“One.”

“Please!” Dr. Cure begged, shivering beneath Zipline. “I can—”

“Two,” Zipline continued, slowly squeezing the trigger of the gun.

“Let me go! Let me go!” Cure whimpered. “You don’t need to do this!”

“Three.” The hammer of the gun was primed almost all the way back, ready to snap forward and strike the cartridge, sending the bullet flying down the barrel and into the fraud’s brain.

“Help me! Do something!” the doctor screamed out to his security ponies, who stood by in helpless horror.

“Four—”

Suddenly, there was a loud whirring sound and something struck Zipline’s hoof, sending the gun flying out of his grip. Everypony looked up to see the boomerang that had disarmed Zipline flying back to Phillip Finder’s hoof as he ran into the hedge maze center, Fluttershy right on his tail.

“Zipline, stop!” Fluttershy shouted in alarm. “What are you doing?”

“I—” The realization of what he was doing, what he had been so close to doing, suddenly struck Zipline like a lightning bolt; and yet, he only acknowledged his actions from a neutral standpoint, as if it had been somepony else who had forced an unarmed, terrified pony who could not fight back and pointed a loaded gun in his face. The disgust and terror that his actions should have aroused within him did not come, which only disturbed him the more.

“Damn you,” he snarled at Dr. Cure as he slowly got up off him.

Phillip glanced down at Dr. Cure, who was still shaking and whimpering on the ground, looked around at the watching seminar assistants, then at Zipline. “What the hell is going on here?”

Zipline told them the whole story, every syllable shaking with barely suppressed anger. Miraculous Cure lay on the ground, trying to keep as still as possible, as if to avoid attention. The other workers stood by in uncertain silence, flinching every time Zipline glanced up at one of them.

When the story was finished, Phillip stared at Zipline thoughtfully for several seconds of silence. Fluttershy, however, gazed at him with a look of deep compassion and understanding.

“Zipline, how could you think that Scootaloo could ever be ashamed of you?” she said, placing a hoof on Zipline’s shoulder. “She doesn’t care if you’re scared of heights; she loves you, and she’s proud of you.”

Zipline bit his lip in an expression of his feeble shame. “I know. I should have known that, but…”

“I understand,” Fluttershy said, patting his shoulder reassuringly.

Phillip looked down at Miraculous Cure, who was still laying on the ground as if unable to move from terror. “Where did you get this potion?” he asked, his voice icily calm.

“A business partner gave them to me!” Cure blurted.

“Who?”

“I don’t know! We never met face to face. He approached me through a messenger a few months ago while I was low on money; he said he would cover my debts if I would give the potion to a few of my clients and send him reports on the effects, and say that I was the one who made it. He said it was all for some kind of experiment!”

“That potion is responsible for your clients putting themselves and others in severe danger,” Phillip said in a quiet growl that somehow carried over the noise of the rain and wind. “You’re lucky nopony has died, because I would’ve held you personally responsible for it.” Cure swallowed nervously, unable to think of a clever response for once.

“How’d you send the messages to him?” Phillip continued.

“I dropped them off through a series of drops that he’d already arranged!”

“And Rainbow Dash? Where did you take her?”

Zipline looked up at the name. “Rainbow Dash? What did you do to her?” he demanded, pouncing on Cure once again.

“Wh-what are you talking about?” Dr. Cure sputtered. “I didn’t do anything to her!”

“You’re lying!” Zipline shouted, seizing Cure by the throat and squeezing. “Where is she?!”

“Stop! Stop, both of you!” Fluttershy pleaded, pushing Zipline away. “This isn’t right! Hurting him isn’t solving anything!”

Zipline almost seized Fluttershy and threw her aside—how could she understand how he was feeling?—but then he saw the look on her face: one of complete fear—fear of him. For a moment, he flashed back to minutes earlier, when he heard Scootaloo’s scream in the midst of the thunderstorm, and he realized what he was doing. Closing his eyes, he took in a long, slow breath, and with the greatest effort that it had ever taken him in his life, expelled it, releasing his tension and anger.

“You’re right,” he admitted to Fluttershy. “I’m sorry.” Fluttershy slowly released him, although her expression remained apprehensive.

“He’s telling the truth,” Phillip stated. “He didn’t kidnap Rainbow, but somepony here did. You two, keep them all here while I look around.”

Zipline nodded. As Phillip walked away, he stooped over and collected the revolver that he’d taken from Star Watcher. The entire troupe of ponies stepped back as one and Fluttershy gasped quietly. “Zipline—”

Without a word, Zipline emptied the bullets out of the chamber, disassembled the weapon, and tossed the pieces aside, leaving them discarded in the mud. Tempting as it was, it was best that he not risk it, not while he could not feel fear and could not think of the consequences of his actions.

As he turned to keep watch over the collection of suspects, he wondered what the maker of this fear-removing potion had in mind. Obviously, Cure had only intended to use it to make money. But what was it originally intended for? To be used as a weapon? After knowing what he was capable of under its effects, the thought of it being introduced to the public would have chilled Zipline’s blood if he was able to feel horror.

He thought of Rainbow Dash. He glared at the small group of suspects that he was guarding, feeling as though the rage curdling in his chest might burst out of him at any moment. One of them had taken her. What was happening to her?

The rain continued to beat mercilessly down upon them, marking the time that Rainbow was missing. But for now, all they could do was wait.

Meanwhile, Phillip searched the tents that the seminar workers lived in, looking for any clues that could identify the one who had taken Rainbow Dash. The first three tents yielded next to nothing, and with every lead that turned up empty, his concern grew. Maybe he’d been completely wrong: maybe somepony else entirely had seen Rainbow Dash at the seminar and sent the note.

As he passed by a trash can, he peered inside, examining the contents with the aid of his flashlight. Something caught his eye: pushing aside several crumpled takeout wrappers and a rotten apple core, he fished out a page from The Chicoltgo Sun. A quick examination showed that several words and letters had been cut out from it. His stomach unclenched at the sight: his instincts had been right. Now, he just had to find the culprit.

He stepped into the next tent and began to look around. Like all of the other temporary domiciles, this tent was relatively sparse. A cot lay to the side, its sheets tangled up in a pile at the foot of the mattress. On the floor beneath it was a small bag stuffed with clothing and other necessities. Opposite was a folding table and chair. A cooing caught his attention, and he looked around to see a carrier pigeon in a cage on the floor near the bed looking up at him in curiosity.

Phillip studied the items on the table: a quill and ink bottle, some envelopes and stamps, a pair of scissors, an oily rag and a bottle of gun oil, a box of .25 cartridges, and a small stack of paperback books. He pulled out one of the books: “The Thirteenth Dossier: A Wild Goose mystery.” He opened up the book and saw that one of the first pages had been torn out, leaving behind a thin remnant of paper. Extracting the note from his pocket, he held it up to the remnants of the sheet. The note fitted perfectly.

“Hmm,” Phillip grunted, looking down at the carrier pigeon in the cage. Glancing back at the desk, he spotted an envelope that had a name on it: “Star Watcher.” Nodding in satisfaction, he exited the tent and quickly walked back to the shivering suspects. Singling out the pegasus with the bruised jaw, he walked right up to him.

“You sent this note,” he accused, dropping the note at Star Watcher’s feet. “And you used that carrier pigeon to send messages to your mates.” He glared right into the kidnapper’s eyes. “Where is she?”

Star Watcher slowly smirked in reply, holding his gaze steadily. Phillip snarled and seized him by his collar. “Where is she?” he repeated in a low voice.

“Let me try him!” Zipline shouted, starting forward.

“Zipline, no!” Fluttershy protested, placing herself in front of him.

Before anypony could say anything else, Star Watcher chuckled, a low, almost demonic sound that sounded like cracking ice. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” he hissed. “Make me bleed, make me beg to talk?” His grin widened, showing his teeth. “You won’t need to; it’s already too late for your friend. The doc’s got her.”

Fluttershy’s hooves flew to her mouth. Some of the color drained from Phillip’s face and Zipline stiffened. They all knew who he meant.

“He’s holed up at the abandoned Happy Day amusement park outside of Applewood,” Star Watcher continued, his grin broadening. “So while you're on your way to rescue her, here's a couple things to ponder: why did I take her, and why did I tell you where to find her?"

Then suddenly, before anypony could react, he reached into a pocket and pulled out a small black sphere, which he threw onto the ground. The smoke bomb detonated immediately, covering the area in a thick cloud of smoke. The crowd of ponies staggered, coughing and choking. By the time the smoke cleared out, Star Watcher had disappeared.

“Damn it!” Zipline snarled, rising a few feet off the ground and turning in midair, trying to find some trace of his quarry.

“No point,” Phillip said. “He’s long gone. We have to save Rainbow Dash.”

“Hold on,” Zipline said. He flew back down to Dr. Cure, who cowered as soon as he approached. “Is there an antidote?”

“Y-yes!” Cure said after a moment. “I was...I forgot about it when you...here.” He reached into his coat and pulled out a small vial of purple liquid. Snatching up the vial, Zipline pulled the cork out with his teeth and swallowed the entire contents in one gulp. A coolness spread through his entire body and his breathing slowed as the antidote countered the effect of the potion.

“Good. I’ll take him to the Friendship Castle. Spike can keep him in the dungeon until the Guard picks him up,” Phillip said. “You best get ready. Applewood’s a long way off and we need to hurry.”

“Yes, sir,” Zipline answered. “I’ll get my equipment and meet you at the castle.” And with that, he spread his wings and took flight, heading towards his home. Holding tight onto Cure’s collar, Phillip began to drag him towards the Friendship Castle.

“Phillip?” Fluttershy asked uncertainly. She recognized the look of barely controlled fury in his eyes. The first time she’d seen that look was when he’d protected her from a home invader: he’d almost beaten his face in, and she still wasn’t sure if he would’ve stopped if she hadn’t called him off.

“Fluttershy, I want you to find a callbox and summon the nearest Guard precinct here. Then tell them where Zip and I are going and tell them to hurry. The others are due back today, so tell them, too.”

On an impulse, Fluttershy briefly hugged Phillip. She felt him stiffen within her embrace and for a moment, it seemed as though he might try to throw her off.

“Please be careful,” she whispered, quickly releasing him.

“I always am,” he answered flatly, continuing on his way without a backwards glance. Fluttershy watched him go for a moment before flying off in search of the nearest callbox, leaving behind the bewildered seminar workers shivering in the rain.

Zipline landed in front of his home and entered through the front door. Not even bothering to shake himself off, he trotted up to his bedroom. He passed Scootaloo’s bedroom and paused briefly at the threshold. He could hear her quiet breathing on the other side, and briefly considered entering her room to try to comfort her, to apologize for his behavior and try to explain himself. But the burning shame in his chest held him back: he couldn’t bring himself to face her, not after what he almost did to her.

Instead, he walked away and entered his own bedroom, briefly reflecting that he could at least feel fear again. The lights were on and Rain Breeze was sitting on the bed, staring straight ahead. Zipline knew that she had been staying up waiting for him to come home.

“Zipline?” she whispered, turning to him and getting up off the bed. “What is going on?”

“Rain, Rainbow Dash might be in trouble,” Zipline said shortly, crossing over to the closet and throwing it open. Inside was his armor, polished bright gold. He took the chestpiece and strapped it on, briefly examining the sun logo on the front, which identified him as a member of the Solar House Guard, the protectors of Princess Celestia, and the red circles on the shoulder plates that marked him as a sniper.

“In trouble?” Rain said, her voice rising in alarm as she watched Zipline don the armored horseshoes and knee guards, but skipping the helmet.

Zipline briefly explained the story to her, although he was careful to skip over the part where he shoved a gun into another pony’s face. Rain’s eyes widened as he explained, and when he had finished, she stared at him for a moment in quiet horror before flinging her arms around him. “Zipline, sweetie, you didn’t need to—”

“I know, honey,” Zipline said, gently pushing her off him. “I made a mistake. And I need to fix it.” He walked over to the large safe in the corner of the room, dialing in the combination and opening it open with a creak. Reaching inside, he pulled out a long black case, which he unzipped. Inside was his Summerfield rifle, polished and ready for action. Drawing back the bolt, he inserted a six-round stripper clip and locked a round into the chamber before zipping the case back up. Then he reached in and pulled out a holster carrying a black-handled revolver. Taking out the .38 Official Guard, he opened up the chamber and inserted a speedloader loaded with bullets, then snapped the chamber shut and put it back in the holster. Finally, he took out an ammunition belt preloaded with speedloaders and stripper clips and strapped it on.

As he pulled out a rain jacket and swung it on, he paused for a moment, looking up at his wife’s reflection in the window. The fear in her eyes as she watched him pained him to look at and he quickly looked down.

“If I don’t make it back—” he started to say.

“Don’t say that!” Rain whimpered.

“...tell Scootaloo I love her, and apologize to her for me.” Zipline finished. Pulling the hood up over his head, he swung the rifle case over his shoulder. Turning to his wife, he briefly pulled her into his embrace. She clung to him as if she was trying to keep him from leaving. He buried his face into her mane, trying to briefly extract some comfort from her gentle touch and the scent of her perfume.

He could choose not to leave, he realized. He could just stay here and be safe. But the weight of the armor on his body told him he couldn’t. As a Royal Guard, he was sworn to protect the innocent, and could not shirk from his duty. And besides, this was his honorary daughter.

“Goodbye,” he whispered, slowly pulling himself out of her embrace. She did not make a sound as he left, although as he quietly closed the door behind him, he thought he heard her starting to cry. Quickly, he descended the stairs and exited back into the rainy night. He spread his wings and tried to take flight; but almost as soon as his hooves rose more than ten feet off the ground, his stomach cramped up inside him and the world seemed to tilt like the deck of a ship. Panting, he lowered himself back towards the ground and groaned quietly in disappointment. At least he knew the antidote worked!

After a few minutes of flight, he flew up to the Friendship Castle. Phillip was waiting for him at the front steps. Despite being soaked to the bone, he showed no sign of discomfort.

“Let’s go,” he said as soon as Zipline approached, turning and quickly trotting in the direction of Applewood. Zipline flew after him.

Hang on, Rainbow. We’re coming!

Far away in Applewood, the rain began to fall from the dark sky, pelting the Happy Days amusement park. The former midway was lit up by powerful lamps, illuminating several ponies in hooded coats gathered in a small group.

“You all heard Star Watcher's report. I anticipate that Phillip Finder will be here soon,” Doctor Nevermore said, walking a circle amidst his henchponies, each of whom was drinking from a flask of milky white liquid that smelled like oranges.

“I’m not scared of him,” snarled the lanky pegasus. “He’s just an old creep who thinks he’s a hero.”

“Good,” Doctor Nevermore said. “Now remember, he is not to be killed. Anypony who comes with him can and should be killed, but he is to be captured alive. Understand?”

“Count on us, doc!” the earth pony with the golden teeth grinned. “He’s all ours.”

“Excellent,” Nevermore nodded. “Now, to your posts. I shall check on our patient.” The henchponies scattered to their posts while Nevermore turned and walked to the House of Mirrors.

He smirked to himself. He had not told them that he had secretly arranged for Phillip to be exposed to one of his toxins, a scentless, tasteless airborne variant that caused aggressive behavior, disturbed sleep, and mild hallucinations. Nor had he told them that he did not at all expect them to be able to stop Phillip. He just wanted them to slow him down enough to get ready.

He reached the House of Mirrors. Star Watcher was standing outside, shivering slightly in the rain. The pegasus snapped to attention as Nevermore approached. "Secure yourself in my quarters," Nevermore ordered him. "I want you to be ready in case things start to go wrong."

"Yes, doctor," Star Watcher nodded, flapping towards the haunted ride. Nevermore entered the Hall of Mirrors, passing through the narrow hallway and into the experiment room. Rainbow Dash was still tied to the chair in the center of the room, the blindfold still secured over her eyes. She was shivering in her seat, her breathing ragged.

Quietly, Nevermore proceeded forward, moving slower than a minute hand traveling around the circumference of a clock. As he neared her, he retrieved two items from a nearby table. Finally, he was standing next to her. “Hello,” he whispered into her ear.

Rainbow’s cry of shock was cut off when Nevermore strapped a muzzle over her face, tightly securing it. Then he placed a collar with a very thick black box attached to it around her neck.

“Now listen to me closely,” Nevermore hissed into her ear. “Strapped to your neck is a bomb, which I will detonate if you do not obey me. Phillip Finder will be here soon to rescue you. He may have other ponies with them.” He reached over to another table and retrieved a third item: a small black revolver. He opened up the chamber and ensured that it was fully loaded.

“I want you to kill them. If you don’t, both of you will die.”

Author's Notes:

It's taken us a while, but we're finally getting to the decisive part of the story.

I took a lot of time to think about where this story is going last night. I've always known what I was trying to do with this story—specifically, what themes I was trying to build on for it—but I think that I might have fumbled a little bit on the delivery. If any of you could give me some constructive criticism on what you think of the plot so far, I'd very much appreciate it.