Warning: This chapter contains a scene of parental corporal punishment. If that's a sensitive or offensive subject for you, I'd suggest not reading.
“I can’t believe it!” the cyan filly chimed with a bright smile. “You’re going to be a full twelve years old!”
Rainbow smiled as she threw her hooves around her dearest and sweetest of friends. Fluttershy blushed and returned the hug.
“Oh, i-it’s really no big deal or anything…”
“No big deal? It’s a pretty big deal! I mean, I’m only ten!”
From the side, two stallions watched, smiling at each other. They both held a beverage in their hooves as they watched their two fillies talked about the upcoming event.
“You know, Dash, Fluttershy won’t be twelve for a full two months.”
The filly turned to Dreamscape and tilted her head. She raised an eyebrow as her pink eyes sparkled with curiosity.
“Then why are we celebrating her birthday next week?”
“Fluttershy didn’t tell you?”
Both fillies gave the adult their attention and shook their heads negatively. Fluttershy usually didn’t say much. Whoever she talked to, she always seemed to be the one to say nothing but a few words. Even though she was extremely comfortable around Dash, she still wasn’t too talkative around her.
“Well… There just so happens to be a wildlife preserve on the west side of Equestria.” He smiled at the thought. “Fluttershy’s going there to observe wildlife, and Dewdrop’s going to visit some family.”
“And you’ll be…?” Rainbolt questioned.
Dreamscape chuckled. “Trying to avoid my in-laws at all costs. You’re lucky you have no in-laws.”
The new, unfamiliar word grabbed Dash’s attention.
“What’s an in-law?” she asked the two stallions before her.
Rainbolt and Dreamy looked at each other for a brief moment before smiling.
“In-laws….” Dreamscape started to explain. “Are a blessing and a curse. They’re simply the ponies that are related to whoever you marry…”
“Oh…” was all the little filly said. She seemed almost confused.
“Like…” the stallion continued on. “If your dad were to get married, your stepmom’s parents would be his in-laws.”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it…”
The two stallions looked at each other for a moment. It wasn’t uncommon for Rainbow to not care about new ideas. The tone in her voice wasn’t exactly… polite, however.
“You should get married, Dad.”
Rainbolt’s face immediately lit up at Dash's suggestion. He sheepishly smiled at his daughter, whose face remained serious.
“Rainbow… I… that’s um…” He cleared his throat. “I can’t get married. I don’t even like anypony.”
“Marry Surprise.”
At that statement, Dreamscape chuckled and nudged the stallion. Fluttershy did nothing but watch as the others tormented Rainbolt.
“Yeah Rainbolt, marry Surprise… I’m sure if you asked her she’d say yes in a heartbeat.”
“I’m not marrying Surprise… That’d just be, uh… weird, you know?”
Dream and Dash looked at each other for a moment. They spoke with their eyes, first glancing at Rainbolt, and then at each other. They giggled softly under their breaths, leaving the victim and the butter-colored filly as their audience. The stallion rolled his yellow eyes at their childish behavior and took another sip of his tea.
“Whatever, Dad…” Rainbow’s ears then perked up and she turned to Fluttershy. She was staring at everypony. In her eyes, one could tell she was longing for something, but was far too shy to speak up for herself. “Wanna go into your room?”
“Well… I-if you don’t mind, I guess….”
Being shy, Fluttershy struggled to get her word in when facing one pony. Being placed in a room with three other ponies only made it harder for her to speak. With only her and Dash, she knew she’d be able to get more involved.
“We’re going in Flutter’s room!” Dash announced.
“Alright, play safe.” Dreamscape reminded the two. Fluttershy nodded affirmatively.
“You got it!” Dash beamed, puffing out her chest and quickly saluting the stallion before flying up the stairs. Fluttershy preferred to weakly trot up the staircase.
Neither Rainbolt or his daughter were rude enough to mention it in fear of offending the little family, but their house- or cottage, as it was- wasn’t very roomy whatsoever, especially in comparison to their old cloud house. It only had one bedroom, which the parents allowed Fluttershy to have. Unfortunately for them, they had to sleep on the couch in the living room together. It would spread out so they both had enough room, but wasn’t all that comfortable. Yes, the ceiling was tall, but that really didn’t contribute much to the living space.
“So…the kids are away… Just you and me.”
Rainbolt raised his glass of tea. Dreamscape chuckled and clanked the plastic container to his friend’s.
“Yep. Wife’s foalsitting at the time, so I thought I might invite somepony over while I have the time off.”
Rainbolt chuckled. “So, what’s the plan? This Saturday we get the fillies together, they sleep over at my place, and that’ll give you and Dewdrop some alone time?” The periwinkle stallion winked at his friend with a smile.
“Hehe, yeah…” He blushed heavily rubbed his neck. “We really haven’t been able to do much since we moved here… We used to have a bell at Fluttershy’s door so we would know when she came out, but she convinced us it was scaring the animals away…” The stallion sighed. “So…. a little bit of alone time would be rather nice…”
“Alright…” Rainbolt smiled at his friend. “Besides, ever since Dash told me about her little encounter at sleepover a while ago, I haven’t been as okay with letting her stay the night at your house…”
“Hey, that was over a year ago!” the stallion reminded him. “Besides, you can’t tell me what to do with my sex life!”
“Well, when my daughter is slightly involved, I think I have a little bit of a say…”
Dreamscape mumbled something inaudible under his breath and took a long sip of his sweet, brown beverage.
“What was that?” Rainbolt asked in a semi-serious, semi-playful tone.
The stallion simply smirked back and spoke up.
“I said, ‘At least I have a sex life’.”
“Wow, real mature… You’re thirty-four, Dreamscape. Maybe eventually you should consider calming down about that kind of stuff.”
“How can you lecture me about my sexual habits when you haven’t got any in over ten years?”
“Well… You don’t have to be a gardener to tell when a vegetable’s gone bad.”
The two friends glared at each other a moment before smiling at each other sincerely. They chuckled and both took a drink of their beverage. Rainbolt chugged the last few ounces down before setting his cup to the side and wiping his lower lip of any residue.
“So…” Dreamscape started up again. “Dash tells me that you and Surprise are…you know… bonding well.”
“Me and Surprise….? Well, I…we, no…. but… She has a thing for me, and I don’t like her in that way back.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know… it’s kind of just… I just don’t, alright?”
Dreamscape thought for a moment.
“Remember when you and Firefly first met…?”
“Yeah….”
“What if the same thing would have happened with Surprise? Would you have fallen in love with her the way you did Firefly?”
Rainbolt thought for a moment.
“I….don’t know…”
The stallion’s teal eyes lit up as he stared at his friend. For a long moment, they just looked at each other.
“Think about it.”
“Fifteen bits, Rainbow. No more than that.”
The little filly nodded with a wide grin.
“I know, Dad! You’ve told me like, one hundred times!”
“I’m just reminding you… Also, don’t wonder off without me! That is the absolute most important thing!”
Rainbow sighed. Every single time she’d gone in public with her dad, it was always the same warning; stay by my side or you could get hurt, kidnapped, dead, blah, blah, blah… In her opinion, he was overreacting by a ton. She was in a public flea market, with hundreds and hundreds of ponies. Nopony was going to hurt her. Why her dad couldn’t grasp that simple concept, she had no idea.
“Fine….”
Rainbolt scolded his daughter for a moment. “I beg your pardon?”
“I will, Dad…” She corrected herself in a far more polite tone than before.
“Good girl…Now, what do you think you’ll even get Fluttershy for her birthday, anyway?”
“I don’t know… Nature or something… All I really know is she loves animals.”
The stallion thought for a moment as they trotted through the crowded streets of the market. There were venders at every corner and around every turn. Most were selling crops, but some were selling kitchenware, toiletries, and other items.
“Why not get her a stuffed animal of some kind?”
Rainbow looked up to her dad and frowned.
“Don’t you think that’s kind of lame?”
“Hey! It is not! I had this one stuffed animal until I was eleven!”
“Really?”
The stallion nodded with a slight blush on his face.
“Oh…sorry… I mean… It’s just not my kind of thing…”
“It’s okay…”
“No, I’m really sorry!” With that, Rainbow gave her daddy a quick hug. “You’re not lame! You’re cool!”
Rainbolt patted his daughter’s back lovingly.
“I’m glad you think so, Sweetheart. I never told anypony about it because… I did feel kind of lame about it….”
“Did you grow out of it or was it embarrassing you too much?” Rainbow asked curiously.
“Neither. Your uncle got mad at me and burned it in a fire.”
“Oh…that’s kind of mean…”
Rainbolt chuckled. “Yeah… But that’s just what siblings do to each other. He was young and immature at the time… So was I, I guess…”
“Do you think I’m immature?”
Rainbolt stopped walking where he was and stared at his daughter for a moment, who was giving him a very cute, innocent face.
“Well… I mean…you’re only ten, and I considered myself immature up until I was around fifteen or so…”
“So…you think I’m not mature?”
“Well… No…”
Rainbow walked off and her father followed behind her.
“That’s okay. I was just curious ‘n’ all.”
“So…You’re not mad?”
“Nope!” she chimed with sincerity in her voice. “I was just wondering. I don’t think I’m that mature, either! I mean, I’m more mature than most foals my age, but still….”
“Well… I’m glad you’re not offended or anything…”
Rainbolt hadn’t actually expected her to be offended. She would verbally fight back and claim her opinion before she got offended.
“Why would I be?”
“Umm… I don’t know….”
Both of their thoughts trailed off. They walked a minute more into the market. Crowds of bustling ponies moved at one hundred miles per hour. It wasn’t for a few minutes that Rainbolt stopped in his tracks along with his daughter.
“I need to stop here.”
“Stop where?”
Instead of a verbal reply, Rainbow was answered with her father’s action. Rainbolt trotted over to a nearby stand that sold a vast majority of fruit and vegetables. A cheery face belonged to the owner of the stand. She had a silky-looking red mane with a light pink face. Her eyes were a bright shade of cherry and her cheeks were dotted with adorable freckles.
There was a large stand set out. There were peaches, pears, apples, strawberries, cabbages, asparagus, tomatoes, garlic, and carrots. Each one looked tasty in their own way, but only a few were on the stallion’s shopping list. He’d also need some milk, but that was a rarity to find in a local, outside market.
“Alright, what can I get ya?” the mare at the counter asked in a sweet tone.
Rainbolt looked at the selection of fruits and vegetables.
Alright…Let’s see… Umm… You needed apples, carrots, and…. maybe cabbage. Cabbage is good in soup… So are carrots, though… Maybe you should get some tomatoes and carrots… That’d make good soup, too… Soup… Why am I thinking of soup? That wasn’t even a concern until now… Soup does sound good, though…
“Hey, Rainbow… What would you think about having soup tonight…?”
The stallion waited a moment. Silence.
“Rainbow?”
Suddenly, Rainbolt turned around. His eyes darted in every which direction. No Rainbow. Nowhere.
Are you serious? That damn kid can’t stay in one place for one minute!
The stallion sighed and turned to the cashier.
“I’ll be right back! I have to go find my daughter!”
The mare simply nodded in understanding and allowed the stallion to race off into the market. He tried his best to dodge ponies that were trotting in the opposing. He blurted out random apologies to anypony he may have bumped into on his way through the busy streets. Although he upset quite a few ponies, he was far too worried about his filly to pay much attention. He turned his back for two seconds and that happened!
The anger brewing within the stallion made his pace quicken. His eyes darted in every direction in search for his rebellious daughter. Why was such a simple order so hard to follow? It's not like Dash was stupid or anything!
Rainbolt stopped as he got nearly thirty feet away from his location. He’d looked all around, left and right for his little filly. Every which direction he looked she was nowhere to be found.
Did….you go the wrong way…? Damn it! Now she’s probably even further away! Ugh! Why can’t she stay in one place?
With tears of guilt, confusion, and fear invading his eyes, Rainbolt fled from the one area and shot upwards into the sky. Ponies below glared at him as he soared above their heads. As carefully as he could, he looked down at the heads below. Manes of purples, pinks, yellows, browns, and grays all huddled together. Nothing with more than three shades, though…
Oh, Rainbow… I really, really hope nothing bad has happened to you…No, no… Don’t think like that… She’s only been gone for a minute… That’s still just enough time for her to get dragged away and have something horrible happen to her….
Rainbolt shook his head and continued to fly over the large crowds. He headed in the exact opposite direction he did before. Over head, he saw nothing. He only saw hundreds upon hundreds of ponies… A ten year-old filly could have easily gotten caught in the mob… She could have been anywhere at that point… Hurt, lost, scared…
Oh come on! She hasn’t been away that long! I’m sure she’s not…hurt…
With that, Rainbolt peered as deeply as he could into the crowds. He didn’t see anypony that remotely resembled his baby girl. Giving up on the opposite direction, he landed back into the crowds. There weren’t enough ponies to not leave space, but it definitely could have been a little more opened.
With no words, the stallion landed on the ground below him. The cloud streets were soft on his hooves as he galloped down the way. Clumsily, he ended up bumping into a few ponies on accident, all who cursed him silently under their breath.
Oh come on! Where in Equestria is she?
As the nervous stallion turned a corner in search of his daughter, he met eyes with a vender who was selling oddly scented candles, incents, and wax. Rainbolt approached his stand with a heavily beating heart. The stallion at the stand had a dark brown coat, sparkling green eyes, and a little black beard and well-styled mane. He was very slender.
“Sir!” Rainbolt started. “Have you seen my daughter? She’s about this tall…” He quickly lifted a hoof in the air to show her approximant height. “She has a rainbow mane like mine and she’s sky blue.”
The candle maker thought for a moment.
“I don’t know… I may or may not have….”
“You don’t know? How can you not know? She sticks out like a sore nose!”
The vender shrugged. “Can’t exactly remember that clearly… Now that I think of it…. I may have seen a filly similar to what you described going in a certain direction….”
Rainbolt’s eyes went wide and he almost felt relieved.
“R-really? Where is she?”
The stallion shrugged with a smirk.
“Buy something and I’ll consider telling you…”
“What?! Sir, my child’s life is endangered! I don’t have time to buy your smelly…..things! Just please tell me where she went!”
The loud outbursts of the concerned father caused some rather… unwanted attention from around him. Mares, foals, and stallions all stared at him as if he were an alienated creature from an unknown planet.
“That’s not my problem…” the stallion said stoically.
Rainbolt let out an irritated grunt and tossed a little pile of coins on the counter. The stallion across from him nodded approvingly and swept the coins into his hooves.
“She went that way.” The stallion smiled as he pointed to the right. Without a thank you, Rainbolt zipped down in the right lane. He searched as carefully as he could. His eyes darted in every direction. Multitudes of venders and other citizens stared at the panicked pegasus.
Okay, not there, not there, not there….oh, damn.
The stallion had to remain focused on both finding his daughter and not to ramming into anypony. He was failing pretty badly at both tasks. The stallion looked around every vender and in between the gaps of ponies.
How far did she get ahead….? Seriously! What the hay is wrong with that filly? Rainbolt felt tears reinvading his eyes. This is my fault… I should have kept my eye on her…and she should have never left my bucking side!
As the pegasus continued zipping through the large crowds of ponies, he thought for one moment he saw a flash of soft cyan in the corner of his eye.
Rainbow…?
Quickly, Rainbolt slowed down and turned his head. Unfortunately, it was only a cute, little mare with cyan locks of mane. Too bad…
Before the stallion could turn his head to make sure he wasn’t about to hit anypony, it happened. He accidently bumped into somepony, knocking them over and sending them to the ground. Rainbolt stopped immediately when he felt his front hooves push another pony down.
“Oh my gosh! I’m so, so sorry, I-“
A sudden wave a relief went over the stallion as he noticed the sight before him. There, his daughter rested on the ground. She’d brought her hoof up to her head and was rubbing it. Her ears flopped down as she met eyes with her dad.
“Rainbow!” he snapped. “Where in Equestria have you been? I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”
The little filly shrunk back at the stern assertiveness in her dad’s voice.
“Don’t act like it’s not your fault!” she hissed back. The tone of her voice was equally as assertive but much louder. Rainbolt was taken back by her accusation. At that point, neither cared if they were making a scene.
“My fault? You run off into who knows where, while I have to spend nearly ten minutes looking for you, and then you have the nerve to blame me for this?”
“It didn’t even take that long!” she argued, attracting the attention of a few bystanders. “I just saw something I thought Fluttershy would like, so I quickly went to look at it! It was a stand that was only a few feet away…” Rainbow paused to see her dad’s reaction. Like every other time she got in trouble, he allowed his daughter a moment to explain what had happened. As the filly continued, the anger in her voice steadily subsided. “When I turned around to show you what I found, you weren’t there. I thought you were going to take a minute at the stand, and I always wonder a few feet away…. I didn’t think anything would happen….”
As Rainbow explained what happened from her point of view, the stallion had taken a moment to calm down himself.
“You should have waited for me to finish, Rainbow! I had to look all over for you, bumped into a few ponies on the way, and buy a candle I didn’t even want…” Rainbolt then thought a moment. “Actually, I didn’t even get the candle because I was too worried about you! What part of ‘Don’t wonder off by yourself’ is so hard to grasp?”
The filly looked down as she felt tears invading her eyes.
“I’m sorry, Daddy….” she mumbled quietly beneath her breath.
“Good to hear….” the stallion said in a surprisingly calm voice. “Then I guess you understand what you did wrong, right?” Slowly, Dashie nodded in confirmation. “So… That means there shouldn’t be any argument about your punishment?”
Punishment?
“But Dad! I’ve wondered off a few feet lots of times and nothing’s happened! It’s kind of your fault for leaving the stand so quickly!”
“Rainbow!”
The filly looked up at her dad. “I… I guess…yeah…”
“Good.” He frowned at his filly who was giving him the I’m-sorry-Daddy-please-be-lenient look. Rainbolt sighed. “I’m canceling the sleepover for you and Fluttershy.”
“What?!” she asked in shock. “But that’s not fair! It’s for Fluttershy’s birthday! That’s like punishing me and her!”
“Rainbow, her birthday’s not for another two months! You can just celebrate with her when she gets back from vacation!”
“But Daddy! Fluttershy’s been acting so, so happy about the whole thing! She’s going to be so upset when she hears about this!”
“Well, maybe you should have thought about this before you decided it’d be a good idea to wonder off.”
“It was like, five feet, though! You’re the one who wondered off further than that!”
“I don’t care if it was five feet or five miles!” the stallion argued with anger rising in his tone. “You still wondered off and you know that’s my number one rule! No more arguing about it!”
Rainbow opened her mouth to get a final word in, but stopped herself. When her father said “end of argument” it meant end of argument. Unless she wanted to get him really upset or punished more severely, she knew it was a good point.
They walked a few minutes in pure silence. The awkward tension in the air continued to build until. It was Rainbolt who broke the silence.
“Dashie… You know I love you very much…” he said quietly. Rainbow looked up at her dad.
“I love you, too, Dad…”
The stallion took in a breath.
“Sorry I yelled at you back there… I was just really worried and stressed… I let my emotions get the better of me…”
“It’s fine…” The filly paused and took a moment to swallow her pride. “I’m sorry I wondered off… Probably should have stayed with you the whole time….”
Even though nothing would have bucking happened to me… I don’t see why he worries so, so much about this… It’s really annoying…
“It’s okay… Don’t do it again, though…” Rainbolt wrapped a wing around his daughter, who felt an odd amount of undeserved comfort.
“Hey, Dad…”
“Yeah?”
“I know I’m grounded and everything, but… Is it okay if I at least still get Fluttershy something for her birthday?”
“Depends….” Rainbolt said with a smile. “Does she like candles?”
Rainbow raised her cyan hoof to the door and knocked on the wooden surface three times. On her back rested a little, paper bag that was painted a light hue of pink. She and her father waited patiently at the doorstep. Within little time, it was answered by a blue-coated stallion. His yellow mane was standing up in all directions and his eyes were boarded with dark circles. He did not look amused to have guests at that moment.
“Ugh… Rainbolt…” The stallion groaned as he brought a hoof up to his eye and rubbed some of sleep away. “Can’t a stallion get some sleep before work…?”
“Sorry, Dreamy… I just needed to tell you that the sleepover’s off…Hope you’re not mad…”
Rainbolt sounded rather sorry about the whole thing. Dreamscape was still too tired to care that much.
“Oh…Okay…” He yawned. “I’ll have to tell Fluttershy… Why?”
“Dashie’s on punishment.”
Rainbow shamefully dug her hoof into the ground. Her ears flopped downward in sadness.
“What’d she do this time?” she heard a sleepy, masculine voice ask.
“Rainbow?” The filly’s ears perked up at the sound of her father’s voice. She turned her attention to him. “Would you care to explain?”
That wasn’t a question. That was an order.
“E-earlier today me and Dad were at an outdoors flea market, and….well… I walked a few feet away from him, and then he tried to look for me, but I went to look for him… And now I’m in trouble…”
Dreamscape looked up at Rainbolt with a raised eyebrow.
“That’s it…? You’re punishing her because she ran five feet away from you…?”
“She was still wondering away, though!” Rainbolt argued in his own defense.
“Five feet away, though…? As in she was in your sight range? As in, if you looked hard enough, you would have found her? Five feet as in she could see you the entire time and if you would have looked in the right direction you would have easily seen her? As in, there was absolutely no harm in it?”
“Hey!” the stallion snapped. “I don’t need your… whatever you’re doing! All I know is I turned around and had to go looking for her for a good ten minutes!”
Dreamscape looked at Dash, who gave him a pitiful look. He then glanced at Rainbolt.
“Bolty, you’re overreacting…. A lot…”
“What? I’m not overreacting! I had every right to be upset!”
Dreamscape sighed. “Rainbolt, come inside. I think we need to discuss this… Dash, you can go upstairs and talk to Fluttershy for a few minutes.”
“Thanks!” Dash chimed to the adult who had just gained a lot of points with her.
Before her father could get a word in, Rainbow flew up the stairs with the candle on her back. The one she picked out smelt like lilacs. She knew Fluttershy would like, considering she loved animals and plants alike. Sure, she may not like fire, but it she could just smell it unlit.
“Now, Rainbolt, come in here…”
Unsurely, the stallion made his way inside the little cottage. His best friend closed the door behind him and took in a breath.
“Listen… I can’t tell you how to parent, and I can’t control what you do to you kid. Usually, you’re very lenient with Rainbow…” He yawned again and placed his hoof to his mouth. “I know you can get very worried about her because of…” Dreamscape lowered the volume of his voice dramatically. “Different events…” He cleared his throat and continued in a louder volume. “But it just seems like you were punishing her because you got scared, not because she actually deserved it…”
“Dreamscape, listen… I know that’s what it seems like, but I didn’t even see her when I turned around like, at all…”
“And… How long exactly did you spend looking in your original area…?”
“Well, I mean, I glanced around a few seconds and left, but-“
“And if you would have found Rainbow right then and there, would you have punished her?”
“Well, no, but-“
“But you didn’t see her immediately, so you got scared, and you punished her because of your own fault!”
The younger stallion stood there, agape for a moment before closing his mouth.
“Whatever. I’m just putting my hoof down. I couldn’t tell where Dash was for a good ten minutes. I told her not to wonder off at all, and she did. Even if it was just five feet it was still enough to cause trouble…. She wasn’t even at the same stand as me….” He sighed. “I know I may be being a little strict, but it’s for her own good… Even if she wondered off five feet, that’s still enough time for somepony to come up and snatch her… Nopony would notice because of how big the crowd was…”
“Don’t you think Dash is smart enough to scream? Sure, the other ponies would think she was just a little brat crying over something she wanted, but you’d recognize her scream instantly. If it was only five feet away, you’d surely hear it over the hustling crowds… Childish fits just don’t go unnoticed…”
“True… But…” Rainbolt’s voice was reduced to a whisper. “Remember that time she got stolen in Manehattan? She was only ten feet away from me… Ten feet away!”
“Yes, but that was also in a dark alley, located in a dangerous town, and she was out of your sight….”
“Well, I know, but still… Five feet can have a lot of effect… Today, for example. Who’s to say this couldn’t happen again? Who’s to say she couldn’t move five feet away, I freak out, and again, five feet turns into fifty or sixty feet? Then it becomes dangerous….”
“Well, it was still kind of in your fault that you didn’t look hard enough…”
Rainbolt sighed. “Maybe so, but I’m stupid sometimes. I could easily do it again… The point is, I don’t want her dislocating from me in public anymore… Five feet alone can cause ruckus and panic… I just don’t want another fiasco like this one to happen…”
Dreamscape nodded. “I understand… I’d still say you’re being a tad bit extreme, but you have your reasoning, and I trust you as a parent…” He smiled at his friend. “So…since you cancelled it and everything… Do you maybe, want to try it again when we get back? I’m sure this whole thing will blow over by then…”
“Sure thing… also… Where’s Dewdrop?”
“Bathing…” He sighed. “Don’t get a marefriend, Rainbolt… Your water bill will double in size…”
The stallion chuckled. “Thanks for the advice… You think Fluttershy will forgive me?” Rainbolt asked with a smile.
“Yeah… I’m sure she will… but I won’t... Seriously, me and Dewdrop have been planning that night for days!”
Rainbolt giggled. “Sorry to disappoint you…Maybe after you get back I’ll watch her two weeks in a row?”
The periwinkle stallion winked to his friend, who smiled back.
“Alright, alright… just get your kid out of here before this conversation gets any stranger, okay?”
Rainbolt nodded to his friend and called up the staircase.
“Hey, Rainbow! You ready to go?”
The cute, little filly poked her head out of the room and called back down to her dad.
“Just one second! I have to finish telling Fluttershy about this thing that happened!”
“Alright! Just be quick about it! You are on punishment!”
Rainbow nodded and reclosed the door to her friend’s bedroom. The inside had several animal cages with adorable critters in them. The room itself smelt like pee, dirt, and fur. Every second Dash spent in there made the birthday present seem more and more necessary.
“Alright, you got the plan?”
Shyly, the filly nodded.
“Dash…You, um… d-don’t have to do this you know… It doesn’t really seem like the best idea…”
Rainbow beamed and reassuringly glanced at her friend.
“Of course I have to do this! If my dad thinks I’m immature and can’t be ten feet away from him without getting hurt, I’ll have to prove to him I can!”
Rainbolt placed a hot bowl of steamy, vegetable soup in front of his daughter with a smile. She stared at the bowl with half-opened, drooping eyes. She didn’t even inhale as the delectable scents rose to her nostrils.
Today was supposed to be the day. It was going to be the day they celebrated Fluttershy’s birthday with her. They were supposed to have an amazing sleepover, watch movies, and eat cupcakes. Was she living out what she planned, though? No. She wasn’t. She was spending her Saturday evening like she always would… Talking to her dad and doing basically nothing. Only that day, she wasn’t allowed to do anything that brought her joy. No flying inside, no going outside, no playing, no watching movies, no anything. She was only given the options to write, read, draw, study, do homework, or talk to her dad. Nothing outside of that was permitted. All because her dad thought she would die if she spent one minute separated from him.
That night, though, she would prove him wrong. That night, she would prove to him she could be on her own for twenty minutes outside of the house, and she could be over two hundred feet away from him with no problems whatsoever. She was going to prove how amazing she could be without parental guidance. On top of it all, however, she was going to fulfill her promise to Fluttershy and be there for her on her twelfth birthday!
Soon enough, Rainbolt sat down across from his daughter. He too had a nice, steamy bowl of soup. The liquid itself was a brownish red with large chunks of vegetables within it. He tossed his filly a reassuring smile.
“You know… It’s not that bad… It could always be worse.”
“I know…” She sighed. “It’s just, today was supposed to be special… I really wanted it to be, but…”
“I know, I know… You weren’t the only one whose plans I crushed…”
“Yeah, Fluttershy’s…” Rainbow reminded him in a harsh tone.
“And Dreamscape’s and Dewdrop’s….”
Rainbow cocked her head.
“How’d you ruin their night?”
The stallion simply shrugged.
“Sometimes adults just want to be alone…”
“Oh…” was her only response.
Silently, the two pegasi started eating their meals. The only sounds at the dinner table were the quiet clinks of the spoons connecting to the bottom of the bowls. They ate peacefully with the thoughts of the past few days on their minds.
I don’t know…. Maybe I shouldn’t have taken away this night from her… It was kind of like punishing both her and Fluttershy… Maybe I should have given her a boatload of chores yesterday. I’m sure that would have got through to her just as well, and you wouldn’t have had to get Fluttershy involved… Ugh, I feel like a jerk sometimes… Maybe I was in the wrong… But maybe if this prevents her from getting kidnapped, raped, or brutally murdered one day, it would have been worth it. Besides, she’ll get to sleepover with her after she gets back from vacation…
Across the table Rainbow sighed heavily and took another bite of her soup.
Dad really shouldn’t have taken this night away from me and Fluttershy! Why should she have gotten this night taken away from her when it was my fault? He could have at least done something that only affected me… like a boatload of chores or something… I would have still learned… Ugh, he can be such a jerk sometimes… He was seriously in the wrong. What’s he think’ll happen to me? I’ll get kidnapped, beaten up, or brutally murdered? I can’t wait to see his reaction when I get my sleepover tonight and nothing bad happens to me…
Rainbow took a long slurp of her soup and wiped her lips of any remaining liquid. She looked up at her dad, who was only half way through his. She then glanced at the clock above the stove. 5:55? Good.
“Hey, Dad…”
“Yeah, Dash?”
“I’m going to bed…” The little filly stretched out and faked a long yawn.
Rainbolt cocked his head and looked at the clock.
“It’s…not even six yet…”
“I know…” she said with a smile. “I just am pretty bored… The quicker I go to bed, the quicker I can wake up to a bright, new day!”
“Umm...Alright… Go, then.”
“I want you to come with me…”
From there, the stallion’s confusion only escalated.
“Come with you…why?”
“Tuck me in…”
It was then, Rainbolt received the most adorable, innocent smile the filly could make.
“Tuck you… in? Rainbow, when you five years old you stopped letting me because ‘being tucked in was uncool’.”
“So…? Maybe I want you to tuck me in… I have some stuff I want to say to you, but it would be more meaningful there…”
Rainbolt steadily felt his heart warming up as his sweet daughter looked down sheepishly. She was so, so cute.
“Well, in that case, of course I’ll tuck you in… It’ll be our little secret if you want it to…”
“Thanks, Dad…” She smiled to him and blushed a bit. “Can we go now?”
“Now…? But I’m not even done eating, and….” He looked at his daughter, who was giving him the beggy face. He sighed and set down his soup-masked spoon. “Alright, alright…you win, Dash…”
He got up from the table and made his way from the dining table. The duo happily trotted to the hallway and to the first door on the right. There, they went inside the filly’s bedroom. Her bedroom was decently clean, but unorganized in a few different places. Her bed sheets were slopped over from the previous night. With no words, she flew over to her messy bed and plopped onto it with little grace. Her father chuckled and closed the door behind them. Rainbow smiled as she laid uncovered on her bed. He made his way over to the bed.
“Alright, Sweetheart… What did you want to tell me?”
“Well… I just wanted you to know that after this night, you’ll never have to worry about me being alone in public anymore…”
Rainbolt smiled and tenderly wrapped his hooves around his dear daughter. She hugged him back and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. She smiled.
“If you can make that true, I’d be the happiest stallion in Equestria…”
Rainbow smiled happily.
“You will be, trust me…I promise….”
The little filly broke away from the embrace and fell onto the bed below her. She put her hooves up into the air and Rainbolt merely giggled. It reminded him so much of when she was a little filly.
With a smile, the stallion reached over and pulled the filly’s blanket up over her body until it reached her chin. She smiled and snuggled deeply into the warm blanket.
“Thanks, Dad…”
The stallion leaned down and kissed her forehead again before gently rubbing his hoof through her mane.
“Have a good night, Sweetheart….”
Rainbow nodded affirmatively.
Oh, I will…
Rainbow’s pink eyes shot opened. Surrounding her was pure black with the exception of a few strands of moonlight seeping through her curtain. Suddenly, the filly rose and sat up. Her eyes carried crust in the corners and her mane was a bigger wreck than usual. She didn’t care, though. Her biggest concern was the time. Slowly, she turned her head. When she met eyes with the digital clock, her mouth formed into a little smile. It was only eleven at night. She’d be given plenty of time to get to Fluttershy’s before she was too comfy in bed. After that, her father would be proven wrong! She could survive a full night alone without getting hurt!
Slowly, the filly arose from her bed and fell to the cloud floor. Luckily for her, cloud floors didn’t make much of a sound. She trotted very quietly and right out of her room. Unfortunately, her bedroom door made a loud creaking sound as she exited. She internally cursed the ugly noise and continued down the hall. From where she was, she could hear her father snoring in bed. She smiled at the good sign and continued to trot down the hallway. The helpful cloud floor helped to mute her hooves. She grinned as she went passed the living room, into the kitchen, and stood at the front door of her home. With a smile, she reached up and opened it. The chilly breeze blew through the filly’s mane and made her smile. The night air was crisp and turned to frost when she exhaled. Above her, the jeweled night sky twinkled happily. She looked up and squinted. Something… seemed to be coming closer. It was if a chunk of the night was hurtling towards her. As it came closer and closer, she realized what it was and gasped.
“Bat!”
She ducked under her hooves as the scary pest flew into her beloved home. She turned around and looked deep within her house. The bat was gone…
“Oh, well…that’s Dad’s problem now…”
With a smile, she closed her front door and flew off into the beautiful night sky.
Rainbolt’s ears perked up in his sleep. Was that…banging? Rustling…? Noise… Strange, strange noise…
When the stallion’s conscious mind kicked in, he awoke with a jolt. His suspicions were confirmed as he heard the banging of pots and pans within his house. Sweat began to build on his forehead and he felt his heart skip a beat in fear.
Was it…Rainbow? Robbers? Raccoons?
Don’t be stupid, Rainbolt… Raccoons don’t live in the sky…
Slowly, the stallion removed himself from his inviting, warm bed. The pots and pans continued to clank together.
With sweat pouring from his forehead, Rainbolt made his way to his bedroom door. He shuffled his hooves a little in fear as he felt perspiration dripping from his nostrils.
Alright… If it’s robbers, give them what they want and protect Rainbow at all costs… If it’s Rainbow question her actions… If it’s an animal, abandon the house and get Fluttershy to deal with it… Alright… I got everything worked out….
Still a bit scared, the stallion reached for his doorknob and twisted it. His heart skipped a beat as his door swung opened. He nervously entered the hall and flicked on a light. In the living room, he could clearly see a few things knocked over, but no signs of any full-grown ponies…
“H-hello…?” he called nervously through his damaged living room. “R-rainbow…?”
No response….
Rainbolt swallowed a pit of saliva that had formed in his mouth as he wondered deeper into the living room.
“I-if there’s a-any robbers in here…p-please don’t hurt me… I’ll give you anything you want…”
Silence.
“You don’t have to hide from me… I-I’m a g-good pony… I can give you some food…or a place to live or…s-something…I don’t bite…”
The stallion walked deeper and deeper into his own house fearfully.
It was then he heard…chirping? No, screeching….No…Something…
His ears swiveled in every which direction, trying to pick up where the sound was coming from. Trying to get a better idea, he looked up. That’s when his eyes shrunk and his knees began to shake. Hanging from the ceiling was a little, furry, blob. It protected itself with thin wings as it gripped onto the ceiling. As soon as Rainbolt got a hold of himself, he ran directly into his daughter’s bedroom. When she was eight, a bat had gotten into the house and she shooed it out successfully. Bats were one of Rainbolt’s biggest fears, and he had no intention on staying in a room with one.
“Rainbow!” he cried as he entered his daughter’s room. “There is a big, hairy bat in the l-living room and it’s scaring the heck out of me….” Quickly, he felt tears invading his eyes. “I-I know you’re probably still m-mad at me, but please, please help me out here…”
After a brief moment of hearing no response from his daughter, he flicked on a light switch to see nothing in her bed. Instead of the little filly, there was a flat blanket swept to the side.
“R-Rainbow?” he choked out in fear. His breathing intensified.
Quickly, the stallion opened her bedroom door a little tiny crack.
“Rainbow!” he called out into the living room and hallway.
No reply.
The stallion turned to her bed and felt tears welling in his eyes.
You promised….
Rainbow Dash landed on the windowsill of her friend’s bedroom. Slowly, she peaked inside. Her friend was peacefully snoring and cuddling in her own blanket. The rambunctious filly hopped into the room and smiled at her friend. Fluttershy didn’t snore at all. She just slept there peacefully.
With a mischievous grin, the little filly ripped the blanket off of her friend’s body. Fluttershy awoke slowly and blushed heavily in front of her friend. Her hooves reached up and covered her chest and she smiled nervously.
“Happy birthday Fluttershy!” she whispered with a grin.
“R-Rainbow Dash…? You actually did it…”
“I know right! And my dad thought I’d die!”
“Wh-what’s your dad going to say…? What if he’s mad?”
Rainbow thought for a moment.
“I mean, I’m sure he won’t be that upset. I’m alive, aren’t I? I think this’ll just get him to realize there’s nothing to worry about!”
“Oh, I don’t know… It doesn’t seem like he’d be too happy. I mean, he yelled at you for getting lost in a flea market…”
Rainbow nodded, taking the possibility into consideration.
“Well, if he is… I guess… I don’t know. I haven’t really thought that far ahead…”
Fluttershy whimpered at the thought of her friend’s father yelling. She hated it when ponies yelled…
“I…hope everything turns out okay…” She then thought for a moment. “What if my parents get mad at me…?”
“Mad at you? Why would they get mad at you?” Rainbow asked as if she’d been asked the stupidest question ever.
“I don’t know… wh-when I was younger I got yelled at for lying… but then I never lied again…” She smiled slightly. “Daddy comforted me when I started crying, but….” She frowned. “Mommy always told me not telling somepony when you know something bad happened is as bad as lying… S-Somepony might get mad at me if I try to hide you…”
“Oh, I’m not trying to hide!” Dash boasted with pride in her tone.
“You’re not…?” Fluttershy asked in shock.
“Nope! I want them to know I made it all the way here with no problem!”
Fluttershy smiled.
“So… I-I can tell my parents you’re here…?”
Dash nodded approvingly.
“Oh, good…” she sighed in relief. “I’ll go tell them…”
Fluttershy scrambled out of her bed and went over to her door. Hesitantly, she turned back to Rainbow Dash.
“A-are you sure…? I mean… I wouldn’t want to get you into trouble…”
Rainbow laughed. “Your parents can’t punish me! Besides, everypony’ll find out anyway!”
“Oh…okay…”
With little confidence, the pegasus flew out of the room. She went downstairs and to her living room where her parents were resting. Her dad was snoring loudly with her mother wrapped in his hooves. They looked so, so peaceful… She didn’t want to wake them…
No, Fluttershy! It’s imperative your parents know immediately! Dash knows what she’s doing is wrong… Well, I’m sure she does inside… She doesn’t seem too worried about the trouble she might get into… She even seems proud of it. Oh, but she needs to get home! Her dad must be so, so worried about her… I wonder if she’s even considering how he feels…
She looked to her parents, who’d dozed off hours before then.
“Ummm…. M-mommy…? Daddy…?” she whispered in a quiet tone.
No response.
“Oh, well… It looks like they need their sleep, anyway…”
Before Fluttershy could fully walk away, she heard her father mumbling something. Slowly, he lifted his head. He saw his little daughter’s teal eyes staring at him deeply.
“Fluttershy…?” he asked, rubbing an eye. A trail of dried drool stained his cheek.
“Hey, Dad…”
The stallion yawned.
“What’s up, Honey?”
“Oh, umm… I just wanted to tell you that Rainbow Dash just snuck into my window…”
Still half asleep, the stallion plopped his head back on his pillow.
“That’s nice, Sweetheart…”
“Well, I mean… I thought her father might need to know…”
Again, the dozed stallion lifted his head and spoke in a deep, tired voice.
“Whose father?”
“Rainbow’s….”
The stallion yawned.
“Why would Rainbolt need to know anything…?”
“Because… umm… Rainbow Dash snuck into my window…” It was then the stallion’s teal eyes went wide in shock. “She flew all the way here from her house…”
Dreamscape jolted upward with wide eyes. He immediately sprung from the bed and raced upstairs. Before Fluttershy could respond, her dad went up into his daughter’s room and opened the door. There, in the middle of the bed rested a young, smiling foal.
“Rainbow Dash?!” he cried in shock.
“Yeah…?”
The stallion was agape. His eyes darted towards the clock. 11:30? Was she crazy…?
“Rainbow! It is nearly midnight! You should be at home in bed!”
The filly blinked once and shrugged.
“I went to bed super early.”
“I don’t care what time you went to bed!” His anger was brewing deep within him. “You should be at home! Do you know how flippin’ dangerous it is to fly this late? What’s your dad going to think?”
The filly shrugged.
The stallion let out a breath and grunted.
“Because of your rebellion, your dad is probably flipping out right now! He’s probably searching mad for you and crying because he feels awful! I honestly feel bad for that stallion with all the crap you put him through!”
Rainbow shrunk back at the adult’s anger. Yes, she’d been yelled at by a few teachers, but never by Dreamscape.
“I thought you said you thought my dad was overreacting!”
“Yeah, I thought he was overreacting about you getting lost in a flea market! But sneaking out in the middle of the night all by yourself? I don’t care how he reacts to this! There is nothing he could do that I’d consider overreacting!”
Rainbow looked at Dreamscape guiltily. Suddenly, she felt an odd sense of regret lingering in her heart.
“Do you think my dad’ll be mad at me…?”
Dreamscape looked at Rainbow in disbelief.
“No, Rainbow Dash… I think he’ll be pissed….”
Rainbolt didn’t know how long he’d been flying through the heavens. Time wasn’t important. The only thing that was important was finding his daughter, wherever she may be. His number one guess was Dreamscape’s house. Where else would she have been? She wasn’t at home like she was supposed to be. The only other pony’s address she knew by heart was Surprise’s. She had no reason to go to Surprise’s, though. She did, however, have a reason to go to Fluttershy’s.
The stallion soared towards his destination with fear in his heart. Why would she do this? What was he going to do when he found her?
If…
Oh, Rainbow! I thought we had this all worked out! I thought you said I’d never have to worry about you doing something this stupid again? Why won’t you just listen to me…?
The stallion flew through the night with a heavy heart. He grew closer and closer to Dreamscapes house. When it came into his view, he was relieved. Over hundreds of tall treetops, he saw a little cottage at the edge of the forest.
Alright… I see their lights are on… Maybe that’s a sign… Oh, they’re going to be pissed at you! Well, Rainbow at least… I can’t believe this…
The stallion sighed as the gentle breeze of night wiped away his dripping tears.
“You are so, so lucky you’re not our filly!” Dreamscape continued to lecture Rainbow in a harsh tone. “We’re so lucky Fluttershy’s always been such a great kid! We’ve never had to discipline her that much at all…” He smiled at the thought of his little filly for a moment before returning to the one below him. “Anyway, some foals don’t need that much discipline! You on the other hoof are a completely different story! I’m surprised Rainbolt hasn’t completely lost it with you!”
Rainbow looked up at both of the parents with tears leaking from her eyes. If somepony else’s parents were upset with her, surely her own dad would be… Why’d she have to go do something so stupid? Why did she have the need to prove herself…?
“I’m sorry…” the filly muttered under her breath.
“Oh, you will be! When we return you to your dad, I’m sure you’ll be in for it!”
Rainbow continued to stare at the ground. Her confidence was lost, her chances of impressing her dad were lost… She was lost.
“I don’t see why Fluttershy wants to hang around such a bad influence as yourself!” the stallion went on.
That struck Rainbow in the heart. She’d known Fluttershy since she was in diapers and now… her father was questioning their friendship. It struck her like an arrow in the chest.
“M-Mr. Dreamscape I’m sorry!” she whimpered out. “Fluttershy’s my best friend! Please don’t separate her from me…” Tears were then visibly going down her cheeks. “Please…. I’m so, so sorry…”
Fluttershy and her mother lovingly cuddled in the other side of the room. Dreamscape had been firmly lecturing her since he discovered her presence in the household.
The stallion was taken in shock by the filly’s reaction, but also his own words.
“Sorry…” he apologized. “That was a little harsh… I’m just frustrated! I don’t appreciate being woken up at nearly midnight, either…” He sighed. “I’m sorry, Dash… In general, you’re a sweet kid, but this is seriously bad! I can’t believe you did this…”
“It’s okay…” was all the filly said.
It was then the entire family stopped what they were doing. Three loud bangs could be heard from below.
“I think we know who that is…” Dreamscape announced to the filly across from him. She nodded in agreement and waited in the room while the stallion zoomed down the stairs. When Dreamscap had been out of the room for a good ten seconds, Rainbow got up from where she was and snuck out of Fluttershy’s bedroom. The two ponies in the back watched as she left the room and sat at the top and left the bedroom. Dewdrop and her sweet daughter watched as the filly made her way to the edge of the staircase. She put her head on her hooves as her ears flopped down. She watched silently as the stallion opened the door. Just as she’d imagined, the pony waiting on the other side was her dad. He looked so…sad. Dash had never seen him with such a pitiful look in her life. His ears were glued to the back of his skull and his eyes were glittering with tears…
“I hate to be a bother at this hour, but-“
“She’s upstairs…” Dreamscape interrupted.
“She.. is?” Rainbolt asked with a smile spreading across his face.
The stallion nodded and was instantly taken into a hug by his best friend.
“Oh thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I was so, so worried!”
Dreamscape nodded. “No problem…”
Instantly, Rainbolt rushed upstairs, only to be stopped at the very top of the staircase by a very cute obstacle. His daughter looked up at him with sad eyes. The sight of his own daughter made his heart instantly melt. She was so cute…so sweet…so innocent-looking… but in so, so much trouble.
Instead of hugging her and planting a million kisses on her face like he wanted to, Rainbolt chose to remain stern.
“Rainbow Dash. We’re going home… I want you to use our flight back to think long and hard about your actions… When we get home, we’ll discuss your punishment and everything else. Do you understand?”
Silently, the filly nodded. She rose from her position and looked up at her dad. Both were dreading the return home, but both knew it was inevitable. The father and daughter duo trotted down the staircase and glanced at Dreamscape.
“Dream… I’m so, so sorry that you had to get all caught up in this… and thank you so much for watching over her for however long she’s been here…” He sighed. “I’m sorry you had your night interrupted… I owe you one…”
“No problem, Rainbolt… I don’t blame you… I can’t imagine what you’re going through right now…”
“Thanks…”
The stallion silently walked passed his friend and to the front door. Before leaving completely, Dash stopped before Dreamscape. No emotion was shown in the older stallion’s eyes.
“I’m so, so sorry…” she whispered.
Dreamscape stared at the filly a moment. He continued to frown and stare at the little filly with a hint of fatherly disdain.
“When Rainbolt forgives you for this stunt, I will too.”
Rainbow simply nodded, accepting the stallion’s terms. When her father would ever forgive her, though… She had no idea.
Slowly, Rainbow made her way back outside into the cool, winter air. Without words or a signal, both pegasi shot up into the sweet, tame air.
Rainbolt took in a long, deep breath as he stared in the mirror before him. His pale, yellow eyes were filled with a mixture of many negative emotions. He was frowning and trying to hold back from letting tears escape.
Come on, Rainbolt… You absolutely have to put your hoof down and be firm… You can’t let this slide! There is absolutely no way in Equestria I could let something this big go… Why doesn’t she realize she’s putting her life in danger? I’ve thoroughly lecture her about the subject, warned her numerous times to stay by my side, and now, I’ve even grounded her over it! She acts like all these evil ponies in this world don’t exist… I mean… It’s one thing to run off in public. It’s a bad thing, yeah, but she bucking sneaked out in the middle of the night! The middle of the freaking night! She flew all the way to Dreamscape’s house and end up disturbing their household! I will just never understand how she thought this was a good idea…. How are you going to punish her…? I haven’t even thought about that… This is worse than anything she’s ever done… and she’s done a ton of crazy things! Rainbolt took in a breath as he considered different options. Maybe…you should tell her about when she actually did get kidnapped…. Almost instantly, the stallion shooed that thought away from his mind. No! No! No! No! Dash can never know about that! I’d rather see her confused and reluctant than see her sad because she knows the awful truth… Who knows what memories that could stir up for her…? Rainbolt took in a few deep breaths and tried hard not to think about that awful possibility. Maybe you should ground her for a month or two… or three… I mean, she was already grounded before this and she not only did it again, but she completely amped it up! She went from picking at the sand to digging her own grave! If grounding her didn’t work the first time, who says it would work a second time… The stallion grunted. Maybe you should make her do a boatload of chores, even though I’ve never done that before… She should probably already start to have regular chores around the house, anyway… If you get it in her mind that chores are a punishment, she’ll think you’re just punishing her when you assign her chores as she grows….What other options do you really have….? Come on, what would your folks have done in this situation? That’s when a completely different thought emerged from the stallion’s mind. They would have...spanked you.....
At that very thought the stallion shook his head.
Are you crazy…? You could never do that… I mean, after this ordeal, she probably deserves it, but… you know… It’s just…I don’t even think I could bring myself to do that… When I first became a parent, I vowed to never use that method of punishment unless nothing else was getting it through her thick skull, she did something extremely bad, or she risked her life….
Doesn’t this apply to all three…?
Rainbolt stared at himself in the mirror for a good, long minute. Until that point, he’d never once considered spanking his daughter. For every wrong thing she did, she’d been grounded, severely lectured, or put in time-out when she was very young, but the stallion had never once laid a hoof on his daughter for the purpose of hurting her. He never wanted to… He couldn’t even imagine how badly that’d hurt him. The very thought of doing such a thing made his insides churn and his heart sink. Yet there he was, considering corporal punishment.
You…can’t do this… You just can’t…Ugh, why am I actually considering this…? I’ve never considered this… This is wrong… You can’t hit her… That would hurt her. The stallion hit himself in the head with his own hoof. That’s the point, dumbass! She sure as buck doesn’t fear getting kidnapped, raped, or killed, so you have to give her a reason to be afraid! If she doesn’t think the outside world will hurt her then you take the responsibility into your own hooves! Rainbolt felt tears invading his eyes. Come on, Buddy… Not only does she deserve it, but it could keep her from doing this again… it could prevent her from getting kidnapped… It’s avoiding the worst of two fates… Rainbolt turned and abandoned his reflection. He closed the bathroom door and nervously made his way down the hall. He hadn’t seen that damn bat since he got home, but something told him it was still in the house….
Quickly, Rainbolt tapped his daughter’s bedroom door and instantly opened it. The moment they arrived home, the stallion sent his filly to her room and ordered her to wait. If she had any sense in her, she’d at least obey that command.
As Rainbolt opened the door, he saw his little filly curled up on her bed. She seemed sad, a little confused, but she was drowning in guilt and regret.
“Hey, Daddy…”
The stallion nodded to his filly.
“Rainbow Dash… I hope you’ve been thinking about the past night…”
The father quickly closed her bedroom door and joined her on her bed. She was still laying down, but quickly sat upright and inched over to the edge of her bed where her dad was. She let her back hooves dangle of the edge as she scooted closer to her dad. He gladly wrapped a wing around her for comfort.
“Dashie…. I love you very, very much… I just want you to keep that in mind as we talk about this…”
“I know, Dad…” She sunk her head into his warm, periwinkle fur. “I love you, too…”
“Good… Now, can you tell me why what you did was stupid?”
Rainbow sighed.
“Because I could have gotten hurt….”
“How could you have gotten hurt…?”
Rainbow looked up at her dad. “I…you know…ponies…”
“Other ponies could have hurt you?” Dash nodded. “How?”
“They could have kidnapped me… and hurt me and not let me leave….”
Rainbolt nodded.
“Rainbow, I’m sorry if I make it seem like I worry too much, but I do… What if somepony would have seen you outside of their window as you were flying, flew out of their house, and then kidnapped you and we never saw you again…?”
The filly shrugged.
“I dunno…”
The stallion gently put his hooves under his daughter’s chin and lifted her head so that their eyes met. Rainbow’s eyes were watering as she stared into her father’s.
“Rainbow…. I would have been devastated. You mean the world to me… If I lost you I would have absolutely nothing… That’s the only reason I keep you on such a tight leash… I love you so, so much…”
“I love you too, Dad…”
Rainbolt smiled. “I know, Sweetheart… I just want to know one thing, though…”
Rainbow frowned.
“What?”
“Rainbow…why in Equestria would you do something this dangerous? I’ve warned you numerous times not to go out in public on your own… And you even promised I wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore…. You broke that promise…”
The little filly was tearing up again.
“Daddy, I’m so, so sorry… I just… I promised that because I thought if I went out and I could travel a really far distance without anypony else, you’d see I was mature enough and that I would be safe on my own….”
“If only that were true…” the stallion said, letting out a sigh. “I’m not even safe in public alone…”
“You’re not?” Dashie asked, almost shocked. Rainbolt shook his head.
“I could get hurt very easily, too… You could get hurt much, much easier, but I still have a chance of getting hurt or killed just like you…”
“I’m sorry…”
Rainbolt chuckled. “It’s nothing to be sorry about, Sweetie… I just never, ever want you to wander off like this again.”
“I won’t…”
“Good…”
There was a long, awkward moment of silence. Neither pony spoke up. There was simply a big glob of awkward that ate up all the thoughts of the two ponies in the room.
Well, Bolty, it looks like she’s starting to understand more, but… I mean she gets the concept and everything, but this is still something she’ll have to remember for a very long time. She still did something very bad, and needs to be punished for it… Should you…No, you can’t, but…
“Dad…?”
“Yeah?”
“I thought a lot on the way back here…”
“Good… Have you discovered anything new?”
“I…don’t think so… I mean… I know I could get hurt and everything, but… I don’t think I will… Like, even the thought of going back out there doesn’t seem scary…”
“Why not…?”
“I don’t know… I’m a really fast flyer, and I just don’t think it’ll happen, but I know it could…”
Rainbolt sighed.
“Just don’t do this kind of thing, okay?”
“Okay…”
The two sat there again for another moment. The silence was eating at their stomachs as they felt emptiness within.
I seriously don't think I'd ever actually get hurt, but... I mean if both Dad and Dreamscape think I could have, I guess they're right... Thinking of Dreamscape, he seemed really pissed off about me... Like... I hope he gets over it eventually. He was kind of like an uncle to me, and I love him like family. I hope he forgives me... I hope Dad forgives me... I hope I forgive me...
“Rainbow…?” Rainbolt finally said.
“Yeah?”
“I know you understand why the stunt you pulled was dangerous, but do you understand why it was bad? Like, if you take out all the danger from tonight’s situation, can you tell me why it was bad?”
The filly thought for a moment. The whole flight home, she was only considering why what she’d done was dangerous, but not once had she considered why it was bad… It just sort of slipped her mind. Dumbfounded, she stared up at her dad, expecting him to simply hand the answer to her. All the support for why the performance was dangerous had been based off of different things her dad had previously told her. For that, however, she had nothing to go by…
“I, umm… I don’t know…” she admitted in defeat.
“I’m not just going to tell you the answer…”
Rainbow looked away from her father and took another lengthy minute to think. When she finally got around to speaking, her tone was a bit shaky and unsure.
“Umm… because I was already grounded?”
“Well, that’s part of it…”
What else was there…?
“I…can’t think of anything else…”
“Well… you got the biggest part right. Another big chunk of the dilemma was the fact you got Dreamscape and Fluttershy involved. You disturbed them in the middle of the night so you could what? Prove yourself?”
“Well… k-kinda… when you put it like that it sounds…really bad...”
“It was pretty bad, Rainbow…” He then took in a deep breath. “Tomorrow we’re going back to their house so you can give them a very sincere apology…”
“Okay…”
Rainbolt swallowed as he looked back at his daughter. That night, she certainly had gotten herself in a lot of crap. It was something Rainbolt had taken very seriously, and it was obviously something that was just then starting to click with her. There was still that dread-filled moment that was yet to come.
Alright, Rainbolt…it’s time to get down to it… It’s a very hard decision and you have a very short amount of time to make it…..
“On top of that…there still has to be your regular punishment.”
Rainbow nodded. Unlike other times, she didn’t groan or argue or anything else of that ilk. She just nodded, as if she were agreeing with him.
“Well, Rainbow…I’ve been thinking a lot, and I…” He took his daughter by the hoof and squeezed it gently. She squeezed it back. “I…I’m not going to ground you any more than you already are…”
“Alright…” was Rainbow’s only response.
Well, you’ve eliminated one of the three options… You don’t have to do this… You can just make her do chores or something… You don’t have to get physical… I don’t want to… I really, really don’t want to… I couldn’t even imagine doing something like that….
“Rainbow, I…I’ve umm…. There’s….a thing and… I was thinking that maybe… You see, when I first became a parent, I…umm…. ”
Seriously, how do you expect to go through with this if you can’t even get the words off your lips…?
“Dad…” Rainbow started. “Just say it, okay…? I won’t be mad…”
“Well…I….I’ve n-never considered spanking you up until this point and I-“
It was then Rainbolt felt his daughter’s hoof break away from his own.
“Dad!” the filly exclaimed and backed away from her parent. “Y-you’re not being serious…. Are you? You wouldn’t actually do something like that, would you…?”
Rainbolt took in a breath and fought back tears. He didn’t even know she knew what that word meant, but it became evident she did.
Well, here it is… This is where all the begging starts…Just try to remain firm and get through this… You just got yourself into this mess….
“Rainbow, listen, I don’t want to do this anymore than you do, but you not only disobeyed me, but you risked your life, got Dreamscape involved, and you did it all out of your own selfish desire! You got punished for something, and then while you were still on punishment for what you did, you went and did it again, but you made it ten times worse! I’m sorry, Dash, but what you did today was very bad, and I’m not going to let it slide!”
“I never asked for you to let it slide, but… You…. You’ve never done anything like this and…I don’t want to know what it’s like… Please just do something else… please…”
Rainbolt felt tears of sympathy welling up in his eyes as she begged. The tears that were already invading her eyes made him want to drop everything and not go through with it…. Why’d he have to say it? He should have just done something completely different… He hadn’t even laid a hoof on her and she was begging and on the edge of tears. How was he ever going to go through with it…?
“Rainbow, I love you… You’re amazing, and I never wanted to do this either, but I really need this day to stick in your head…. I want you to remember this the next time you consider running off from me in public… I swear, it’ll be over before you know it…”
The filly shook her head and defiantly remained in her corner.
“No!”
Rainbolt sighed.
You shouldn’t have done this… Why’d you mention it…? Why? Why didn’t you just stay away from the topic…? I mean, she deserves it, but… I don’t want to dish it out to her... even though that is kind of your responsibility… Damn…. This is one of those nights you wish you would have put more effort into finding her a mother… Obviously, you haven’t been being strict enough or clear enough.
“Rainbow, listen… This is not optional. When I was a colt your age, I was given absolutely zero option on how I was punished and the rules won’t be bended for you!”
The filly looked up at her father for a long minute. Tears were beginning to fall down her reddening face.
She was afraid…
She was never afraid of anything…
Except then… She looked terrified.
“Dad…I’m sorry… I love you, and I swear I wouldn’t have done something this stupid if I knew these were the consequences!”
“You shouldn’t have to know the consequences of an action before you do it! You should just be able to know what a stupid choice is and what’s not! You’re ten years-old, Dash… You’re smarter than this and I know that…”
“Sorry… Daddy, I’m really, really sorry!”
“I’m really glad to hear that, Rainbow… I really hope you mean that…”
“I do!”
With that, Rainbow made her way back over to her dad and tightly hugged him. Her hooves stretched around his torso and tightly comforted him. He smiled at her efforts. This time, however, he didn’t hug back. Instead, he smiled at her sweetness and gently pushed her off and tightly grabbed her hoof to keep her nearby.
“So… we’ve gotten through a lot of the warm, gushy stuff… Are you ready to get this over with?”
Rainbow gulped and tried to pull away, only to find she was immobilized by her own father’s hoof.
“You’re still…on that? But I…”
The stallion felt a sudden swarm of regret fill his heart as tears started to come back to his daughter’s eyes.
“I know, I know… Dash, this sucks… Everything about this sucks. What you did sucks, and what I’m about to do sucks… Trust me when I say I seriously don’t want to do this… At this point I regret mentioning it and I wish the concept didn’t even exist…” He sighed. “But it does and it is what it is… I’m sorry about this… I know you’ll probably hate me a little bit after this, but if this sticks in your head and prevents you from getting kidnapped, raped, or killed, it’ll be completely worth it.”
“O-okay…. Daddy… How bad is this going to hurt?”
The stallion but his lip as salt water glistened on the surface of his eyes.
“I don’t know…” He smiled and sniffled. “When I was a little colt, I got it really bad, but… I don’t think I could ever bring myself to spank you as hard as I was… Trust me; it’ll still have a decent amount of sting behind it, but nothing that won’t fade away after a few minutes… It’s probably not going to be as bad as you think…”
Rainbow nodded.
I hope so… I mean it’s just a little bodily pain. Nothing you can’t handle, right? You’ve gotten hurt tons of times without even crying! Why worry about a quick, little spanking? Besides, this is your dad we’re talking about! He’s as soft as cotton! He couldn’t possibly hurt you that bad…could he?
Despite all her reassuring thoughts, Rainbow still had a pit of nervousness within her. She’d never experienced anything like this… Sure, she’d been hurt, but this time she was going to be hurt because she did something wrong. She was paying the price of her actions through pain. That felt completely different to her in her heart than an accidental injury.
Just take in a deep breath… Like Dad said, this’ll be over before you know it… I hope.
“Dad…”
“Yeah, Sweetheart?”
“I think…. I think I’m ready…”
The moment the words left her lips, she felt dread in her heart. She’d just dropped the flag for a big race. She just gave her dad the cue to start the punishment… At that point, there was absolutely no turning back. She agreed to it, and it was set.
Rainbow flinched as she felt one hoof wrap her shoulders and guide her into her father’s body. He’d taken her into a warm embrace and had a wing wrapped around her. Her head was leaning into his shoulder and she was up on her hind legs to keep balanced. She was leaning at an awkward slant, but felt surprising warmth in the arms of her punisher.
“Alright, Rainbow… Just remember; I’m going to hate every second of this more than you will…” The filly nodded. He could already feel her body trembling under the comfort of his hooves. “I’m going to do this in the same position we are now… If you feel the need to kick, bite, curse, or struggle, go for it… I’ll endure whatever you do; I just want this to be as easy for you as it can…” Rainbow nodded once again. A shiver went down her spine as she felt her dad’s right hoof lift off her back. “Are you comfortable…?”
He’s about to start, he’s about to start… The little pony felt her breathing rate increase. He might right after this question… I’m really not ready for this…
Slowly, the filly nodded affirmatively, anxiously awaiting her unpleasant punishment.
“Ready…?”
Again, the little filly hesitated to nod her head. Tears were escaping her closed eyelids. She clenched her teeth and awaited the first smack. She’d heard so many teachers, fillies, and colts talk about spanking before. From what she heard, it wasn’t pleasant, but it was pretty fast.
I can’t believe you’re about to do this… I never imagined I’d have to do this, but… It just seems inevitable at this point. Just make it as quick as you can and don’t be too gentle, but don’t be too hard, either…The stallion raised his hoof nearly a foot away from his victim’s targeted area. His hoof was trembling and his heart rate dramatically rose. Three…Two….One…
When his mind arrived on one, Rainbolt swiftly brought his hoof down. When it made contact with his daughter’s rear, she squirmed a little and whimpered into her daddy’s shoulder. Rainbolt hesitantly raised his hoof again and brought it down. It wasn’t too hard of a slap, but it definitely made a noise and forced a little whine out of his daughter. The stallion gently rubbed her back reassuringly.
Come on, Rainbolt! Just do it as quick as you possibly can! It’ll only take a few seconds if you put the effort into it…
The stallion took in another breath and gave his foal a quick little storm or swats. As they quickly rained down one after another, Dash started twisting, turning, and crying by the fifth smack to her backside. Her hooves dug into her father’s chest and her back legs kicked as they trembled. She let all her tears stream onto his shoulder, dampening his periwinkle coat. To Rainbolt, it was only a cruel reminder of what he was doing. Her wails and shrieks only made the process harder on both ponies. Both were breaking every moment the punishment lasted.
Within only seven seconds it all ended. As Rainbow heard, yes, it was quick, but yes, it was very unpleasant. Rainbolt wasn’t sure how many times his hoof had made contact with the poor filly’s rump. He knew it couldn’t have been more than ten or eleven. He also knew without a doubt that he’d never propose that punishment again. It was the worst seven seconds of both their lives.
Rainbow Dash didn’t need to be swept into an embrace. Instantly, she was hugging her father. Her heart rate dropped when she felt both hooves gently massaging her back.
“There, there… It’s okay… It’s all over now.”
The poor filly was too choked up in her own tears to pay much attention to the love her father was providing. She simply nodded and tried to take in a few deep breaths. Her father then leaned her back slightly and looked her in the eyes. Tears were running down her red cheeks. Her eyes were puffy and her nose was wrinkled. Gently, Rainbolt expanded his wings and used the very ends of his feather tips to wipe away some of the tears on her eyes. She forced a cute smile as he did.
“I love you, Rainbow… I love you so, so much… You mean more to me than anything on this earth…”
“I love you, too…” she cooed softly as her tears subsided.
“Was it… that bad…?”
“Well…” The filly sniffled deeply and looked up at her dad. His gentle hooves patted her back and eased her pain. “N-not that much… More on the inside than anything…”
Rainbolt smiled at his angel for a moment.
“So I take it you don’t hate me…?”
“No…” She shook her head. “I could never hate you…”
“Good…” The stallion ruffled his daughter’s mane lovingly. The little filly smiled and sniffled.
“I need a tissue…”
Rainbolt took a moment to look around the room. Her blankets…? No. Umm… Cloud floor? No… Walk across the hall and risk being killed by a pint-sized bat? Heck no!
“Umm…Just use….Hmm….” The stallion looked around a moment longer and glanced briefly at his back. With little hesitation, he expanded his wing out to his daughter and smiled. “This!”
The filly raised an eyebrow at her father.
“Your wing?”
“Yep…”
Unsurely, Dashie grabbed the end of her dad’s feathers and blew into them. Rainbolt winced as a large glob of mucus shot onto his feathers. He slowly refolded his wings as his daughter wiped her nostrils with the back of her hoof. The stallion smiled reassuringly.
“Thanks, Dad…”
“Umm…hehe, no problem…”
Rainbow smiled up at her dad.
“I love you…”
Rainbolt hugged his daughter lovingly.
“I love you, too, Sweetheart…”
The two ponies sat there a moment, lovingly rubbing each other’s backs.
“Dad…?”
“Yeah…?”
“Do you think that maybe… I don’t know… “ She blushed a little and looked away from her father as she spewed out the question. “Can you tuck me in again…?”