[hooves galloping]
Princess Luna: Greetings, Tantabus. I am ready. Do your worst. [grunting]
Main cast: [gasps]
Twilight Sparkle: Princess Luna's turning into Nightmare Moon again!
Nightmare Moon: [evil laughter]
Rainbow Dash: Yeah? Well, we've got the cure for that!
[magic zaps]
Nightmare Moon: [evil laughter] Wait! What is it doing?! No! It's gone! [grunting]
Main cast: [cheering]
Princess Luna: [gasps] What? My dream ended... happily? That. Cannot. Happen!
[theme song]
Pinkie Pie: Ooh, this is amazing!
Rainbow Dash: [yawns] [tired throughout] Yeah, Rarity. Thanks for setting all this up.
Fluttershy: [tired throughout] A grooming day for our pets really was a great idea.
Opalescence: [yowls]
Rarity: [tired throughout] Oh, my! Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't get my normal beauty sleep last night...
Opalescence: [hisses]
Twilight Sparkle: [tired throughout] You know... [yawns] I didn't sleep well either.
Applejack: [tired throughout] Mm-hmm.
Rainbow Dash: Uh-huh.
Pinkie Pie: I'm totally beat too!
Winona: [barks]
Applejack: All right, Winona. Time for your brushin'.
Gummy: [squeaks]
[splash]
Applejack: Oops. I guess I'm too plum tuckered out to do this right.
Fluttershy: [yawns] I even went to bed early last night... but then I had a really scary nightmare.
Rest of main cast: Me too!
Rainbow Dash: Uh, only, you know, I didn't think mine was that scary!
Twilight Sparkle: Well, mine sure was. There was this blue smoke monster and... what?
Fluttershy: I dreamt about a blue smoke thingy too!
Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity: Me too!
Rainbow Dash: So what? Probably just a coincidence.
Twilight Sparkle: That's an awfully big coincidence.
Spike: Huh. I wonder why I didn't have that nightmare. I slept great!
Rarity: So then, what could've given us all the same nightmare?
Twilight Sparkle: I don't know, but I do know who might. Spike, could you send a scroll to Princess Luna?
Spike: Sure! All set!
Twilight Sparkle: Dear Princess Luna, last night my friends and I all dreamt of a creature made of blue smoke. I'm sure you're very busy, but [yawns] when you have the chance, please let me know if you have any idea what it could mean. Yours, [yawns] Princess Twilight Sparkle. You can leave out the yawns.
[scroll rustling]
Spike: [blows fire]
[bang]
Princess Luna: Which of you saw the creature of blue smoke in your nightmare?!
Fluttershy: Wow. That was fast.
Twilight Sparkle: We all did.
Spike: Not me!
Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity: [simultaneously] Ugh, we know!
Twilight Sparkle: So you've encountered the smoke monster too?
Princess Luna: The Tantabus is a creature of my nightmares. It escaped from my slumbers yesterday.
Fluttershy: But how did it get into ours?
Princess Luna: The Tantabus is like a parasite. My dreams must no longer be enough for it. Now it seeks others to infect and corrupt. It must have learned of you six from seeing you in my dream.
Spike: Whoa-whoa-whoa. So what you're saying is... you dreamt about all of them, and not me? [whimpers]
Rainbow Dash: Uh, so Smokey gave us bad dreams. No biggie.
Princess Luna: I saw that the Tantabus had grown more powerful, but I did not realize that power was enough to enable it to escape my dreams. If its power grows, it could very well find a way to escape into the real world. It could turn all of Equestria into a living nightmare!
Rainbow Dash: Okay, okay, okay, I take it back! That does sound bad! Really bad!
Twilight Sparkle: We've prepared everything exactly as you requested.
Princess Luna: Good. As you six slumber here, I will pursue the creature into whichever of your dreams it infests.
Pinkie Pie: Ooh! It'll be like a princess sleepover!
Twilight Sparkle: Speaking of princesses, aren't you gonna ask Celestia for her help as well?
Princess Luna: There is nothing my sister can do. She has no power in the realm of sleep. Only I can move from dream to dream. I am afraid nopony can help me tonight.
Applejack: Even us?
Princess Luna: Especially you. You have all suffered so much because of me. You need only slumber while I hunt the Tantabus in your dreams.
Spike: I know you said nopony can help, but I'm no pony! I'm gonna stay up and watch over you guys just in case!
Twilight Sparkle: Aw, thank you, Spike!
Applejack: [yawns] One good thing about not sleepin' well last night – shouldn't be too hard to fall asleep now.
Pinkie Pie: Are you kidding?! This is so exciting, I don't know how I'm ever going to— [snores loudly]
Rest of main cast: [sleeping noises]
[magic noises]
Rarity: Oh, my! [gasps] This is simply divine! How avant garde!
[dress roaring]
Rarity: Forget avant garde! I should have said en garde! [gasps]
Princess Luna: It is here!
[dresses roaring]
Rarity: [gasps] It was such a pretty little chiffon...! What kind of monster would do this?!
Princess Luna: The Tantabus.
Rarity: Then let's stop it!
Princess Luna: No, please! I don't want you to suffer anymore because of me. I will catch it.
[dresses roaring]
[magic zaps]
[bricks laying]
Princess Luna: It has jumped into another dream! I am sorry, but if I am to stop it, I must follow it where you cannot.
Rarity: Go! I should be able to handle things here. [gulps] I hope...!
Pinkie Pie: La-la-la-la-la! Whee! Whee, ha-ha!
[dragon roaring]
Pinkie Pie: La-la-la-la-la!
Princess Luna: I followed the Tantabus here. Now I need only find—
Pinkie Pie: Sorry, can't help it! An idea pops into my head, it— [gasps] Ooh, cake!
[splat]
[cake growls]
Pinkie Pie: Ew, cake!
[splat]
[magic zap]
Princess Luna: [inhales] [grunts] No!
Pinkie Pie: Sorry!
[magic zap]
Pinkie Pie: Who wants ice cream?!
Fluttershy: Mmm, it's so nice to be the pet for once.
[magic zap]
Giant Evil Angel: [roars]
Fluttershy: N-n-n-n-nice... giant... evil Angel...! [screams] Phew! Oh, thank you, princess!
[magic zaps]
[crunching]
Applejack: [sighs] Now this is what I call an incredible dream.
[magic zaps]
[punching and kicking]
Princess Luna: I can see the Tantabus has already turned your slumbers into a nightmare!
Rainbow Dash: What are you talking about? This is my favorite dream!
[punch]
[magic zap]
Rainbow Dash: Hyah!
Sunflowers: [singing to the tune of "This Old Man"]
We are such happy flowers
We will now sing for hours
Aren't we unbearably cute?
Watch me solo on this flute
[flute solo]
Rainbow Dash: [screams]
[books sliding]
[magic zap]
Twilight Sparkle: Huh? [gasps]
[bat-books chittering]
[thud]
Twilight Sparkle: [gasps]
[magic zap]
Twilight Sparkle: Luna!
[crystals cracking]
Twilight Sparkle: [yelping]
Main cast: [gasps]
Spike: What happened? Are you guys okay?
Fluttershy: That... that was terrible! I-I never want to have that nightmare again!
Rainbow Dash: [shivers] Me either!
Spike: But Luna caught it, didn't she?
Princess Luna: I am so sorry, my friends. I failed. It will be back to infect your dreams the next time you sleep.
Fluttershy: Oh, no!
Applejack: Yeah. I reckon I could live without seeing that thing ever again.
Princess Luna: But you will. Again and again, every night, until it grows powerful enough to infect the waking world! After what I did as Nightmare Moon, the fact that I am once again responsible for harming others is more than I can bear.
Pinkie Pie: It'll be okay! Everypony makes mistakes!
Princess Luna: As long as none of you dreamt about another pony, the Tantabus remains confined to your dreams. I still have a chance to catch it before it's too late.
Pinkie Pie: Phew, that's good to hear! Although after you left, I did happen to dream that I was eating a giant ice-cream cone with all of Ponyville while taking a test we hadn't studied for. See, what'd I tell ya? Everypony makes mistakes!
Twilight Sparkle: But that means the Tantabus could be turning every dream in Ponyville into a nightmare!
Princess Luna: It is far worse than that. Infecting all those dreams gives it more and more power. Soon it will be able to escape into the real world and infect Equestria with its nightmare plague!
Rarity: Then you must let us help you stop it before that happens!
Fluttershy: But how? The Tantabus was able to escape Luna when it only had six dreams it could get to!
Princess Luna: It is true. With so many dreams to hide in, I do not know how I can catch it.
Twilight Sparkle: Hmm... What if everypony in Ponyville were having one dream?
Princess Luna: I... can create shared dreams, yes, but for so many ponies at once? I have never done anything like that. The amount of power it would take...
Fluttershy: Well, it is worth a try, isn't it?
Princess Luna: Of course. I will do anything to end this, including accept your help. I cannot allow the Tantabus to escape into the real world. All of you must now go back to sleep and hope that I can create such a dream.
Spike: [snoring]
[magic zaps]
[flying muffin squawks]
Derpy: [meow]
Twilight Sparkle: [gasps] Princess Luna did it!
Applejack: [shivers] Big Mac! Boy, I'm glad to see somethin' familiar!
Big McIntosh: Eeyup.
Princess Luna: Ponies!
Ponies: Princess Luna!
Princess Luna: There is no time for bowing, my friends! There is something coming, something terrible! No, it is already here!
[Tantabus growling]
[ponies screaming]
Princess Luna: I am so sorry! I brought this upon you! But I will end it now!
[Tantabus noises]
[ponies screaming]
Twilight Sparkle: Princess, what's wrong?
Princess Luna: [grunts] It... is taking all my strength just to hold this massive dream together! You will have to stop it! I truly wish I did not have to ask this of you!
Twilight Sparkle: Then you're in luck.
Rainbow Dash: Yeah! We're already on it!
[house roaring]
Filthy Rich: [yelping] Please! I'll pay you anything!
[house roars]
Rainbow Dash: [kiai]
[kick]
Rainbow Dash: I got you!
[ponies screaming]
[magic zap]
Crescent Moon: [straining]
[chomp!]
[house howling]
Applejack: Oh, no!
[flying muffin clucks]
Applejack: Big Mac! You can do anythin' in a dream, remember?
[magic shimmering]
Big McIntosh: Wheeeeee! [giggling]
Rainbow Dash: Come on! If that Tantabus thing turns any more of this dream against us, we'll be too busy saving ponies to catch it! And it'll grow powerful enough to escape into the real world!
[flying muffin clucks]
Applejack: How are we even gonna know when it's able to escape?
Rainbow Dash: Oh, I think we'll know.
[magic zaps]
[Tantabus growling]
Princess Luna: [straining] Hurry, my friends!
[zap]
Rainbow Dash: What the?!
Fluttershy: Please, we need your help too!
[magic zap]
Twilight Sparkle: Fluttershy's right! We've all got to work together to stop it from escaping!
Mr. Cake: But how can we help? Nopony in Ponyville has your magic or your speed!
Rainbow Dash: That's true... in Ponyville!
Applejack: But this here isn't Ponyville! It's a dream!
[flying muffins squawking]
Big McIntosh: Eeyup!
Twilight Sparkle: And not just any! This is your dream! Anything you can do in your dreams, you can do now!
Spike: [clicks fingers] Well, if you're gonna dream, might as well dream big, right? Hi-yah!
Derpy: Whoo!
[ponies cheering]
[shwing]
[bits clinking]
[wings flapping]
[wind noises]
Rainbow Dash: It's working!
Twilight Sparkle: But it's not enough!
[Tantabus roaring]
Pinkie Pie: Then do more! This is a dream, remember?
[book bats chittering]
[thumping]
Princess Luna: [straining] I cannot hold this dream together much longer! Equestria will fall because of me!
[Tantabus roaring]
Spike: Am I crazy, or did it just get even bigger after Luna said that?
Twilight Sparkle: I think it's feeding off your guilt, Princess Luna!
Princess Luna: If that is so, then perhaps that is how it grew strong enough to escape in the first place!
Applejack: Say what now?!
Princess Luna: I created the Tantabus to give myself the same nightmare every night... [pants] ...to punish myself for the evil I caused as Nightmare Moon!
Fluttershy: But why would you do that?!
Princess Luna: To make sure I never forgave myself for how much Equestria suffered because of me! But it seems I have not learned my lesson, for now I have only made you suffer more!
Twilight Sparkle: But that means you might just be the key to stopping all this!
Rainbow Dash: Yeah! If it gets strong because you feel bad about what you did as Nightmare Moon, then you just gotta stop feeling bad for what you did!
Princess Luna: How can I forgive myself? I am no better now than I was then. My creation is about to turn the world into a living nightmare!
Twilight Sparkle: But look at what you're doing! Nightmare Moon would've wanted the Tantabus to turn Equestria into a nightmare! You're doing everything you can to stop it! Don't you see? That proves you're not the same pony you were then! Everypony who knows you knows that Nightmare Moon is in the past! We all trust you, Luna! Do you trust us enough to believe we're right?
[Tantabus growling]
Princess Luna: ...I do!
[Tantabus noises]
[ding!]
Princess Luna: Thank you. Thank you all.
[rooster crowing]
Twilight Sparkle: [gasps] Luna did it!
Rainbow Dash: [yawns]
Applejack: She sure did! Only... I'm not exactly sure what she did.
Twilight Sparkle: Luna created the Tantabus to punish herself! The worse she felt, the more power it had! But once she finally forgave herself for what Nightmare Moon did...
Spike: Poof!
Fluttershy: Shh!
Spike: Huh. Wonder what she's dreaming about now.