It was worse now, worse than it had ever been. Even in Canterlot, even in school. She had always been able to sort through the noise and find what she needed. Now they were all in chaos, and the only solid line of thought she could sort out from the raging noise were the cries for a saviour. The need for rescue. Most pleaded to the goddess, but didn't they understand she was just going to come after them if they showed they were just like those that had come after her? She found some comfort in the voices that plead for the stallion’s help. It was all she had wanted! Now she was forced to reach out further than she had ever done before, seeking out more to help her, instead of hunting for a way to block them out. The barrier somehow prevented her from touching him now. He had been there a moment before, then suddenly, he was gone. She still chased after the ghostly echoes of his voice, but they all came from outside her reach. No matter! She had to break through his barrier. Canterlot wasn't so far away, surely if she could expand herself that far, she might find enough voices to break down his wall with the raw noise of their screaming.

Dusk’s shield spell had held up, against all odds, and the blinding pain that had overwhelmed Dusk before was somehow dimming, allowing him the time to be shocked at how far he had been able to extend Shining Armor’s shield spell, eclipsing the whole of the tree house library, and so far, holding together against the pressure from outside. With a slow sigh, the stallion turned away from the balcony, taking a single step back into the house.

A sudden burst of pressure against the bubble tore his attention back to the spell, bending the bubble inwards at a single point, the front door. A sudden shriek told Dusk more than he wanted to know. Fighting the twisting pain radiating from his horn, Dusk leapt over the railing, and half-fell, half-ran down the last few steps to the main floor.

Beatrix Lulamoon, no Trixie, stood encased in a distended bubble of Dusk’s shield spell, encased in the glowing magic and panting for breath. In her arms, Barb squirmed and wiggled, her arms and legs bound together with brilliant glowing magenta magic restraining her movement. Snapping her gaze to Dusk, the mare leveled her gaze, and for a moment, Dusk felt as if she was looking through him. Her voice was distant and whispering as she held her glare upon him. “The stallion. At last! The great and powerful Trixie knew she would find you here if she searched hard enough. Why did everything have to be so hard? Trixie didn’t want any of this.”

The sight of little Barb tied up and squirming was too much for Dusk. Falling to his knees, the stallion lifted a hand towards the mare, fingers grasping at thin air while tears run freely down his cheeks. “Please… Just, don’t hurt her.”

Realizing she had the dragon still trapped in her arms, the mare shook her head, a dribble of the blood pouring freely from her nose splattering against the shield wall that separated them. “Trixie will take the dragoness, insurance she will not be attacked again. She has put up enough with your Princess and her betrayal of Trixie. Trixie will return to talk with you again when she has properly rested.” Turning away from the broken stallion, Trixie put the still-fighting dragoness upon her shoulder, walking back out of the bubble. In his sorrow, Dusk had no strength to watch her steal away his dear little sister, or he might have seen her half-collapse against the doorframe, suppressing a bloody cough into her hand.

"No, Shining Armor. And that's my final word on it. I've made too many mistakes in handling Trixie, I will not allow an armed attack on Ponyville, it will only make everything worse."

Frustrated, the guard captain turned to glare up into the Princess' eyes. Even then, his iron nerves were fraying under the powerful goddess' judging gaze. Despite himself, Armor tried again. "Your majesty, he is my only brother. We all know how far you went to save Princess Luna; can you deny me the same chance to help my sister?"

The goddess winced at his question, but would not relent. Placing both her hands flat upon the table between them, she leveled her gaze at the stallion. But sympathy was in her voice, even if her eyes were hard. "The mare is too dangerous to attack, and with Barb and Dusk separated, we have only one chance. Silken Flight, you need to smuggle a message to Dusk. Find a messenger, any messenger, but they can not know of any of this. Dusk is our only chance to show reason to the mare, I only wish I'd seen this sooner."

Silken Flight turned to look up to the princess, her voice very calm compared to the highly stressed ponies she shared the room with. "And still no word from your sister or Princess Cadence? If anyone could show the mare sympa-"

Shining Armor snorted, shaking his head in disgust. "She assaults two of your spies. She kidnaps my brother and infact the whole town he is in. She shuts down the train line because it passes too close to her town. And the only demand she let Barb send us is a single word. "Quiet". If the mare hears voices, send her the name of that nurse. Cadence said she was good at helping the flightless pegasus filly, Scootaloo I believe Dusk called her."

Both mares had shared a cross look at Shining Armor's interruption, yet as he turned from anger to thoughtful commentary, Princess Celestia couldn’t help but smile. "And that is why I invited you to this conference. I will reply to Barb’s latest letter immediately. Maybe if the nurse can give her the quiet she wants, we can get access to Dusk. Maybe he can get through to her how much I regret everything that’s happened until now."

Shining Armor shook his head, turning to storm from the room. "She kidnaps my little sister to use as a messenger pigeon. Just another black mark on her name."

Celestia noticeably winced as Shining Armor left, and Silken Flight never missed little signs like that. "Your majesty, is it safe to let him go storming around that frustrated? I know he has served you well on the past, but can’t you give him something to keep him busy?"

Shaking her head, the princess gave the mare a smile. "Shining’s just torn. Princess Cadence will return any hour now, even as far to the north as they had to travel, she can't be much longer. Once she is back he will calm, and then if Dusk fails to bring peace to the poor mare, Cadence is sure to be able to. I only hope she doesn't hurt anypony else in the meantime."

The train station was silent, save for the soft scribble of Barb’s quill over a sheet of parchment. For a while, Lyra had wondered if Trixie had forgotten the rest of them. The shocking part had been how little security she put into keeping them captive. Another slow circle of the parcel cage showed the exact same flaws as the last lap. For a long time as she watched the other six mares locked in the steel cage, she wondered why Trixie had made the decision to pick those mares specifically. "Applejack and Rarity make sense. They were right there when we attacked, and both are important to Dusk. Poor Barb got in her way when she tried to break into Dusk's house. And Minuette was helping me. But why take the mail mare and her daughter? They are the quiet type, maybe that has something to do with it? She was screaming such incoherent madness at Barb in response to Princess Celestia's letters."

"Why are you silent? Why doesn't your voice scream for Trixie’s attention like the others!?" In her distracted musing, Lyra had missed Trixie’s return, the mare’s eyes were wide and haunted, while she leaned into the bars of the parcel lockup and stared unblinkingly at Lyra. "Your partner says it’s because of the ring you wear. If it makes your voice silent, tell Trixie where she can find more. The quiet is disturbing, but Trixie can't stand the noise of so many voices screaming all at once."

Lyra almost laughed at the question. The demand was nearly a mirror to what they had been told was planned for her. "Trixie, the ring does make things quiet. Maybe if you put it on, you'd fin-"

Nearly sobbing, Trixie peddled back a few feet from the imprisoned mare. "Trixie remembers what the Princess planned for her. The metal cage in Tartarus. Trixie doesn't want the silence forever, just some quiet so she can sleep for once." Shaking her head while her lower lip trembled uncontrollably, Trixie stepped forward, cautiously, as if she thought the caged mare was a snake who might suddenly strike her. "What is the silence like? Does it hurt not to hear the voices around all time time?"

Lyra wasn’t sure how much of what the mare said was raw lunacy, and how much of Minuette’s briefing Trixie had been able to collect. "If only she had listened to me and put on her damn horn ring." Taking a step towards the bars and the manic mare on the other side, she felt almost guilty as Trixie again pulled away from her, almost like a beaten animal, afraid of the monster she thought haunted her every step. "I can’t use my magic. That's the real price of silence. Supposedly it also suppresses your cutie mark, but since my talent is music, it's never bothered me." She watched the mare slowly approach the cage. Trixie stared up at Lyra with bloodshot eyes and gripped the bars.

"If... suppose if the nurse mare who helped the stallion is unable to help Trixie... how could Trixie trust you not to take advantage of her weakness should she put on one of those rings?"

Lyra felt it now. An opening. Even this moment of weakness was a chance. Slipping her fingers into the leather folds of her armor, she offered the frantic mage a small silk pouch, the weight of an extra horn ring hidden inside. "If you feel you can't trust me Trixie, take this. It's a horn ring like mine. No locks on it. If Nurse Redheart can't help you find some quiet, flee into the Everfree Forest and put on this ring. None will dare follow you into that forest, and with this ring, maybe you’ll finally get some sleep."

Lyra didn't know how long Trixie stared at that pouch and the ring hidden within, accessing the offer like a viper was inside the pouch. She at last spoke up, her voice serious. "Take off your ring. Let Trixie hear your voice and know the truth."

Fear ran through Lyra’s veins. The insane mare was right. All she needed to do was slip the ring off for a second, and they would be finished. Carefully, Lyra wrapped her free hand around the silver ring on her green horn, pulling in slowly up, until it made no more contact with her horn. "Just focus on the truth. She can only read surface thoughts, and the truth is this ring is safe. It's safe Trixie. Trixie I promise, its safe."

Grinning almost like a child, Trixie snatched the sealed pouch from Lyra’s fingers, examining it with wonder dancing in her eyes. Lyra let the horn ring slide back into place, breathing a sigh of relief. "Trixie thanks you, Heartstrings. It has been so long since Trixie saw you at the school… But then, Trixie doesn’t remember really caring for anyone back at the school; they were all so loud, so many voices, so angry all the time...” Her voice drifted off, lost trying to sort between half memories, attempting to separate her own from all the others who had insisted in flooding her mind.

“Yeah, that’s the way children are, most speaking without ever really thinking.” Trying to keep Trixie calm, Lyra hunted, searching for any new inroads, some way past Trixie’s insanity. Hunting for some answer, some way to help understand her captor further.

But it was Trixie who ended this stalemate, or rather, the sudden arrival of a new threat. “Who is it now? When she already has four hundred voices, why must two more come clattering in!?” Her attention torn away, Trixie ran from the train box, leaving her captives alone again.

Rarity turned slowly to look at Lyra, her eyes red with worry. "Lyra,what is wrong with her? Why is she always complaining about us making so much noise? We haven't said anything in an hour and still she acts as if we were screaming. Is she having some kind of breakdown?" The sudden crash of an impact against the wall of the train yard ended this attempt at conversation and revealed the arrival of Rainbow Dash. It had only been a few minutes since Trixie left, yet the pegasus mare rushed to the gated cage, rushing the locked door in a single, smooth burst of speed, crushing the simple metal lock in that blow. Rushing inside, her breath was a swift pant as she moved straight to Rarity and Applejack, speaking with a rapid-fire commentary along the way. “We gotta go! Right now, girls! Anyone hurt? She reacts nearly as fast as I can fly! I doubt dad will be able to keep her out of here for more than a minute or two!”

Rarity was quickly on her feet, and, rushing to Derpy’s side, she pulled the mare to her feet, smiling down to the filly at her side. Derpy still winced at the sight of Dash’s assault on the lock, mumbling softly to herself. “I could’a told you where the key was, Dashie… They make me pay for all the breakage these days, no matter how many people sign witness statements.”

Rolling her eyes, Dash rushed to Derpy’s side as well, using a soft grip on Dinky’s hands and tossing the filly across her own shoulders. “Look, I’ll pay for it, no problem. Let’s GO!” Yet even as she rushed the filly outside the cage, the sight of Lyra and Minuette sitting right where they had been the whole time made her pause. Passing the foal to AJ and turning back to step back in, she waved to the mares, her voice more worried, quieter now. “Um, girls? LET’S GO!!!”

When Minuette started to stand, Lyra gave a single sharp gesture, ordering her to sit back down. “Get the filly and her mother to safety. We will remain. If you can somehow get word to Dusk, tell him…” Her voice slowly trailed off, worried for a moment. She couldn’t say too much, couldn’t give too much information, or Trixie might figure out the real meaning behind it faster than Dusk could manage to keep up. As the sound of an explosion echoed in the air high above the train yard, Dash visibly winced, and Lyra rushed her final response. “Tell Dusk: ‘A solo act can be stronger than any duo, but how long can one sing without another's echo?’”

With this sudden cryptic message delivered, Dash bolted after the retreating mares, stopping only long enough to snatch back up her lance, adjusting to its weight almost effortlessly. When they had been alone for a few minutes, Minuette made a small gesture, her voice speaking frankly, yet quietly. “You are safe from her, Lyra. She remembers you as her elder in school. And your ring keeps her out of your mind. But I’m open ground for her; why do you want me to stay?”

“Because you are Princess Luna’s agent. You know two-thirds of Trixie’s history. And you are open for her to read. With all of that put together, staying gives us another chip to convince her we really are willing to try and talk. Put your presence together with Barb’s lette-” The sudden realization that Barb still sat on a stack between them struck down like a hammer. Frantic, Lyra leapt up and rushed to the dragoness’ side, attempting to force the small girl to stand and flee. “Barb, GO! We need to be here, but you don’t, you-”

The dragoness shook her head a single time, crossing her arms over thin chest. “I had to read and write those letters. I want to get back to Dusk as quickly as I can, but something horrible is happening in the mind of that mare! Let me stay, I might be able to help, somehow.”

Lyra winced, yet realized that the young dragon had a point. And Trixie had never once shown any threat to her. In fact, had Trixie never even complained about Barb’s voice… “Could the mare be unable to touch the dragon? It’s possible, she is quite different from a mare.” Backing off, Lyra instinctively stroked her fingers through the spikes of Barb’s spines, murmuring softly. “Alright. But if she gets unbalanced, get behind me, or go for cover. I promise I’ll do everything I can to get you home safely.”

Trixie burst in the already-ajar door, storming in cloaked in that same thick aura of bold magenta magic. The enraged mare rushed across the short distance between her entrance and the cage, yet when she was halfway across the room, she quickly realized that even with the cage door open, three sat in silence waiting for her arrival. Boiling over in hate, yet confused by the calm silence sitting before her, she stopped short and glared into the cage, ignoring Barb and Minuette again to focus alone on Lyra. “She stays. Trixie thinks you're crazy. The dragon stays. She also thinks the dragon is crazy too. Why?!!”

Slowly shaking her head, Lyra pointed to a seeping wet spot on Trixie’s right side. “Because we wish the solution that requires no more blood to be spilt. The nurse will come if you ask for her. If you want, I’ll even fetch her for you. You need peace, quiet, and some sleep. You need time to recover properly.”

Trixie's rage wilted, collapsing under the weight of Lyra’s simple, calm, and polite concern. Broken, the mare fell to sit upon a box outside the cage, nodding a little. “Then… Trixie says go. But the quiet dragon stays. She is the only one Trixie can trust to translate your princess’ words. If we can agree to that, you may go.” Broken and nearly defeated, Trixie put her head down and pulled her hat down across her eyes, ignoring her ‘prisoners’.

Sweetie Belle hid in the basement just like Dusk had ordered her. But as the hours stretched on, the filly found that the silence was the worst part. Inspecting dusty old tomes left behind by the library’s old keeper, she realized that there was a point of boredom that surpassed even her limits, and had thus plowed into the dry text, simply to pass the time. Now she knew five things for certain: that Applebloom’s family was the settlers of Ponyville; that Apples could be baked over 93 ways; that Ponyville keeps records of every foal’s birth and as accurate a listing of their parents as possible; that Dusk hadn't read that scroll yet; and that she was feeling really guilty for burning that scroll to a crisp.

Guilt burned in her heart, for some time after, watching as the last cinders of the dusty scroll collapsed into ash in her hands. To distract herself, Sweetie Belle returned to looking through the other scrolls and books for anything to do, simply while waiting for Dusk to come back down. After a while, she realized her cheeks were damp and red. Just as she lifted her hand to wipe away those faint streaks of moisture, the distant sound of another pony crying caught her attention. Panicked, Sweetie Belle froze in place, straining her ears for any sign or signal that might suggest who it was that was crying. But the noise only became softer, forcing her to hesitantly place a foot upon the staircase, wincing at the noise the old wooden staircase made.

When nothing happened, the filly swallowed once, and took another step up the stairs. As the growing silence grew too creepy for her to ignore, Sweetie Belle rushed to the top step and placed her head to the door. Holding her breath, Sweetie leaned in, flattening her head to the wall and straining to hear better, the realization that she could make something out on the other side of the wall was suspenseful. "It's... It's... breathing? But deep and slowly. Like when Rarity and the other mares do that weird stretching pose exercise thing. But who'd-?" Before Sweetie Belle could finish the thought, she had an answer. Opening the basement bolt was a stretch, but her horn's soft glow was strong enough to do the work for her.

As the door slipped open on well-oiled hinges, the first thing that struck Sweetie was the darkness. A glance out the window showed her just how late it must be, the dull red glow of a distant sunset shone on the storage room's east window. Turning slowly around, a worrying thought started to creep up on the filly. Looking out the west window on the far end of the kitchen, she realized what that had to be. "Since when does the sun set in the east AND the west at the same time!??" Stepping quietly to the hallway door, Sweetie Belle at last found the source of the breathing.

Dusk Shine sat cross legged in the hallway, his horn still trapped in the clear jar of that black fluid Barb had thrown on his hom hours ago, thick streaks of the ooze had squelched free of the jar, into his hair and across his face. But even in his meditative state, it wasn't the goo that caught her attention, but the two thin damp lines running down across his cheeks. His eyes were still closed and he continued that deep and slow breathing, ignoring her approaching steps.

Kneeling at Dusk’s side, the filly reached out with a single shaky hand, curling her fingers around the stallion’s lax hand and squeezing down. "Dusk? What happened? Why are you sitting here? And where is Barb?"

The stallion's limp hand never shifted, and the only sign that the stallion had heard her words was the slight smoothing of his breathing. Whimpering a little, Sweetie leaned in against his side, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Dusk. It's ok. I'm here, and I'll keep you company for as long as you need it."

For a while, maybe only a few minutes, the stallion's ragged breathing continued, pulling sharp breaths between his lips. Just as his breathing began to calm, the sound of muffled voices just outside the treehouse pulled Sweetie's attention away from Dusk.

Crawling on all fours and avoiding the open front door, Sweetie attempted to stay on the shadow of the doorway, peering outside and looking for any hint of who might be talking. Only now did the filly find an answer to why the sun was setting on both sides of the house, Dusk was still supporting the shield spell, all these hours later. The magic made the light of the setting sun reflect at odd angles and made it hard to see anything through the shield. But the voices on the other side answered that for her. "Sweetie Belle! Oh, thank Celestia you're alright! Where is Dusk!" Fluttershy's normally soft voice was excited, yet worried.

The sound of the friendly pegasus speaking to her despite her attempt to hide was a momentary shock, but she quickly shuffled forward and stood up, straining to see through the shield's light warping effects. "Fluttershy!!? Are you alone? It’s been hours since I saw momma, Dusk isn't answering me, and Barb’s missing! I don't wanna be alone in the basement any longer!"

Dropping to her knees by the edge of the shield spell, the sound of other voices rushing over to gather around Fluttershy was hard to make out, until a single strong voice spoke up over the others. "Sweetie Belle, deary, please calm down and take a deep breath. Momma will be here for you, but we need to get past Dusk's shield. Can you explain to Fluttershy what's wrong with Dusk? Maybe she can help him and then we all can come keep you company with momma, ok?"

Sweetie Belle knew that voice had to be Rarity’s, and the towering shadow that moved in beside Rarity had to be Applejack. The two figures started a swift but unintelligible whispering argument, but Sweetie realized she couldn't pay them anymore attention. She wanted her momma and that meant being strong for a few more minutes. "He has that black goo all over his face and hair, and he is meditating or something. Oh! And the jar of goo is still hanging on his horn. Does that help any, Fluttershy?"

Looking back and forth from the tiny filly on the other side of the shield and the continued argument between AJ and Rarity, Fluttershy ruffled her feathers and had to bite down on her own lip for a moment while worrying about what to tell the filly, but she was the only mare around with any medical knowledge. “Um… Sweetie, if you can find a big cloth or towel, and a small one, then I think you can help Dusk. Just wrap the small cloth around your horn so none of the black goo gets on it, ok? Then pull that jar off Dusk’s horn, and wet the big towel, then use it to clean up all the black goo you can. He has probably overdosed on that pain medication.”

Dash stepped forward, looking down through the shield at the filly, grinning warmly. “You can do it kid. And when you’re done with that, I’ve got a top secret message for Dusk.” When the others turned to look at her, Dash lifted her hands and waved defensively. “What?... What?! That Lyra chick thought I was her best chance of getting a message to Dusk!”

Twisting around to look from one adult to another, Sweetie Belle forced the tide of panic down and turned back to Fluttershy. "O-Okay, I think I remember where Barb keeps the dishcloths. Is- Is it safe for me to touch?"

Smiling down at the filly on the other side of the shield, Fluttershy offered the girl her best words of comfort. "Oh, no, no. It's ok, Sweetie. It's just a muscle relaxant, so it might make you a little woozy and lightheaded is all."

That ended Rarity’s distracted conversation with AJ. Turning back to the filly, she placed both hands on the bubble of magic. "The towels are on the closet outside the bathroom, Sweetie Belle dearest. And please... wrap your hair up around your horn like we do at the spa."

Applejack’s strong arm wrapped around the older mare’s shoulders, speaking softly to her while the filly returned to the house. "Don’t worry too much, sugar. Sweetie is a smart girl, she can take care of an easy job like this herself."

Sweetie Belle heard Rarity's advice and almost had to giggle at the idea of dolling her hair up that way, yet she was right, it was a good way to protect her horn. Dashing up the flight of stairs, she found the towels and made quick work of wrapping up her horn protectively. Shoving three smaller towels into the sink, she doused them in warm water, a fourth larger towel was thrown over her shoulder, her plan already forming.

Dusk still lay at the base of the staircase, breathing in that odd low and eerie way. Sweetie settled two of the smaller towels on his damp cheeks, layering one over the other to protect his eyes. The heavier cloth she wrapped around the jar on his head, sealing the top off and preventing any more from gushing free across his face. With a sloppy pop it slipped off his horn, and the filly tossed the bundled towel around the jar before tossing it aside.

With her last clean towel, the filly began cleaning the goop free of the stallion's horn, shaking the thickening blobs of goo off over the bundled towel. As she made progress and Dusk's purple ivory horn was revealed, the goop she was fighting her way through had grown thicker and dry, almost akin to mud.

Realizing that the thickening goo had begun to coat her hands and arms, Sweetie Belle ran into the nearby kitchen, scraping the goo down the skin and grabbing a clean dish towel. Returning to the hallway, Sweetie Belle was shocked to see Dusk’s right hand lazily pawing at the cloths over his eyes. Rushing to his side she gripped his wrist sushing him gently. "Hold still, Dusk. I'm just cleaning up the last bit. Don't want any in your eyes, right?"

For a while, the stallion fell silent, allowing the filly to remove the last of the dark, muddy goo from his horn. When she swore under her breath, he reached out. Better focused now, he could grip her on the small of her back. "What's the matter Sweetie? You can trust me."

Wincing, the filly put her hands down in her lap, blushing when he caught her bad language. "The goo got into your scar, Dusk. Now its all dry and hard. I- I don't know if I can get it out."

Smiling down at the mare, Dusk drew his hands back, folding them on his chest. "Then don't worry about that. Have you ever had a really good nap, Sweetie? Like a sleep so good you felt like a new pony when you got up?"

Worried at how relaxed the stallion was behaving, Sweetie pulled the towels from his eyes, looking into them to see if something was wrong with him. Hesitating as those powerful eyes gazed back at her, she felt herself blushing. ""Please Dusk, can't you lower the shield spell? I wanna go home to momma and your friends are worried about you."

"I'm sorry, Sweetie Belle, let me just..." Forcing his eyes to focus, Dusk let his voice drop off. He was shocked at how comfortable and easily the magic answered as he reached out and collapsed the shield spell. Looking back to the filly, he lifted a hand and tossed the towel wrapped around her hair. "There, better? I haven't felt this good since..."

Fluttershy, Rarity and Applejack rushed into the hallway, the middle mare rushing to her little sister, while the other two came quickly to kneel at Dusk’s side. Cradled up in Rarity’s arms, Sweetie Belle finally relaxed for the first time in hours. Cuddling close, she whispered up to her older sister. “He is awake and talking. But seems kinda out of it. Like that time grandpa got drunk on cider and-” Rarity’s hand planted over Sweetie’s mouth ending her attempt to recount an old family story.

Stepping around Rarity and Sweetie, Dash knelt down beside the stallion, taking up his hand and looking into his eyes. “Dusk, I got a message for you from that tall unicorn with the green horn, Lyra. Are you alright for it? I think it’s a code.”

Squeezing Applejack’s hand as she held his own tightly, Dusk looked away from Fluttershy’s inspecting fingers, to gaze up to Dash and nod. “I feel a little scatterbrained, but I’ve never felt better. I think the overdose of that medicine really helped relieve the pain in my horn. Go ahead. What was the message?”

Flashing back to the train yard, Dash repeated the phrase, hoping she remembered it properly. “A solo act makes a strong duo, but how long can one sing without their brother's echo?”

Wincing, Applejack looked back up at Dash "Are- are you sure that was the code Dash?"

Defensively crossing her arms over her chest, unable to hide a blush. "Well um... I'm sure it was. Cause it's like some kind of secret code, right?"

Dusk squinted as he stared up at the mare, his fingers squeezing in response to AJ's strong grip. "I will think about it, Dash. Thanks."

While Applejack rolled her eyes, Dash proudly puffed her chest out. "No problem, Dusk! You should have seen me and Blitz! He may be old, but he hasn't slowed down one bit!"

Rarity groaned, pulling Sweetie Belle in closer. "Don't pass the part where you left Barb behind, darling."

Cut off and stammering, Dash attempted to say face. "Well I- I thought she was with you two and Derpy and her filly." Blushing, Dash looked down again.

Fluttershy looked up from her work on Dusk, smiling to her younger friend. "Don't worry Dash, I think you were really brave to go in and rescue them. I know I'd never have had that kind of courage."

Giggling, Pinkie threw an arm around Dash’s hips, hugging her friend in close. "You're doing fine Dashie! We all know you did your best."

Lifting his hands, Dusk tried to settle this before anypony got too heated. "Dash, you did great. We need to figure out Lyra’s riddle, and what's wrong with Trixie. Maybe we can still find some way out of all this."

Wincing a little, Fluttershy drew her hands back from Dusk’s face, her inspection of his horn done. "Dusk, I think the medicine has had a very strange reaction with your horn. It's dried off and hardened into a resin, like a stopper to fill on the gouge in your horn. We really need to get you to Doctor Horse or Nurse Redheart as soon as possible."

Author's Notes:

Alright! Part 2 of 3 is complete! I've been loving getting this chapter out after having been planing idea's for it since the day I put a single sentience down of the prologue. It's been a real joy seeing people's reactions to my version of Trixie and the mistakes the world has made. Can't wait to see how part 3 turns out and the final fate of Trixie? Same with me!

Once again, a big thank you goes out to Frankie, Flamerz and ShadowThunder! And to all of you for reading, plus double to those that comment