It had been a long week at work, and I was glad it was the weekend. I couldn't wait to get home to Dashie. There was a forecast for rain that weekend, so we'd have to spend it indoors, but I'd thought up some fun activities to pass the time. I stopped for a pizza on my way home, feeling like treating myself. I also bought Dashie some fresh carrots as we were running out, it was hardly a special treat but I know how much she loved them.

When I stepped in the door, I found Dashie sat on the living room floor, colouring in some blank pieces of paper. She still wasn't very good at drawing with her mouth, but at least she was learning. She had accidentally coloured a lot of the carpet in during her efforts, but I didn't mind. As I closed the door, she turned and looked at me. The smile she gave me was all it took for me to forgive her.

“Daddy!” She yelled as she ran over to me. She began running around my feet as I walked in the door carrying the pizza and her dinner. “Daddy, come look at my pictures!” She said excitedly as she ran over to pick up her best one to show me. She came hurtling back over towards me with a picture in her mouth, dropping it onto the kitchen floor next to my feet, she then began head butting my ankle. She certainly was eager.

I bent down to look at the picture. It appeared to be a rainbow, though Dashie hadn't got the hang of the shape yet, It was recognizable. “It's lovely Dashie!” I said. “I'm going to put it on the fridge!” I turned to the fridge and stuck it on with a magnet at about Dashies height, so she could see it as well. She stood there, looking at it proudly.

“Thank you Daddy! It took me all day to draw!” She smiled. I loved when Dashie smiled. It always warmed my heart.

“Are you ready for dinner now, Dashie? I've got your favourite Carrots!” I said, turning back to the kitchen work top and slicing them up onto a plate for her. “Go tidy up and I'll bring them over to you.”

She ran back to the living room floor and began picking up her crayons and dropping them into her art box. I'd given it to her a few days ago to keep her occupied during the day while I was at work.  I wanted to move her onto paints at some point, but thought better of it for now. A little filly with tubs of paint would only result in a terrible mess.

Dashie finished putting her crayons away and stacked her pictures by the art box. She then jumped up onto her reclining chair and sat down, looking at me eagerly. Clearly she was hungry. I brought her plate over and put it on the chair in front of her, then went and got my pizza. She had already began chomping away. I sat down on the sofa nearby and turned on the TV. Spongebob was on, and Dashie loved watching Spongebob with her dinner.

As I picked up my pizza and began eating, Dashie stopped and looked at me. “What's that, Daddy?” She said inquisitively over a mouthful of carrots. I swallowed my bite of pizza and looked at it. I'd never given Dashie pizza before. I wondered if she'd like it or not. Either way, I didn't want to give it to her on a regular basis, or she might become unhealthy. I'm sure pizza isn't good for a little filly like herself, even if she is from a cartoon.

I looked at it again, then looked back to her eager face. I decided to give some to Dashie, a small amount wouldn't hurt, I thought. I cut up half a slice into small squares and put it on her plate. “Here you go Dashie. It’s a cheese pizza! Careful, it might be hot!” I said. She looked at it quizzically, and sniffed at it on her plate. She must have liked what she smelt, as she soon began chewing away at it and wolfed down the lot!

“Can I have more, please Daddy?” She looked at me with her cute little expression. I couldn't resist. I cut up the other half and gave it to her.

“But you have to finish the rest of your carrots afterwards, okay Dashie?”

“Yes Daddy!” she said as she chewed on the pizza crusts, a happy smile on her face. Once we were finished eating I washed up the plates, with Dashie passing them to me from the floor. She yawned when we were done, so I put her to bed early. I read her a bedtime story from her favourite book, the hungry caterpillar. She always loved the story, even though she knew how it ended. I tucked her in tightly, kissed her gently on the forehead, turned on her night light and said goodnight.

“Goodnight Daddy.” She whispered. “Thank you for the peeza.”

“You're welcome” I said, as I pulled the door to, leaving a gap so she could get out in the night if she needed me. I went to bed straight after as I was tired myself.

I woke up at about two AM to hear the sound of running water and a light coming from the kitchen. I got up to investigate, and found Dashie sat in the sink, the tap running, her blanket laying on the floor. “Dashie, what are you doing?” I said sternly. She looked up at me with tears in her eyes.

“No! Daddy, go away!” She screamed, her voice cracking. I felt so upset. Dashie never got angry with me unless I had upset her. What had I done wrong? I walked towards her to pet her mane, when she squeaked again. “No! Daddy, please!” She began crying. As I stood there, I began to smell it. She had been sick in bed, and it was all over her mane. Half digested bits of pizza and cheese stuck to her fur and muzzle.

She had obviously been embarrassed by it, and tried to bath herself so I wouldn't find out. “Daddy...” She sobbed. “I made a mess.” She lowered her head and sat crying. “I'm sorry.”

I walked over to her and lifted her head up so she was looking at me. “Hey. It's okay Dashie. I shouldn't have given you that pizza.” I said. “Clearly it doesn't agree with you.”

I turned the tap off as Dashie had been running cold water only and hadn't managed to get the plug in the sink. I lifted her out and sat her on the draining board, and began running the hot water and filled the sink with her favourite bubble bath. Once the sink was full and the water was the right temperature, I lowered her in. I began to scrub her belly and the fur around her flank. She must have rolled over in it as it was everywhere. She sat there quietly, clearly still upset by the ordeal.

“Hey, Dashie. Wait here, I've got something for you.” I left her in the sink for a minute to clean herself, while I went to my bedroom. I'd gotten Dashie a gift for the next time she had her weekly bath, but thought she might like it now. “Close your eyes Dashie!” I dropped the rubber duck into the sink, making a splash that startled her. She opened her eyes suddenly, and as soon as she saw the ducky, she began to giggle. She knew what it was from watching Spongebob, and I figured it was only right that a little filly needed some bath toys to play with.

She began to push the duck around the bath, making quacking noises with it while I washed her mane and muzzle. She squirmed as I did it, but she had bits of cheese all over her face and some stuck up her nostrils. After about half an hour, she was clean. I drained the water out of the bath, and Dashie let out a little moan as her duck hit the bottom of the sink. I turned the tap on to a lukewarm temperature and rinsed her off, just to make sure I'd got it all.

“Okay Dashie, can you go sit in the living room and dry yourself off while I clean your bed?”  I asked her as I put her on the floor and draped a kitchen towel on top of her.

         She nodded and ran to the sofa. She stopped halfway, and turned to face me. “Thank you Daddy.” She said, starting to sound like her usual, cheery self.

        She then ran up to the sofa, and began rubbing the towel against it to dry off. I picked up her blanket and put it in the washing machine, then went and stripped her bed off. There was vomit all over the bed, and on the wall. I put it all in the machine and cleaned the wall off, by the time I was done, Dashie had fallen asleep on the sofa, wrapped in a wet towel.

I picked her up and carried her to my bed, placing her snugly under the duvet. That's the last time you're having pizza. I watched her, as she burped in her sleep. Next Chapter: Swimming Lessons Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours