Trixie finished her story on a quiet note.
The rest of the group was silent as they ruminated on what had befallen the blue filly in the past. Ancient Scroll was the first to speak, looking ahead with a grimace.
"Well, little filly, I did have my suspicions," he said with a slow shake of his head, "but it seems I was more correct than I ever wanted to be."
Sunset nodded in agreement.
"I'm sorry, Trixie," Sunset said turning to the blue filly, "I don't really know what else to say. What happened to you was horrible."
Trixie nodded and gave Sunset a side glance as she replied.
"Trixie has had... time to come to grips with what happened in the past," she looked away, "she's better... for the most part."
"Yeah," Sunset responded, "when Ancient Scroll finally brought you back from the village, you were a wreck -- and you wouldn't tell us anything about what was wrong," she frowned at Trixie, "you had us both worried to death for a long time."
"That you did, girl," Ancient Scroll added, turning his head to look at the two fillies, "for the longest time you barely ate, slept, or did much of anything really," he turned back to the path in front of him and grimaced, "given what you just told us, it's no wonder you spent hours locked in the bedroom crying your little heart out."
Trixie merely nodded in response.
"Well..." Sunset began after a rather awkward moment of silence, "do you feel better after finally letting it out?"
"To be honest, Sunset Shimmer," Trixie replied turning to the orange filly, "Trixie doesn't... feel as relieved about divulging her darkest secrets as she should."
"What do you mean?" Sunset asked in confusion.
Trixie struggled to find the right words to explain.
"Trixie doesn't regret her decision to tell you girls about herself, but..." she was silent for a moment before she sighed, "but she doesn't really feel any different about what happened."
"Well I don't blame you one bit," Ancient Scroll chimed in, "life like that, it's a wonder you recovered as much and as quickly as you did, little filly," he looked over his shoulder and smiled at Trixie, "you're a strong one, Trixie. Don't ever let anypony tell you otherwise."
Trixie blushed and looked away, but Sunset could see the small smile on her face.
"Still though," Ancient Scroll mused, "based on what you told me about how you... dealt with your father--"
"I was angry!" Trixie snapped defensively, "he... that--"
"Calm down, little filly!" Ancient Scroll interjected, "again, I don't blame you -- not in the slightest. The stallion had it coming, the way he and your mother treated you..." he shook his head and snorted in disgust, "no, Trixie, I don't begrudge you that one. What I was wondering about was the magic you used."
"Trixie still doesn't know what happened," the filly replied, "all she really remembers was getting really mad and the next she knows, Trixie is casting some sort of spell."
"And that's what intrigues me," Ancient Scroll said with a nod, "it seems the fiasco with Sunset's magic surge wasn't the first time you performed a magic miracle."
"What? Trixie didn't..." Trixie furrowed her brow before giving the old stallion an incredulous look, "you mean that's what that was?"
"Yep," Ancient Scroll said with another nod, "don't really think it could be anything else," he chuckled wryly before shaking his head, "in the end, it was a child's miracle that did him in."
"Huh..." Trixie fell silent as she contemplated Ancient Scroll's words and what she had done back then. Sunset eyed the blue filly curiously before turning to Ancient Scroll. She had already known about the odd occurrences known as magic miracles from back when she had studied under Celestia, but she hadn't actually witnessed one herself -- at least not technically.
She wasn't fully aware when Trixie had supposedly stopped her surge by using a magic miracle. The sound of a snapping twig broke Sunset out of her idle thoughts.
Her ear twitched and she turned to look behind her with a bemused frown. Twilight had stopped a few steps behind them and was staring at the ground with an odd look Sunset couldn't quite place.
"Twilight?"
The tone in Sunset's voice caused Trixie and Ancient Scroll to stop and turn as well. Sunset herself, trotted back to the lavender filly -- a small frown of concern on her face.
"Twilight, are you okay?" she asked.
Twilight blinked and looked at Sunset and the others as though she only just realized they were there.
"Oh, um... yeah..." she said somewhat absently, "sorry about that girls," she looked at Trixie with an apologetic frown, "and I'm really sorry about what happened to you Trixie. I can't even imagine what kind of nightmares you must've had about what happened."
Trixie shuddered.
"Trixie still has nightmares, Twilight Sparkle."
"Yeah, I... guess that makes sense," Twilight responded quietly before speaking up once more, "speaking of nightmares though..."
She trailed off and stared at her hooves.
Trixie and Sunset looked at each other in confusion before turning back to their lavender friend.
"What about nightmares?" Sunset asked.
Twilight spoke once more without looking up.
"Remember those nightmares I told you I was having back when I first arrived?"
Both the other fillies nodded.
"Well, I don't remember much from any of them," Twilight continued, casting a pointed look towards Trixie, "but there's always one thing that sticks with me when I wake up."
"And... what's that?" Trixie asked tentatively.
"The laughter."
Trixie eyes widened in shock, but it was Sunset that spoke first.
"That's right," she whispered, "you did say you had a strong suspicion that you're family was..."
Twilight nodded slowly, her face paling slightly.
"A-And one other thing I remember about that night," she said with a shaky voice, "w-was that there were t... t-two ponies," she fell to her haunches and gripped her head with her hooves, "a-and one of the ponies was a mare... and she was laughing and... and the stallion was smiling a-and... and--"
Sunset took a step back and turned to a grim faced Ancient Scroll.
"Uncle Scroll, I think she's..." she turned back to the lavender filly who had gone strangely silent, "I think Twilight is remembering!"
Ancient Scroll nodded and trotted over to Twilight as she sat there staring at the ground -- her eyes wide and unfocused. Trixie looked between each of the others before settling her frantic gaze back on Twilight.
"Is this... Trixie's fault?" she whispered in horror.
"No, Trixie," Sunset replied trotting up next to Trixie, "I think... I think this was bound to happen sooner or later," she watched as Ancient Scroll's horn flashed and Twilight fell into his hooves, fast asleep, "it might be like what happened to me when Celestia... did what she did," Sunset continued, "we just have to let Uncle Scroll handle it from here."
Trixie swallowed and nodded with an unsure frown. Sunset turned to the blue filly -- not sure whether to ask what was on her mind or not. Eventually she did decided to speak up.
"Do you..." she began hesitantly, "do you think it was them? The Razor Twins?"
Trixie thought about her answer for a moment before slowly nodding.
"I do," she said with a solemn frown, "I don't actually remember the last bit of what happened just before I woke up in the village hospital all that well -- and Twilight might not remember her own nightmares, but I remember mine," she turned to face Sunset, "and in my nightmares, I hear the laughter too."
Before Sunset could respond, Ancient Scroll trotted past the two fillies with Twilight resting atop his back.
"Too close to the village to head back home," he said eyeing the path before him. Trixie and Sunset followed his gaze and, sure enough, they had found themselves on a large hill overlooking the village in the distance.
"From the look of it, I'd say we have about half a mile left to go," he guessed, "we'll head into town and find a place for the poor filly to rest. Then we'll see about what to do next."
Trixie and Sunset nodded before all three of them continued down the hillside.