Ribbon Wishes held her newborn filly in her forelegs while her husband stood at her side. The snow-white unicorn opened her brilliant blue eyes and hiccuped while her short, curly purple mane unraveled. Then she smiled.

"Aw, how precious. A foal this young with a smile like that certainly is a rarity. She's beautiful," the nurse said as she gracefully bowed out of the patient's room.

Ribbon Wishes smiled and kissed her forehead. "Rarity..."

Her husband wiped a tear and hugged them both. "She's perfect."

Rarity yawned and wiped her tired eyes before her ears perked up. She darted downstairs and dived beneath the Hearths Warming Tree of Giving.

"Is this one for me?!" she asked with sparkling eyes.

"They're all for you, kiddo."

Rarity beamed and tore the package open to find a dazzling diamond necklace. "It's soooo pretty! Thank you!"

Ribbon Wishes leaned into her husband's chest while they watched the filly tear her gifts open.

"Ooh, I almost forgotted! Look mommy, daddy, not all of the presents are mine." She carried two small packages from beneath the tree with her teeth and dropped them onto their laps. "Open 'em up! Open!"

They glanced to one another before unwrapping the gifts. Ribbon Wishes pulled out a pair of earrings made from the golden hooks used to hang tree ornaments. At the ends hung large crystal beads that matched her eyes.

Her father pulled a bright blue necktie with complimentary brown felt stripes glued to the bottom.

"I made them for you in arts 'n crafts. Do you like them?" Rarity looked up expectantly with gleaming blue eyes.

Rarity stood on stage in full costume next to her classmates that were dressed in outfits she had volunteered to design. They went through their routine, and Ribbon Wishes stifled her welling tears.

After the recital, they found their daughter with a beautiful cutie mark and an eager grin. Their little girl was growing up.

She led them to a pile of gems, then began detecting others beneath the ground. She had found her hidden talent.

Ribbon Wished cried into her husband's shoulder as their baby girl stood next to her best friends wearing a graduation gown. The ceremony concluded, and Rarity signed her first contract the next day.

Rarity went back to her new home and place of business while Ribbon Wishes and her husband trudged into their empty home.

"I can hardly believe our baby girl's all grown up and on 'er own. Feels like just yesterday we brought her home for the first time. What're we gonna do with all this free time, huh dear?" Ribbon asked.

"Well how 'bout we have another?" he suggested with a wink.

"I'm not so sure. Watchin' our little girl pack up and leave was just the hardest thing, don'cha know? I don't think my heart could take it again." She sighed and slumped into her chair.

He joined her and placed a hoof to his chin. "Well, maybe there's another way we could have a new one and keep her home forever."

"I'm listenin', ya hockey puck. We talkin' 'bout raising a basement baby?"

"No, don't be crazy. It's expensive, but we have all that college money saved up that Rarity won't need, so... Let's get a robot," he suggested with a smirk.

"Oh okay sure, and where do ya suppose we'll be findin' one of those?" she asked.

He shrugged and chuckled. "One of my old football buddies was talking about how he's getting one to be a maid, or... somethin'. I guess ya can have 'em programmed to do whatever ya want and all sorts o' whacky stuff."

"Oh... Well if it really works, then I say we do it."

"I'll make a phone call tomorrow!"

Several weeks later, Ribbon Wishes and her husband arrived at a dark and grim laboratory where they sat at a steel table. Suddenly a bright light flashed on, and a spiky silhouetted figure approached the other end of the table.

"Good afternoon," an older, feminine voice spoke from across the table, and she leaned in. "You know, I don't schedule these interviews with just anyone."

"Oh, well in that case we appreciate yer time very much, ma'am." Ribbon Wishes smiled and held her hoof out.

Small pale fingers reached through the light and shook her hoof. "Why do you want this droid built?"

"Well you see, we're older now and both agree that our times working and our careers are done. My hubby can't play ball no more ball, and I'm out of touch with my old business and it's too late for me to start fresh. We want a daughter to take care of for as long as we live, and somepony referred us to you," Ribbon explained.

"Hmhmhm, I see. Yes, very well then. Your letter piqued my curiosity and my love of a challenge kicked in. I have a design drawn up, and would like to show you." The backlight kicked off and a huge blue screen lit up to display a blueprint design of a small pony. "My name is Doctor Wakeman. It's a pleasure to meet you both."

The doctor stood up and pointed a laser pointer at the blueprint as she spoke. "I've gone ahead and developed the beginnings of an AI chip that will simulate the natural act of a learning, growing child. Of course I've adapted it to suit your equine biology. She will eat, think, sleep, breath, and even dream, though each of those things is redundant and simply for the simulated experience of parenthood. Her body is fueled by solar power as well as a perpetual generator that charges as she moves her hydraulic limbs. She will require love and attention to indicate that she is functioning properly which will be reflected through her emotions. It will be as if she's really your living, affectionate daughter. I know as well as many others the desire for a daughter, which led to the initial development of this technology... I digress. Tell me, is there anything you'd like me to include?"

Each pony looked to the other and shrugged. "Our first daughter is an amazing singer. Could you possibly make it so this robot can sing, too?"

"Ooh, and give 'er a horn!" Ribbon added, then blushed. "If it ain't too much trouble, I mean."

"No trouble at all. Now, did you bring everything I asked for? I'll need you to let me take a few photos of you as well," she explained as she took a file of pictures depicting their home and town.

"That's not a problem."

"Excellent. These will do nicely. I need them to create artificial memories of childhood and to form a preexisting bond." Wakeman bowed her head and sighed. "She won't know she's a robot until you tell her. She may not even ever be aware of what robots are unless you explain it to her. I'll leave that decision in your hands... Excuse me, hooves."

"Thank you so much for this, Doctor."

"Ohhohoho." Wakeman blushed and waved her hand. "Call me Nora. Now let's get started with these memories. We've got a long road ahead of us."

Ribbon Wishes opened her front door to see a large crate labeled, 'Wakeman Industries'. She pulled it inside and pried the top off, then all four walls fell. In the center rested a small white unicorn filly with a peaceful smile and closed eyes. A plastic tag with the characters, SW3-B printed on it stuck lodged in the back of her neck. She pulled it out, then the filly began to buzz.

She stood up and her eyes open, blankly staring into the distance. In a raspy robotic voice, she said, "Greetings. I am your custom designed SW3-B unit with patented AIBIS CPU Software created and distributed by Wakeman Industries Inc. Terms of use can be found within my shipping unit. Please say 'I accept' to continue."

The stallion lifted a six-hundred page book labeled Terms of Use and Service. "Uh, I accept."

"Thank you for choosing Wakeman Industries Inc. Please assign my name."

"What should we name her?" Ribbon asked.

He looked at the tag and shrugged. "Swee Bee?"

The android perked her ears and spoke up. "Name: Sweebee accepted. Please say confirm to verify. This cannot be changed later."

"No no no. Sweetie Belle."

"Name: Sweetie Belle accepted. Please say confirm to verify. This cannot be changed later."

"Confirm!" Ribbon Shouted.

"Name registered. Running Vocoder Processing... Processing... Processing... Sweetie Belle," she said with a higher, softer, yet still very robotic voice.

"Sweetie Belle..." Her voice was softer and smoother. "Sweetie Belle," she said with the voice of a precious young filly.

The little unicorn with a pink and purple mane shook her head, then opened her bright green eyes with confusion. "Mom? Dad? What happened? What's this mess in the house?"

The two ponies leaned down with tears in their eyes. Ribbon picked her up and hugged her, then noted her warmth and light weight. "Nothing, sweetheart. You're home now, and we'll take care of this mess. Don't you worry."

"Home... I'm hungry," Sweetie Belle said with a yawn. "I love you, mommy and daddy."

"We love you too, Sweetie Belle."