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* InSeriesNickname: According to ''Literature/TheJournalOfTheTwoSisters'', Luna calls her "Celie".
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* MamaBear: Though this extends to all her subjects, with Twilight, Cadance and Luna especially, do ''not'' mess with them or you will know her wrath.
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* MamaBear: Though this extends to all her subjects, with Twilight, Cadance Cadance, and Luna especially, do ''not'' mess with them or you will know her wrath.
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* PerkyGoth: The ToysRUs exclusive [[http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=32801716 Ponymania]] collector's set includes a gothic-themed redeco of her, complete with what appear to be French stockings.
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* PerkyGoth: The ToysRUs [=ToysRUs=] exclusive [[http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=32801716 Ponymania]] collector's set includes a gothic-themed redeco of her, complete with what appear to be French stockings.
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* DependingOnTheWriter: Despite the CharacterizationMarchesOn above her speech and some personalty traits change based on what writers feel is best suited. In the cartoon she has become a regal and wise pony like her sister, while in the comics she's a GenkiGirl with a short temper who's eager for adventure. The comics also go more in-depth on her jealousy of Celestia and her continuing to be haunted by her time as Nightmare Moon, something the show has almost never touched upon.
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* DependingOnTheWriter: Despite the CharacterizationMarchesOn above her speech and some personalty traits change based on what writers feel is best suited. In the cartoon she has become a regal and wise pony like her sister, sister (at least in important meetings and with young foals), while in the comics she's a GenkiGirl with a short temper who's eager for adventure. The comics also go more in-depth on her jealousy of Celestia and her continuing to be haunted by her time as Nightmare Moon, something the show has almost never touched upon.upon except brief moments in Season 4.
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* StoryBreakerPower: The main reason why she rarely gets screen time, especially in later seasons. It would be all to easy to solve daily problems with her vast powers. So most of the time, she isn't involved with the current conflict, and when she is, [[TheWorfEffect she's usually put out of commission]], leaving Twilight and her friends to save the day.
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* StoryBreakerPower: The main reason why she rarely gets screen time, especially in later seasons. It would be all to too easy to solve daily problems with her vast powers. powers (magical or otherwise). So most of the time, she isn't involved with the current conflict, and when she is, [[TheWorfEffect she's usually put out of commission]], commission quickly]], leaving Twilight and her friends to save the day.
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* StoryBreakerPower: The main reason why she rarely gets screen time, especially in later seasons. It would be all to easy to solve daily problems with her vast powers. So most of the time, she isn't involved with the current conflict, and when she is, [[TheWorfEffect she's usually put out of commission]], leaving Twilight and her friends to save the day.
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Like Twilight Sparkle, she was not born as an alicorn. She was a pegasus raised by earth ponies until she reversed a love-stealing spell and was adopted by Celestia as her niece.
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Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, better known as Princess Cadance, is a [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal pretty pearl pink princess pony]] and niece of Princess Celestia (and probably Luna's). She had been acquainted with Twilight Sparkle, as she was her foal-sitter when she was really small. It was also back then that she met the colt who would eventually become her husband, Shining Armor. Her main talent appears to be bringing love to others. However, she had not been acting as herself in the days coming up to her wedding...
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Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, better known as Princess Cadance, is a [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal pretty pearl pink princess pony]] and adopted niece of Princess Celestia (and probably Luna's). She had been acquainted with Twilight Sparkle, as she was her foal-sitter when she was really small. It was also back then that she met the colt who would eventually become her husband, Shining Armor. Her main talent appears to be bringing love to others. However, she had not been acting as herself in the days coming up to her wedding...
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** The Reflections arc in the comics reveals that all of these failures have taken a heavy toll on her, [[spoiler: and adds yet another: her falling out with Starswirl the Bearded and her use of the alternate world and Mirror!Sombra to help alleviate her mountains of grief. It also shows that she is afraid of everypony, especially Twilight and Luna, finding out about her mistakes. Luna is able to snap her out of it by telling her its nice to know she isn't actually perfect.]]
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** [[spoiler:She BarrierWarrior below.]]
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** [[spoiler:She [[spoiler:See BarrierWarrior below.]]
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** ''Literature/TheJournalOfTheTwoSisters'' confirms that they took over the duty of raising the sun and moon from the unicorns because [[HeroicSacrifice the unicorns who had volunteered to do so]] [[PoweredByAForsakenChildwere being depleted of magic for the rest of their lives]].
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** ''Literature/TheJournalOfTheTwoSisters'' confirms that they took over the duty of raising the sun and moon from the unicorns because [[HeroicSacrifice the unicorns who had volunteered to do so]] [[PoweredByAForsakenChildwere [[PoweredByAForsakenChild were being depleted of magic for the rest of their lives]].
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** ''Literature/TheJournalOfTheTwoSisters'' confirms that they took over the duty of raising the sun and moon from the unicorns because [[PoweredByAForsakenChild the unicorns who had volunteered to do so were being depleted of magic for the rest of their lives]].
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** ''Literature/TheJournalOfTheTwoSisters'' confirms that they took over the duty of raising the sun and moon from the unicorns because [[PoweredByAForsakenChild [[HeroicSacrifice the unicorns who had volunteered to do so were so]] [[PoweredByAForsakenChildwere being depleted of magic for the rest of their lives]].
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Light Feminine And Dark Feminine is about different aspects of femininity, not day and night or good and bad.
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* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: A fairly literal example.
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* BadassPrincess: [[spoiler:She vanquishes Chrysalis' brainwashed bridesmaids, dispels Chrysalis' brainwashing spell on Shining Armor, and together with him, banishes the evil Queen and all of her changeling swarms far away from Equestria with a powerful magic blast.
** She BarrierWarrior below.
** She and Twilight beat down a giant worm at one point.]]
** She BarrierWarrior below.
** She and Twilight beat down a giant worm at one point.]]
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* BadassPrincess: [[spoiler:She vanquishes Chrysalis' brainwashed bridesmaids, dispels Chrysalis' brainwashing spell on Shining Armor, and together with him, banishes the evil Queen and all of her changeling swarms far away from Equestria with a powerful magic blast.
blast.]]
**She [[spoiler:She BarrierWarrior below.
below.]]
**She [[spoiler:She and Twilight beat down a giant worm at one point.]]
**
**
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* BadassPrincess: [[spoiler:She vanquishes Chrysalis' brainwashed bridesmaids, dispels Chrysalis' brainwashing spell on Shining Armor, and together with him, banishes the evil Queen and all of her changeling swarms far away from Equestria with a powerful magic blast.]]
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* BadassPrincess: [[spoiler:She vanquishes Chrysalis' brainwashed bridesmaids, dispels Chrysalis' brainwashing spell on Shining Armor, and together with him, banishes the evil Queen and all of her changeling swarms far away from Equestria with a powerful magic blast.blast.
** She BarrierWarrior below.
** She and Twilight beat down a giant worm at one point.]]
** She BarrierWarrior below.
** She and Twilight beat down a giant worm at one point.]]
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** This results in some fans nicknaming her, "Trollestia".
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* PerkyGoth: The ToysRUs exclusive [[http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=32801716 Ponymania]] collector's set includes a gothic-themed redeco of her.
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* PerkyGoth: The ToysRUs exclusive [[http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=32801716 Ponymania]] collector's set includes a gothic-themed redeco of her.her, complete with what appear to be French stockings.
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* PerkyGoth: The ToysRUs exclusive [[http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=32801716 Ponymania]] collector's set includes a gothic-themed redeco of her, alongside the Mane Six minus Applejack.
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* PerkyGoth: The ToysRUs exclusive [[http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=32801716 Ponymania]] collector's set includes a gothic-themed redeco of her.
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* PerkyGoth: The ToysRUs exclusive [[http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=32801716 Ponymania]] collector's set includes a gothic-themed redeco of her, alongside the Mane Six minus Applejack.
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* InexplicablyAwesome / MysteriousPast: They're [[PhysicalGod Goddesses]] [[OurGodsAreGreater by classic civilizations' qualifications]], but their origins are never touched on. Presumably, the royal family was/is larger than just the three princesses, but these also are unmentioned. Where Alicorns came from, if other Princes or Princesses raised the sun and moon before them, and many other questions will likely remain staunchly in WildMassGuessing territory.
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* InexplicablyAwesome / MysteriousPast: They're [[PhysicalGod Goddesses]] [[OurGodsAreGreater by classic civilizations' qualifications]], but their origins are never touched on. Presumably, the royal family was/is larger than just the three princesses, but these also are unmentioned. Where Alicorns came from, if other Princes or Princesses raised the sun and moon before them, from and many other questions will likely remain staunchly in WildMassGuessing territory.territory.
** ''Literature/TheJournalOfTheTwoSisters'' confirms that they took over the duty of raising the sun and moon from the unicorns because [[PoweredByAForsakenChild the unicorns who had volunteered to do so were being depleted of magic for the rest of their lives]].
* JapanesePronouns: In the Japanese dub, Celestia usually uses "watakushi" as a first-person pronoun. Luna uses "ware" when speaking in the Royal Canterlot Voice.
** ''Literature/TheJournalOfTheTwoSisters'' confirms that they took over the duty of raising the sun and moon from the unicorns because [[PoweredByAForsakenChild the unicorns who had volunteered to do so were being depleted of magic for the rest of their lives]].
* JapanesePronouns: In the Japanese dub, Celestia usually uses "watakushi" as a first-person pronoun. Luna uses "ware" when speaking in the Royal Canterlot Voice.
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* DeusExitMachina: While the full extent of their power isn't clear, Celestia and Luna are obviously the most powerful good guys in the setting. Yet whenever a serious threat rears its head, they never help out as much you'd think they could. Celestia is usually given an excuse for this, but Luna is rarely acknowledged at all. [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse Though that can be blamed on a whole other problem]]. Luna actually ''slept through'' the changeling invasion.
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* DeusExitMachina: While the full extent of their power isn't clear, Celestia and Luna the princesses are obviously the most powerful good guys in the setting.setting, both physically and politically. Yet whenever a serious threat rears its head, they never help out as much you'd think they could. Celestia is They're usually given an some sort of excuse for this, but Luna though not always.[[note]]Luna is rarely acknowledged at all. especially guilty of this, due to her [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse Though that can extended disappearing act]] in the early seasons. She's nowhere to be blamed on a whole other problem]]. Luna seen during Discord's first appearance and she actually ''slept through'' the changeling invasion.Changeling Invasion.[[/note]]
** On rare occasions, this also happens during the SliceOfLife stories. Since the Mane Cast usually deal with personal and/or relatively mundane problems, it makes sense for the princesses to stay out of it. But when the problem of the week is, say, a corrupted and seemingly invincible Trixie enslaving Ponyville for more than a day, it's a bit jarring that no one even considers calling for help.
** On rare occasions, this also happens during the SliceOfLife stories. Since the Mane Cast usually deal with personal and/or relatively mundane problems, it makes sense for the princesses to stay out of it. But when the problem of the week is, say, a corrupted and seemingly invincible Trixie enslaving Ponyville for more than a day, it's a bit jarring that no one even considers calling for help.
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* DamselInDistress: Despite being a {{Physical God}}dess, in the course of the series she's been captured four times: [[spoiler:by Nightmare Moon, Queen Chrysalis, the Plunder Vines (along with Luna) and Tirek (along with Luna and Cadance).]]
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* DamselInDistress: Despite being a {{Physical God}}dess, in the course of the series she's been captured four times: [[spoiler:by Nightmare Moon, Moon ([[AmbiguousSituation maybe]]), Queen Chrysalis, the Plunder Vines (along with Luna) and Tirek (along with Luna and Cadance).]]
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* DependingOnTheWriter: Despite the CharacterizationMarchesOn above her speech and some personalty traits change based on what writers feel is best suited. In the cartoon she has become a regal and wise pony like her sister, while in the IDW comics "Nightmare" arc, she's shown to still be haunted and guilt-ridden about her time as Nightmare Moon, something the show has almost never touched upon. In later issues she's settled as a GenkiGirl who lapses into the Royal Canterlot Voice when angry or excited. In Season 4 her actions leading up to becoming Nightmare Moon is acknowledged by her with a bit more consistency.
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* DependingOnTheWriter: Despite the CharacterizationMarchesOn above her speech and some personalty traits change based on what writers feel is best suited. In the cartoon she has become a regal and wise pony like her sister, while in the IDW comics "Nightmare" arc, she's shown a GenkiGirl with a short temper who's eager for adventure. The comics also go more in-depth on her jealousy of Celestia and her continuing to still be haunted and guilt-ridden about by her time as Nightmare Moon, something the show has almost never touched upon. In later issues she's settled as a GenkiGirl who lapses into the Royal Canterlot Voice when angry or excited. In Season 4 her actions leading up to becoming Nightmare Moon is acknowledged by her with a bit more consistency. upon.
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* TheStoic: After being depicted as TheWoobie in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E2ElementsOfHarmony "Friendship is Magic Part 2"]] and a LargeHam in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E4LunaEclipsed "Luna Eclipsed"]], she now tends to be portrayed in the cartoon as being very serious-minded, especially when protecting children from nightmares in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E6SleeplessInPonyville "Sleepless in Ponyville"]] and [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E20ForWhomTheSweetieBelleToils "For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils"]].
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* TrueBlueFemininity: Everything about her appearance (mane, eyes, coat, hooves) are different shades of blue.
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** She also is upset when [[spoiler:she is defeated by Queen Chrysalis in their [[BeamOWar beam collision]]. She was also probably upset that she didn't realize that Chrysalis was an impostor, which resulted in her defeat (had she realized it earlier, Chrysalis wouldn't have absorbed enough love from Shining Armor in order to defeat her).]]
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** She also is upset when [[spoiler:she is defeated by Queen Chrysalis in their [[BeamOWar beam collision]]. She was also probably upset that she didn't realize that Chrysalis was an impostor, had disguised herself as Cadance, which resulted in her defeat (had she realized it earlier, Chrysalis wouldn't have absorbed enough love from Shining Armor in order to defeat her).]]
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*
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* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: Princess Luna's bitterness turned her into Nightmare Moon because she ''thought'' that absolutely nobody liked her. Ironically, her actions as Nightmare Moon made sure that [[SelfFulfillingProphecy nobody liked her for real]]. The meteor shower scene in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E24OwlsWellThatEndsWell "Owl's Well and Ends Well"]] is a testament that ponies ''do'' enjoy her night and thus her fears were groundless. Interestingly, she ''agrees'' her Nightmare Moon self should be feared and hated. WordOfGod states that Luna's transformation into Nightmare Moon was because of evil magic and may not have been entirely her fault or choice. It doesn't help that she has a bit of a temper. Confirmed in the second art of the official comic book, with Luna's Nightmare Moon form being created by the Nightmare Forces, [[spoiler:who proceed to do to Rarity what they did to Luna.]]
Quite a few ponies are still scared of her in the present day due to a thousand years of rumors that built up around Nightmare Moon's [[YouMeanXmas "Nightmare Night"]], especially because of the fact she initially resurfaced as Nightmare Moon to begin with. She's working off her reputation. By "Sleepless in Ponyville", she'd succeeded as Scootaloo isn't scared of her and is instead happy to see her.
Quite a few ponies are still scared of her in the present day due to a thousand years of rumors that built up around Nightmare Moon's [[YouMeanXmas "Nightmare Night"]], especially because of the fact she initially resurfaced as Nightmare Moon to begin with. She's working off her reputation. By "Sleepless in Ponyville", she'd succeeded as Scootaloo isn't scared of her and is instead happy to see her.
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* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: Princess Luna's bitterness turned her into Nightmare Moon because she ''thought'' that absolutely nobody liked her. Ironically, her actions as Nightmare Moon made sure that [[SelfFulfillingProphecy nobody liked her for real]]. The meteor shower scene in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E24OwlsWellThatEndsWell "Owl's Well and Ends Well"]] is a testament that ponies ''do'' enjoy her night and thus her fears were groundless. Interestingly, she ''agrees'' her Nightmare Moon self should be feared and hated. WordOfGod states that Luna's transformation into Nightmare Moon was because of evil magic and may not have been entirely her fault or choice. It doesn't help that she has a bit of a temper. Confirmed in the second art arc of the official comic book, with Luna's Nightmare Moon form being created by the Nightmare Forces, [[spoiler:who proceed to do to Rarity what they did to Luna.]]
]] Quite a few ponies are still scared of her in the present day due to a thousand years of rumors that built up around Nightmare Moon's [[YouMeanXmas "Nightmare Night"]], especially because of the fact she initially resurfaced as Nightmare Moon to begin with. She's working off her reputation. By "Sleepless in Ponyville", she'd succeeded as Scootaloo isn't scared of her and is instead happy to see her.
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* CoolBigSis: If Celestia could be considered the mother of all Equestrian ponies, Luna is developing to be their Big Sister as we saw at the end of "Luna Eclipsed", and helping Scootaloo in "Sleepless in Ponyville" and a similar role to Sweetie Belle in "For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils").
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* CoolBigSis: If Celestia could be considered the mother of all Equestrian ponies, Luna is developing to be their Big Sister as we saw at the end of "Luna Eclipsed", and helping Scootaloo in "Sleepless in Ponyville" and a similar role to Sweetie Belle in "For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils").
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* DamselInDistress: Despite being a {{Physical God}}dess, [[spoiler:in the Season 4 finale, after transferring her magic to Princess Twilight with Luna and Cadance, she is helpless to being made a prisoner of the escaped convict from Tartarus with her little sister and Cadance.]]
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* DamselInDistress: Despite being a {{Physical God}}dess, [[spoiler:in in the Season 4 finale, after transferring her magic to Princess Twilight course of the series she's been captured four times: [[spoiler:by Nightmare Moon, Queen Chrysalis, the Plunder Vines (along with Luna) and Tirek (along with Luna and Cadance, she is helpless to being made a prisoner of the escaped convict from Tartarus with her little sister and Cadance.Cadance).]]
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* [[ManChild Woman Child]] : Certainly in the comics, and consistent with most of her appearances in the show too, Luna is mercurial in her moods and frequently petulant and given to sulks and bursts of rage. Her immaturity in comparison to her sister is very obvious.
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* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: [[spoiler:Returns the favor to Queen Chrysalis for doing this to her aunt when she and Shining Armor's [[ThePowerOfLove love is used to power a combined spell]] that defeats Chrysalis.]]
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* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: [[spoiler:Returns the favor to Queen Chrysalis for doing this to her aunt when she her and Shining Armor's [[ThePowerOfLove love is used to power a combined spell]] that defeats Chrysalis.]]
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* LoveGoddess: While never stated, this seems to fit her and is her special talent. In a flashback, she uses her magic to quiet an arguing couple and help them remember their love for each other. [[spoiler:[[PowerofLove Then she and Shining Armor's magic repelled the changelings]].]]
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* LoveGoddess: While never stated, this seems to fit her and is her special talent. In a flashback, she uses her magic to quiet an arguing couple and help them remember their love for each other. [[spoiler:[[PowerofLove Then she her and Shining Armor's magic repelled the changelings]].]]
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Moving to un-hyphenated title.
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[[redirect:{{Characters/FriendshipIsMagic-ThePrincesses}}]]
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%%
%% LOOK CAREFULLY: If it happens to multiple characters in only one episode, you could put the trope in that episode's recap in the Episode Guide.
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%% Zero Context examples are not allowed on wiki pages. Please add context before uncommenting.
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%% The use of spoilers must adhere to the spoiler policy guidelines listed in "Handling Spoilers": no tagging trope names, entire examples, or main bodies of text above the examples.
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The land of Equestria is not ruled by a king or queen, but by a pair of beautiful {{Princesses|Rule}}. Celestia, the elder, is responsible for raising the Sun at dawn, and the younger Luna is responsible for bringing out the moon at dusk. Together, they rule the land in harmony for all the different types of ponies.
Celestia also has a niece with the title of "Princess" named Mi Amore Cadenza, [[SomeCallMeTim who prefers to be called Cadance]]. Her special talent is inducing romantic love between ponies, though she is quite young and doesn't seem to be as powerful as the ruling sisters.
All the princesses are [[WingedUnicorn alicorns]][[note]]the in-show term as of the third SeasonFinale "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E13MagicalMysteryCure Magical Mystery Cure]]", [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin from the French words alie (winged) + corne (horn)]][[/note]], which are rare among ponies and denotes their regal status. Tthe only other ponies seen are {{pegas|us}}i (winged ponies), {{unicorn}}s (can wield magic), or earth ponies (bless the land, generally stronger and more enduring).
For Twilight Sparkle (who became a princess in the third SeasonFinale [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E13MagicalMysteryCure "Magical Mystery Cure"]]), see [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicTheManeCast The Mane Cast page]] and the [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicTwilightSparkle Twilight Sparkle page]]; for Prince Blueblood (the sisters' far removed nephew), see the [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicOneShots One-Shots page]]; for Princess Platinum (one of the founders of Equestria), see the [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicOthers Other Characters page]]; for Princess Skyla (who has only appeared in the toyline), see the [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicToylineExclusive Toyline Exclusive page]]; for King Leo and Léon (CanonForeigner cousins of Celestia's and presumably Luna's), see the [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicExpandedUniverse Expanded Universe page]].
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[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Tropes shared by Celestia and Luna]]
->''"Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together, and created harmony for all the land. To do this, the eldest used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn; the younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all the different types of ponies."''
* AllYourPowersCombined: Though [[TheMerch trading cards]] [[http://theponyartcollection.tumblr.com/post/26391355776 list]] the sisters and Cadance as being pegasi and unicorns but not Earth ponies, the later TieInNovel ''Literature/TwilightSparkleAndTheCrystalHeartSpell'' establishes that an Alicorn is "a special breed of pony able to harness the magical powers of the Unicorns, the flight abilities of the Pegasi, and the strength of a good, true heart of an Earth Pony." WordOfGod also [[http://msmagazine.com/blog/2010/12/24/my-little-non-homophobic-non-racist-non-smart-shaming-pony-a-rebuttal/ says]] that Celestia "embodies the traits of all three" [kinds of ponies], and the [[http://i.imgur.com/GG1rT68.jpg second]] [[http://i.imgur.com/qdfTkEw.jpg series]] of character cards lists the alicorn princesses as each of the three races (as an "intentional improvement" over the first series).
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Compared to Celestia, Luna shows off her powers a lot more, and from what we see they appear to be impressive even outside of her [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Nightmare Moon]] incarnation. Control of weather with lightning galore seems to be one of her favorite tricks, but she also displays various other powers, such as turning toy spiders into actual huge spiders. However, it appears that Celestia is not one to be underestimated either: she is able to instantly revert all the effects caused by Twilight Sparkle's burst of wild magic, to dispel the Want It Need It spell from the entire population of Ponyville, and [[spoiler:face off against Queen Chrysalis]], not even getting into wielding the Elements of Harmony against Nightmare Moon on her own.
* {{Badass}}: Not only were they able to harness the greatest magic known to ponydom before the Mane Six, they used it to defeat Discord.
* BadassFamily: Luna and Celestia are both badasses, and their niece Cadance reveals herself to be a BadassPrincess in her own right. [[BarrierWarrior Shining Armor]] and [[BadassBookworm Twilight Sparkle]] became a part of the BadassFamily thanks to Shining Armor's marriage to Cadance, and have since been granted their own titles as Prince and Princess.
* {{Badass Princess}}es: They're {{Retired Badass}}es who have saved Equestria at ''least'' twice in the past.
* {{Benevolent Mage Ruler}}s: Both of them qualify.
* BishieSparkle: Both princesses give off a sparkle at all times.
* BodyguardingABadass: They both have their own guards despite possibly being the most powerful beings in the world. They seem to be there partly because it's traditional, and partly to handle to small stuff (they appear to be practically useless against real threats).
* CainAndAbel: Princess Luna and Celestia form a rather complicated example. Luna got corrupted by an outside influence and when that was gone Celestia immediately offered to return her to power.
%% The Cool Horse trope applies only to horses that exist primarily to provide fast transportation for their owners. A Cool Horse is an accessory, like the High Fantasy equivalent of a Cool Car. The ponies in this show are characters unto themselves, and while they have been pulled vehicles or transported others, that is not their most defining trait.
* {{Cool Car}}riage / {{Flying Car}}riage: It isn't as if they ''need'' them, but Celestia and Luna use their own Pegasus-drawn carriages almost always when they need to fly to certain parts of Equestria. While Celestia's royal carriage is very beautiful and graceful, [[http://www.hasbro.com/common/assets/Flash/Creative/dad2af6e1c4311ddbd0b0800200c9a66/0f6b55af5056900b1013cd724a8d4018/assets/props/MLP_PropH_Carriage.swf Luna's carriage]] looks like a ''funeral carriage'', full of spikes and chains and pulled by two really sinister-looking [[http://www.hasbro.com/common/assets/Flash/Creative/dad2af6e1c4311ddbd0b0800200c9a66/0f6b55af5056900b1013cd724a8d4018/assets/characters/MLP_CharH_Pegasus.swf Pegasi]]. [[note]] Luna's sinister carriage must have been designed that way JustForPun, since another name for a funeral carriage is "Hearse", which means that Luna (a winged unicorn) is a Flying Horse on a Flying Hearse.[[/note]]
* CoolCrown: Both have one fitting their light and darkness motif.
* CreationMyth: Told at the beginning of episode one and expanded on with them defeating Discord in the past.
* DeusExitMachina: While the full extent of their power isn't clear, Celestia and Luna are obviously the most powerful good guys in the setting. Yet whenever a serious threat rears its head, they never help out as much you'd think they could. Celestia is usually given an excuse for this, but Luna is rarely acknowledged at all. [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse Though that can be blamed on a whole other problem]]. Luna actually ''slept through'' the changeling invasion.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Celestia and Luna defeated Discord in ancient times with the Elements of Harmony, despite him being ''much'' stronger than them even then.
* DoNotTauntCthulhu: It's hard to do most of the time, but do ''not'' get them mad. They're both extremely powerful {{Physical Goddess}}es and are not to be taken lightly (except for Discord, but he's [[RealityWarper on a higher plane than both of them]] and [[spoiler:[[OutGambitted paid for it in the end regardless]]]]). This is clearer with Princess Luna, who is ''far'' less reserved in showing off her power.
* DraggedOffToHell: Along with Cadance in the Season 4 finale, courtesy of Tirek. They get better.
* EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses: {{Justified|Trope}} since they rule together and you cannot have two queens; also {{enforced}} by the Creator/{{Hasbro}} execs, who wanted the rulers to be princesses since many young girls (the target demographic) still equate [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen queens with evil]].
* FantasyPantheon: While so far it consists of only three (four if you count Twilight) {{Physical Goddess}}es and maybe Discord, still counts.
* FishEyes: In the toys, they both tend to suffer from this.
* FleurDeLis: The ornament on their hooves.
* FlyingFirepower: As one would expect, both can fly and are capable of potent magic.
* FrickinLaserBeams: Par for the course for powerful magic users in the show.
* {{God Empress}}es: They both control a cosmic force and are only exceeded in power by Discord and a ThePowerOfLove-supercharged Queen Chrysalis.
* [[AGodIAmNot A Goddess I Am Not]]: As powerful and royal as they may be, they'd both much rather relate to their subjects on a personal level and forgo protocol.
* [[HeroOfAnotherStory Heroines of Another Story]]: Celestia and Luna had their own adventures and tribulations prior to and shortly after becoming the rulers of Equestria, which we have only seen brief glimpses of. They confront Discord covered in scrapes and bruises, but it's never shown ''how'' they got them.
* ImmortalityBeginsAtTwenty: If the flashbacks in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E1PrincessTwilightSparklePart1 "Princess Twilight Sparkle"]] are any indication, the Princesses have not physically aged in over a millennium.
* InexplicablyAwesome / MysteriousPast: They're [[PhysicalGod Goddesses]] [[OurGodsAreGreater by classic civilizations' qualifications]], but their origins are never touched on. Presumably, the royal family was/is larger than just the three princesses, but these also are unmentioned. Where Alicorns came from, if other Princes or Princesses raised the sun and moon before them, and many other questions will likely remain staunchly in WildMassGuessing territory.
* LargeAndInCharge: They're considerably larger than most of their subjects, with Celestia, as the older sister, being the larger of the two.
* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: A fairly literal example.
* {{Meaningful Name}}s: Celestia is based off Celestial and Luna is the moon.
* MagicHair: Both sisters have a mane and tail that sparkles and has an ethereal glow about it, and drifts about as if unaffected by gravity. The Season 4 Finale, "Twilight's Kingdom", reveals that their manes and tails drift and sparkle due to their magic. When they transfer it to Twilight, their manes and tails stop doing this and become still until their magic is recovered, restoring them to normal.
* PayEvilUntoEvil: The Princesses are forgiving souls, but if you're ''truly'' evil, they ''will'' make you sorry. This is best shown with Scorpan and his brother Tirek. Scorpan turned good and warned them of his and his brother's plans, and was not only spared but the sisters still speak kindly of him. Tirek didn't, and the sisters ''[[DraggedOffToHell sent him to Tartarus]].''
* PersonalityPowers: {{Inverted|Trope}} by both sisters. Celestia, who controls the sun, has a calm, sensible personality. Luna, who controls the moon, has a bombastic, intimidating personality.
* {{Precursor Hero|es}}ines: They were the wielders of the Elements of Harmony before the mane cast over one thousand years ago. As shown in flashback in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E2PrincessTwilightSparklePart2 "Princess Twilight Sparkle - Part 2"]], Celestia had Magic, Kindness and Generosity while Luna held Loyalty, Honesty and Laughter.
* [[ThePhilosopherKing Philosopher Queen]]: Attaining the alicorn form in Equestria apparently requires mastery of magic through intense study.
* PhysicalGoddess: Frequently taken UpToEleven in fan works (especially the "goddess" part, which has taken firm root in {{fanon}} despite remaining canonically unconfirmed well into the third season by now), rather less so on the actual show itself. Still, they're both magical unicorn princesses with power over the sun and the moon respectively and both at least centuries if not millennia old, so... close enough. Luna's appearances normally play this up a bit more though, as she seems much less restrained with her power. The season 4 finale implies this to be the case, as the combined magic of all four Princesses was a match for Tirek [[spoiler:powered up by the combined magic of everypony in Equestria plus Discord.]]
* PrincessesRule: WordOfGod says ExecutiveVeto is the only reason Celestia's not Queen. According to the execs at Hasbro, little girls now associate [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Queens with evil]] and Princesses with good.
* [[KingOfAllCosmos Queens of All Cosmos]]: Both princesses are {{Physical Goddess}}es who have their quirks. Celestia has a surprisingly mischievous sense of humor while Luna is quick-tempered and socially awkward.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Both being over a thousand years old and part of the CreationMyth, with Luna being the younger of the two.
* RedOniBlueOni: Contrary to what was popular belief before "Luna Eclipsed", Luna is the Red while Celestia's the Blue.
* RetiredBadass: Both of them. Back when they could use the Elements of Harmony, they saved Equestria together at least twice from Discord and Tirek (and stopped King Sombra) and then Celestia had to save it ''from'' Luna[=/=]Nightmare Moon. Celestia is still pretty {{Badass}}, but she lets Twilight and the rest of the Mane Cast do the world saving now. At least unless [[spoiler:a threat to Equestria [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E26ACanterlotWeddingPart2 uncloaks right in front of her]].]] The IDW Comic implies they still protect Equestria from major threats as well from time to time.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Celestia is in charge of bringing forth daytime while Luna brings forth the night. Besides attending her royal duties, Celestia regularly visits her people and goes to their aid whenever the need arises (such as a Parasprite infestation in Fillydelphia, or a frozen cloud falling on a stadium full of her citizens). She has also been raising and lowering ''both the freaking Sun and the Moon'' on a daily basis for a ''millennium'' after Luna's banishment. "Sleepless in Ponyville" reveals part of Luna's duty [[DreamWalker is to patrol the dream world]] and help her subjects conquer their nightmares. She also is seen doing like Celestia in protecting her citizens when the need arises (such as a falling ice cloud on a stadium full of innocent citizens).
* SiblingYinYang: [[SolarAndLunar Celestia represents the sun while Luna represents the moon]]. Also, Celestia is rather more laid back, friendly, and even-tempered than Luna, though that might be a result of Luna's outdated ideas of royal protocol.
* SmashSisters / SiblingTeam: Their backstory accomplishments are accomplished as a team. In King Sombra's case we see them join horns for a unite attack that one-hit-killed the evil unicorn.
* SupernaturalElite: Being both the rulers of Equestria and {{Physical Goddess}}es.
* SuperStrength: Only implicit in the show (due to the princesses having Earth Pony magic), but shown in the [[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW comics]]. In "Zen and the Art of Gazebo Repair" Luna participates in several sports competitions, easily acing them all. There's also a panel showing Celestia arm-wrestling Big Macintosh, one of the established strongest ponies in the show. She doesn't even break a sweat, while Big Mac is visibly exerting himself but unable to move her hoof.
* {{The Usurper}}s: The Season 2 premiere reveals that Celestia and Luna stole the throne from Discord and appointed themselves as the new rulers of Equestria after [[TakenForGranite trapping him in stone]]. Of course, this was a ''good'' change, as Discord's reign was a never-ending nightmare of chaos and suffering, which was the reason they rose up against him in the first place.
* [[TooImportantToWalk Too Important to Fly]]: See {{Cool Car}}riage/{{Flying Car}}riage above.
* TrueBlueFemininity: Both of their manes qualify them for this.
* [[VertebrateWithExtraLimbs Vertebrates with Extra Limbs]]: The wings.
* {{Winged Unicorn}}s: The four princesses are notably the only {{Winged Unicorn}}s to appear in the flesh on the show ([[{{Blooper}} animation errors]] aside). What being a WingedUnicorn actually ''means'' in this setting is somewhat of a mystery, which, coupled with their extreme rarity, fuels a lot of speculation for fans.
* WorfHadTheFlu: Celestia ''and'' Luna are captured in the season four opener, but this worfing is clearly justified due to the fact the vines were able to mess with magic, and their planter fully intended for them to be captured. [[spoiler:It happens again in the season four finale, when Celestia, Luna and Cadance transfer their magic to Twilight for protection, due to the new villain being able to drain a pony's magic, and the Princesses' magic is the strongest in Equestria.]]
* YinYangBomb: Are seen crossing their horns and blasting King Sombra with their combined magic to defeat him a thousand years ago.
* YouDontLookLikeYou: Infamously, Celestia's earlier toys were ''extremely'' pink, though this was later fixed (most likely to avoid confusion with Princess Cadance, who actually ''is'' pink). Luna's toys and collector cards give her a coat closer to Twilight Sparkle's shade of purple and a mane and tail of MulticoloredHair. Luna's Design-A-Pony toy depicts her as a PaletteSwap of Cadance (while Cadance herself doesn't have a Design-A-Pony toy). Additionally, Luna's original Playful Ponies-class (the standard-size ponies) toys were simply standard unicorn heads on a standard pegasus bodies (this flaw still applies to the Fashion Style versions of her ''and'' Celestia & Cadance). Fortunately, thanks to Cadance (who shares a lot of her design) getting her own Playful Ponies-class mold made, Luna now has new toys at that size which are the correct shape and closer to the correct colours.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Princess Celestia]]
[[quoteright:305:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/princess_celestia_vector_by_fehlung-d5co5fm_-_copy_-_copy_8337.png]]
[[caption-width-right:305:Don't ask us how she brushes that mane.]]
->''"I knew it was you who had the magic inside to defeat her, but you could not unleash it until you let true friendship into your heart."''
%% The intro is not counted as an appearance
->'''First Mention:''' [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E1MareInTheMoon "Friendship Is Magic - Part 1" ("Mare in the Moon")]]\\
'''Full Debut:''' [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E2ElementsOfHarmony "Friendship Is Magic - Part 2" ("Elements of Harmony")]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/NicoleOliver (US)
Ruler of Equestria. According to the CreationMyth, she governs both the sun and the moon, though she originally commanded "merely" the former and only assumed control of the latter after a disagreement with her sister pony-goddess. However since said sister's return, she has passed the reigns of the moon back to Luna. A white winged unicorn with a {{multicolored| hair}}, [[MagicHair ethereal mane]], she is noticeably taller and more slender than her subjects.
* HundredPercentAdorationRating: Her people absolutely ''love'' her.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: How Luna eventually felt about her.
* AntiMagic: Her most common use of her powers early on was to neutralize out-of-control magic, like with young Twilight Sparkle's wild surge in the flashback of "The Cutie Marks Chronicles", or her "Want-It Need-It" spell in "Lesson Zero".
* {{Badass}}: In the Season 2 finale, y'know how [[spoiler:Chrysalis]] was both a [[spoiler:changeling]] equivalent to the princess, AND powered by all the love in Canterlot? In the ensuing BeamOWar [[spoiler:Chrysalis cringed in preparation of being fried. She was as surprised as anyone that she won.]] On the other hoof, Celestia and her sister Luna still put their {{Badass}} sides to better use when dealing with Discord and King Sombra.
* BadassTeacher: She's Twilight's personal mentor in the Magic of Friendship.
* BerserkButton:
** Threatening her domain and causing trouble for her subjects do not please her.
** The misuse of magic really makes her mad, such as the incidents with Discord or Twilight Sparkle in "Lesson Zero".
* BewareTheNiceOnes: She is a kind, gentle and benevolent lady who put down ''two'' gods and a unicorn tyrant. She also essentially ''[[DraggedOffToHell sent Tirek to Hell]]''. She may be a kindhearted, forgiving sort, but she has ''very'' little mercy upon the truly evil.
* BigEater: "Ponyville Confidential" caught her indulging on ''mountains'' of cake. Possibly justified in that she is over twice the size of most of her subjects.
* BigFancyCastle: An homage to [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings Minas Tirith]].
* BigGood: She is [[GodEmperor ruler over the whole setting]], Twilight's mentor, the one who more often than not tells the mane six they need to save Equestria and easily the most intelligent character on the show -- and armed with the massive power that comes with being a {{Physical God}}dess, to boot. The major villains see her as their chief opponent, and she's always the one to send out the heroes against them.
* BoringButPractical: Of all the Princesses she's the only one seen running a government.
* BrokenAce: She's powerful and beloved by all of the ponies she cares for in the kingdom, but her inability to constantly protect them, as in the cases with Discord and [[spoiler:Queen Chrysalis]], as well as being unable to save the Crystal Ponies weighs down on her heart. [[spoiler:In the Season 4 finale, she also knows she will be unable to protect them once she transfers her magic to Twilight with Luna and Cadance before being captured by the villain, who then turns his attention to getting all their magic from Twilight, including hers.]]
* CastingAShadow: Celestia is capable of using King Sombra's dark magic to this effect. DarkIsNotEvil because she does it as a demonstration for Twilight before sending her to stop him.
* {{Catchphrase}}:
** "That's quite alright."
** When addressing multiple ponies at the same time, she usually refers to them as "[[TitleDrop My Little Ponies]]" [[note]]Justified, perhaps, since she's one of few full-size horses in the series[[/note]]. Note that "My little ponies" seems to be a pretty common way in Equestria for adult mares/stallions to address younger fillies/colts.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Beginning with Season 2, the show has depicted a more serious and strict side of Celestia, contrasting with her ever calm and relaxed personality from Season 1. She can be faillible, have moments of vulnerability, be overwhelmed by her opponents, feel fear, get upset, and even be angered. And you do ''not'' want to anger Celestia.
* TheChessmaster: She used her god-like power to defeats her enemies in the backstory. In the main narrative she wins through clever planning. [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E1MareInTheMoon The]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E2ElementsOfHarmony pilot]], the [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E26TheBestNightEver first season finale]], and the [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E1TheReturnOfHarmonyPart1 two-part]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E2TheReturnOfHarmonyPart2 Season 2 opening]]. The show can leave you wondering if Celestia is in fact a Chessmaster or is simply an amazing {{Gambit Roulette}} player. This dissonance is mainly due to the exact workings of her prescience being left intentionally vague.
-->'''[[WordOfGod Lauren Faust]]:''' I never wanted to define her [precognitive] abilities, even to myself. I wanted her to be mysterious and hard to understand on purpose. There are things she knows, things she has a mere sense for and things she can't see at all.
* ColorCodedWizardry: As of Season 2, her horn and objects affected by her magic have a bright yellow glow.
* CoolBigSis: It's obvious Celestia adores Luna after she gets reverted from being Nightmare Moon, and Part 1 of "The Return of Harmony" confirms they were good friends before that (sharing the Elements of Harmony). In the Season 4 premiere, a flashback shows them doing just that: sharing the Elements of Harmony, to defeat Discord together.
* CoolPet: Her sickly pet bird Philomena, who is actually a [[ThePhoenix Phoenix]] near her rebirth phase and a [[ThePrankster prankster]] too appropriately enough, given the later entry.
* CoolTeacher: To Twilight Sparkle. Her idea of the "best night ever" is talking with Celestia all night.
* DamselInDistress: Despite being a {{Physical God}}dess, [[spoiler:in the Season 4 finale, after transferring her magic to Princess Twilight with Luna and Cadance, she is helpless to being made a prisoner of the escaped convict from Tartarus with her little sister and Cadance.]]
* DemotedToExtra: Since Twilight's transformation and the show's ReTool of the aesops being recorded in journals rather than being sent to her in letters, Celestia's presence on the show has notably been reduced, with her only showing up in the fourth season premiere, the penultimate episode, "Equestria Games", and the fourth season finale.
* DependingOnTheArtist: Celestia's coat looks white, but is actually a ''very'' light fuchsia-grey. Her human counterpart in ''Equestria Girls'' has light pink skin, her depiction in the comics has a light lavender coat, Twilight's storybook in the first episode depicts her as pink, and her toys range from white to vibrant pink.
* DisproportionateRetribution: Completely averted by what we've seen but some of her subjects (Twilight in particular, who should really know her better) seem to fear she will engage in this for minor infractions like looking after her pet without permission or missing a school assignment. Given the [[HundredPercentAdorationRating positive reception]] her subjects have toward her, it's possible that her subjects are more worried about ''disappointing'' or upsetting her than they are being punished by her. While she ''has'' dished out horrible punishments, it never falls into this as Discord, King Sombra, and Tirek were all absolute monsters who deserved them.
* [[DreamingOfThingsToCome Dreaming of Distant Events]]: The season four finale revealed that Celestia can have clairvoyant visions in her sleep. The one seen was of the present, so it's unknown if she can see the future or the past, but she can't seem to have them on purpose or guide them.
* EccentricMentor: She's got a mischievous sense of humor for a PhysicalGoddess.
* ErmineCapeEffect: While not to the tacky extreme seen in other girl shows, she is constantly dressed in impeccable finery and a tiara every time she appears. There's also her rainbow-colored gravity-defying hair. For Twilight's coronation ceremony in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E13MagicalMysteryCure "Magical Mystery Cure"]], we see her in full regalia for the first time, including an ermine-trimmed crown instead of her usual tiara.
* FailureKnight: She was unable to save the Crystal Ponies from Sombra's final curse, she failed to prevent her younger sister Princess Luna from being corrupted and turning into Nightmare Moon, which haunted her for over 1000 years. Then Discord comes back and leaves her powerless to stop him from terrorizing the kingdom. Next, [[spoiler:Queen Chrysalis successfully infiltrates her niece Cadance's wedding and defeats her in direct combat.]] And after that, [[spoiler:she and Luna are both seized by the wild vines growing out of the Everfree Forest and imprisoned until Twilight and company save them. It happens again when the escaped prisoner from Tartarus imprisons her, Luna, and Cadance, before going after Twilight and her friends and getting bested in combat and thus freeing them once more.]]
* ForHappiness: and Friendship and Magic [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and cakes]].
* FriendToAllLivingThings: She tells Fluttershy that she also cares for animals in the episode "A Bird in the Hoof".
%% * GenreSavvy
* GentleGiant / LargeAndInCharge: Much bigger than the ponies and just as benevolent.
* GodJob: Bringing the Sun and the Moon up every day for a thousand years until Luna was redeemed, and the Sun alone for some while before.
* GodOfGood: While her overt role is being the goddess of the sun, she fills most other qualities and in the creation story she's heavily connected to the Elements of Harmony.
* GodIsGood: She makes the sun rise, she's involved in the creation myth, her subjects say things like "as Celestia is my witness" etc.
* GoldAndWhiteAreDivine: Her coat is white and she is a PhysicalGoddess.
* GoldMakesEverythingShiny: All of her accessories are gold.
* GoodIsNotSoft: She's a genuinely good pony who cares about her subjects and sister with all her heart. That said, she shows no mercy to a truly evil villain like Discord and was willing to [[SealedEvilInACan seal her own sister away]] when she turned into [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Nightmare Moon]].
* GuileHero: She's more than willing to resort to [[ThePlan sneaky plans]] to lead the heroes to victory. She masterminded Discord's defeat simply by sending Twilight Sparkle all of the friendship letters she'd sent the entire first season.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: The IDW comics show her going on her own saving-Equestria adventures while the Mane Six go on theirs.
* HiddenDepths: She comes across mostly as a formal and regal [[TheHighQueen High Queen]], and it comes across stronger to her subjects. Now observe her mischievous side.
* TheHighQueen: Most everypony around her treats her like this, but it's implied she'd prefer a more relaxed approach.
* HotGoddess: She is drawn more aesthetically... more clean, shiny, "beautiful", and pretty... compared to the rest of the cast. It's implied that she is (or fits) the ideal for equine beauty in Equestria; for example, the beauty parlor in Ponyville has a picture of a pony with her tall and slender proportions.
*
%% * IncorruptiblePurePureness
* InterspeciesAdoption: [[WordofGod Lauren Faust]] at one point stated that it was Celestia that adopted and raised Spike (who is a dragon, no less) after he hatched from his egg. If the way he turned out is any indication, Celestia seemed to know what she was doing in raising him.
* ItsPersonal: While we don't learn exactly what he did, it's clear from how she reacts to Discord that she hates him with a passion.
* LadyOfWar: Retains a refined air even when firing a deadly solar beam [[spoiler:that comes ''this'' close to reducing Chrysalis to ashes.]]
** We even see some evidence which shows how she and her sister were these in the past when Discord and King Sombra were involved.
* LightIsGood: Is the BigGood and represents the sun.
* LonelyAtTheTop: She suffers a small degree of this, though it may have been cured after her reunion with her sister.
* MamaBear: Though this extends to all her subjects, with Twilight, Cadance and Luna especially, do ''not'' mess with them or you will know her wrath.
* [[WomanInWhite Mare In White]]: Emphasizing how LightIsGood.
* TheMentor: To Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer.
* MetaphoricallyTrue: Celestia tends to use half-truths whenever she's [[TheChessmaster planning]] something. None of what she says is untrue, but she lies by omission pretty often.
* ModestRoyalty: She is very social and prefers livelier, more personal get-togethers over extravagant soirees. It turns out this is one of the major reasons she invites Twilight and her friends to the Grand Galloping Gala. She hates how dull the event usually is since she effectively spends the whole Gala welcoming guests and doesn't get to enjoy it, and she's hoping the girls will liven things up a bit. [[HilarityEnsues They]] [[GoneHorriblyRight do]].
* MulticoloredHair: Rainbow pastels.
* [[MrExposition Ms. Exposition]]: Many of her appearances in the series boil down to being this, mainly describing [[WorldBuilding how creatures and artifacts work]].
* MyGreatestFailure:
** Despite putting a stop to his evil, she seems to feel very guilty about being unable to protect the Crystal Ponies from King Sombra's last curse.
** It tore her up when she had to exile her sister to the moon, and the plot of the pilot is to remedy this.
** She also feels guilty about not realizing the seal keeping Discord imprisoned has been broken until it's too late.
** She also is upset when [[spoiler:she is defeated by Queen Chrysalis in their [[BeamOWar beam collision]]. She was also probably upset that she didn't realize that Chrysalis was an impostor, which resulted in her defeat (had she realized it earlier, Chrysalis wouldn't have absorbed enough love from Shining Armor in order to defeat her).]]
** ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls Equestria Girls]]'' adds Sunset Shimmer, a pony she took under her wing not long before Twilight Sparkle that became cruel and dishonest despite her best efforts, to the list. Sunset's eventual fall from grace reminded Celestia of her forced banishment of Nightmare Moon, and she kept the mirror that Sunset escaped into as a reminder and in hopes of her wayward student's possible return.
** That Celestia has so many of these is to show us that despite being the pony equivalent of a goddess, she's just as fallible as anyone -- and that no one knows this better than she does.
* NiceGirl: One of the most well-meaning, kind rulers.
* NoNonsenseNemesis: Her reaction to Discord's escape. She calls the Mane Cast in and outright tells them to use the Elements Of Harmony to ''take Discord out ASAP''. Unfortunately, Discord is ''more'' GenreSavvy, but she earns points for trying. Justified as she was there the ''last time'' he was free and knows just how dangerous he really is.
* TheObiWan: She is the age-old mentor who helps Twilight get started on her trip to Ponyville.
* OneHourWorkWeek: Averted. In all her appearances, she is shown to be at work, giving work, going to work, or being called immediately to work either directly to the government or trying to keep the realm happy and safe.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness:
** Her behavior in the Season 2 premiere is at odds with her normally relaxed manner in the first season, which serves to underline how serious a threat Discord is. To compare, when dealing with Nightmare Moon, she lets Twilight stumble upon the answer. Here, she calls the Mane Six and straight up tells them to ''take Discord out''.
** Also, the Season 2 premiere is the first time when Celestia is shown to be ''vulnerable and fallible'': She is unable to wield the power of the Elements of Harmony, Discord outsmarts her by stealing the Elements out from under her nose, and rather than resort to an alternate plan, Celestia's only reaction is to jaw-drop and stand there with an OhCrap expression on her face. Yes; Discord is ''that much'' of a menace.
** "Lesson Zero" also showed us the first time Celestia gets visibly upset at Twilight's irresponsible use of magic; the OhCrap look on Twilight and her friends was worth a thousand words.
** In "A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1", she's obviously pissed at Twilight after the latter confronts [[spoiler:the fake Cadance]] at the wedding rehearsal. In Part 2, she [[spoiler:goes straight-up LadyOfWar on {{the reveal}}ed Queen Chrysalis... right before [[TheWorfEffect getting worfed]].]]
* PaperThinDisguise: Her "hobo" outfit [[https://derpibooru.org/338488?scope=scpe3d683a7de79a0ba9eb5357b47c510f99c03c8f25 in the Sparkle Word comic]] is just a rangy hood and sunglasses, never mind that fact she's twice the size of anypony.
* ParentalSubstitute: [[http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/12/spikes-original-backstory.html Word of God]] mentions that Spike was raised by Celestia.
* PeekABangs: Her mane often covers one of her eyes.
* {{Physical God}}dess: Of course, being the ruler of Equestria and all.
* PinkMeansFeminine: Her mane and tail qualify her for this.
* PlayingWithFire:
** Considering she's a sun goddess, this goes without saying.
** This is taken to literal measures when she's with her pet [[ThePhoenix phoenix]] Philomena.
* ThePowerOfTheSun: Is the goddess of the sun and her magic normally involves light.
* ThePrankster: AscendedFanon: "A Bird in the Hoof" and "The Best Night Ever" shows her engaging in lighthearted mischief at her subjects' expense, and "Castle Mane-ia" reveals that she filled her old castle with booby-traps for the sole purpose of pranking Luna.
* PrincessesPreferPink:
** {{Downplayed|Trope}} in-show, as she has pink in her MulticoloredHair and has pink outlines but is mostly white. However, most toys based off her were {{Enforced|Trope}} into becoming this, as toy retailers would only sell it in pink despite the fact that she's ''shown as white on the box'' (and in the commercials).
** Played straight in the episode "Magical Mystery Cure", where she wears a pink PimpedOutDress during Twilight Sparkle's coronation ceremony.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: She's willing to listen to her subjects and is generally understanding and forgiving... unless you're irredeemably evil.
* RenownedSelectiveMentor: Is this for Twilight Sparkle. She hasn't chosen a personal pupils for ages.
* RequisiteRoyalRegalia: Not really necessary, but she is always adorned with a golden tiara, a golden necklace, and golden shoes.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething:
** She maintains life in Equestria.
** She put down Discord, Nightmare Moon, ''and'' King Sombra.
** Apparently, she also seems to be the source (or a catalyst) of many of the magical properties in Equestria.
** In the comics we get to see just how much she does when Luna takes over for her for a day.
** In the season 4 episode, "Equestria Games", when an accident involving an archery competition endangers her people, she flies up to assist the Pegasus ponies with her little sister, albeit in more of a supportive role to avoid endangering herself and Luna, [[BigDamnHero until Spike tells them to get clear before melting the threat himself]].
* SilkHidingSteel: Celestia generally desires a less formal relationship with her subjects and has a rather puckish sense of humor, but she clearly is a mare of great elegance and refinement. At the same time, when the chips are down, the steel comes out. Her overall character design reinforces this -- undeniably feminine and motherly, but also emphasizing her sheer size and strength when compared to her subjects.
** For example, when she orders the Mane Six to do away with Discord.
** She goes horn-to-horn with [[spoiler:Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings]] in order to keep her kingdom safe.
** While a downplayed example, Celestia has twice shown to be able to easily undo the damage caused by [[BadassBookworm Twilight's]] magic in "Lesson Zero" and "The Cutie Mark Chronicles", showing that her own magic power remains superior to that of most (if not all) unicorns or alicorns.
** We find out later that she and Luna condemned King Sombra to a FateWorseThanDeath for his horrific crimes against his subjects, albeit sometime before Luna became Nightmare Moon.
* SinkOrSwimMentor: Issue #3 of ''Friends Forever'' reveals that this is the reason for her oft-mocked lack of help for the Mane Six even in the direst circumstances; she's fully capable of solving those problems herself, but this would only stunt the personal development of anypony she helped, who would simply rely on her to step in every time a problem came up. By the end of the issue, she also shows she will step in when the situation is truly hopeless for anypony but her.
* {{Socialite}}: {{Averted|Trope}}. She prefers more casual reunions and is so bored by the biggest and most important social event in the country that she is ecstatic when the core group ''trashes her ball room'' because it livens things up. She prefers the casual reunion in the small donut shop with her student and friends.
* SoProudOfYou: Her reaction when Twilight finishes Star Swirl the Bearded's last spell, and becomes a princess.
* StandardRoyalCourt: Or more standard-ish than the rest of the incarnations. So far, there have been nobles, guards, a few royal positions, and the Mayor as a model of government.
* StarCrossedLovers: In the IDW comics, she has this relationship with a GoodCounterpart to King Sombra from a MirrorUniverse.
* StatuesqueStunner: Her looks combined with her size qualify her for this.
* StepfordSmiler: In the first part of the "Princess Twilight" season four opener, she admits to Twilight that for a thousand years, the Summer Sun Celebration was a bitter reminder of the fact that she'd been forced to banish her ''own sister'', and that she'd simply been putting on a happy face for her subjects during the event. Averted now though, as Luna has returned.
* SternTeacher:
** In "Lesson Zero", she gives Twilight an extremely stern look and an equally stern order for Twilight to "meet her in the library". Absolutely justifiable considering the chaos Twilight caused and the fact that Celestia had to fix it.
** She does it again [[spoiler:in "A Canterlot Wedding" after Twilight calls out Cadance for being "evil". Unfortunately, this time Twilight was right, sort of: Cadance isn't evil, [[HumanShifting her imposter is]]. Regardless, it still counts that Twilight was right.]]
* StopWorshippingMe: In many of her appearances, she's shown to be quite uncomfortable with all the genuflection and adoration (or fear) her subjects display. This could also explain why she takes so much interest in Twilight's lessons and letters and why she enjoys the meetings between her and the core cast so much.
* SweetTooth: "Ponyville Confidential" and "[=MMMystery=] on the Friendship Express" both imply she has a weakness for pastries.
* TeamMom: To Twilight and her friends; being their goddess, they're in awe of her.
* TeleportersAndTransporters: "Lesson Zero" revealed that Celestia can teleport at will... possibly over a far greater distance than Twilight can. She implicitly came directly from her castle, a distance Twilight is shown to match only under extreme emergency, and that only once so far. This can explain why she literally appeared out from nowhere during Season 1 to deliver her advice to Twilight and friends.
%% Don't put TheGoodKing because we already have its DistaffCounterpart TheHighQueen here.
* ThisMeansWar: The actions of Discord upon his return ''angered her''. Until that moment, nobody knew she could ''get'' angry. Her explanation of what happened over 1000 years ago and what we see Discord do in the present imply she has ''very'' good reason to hate him.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Judging by the episodes "[=MMMystery=] on the Friendship Express" and "Ponyville Confidential," her favorite food is implied to be cake.
* TricksterMentor: She occasionally "manipulates" Twilight Sparkle in order to teach her a valuable lesson or encourage her to do something exceptional. Usually. See below for when it's for personal reasons.
* UnmovingPlaid: The colors of her mane and tail wave... just not in the same way that the mane and tail ''themselves'' move. It might have something to do with her being a PhysicalGod.
* WelcomeBackTraitor: In the pilot episode, she allows her sister, Luna, to be her co-ruler again.
* TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask:
** A far more benign example, but Celestia shows a great desire to be in a closer and more personal relationship with her subjects instead of the adoration, noble politeness, praise, and nervousness she causes wherever she goes, and she holds extremely dear her informal relationship with her star student.
** We also see signs of this in her disdain for the Grand Galloping Gala, though given that she seems to spend much of it greeting the numerous guests, it's not hard to imagine why she says that it's always awful. She also loathed the Summer Sun Festival because it served as an annual reminder of having to seal her sister away. [[spoiler: She loathes it no longer now that Luna is back.]]
* TheWorfEffect:
** [[spoiler:The Changeling Queen defeats her at the Royal Wedding, since the Changeling Queen had absorbed enough power from Shining Armor's love at that point. Though it should be noted, even with her massive power boost, Queen Chrysalis was visibly straining against Celestia's power and was as shocked as everypony else when she actually ''won'', so Celestia didn't lose ''that'' easily.]]
** [[spoiler: Could be possible in the Season 4 finale, when Celestia, Luna, and Cadance, transfer their magic to Twilight for safekeeping, then getting imprisoned by the villain until Twilight rescues them and returns their magic, and their Cutie Marks.]]
* WorfHadTheFlu:
** [[spoiler:Her defeat is justified by Queen Chrysalis having gorged herself on an ungodly amount of [[ThePowerOfLove love]] from Shining Armor and possibly Princess Cadance, and the fact that the room was packed full of her subjects (who she wouldn't want to harm) is important too. She had to avoid causing collateral damage.]]
** [[spoiler:In the Season 4 finale, Celestia mentions that the only reason she and Luna can't fight Tirek directly is because he has ''Discord'' backing him up.]]
** Possibly due to InverseLawOfUtilityAndLethality: Celestia can control the sun. [[FantasticNuke Imagine how horrific that would look in a fight]], and you see why she will never be shown to do it in the show.
* YouKillItYouBoughtIt: The Season 2 premiere indicates she and Luna became Equestria's rulers after deposing the land's EvilOverlord, Discord, and turning him to stone. Proven in a flashback during the Season 4 premiere when Twilight saw them imprison Discord for the first time with the Elements of Harmony.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Princess Luna]]
[[quoteright:330:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/NewLuna_8383.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:330:The {{ensemble darkhorse}}, [[IncrediblyLamePun literally]]!]]
[[caption-width-right:330:[[labelnote:Click here to see her]]http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/luna_2_3852.png[[/labelnote]] alternate design.]]
->''"You no longer have reason to fear us. Screams of delight is what your princess desires... not screams of terror."''
->'''Debut:''' [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E2ElementsOfHarmony "Friendship Is Magic - Part 2" ("Elements of Harmony")]] (separate from Nightmare Moon)
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/TabithaStGermain\\
'''Singing by:''' Kazumi Evans
Princess Celestia's younger sister. She co-rules Equestria alongside her older sister. According to the CreationMyth, she used to govern nighttime, but grew jealous of her sister and wound up [[SealedEvilInACan sealed away for a thousand years]] as the Mare in the Moon. After being defeated by the reformed Elements of Harmony, she {{Heel Face Turn}}s and becomes Princess Luna again, resuming her nighttime duties.
For her "corrupted" form, Nightmare Moon, see [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicAntagonists the Antagonists page]]. Also has a [[SelfDemonstrating/PrincessLuna self-demonstrating article]].
* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: Princess Luna's bitterness turned her into Nightmare Moon because she ''thought'' that absolutely nobody liked her. Ironically, her actions as Nightmare Moon made sure that [[SelfFulfillingProphecy nobody liked her for real]]. The meteor shower scene in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E24OwlsWellThatEndsWell "Owl's Well and Ends Well"]] is a testament that ponies ''do'' enjoy her night and thus her fears were groundless. Interestingly, she ''agrees'' her Nightmare Moon self should be feared and hated. WordOfGod states that Luna's transformation into Nightmare Moon was because of evil magic and may not have been entirely her fault or choice. It doesn't help that she has a bit of a temper. Confirmed in the second art of the official comic book, with Luna's Nightmare Moon form being created by the Nightmare Forces, [[spoiler:who proceed to do to Rarity what they did to Luna.]]
Quite a few ponies are still scared of her in the present day due to a thousand years of rumors that built up around Nightmare Moon's [[YouMeanXmas "Nightmare Night"]], especially because of the fact she initially resurfaced as Nightmare Moon to begin with. She's working off her reputation. By "Sleepless in Ponyville", she'd succeeded as Scootaloo isn't scared of her and is instead happy to see her.
* AdaptationNameChange: The single-volume [[{{Novelization}} storybook adaptation]] of the [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E1MareInTheMoon pilot]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E2ElementsOfHarmony episodes]] refers to her as Selena; WordOfGod [[http://comments.deviantart.com/5/35510074/1714597033 says]] "[[WhatCouldHaveBeen Her name was Selena for a short time, but there were legal problems with it. Guess the book writer didn't get the info]]."
* {{Adorkable}}:
** When she starts moving out of her old princess mode, Luna is macabre yet cute and a bit nerdy, much like a character escaped from a Creator/TimBurton movie. Even ''in'' her old princess mode, she can be endearingly awkward, if loud.
** Looking closely at the wedding reception near the end of "A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2" shows her rocking out to the music in the background.
** Has this in spades in her Micro Series comic.
* AllThereInTheManual: For those who follow the IDW comic series, Nightmare Moon's origins are expanded upon. [[spoiler:We learn that her corruption wasn't entirely her fault, and that a dark entity known as the Nightmare Forces preyed on her contempt and loneliness, expanding it and turning her against her sister and citizens in order for her to become their Queen.]]
* AlwaysSecondBest / CantCatchUp: She felt inadequate to her sister's greatness, and it tore her apart.
* AndIMustScream: Stuck in her SuperpoweredEvilSide for '''a thousand years'''. There was nothing she could do to change back when she was banished to the moon.
* ArtEvolution: Her [[http://mlp.wikia.com/wiki/File:Canterlot_Castle_Luna.png old design]] in her brief de-corrupted appearance at the end of [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E2ElementsOfHarmony the second episode]] had her with a shorter, light-blue mane that looked normal, as well as matching hooves. Her current design as of [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E4LunaEclipsed "Luna Eclipsed"]], seen above, has an ethereal mane and tail like her big sister with the texture of Nightmare Moon's smoke, as well as a slightly darker coat and silver-colored hooves. Creator/LaurenFaust says that it represents her regaining her powers that she lost when she was defeated as Nightmare Moon, explaining that it took her time for her "good" powers... represented by her magic mane... to come back. She also admits that she just made that up on the spot and doesn't know how the new show runners would explain it. They don't, [[WordOfDante so it's as good an explanation as any]]. It might be [[OffModel accidental]] or not, but this explanation is supported in the show. [[http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111022175028/mlp/images/f/f5/Luna_Eyes_3_S2E4.png Several]] [[http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111022181661/mlp/images/2/21/Luna_Happy_2_S2E4.png shots]] of her show that a few locks of the mane retain the Season 1 light-blue coloration. The tie-in comics depict Luna in her smaller form at first, and she later takes on her larger appearance. It is implied this is because of the return of Nightmare Moon is affecting her guilt and self-confidence, once the residents of Ponyville protect her from the new Nightmare Moon and assure her they forgive her, she transforms into her larger self.
* TheAtoner: She tries to make amends for her stint as Nightmare Moon so her pony subjects won't be so frightened of her.
** Her first attempt was on [[AllHallowsEve Nightmare Night]] which is probably ''not'' the best night to prove you're not scary, but still she's trying.
** She decides to help Sweetie Belle through her relationship problems with Rarity, stating up front that she knows what it's like to feel outshone by her sister like Sweetie Belle does.
* {{Badass}}: As mentioned above, she took down Discord and King Sombra alongside Celestia years ago. It's also her job to patrol her subjects' dreams and deal with their nightmares. The first time she does this, she ''vaporizes'' the monster in it.
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: Pip's kindness towards her is the main reason she reinstates Nightmare Night after cancelling it.
* BigEntrance:
** How she enters in "Luna Eclipsed". Descending from the high sky in a chariot drawn by drago-pegasi then leaping to the ground as her BlackCloak disperses into a flock of bats. It also qualifies as a NotWhatItLooksLike moment for her because it made everyone think Nightmare Moon was back.
** Also makes one in "Sleepless in Ponyville", though this one is ''much'' more heroic; appear in a flash of light and zap a monster.
* BigGood: Downplayed. She is technically equal in rank and power potential but has [[FaceHeelTurn learned from]] [[HeelFaceTurn personal experience]] to defer to her older sibling's superior wisdom.
* BrokenPedestal: Helped save Equestria from Discord and then maintain Harmony all over the land, only to later turn into a villain herself. After her HeelFaceTurn, she's trying to become a RebuiltPedestal after being this trope for a long time.[[note]]Intially the falling out of the royal sisters would be a big deal but after a few hundred years everypony thinks she's a myth.[[/note]]
* CharacterizationMarchesOn:
** Her brief initial appearance isn't much to go on, but definitely was not the LargeHam she showed up as later in "Luna Eclipsed".
** Her appearance in "A Canterlot Wedding - Parts 1 & 2" shows that she's gotten much more used to speaking in what passes for a "normal" tone of voice among modern ponies, and she uses more modern lexicon as well.
** Her speech in "Sleepless in Ponyville" is even better. Notably, it has become much like Celestia's, carrying all the weight and refinement you'd expect from a Princess, but no longer an intimidating shout-down to listen to. It's the best indicator that she's learning how to fit in, as when she first tried to speak in a "normal" voice, the result sounded frightened and unsure.
* ColorCodedWizardry: Her magic aura is blue.
* CoolBigSis: If Celestia could be considered the mother of all Equestrian ponies, Luna is developing to be their Big Sister as we saw at the end of "Luna Eclipsed", and helping Scootaloo in "Sleepless in Ponyville" and a similar role to Sweetie Belle in "For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils").
* CreepyGood: She's not above showing even young fillies {{Nightmare Sequence}}s in their dreams if it means [[ScareEmStraight teaching them a valuable lesson]].
* DamselInDistress: [[spoiler:In the Season 4 premiere, she ends up being captured by Discord's plunder vines off-camera with her big sister, only to be saved by Twilight at the end of the two-parter. It happens again in the Season 4 finale, when she is imprisoned by the new villain with Celestia and Cadance.]]
* DarkIsEvil: Out-of-universe, this trope is a key reason why she didn't show up again in Season 1. Strangely, Luna is even darker (color-wise) when she returns, so they apparently got over it.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Despite riding a spiked chariot pulled by bat-winged guards into town, Luna just wishes for the acceptance of her subjects once again.
%% Deadpan Snarker does not apply to Luna, as she is non-sarcastic easily more often than she is sarcastic. If you disagree, take it to the following thread: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1331473451059167100&page=7#173
* DependingOnTheWriter: Despite the CharacterizationMarchesOn above her speech and some personalty traits change based on what writers feel is best suited. In the cartoon she has become a regal and wise pony like her sister, while in the IDW comics "Nightmare" arc, she's shown to still be haunted and guilt-ridden about her time as Nightmare Moon, something the show has almost never touched upon. In later issues she's settled as a GenkiGirl who lapses into the Royal Canterlot Voice when angry or excited. In Season 4 her actions leading up to becoming Nightmare Moon is acknowledged by her with a bit more consistency.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: After the Mane Six defeat her with ThePowerOfFriendship, she's accepted back into Equestrian royalty by both her sister and subjects. The subjects are still somewhat scared of her, though.
* DesperatelyCravesAffection: Since she spent a thousand years as Equestria's Boogey Mare she works hard to earn her subjects' love and admiration once again, with little initial success.
* DramaticThunder: A signature feature of hers. The weather reflects her mood, or more precisely, her anger and excitement.
* DreamWalker: One of Luna's duties as the Princess of the Night is to check on her subjects' dreams and guard them from nightmares, as well as help them overcome them.
* DreamWeaver: Luna can manipulate dreams on a whim, up to merging the memories of other ponies into the dream, and projecting possible futures to make a point.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: All thoughts of Luna being a mere Woobie are shattered when she makes her big entrance in "Luna Eclipsed" as '''''[[LargeHam PRINCESS OF THE NIIIIIGHT!!!]]''''' Immediately following that grand entrance, Luna is [[NoSocialSkills utterly perplexed]] by everypony's frightened reactions and storms off in a huff.
* EyeColorChange: Luna has normal pony eyes, but when she's in her Nightmare Moon persona (or possessed, it's never entirely clear), she has reptile eyes with slit pupils.
* FaceHeelTurn: Princess Luna turning into Nightmare Moon in the CreationMyth.
* {{Fallen Hero}}ine: Helped save Equestria from Discord before becoming so bitter (and corrupted by ''something'') that she turned into [[MadGod Nightmare Moon]] and took over the villain role herself. Thankfully, she's back on the good side now.
* FishOutOfTemporalWater: Part of the reason Luna is received so poorly on Nightmare Night; while it seems to everypony else that she's still acting evil, in reality she's presenting herself with outdated royal etiquette. This involves using NoIndoorVoice, RoyalWe and AntiquatedLinguistics. Given [[HalloweenEpisode the occasion]], it's not altogether clear how much of that behavior is the "real" Luna and how much just her hamming it up on purpose in order to fit in; either way, it helps drive home the point just ''how'' long she's been trapped in the moon.
* FloweryElizabethanEnglish: As seen in "Luna Eclipsed", underscoring her FishOutOfTemporalWater status. All her other appearances both before (in the series pilot) and since have her speaking modern English.
* FriendToAllChildren: She seems to like kids a lot and wants to make sure they have a fun Nightmare Night, but she has trouble doing so initially.
** She immediately saves Pip when he falls in the water tank.
** She also helps Scootaloo with her nightmares (by ''vaporizing'' the monster in it, no less), and telling the filly the real reason she was having them.
** This makes sense when you realize her duties as Princess of the Night implies she guards the dreams of her subjects: who would need the most protection from nightmares?
* FriendlyAddressPrivileges: She would much prefer if her subjects simply drop the formalities, and address her as just "Luna".
* FullNameBasis: She always calls Twilight Sparkle by her full name. In the case of single-named, full-grown ponies, Luna goes around that limitation by calling them "Fair Applejack" and "Dear Fluttershy." She doesn't do it with Scootaloo, so maybe she's broken the habit by the third season.
* GaleForceSound: Her magically-enhanced yelling (or even just talking) causes this.
* GenkiGirl: In the IDW comics issues 9 and 10, while completing in the games for the Summer Warp-Up she is ''very'' energetic and spirited as she looks forward to the events. Is this in her Micro Series comic as well.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: Brings these out occasionally when she's being theatrical or feeling frustrated.
* [[GodJob Goddess Job]]: Making the moon rise long before she was banished into it.
* GodIsGood: To a certain extent, mainly due to her being involved in the CreationMyth, making the moon rise, and being able to come into ponies' dreams.
* GoodCounterpart: Her normal form is remarkably similar to a non-evil version of Nightmare Moon; LargeHam, DramaticThunder, and all.
* GoodWingsEvilWings: As Nightmare Moon, her wings were somewhat solid and batlike. As Luna, her wings have a softer feathery outline like Celestia's.
* {{Goth}}: Her chariot, the look of her guards, and cloak that disappears in the form of bats certainly indicate a dark aesthetic sense.
* HairTriggerTemper: As shown in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E4LunaEclipsed "Luna Eclipsed"]]. Also mentioned by WordOfGod.
* HeavySleeper: Apparently slept straight through [[spoiler:Queen Chrysalis' and the changelings']] attempted takeover of Canterlot, explosions and all. How she managed ''that'', we have no idea. On the other hand, she passed through the force field when relieving Celestia's watch duty so it's possible that she doesn't reside within Canterlot. This would explain how she doesn't know anything about modern customs in "Luna Eclipsed".
* HeelFaceTurn: Once the Mane Six defeat Nightmare Moon with the Elements of Harmony she turns back into Luna.
* [[HeroWithAnFInGood Heroine with an F in Good]]: Luna ''really'' wants to be liked and redeem her image in the eyes of the common-folk, but she comes off as incredibly intimidating without trying. One thousand years of scary stories about her being a ChaoticEvil harbinger of doom, and ''then'' of being a cannibal predator that must be fooled with disguises and placated with tribute, is hard to live down. She's gotten better by "Sleepless in Ponyville" because Scootaloo is happy to see her.
* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: In actual events, she was turned into Nightmare Moon due to some outside influence and simply wanted to bring everlasting night. In legends, she turned evil out of resentment and ate ponies.
* HotGoddess: Though probably not as much as her older sister, she still counts as this, [[EnsembleDarkhorse especially for a great deal of the fandom]].
* IJustWantToHaveFriends: She really wants to be accepted and to see ponies having fun in her night, but she comes off as intimidating.
* IncomingHam: Her introduction in "Luna Eclipsed" was to ride into town on a black chariot while wearing a BlackCloak, then jump to the ground and dismiss her cloak (it ''turns into bats'') to unfurl her wings, all while accompanied by DramaticWind and DramaticThunder. And that was before [[NoIndoorVoice she]] [[FloweryElizabethanEnglish started]] [[RoyalWe talking]].
* IronicFear: "Castle Mane-ia" reveals that when she was younger, Luna was frightened by Celestia's [[DarkerAndEdgier choice of decor]].
* JekyllAndHyde: Princess Luna/Nightmare Moon.
* LadyOfWar: See Celestia's entry above for details.
* LargeHam: During "Luna Eclipsed" this can be attributed as part of the royal Canterlot tradition of speaking. She spent the episode learning to take the ham down a notch so she didn't scare people. This is taken further by the fact that she's ''far'' more assertive and liberal in her use of Royal-Winged-Unicorn-godpower than her sister. Thunder and lightning punctuate her sentences and she flies into the air when making her dramatic proclamations.
* {{Leitmotif}}: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqC_V7zyxPQ Nightmare Moon's theme]] accompanies Luna's return in "Luna Eclipsed". A brief variation of it also plays when she relieves Celestia in "A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1". She eventually gets [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0L8PFzjfTL0 a softer, more beautiful one in "Sleepless in Ponyville"]].
* {{Lunacy}}: Goddess of the moon.
* ModestRoyalty: Much like her sister, she would rather have ponies just call her Luna and view her as just another pony.
* MyGreatestFailure: Whereas Celestia feels this way about being forced to banish her to the moon, Luna feels this way about becoming Nightmare Moon in the first place.
* NiceGirl: Deep inside, she is very nice, but she comes off as intimidating at first.
* NightmareFuelStationAttendant: Luna tries to be friendly; unfortunately, she has somewhat macabre tastes, is gothic and sinister in presence, and perpetually speaks in a booming echo of a voice. Nearly every pony is reduced to a trembling wreck before her. She's gotten better by "Sleepless in Ponyville", but still has some scary traits. Ironically, her job is to ''help'' ponies with their nightmares.
* NoIndoorVoice: PRINCESS LUNA '''TALKS LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME''', because her (outdated) royal protocol says so. It takes her a while to realize she's scaring everypony to death before settling for a [--(much) softer, mellow voice--], but she quickly REVERTS TO TALKING LIKE THIS WHEN SHE GETS UPSET, EXCITED, OR VERY HAPPY.
* NoSocialSkills: Luna's obsession with (outdated) royal protocol and ''brutal'' lack of tact are extreme. This is mostly PlayedForLaughs, as she doesn't even know the meaning of the word "fun". Justified by the fact that [[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fun the word "fun" is only about 300 years old in real life]], meaning that the word could literally have not existed before she was banished. She seems to have improved during the Royal Canterlot Wedding two-parter and then got much better by Season 3. Although there's still the occasionally lapse into hamminess when speaking as the '''PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT!'''
* NotWhatItLooksLike: Everything she does in "Luna Eclipsed". She appears to be touting her old hammy evil routine, but she's really just out of touch with modern etiquette. Her BigEntrance is of particular note.
* OCStandIn: Between appearances, Luna was the show's most common pony in fanfiction, and mention of her hiding in her sister's shadow and cuddling with an abacus was treated as de facto interpretation. On the other hoof, a few of those fics [[FishOutOfTemporalWater got]] [[TheAtoner a few]] [[{{Adorkable}} details]] [[NightmareFuelStationAttendant right]].
* OneWingedAngel: Luna's transformation into Nightmare Moon.
* PerkyGoth: Luna is now devoid of malice, but her personal tastes still look like something escaped from a horror movie, starting with her macabre [[http://www.hasbro.com/common/assets/Flash/Creative/dad2af6e1c4311ddbd0b0800200c9a66/0f6b55af5056900b1013cd724a8d4018/assets/props/MLP_PropH_Carriage.swf royal chariot]], her demonic-looking [[http://www.hasbro.com/common/assets/Flash/Creative/dad2af6e1c4311ddbd0b0800200c9a66/0f6b55af5056900b1013cd724a8d4018/assets/characters/MLP_CharH_Pegasus.swf royal guards]], and the idea that animating a group of giant, hairy spiders would be "fun" for everyone else. Ironically, it was realizing people ''liked'' being scared on Nightmare Night that let her win over her subjects.
* PerpetualFrowner: Slowly became this to [[BookWorm Twilight Sparkle]] in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E1TheCrystalEmpirePart1 "The Crystal Empire"]], though she might have been worried about Twilight or was more serious about the situation.
* {{Physical God}}dess: Like her sister.
* PowerEchoes: Whenever she's using her [[NoIndoorVoice loud]] voice.
* PowerIncontinence: She exhibits a touch of this when she gets worked up, given the DramaticThunder and gathering stormclouds that kick in every [[LargeHam so]] [[HairTriggerTemper often]].
* PowerMakesYourHairGrow: In her "grown" form from [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E4LunaEclipsed "Luna Eclipsed"]], she has a significantly longer mane and tail than immediately after she was rescued from being Nightmare Moon. Power also makes your hair ethereal, it seems. Lauren Faust has suggested after the events of "Elements of Harmony", Luna's magical powers were completely exhausted. It was only after she was able to rest and recuperate that her magical mane returned.
* PowerMakesYourVoiceDeep: French dub only. When she uses the [[NoIndoorVoice Royal Canterlot Voice]], her voice drops in pitch by a few octaves, making her sound virtually identical to [[AltoVillainess Nightmare Moon]].
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: As of Season 4, she's standing beside Celestia when she receives the picture of Twilight and her friends.
* RoyalWe: Her manner of speech, because it's dictated by protocol. See NoIndoorVoice. She Seems to have overcome it by "Canterlot Wedding" and "Sleepless in Ponyville" and she still sounds quite regal.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: In the penultimate episode of Season 4, when a frozen cloud threatens dozens of her and Celestia's citizens, she joins Celestia and the Pegasus ponies in trying to save them.
* TheSacredDarkness: While Nightmare Moon is an example of the "corrupted" type of darkness, Luna is the "pure" type because she co-ruled alongside her sister. The CreationMyth shows the two of them in a yin-yang design.
* ShadowArchetype: A literal one for Princess Celestia, who is beloved and adored by everyone, Princess Luna desires the same admiration yet has no idea how to obtain it which led to her inadvertently intimidating everyone initially.
* ShockAndAwe: De-corrupted, her magical beams take the form of lightning.
* SuperpoweredEvilSide: Nightmare Moon, of course.
* TookALevelInBadass: When she's not fresh off the Rainbow of Light and traumatized after a thousand years of exile, she's a capable leader of mares. She makes her entrance in "Sleepless in Ponyville" by vaporizing the monster in Scootaloo's nightmare.
* {{Tsundere}}: Her emotions and personality paint her as such when only the audience (and then Twilight) get to see how hurt she really feels.
* TheUnfavorite: How she thought the kingdom viewed her compared to her sister.
* [[UsedToBeASweetKid Used to Be a Sweet Filly]]: She was very nice until she was transformed into Nightmare Moon.
* VagueAge: Even though she's an immortal moon goddess and only slightly younger than her adult sister, her true form's biological age is ambiguous. It's made even more confusing as of "Luna Eclipsed", where Luna's colors are slightly different and her mane flows like Celestia's, though WordOfGod has given an (on-the-spot) explanation as to how it could have happened. WordOfGod [[http://comments.deviantart.com/4/1603670/1919104364 says]] that "Luna is not yet full grown."
* VillainDecay: InUniverse. Nightmare Moon is a MadGod who tried twice to plunge the world into [[TheNightThatNeverEnds eternal night]] and presumably almost succeeded both times. "Luna Eclipsed" showed that the public perception of Nightmare Moon is that she's a [[ImAHumanitarian cannibal]] who young ponies can placate with their candy. Justified by the fact the Nightmare Night is a tradition going back centuries before Luna's return.
* VocalEvolution: in "For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils", Luna still has her regal voice during Sweetie Belle's dream, but she speaks much more plainly when she appears to Sweetie Belle later in Canterlot.
* VoiceOfTheLegion: Her "royal voice".
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: She can assume her Nightmare Moon form at will, though whether it's a true transformation or just an illusion remains to be seen. Interestingly, despite these magical special effects, she still has to wear fake pointy teeth to replicate the appearance shown in Zecora's illusions. In the tie-in comics she's able to shift between her smaller and larger designs, though it's not clearly explained if it's involuntary and reliant on her power levels and/or self-confidence, or if Luna changed between the two at will given her confidence problems.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: After powering down and being forgiven by her sister, the younger princess is embraced by Ponyville at large and taken back to the castle to live with Celestia. She doesn't show up again until the Season 2 episode "Luna Eclipsed", and after that only gets short appearances in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E25ACanterlotWeddingPart1 "A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1"]] and [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E26ACanterlotWeddingPart2 "A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2"]], which finally explain why she rarely shows up (she's active at night and asleep during the day).\\\
She gets more screen time in Season 3; appearing in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E1TheCrystalEmpirePart1 both]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E2TheCrystalEmpirePart2 parts]] of the season premiere and with a pivotal role in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E6SleeplessInPonyville "Sleepless in Ponyville"]].
** She also gets screen time in Season 4; appearing in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E1PrincessTwilightSparklePart1 both]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E2PrincessTwilightSparklePart2 parts]] of the season premiere, a pivotal role in "For Whom the Sweetie Belle Tolls", a non-speaking role in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E24EquestriaGames "Equestria Games"]], and [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E25TwilightsKingdomPart1 both]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E26TwilightsKingdomPart2 parts]] of the season finale.
* WomanInBlack: Dark fur to contrast [[WomanInWhite her sister]]. Again, DarkIsNotEvil.
* TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask: Of a different variety then her sis. She seems to think behaving in a [[LargeHam grandiose]] and [[NightmareFuelStationAttendant intimidating]] demeanor is how royalty is supposed to act, when she's a pretty sensitive and empathic pony.
* TheWorfEffect: [[spoiler:Could be possible in the Season 4 finale, when Celestia, Luna, and Cadance, transfer their magic to Twilight for safekeeping, then getting imprisoned by the villain until Twilight rescues them and returns their magic, and their Cutie Marks.]]
* WrongGenreSavvy: Luna in a nutshell. Fortunately, she gets ''reasonably'' better near the end of her debut episode.
* YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe: [[ShownTheirWork Averted]]. She uses "thou", "thee", and "thy" only when addressing single ponies and "you" and "your" when speaking to multiple ponies. Also, when speaking to single ponies, she attaches the "-est" suffix only to verbs where the listener is the subject. She slips up at least once in the episode of [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E4LunaEclipsed "Luna Eclipsed"]] when she awkwardly changes subjects mid-sentence.
* YouWereTryingTooHard: She ends up coming off as far more forceful and intimidating than she realizes partly due to this. Once Twilight helps calm her down and make everyone more relaxed around Luna, things go much better.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Princess Cadance]]
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/princess_cadance_by_90sigma-d4w3sjo2_8536.png]]
[[caption-width-right:250:[[MagicalNanny The greatest foalsitter]] [[CoolBigSis in all the history of foalsitters!]]]]
->''"This day was going to be perfect. The kind of day of which I've dreamed since I was small."''
->'''Debut:''' [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E25ACanterlotWeddingPart1 "A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1"]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Britt [=McKillip=]
Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, better known as Princess Cadance, is a [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal pretty pearl pink princess pony]] and niece of Princess Celestia (and probably Luna's). She had been acquainted with Twilight Sparkle, as she was her foal-sitter when she was really small. It was also back then that she met the colt who would eventually become her husband, Shining Armor. Her main talent appears to be bringing love to others. However, she had not been acting as herself in the days coming up to her wedding...
* AccidentalPun: Her full name is Italian, and since "alicorn" became the official term for the kind of pony she is, she could be called an Italicorn.
* ActionGirl: Surprisingly so, given that she's something of a love goddess. [[spoiler:She actually finds running the Crystal Empire boring enough that she considers fighting a huge land wurm to be a nice break from the tedium.]]
* {{Adorkable}}:
** In the IDW comics, during the arc showing her and Shining Armor in high school.
** In "Three's a Crowd", she seems just as excited about the Star-Swirled the Bearded exhibit as Twilight does.
* AllThereInTheManual:
** Her being Celestia's niece has only been mentioned in episode synopses and other promotional materials. [[spoiler:However, as it turns out they're [[HappilyAdopted not really related]].]]
** [[http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HrhZUhRcaVo/T16NStb7WZI/AAAAAAAAiaQ/JD7vy6aPJhQ/s1600/2.jpg The European version of her Wave 5 collector card]] reveals that she "loves tiaras." It should be noted she shows no such interest in the show.
** Her and Shining Armor's [[http://theponyartcollection.tumblr.com/post/26391355776 trading cards]] list [[ThePowerOfLove Love]] as their Element of Harmony (which [[http://www.equestriadaily.com/2012/07/official-card-binder-prototype-and.html#IDComment395406981 isn't]] part of the cards' OfficialFanSubmittedContent).
** The ''Literature/TwilightSparkleAndTheCrystalHeartSpell'' book reveals her backstory; [[spoiler:she was originally a pegasus orphan who saved an Earth Pony village from a villain wielding a magical necklace. After doing this, she meets Princess Celestia who [[HappilyAdopted adopts Cadance as her niece and makes her an alicorn]].]]
* BadassInDistress: Only in her debut appearance. Surprisingly, she's this trope ''less'' often than her more powerful aunts.
* BadassPrincess: [[spoiler:She vanquishes Chrysalis' brainwashed bridesmaids, dispels Chrysalis' brainwashing spell on Shining Armor, and together with him, banishes the evil Queen and all of her changeling swarms far away from Equestria with a powerful magic blast.]]
* BarrierWarrior: She copies Shining Armor from the wedding by projecting a protective [[ThePowerOfLove field of love]] around the Crystal Empire to keep King Sombra at bay. Unlike Shining Armor, it takes constant effort for her to maintain the spell, resulting in sleep-deprivation. It comes up again in "Three's a Crowd" when she uses a health bubble to keep herself and Twilight from catching Discord's "blue flu". At the end of the episode, it proves strong enough to withstand a Tatzlwurm sneeze, which was so potent that even [[MadGod Discord]] got sick from it.
* BattleCouple: With MagicKnight and captain of the Royal Guard [[BarrierWarrior Shining Armor]]. [[spoiler:The first time we see the ''real'' Cadance with him as a couple, they kick Queen Chrysalis' flank.]]
* BenevolentMageRuler: Just like Celestia and Luna; specifically, she's the Sorceress princess of the Crystal Empire.
* BerserkButton: Never, ever, threaten her husband Shining Armor or anyone else she cares about, [[BewareTheNiceOnes or else...]]
* BewareTheNiceOnes: [[spoiler:Queen Chrysalis learned this the hard way and so did King Sombra.]]
* {{Bridezilla}}: Everyone assumed this is why she was so unpleasant before the wedding. [[spoiler:However, it was Queen Chrysalis disguised as Cadance. The real Cadance averts this.]]
* ChildhoodMarriagePromise: Her lyrics in the "This Day Aria" suggests that she wanted to marry Shining Armor since she was a filly.
* ColorCodedWizardry: Her magic aura is a bright cyan, the same color as the heart in her cutie mark. This is [[spoiler:an early indicator that the first Cadance is an imposter is that her magical aura is green.]]
* CoolBigSis: Was this to Twilight when she was a filly and Cadance was her foalsitter. Twilight says she is "greatest foal sitter in the history of foalsitters". [[spoiler:She returns to being this when they're reunited, doubly so once she becomes Twilight's sister-in-law.]]
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Her eyes match part of her MulticoloredHair (the main part, judging by the color of its outline).
* DamselInDistress: [[spoiler:Queen Chrysalis imprisons her under Canterlot until she's rescued by Twilight Sparkle. However, once freed, she shows she can [[BadassPrincess handle herself pretty damn well]]. She also ends up in this position again when imprisoned by the new villain in the Season 4 finale, ''Twilight's Kingdom'', along with the Royal Sisters.]]
* DarkSecret: [[spoiler:Subverted in that the ''real'' Cadance doesn't have one, her impostor does.]]
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: [[spoiler:Returns the favor to Queen Chrysalis for doing this to her aunt when she and Shining Armor's [[ThePowerOfLove love is used to power a combined spell]] that defeats Chrysalis.]]
* DoomMagnet: Poor Cadance. Every time Twilight tried to visit her (or vice versa), something or someone always got in the way. This included [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E25ACanterlotWeddingPart1 her]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E26ACanterlotWeddingPart2 wedding]], [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E1TheCrystalEmpirePart1 the return of]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E2TheCrystalEmpirePart2 the Crystal Empire]], [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E12GamesPoniesPlay the arrival of the Equestria Games inspector]], [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls the Princess Summit]], and [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E11ThreesACrowd just plain trying to relax with her sister-in-law]]. Rarity pretty much sums it up:
-->'''Rarity:''' The fate of Equestria has hung in the balance during most of your visits with her.
* EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses: She is the third princess introduced and the third Alicorn. How she came into this role isn't explained in the episode but in the comics.
* FlyingFirepower: Like the other princesses.
* FrickinLaserBeams: While ThePowerOfLove is her specialty, she also knows straight-up offensive spells.
* {{Foil}}: To Chrysalis; it's most apparent in their duet, "This Day Aria" which uses contrasting lyrics.
* HairDecorations: She tied her mane and tail back with blue ribbons as a teenager, and her mane is decorated and styled elaborately with crystals into a ceremonial headdress for the Equestrian Games.
* HappilyMarried: To Shining Armor. Her lyrics in "This Day Aria" includes lines such as "loving and cherishing him each day". In every apperance after her wedding, she's doing just that.
* HeartBeatDown / ThePowerOfLove: This is her form of magic; renewing love in others, creating love powered force fields, [[spoiler: breaking mind control with hearts]] etc. She even has a heart-shaped jewel as her cutie mark.
* HeartIsAnAwesomePower: Compared to commanding the sun and moon and the PhysicalGoddess level powers her aunts show, control over love doesn't seem that impressive but it is. ThePowerOfFriendship may be the most powerful magic in Equestria but underestimating its close cousin is still a very bad idea.
** [[spoiler: She uses the power of love to break Chrysalis' mind control, thus a level of AntiMagic.]]
** [[spoiler:Then she weaponizes ThePowerOfLove alongside her husband to give a HeartBeatDown to Queen Chrysalis.]]
** She uses it to keep King Sombra out of the Crystal Empire. Her barrier cut his horn clean off.
* HeroicResolve: She is strongly implied to have maintained her shield spell -- which requires constant effort -- for ''several days.''
* HotGoddess: For the same reason as her aunts mentioned above.
* {{Humble Hero}}ine: She and Shining Armor save Canterlot and proceed with their wedding as planned.
* LadyAndKnight: The Bright Lady to Shining Armor's White Knight; she's a kind princess whose love extends to an entire empire of strangers.
* LonelyAtTheTop: Averted. Although an alicorn, Cadance seems to identify much more closely with normal ponies than she does her fellow rulers: In [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E12GamesPoniesPlay "Games Ponies Play"]], she refers to the Mane Six as "my girls", and in ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls Equestria Girls]]'' she can be seen waiting for Twilight alongside them, instead of with Luna and Celestia.
* LovableNerd: You wouldn't think so at first glance, but it comes out sometimes when she's around Twilight. The first time she babysat Twilight (according to the comics), she brought a label maker, an abacus, and academy-ruled paper and they spent the entire night making comparative charts and graphs to determine her compatibility with Shining Armor. And in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E11ThreesACrowd "Three's a Crowd"]] she seemed just as interested in the Star Swirl the Bearded exhibit as Twilight was.
* LoveGoddess: While never stated, this seems to fit her and is her special talent. In a flashback, she uses her magic to quiet an arguing couple and help them remember their love for each other. [[spoiler:[[PowerofLove Then she and Shining Armor's magic repelled the changelings]].]]
* LukeIAmYourFather: Meta-example; she was showcased months before her relationship to Celestia was revealed, but it's only mentioned in an episode synopsis and not the show itself.
* MagicalNanny: Cadance and Shining Armor first met when Cadance would foal-sit for Twilight Sparkle.
* MartialPacifist: Being a LoveGoddess means she clearly doesn't ''like'' to fight, but she can hold her own in a fight if she has to.
* MeaningfulName: "Amore" is Italian for [[ThePowerOfLove "Love"]].
* ModestRoyalty: Doesn't even think being a member of the royal family is a big deal.
* MulticoloredHair
* MyNaymeIs: Cad'''a'''nce, not ''cadence'' (see SpellMyNameWithAnS). The same applies to Cad'''i'''nce Davis, whom she was named after (see {{Tuckerization}}).
* NiceGirl: Very much so. She even takes the news that [[spoiler: Discord's faking his illness and interrupted her day with Twilight]] with a grain of salt.
* NiceToTheWaiter: She is genuinely appreciative of anyone and considers nopony beneath her. In her younger days she was a foalsitter to Twilight and others and apparently enjoyed the job.
* NightmareFetishist: A mild example. In "Three's a Crowd" she notes that ruling the Crystal Empire is actually kinda boring and that she ''enjoyed'' traveling to the edge of Equestria and fighting a giant worm because it gave her something fun to do.
* [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname Only Known by Her Nickname]]: Her full name is Mi Amore Cadenza, but she's known as Cadance; it must be easier to remember. Twilight, who has known her from childhood, never knew her real name until Shining Armor told her in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E25ACanterlotWeddingPart1 "A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1"]].
* PinkGirlBlueBoy: The pink to Shining Armor's blue.
* PinkMeansFeminine: In contrast to her cosmic aunts, her magic revolves around love and marries in her introduction.
* PhysicalGoddess: She's powerful enough to put up a protective field of love around the the city of the Crystal Empire and strong enough to keep King Sombra at bay even when heavily fatigued from sleep deprivation. In addition, her power, combined with her aunts and Princess Twilight's, was enough to match Tirek [[spoiler:when he was powered up by the combined magic of all of Equestria plus Discord.]]
* PrincessesPreferPink: She's one [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal positively pink pony princess]]. Her toys are just as pink as Pinklestia, if not moreso.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: To Twilight Sparkle when she was a foal, she was the greatest foalsitter ''ever''.
* RememberTheNewGuy: She's a CoolBigSis to someone with a FriendlessBackground so her existence is a surprise.
* [[RoseHairedSweetie Rose-Maned Sweetie]]: Warm and compassionate subtype.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething:
** When she was a teenager, she foalsat Twilight before Twilight became Princess Celestia's student.
** [[spoiler:She and Shining Armor saved Canterlot from Queen Chrysalis [[ThePowerOfLove with a love-powered magic spell!]]]]
** She puts a field of love around the Crystal Empire to keep out King Sombra.
** She even takes time out of her duties to the Empire to spend quality time with her sister-in-law, [[spoiler:even if that quality time was spent helping Discord...]]
* [[SecretHandshake Secret Hoofshake]]: With Twilight Sparkle.
* SilkHidingSteel: Just like her aunts, she's normally extremely kind and even foalsat when she was younger, but she is more than willing to use force to protect those in her care. [[spoiler:Chrysalis and King Sombra both found this out the hard way. So did the land wurm when it tried to harm Twilight.]]
* [[SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan Single Mare Seeks Good Stallion]]: Her marriage to Shining Armor certainly counts; if Twilight's adoration of him is any indication, he's always been a terrific guy.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: "Cadance" is the officially trademarked spelling and is used by the vast majority of official materials (including a few that specifically switched from "Cadence" to "Cadance"), but the WhatCouldHaveBeen spelling "Cadence" still sees a small amount of official use, most prominently by the in-show credits of the episodes "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E1TheCrystalEmpirePart1 The Crystal Empire - Part 1]]" and "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E2TheCrystalEmpirePart2 The Crystal Empire - Part 2]]" (unlike the credits of the later episode "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E12GamesPoniesPlay Games Ponies Play]]", in which it's "Cadance").
* SpoiledSweet: Implied. Even though Cadance is a princess, she still foal-sat Twilight Sparkle and thoroughly enjoyed it. Twilight has very fond memories of her, which is why her cold, superior attitude upon meeting her again immediately sets off some alarm bells in her head. [[spoiler:She's right -- that Cadance is not the real one, but a [[{{Doppelganger}} Changeling]] imposter.]] This is made more evident in "Games Ponies Play", where upon receiving the news that her personal mane stylist is out sick and can't come in to style Cadance's mane into the ceremonial headdress, Cadance's first thought is hoping that she's better soon.
* StealthPun: Celestia looks after the day, Luna looks after the night, and Cadance looked after Twilight (Sparkle).
* TookALevelInBadass:
** [[spoiler:Her teaming up with Shining Armor to defeat Queen Chrysalis definitely qualifies because she was introduced as a DamselInDistress.]]
** In the Crystal Empire, she finally shows [[PhysicalGod how powerful she really is]], by keeping [[BigBad King Sombra]] at bay with ThePowerOfLove, even when severely weakened from lack of sleep.
** In "Three's a Crowd", [[spoiler:she shows a huge land wurm that her offensive spellcasting ability is something to be wary of.]]
* TrueBlueFemininity: Her cutie mark includes a blue heart-shaped jewel. She also wore blue ribbons on her mane and tail as a teenager, and she has a light blue magic glow.
* {{Tuckerization}}: [[http://www.equestriadaily.com/2012/04/inside-my-little-pony-royal-wedding.html Named]] [[http://comicsonline.com/2012/04/_special_event_my_little_pony_friendship_is_magic_royal_wedding/ after]] [[http://www.equestriadaily.com/2012/04/inside-my-little-pony-royal-wedding.html#IDComment339833120 Cadince]], [[http://comicsonline.com/sites/default/files/2012-04-14_10-32-22_30.jpg the]] [[http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1Jd5jD3-3hk/T4tJ40kHrlI/AAAAAAAAmFA/nEGbHwb-Q3U/s1600/1.JPG daughter]] of Stephen Davis (executive producer of the show and president of Hasbro Studios).
* UndyingLoyalty: To Shining Armor (husband) and Twilight Sparkle (surrogate little sister).
%% Do not add UngratefulBitch here. It only applies when someone shows how ungrateful they are, and Princess Cadance never showed it.
* UnkemptBeauty: [[spoiler:Despite being locked and dirtied in a cave for Celestia-doesn't-know how long, she's still quite the stunner when she is found.]]
* UnmovingPlaid: [[spoiler:When she performs a PowerOfLove-fueled spell with Shining Armor]], her mane begins to flow just like Celestia's for a short time, only to settle back into a solid form when it's all done. That sort of flowing mane might be an indication of power among {{Winged Unicorn}}s.
* VertebrateWithExtraLimbs: Being an alicorn.
* VictoryIsBoring: In "Three's a Crowd", she admits to Twilight that she's a little bored with her safe life as the Crystal Princess (she's even fallen out of practice flying). It seems she's developed a taste for adventure.
* WhiteMage: Cadance removed [[spoiler:Chrysalis' brainwashing]] from Shining Armor, restored his vitality, and then boosted the power of his shield spell, all of which are hallmarks of the WhiteMage archetype. Can also create a "Magic Health Bubble" that prevents illness to anyone inside. [[spoiler:Also, her [[HolyHandGrenade offensive abilities]] are nothing to sneeze at.]]
* WingedUnicorn: Flashbacks demonstrate that she's about the same age as Shining Armor is. [[WhatCouldHaveBeen She was originally going to be a regular pony (most likely an unwinged unicorn), but it was changed somewhere along the line.]] The reason for the change appears to have been for the benefit of fans who buy into the toyline: Cadance's wings and body are the same shape as Luna's. This allowed them to reuse her molds to make a more accurate Luna (the original had simply been a standard unicorn head on a standard pegasus body). In ''Literature/TwilightSparkleAndTheCrystalHeartSpell'', [[spoiler:she is revealed to have originally been a normal pegasus, who earned her alicorn status by redeeming a villain.]]
* WingPull:
** Justified. Being in an underground cave, her wings aren't much use and are kept tucked in close to her sides while escape attempts are made but when she and Twilight aren't going to make a long jump, they finally come out in full force.
** Even more awesomely used in "The Crystal Empire - Part 2"; Cadance is both mentally and physically exhausted from maintaining the shield around the Crystal Empire to where Shining Armor has to support her to stand up. King Sombra is racing towards the center castle, and Spike, entrusted to the Crystal Heart by Twilight, has just fallen off from a high altitude. Shining Armor tosses his wife towards Spike, snagging the dragon and the Crystal Heart from Sombra's reach, and then glides herself safely down to activate the Heart in time.
* WomanInWhite: Justified, as it ''is'' her wedding day in her debut episode.
* TheWorfEffect: [[spoiler:Could be possible in the Season 4 finale, when Celestia, Luna, and Cadance, transfer their magic to Twilight for safekeeping, then getting imprisoned by the villain until Twilight rescues them and returns their magic, and their Cutie Marks.]]
* YouDontLookLikeYou: Her cutie mark looks a bit different in most merchandise than it does in the show.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Princess Twilight Sparkle]]
See Characters/FriendshipIsMagicTwilightSparkle.
[[/folder]]
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