@Background Pony #15DF  
This is a cropped page.

hmm, I’m surprised a full page comic is still here.

Kinda wondering why Nightmare didn’t just shoot Celestial as she rambled.
 
Always a big fan of that.

@Background Pony #7254  
Don’t be a patronizing dick.
 
Nightmare Moon’s original depiction in the show proper matches Kold’s concept better than this, and you know it.

@dynamicv  
@Masem
 
The Nightmare Force is a form of demonic possession. A demon takes control of the person and forces them to do various evil things, even things that person wouldn’t wish to do if they were in control of themselves. However, for the demon to take control, that person has to surrender their free will to it. So ultimately, all the evil the demon-controlled person does is still the person’s fault, for they allowed the demon in in the first place.
 
Luna, in her anger and jealousy of her sister, allowed herself to be seduced by the “nightmare powers”, and willingly became Nightmare Moon. Being possessed doesn’t diminish her guilt, which is why even after being freed thanks to Twilight Sparkle & company’s exorcism she still feels the need to make amends.

@Background Pony #7254
 
Nope, read his fics, his edgy character is Discord.

@Kolbjorn
 
I’m sorry she’s not the grimdark evil woobie you were looking for. Maybe the Sombra character is more your style?

Geez, kind of harsh browbeating there, Celestia.
 
But hey, at least you won.

Luna = Revan (The potential to be either Good, or GREAT!) Either case…  

Is this the first time Celestia has beaten someone? Besides her originally using the Elements to Banish NMM

@Kolbjorn
 
@Mojo
 
What character? She gets blasted by a rainbow and says she’s sorry. Big whoop.
 
I remember when that first happened to Sunset Shimmer, and everyone was claiming how weak sauce and dumb that was that it just made you a better person.
 
Now people want that super special makes you a better person with laser beams to the face thing now that the comics don’t line up with that explanation 100%

@martianmister
 
I think it has been a while since everyone has read the Nightmare Rarity arc, myself included. Some of the finer details will inevitably be miss-remembered.
 
I will be re-reading the issues along with this one to put everything in context and see the bigger picture.

@dynamicv  
Technically Jerome (the one that was guarding the Mane 6 on the moon) breaks the spell on his own, Luna helps Larry to break it and then does the rest after Spike + Mane 6 do their thing. But otherwise the point’s still taken.

@Masem  
@dynamicv  
I guess no one knows what’s actually happening…

@Masem
 
At least some of the moon creature aren’t completely controlled (Doran, and Jerome in Nightmarity) but they don’t control the force possessing them. They don’t have a “face heel turn” at the end of Nightmarity, Luna is shown using magic to purge the force from them at the end.

@dynamicv  
Oopss, I missed a word in that. The creatures are in the control of the force, as you are saying. They have a sliver of sanity left to keep Celestia protected without letting NMM know

@Kolbjorn  
The thing that is implied is that the host has to accept the force to take them over, and that force does that by forcing the negative emotions on their target, weakening their resistance to allow them to accept the force to gain power to overcome that resistance.
 
I agree that if this force simply overpowered what it sees as its host (Luna here), then Luna’s redemption is trivalized at the end of S1E02 because Luna had no option. But instead, if it is something Luna had to accept (though her emotions weakened to the point of considering that her last resort), then that’s much better way to match with the episode, as Luna’s apology for trying to take the apparent easy way is very much in earnest. And the way this and the Nightmarity arc is written is that the host has to be willing, though the force will use whatever power it has to make the host willing.

@Masem
 
Gonna have to disagree with you there. The comics show the Force is controlling them, not the other way around.
 
As for Luna, she either knowingly made a deal with the Nightmare Force or created it herself just to enslave the moon creatures.

@martianmister  
This comic establishes the creatures are in control of whatever that force is - to an extent (and why they heel-face-turn fast at the end of the Nightmarity arc)

@Kolbjorn
 
Yeah, it pretty much ruins Luna as a character, can’t stand the Nightmare Force concept at all and it isn’t even properly explained anyway.

@Kolbjorn
 
The “evil force” seems to be something that NMM created within herself. It does not absolve her of guilt.

@Masem  
But what is that unknown evil force? And isn’t Rarity corrupted by these creatures on the moon?

@Masem  
Aaaaand thats why hate IDW’s version of Nightmare Moon, they take away a BIG part of Luna’s character, she’s not someone that did something terrible and its really sorry and really has changed. She’s just a inocent princess that got possesed and really never did nothing wrong

@martianmister  
Nightmare Moon is the body of Luna corrupted by an evil force that thrives off negative emotions like jealously and hatred. It is implied between show + comic that Luna’s jealousy of her sister allowed this force to take over (perhaps convince) Luna’s body.
 
This is consistent with Nightmarity (Rarity was tricked in believing her friends didn’t need her anymore and thus preparing her to be taken over the same way).

Worth noting that this fight is not physical, but in a dream.