How Could Celestia Have Handled Nightmare Moon's Rebellion Better?

[Denim&Venöm 20,471]

I think the whole NMM situation could've been handled a little better. What could Celestia have done to appease Luna/NMM and end the conflict peacefully? 

 

I'm thinkin, maybe switch jobs? Luna can raise the sun while Celestia could toil in obscurity or even give Luna both duties, so that the subjects will have no choice but to appreciate her work. perhaps set up a decree: that the ponies are recommended to stay out late and observe the night time sky. Maybe even set up some official holidays, such as the Winter Moon Celebration to compliment Celestia's Summer Sun Celebration.  

 

I dunno. How would you guys have handled this differently?

[PsychedelicPony 440]

Just a bit before I answer, the Summer Sun Celebration was only implemented after Luna was banished, but to answer the question some recognition may have helped, but based on what I saw in the flashback to that night I think Nightmare Moon was too far gone for any reasoning.

[Jammo 986]

Rather than letting her stew in her own emotional agony for 1000 years Her Majesty should have had Luna blindfolded, carried by guards to a wall and then executed via firing squad. It's more merciful than a millenia of pain in my opinion.

[SanityNotIncluded 335]

Given that the rebellion lasted approximately two minutes, not much really.

[ShadOBabe 19,028]

Yeah like PsychedelicPony said, the Summer Sun Celebration was a celebration OF the defeat of NM.

Now that Luna's back, I could see a Winter Moon Celebration being implemented.

 

The problem is that Luna was beyond the appeasement stage.

I think of it as Luna kept her resentment buried inside until she just couldn't take it anymore. Celestia couldn't do anything for her because Luna wouldn't tell her what was wrong. By the time she was NM, she was out to KILL Celestia. So it was "send her to the moon for a while" or "DIE and leave the world at her mercy".

[Scootalove 10,692]

Even if Celestia had a plan to handle Nightmare Moon or at least talk to her, she was far gone from talking to and trying to convince her to end her rebellion on dethroning her.  Not only did she want to dethrone Celestia, she wanted to kill her too. So, trying to reason with her would be easier said than done.

[pinkiefan1287 610]

I don't think Celestia could have done anything to save her.

 

Even if Celestia gave Luna the job of raising the sun and moon, there is no guarantee that Luna can even do that. The other problem is Luna was only angry because no one appreciated her night like they did Celestias day. Luna would most likely would not take both jobs. It also seems like a bad idea to force the ponies to stay up and like the night when some may have worked all day and need sleep for the next day. They could even rebel agents the sisters.

 

Maybe make away to celebrate the night, but most likely the damaged has been done and nothing could have saved Luna. 

[King Sejong 859]

   This is the question anyone in the military has asked themselves, "Could I have handled that situation better?", however, the situation can occur so fast, that you do not have the time to think about solutions, your choices fall from two to just one, nevertheless no person nor pony has the hindsight to think up an alternative solution in such a short amount of time, no one has the mental forethought to predict and plan accordingly, so in the military we were trained to make a decision with a simple outcome, but the main objective is to save lives, thus Celestia had to banish Nightmare Moon, besides it's better than slaying her corrupt sister, and it took new magic by the mane six to make Luna right again, so Celestia made the right choice, and handled the rebellion to the best of her abilities, so it worked out in the end, now Luna and Celestia share Equestria together.   

[GreyScholar 1,584]

It should also be noted that by the words of Lauren Faust, which was then expanded by the MLP:FiM Comics, it was a dark force that took over Luna after being allowed in by her and transforming the princess into Nightmare Moon.

 

By this point it was too late to really do more then what was done. In truth Princess Celestia was lucky she was even able to use the Elements of Harmony since her friendship with her sister was broken. Nightmare Moon was a threat, a danger to Equestria... this mare was no longer her beloved sister. Celestia was not strong enough to taken the more powerful possessed form of her sister.

 

Cekestia had no other choice but to use the artifacts she knew could help, even if it could be argue she knew what they would do. I argue Celestia did not realize the Elements would vanish Nightmare Moon, and thus by extention her sister, INSIDE of the moon for a 1000 years.

Edited February 20, 2014 by EquestrianScholar