"Hold...perfectly...still."

Rainbow Dash obeyed the directive, standing as still as she could. A bright red apple was balanced on top of her head, perched right between her ears. The grass beneath her hooves rustled in the wind that blew across the hills outside Ponyville, warmed by the evening sun. Ten feet away, Zipline aimed a revolver right at her, one eye closed and his tongue held between his teeth in concentration. The weapon quivered dangerously in his grip. Behind her, Scootaloo watched, prancing in place out of sheer excitement.

"I can't look!" Zipline cried, turning away and covering his eyes with his wing. "Scoots, tell me how it turns out!"

Rainbow Dash tensed up, her life flashing before her eyes as she stared down the dark barrel of the gun. Very slowly, Zipline gently squeezed the trigger. A long stream of water burst out of the end and sprayed all over Rainbow's face, causing her to splutter in surprise and Scootaloo to burst out laughing.

"Whoops!" Zipline said in mock surprise, staring at the realistically-designed water pistol. "Sorry, Rainbow."

"Nice prank, Zip," Rainbow Dash chuckled, taking the apple off her head. "But I can think of better. Now, are you going to shoot this apple off my head or not?"

"No, I'm not," Zipline replied, handing off the toy to Scootaloo. "I like a dare as much as the next pony, but I know where to draw the line. I'm gonna do one better, though." He trotted over to a tree and retrieved a long black case. Opening the case up, he pulled out a wooden stocked Summerfield rifle with a polished scope attached to the barrel. Pulling the bolt back, Zipline took a single .30-caliber cartridge out of the case and loaded it into the weapon before walking back to Rainbow and Scootaloo.

"You're going to fly up into the air there," he instructed her, taking out a suppressor and screwing it onto the end of the rifle's barrel. "When you give the signal, you're going to drop the apple, and I'm going to turn around, and shoot the apple before it hits the ground."

"You really think you can do that?" Rainbow smirked.

"You think he can't?" Scootaloo challenged.

Ziplien raised an eyebrow, a cheeky grin plastered across his face. "Do you dare me to?"

"I double dare you to do it," Rainbow Dash grinned back.

"Then get up there and get ready to drop it," Zipline told her. Rainbow spread her wings and took off into the air, flying away a hundred feet and soaring up into the air, until Zipline and Scootaloo were colored specks on the ground far below her. Meanwhile, Zipline turned his back, pulled Scootaloo around so that she would be behind the line of fire, locking the Summerfield rifle's bolt in place. Closing his eyes, he took in a long slow breath, imagining that the air within him was mixing with all his thoughts and emotions. Slowly, he exhaled out through his mouth, picturing all his inner turmoils—all his fear, doubt, hesitation or confusion—being expelled from his body. At his command, his mind became still, detaching itself from his body.

"Ready," he called out.

"Now!" Rainbow shouted, dropping the apple. It began to accelerate towards the ground: from this height, Zipline had less than two seconds to react.

Instantly, Zipline turned around, raising the weapon to his right eye. His body moved on its own, without prompt or command from his stilled mind. He did not rush: the world had seemed to slow around him. He sighted the apple and began to track its slow motion fall, keeping the crosshair dead on center. Without thought, without rush, he squeezed the trigger. A sharp crack pierced the air and the rifle kicked in his hooves.

Less than three feet off the ground, the apple exploded into fragments and rained down onto the ground.

"Yeah!" Scootaloo cheered. "Great shot, dad!"

Smirking, Zipline worked the bolt of his rifle, catching the ejected cartridge with his wing. "Not bad for an old guy, huh?" he called to Rainbow as she flew back towards them.

"Eh, it wasn't bad," Rainbow shrugged. "But Scoots and I have a few tricks of our own. Don't we, Scoots?"

Suddenly, a jet of water hit Zipline in the side of the head. "Hey! Wha—"

"We sure do!" Scootaloo laughed, hitting her father with another blast from the water pistol. Zipline tried to leap out of the way, but found himself under assault by Rainbow Dash, who hurled pine cones at him. He quickly collapsed under the continual double attack. "Mercy! Mercy! I surrender!" he begged through his laughter.

"Yield!" Scootaloo ordered, approaching with the water pistol leveled. Too late, she realized her mistake: with a sudden motion, he knocked the weapon aside, pinned Scootaoo to the ground and began to tickle her. "Ah! Hey, no fair!" she giggled. "Rainbow, help!"

"I'll save you, Scoots!" Rainbow shouted, flying in and snatching Scootaloo up, carrying her high into the air and out of Zipline's reach. Holding her honorary sister tight to her chest with one arm, Rainbow continued to pelt Zipline with pine cones, who ran around in a desperate attempt to dodge the attack.

"Kids! Time to come home, dinner will be ready soon!" a voice called. Everypony turned to see Rain Breeze watching from the edge of the clearing, a motherly smile spread across her face at the sight.

"All right!" Rainbow shouted, lifting Scootaloo up onto her back and flying off towards her home. Zipline watched his daughter and adoptive sister flying with an expression of longing on his face.

"Honey, are you all right?" Rain asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," Zipline said, lifting up a few feet off the ground and flying after the girls.

"You really need to do something about your altophobia," Rain said, walking alongside him. "If you would continue your therapies with me—"

"Sweetie, you have enough patients without adding me to the workload," Zipline cut in. "Besides, that therapy wasn't working with me."

"Because you weren't focusing on them," Rain Breeze said patiently.

"Can you blame me?" Zipline grinned. "I was distracted by the most beautiful mare in the world." He leaned in and began to pepper Rain's cheek with kisses.

"Oh, stop it, you!" Rain squealed, pushing him away. "Come on, dinner's gonna be cold by the time we get back."

Minutes later, the family was gathered around the dinner table at Zipline and Rain Breeze's house, where Rain served them potato salad and grilled carrots.

"Are you still taking Scootaloo to your Wonderbolts show tomorrow?" Zipline asked Rainbow. At the mention of the word "Wonderbolt," Scootaloo began to bounce up and down in her seat in excitement.

"Sure am!" Rainbow said, spooning more carrots onto her plate.

"I want you to take good care of her," Rain Breeze instructed her. "Scootaloo, when you're with Rainbow, you—"

"Do whatever she tells me to, don't talk to strangers, don't go anywhere without her, and if I get lost, find a Guard. I know, mom," Scootaloo rolled her eyes.

Rain sighed and reached out to stroke her daughter's mane. "I just want to make sure you're kept safe," she said.

"Don't worry, Rain," Rainbow reassured her. "She'll be kept completely safe with me."

"All right," Rain conceded. "And sit up straight, dear. The chair's not meant to be bounced on."

"Yes, mom."

Rainbow chewed the carrots slowly, raising her eyes up as she thought. "This needs something..." Getting an idea, she zipped off to the kitchen and came back with a bottle of hot sauce. "Hey, Scoots, do you dare me to eat this with five shakes of hot sauce on it?"

"No way!" Scoots grinned. "I dare you to eat with six shakes of hot sauce!"

"Not if I eat it first!" Zipline counter challenged.

"You're on!" Rainbow Dash shouted, starting to generously shake the hot sauce onto her carrots.

Rain Breeze sighed and lowered her face onto her hoof. "I'm dealing with three children."

Meanwhile, in the suburbs of Ponyville, a trio of ponies sat around a dining room table. A creaky, flickering lamp provided the only light, as the heavy shades were drawn. A disc player set on a nearby shelf blasted out heavy rock music.

"I'm telling you, Sugar Dough, this has got to be the best product we've ever gotten," a fat, greasy-maned unicorn with a cutie mark of a glass of red wine grinned, bending over the table and sticking a straw up his nose. With a long, loud snort, he huffed up a large portion of the snow white powder spread across a tray on the table, then fell back onto the seat, his eyes rolling in pleasure at the rush.

"Don't use up all of it, you fat pig," a skinny pegasus mare with the cutie mark of a trio of cookies and crooked teeth grunted, pulling the tray away. "We gotta sell some of it."

"Hey, c'mon, babe," the fat unicorn slurred as he swayed in his seat. "What's the point of paying for this stuff if we don't take the time to enjoy it?"

The husky unicorn sitting on the other side of the table with his tattooed forelegs folded across his chest snorted and shook out his dark curtain-like mane. "Ruby Port, you might be my brother, but you're an idiot," he grunted.

"Eh, shut up, Gold Mine," Ruby snarled, turning towards his older brother and attempting to focus his gaze on him. "You—"

The argument was interrupted by a knocking at the door. "I'll get it," Sugar said, rising from the table. As soon as she was gone, Ruby Port bent over the tray again, placing the straw in his other nostril. Gold Mine snatched the straw away with his magic.

"Hey! I was just gonna take one more hit!" Ruby protested.

"It's always 'just one more hit' with you," Gold growled. "And the next thing we know—"

Suddenly, there came the sound of an angry shout from Sugar down the hallway, followed by the sounds of blows landing and something crashing to the ground. "Sugar?" Ruby called out, wobbling as he attempted to rise.

"Shut up!" Gold Mine snarled, lighting up his horn and snatching up a revolver from the table. "Stay here." Gold Mine quickly exited the room and proceeded down the hallway. Ruby Port was left on his own in the dark room. His head swam from the effects of the drugs and he had to fight to keep his balance. Maybe he should have gone with Gold...maybe he should take another hit. That'd be just the thing to calm him down and help get rid of that seasick feeling...

"No!" Two gunshots roared, one right after another; the thunderous noise made Ruby reel, his head ringing from pain.

"Gold Mine?" he called out to his brother. "What's going on?"

His answer was for something to fly out from around the corner of the door and smash the single lightbulb, plunging the room into sudden darkness. Ruby yelped in fright as shards of glass and sparks rained down him. Frantically, he attempted to channel magic into his horn to create a source of light, but the attempt to generate the energy made his headache worsen and his stomach turn over in his chest. The pain increased his panic and he stumbled back against the wall.

"Gold? Sugar?" he shouted. The only reply was the music continuing to play from out of the speakers that he could no longer see. His heart in his throat, Ruby gulped like a fish and cried out, "Somepony, please, say something!"

"G'day," growled a voice right next to him, pitched as low as thunder. Terrified, Ruby whirled and instinctively swung his hoof in a sloppy punch at the source of the stranger's voice. His hoof impacted with something solid; the next moment, there was a sharp cracking sound and Ruby Port fell to his knees, howling in pain.

"My wrist! You broke my wrist!"

"There are 204 other bones in your body," the voice snarled. A heavy blow knocked Ruby to the floor and a heavy weight dropped down on the side of his head, pinning him down. Struggling to look up, Ruby saw the silhouette of another pony, black on black, holding him down. The only detail he could see clearly in the dim light was the figure's eyes: gray, as dark as a thundercloud, and twice as cold, peering out from behind long black bangs and the brim of a trilby.

"Now," the intruder said coolly, reaching over and increasing the volume of the speakers, "Do want to tell me which bone you want me to break next, or do you want to tell me who your supplier is?"

Author's Notes:

And so it begins. After two relatively light-hearted stories, this will be a darker, more horror-themed story.

So what will happen to Rainbow Dash at the Wonderbolts show? And what's waiting beneath the skin?

The nightmare has just begun...