Once Luna returned to normal by the Elements of Harmony, she hoped that these dark forces would disappear. Often, these 'Nightmare Forces' would decide for her on what to do. According to her, when she was Nightmare Moon, she thought that she could show other ponies how special she was by making them fear her. Princess Luna explains that, although she doesn't have a clear answer for what's happening, she knows that dark and evil forces have taken Rarity to the Nightmare Dreamscape. Twilight is about to write another letter, but Celestia and Luna have already arrived on the scene. The five ponies wonder about the connection between the black mist and their dreams and decide to seek out Princess Luna, who controls dreams and was taken over by Nightmare Moon. As Spike breaks down in tears over Rarity's abduction, Twilight writes a letter to Princess Celestia. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy fly up to rescue Rarity, but she and the black mist vanish into thin air. Twilight and her friends are awoken as the black mist swirls around Rarity and carries her out of the room and up toward the moon.

Finally, Rarity dreams of her friends rejecting her gifts and abandoning her in favor of a new pony named Maybelle.

Pinkie dreams of being unable to make ponies laugh. Rainbow Dash dreams of being unable to fly with the Wonderbolts. Fluttershy dreams of her animal friends running from her in fear. Applejack dreams of her family blaming her for losing their land to drought. Twilight dreams of being dismissed from the royal court of Canterlot forever. A few hours after they go to sleep, they experience the nightmares again-as a strange, black mist seeps into the room through cracks in the window and enters the ponies' ears. The friends decide to having a slumber party at Pinkie Pie's house that night while they're still concerned about the nightmares, they're certain a night of fun will help them sleep peacefully. Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy walk up and reveal that they've all been having nightmares too. Dash reveals that she'd been having nightmares over the past week as well. As Twilight wonders about what's causing the nightmares, a half-asleep Rainbow Dash crashes into her. As she and Spike walk through Ponyville, she looks through her books for a cure, to no avail.

Twilight has apparently been suffering from nightmares for an entire week. She screams in horror as shadows reach for her, only to be woken up. The story begins with Twilight Sparkle having a nightmare, galloping away from something through a dilapidated village.

Nightmare in the dark artwork