"The Stars Will Aid In Her Escape." Lauren Faust Reveals How NMM Was Actually Set Free.

[Denim&Venöm 18,977]

So we've all been wondering how NMM got free from her prison. How did the stars aid in her escape? How did Celestia know it would be 1000 years? Why did the elements imprison her for that long? Many a theory was speculated over the past decade. 

Well wonder no more. We've gotten the gospel from the Queen herself: 

 

[Rebel the Wolfgirl 5,601]

Spoiler

So Celestia was behind it the whole time?

 

[Fluttershutter 2,457]

That's pretty much what I thought. She was let out after a thousand years to redeem herself. 

Why it took so long, we don't know. Pony time is crazy. 

[Passion 3,484]

Celestia is like a true older sibling. Piss them off and they will punish you no matter what, and they won't back off because siblings don't give a damn.

[Lucky Bolt 35,063]

.......I should have known Sun butt was behind it all along! 

[Sparklefan1234 170,809]

10 minutes ago, Lucky Bolt said:

.......I should have known Sun butt was behind it all along! 

 

After thinking about it, Celestia was behind EVERYTHING & the Mane 6 were her clueless puppets. 

Edited January 26, 2020 by Sparklefan1234

[Will Guide 21,360]

Actually, the journal of the two sisters said that while Starswirl the Bearded was still around, he taught a young Luna how to move the stars. for all we know, Nightmare Moon subconsciously move the Stars slowly until they moved into place to release her.  slSimple explanation that's been in place for years

Personally I don't care who moved the Stars! the important thing is Luna's back from being Nightmare Moon.

[Thrond 3,263]

Yeah that makes sense. Kinda gives a bit more meaning to Celestia's suggestion that Twilight go make some friends. Twilight thought that making friends would not help her save Equestria, but Celestia knew otherwise. Sometimes I feel like Twilight's friendships were only a means to an end, though... 

12 minutes ago, Sparklefan1234 said:

After thinking about it, Celestia was behind EVERYTHING & the Mane 6 were her clueless puppets. 

She always got the mane six to solve her problems. Sister lost to darkness? Get your student to make friends. Discord broke free from his magical prison? Get your student and her friends to deal with it. Grand Galloping Gala is boring? Hmm, maybe your student's weirdo friends can liven things up. 

(I really want to know what Celestia thought when Twilight complained about not having enough tickets. Did she immediately realize it was an opportunity to crash the Gala?)

Edited January 26, 2020 by AlexanderThrond

[Sparklefan1234 170,809]

1 minute ago, AlexanderThrond said:

Discord broke free from his magical prison?

 

I wonder if he "broke free" or if Celestia let him out? 

Also, I thought Discord was great until his forced Fluttershy redemption. 

[Thrond 3,263]

5 minutes ago, Sparklefan1234 said:

I wonder if he "broke free" or if Celestia let him out? 

Nah, she didn't do that until the second time. Why would she let Discord out only to have him turned back into stone? I mean she needed to bail the mane six out at the last minute when they failed to defeat him. 

[Sparklefan1234 170,809]

25 minutes ago, AlexanderThrond said:

Grand Galloping Gala is boring? Hmm, maybe your student's weirdo friends can liven things up. 

 

Twice! Also, the only "weird" one is the pony who can make parties appear out of thin air. 

Also, did Celestia get hit by Chrysalis's magic on purpose in "A Canterlot Wedding" or did Celestia merely underestimate her? 

Edited January 26, 2020 by Sparklefan1234

[Misty Shadow 7,874]

Nine years late, but that plothole of Celestia being "magically freed of Nightmare Moon's grasp" after she was supposedly "kidnapped" has finally been patched.  Oh yeah, and Trollestia confirmed nine years late too. 

[Kadae 655]

I really like Lauren's original vision of Celestia, even though her power level in the context of the show as a whole is really kinda all over the place.

[Thrond 3,263]

1 hour ago, Sparklefan1234 said:

 

Twice! Also, the only "weird" one is the pony who can make parties appear out of thin air. 

Also, did Celestia get hit by Chrysalis's magic on purpose in "A Canterlot Wedding" or did Celestia merely underestimate her? 

Maybe she just got lazy because she figured Twilight would come up with something. 

[Ganondorf8 11,311]

And so an almost decade long question has finally been given an answer. Now, there will be new questions related to this answer.

[Number62 1,258]

3 hours ago, AlexanderThrond said:

Sometimes I feel like Twilight's friendships were only a means to an end, though... 

It was as far as "The Cutie Re-Mark" was concerned. Admittedly, Lauren Faust had nothing to do with that episode, but that doesn't matter as far as I'm concerned with the show.

1 hour ago, AlexanderThrond said:

Maybe she just got lazy because she figured Twilight would come up with something. 

Princess Celestia wouldn't need to be lazy because the show is not very sure of her capabilities.

 

As for Lauren Faust's comments about Nightmare Moon's appearance, I don't really care. Celestia might as well be so incompetent that while she was eating breakfast, she accidentally broke Nightmare Moon out. Why was that story about Nightmare Moon written then? Because it would make a nice "pony tale."

Edited January 26, 2020 by Number62

[Metemponychosis 1,261]

The dethroned queen you mean. The new queen said that all girls want to be princesses, killed the meaning of being a princess and an alicorn and I better stop here. Anyway, that is besides the point.

I would've thought a big deal of this if this was back during season one or two. Today, even if I can swallow the idea that she really thought of that and for some reason never made it canon by mentioning it in the cartoon. By the end of the cartoon the concept was so thoroughly bastardized it might as well have been an unicorn that sneezed the wrong way.

If Ms. Faust had told me that, I would've said "Cool! Go write a fanfiction about it."

For real though... How unnecessary after the cartoon has ended and Celestia was as pointless as a third wheel.

[RulesofRarity 493]

Celestia really did suck.

[Goat-kun 2,527]

Go home Faust, you're irrelevant.

[nightshroud96 124]

So Celestia was the one who freed NMM?
That.. really bothers me.
So NMM could have been trapped on the moon for good, a 1000 years that was deliberately chosen instead of just the spell wore off or NMM's power broke free at least.
I feel like it also screwed with NMM's threat.

And also in hindsight it makes Celestia look iffy since Discord pulled that iffy plan of his.
Celestia(till this revelation) didn't deliberately free/bring back villains who weren't a threat anymore to help Twilight develop.

 

Edited January 26, 2020 by nightshroud96

[Rushing cash 836]

It makes sense, until the cutie re-mark... NMM came back and took over in one of the timelines, and if twilight wasn't ready by than, then why would celestia free her? It seems they retconned this point of view at some point.

[nightshroud96 124]

14 minutes ago, Rushing cash said:

It makes sense, until the cutie re-mark... NMM came back and took over in one of the timelines, and if twilight wasn't ready by than, then why would celestia free her? It seems they retconned this point of view at some point.

Since I think Faust or someone(I don't remember who) said the Stars bit was meant to add mystery before this answer came up years later, its possible Faust didn't thought of it until much later and probably came up with that bit.

Kind if disappointed if the Stars bit really was Celestia's doing, rather prefer its NMM's own power or its the stars themselves believing NMM should be freed(like her sorrow eventually affected the stars or something).
Heck, it could have been a story that those 4 specific stars became artifacts that Luna has to find before disaster happens.
 

[Thrond 3,263]

11 hours ago, Number62 said:

It was as far as "The Cutie Re-Mark" was concerned. Admittedly, Lauren Faust had nothing to do with that episode, but that doesn't matter as far as I'm concerned with the show.

Oh god I forgot about that, that episode didn't even make sense.  

11 hours ago, Number62 said:

Princess Celestia wouldn't need to be lazy because the show is not very sure of her capabilities.

I'm just joking around here. I think Chrysalis was simply more powerful than her and I don't really want to overthink it. 

[nightshroud96 124]

14 hours ago, Kadae said:

I really like Lauren's original vision of Celestia, even though her power level in the context of the show as a whole is really kinda all over the place.

Wonder what was her original vision for Luna too aside from the NMM bit?

14 hours ago, CloudMistDragon said:

Nine years late, but that plothole of Celestia being "magically freed of Nightmare Moon's grasp" after she was supposedly "kidnapped" has finally been patched.  Oh yeah, and Trollestia confirmed nine years late too. 

Thought it was since NMM lost her power, whatever magic or something she used to keep Celestia out of the picture broke and she came back.
That or she managed to broke out and arrived just in time when NMM got blasted back into being Luna.

[Rushing cash 836]

19 minutes ago, nightshroud96 said:

Wonder what was her original vision for Luna too aside from the NMM bit?

Thought it was since NMM lost her power, whatever magic or something she used to keep Celestia out of the picture broke and she came back.
That or she managed to broke out and arrived just in time when NMM got blasted back into being Luna.

I am pretty sure she knew NMM will return(either from the magical attack of the elements wear off or celestia really freeing her), and she just hide somewhere while twilight freed luna because she knew she couldn't free luna herself.