Strong language.

Rainbow cautiously descends down onto the front porch of her house. She worms through the straps of her backpack to get it off then gently eases it onto the floor. Dash starts to sift through her key necklace, contemplating how she should go about asking for permission to go camping. On one hand, her parents might he happy to have her out of their manes for a while. On the other, they might outright quarantine her for "ditching" school, even if she did bring all the work she'dve missed.

She finds the key she needs and unlocks the front door.

Rainbow picks up her backpack by one of the straps, carrying it between her teeth. She walks through the house to find her father. Her mother will be at work at the high school today, so she'll just look for him. She simply assumes that he's here somewhere. Dash has never bothered to learn Canon's schedule because . . well, she's never needed to. Both of her parents are almost always at home when she gets back after school.

I guess if nobody's home to ask I'll just leave a note or something then . . just go.

Deciding to check Canon's usual spot first, Dash stops in front of her father's office. The door is closed. Dash knows he's in there - she hears scribbling of pen on paper through the thin hard-cloud door. She inhales and exhales through her nose a few times then knocks.

Her father's voice passes through. ' . . Who is it?'

Rainbow closes her eyes and grits her teeth. She lets her backpack fall to the floor before answering. ' . . Me.'

'Rainbow? What the fuck are you doing here?' he asks. Canon's voice, to Rainbow's relief, does not sound angry or even annoyed. He just sounds . . tired . . at least, that's what Rainbow thinks.

Dash quickly responds, shifting on her hooves. 'I'm here to ask you something . . I already got all the work from all my teachers that I would have missed today.'

After a few moments of silence, Dash hears Canon grunt. 'Okay, come in,' he says reluctantly.

Rainbow pushes open the door, looking up at her father. He's sitting in his chair behind his low-lying hard cumulus desk. Paperwork is scattered all over it and he has an open envelope in front of him, the contained letter still inside. Apparently Dash interrupted him. As she walks in, Dash tries not to let her deep-seeded hatred of her father show through her surface in any expression on her face nor through any of her actions. Because she's had plenty of practice, she does a good job of it.

Canon rests his head on one of his hooves, which he supports on his table. 'What do you want?'

Rainbow is a very manipulative filly when it comes to dealing with her parents. Dash settles back on her haunches, lowering her head and her ears to appear more submissive. As part of her manipulation, she begins to speak in a quiet voice and with a shy tone. 'Uhm . . ' she says. 'Fluttershy wants . . to go camping. It-.. It'd be an overnight . . playdate . . and . . we're going with Felicity . . She'd watch us . . '

Canon raises an eyebrow. A request like this is unprecedented. Sleepovers when she was ten, maybe, but a campout? He lifts his head, crossing his front legs on the table. He seems to ponder something for a moment, looking off to the side away from Rainbow.

Poor Dash sits and watches for almost an entire minute, flicking an ear. She nervously waits for his answer.

'You know what, Rainbow,' he finally says. 'I think I'll let you go.'

Dash perks up, but she senses something else coming. She waits for him to continue.

Canon tugs at a drawer on the side of his desk with one of his hooves then reaches into it with his snout. In his teeth he takes from the drawer an object covered in paper. Rainbow watches him curiously, tilting her head a few inches to the side. When her father sets the object down, it creates a faint metallic "clunk." Dash says nothing.

'You're old enough, now, Rainbow, to understand what would happen if you told anyone about your . . situation here,' he says. 'Your mother and I would lose our jobs, be jailed, and you would most likely be put with a good family. Much better than us.'

Canon places a hoof on the obscured object, keeping his eyes on his daughter. 'I suppose the only thing that has prevented you from doing just that up to this point has been intimidation. You're another year older today'

(Hey. He remembered.)

'-so I'm going to up the ante.'

Dash watches as her father unwraps the object then gently push the paper aside. It's a revolver.

Dash looks back up at him, assuming a grim expression. She's not surprised that the weapon was in his desk - that revolver is one of at least twenty weapons in the house. Her parents are firearm hobbyists. They can't handle a sword or any other melee weapon for their lives, though. They keep the weapons and ammunition in a safe upstairs, so Rainbow would never be able to gain access. At least, she thought they were all in the safe.

Canon continues, perfectly serious. 'If you tell anyone about us. Anyone at all. I'll use this Colt. Three shots.'

He points a hoof at Rainbow. 'First you, when I find you,' he says.

He gently points his hoof off to the side, waving it off in some random direction. 'Then your mother.'

Lastly, he gestures at himself, leaning forward a little as he puts his hoof back down on the table. He says plainly, 'Then me.'

Rainbow just stares at him for a few seconds, slooowly standing up taller. That caught her off guard.

After several moments of silence, Canon continues. 'You know that I'm well armed.' he says. He begins to shake his head. 'I don't care if I have to pick up a rifle and blast through all of Celestia's White Army or all of your friends to get to you. If you tell anyone about us, your mother and I will have nothing to lose. I will find you. I will draw this revolver. The first bullet that will come out of the barrel of this .38 will be meant for you.'

Canon leans back in his chair, grinning at Dash. Rainbow crazily considers trying to grab the revolver to shoot him right then. But it is closer to him than it is to her. It could end badly. The part of her brain that was urging her on gives up trying at the sense of that logic.

'This revolver has always been in my desk for just that purpose,' says Canon, chuckling. 'Three bullets have been sitting in the cylinder since you could fucking speak. Maybe you'll finally give me the chance to use it. We'll see, won't we?'

Canon waves a hoof toward the door, getting tired of Dash's lack of response. 'Get the fuck out,' he says. 'Go have fun with your friend.'

Without hesitation, Rainbow Dash passes out the door and closes it behind her. She stumbles for a moment, feeling leans against the wall until she recovers. She picks up her backpack in one of her hooves, taking a moment to pull it over her back.

I'll go upstairs and . . pack for the trip, I guess . .

She spreads her wings to fly, lightly shaking her head. 'What the fuck . . ' she mutters to herself. Then, Why did they have to be my parents? Why did I have to be born to them?

This is fucking insane. Can't wait to just get out of here.