Contingency Plans

Name: Princess Luna

Age: ageless

Height: 5 ft 8 inches

Weight: 300 lbs (estimate)

Residence: Canterlot [castle]

Occupation: Co-Ruler of Equestria

Physical Attributes: Dark blue coat, dark blue mane, cutie mark of a crescent moon in a black sky, slender but built physique

Titles: Raiser of the Moon, Moon Goddess, Princess of Equestria, Elements of Laughter, Loyalty and Honesty (previous), Nightmare Moon (previous)

Description: Princess Luna is a close ally and friend whom I hold deep respect for. As the guardian of the night, Luna is responsible for raising the moon and watching over dreams. Many also speculate that she moves the stars in the night sky as well, however this is just a myth. Luna once told me that the stars are, "sinister things far beyond her control". Just as Princess Celestia's power is fueled by a connection to the sun, Luna's power is granted through an innate connection with the moon.

Besides her control over the moon, Luna's greatest power is the ability to manipulate dreams. Luna uses her powers in the dreaming world to banish nightmares, create shared dreams and teach valuable lessons to her subjects. While in a dream, Luna seems to have the ability to alter reality as she sees fit, no matter what the mental state of the pony in question. Despite this, she does not like to forcefully change her subjects' dreams too much, and instead prefers to let dreams run their course so as to allow the dreamer to explore the underlying issues or emotions that caused the dream. However if Luna were to turn evil, she could easily abuse her dream powers to achieve control over ponies' minds, or even use them as a form of punishment by unleashing horrible nightmares.

Possible Counters:

There are a few important things to note if Princess Luna were to turn against us again, either as herself or as Nightmare Moon.

1) Luna has an extremely direct approach to problem solving, far more direct than her sister Celestia, and therefore would be more likely to use her full power to crush even a small threat.

2) Countering Luna's control over dreams is imperative to defeating her, as she could easily use this power to obtain secrets or influence the weak minded. A properly cast anti magic field would keep Luna out. Alternatively, Discord claims a tinfoil hat can repel Luna's dream magic. Though this information is dubious, he has managed to keep Luna out of his dreams for millennia.

3) There is a big distinction between Luna and her dark form, Nightmare Moon. While both share a body, they each have very different personalities and powers. Therefore, they also have different weaknesses and different approaches need to be taken when dealing with them.

Nightmare Moon:

Nightmare Moon is an alternate personality created by Luna's jealousy and despair. I believe that it is the result of a magically amplified form of split personality disorder, however this is unconfirmed. Though mostly sharing the same powers as Luna, Nightmare Moon also has the ability to augment her spells with dark magic, and doesn't hesitate to do so. A power crazed sociopath, Nightmare Moon feels no emotional connection to anypony, and instead views ponies as expendable tools to achieve her goals. As such, most emotional or psychological tactics are unlikely to work on her due to her apathy for others.

Challenging Nightmare Moon's power or comparing her to Celestia may evoke an enraged reaction, and while this will make her a more dangerous opponent, she will also be more likely to make mistakes. Trickery will probably not work due to Nightmare Moon's thousands of years of experience. Surprise, however, appears to be an effective tactic, as Nightmare Moon seems to expect weaker foes to submit to her power and will be thrown off if they stand up against her. Lastly, as a user of dark magic Nightmare Moon is highly vulnerable to the Elements of Harmony (my friends and I). This should be the go-to method of defeating her as it will immediately turn her back into Luna. However if none of the above options are viable, use the fail-safe method below.

Luna:

Unlike her counterpart, if Luna were to turn against Equestria as herself, there are several psychological weaknesses that could be useful. Above all things, Luna's guilt and fear of betrayal caused by her time as Nightmare Moon are her mental weak points. By making a case that she is betraying those she cares about, one can at least get Luna to reconsider her actions if not abandon her plans all together. Though Luna has forgiven herself for her past actions after counceling, one could still evoke an unbalanced emotional state by taunting Luna about her guilt and her past. If these do not work, use the fail-safe method below.

Fail-safe:

Because Princess Luna/Nightmare Moon is a lucid dreamer with absolute control over her dreams, a post-hypnotic suggestion of selenophobia (fear of the moon) to negate her power would not be viable. However, I have observed that when using her power over dreams, Luna's physical form is immobile and defenseless. For this reason she makes sure that she is in a safe area before entering the dream world.

In a combat situation, it is possible to turn Luna/Nightmare Moon's dream powers against her. I have developed a spell that if used correctly, can force Luna/Nightmare Moon into a dream connection with the caster, rendering her immobile. Once in this state it would be easy to stun or incapacitate Luna/NM as long as needed. Upon her being incapacitated, the dream connection will immediately be severed.