There was nothing.

No light, no thought, nothing............

Then a bright flash.

The void emptied of the dark and filled with a blinding light.

When the light faded, Dusk could see again. Dusk looked around the void. Everything was white, as far as the eye could see....nothing.

"Where am I?" He said aloud. "RUNE!" He shouted into a emptiness. "RUNE!? WHERE ARE YOU?"

At first there was nothing. No reaction. But then a sound filled the air.

Crack

The sound continued. The air was cracking around Dusk.

CrackCrackCrackCrackCrackCrackCrackCrack

"What's.....What's going on?" Dusk shouted in confusion.

Shatter The cracks gave way, the air shattered like glass.

Around Dusk was now a clear sky.......

"What is all this?" Dusk was now really confused. But then again, who wouldn't be confused.

"Looks like he went overboard." Casually spoke a voice from behind Dusk.

Dusk quickly turned to see Rune but there was something different.

"Rune?!" Dusk replied in shock. "What is all this? Why are you a colt?"

"I'll explain later." The chibi Rune explained. "But first we should leave."

"Why?" Dusk asked.

"Because of that." Little Rune pointed his hoof downward.

Under the sky, passed the moving clouds was the planet Earth. But it was a disaster. The land was cracking, lava bled form volcanoes, and the sea stuck the land with great tsunamis.

"This way." The little Rune said. Placing his hoof on the space of air in front of him, Rune pushed on it and right there, a door opened to another white, empty space.

Without a second thought, Dusk ran through the door way. Before the door closed, Dusk saw the planet rip, shake and finally implode.

"Okay." Dusk said, catching his breath. "What was all that? How are you a colt?"

"Okay, I'll explain." The Rune promised. "But first a scenery change." Waving his hoof in front of him, the empty space filled with endless selves of books and painting. It even had wall to wall carpeting and a massive fireplace.

"Get comfortable." Rune said sitting down. "This could take awhile to explain."

.....................................................................................................................................................................................

'What do you mean they haven't woken yet?!" Princess Luna yelled at one of the nurse ponies.

Inside the Infirmary was a large room, filled with beds. Several nurse and doctor ponies were running back and forth, trying to get something that might help the still sleeping Dusk and Rune.

"I'm sorry Princess." The nurse pony bowed. "But we've tried our best medicines and magics, they won't wake up."

"It's been several hours already!" Captain Shining Armor stated while walking into the room, two anonymous guards besides him. "The sun has long since risen and they still show no sign of recovery?!"

"Captain Armor." The head doctor pony came up to Armor. "I believe I already informed you that guards were not necessary."

"I believe it is necessary." Armor inquired, pointing a hoof at Rune. "That unicorn destroyed more than half of the entire front courtyard. All in an attempt to kill my own brother!"

"Armor! That's quite enough!" Luna responded. "I will respect that you want justice done, but it will happen when both Dusk and Rune are returned to us." Her voice was getting deeper and more serious. "And no sooner."

"Y-yes your majesty." Armor apologized. His reaction was to be expected, one doesn't usually wake in the middle of the night to find somepony trying to kill your brother. "Where's that healer?" Armor shouted.

"I'm here." Called a soft voice from the doorway. In the doorway was a greyish pink alicorn, with a mane of gold, violet and rose colors.

"Cadance?!" Armor inquired in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"I was called to look these two over and see if I could help." Cadance walked over to Armor. She leaned in and calmly kissed him on both cheeks. "Don't worry Armor, Dusk will be fine." This did in fact calm the captain a great deal. Cadance always had a way to handle Shining Armor.

Cadance didn't require much time to look over the two sleeping unicorns. "Their minds have mended together. And if left as it is, they may never awaken."

"Then how can we wake them up?" Armor and Luna asked.

"We need to find the source of the mending." Cadance concluded. "The cause is within their minds, so so all we can do is wait for them to solve the problem within."

"Or if some other pony entered their mind?" Celestia asked, walking into the room. She had just left a quick press conference, explaining that Canterlot was not under attack and everything was merely an accident. "I assume that is what you were thinking Luna."

"That's right!" Luna stated. "We can enter their minds through their dreams and assist them!"

"That could work." Cadance theorized. "But we don't know what it could do."

"There isn't enough time!" Luna's voice switched to Canterlot voice mode. "Somepony! Get us a bed!"

Three nurse ponies quickly ran to the nearest vacant bed, wheeling it over to Dusk and Rune's bed.

"We will reach them." Luna started to fall asleep in the bed. "And we shall bring them back!"

Luna was now asleep, her mind merging with Dusk and Rune's.

"All we can do now is wait." Celestia stated, trying to reassure the ponies in the room.

......................................................................................................................................................................................

"I don't understand what you're saying Rune." Dusk was drinking some hot tea, sitting in comfort couches, all in front of an open fire with the little Rune, who was drinking, kinda proudly out of a sippy cup.

"I figured you wouldn't get it the first time." Rune put down the sippy cup. "I am Rune but I am also not Rune. I am his Subconscious mind. I am the voice in his head telling him that something is a bad idea or good idea. I am the part of him that thinks things through."

Dusk was shocked. If this was what he was thinking like, he'd have to deal with another pony with two personalities.

"Oh don't worry." The little Rune laughed. "I'm not some separate personality or something. I am Rune but after what I saw you do to our beloved Luna." Rune got up and started pacing. "I'll admit I over reacted. But I still feel well justified. Did you not know that I wanted to be with Luna? That I loved her and it is painful to watch what you love being taken by another. When I saw that, my mind literally snapped. I had only one desire, to kill you. But right now I regret my irrational choice. It's my fault we are like this and for that I am sorry."

"No! I'm sorry!" Dusk said, almost getting on his knees. "I didn't know you cared about Princess Luna like that."

"It's okay." Rune responded. "But I need your help. My conscious mind is drowning in my jealousy, anger and hatred. If we don't rejoin myself with my conscious mind, we might never wake up."

"Okay." Dusk agreed. "Where do we go?"

There was a sudden ripple in the air, as if the very air was water.

"Hmmm" Inquired Rune. "Looks like there's some other pony here...........................Ah it's Master Luna!"

"She mus of come to save us!" Dusk was trying to be an optimist.

"Or to save you!" Rune responded. 'Remember, she used us to bring you to her. Right now I have very high doubts Master cares about me." Rune then pushed the air as if it were a door, opening it to reveal a forest on the other side. "but regardless, let's see what's she's doing here and maybe she can help."

Both Dusk and Rune went through the portal and the door closed.

...................................................................................................................................................................................

Rune looked around. He saw darkness. Nothing was around him. It was dark, yet warm; almost relaxing. Soon a dim light illuminated the room. When his eyes adjusted, Rune saw the room around him. he room was covered in fine cloth. Around him, were countless pillows, all of dark blues, violets and reds. There were no window, the only visible exit was a doorway. There was a door but it was made of beads.

"Where?" Rune looked around. "Where am i?"

"You are where you should be." Spoke a sensual voice.

Through the doorway strut Princess Luna.

"Master?" Rune said, confused.

"Shhhh." Luna spoke, laying next to Rune, cuddling up against him. "You are here, and I am with you."

Rune didn't know what to think. The last thing he remembered was charging at Dusk. But now Luna was here, besides him. "It is as it should be." Rune accepted, wrapping his hoof around Luna.

Before drifting off to sleep, Luna let out a quiet giggle, and her eyes briefly glowed a dark orange.

....................................................................................................................................................................................

The little Rune and Dusk walked along the dirt road of the forest of Rune's mind.

"So Rune." Dusk asked. "Why are you not angry? I mean after everything, you're calmer than you usually are."

"Oh well that's simple Dusk." Rune answered. "My anger is with my conscious mind. I was there when everything happened, but I lost myself when I charged at you."

Eventually Dusk and Rune made it to a large field, full of while lily flowers.

"Oh here she is." Rune stated.

Walking to the center of the field, Dusk and Rune found Princess Luna, but wandering the field.

"Hey! Master!" Rune shouted.

Luna looked over, and the joyous look on her face when she saw both Dusk and Rune.

"DUSK!!! RUNE!!!" Luna shouted, running towards the unicorns.

After seeing Rune's short stature, Luna stopped. "We are glad you are okay. But what happened to you Rune?"

"Long story short, my mind was split in half and I need to find my other half." Rune responded.

"Okay." Luna said, accepting the answer. "Where do we start?"

"Well since you're here, I was hoping you'd be able to use your magic over dreams to help us."

"We would if we could, but we cannot." Luna reluctantly replied. "Since entering, we have had no such luck using magic, we cannot even fly."

"How is that even possible?" Dusk asked.

"It's because it's not allowed." Rune responded. "Master Luna's power only works on dreams. This isn't a dream. And Dusk you can't use magic either. Since Rune's mind is dominant, Rune has all the control."

"Then do something about it!" Dusk said.

"I would, but need to whole again to get us out." Rune said, pushing on the air to create a doorway into a black abyss. "So let's get my other half back."

.....................................................................................................................................................................................

"You think their okay in there?" Armor asked Cadance.

Princess Cadance, Princess Celestia and Shining Armor stood over the three sleeping ponies. Despite doing their best not to show it, all of them had the same look on their face, worry.

Cadance used her light blue glowing horn as a form of CT Scan. Cadance moved her magic over the three ponies.

"Their magic is becoming more stable!" Cadance said with a reassuring smile.

"Whatever they are doing, they need to keep doing it!" Celestia guessed.

....................................................................................................................................................................................

Luna, Dusk and the little Rune were walking along an elongated hallway. Doors of all sizes lines this hall. There was no color, it was as if they were floating in a black abyss. heck, that's what they were doing. They weren't even walking, they were literally hovering along the hall.

"So what are all these doors?" Dusk asked.

"They are portals into parts of Rune's mind." Luna answered.

"You've been here a before?" Rune asked.

"Rune once showed us." Luna answered. "When we discovered he could read minds."

"Rune can read minds??" Dusk interjected.  

"Yes." Rune answered. "She I was a little colt, the mind was an open book to me. I only recently was able to "master" it."

"I never knew." Dusk said.

"How would you of known?" Rune replied. "It's not like you'd believe him anyways."

Further down the hall, there was a sound.....a sound like somepony was crying. Perhaps they found Rune's conscious mind?

"He's not in that door." Rune stated to Dusk. "But if you want to know more about Dusk, you're free to open that door."

Dusk, out of curiosity, opened the door. The inside was peculiar. It was like looking into a blurred image. The scene began to clarify.

.......................................................................................................................................................................................

It was dark, it was cold, it was raining. Dusk saw Canterlot's castle. Outside the main gates of the palace, there was a blue unicorn, with a soaked, dirty brown mane. His face flat against the stone ground in a form of bow. His body was slender, almost skeletal.

The doors open, and both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna walk out into the rain. Standing before the unicorn was Princess Luna. "Why do you stay there still?" Luna asked, in her Canterlot voice. "it has been nearly a fortnight, if you do not leave, you will die!"

"NO!" The unicorn barely was able to shout back. "I will not leave until you accept me as your apprentice!"

"I have told you before." Luna responded. "It is not possible. Ask my sister, ask any other unicorn. But not us! We cannot take on a student. We are unable to!"

"NO!" The unicorn was losing consciousness fast. "You are the only one I want to teach me! I would rather die than have any other pony!"

There was a silence. Celestia dared say nothing. What could she say?

"Why are you doing this?" Luna asked calmly.

"I'm tired of failure......" The unicorn was almost out. "I want knowledge.....I want friends...........and above all else...........I WANT OTHERS TO APPRECIATE ME!!!!!!!!!!!"

That line. Those words. That statement, it struck Luna hard. She knew, more than anypony that feeling. I want to be appreciated.

"Very well." Luna calmly spoke. Her wings were now fully spread. "What is your name?"

"Dawn.......Dawn Rune." Rune barely was able to speak.

"Then Dawn Rune...." Luna spoke loudly in her Canterlot voice. "We hereby name thy our apprentice!"

Rune would be cheering, but lack of food, water and sleep took his toll, he feel unconscious upon the ground.

.......................................................................................................................................................................................

"That was the happiest day of my life." Rune stated, as Dusk closed the door.

"And one of the most terrifying for us." Luna said. "If you had stayed out another day, you would of died of starvation."

"That's why I'm so thankful you took me in." Rune smiled.

Dusk couldn't say anything, what could he say? Dusk finally realized....he knew less and less about Rune than he thought. Kinda depressing really.

At the end of the hall, was the door made of beads.

"There it is!" Rune shouted, but then stopped.

"Rune?" Dusk said, turning back at Rune. "Why'd you stop?"

"Because I can't risk getting any closer." Rune responded. "I am the subconscious. The subconscious and conscious must work as one but can never meet. It would cause an involuntary struggle for power over the mental dominance."

Both Dusk and Luna were both very shocked. This has got to be the most complicated sentence Rune has ever said. They assumed he didn't even know what half those words meant.

"So we'll have to go alone?" Dusk asked.

"Yes. But be careful..." Rune stated. "My desire is clouded by my jealousy, anger and hatred. It will try to stop you."

"We will get Rune back." Luna promised.

Leaving the little Rune behind, Dusk and Luna picked up the speed. The beaded door became closer and closer. Mere feet away, their goal almost in their grasp, when a figure emerged from the doorway. It was the Luna that was with Rune earlier.

"What is this?" The real Luna demanded.

"Oh you?" The fake Luna inquired. "We didn't expect the real one to come, or at least not this quickly."

"Why are there two of you?" Dusk asked.

The fake Luna turned to Dusk and her eyes suddenly burned with anger. "YOU!!!!!!!!!!! THE CAUSE OF THIS!!!!!!!!!!!"

Luna stepped in front of Dusk, ready to protect him.

"But it does not matter now." The fake Luna calmed down. "Soon enough the mind will break and Rune will be lost."

"How is that a good thing?" Dusk asked. "If you're part of Rune's mind, then won't you die?"

"I I must, then I must." The fake Luna responded. "I only want Rune's desires fulfilled. His desire is to fade away."

"Why would Rune want that?" The real Luna responded.

"Can you really ask that?" The other Luna replied. "After accepting him, only to use him like some toy. No not even a toy, a toy is something you have fun with." She then looked at Dusk. "You had fun with your real toy!"

Luna couldn't say anything. The other Luna was right. Rune always appeared like he held her in high regards. But Luna always assumed that was expected of an apprentice. Never once did she consider Rune's feelings.

"Regardless!" Dusk interjected. "We want Rune to tell us that, not some figment of hie mind!"

The other Luna was pissed by this comment. "Figment?! FIGMENT!!!" She then began to glow a dark orange aura. "I'll show you how much of a "Figment" I am!"

Her body grew in size, her head split into three separate heads supported by long necks. Each head looked exactly like Luna. Her body became long and scaly, her wings and rear legs vanished. Her front legs became large arms and her hoofs, sharp claws. The Luna created by Rune's desire has now become a hydra of Rune's jealousy, anger and hatred.

Dusk and Luna just stood there, unable to move. Neither of them could use magic and this fake Luna just turned into a three headed hydra, like ten times their size.

"Regardless of your size!" Luna shouted. "We shall defeat you!" Luna tucked her wings in and charged at the hydra.

The beast tried to slash and claw at Luna but she was able to dodge the attacks. Jumping onto the claw, Luna ran up the arm towards one of the heads. Try all she could, Luna couldn't even power up her horn. This caused her to b distracted for a mere moment, long enough for the hydra to grab her with its other claw.

"Dusk!" Luna shouted. "We need you to cover your ears, and run!"

Dusk nodded and started running towards the beaded door.

"I won't let you disturb RUNE!" The hydra shouted, reaching its claw towards Dusk.

"RRUUUUUUUUUUUNNEE!!!!!!!!!!!" Princess Luna shouted in her loudest Canterlot voice.

The shout stunned the hydra, allowing Dusk to break through the beads and land in the room.

"Rune?!" Dusk shouted into the dark room. The room was now different that before: the room was a mass of empty, black abyss. All except for Rune, still asleep, but now chains were wrapped around him, pulling at him, clinging him to the space within the center of the room.

"Rune?!" Dusk shouted, running towards the suspended Rune.

Suddenly, dark claw-like tendrils reached out of the darkness. Grabbing at Dusk's mane, tail, legs, body, everywhere.

"You caused all this!" A voice within the darkness shouted.

"You've taken everything!" Another voice echoed.

Only mere inches away from Rune, a claw got lucky, getting a grip on Dusk's tail and anther on his neck. Slowly dragging, pulling Dusk into the darkness. He was sinking into Rune's despair.

"Your Fault!" A voice shouted at Dusk.

Dusk came too far to give up now. Uses whatever strength he had, Dusk barely climbed, he dragged himself out of the bubbling darkness. While still being pulled on and tugged at, Dusk slowly forced his way closer and closer to Rune.

"Rune!" Dusk struggled to move his hoof to touch Rune. "Wake up!"

Back at Princess Luna; the hydra was smacking Luna across the ground.

"Is that the best you can do?" The hydra insultingly shouted at Luna. "Without your wings, without your horn....you are NOTHING!"

Lifting Luna high above,it's three mouth hungrily opened, waiting to swallow the princess.

The claws released Luna and she fell towards the gaping maw of the hydra.

WWOOOOOOSSSHHHHHH

A streak of purple light flew through the sky, catching Luna.

The hydra was confused and irritated.

When the light settled. Dusk was holding Luna in his arms. But he was different:

"Dusk?" Luna was taken back by all this. "How did you do this? You're an Alicorn now?!"

"Well yes and no." Dusk answered.

"I will feat upon your bones!" The hydra shouted, reaching its claws at Dusk.

But before the claw even got a foot away from Dusk and Luna, a giant, chained shackle emerged from the abyss, restraining both claws.

"How??!!!" The hydra shouted. More and more chains emerged, wrapping themselves around the hydra's body.

Slowly, barely able to do so, the hydra turned its body towards the beaded door. Just out of the doorway was Rune.

And he was pissed.

"Rune?" The hydra said. "Why are you doing this? We were supposed to be together!"

Rune didn't say anything. His horn simply glowed it's orange color. More chains grabbed hold of the hydra, slowly dragging it into the abyss.

Soon the hydra was gone.

"Rune!" Luna and Dusk shouted running towards Rune.

"Rune. How did you do all this?" Luna asked.

"This is my mind." Rune calmly responded. "I just removed all my bad thoughts." Rune looked over at the Alicorn Dusk. "I even made Dusk an Alicorn to save you."

"But how did you wake up?" Dusk asked, reverting back into a unicorn. "I never got close enough to you."

"Well I was floating deeper and deeper into a dark abyss." Rune started to explain. The world around them was slowly changing back into an orderly state. "And I heard a voice, it was your voice or master's voice. It was like a younger me was calling out to me."

Both Dusk and Luna knew who Rune was talking about. They guess the subconscious Rune was able to help out.

"But it looks like our minds are coming back together." Dusk said happily. "Let's get out of here."

..................................................................................................................................................................................

Back in the infirmary room, Princess Celestia, Princess Cadance and Captain Shining Armor stood watch over the sleeping Dusk, Rune and Princess Luna. It has been three days and no sign.

Right before all was lost, Luna's eye twitched, Dusk steered and Rune flinched. They were waking up.

"They did it!" Cadance cheered with Armor.

Luna was the first to wake up. Though groggy and tired from that little adventure, Luna managed to look around her.

"Welcome back." Celestia greeted to Luna.

Luna looked over and saw that both Rune and Dusk were now awake.

"Oh Shine I was so worried!" Armor bro hugged his brother.

"We missed you!" Cadance held Dusk as well.

Rune just sat and watched. He knew there would be nopony to welcome him. He turned to Luna, assuming she would just hug Dusk. But when he turned, Luna went to him.

"We are so glad you are alive!" Luna said to Rune, small rivers of tears came flowing from her eyes.

Rune couldn't show it, but he was so happy that Luna showed that she cared.

"Never do that again!" Luna said, staring into Rune's eyes.

All Rune could do was nod, holding back his tears of joy.