One night when Moonshine was sleeping in her castle, she was sound asleep dreaming peacefully. That is until she started groaning, tossing and turning in her sleep.

She was currently dreaming about walking through Ponyville by herself, watching all the ponies happily minding their own business and giving her a 'Hello' now and then. However, the sky suddenly turned dark and gloomy and the ponies suddenly started disappearing, leaving Moonshine as the only one left in town. To her confusion, she saw a blue smokey things nearby before it slipped into the ground.

"Hello.. Moonshine...." a sinister voice came. Moonshine turned around and she saw.... herself? Only, this Moonshine was duller in color and her mane was a bit messy with some hair sticking up. "W-Who are you...?" Moonshine stammered in fear.

The Moonshine double laughed, "I'm your opposite, your evil darker side." she said. "If your mother and auntie can turn into Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon then you can absolutely turn into me; Eclipse. The better version of you if you choose to embrace the Hopeless Magic that's inside of your heart."

"N-No I'll never turn into you...!" Moonshine defended.

"Deep inside you know that your flaws will end your friendship with your friends one day. They don't really like you cause of your flaws, they just like you cause your a Princess..!" Eclipse laughed.

"Y-You're wrong..! They would never do that to me...!" Moonshine growled.

"You say that now, but you'll see that friendship is nothing more than a waste of time and that despair is more powerful than hope!" Eclipse then fired a beam at Moonshine that struck her!

"WAH!" Moonshine woke up in a sweat, breathing heavily with her heart racing. She looked around frantically, seeing that she was still in her room. Moonshine whimpered slightly before she just curled up in her bed to scared to go back to sleep.

The next morning, Moonshine went over to Rarity’s boutique so she can groom Toothless, Mudbray, Lycanroc and Rockruff along with the rest of her friends who are also grooming their pets as well.

“Ooh, this is amazing!” Pinkie Pie said as she hoped around the shop.

“Yeah, Rarity. Thanks for setting all this up.” Rainbow Dash happily added.

“A grooming day for our pets really was a great idea.” Fluttershy added in the same tone as Twilight tries to act like everything is fine.

Moonshine dark circles and bags under her eyes and her mane was a little messy, but had enough control over her magic to gently comb Toothless.

But during her daze she ended up stumbling backwards a little and accidentally fell into the bathtub where Tank is taking his bath in. Rainbow Dash quickly caught Tank as he flew out of the tub from the splash Moonshine accidentally made. She groaned as she poked her head up and out of the tub as she tries to wake herself up a bit as her friends run up to her to make sure she is okay.

“You okay, sugarcube?” Applejack asked her in concern.

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine.” Moonshine told Applejack while half-awake. “Sorry, Rainbow Dash.” She turned to face Rainbow Dash with an apologetic look. “I just quite sleep well last night.” She then explained herself followed by a yawn.

“It’s all right, Moonshine.” Rainbow Dash reassured her it’s no biggie. “Did you have a nightmare or something keeping you up last night?”

Moonshine nodded, "You can tell us if you want Moonshine.." Fluttershy cooed.

"It was horrible.. I-I was just walking through Ponyville by myself when I saw this blue smokey thing that went into the ground and turned and I saw another version of myself... an evil version of myself.." she started and the girls gasped in shock. "S-She called her Eclipse a-and she said that just give into despair and turn into her. She said that you guys don't like me cause of my flaws but because I'm a Princess, w-which I knew it was not t-true b-but.. it just.. felt so real..." Moonshine shivered as she got out of the tub. Twilight gave her some towels to dry her off.

"A blue smoke monster in your dream?" Rarity asked.

"That doesn't sound good." Applejack added. "Has it appeared before?"

"N-Never..." Moonshine stammered.

"W-Where do you think it came from?" Fluttershy questioned.

"I don't know, but there's one pony who might." Twilight said. "Spike, can you write a letter to Princess Luna?"

"Right Twilight." Spike saluted before he pulled out a quill and scroll.

"Dear Princess Luna, last night, Moonshine encounter a creature made of blue smoke in her dream which turned it into a might. I know you might be very busy, but when you have the chance, please let me know if you have any idea what it could mean. Yours truly, Twilight Sparkle.."

Spike nodded before he rolling up the scroll and breathing fire to magically send it to Princess Luna. The door immediately flew open as Princess Luna arrived…in just two seconds flat.

"Please say thous niece didn't see creature of blue smoke in her nightmare?!" Princess Luna immediately asked with worry and concern in her voice.

"Wow! That was fast." Fluttershy commented.

"Moonshine did see it Princess." Twilight said. "You've encountered it?"

"The Tantabus is a creature of my nightmares. It escaped from my slumbers yeasterday." Luna stated as she walked in.

"But how did it get into Moonshine's?" Applejack asked.

"The Tantabus is like a parasite. My dreams must no longer be enough for it. Now it seeks other to infect and corrupt. It must have learned of Moonshine from seeing her in my dream." Luna explained.

“Whoa-whoa-whoa. So what you're saying is... you dreamt about Moonshine, and not the rest of the girls and including me.” Spike asked and then sadly whimpered.

“Uh, so Smokey gave her bad dreams. No biggie.” Rainbow Dash said with no worry, but Luna shook her head.

“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!” She fearfully spoke as she turned around to look out the window, leaving all of the girls threatened by the danger it possesses.

“Okay, okay, okay, I take it back! That does sound bad! Really bad!” Rainbow Dash immediately spoke now fully grasping the severity of the situation.

“The only way for me to stop the Tantabus is if I enter your dreams my niece.” Moonshine nodded at her aunt.

By nighttime, Luna arrived and Moonshine led her into her bedroom. "I've prepared everything for you, Auntie Luna."

“Good. As you slumber here, I will pursue the creature into whichever of your dreams it infests.” Luna spoke as she hovered over the room, ready to act the first sign of trouble.

“Ooh! It'll be like a princess sleepover!” Pinkie excitably said as she and the other entered the room, much to Moonshine's surprise. "Twilight? Girls? What are you all doing here?”

“We're here to help you, sugarcube.” Applejack firmly answered. “We're not gonna let some smokey varmit torment our friend."

“Speaking of princesses, aren't you gonna ask Celestia for her help as well?” Twilight asked Luna as she turned her attention back at her.

“There is nothing my sister can do. She has no power in the realm of sleep. Only I can move in the dream realm. I am afraid nopony can help me tonight.” Luna answered as she turned away.

"Even us?" Applejack asked.

“Especially you. For I do not want this creature infesting any other pony’s dreams and risk the Tantabus escaping and I already have caused my niece to suffer so much because of me. She needs only slumber while I hunt the Tantabus in her dreams." Luna explained.

At that moment she felt someone tug on her mane and saw it was Spike as she turned her head in his direction.

“I know you said nopony can help, but I'm no pony! I'm gonna stay up and watch over her just in case!” Spike said as she crawled up onto Moonshine's night stand as he used his claws to keep his eyes open.

“Aw, thank you, Spike!” Moonshine said with a warm smile before she saw Toothless and her three pokemon entering the room. "Toothless, Lycanroc, Rockruff, Mudbray, what is it?" Moonshine asked them.

"Rockruff Rockruff..." Rockruff barked happily wagging his tails.

"They said they wanna help watch over you too.." Fluttershy cooed.

Rockruff leaped onto Moonshine's bed and curled up next to her. "Hehe, thanks boys.." Moonshine added.

Seeing Moonshine now asleep, the Mane Five and Spike watched as Princess Luna spreads out her wings and activates her magic. The lines of her horn glowed to reach the very tip. One glowing neon white stream appeared, attaching to Moonshine's forehead of the ones deep in slumber. A soft wind surrounded Luna as she began traveling into Moonshine's dream.

Inside her dream she can see Moonshine and her evil counterpart in the center of Ponyville. "Just except that friendship is nothing more than just a waste of time." Eclipse smirked. "Your mother and auntie don't really love you, they're just caring for you until they kicked you out onto the streets!"

"Mom and Auntie Luna would never do that to me. S-Stop thinking they would..!" Moonshine yelled.

Eclipse laughed, "I'm only saying what you thinking, Moony. I'm only saying you deepest fears that you fail to tell anypony else and keep to yourself. You fear so much and I love it! You fear that your life will fall apart with the smallest mistake you make, that's why you want to please everypony you meet, especially your friends, mother and Aunt Luna, for the fear that they might abandon you forever and you'll.. be.. nothing...!"

Luna gasped in shock, not knowing her own niece had some worst fears of her own. "So join me Moonshine and you'll always be something!"

"N-No I'll never join you or be like you ever..!" Moonshine exclaimed, shedding tears.

Eclipse laughed, "I can see that I'm right with your deepest fears, you're thinking that I might be right but you fail to accept that!" Eclipse then fired a blast at Moonshine and struck her. "Gah...!" she grunted as she fell on the ground.

Eclipse laughed before she charged Moonshine, however Luna stepped in between them, "No harm shall come to thou niece!" and she blasted Eclipse to contain her. "Auntie Luna..!" Moonshine cooed.

Princess Luna tried her hardest to try to crystalize the Tantabus in Eclipse's form but Eclipse had proven herself too powerful for her to handle as she manages to break free from her crystal prison.

Eclipse evilly laughs as she swoops down towards Moonshine who screams in horror as she is facing darkness and defeat consuming her again.

At that moment Moonshine screamed in total fear and she unleashed a large burst of magic in the room, forcing everypony to duck for cover.

When that ended, Moonshine whimpered with sweat dripping from her face from fear.

“What happened? What’s wrong?” Spike asked her as she brought her a towel to wipe the sweat off of her face as she was still breathing heavily to borderline hyperventilating still shaken up from her nightmare.

“Can’t talk about it! Too terrifying!” Moonshine spoke in between breaths with tears forming around her eyes.

“But did Luna at least catch it. Didn’t she?” Spike asked.

"I am so sorry, Moonshine. I failed. It will be back to infect your dreams the next time you sleep." Luna regretfully told everyone as she floated down from the ceiling.

“Oh, no!” Fluttershy trembled as she placed her hooves over her mouth seeing that it’s only going to get worse from here.

"Yeah. I reckon I could live without seeing that thing if it’s as terrifying as what Moonshine's says it is." Applejack said sounding relieved that she is not in Moonshine's hoof steps right now as she hands her a glass of water to which Moonshine graciously accepts as starts drinking from it.

“Thanks.” Moonshine told Applejack with a warm smile.

“But Moonshine will again and again, every night, until it grows powerful enough to infect the waking world!” Luna said as she looked out the window with deep regret. “After what I did as Nightmare Moon, the fact that I am once again responsible for harming others is more than I can bear.”

Moonshine managed to calm down now as Rockruff nuzzled her face with his wet snout. "Rockruff..." Moonshine petted her puppy pokemon.

Toothless cooed at Moonshine, before he perked up at something and growled. "Toothless, what is it..?" Moonshine asked before everypony heard a evil laugh and the doors to Moonshine's room burst open.... revealing Eclipse!

"I'm back~" Eclipse smirked at Moonshine, who looked at her in horror.

"No way! You're just the Tantabus that looks like her evil side.." Rainbow defended.

Eclipse laughed, "Oh please. I absorbed all the dark magic from that smokey creature and its now a part of me. Thanks to Moonshine's fears and doubts, I'm now as real as the Princess of the Night herself! Hahahaha....! And now I'll think I'll have some fun with my goody-four hooves counterpart!" Eclipse then coated herself in dark magic and snatched Moonshine out of her bed! "AAAAAHHHH!"

"Moonshine!" "My Niece!" The Mane Five and Luna cried in horror before they saw Eclipse smashed the window and began to make her escape....!

Toothless roared before Lycanroc, Rockruff and Mudbray jumped on his back and the Night Fury took to the sky in pursuit of Eclipse. "Wait for us..!" Twilight exclaimed before Luna spread her wings and took, Twilight, Pinkie, Applejack and Rarity in her magic and she, Rainbow and Fluttershy.

To Be Continued...

Author's Note

Story Plot: Princess Luna enlists Moonshine's help to catch the Tantabus, a creature who can turns dreams into nightmares, but when Moonshine's nightmare created an evil counterpart of herself can Luna and the Mane 5 rescue her and prevent her counterpart from turning all of Equestria into a living nightmare?

P.S If anyone wants to help me writing the story, it would be great. Sorry for the shortness, I just didn't really know how to go about with this chapter.