Harmony, Luna's days of glory are far from over. Though Discord was defeated, there were still other evils that lurked in the dark corners of Equestria—or sometimes, right out in the open.<br /><br />Luna had always felt that she was living in her sister Celestia's shadow, merely the Princess of the moon, ruler over the night. It was the time when everypony slept, resting from the work they had done out in Celestia's sun. Luna was not shunned, just forgotten in her sister's glory. She loved the dark, and the night—even if it [i]was[/i] lonely.<br /><br />However, Luna never failed to find comfort in her sister. Though they couldn't spend a lot of time together, the times right before dusk and right before dawn brought them together for a few hours each day. Celestia would always talk about how much she had to do and how busy she was, and Luna would just listen, enjoying the amount of their time together rather than the topic of their conversation.<br /><br />But it was not to last. Celestia became more involved with the common ponyfolk, and had less and less time for Luna. Luna understood, of course. Her sister was the main ruler of the kingdom. She was always dealing with some issue, studying or practicing magic, attending a celebration, traveling to deal with diplomacy—things that Luna was not required to be apart of.<br /><br />Celestia grew more tired and even irritated, and rather then sit down to a meal with Luna, she enclosed herself in her room, sleeping or reading important documents or writing letters, or any number of things.<br /><br />Luna began to do the same, becoming a recluse. She spent her waking hours alone and in her room, bored and lonely. There was nopony to play with, nopony to talk to, nothing that needed her attention. All she had to do was move the moon across the sky. Left to her own devices, that was where it all began.<br /><br />It was a slow spiral that led to Luna becoming Nightmare Moon, a slow trickle that welled up and finally overflowed from a bucket. Ignored by her people, Luna drew inside herself, shutting herself away from other ponies, including her sister. Celestia, too busy with running Equestria, failed to notice her sister's decline until it was too late.<br /><br />Luna wouldn't say anything, one; because she hardly saw Celestia anymore, and two; because she knew both of their duties. Celestia was ruler over the sun and Equestria, and she was merely the night watch. She was important, yes... but not as important as her sister.<br /><br />Luna allowed herself to become jealous, spiteful, bitter, resentful, and selfish, her mind poisoned by evil. She began to hate her sister for her popularity. Perhaps there was still a bit of Discord around, polluting her mind... Nopony can be sure. But her judgment became clouded, and she grew to resent everypony to the point that she no longer cared if they lived or died—or if she was the cause of their pain.<br /><br />Luna became consumed with her bitterness, her mind poisoned by a million different negative thoughts. The transformation had begun as a slow trickle, until it filled Luna inside like a bucket and overflowed. She had been shunned and ignored, but no longer!<br /><br />So it was that Luna transformed into Nightmare Moon, refusing to lower the moon from the skye and threatening eternal darkness upon the land. With a heavy heart, Celestia did the only thing she could think of, banishing Luna and Nightmare Moon to the moon. Perhaps they were the same mare, or perhaps there was some other evil that had ensnared Luna. But, rather than risk harming her sister in any way, Celestia was merciful—so she thought at the time.<br /><br />After one thousand years, Nightmare Moon returned yet again, still bent on her reign of terror. She was defeated a second time, not by Celestia, but by six extraordinary ponies who were able to harness the Elements of Harmony. Once the evilness inside her was vanquished, Luna had a change of heart, and was allowed to once again rule by her sister's side.<br /><br />Due to her sudden transformation, Luna lost a considerable amount of magical power. It took awhile for her to recover, during which she shied away from the public eye. When she was up to full strength, both physically and magically, her appearance changed. Her connection with the aether was now complete.<br /><br />However, many ponies still did not trust her after her treachery against Equestria. Luna doesn't blame them. Without the sun, ponies would slowly wither away and die out, a torturous death that she would not now wish on anypony. Disease and starvation would run rampant, affecting not just ponies, but all living things.<br /><br />Luna still feels that Nightmare Moon may be still be lurking within her somewhere, which aids in her shyness. She still sometimes wishes for eternal night, but only because of its beauty, not because of its consequences. And, while Luna still holds a want for eternal night, she knows that it would not do for the whole of ponykind. But natural thoughts such as these cause her to second guess herself.<br /><br />Still, Luna attended the Nightmare Night festivities in Ponyville, hoping to change the image that the ponies of Equestria had of her. What better way to do that then to appear at the celebration held in honor of her alter ego?<br /><br />Things didn't quite go as planned at first, as everypony cowered in fear upon her arrival. However, as the night went on, the ponies in town began to warm up to her, inviting her to play games and to join in the fun. Luna even found a few opportunities to pull some pranks.<br /><br />Princess Luna is still adjusting to her new life in Equestria. There are still some ponies who believe she is Nightmare Moon, much to Luna's chagrin. It is an image that she hopes to change by making more friends, although her efforts are sometimes misunderstood and not always well received.<br /><br />She has done extensive study on the lay of the land, as pretty much everything has changed from how she remembered it. Culture, speech, society, nature... it's quite a bit to take in. Slowly but surely, Luna has been reading up on her History, which is odd considering she was one of the most well acquainted with it a millennium ago. Sometimes she feels frustrated and overwhelmed, but Celestia always comforts her.<br /><br />But, with her sister Celestia for encouragement, and her new friend Twilight Sparkle offering advice, Luna has been making progress. She hopes to make many more new friends in the days to come, and to eventually become recognized as an equal ruler alongside Princess Celestia.