I like to think that the resentment that turned Luna into Nightmare Moon was justified. This doesn’t absolve her of guilt for what she did as Nightmare Moon, but it makes her more sympathetic.  
When people turn Luna into a weak child, it doesn’t make me feel sympathy for her, it makes me think she didn’t deserve the love and admiration she was denied. I want to see Luna as the equal of Celestia.  
@Goldenpwny  
She wasn’t imprisoned for a thousand years, she was imprisoned permanently. she escaped after a thousand years.  
@MagnificentTrixie  
As the EoH are supposed to represent the virtues of friendship, I don’t think it makes much sense that one person was able to use them alone. I like to think that the part of NMM that was still Luna was able to help her sister out in the end and that the Elements didn’t work properly because of the disharmony between them.

@MagnificentTrixie  
With the Pilot ep being the Same as Ep 1, there is no “Deal with the Devil” for power or anything at all similar to that made, She was upset, bitter, and lost control. That’s all there is to it at this point.

@MagnificentTrixie  
well that’s because she was more or less asleep the whole time
 
or was active as a ghost thing

@MagnificentTrixie  
Probably, but the vagueness and ambiguity leaves some room for the imagination (and we have people like you getting the gears going so that keeps things fun).

@MagnificentTrixie  
Just like most seasonal transitions!
 
Tradition!

@Goldenpwny
 
Well then, it’s either political like you said (Can’t have a crazy would-be usurper dragging you down, family or not) or the punishment fits the crime and NMM really was pretty fucking awful.
 
I guess we’ll find out in Season 4. Although I get the feeling it’ll give use more questions than answers.

@MagnificentTrixie  
Hmm, if the Elements didn’t work at that time, it’s conceivable that Celestia was aware of this and purposefully banished NMM to the moon for precisely 1000 years so that the Elements could be used when their handlers came into existence. It seems like a semi-political orchestrated event.
 
Not to discredit your view, but the more food-for-thought you give me the more I feel like this wasn’t an accident at all.

@PonyPon
 
@Solitude
 
yes pls

@MagnificentTrixie  
I vote we have more slavering, beserk cannibal beast Luna.
 
We can call her LunaticLuna.

@MagnificentTrixie  
Like so?  

Also, given that Luna isn’t a slavering, berserk cannibal beast suggests that she wasn’t conscious for the ordeal. Or they really are goddesses and she just played tic tac toe with herself. I dunno.

@Goldenpwny
 
Well, Return of Harmony showed that the Elements don’t work properly, if at all, if their wielders aren’t in the right state of mind. Chances are getting attacked by her rabid, angry sister threw off Celestia’s game. At least, that’s assuming that the writers actually put that amount of attention into detail and it’s not just a coincidence. I doubt Celestia would actually want to get rid of her sister like that if she could help it.

@MagnificentTrixie  
Accidental banishment seems a bit far fetched to me. I’m not sure how you go from “Kay, I’m gonna make you good and pure nao” to “Oops, now you’re stuck on da moon”.
 
If she was stuck on the moon in isolation, I couldn’t imagine how maddening a soundless isolated banishment could be. There was some dude stuck in a DEA room for 3 days and he was nearly ape-shit crazy by the end of it.
 
Besides, I’m pretty sure Luna was encapsulated in the moon itself. I’m not sure where people got “on” the moon from.

@Star Swift
 
HURR HURR XD XD
 
Rewatch the pilot. It’s in the first two minutes.

@MagnificentTrixie  
“Pretty much confirmed canon” That’s funny XD It’s either confirmed or it’s not. And until Said Episode airs in S4 its not confirmed what happened other than lost control of herself.

Yep because that makes mass murder ok

@Goldenpwny
 
Depends on what she did as NMM. I’m in the “banishment was an accident” crowd and think that Celestia just wanted to purify and save her, but improper use of the EoH had a very much unintended effect and permanently freed them from her control. It also depends on what Luna went through during her banishment. If she was asleep, then no big deal. Celestia probably had it worse than Luna. But if she was lucid and trapped within her own mind, with nothing but maddening eldritch whispers to keep her company, then maybe not.
 
Again, depends on what her actual crimes were. It doesn’t quite matter what she tried to do. For all we know, “eternal night” lasted just an hour or two.

@MagnificentTrixie  
So was 1000 year banishment justified in your opinion?

@Star Swift
 
Mostly her fault. It’s pretty much confirmed canon that she made the equivalent of a deal with the devil to get rid of her sister and be the big princess; the only princess. Rather than try to be her own pony and grow out of her sister’s shadow, she tried to remove her opposition through force.
 
Those are the actions of a tyrant. However twisted she might have become, her original motives were her own, and are what started the whole thing in the first place.

@MagnificentTrixie  
Who said it was harder? All I said is she was doing her equal share and got no praise. Was what happened excusable, no but stop acting like it was completely her fault too.

Did Celestia know how envious Luna was? I’m sure she would have done something if she’d known.

If only Celestia made a “Luna Appreciation Day” or the sort. At least a chance for others to give her sister some credit.

@Background Pony
 
@Star Swift
 
Because it’s so much harder to rule a country when everyone else is sleeping. Never mind the fact that she was probably more appreciated than she cared to realize. She just wanted everything her sister had. She was greedy.
 
But, I suppose you’re right, she’s totally an innocent victim of her own envy and hubris and is no way guilty of any crime. Come on. Really? I like Luna, actually, but stop making her out to be this pure white snowflake of a character.

Just because the ponies sleeped at night doesn’t mean they didn’t respect her

@MagnificentTrixie  
she was doing her job just like her sister despite being younger and no one gave a shit about all she was doing… it hurst badly you know?
 
but you always shit talk under most of Luna pictures so talking to you is like talking to rock