Why are there two Lunas?!

[MJNSEIFER 55]

Luna wasn't a foal in Season 1, she was an adult mare.  The reason she changed looks is because she got her powers back in season 2.  It's just like how Celestia is actually just a normal pony with a pink mane, but when she has her powers she looks how we saw her.

 

Luna was supposed to always look how she did in season 2, and would have just appeared as she did in season 1 when we first saw her because she was "powerless".  Hasbro didn't really want Luna to appear that much, because who they thought was the target audience wouldn't like her, but when they saw the show had a wider audience, they allowed Lauren and the others to include her.  If she had appeared in the very next episode (Ticket Master) she would have had her season 2 look.

[PoniesPlease 365]

Because the Princess of the Night can do whatever the hell she wants. 

 

Also, how is it growth if she's over 1 thousand years old and only a year passes from S1 to S2?

[Thunderbirds360 22]

The reason Luna looks different is because:

 

1. She was trapped inside Nightmare Moon for a very long time.

2. When the Elements of Harmony defeated Nightmare Moon, Luna was powerless, and it took a year to get them back.

 

 

That being said, i do believe that Luna's design from Season 2 is actually the original one...

[Dr. Eggnog 203]

Yeah, that's one reason that I'm not a big Luna Eclipsed fan like a lot of people.  The re-design just sortof confused me.  I wondered what had happened.

[Righteous Fury 344]

she probably just put some good conditioner in her hair is all

 

the colour change is weird, but then Applejack changes shades of orange constantly so...

[Rainblow H. Ash 5,091]

I don'[t think it's a case of aging - you don't age that much over a matter of months, especially when you're centuries old- I think it's just a case of her power coming back to her.  When Nightmare Moon took over, I think it basically drew out a lot of her power and replaced it with its own.  When Nightmare Moon was expunged from her, it took some months to come back.

 

I'm inclined to agree with hawkflame on this issue.

 

She is centuries old, I supremely doubt we can say that aging over a year caused that change in looks. I think it's a case of her power returning to her, as hawkflame said. Nightmare Mood likely took a toll on her, not to mention she just got blasted by the Elements of Harmony and everything. I feel that it's just a case of her power coming back, especially since her Season Two design is more like Nightmare Moon, what with the starry mane and everything.

[Fhaolan 4,504]

Alternative explanation: Her appearance varies like the phases of the moon. Sometimes she's waxing, full,  waning, or dark.

 

Just never call her gibbous; she hates that.

[Genepool 224]

A popular theory many people hold is that she was weak after being trapped in the moon for a thousand years, and she regained her strength between Mare in the Moon and Luna Eclipsed.

 

Think Lauren Faust had left the show and said that design was implemented, and her theory was about Luna "recovering" which is why her designed changed when we saw her in Luna Eclipsed.  I like the idea myself.  It adds more depth to why she was absent for so long between those episodes, vs. the "O, she's a pony of the night and keeps to herself.  She is a recluse type character." 

[Forlong 1,726]

The fanepisode Snowdrop provided an interesting head canon explaination for this.  The episode occures before Luna became Nightmare Moon, and both she and her sister had sigle colored mane.  In the epologue, their mane is the "correct" coloration (Celestia's beling like toothpaste and Luna's looking like the night sky).  Maybe the increase in magical power gradually changed their mane to reflect their powers.  It should also be noted that Celestia is significantly taller than all other ponies, including her little sister.

[Rainblow H. Ash 5,091]

Ha, I said Nightmare Mood in my other post. I guess that actually still works, in a way. Not gonna edit for posterity reasons.

 

I believe that works as well, in relation to what Forlong said. It actually backs up when I and others said about Luna's powers returning to her, since, if they both had single color manes when they were younger and didn't have as much magic, that would explain why Luna would have a single colored mane when she was first freed from being Nightmare Moon; after all, she has to regain her magic ability.

 

I imagine you have to have some pretty darn good magic power to have flowing, magic manes like that!

[Tia Is Best Pony 310]

because... she is luna, luna can do whatever she wants i mean look If lunas appearance is 1/2x +1/2(1/2x + 1/2(1/2x +1/2(1/2x + ... = y, 

then ponies = ?

simple math my dear friend and we end up with  

ponies = luna was perhaps reinstated as a princess after the pilot, therefore getting her mane and things back 

the real answer to your theorem is that hasbro wanted to sell more toys, they did not like the way luna looked, and lastly, luna can do whatever she wants, she is luna, resistance is futile

[Rainblow H. Ash 5,091]

because... she is luna, luna can do whatever she wants i mean look If lunas appearance is 1/2x +1/2(1/2x + 1/2(1/2x +1/2(1/2x + ... = y, 

then ponies = ?

simple math my dear friend and we end up with  

ponies = luna was perhaps reinstated as a princess after the pilot, therefore getting her mane and things back 

the real answer to your theorem is that hasbro wanted to sell more toys, they did not like the way luna looked, and lastly, luna can do whatever she wants, she is luna, resistance is futile

 

*Looks at post and then looks at username, avatar, and signature*

 

You know, I have this slight, slight feeling that you might just be biased toward Luna a bit...

 

*Smiles coyly*

 

Nah, but seriously, you're right, Luna is the Princess of the Night, she does what she wants! Although I don't think getting instated as a Princess leads to a flowing mane, since Cadance doesn't have one, and Twilight hasn't gained one either.

[Jghx5 33]

The artist look at her model from season 1 and said that it doesn't work well compare to her sister and made her look like her sister more (or better in my opinion).

[Veylon 255]

 

 

hasbro wanted to sell more toys, they did not like the way luna looked

I'm pretty sure this is false. Season 1 Luna was much lighter colored, if not quite the bright pink of Cadance. Hasbro likes light-colored ponies; every time they've made a figure of Luna, they altered her to make her lighter. Season 2 Luna is dark colored, loud, and threatening. Which is why Hasbro excludes from her toy lines and imagery whenever possible. There are a few animation errors in "Luna Eclipsed" which suggest the original blue-haired Luna was intended to be used, but the show creators changed her at the last minute.

 

I, too, prefer the explanation that she's been regaining her powers all this time. Though I would like to see more of her.

[Phoenix237 353]

Aging, that's the only explanation

Or

Restoration of divine powers after losing it for being unworthy, similar to how Thor lost his powers and gained them back after learning the errors of his ways.

[Rainblow H. Ash 5,091]

Aging, that's the only explanation

Or

Restoration of divine powers after losing it for being unworthy, similar to how Thor lost his powers and gained them back after learning the errors of his ways.

 

To be fair, that's definitely not the only explanation. I think restoration of powers over time is another probable one, but that actually brings to your second point...

 

Perhaps after coming back from the darkness and being redeemed, she was able to recover her awesome powers and gain back her normal appearance. That's definitely an alternate explanation I can subscribe to.

[Broseph Stalin 103]

Well, besides the fact that there are many legitimant reasons for the two lunas that have been listed above...

Logic, reason, and philosophy left the world around Jan 1, 2000.

[MyShiningArmor 128]

because... she is luna, luna can do whatever she wants i mean look If lunas appearance is 1/2x +1/2(1/2x + 1/2(1/2x +1/2(1/2x + ... = y,

then ponies = ?

simple math my dear friend and we end up with

ponies = luna was perhaps reinstated as a princess after the pilot, therefore getting her mane and things back

the real answer to your theorem is that hasbro wanted to sell more toys, they did not like the way luna looked, and lastly, luna can do whatever she wants, she is luna, resistance is futile

None of the power and princess theories make sense as we all know that Celestia herself says that Twilight Sparkle is the most powerful Unicorn she has ever seen/met. And her mane and tail don't change. Not even when she becomes a princess.

Edited April 22, 2013 by MyShiningArmor

[ponybuttsgalore 33]

I figured that to pitch it out, they had to make the 'redeemed' villain (Nightmare-->Luna) look cute for the younger audience to differentiate between an obviously evil (Nightmare) pony and a cute, lovable (Luna) pony. The new Luna looks a bit more dignified, less adorable, more badass. Once Hasbro saw that there was a larger audience, especially in an older demographic, they realized they could have a bit more room to give us moral ambiguous-looking ponies rather than black-to-white.

[TBB Animal 40]

One Luna is when she is out of her role of power. And the other Luna the one with solar hair is the one where she is in her role of power. If Celestia went out of her role of power the same would happen to her hair it would turn a solid pink and no longer be wavy. Since Twilight and Cadence don't have a big enough role like raising the moon or sun their hair won't be emitted in a different way. That is how I see it

Edited April 23, 2013 by TBB Animal

[Prince Midnight 817]

here, this should explain everything x3, to me i think this is how luna was supposed to look before being corrupted, or something like that, i really dont know, but the arts is awesome.

i particularly like corrupted luna and godlike luna

 

[Nature's Spell 526]

Not to be unoriginal, but I always thought that restoration of her powers *was* the reason she changed between the two seasons. I can't explain why Cadence lacks the Princess mane except that her powers aren't as powerful as Celestia and Luna.

Edited April 23, 2013 by Nature Spell

[Eureka 1,119]

It's just growth. In season one when she escaped from the moon she was just a filly. Then, when Luna Eclipsed came out in season 2, She grew a little bit. I was wondering the same thing.

[Friendship_Cannon 1,677]

I would just say why I imagine it to be so...

First Luna is the real Luna, who she is as a private person, who she tried to become (and became?) in one of my favourite episodes (Luna Ecplised?)...

Way cooler all-in-all, completely a different alicorn than the the 2nd Luna, who I would call the Luna for official announcements, duties, whatever (derp), the royal-canterlot-voice fits better for her, she looks way more majestic, less than somepony to just have a nice talk with xD.

[MorningFlash 214]

Actually, they are both the same Princess Luna, but as said in the previous posts, I believe the theory of her growing between Mare in the Moon and Luna Eclipsed, I think of Mare in the Moon almost as a rebirth for the character of Luna.