"The Moon Rises
" is a My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fan song by ponyphonic (with a revised version with an extra verse having vocals by Kristen Calvin).
The song is based around Luna becoming Nightmare Moon. It's a Villain Song set before and during Luna's descension into villainy.
In 2016, Youtuber "Duo Cartoonist" posted an animation for the revised version, with Eileen Montgomery providing the vocals.
See also "Lullaby for a Princess", a song by ponyphonic covering Celestia's point of view around Luna's fall and banishment.
This song and its animation provide examples of:
- Always Second Best: Luna feels like she is ignored by her pony subjects who all adore and worship her sister Celestia. The need for love and jealousy towards her sister are what drive her to villainy.Why shouldn't they adore me? Is it not within my right?
I'll not be overshadowed, mine is not the lesser light! - The Cameo: Star Swirl the Bearded makes an appearance in this video.
- Content Warnings: The animation starts with a mock rating screen stating that the animation is a fan work and that it's suitable for all audiences
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: Princess Luna questions why she doesn't receive the same love and adoration her sister Celestia does despite all of the hard work she does in creating the night.
- Evil Is Hammy: The first thing Nightmare Moon does after transforms from Luna is let loose a hammy Evil Laugh.
- Evil Laugh: Nightmare Moon breaks out into laughter at the end of the original song.
- Evil Sounds Deep: Luna's voice turns noticeably deeper after transforming into Nightmare Moon. This is a change added in covers of the song and the animation. In the original song and the revised version Luna's voice remains the same.
- Fan Animation: Duo Cartoonist's short film version is a fan animation.
- Hellish Pupils: In the animation Luna's normal eyes change into Nightmare Moon's halfway through the song which is when she allows her anger and envy to consume herself and begins transforming into her evil counterpart.
- I Just Want to Be Loved: The spark that sets Luna to villainy is that she feels unappreciated when ponies choose to sleep through the night despite all the effort she puts into creating the night and instead are active during the day and shower Celestia with adoration.
- The Night That Never Ends: At the end of her song, Luna proudly proclaims she will keep the world in eternal night so she might get the recognition she believes she deserves.So say good night at this, the final setting of the sun!
Tomorrow dawns in darkness, the night time has begun! - Ominous Latin Chanting: "In umbra Luna est".
- Villain Song: It's a Luna villain song where Luna slowly turns into Nightmare Moon.
- Voice of the Legion: In the Eileen Montgomery version, there is a second, lower voice singing along with the last couple lines, just before Luna completes her transformation into Nightmare Moon.
