and uses her magic to raise the moon and safeguards her subjects' dreams during nighttime. A thousand years ago, Luna became bitter about everypony playing during the day while they sleep through the night and ignore her. Luna's bitterness transformed her into Nightmare Moon and she attempted to create eternal night all over Equestria. Celestia reluctantly used the Elements of Harmony to banish her to the moon and took responsibility for raising both the sun and the moon and maintaining harmony in Equestria. Nightmare Moon first appears in the first season's two-part premiere "Friendship Is Magic" when she escapes from the moon and attempts to carry out her plan. Twilight and her friends use the Elements of Harmony to defeat Nightmare Moon and turn her back into Luna, who reconciles with her sister and resumes her royal duties. During season nine, Luna and Celestia prepares to retire from ruling Equestria so that Twilight can take their place. At the end of the show, after Twilight was crowned the new ruler of Equestria, Luna and Celestia retired to Silver Shoals. Several episodes depict Luna's "difficulty living in her older sister's shadow", such as adapting to modern Equestrian customs and repairing her public image. Shining Armor, Princess Cadance and Flurry Heart Voiced by Andrew Francis (Shining Armor); Britt McKillip (Princess Cadance); Tabitha St. Germain (Flurry Heart) is Twilight's older brother and the former captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard and (full name Princess Mi Amore Cadenza) is Twilight's sister-in-law and childhood "foal-sitter", whom she has close relationships with. They first appear in season two's two-part finale, "A Canterlot Wedding", when they were getting married. Later in season three, they became the new rulers of the Crystal Empire, with the responsibility to spread hope and love across Equestria. In season six, Cadance gives birth to their baby alicorn daughter, . Princess Celestia and Princess Luna both stated that "the birth of an alicorn is something Equestria has never seen" and that it was "even beyond their understanding". Cadance does not know who her real parents were, she was found as a foal by two elderly earth ponies and they raised her until Princess Celestia adopted her as her unofficial niece after gaining her cutie mark and ascending into Alicornhood. Shining is depicted as handsome, courageous, silly, nerdy, and charming; while Cadance is depicted as kind, caring, helpful, romantic and natural as a leader.