Trixie, Golem, and Dr.Stable sat in Twilights lab discussing how to induce a mindwalk. Dr.Stable had already done a fair amount of study on the subject and was filling Trixie and Golem in on his findings. Twilight herself is absent from the discussion, she had her own matters to attend to. She left spike to attend to her guests in the library. Twilight met up with Fluttershy, who was wearing Rarity's stealth suit, just outside of town hall.  

"How are Acro and Rune doing?" Twilight asked leading them both out of town.

"They are doing fine, change really, its really depressing to watch them," Fluttershy paused for a moment as they left the town, "They look like they are pained."

"Are they in pain?" Twilight asked.

"No, the machines arent reading anything, its more like a feeling." Fluttershy explained.

"I see, I wonder if she knows anything about that?" Twilight and Fluttershy fell silent as they entered Everfree forest.

The now completely vacant Lunar barracks were completely quiet except for the steady breathing of one princess of the night. Luna sat in the middle of the ancient barracks, her eyes shut and horn alight. She was gaunt and her head wobbled back and forth as if she was falling asleep. Twilight and Fluttershy walked into the barracks, placing their bags down Twilight moved over to the night princess. She used her magic to lift up Luna's eye lids. Her eyes were glazed and cold, her vision was far off and not at the mare in front of her. Giving a sigh she used her magic to pull out and start up the small camping stove they had brought.

"I cant believe she has been like this for three months." Fluttershy commented as she began to wash Luna with a sponge she had brought.

"Yeah, I've read of intense mediation before but this," Twilight stirred the brew she was making, "This is something else. Shes trying to do something, or find something."

"Do you think it has to do with Acropolis and Rune?" Fluttershy moved onto the princess's wings, being delicate with her feathers.

"I can only assume, She came to me and gave me very strict orders. Keep her safe, fed, clean, and secret." Twilight's brew began to bubble.

"I hope Trixie and Golem can help them, I've always liked Acropolis." She paused holding Luna's feathers, "He has a kind soul, I hope they can."

"Well if any pony can it'll be Trixie," Twilight grabs her brew with her magic and brings it to Luna's face, "Shes brilliant and crazy, a effective combination." Fluttershy flew up and tilted Luna's head back as Twilight poured the brew down her throat, "But with Dr.Stable's help they should figure something out, he's a great doctor." Rainbow Dash flew in through the window and landed near the princess.

"She's STILL meditating?" Rainbow commented, "Thats hardcore."

"Anypony about?" Twilight asked while packing up the small cooker she had.

"Nope, all clear, no pony's been around for weeks. I've been keeping the fog around the castle nice and thick to keep everypony out!" She said with a triumphant tone.

"Good work Rainbow! Keep it up, we dont now when she will come out of it." The purple alicorn said as she put her pack back on.

"If she comes out of it." Fluttershy commented under her breath.

"I hope she does, I cant keep skimming fog like this, somepony in Cloudsdale is gonna notice eventually." Rainbow took flight as she spoke.

"If it comes to that I'll make up some story for you Rainbow." Twilight wasnt used to throwing her weight around as princess but if she had to she would.

"Run." Luna muttered under her breath. The trio just stared at her, in shock she had spoken at all.

"Did she just?"

"Yes." Twilight answered quickly.

"How did?"

"No idea." Twilight flew up to look closer at Luna's face as a single tear rolled down her face.

Trixie and Dr.Stable spent the next week in Twilight's lab building and testing their mindscape device. Brigade spent the whole time attending to Acropolis and Rune Shift, and barely spoke to anypony. Golem had to take his leave, but Dr.Stable gave his word to visit Canterlot and bring Screw Loose with him. Despite issues with melding they believed that they had a working device that would let somepony else mindwalk into somepony else's mindscape. However, there appeared to be a bleed through effect that they couldn't counter. The rabbit trying to snatch flies with its tongue was proof enough of that. Trixie believed that a high functioning mind could counter the effect, but was hesitant to ask for test subjects.

"Trixie, there is no way we can know if this works without a pony subject." Dr.Stable was taking the helmet they built off of the stand, it was strange helmet, with metal arms holing out crystals carved with runic symbols and coils sparing with electricity. Trixie was tending to their new pet rabbit and its strange diet.

"Nopony is going to volunteer for this." Her horn lit up lifting the other helmet of its sister stand, "Even if they do work, and we cant test them on ourselves."

"Maybe we can-" The doctor began but Brigade cut the doctor off as he entered the lab he was wearing a cart harness.

"I'll do it." He said, his face was grim.

"Brigade, are you sure?" Dr.Stable approached him, "This is experimental, and quite dangerous."

"Dont care." Brigade handed Trixie a medical board and took off the harness, "Acropolis is already upstairs, Twilight is tending to him."

"What? You want to do this right now?" Trixie was surprised by his forwardness, he simply nodded at her, "All right then, lets get this gear upstairs, and Brigade, this is very brave of you."

"Thank you Trixie."

Twilight was very concerned as Trixie and Dr.Stable hooked the unconscious Acropolis up to their machines, a strange mixture of medical and magical devices. Trixie had explained that they could monitor Acropolis' brain activity using these devices but Twilight wasn't paying attention to Trixie, she was more concerned with Brigade. Brigade sat across from her wearing the mindwalk helmet, she had gotten used to his stoic glance but now he had a very serious look on his face. Twilight didnt like his gaze, he wasn't looking at her, more like through her, like he was looking into oblivion.

"Its ready." Trixie said as horn lit up, "Are you ready?"

"Yes." Brigade calmly answered.

"Okay, look inside whatever you see will most likely be different from what Acropolis see's. Your scapes are different, but I believe the space will be the same." She tried to explain as the nodes on the helmet started to glow.

"What do you mean?" A hint of concern rolled off Brigades words.

"Well, for example, if he sees a tree, you may see a pillar. His wooden door could be your metal door, and so on. But the space and layout should be the same. Everything in the same place, just may not look the same." The fact that all this was untested theory came across in Trixies voice. Brigade felt that this was slightly more dangerous than he had initially thought. But if it would bring Acropolis back he would have to take it.

"Is there something specific I should be looking for?" Brigade was trying to hide his new found uneasiness.

"Acropolis, and whatever he is running from." Trixie dispelled her horn, the nodes on their helmets glowed with a strange light, "And Brigade, dont touch Acropolis, you may accidentally-"

Wind whistled through the towering changeling cocoon towers, making them sway and creak like disgusting trees. Their sacks filled with blood and what can only be described as bits. The ground was stamped hard by hooves and gouged from dragging weapons, piles of dead soldiers and changelings littered the ground. Brigade tried to ignore these and focused on the small building before him, it looked familiar, and yet forgotten. And then it hit him, that one home in Canterlot, that family, he shook his head trying to scrub that memory from his mind, trying to focus on what he was looking for. He heard hoof steps behind him, he quickly spun around to see a very surprised Acropolis standing there, he appeared as he did in his armor to him.

"B-Brigade?" Acropolis' tone was one of total amazement. They stood there in silence for a tense moment, both trying to asses if the other was real. "Are, are you real?"

"Yes." Brigade answered flatly.

"Good enough for me." Acro moved to hug Brigade, but he moved back.

"Okay, exposition, I am projecting in to you consciousness, our bodies are in Twilight's lab, you and Rune have been mindlocked for three months, and Luna is missing. Also we cant touch or else your mind may overwrite mine." Brigades exposition was meet with a confused look from Acropolis.

"Well, that explains a lot actually." Brigade will be forever amazed that Acropolis could still miss such large details, but he took solace in this fact. it meant that this was the true Acropolis. "We need to move though, get into the house." Acro motioned towards the building with his wing, "Itll be here soon."

"What will?" They ran towards the house.

"Dont know, all I do know is I cant let it touch me." Acropolis shut the door as they entered the living room.

"How do you know that?" Brigade began pushing furniture over the exits.

"Dont know, sometimes I hear a voice, usually happens in clearings." he held up his wing to signal silenece. They both crouched, as heavy hoof steps echoed through the cool air. "Buck, here it comes."

"ACRO!" It screamed, Acropolis went white as the echo faded.

"Is that you?" Brigade peeked through the window to see it. He saw Acropolis it full Lunar armor, but covered in green blood, and he had changeling eyes. "Wow, I am messed up." he spoke under his breath. "Weapons?"

"None."

"Cant touch it."

"Correct."

"Then we dont touch it," Brigade looked about the room quickly as it approached. He needed a spear, anything with a shaft, something that would allow him to fight back.

"ITS HERE!" Acropolis shouted as it punched clean through the braced door. "Upstairs!" The pair dashed up the stairs as it make quick work of the door.

"I need a spear! Anything like that?" Brigade called out as he searched the room frantically.

"ACRO!" It's shout called up the stairs.

"No, I dont have anything like that!" Acropolis replied, he was looking even paler.

"We need a weap-" the door shattered as it plowed into the room. It came right for Brigade, thrusting with its wings and throwing him out of the window. He could hear Acropolis dodging the creatures attacks in the building. He felt heavy, like something was holding him down, he looked around to see a soft white light surrounding him. He looked up above him to see the mare on the moon looking down at him. "Luna!" He said as a spear made of light struck the ground beside him. He could hear a voice echo off the spear as its light turned the ground around him to grass.

Save him.

His magic gripped the shaft as he got to his feet. He could feel a soft presence wash over him, like a cool breeze on a warm day. Acropolis came barreling out of the window and landed hard near Brigade, he looked up in amazement to see him covered in a white light.

"Brigade?" The light lit up the forest as Acropolis scrambled away from the glowing Brigade.

"Move." Brigade readied his spear as the creature landed with a earth shattering thud.

Strike its heart.

"COME AT ME DEMON!" Brigade shouted as he pulled the spear back and charged the creature. It focused its glowing eyes on Brigade, his mind began racing, visions of the Canterlot invasion started sweeping through him.

"What is going on!" Twilight shouted. the machines that they were hooked up to were beeping and whirring loudly.

"They must be fighting something!" Trixie said as she read some of the print outs.

"Whatever is happening Brigade cant keep this up." Dr.Stable wiped some sweat from Brigades brow.

"Brigade!" Acro's voice cut through the visions. The demon Acro was almost right upon him, its glowing eyes, bleeding mouth, mutated legs, moments away from ripping him apart. He gripped tighter on the spear and the light grew brighter, pushing away the changeling features of Acropolis' doppelganger. What moved, almost in slow motion now, towards him was still a Acropolis doppelganger but it wore Nightmare Moon's armor. Suddenly things started to make more sense to Brigade. He fell to his back, letting it come up on top of him.

"This ends NOW!" With a mighty thrust Brigade lets his spear fly, piercing the creature in the heart. There was a moment of stillness. Brigade on his back with the creature on his spear, Acropolis standing in shock a few feet away. In a blinding flash the creature exploded.

"PULL HIM OUT!" Twilight shouted as Trixie quickly broke the link that held them together. Brigade awoke with a frantic gasp, panting and sweating like he had just ran a mile.

"Are you okay?" Dr.Stable asked wiping Brigades forehead again.

"Yeah, there was, a creature, or something. It was chasing Acropolis, it defies description. But I think it was a fragment of Nightmare Moon, an echo of the taint." Brigade spoke slow and labored, he was exhausted.

"Brigade?" Acropolis' voice sent a wave of surprise through the room. Everypony slowly looked over to the bed where Acropolis lay, his eyes were open and he had a smile on his face. They all just stood there for a moment shocked that their little experiment had worked. "What? Is, there something, on my face?" Acro gave a chuckle and passed out.

"You did it." Trixie's voice was quiet, "You really did it. It works!"

"Brigade how was-?" Dr.Stable turned to Brigade, who during Acropolis' speaking, had passed out as well, "Oh, well then."

"Now we just need to save Rune." Twilight commented as she tended to Acropolis.

Rainbow dash sat next to the meditating Luna. She maintained a silent vigil for the princess of the night. Not her idea of fun but she promised to watch the princess for Twilight, and that was what she was going to do. Even if she bored out of her mind.

"Acro." Luna whispered, her voice was pleased and she cracked a little smile.

"What?" Rainbow looked up at the princesses face expecting to see her eyes open, they weren't. "I think I may be going nuts."