The Christmas holidays had ended, and I had reluctantly returned to work the following day. Dashie and I had spent the weeks playing together; playing with her games and presents, watching TV and reading stories. But it had to come to an end sometime, and that was today. I went back to the office and spent another day in monotony, bored at my desk, just picturing Dashie sat at home, bored and unhappy, all by herself. How I wished I was at home with Dashie. Once the day finally ended, I rushed home to cheer her up, and to cheer myself up too. I hated returning to work.

I stepped in the door and shut it behind me with a dull click, turning to the living room. As I turned around, to my surprise Dashie wasn't there. I called out to her as I made my way to her bedroom, wondering why she wasn't playing with her toys. As I reached the door, I heard a gentle sobbing sound emanating from behind the door. I opened it and called her name again.

“Dashie? Dashie, are you okay?” I stepped into the room, only for Dashie to run from under her bed and smile at me, jumping up and down.

“Hi, Daddy! I'm fine, how are you?” she said loudly.

“I'm fine Dashie. Are you sure you're okay? I heard crying a moment ago.” I said, tilting my head to the side, listening to the ambience. I could still hear faint murmurs from somewhere, when Dashie looked up at me and frowned, before quickly grabbing my trouser leg, pulling me towards the door.

“Come on Daddy, I'm hungry! Let's go eat something!” she said through gritted teeth, continuing to pull on my trousers.

She appeared more determined than usual, and began flapping her wings to pull me along. I finally relented and followed her out into the kitchen, making her a quick salad. She sat down on her chair and smiled, eating her food happily. I switched on the TV and let Dashie watch a few cartoons, while I went to wash up. Once I was satisfied Dashie was distracted, I made my way back to her bedroom and shut the door quietly.

I knelt down in her bedroom again and went to look under her bed. She had hidden things from me before, and it was always under her bed. I only hope this time it wasn't anything serious, given her tears. I looked under the bed, and saw Dashie's favourite blue blanket wrapped up in the far corner. I reached out for it and grabbed the corner with my hand, dragging it out.

As I pulled it towards me, it felt heavier than I'd expected. Dashie had hidden something inside. I finally got it out and sat down on the floor, the blanket scrunched up before me. I grabbed the top of the blanket and began to unfold it, revealing what was hidden inside.

I sat there, mouth agape. I couldn't believe my eyes. I dragged my hands over my face, thinking I was imagining things, but I knew in my heart I wasn't. Laying there, curled up inside the blanket was a small, white pony, with a purple mane.

It was a baby Rarity.

I looked at her again, as she lay there half asleep, murmuring to herself. I reached my hand out to touch her, to make sure she was real, when the bedroom door opened, and Dashie stuck her head into the room. I looked up to her, only to see her looking annoyed, her lips in a grimace. I stared at her for what felt like an eternity, unable to think what to say. My mouth still hung open, when I finally managed to utter the first word that came to mind.

“How?”

She just stood there looking at me, but her face had changed. She no longer looked at me with anger, but her eyes looked sullen, the corners of her mouth hung low. She turned away from me, and trotted back out of the room, leaving me alone with Rarity again. I looked back down at Rarity, who now had woken up, rubbing her eyes as she gazed up at me, equally confused by what was occurring.

“Hi there,” I said, smiling gently at the little filly, not wanting to startle her.

She looked at me and started sobbing again. I instinctively reached down to reassure her, when I realised why she was crying. Her mane was soaking wet, as was the rest of her coat. She'd catch pneumonia if I wasn't careful, so I quickly scooped her up in my arms and carried her into the kitchen to give her a warming bath.

I walked past the living room on the way, where Dashie now sat on her chair, silently watching TV. She turned towards me, her face straight and expressionless as I walked past. I was worried about her, but resolved to talk to her once I had made sure my new guest was safe. New guest. New person to look after. The thoughts raced through my head as I realised what I was in for. I pushed the thoughts to the back of my mind, and continued to the kitchen, putting Rarity in the sink, quickly filling it with warm water.

Her sobbing soon stopped when the warm water began to lap around her hooves and belly, though she still looked uncomfortable. I gently stroked her mane and kept on smiling.

“Don't worry, you're safe with me.” I said, trying my best to make her happy. She smiled feebly, and began looking around her new surroundings, confused.

I turned the tap off once the water reached a safe height, before picking up a bottle of shampoo to clean the filly's hair. I turned back only to find Dashie was now sat on the counter next to the sink, looking at Rarity. Rarity sat in the bath water looking back at Dashie, no longer smiling.

Dashie reached her fore hoof out and prodded Rarity's side, smiling. Rarity looked unhappy, yet Dashie did it again, giggling as she did so. She was about to prod her a third time, when I reached down and held her hoof.

“Dashie, what are you doing?” I asked, as she looked up at me, her face now looked sullen. She turned back to Rarity again, and looked to me.

“Daddy, can I help wash her?” she asked softly, as she reached into the sink and splashed some water at Rarity. She shied away from the splash of water and began to whimper and cry.

“Dashie, that's probably not a good idea. She's scared right now, and needs comforting. I'll wash her on my own, then you two can get to know each other and play together a bit later on, okay? Let me wash her for now, then I'll come talk to you in a bit.”

Dashie looked at me and frowned, before flying into the air, causing water to spray all over Rarity. Rarity looked up at me, tears in her eyes, so I smiled at her, trying to reassure her. I started to pet her mane, trying to cheer her up, but without any success. I then saw Dashie's rubber duck nearby and handed it to Rarity. I made a quacking noise, which caused her to stop crying and begin to giggle. I put it in the water with her, and she smiled and began to push it about in the water, giggling louder.

I turned around to see Dashie hovering in the other side of the kitchen, watching us and frowning. I could swear I saw a tear run from her eye, when she flew off down the hall as fast as possible.

Please don't be sad, Dashie. Please.

I turned back to Rarity and finished washing her up, before drying her with the usual towel I kept by the sink. I made sure she was dry and warm, and carried her to the living room. I didn't want her to hurt herself by falling off the sofa, so I put a cushion on the floor, and wrapped her in my jumper, before setting her down on the cushion. She sighed and curled up in a ball contentedly. I walked quietly away to talk to Dashie about what had happened while I was at work.

“Dashie? Dashie, may I come in?” I asked. There was no answer. I slowly opened the door, and saw her sat in the corner, pushing her toy cars around. I walked over and sat down next to her. “Dashie, what's wrong?”

She looked up at me, tears in her eyes. “You don't love me any more!” she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I scooped her up in my arms and held her tightly against my chest.

“Dashie, why would I stop loving you? Nothing could make me stop!” I said, rubbing my cheek on the top of her head. She smiled slightly, before frowning again.

“You like that new pony better than me, I saw you give her my ducky you're replacing me, aren't you? I'm not good enough!” she continued, suddenly wrenching herself from my grip and flying over to her bed, burying her head in the pillow.

“Dashie, please. You're not being replaced. Trust me, I still love you. I just gave her your ducky to calm her down, It's still your ducky as well, don't worry! But, I need you to tell me. Where did she come from, why was she under your bed?” I asked, reaching down to her, gently petting her mane. She lifted her head and looked at me.

“You'll be angry Daddy. That's why I hid her.”

“What do you mean? I promise not to get angry Dashie, just tell me. Please.”

She looked at me and nodded, wiping the snot from her nose and rubbing the tears from her eyes. “I found her outside, Daddy. I've been going outside on my own when you're at work.” she said, her voice trembling in fear of telling me the truth.

In all honesty, I was angry. I was concerning for Dashie's safety more than anything, but I was angry she felt the need to lie to me, despite what I'd taught her. That, and the fact she has been playing outside, in broad daylight where anyone could have seen her. Where anyone could have taken her. I looked at Dashie, sitting on the bed, trembling in fear, her head hung low.

“It's okay Dashie. I forgive you, but please, don't go outside without me around. Ever. It's not safe, as you should know.” I said, picking her up and cuddling her again, trying not to drive a wedge between us. I took a deep breath as I held her and said “But, where did you find her outside? Was there anyone else there?”

“She pulled her head out of my shirt and shook it from side to side. “No, there wasn't anyone else there. I had been flying around and saw a purple thing in the snow. I went to get a closer look, and found her buried under the snow, crying and shivering. I... I brought her in, as she looked scared. But I didn't want you to find her and tell me off for going outside, so I hid her.” She rubbed her hooves together nervously, before continuing. “So I thought I could hide her and look after her myself, and you wouldn't know. I'm sorry, Daddy.”

“It's okay, Dashie. You did the right thing. She needed our help, and it's a good thing you found her, or she might have died. But in the future, if you need help with anything, you know you can tell me, right?” She looked up at me and nodded her head. “Good. Come on then, let's go see if she's okay.” I stood up and carried Dashie with me to the doorway, when she looked up at me, puzzled.

“Daddy, where did I come from?” she asked.

I froze up. Had I heard her correctly? I hoped not. I dreaded telling her, for the fear she'd hate me for it. But it seemed inevitable I'd have to tell her one day. I looked into her eyes, and knew it was time. I couldn't tell her off for lying, and then keep lying to her all the same. I sat back down with her on the bed, holding her tightly in my arms.

“What makes you ask that, Dashie?”

“Well, I found that baby outside and-”

“Rarity” I corrected her.

“Yeah, Rarity. Well I found her outside all alone, so I wondered where I came from? Where did she come from too, she was all alone!”

I took a deep breath, and decided to tell her. Not all the details about how she is a fictional character mind you, that would be too much to let a small child know. But I had to tell her the truth, at least in part.

“Dashie...you...you were abandoned when I found you.” I stammered. My eyes began to water as I remembered that night. “You were in a cardboard box, just lying in the road. I bought you home and cared for you, raised you as my own. You were badly hurt when I first found you, and if I hadn't found you, I dread to think what might have happened. The same as you saved Rarity, and bought her home. If you hadn't, then who knows what might have occurred.”

I paused, and looked at her, waiting for her to ask a hundred questions. She looked deep in thought, as I imagined the worst possible scenarios that could follow.

“So, why was I put in the box?” she asked, looking confused.

“I don't know Dashie. Your parents must not have wanted you, whoever they were. But it's their loss, as you're the best daughter I could ever have. I'm sorry that it ever happened Dashie, I really am.” I said, fighting back the tears that ran down my cheek.

Dashie looked up at me, no longer looking as confused, but she was now fighting back tears. She suddenly leant forward and hugged me.

“I'm not sorry. I can't imagine being looked after by anyone else. You're the best. Thank you, Daddy. Thank you for being there for me.” she said, tears streaming down her cheeks, matting her fur. She buried her face against my chest to hide her emotions.

I hugged her back, and kissed the top of her head. “You're welcome Dashie. I love you, so very, very much.”

“I love you too, Daddy.” She replied. We sat together crying for a few moments, until Dashie spoke up. “So, does this mean Rarity has been abandoned by her parents as well?” she asked, sobbing gently.

I nodded. “Yes Dashie, it does. But we can't tell her until she's older, when she can fully understand what it means, okay?”

Dashie nodded. We then sat together playing with some of Dashie's toys to cheer her up and to reassure her I wasn't replacing her, after half an hour I looked at my watch and noticed the time.

“Come on, let's go see how Rarity is doing.” I said. “How your new sister is doing, to be exact.” I added, causing Dashie to look up at me and smile.

We walked out into the living room and sat down next to the cushion Rarity was sleeping on, gently breathing in and out, the jumper moving up and down with each breath. I peered at her head to make sure she was okay, and felt the top of my jumper. It was warm to the touch, and I felt relief knowing that she was feeling better. Dashie peered in as well, and reached forward to hug her sleeping body, eager to say hello. I put my hand on her hoof and shook my head.

“Dashie, she's very little, and she's probably had a bad day. Let's leave her to rest for a bit longer, she'll wake up and want to play later.” I whispered. Dashie looked at me and nodded, putting her hoof back on the ground.

I stood up and went to the bathroom, opening the cupboard under the sink. I took out one of the old packs of nappies I'd had left over from when I first got Dashie. This was one of the many things I wasn't looking forward to doing again. I sighed heavily and hoped it'd be easy enough to do, like it was last time. I returned to the living room, only to find Rarity now sat up on the cushion, cowering away from Dashie who appeared to be staring intently at her.

“Dashie, is she okay?”

Dashie looked at me and nodded her head. “Yes Daddy, she just woke up!” she replied, before turning back to Rarity.

Rarity backed away slowly, until she rolled off the edge of the cushion onto the floor. Dashie quickly darted round and helped her sit up, as I rushed over and picked her up, gently rocking her back and forth. She soon smiled, and I was glad to see she wasn't injured.

I carried her to the kitchen and fitted her with a nappy while Dashie began playing with her toy cars on the floor. I put the nappy on Rarity, who kicked her legs playfully all the while. She then began squirming around after being fitted with her new nappy, seeming to not like wearing it.  

“Don't worry, you'll soon grow out of them,” I said playfully, before picking her up and carrying her  back to the living room.

I put her back down on the floor next to Dashie, hoping playing together would take her mind off of it. I knelt down next to Rarity, trying to get her to warm to Dashie and me. Dashie trotted over and rubbed her head on Rarity's own head, causing the filly to smile.

Dashie then trotted over to one of her toy cars and pushed it across the floor towards Rarity. Rarity watched intently as it rolled towards her, stopping in front of her. She smiled, so I pushed it back to Dashie for her, when she began to crawl after it across the floor, crawling towards Dashie. She soon reached the car and picked it up with her mouth, drooling all over it as she sat back down and smiled.

She continued to suck on the toy car, when Dashie stood up  and yanked it from her mouth.

“We don't eat the cars Rarity, and this one is my favourite!” she said angrily as Rarity's began to frown and started to cry. Dashie wiped her drool covered car on Rarity's coat, before walking away and playing with her car by herself.

I ran over to Rarity and picked her up once again and began shushing her, as I gently rocked her back and forth, trying to calm her down. I looked over at Dashie who saw me hugging Rarity. She trotted off to her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

Dashie, what's gotten into you? I thought, as I wiped off the drool from Rarity's coat and began to calm her down a bit more.

“Hey, it's okay little one. She's just a bit upset at the moment, don't worry. She'll soon become your best friend.” I whispered to Rarity, as she lay in my arms. I hoped she'd believe it, as I certainly didn't. I hadn't expected Dashie to change like that. I looked back down at Rarity, as she lay in my arms. Her stomach grumbled suddenly and she began to frown.

“Are you hungry by any chance?” I asked, knowing fully well that she was. I took her to the kitchen and made up a bottle of milk for her, using Dashie's old milk bottle. I hoped it'd also take her mind off of Dashie, who wasn't being as friendly as I'd expected.

I placed the bottle in her mouth and watched as she cutely suckled on the bottle top, guzzling down the milk in a matter of seconds. She soon finished and I took the bottle away, putting it on the side. She smiled, but not before gurgling and contorting her face. I gently rested her over my shoulder and rubbed her back, causing her to burp quietly. I smiled at the cute sound and carried her into my bedroom, to made up a small bed for her. I opened my bedside table drawer, and lined it with jumpers and blankets to make a bed.

I didn't want her to sleep too far away, or to wake up alone and scared, so I knew this would be a safe bet. I did the exact same thing with Dashie when she was a foal, and she never complained. I gently put Rarity down inside of it and wrapped a blanket around her small body, before sitting with her, gently whispering a lullaby until she fell asleep. Once she had dozed off, I went off to talk to Dashie again.

I stepped into her bedroom and found Dashie sitting on her bed, cuddling her teddy while wrapped up in her favourite blanket. She looked up at me with tears in her eyes, before focusing back on her teddy again, hugging him tightly. I sat down next to her and just silently stroked her mane, until she eventually spoke up.

“I don't want her playing with my toys, Daddy. Can't she get some of her own?” she said, continuing to look down at her teddy.

“Dashie, she's only little, and she has no idea about what ownership is. She'll play with anything she can get a hold of. What's wrong with her playing with some of your toys, anyway? She just wants to play with you, and I thought you wanted to play with her?” I asked Dashie, who began to furrow her brow in confusion.

“But she's gonna break them, and drool on them Daddy! I don't want her drooling on my toys.” she protested.

“Come on Dashie, she won't break them. Trust me. Just give her a chance, she wants to play with you, and she wants to be your friend. But she won't be your friend if you snatch things away from her like that.” I said, as Dashie contemplated my words. “Besides, If she starts trying to break your toys on purpose, tell me and I'll ask her to stop. Don't just yank it from her, or you'll upset or risk hurting her. Okay?”

Dashie sat still, holding her teddy tightly. “Okay,” she mumbled, barely audible.

“Good. Now come on, it's getting late. Let's get some sleep, and wake up fresh tomorrow, then we can start the day on the right note. How's that sound?”

“Okay, Daddy.” Dashie said solemnly, before crawling into her bed and hiding under the covers. I bent down and gave her a soft kiss on the head. I hoped a good nights sleep might change her mind.

“Good night Dashie.” I said, but got no response. I turned off the light and closed the door, before returning to my bedroom. I checked Rarity was still comfortable in her drawer before going to sleep myself.

I woke up the next day at seven AM, as usual. I rolled over and looked into my bedside drawer to see Rarity laying there, coo'ing and babbling. She had been awake a while as her blanket lay on the floor, and she was laying on her back, kicking her hooves in the air. I climbed out of bed and dressed myself, before lifting her out of the drawer and gently bouncing her up and down playfully.

I carried Rarity to the living room, planning to leave her there while I made breakfast. To my surprise Dashie was already up and gathering all her toys up from the living room.

“Morning Dashie! You're up early!” I said, as I put Rarity down onto the floor. “Why are you up this early on a Saturday?”

She looked at Rarity, then looked at me and smiled. “I decided to tidy up my toys and find some for Rarity to play with!” she said happily. I nodded my head in approval, and went towards the kitchen.

“Do you want some breakfast?” I asked.

“Yes please Daddy!” I heard her call back. I was glad she sounded happier than she had yesterday. I made Dashie her usual bowl of oats, and made a second one for Rarity, carrying both back into the living room. I put Dashie's on her chair, and then lifted Rarity onto the sofa and sat next to her, bowl in hand.

I tied an old handkerchief around her neck as a makeshift bib, before I scooped a small amount of food and began to slowly hand feed her as she slowly but steadily ate her breakfast. I had to stop every few spoonfuls to wipe her mouth off when she spat it out, or dribbled, but I found it adorable all the same.  

As Rarity chewed each mouthful, I occasionally glanced up to check Dashie was okay, only to see her smiling and looking towards us. As soon as she saw me looking she smiled wider and quickly took another mouthful of food. I scooped another spoonful of oats and gently fed it to Rarity, who was now a lot more comfortable around me.

After finally finishing up, I put Rarity back onto the living room floor and carried her bowl back to the kitchen. Dashie followed behind me, carrying her empty bowl in her own mouth. She flew up onto the counter and placed it into the sink, before giggling.

“Daddy, she's fallen asleep. Can I go put her to bed?” Dashie asked, smiling.

“Okay then, but be gentle, and make sure she is comfortable in the drawer.”

Dashie nodded and flew out into the living room, carrying Rarity to bed. I finished washing up and then went to my bedroom to see how they were getting on. To my surprise Dashie was on the floor and the drawer was shut.

“Dashie, where's Rarity?” I asked. Dashie smiled widely and looked at the drawer.

“I put her to bed Daddy! She's in there!” she said, continuing to smile.

I then heard Rarity begin to whine and mumble as I realised what Dashie had done. I rushed over to the drawer and opened it, finding her inside, crying to herself, sucking on one hoof, while kicking the rest about. I scooped her up and rocked her back and forth, calming her down.

“Dashie, why did you shut the drawer with her inside?” I asked. Dashie looked at me, confused.

“I thought that's what you did, so she didn't fall out.”

“No Dashie. Not at all. You've upset her now, go back to the living room while I calm her down, okay?”

Dashie looked at me and turned around, trotting back into the hall. I continued to calm Rarity down until she stopped crying and began to fall asleep. I went to put her back in the drawer, when she started crying loudly again, kicking her hooves.

“You don't like the drawer now, do you?” I asked the filly, who calmed down as I lifted her away from it. “Fine, let's put you in the big bed.”

I turned to my bed and took a pillow, opening the case I put Rarity inside with the pillow, like a small bed of her own. I then laid it on top of the duvet and sat with her, trying to get her to fall asleep. Unfortunately she wasn't trying to now, so I ended up taking her back to the living room, hoping she wouldn't end up cranky later on.

Dashie saw us come back in and smiled.

“She sure is a messy eater, Daddy! Look at all the oats on the sofa! I never made this much mess, did I?” Dashie said, boastfully.

“True, but she is very young. Come on, let's sort out which toys you're giving her, since she can't sleep now.”

I put Rarity down on the floor and watched as Dashie ran over to a pile of toys she had gathered and began to pick one to give to Rarity. She took hold of a old battered toy car of hers and rolled it towards Rarity, stopping it in front of her. Rarity looked at it and smiled at Dashie, before pushing the car back and forth. Dashie went and got a car of her own and began to roll it around next to to Rarity's car.

Dashie began to race her car faster and faster, until Rarity started to bash her car into Dashie's, crashing it about and laughing. Dashie began to grow annoyed and took the car from Rarity.

“No Rarity, you roll it along the floor, like this!” Dashie pushed the car towards Rarity, hoping to roll it back and forth.

Rarity tried to stop it with her hoof, missing entirely as it rolled between her legs, coming to a stop. Rarity bent down, trying to reach it without success. Dashie smiled and walked over, reaching down to grab it with her mouth, when she suddenly jolted backwards and scrunched up her nose, flapping her wings vigorously.

“Eww, Daddy, she smells!” she cried, continuing to flap her wings, fanning the odour away from her. “It's horrible Daddy, I can still smell it! I think it's on my nose, bleurgh!” Dashie leapt into the air and flew up to the ceiling, placing a hoof onto her nose, rubbing it frantically.

Rarity looked up at Dashie, her lower lip beginning to tremble. She began to tear up as she crawled away quickly, hiding behind the sofa. I looked up at Dashie, disappointed with her actions. I tip toed over to the sofa, sneaking up behind Rarity, who had now curled up into a ball, embarrassed. I stuck my hands under her belly and lifted her up, carrying her with me to the bathroom. I changed the nappy, and once done I began to tickle her stomach, causing her to smile widely and laugh heartily.  

“There, isn't that better? Who's a ticklish pony?” I playfully said, continuing to tickle her as she laughed happily. I carried her back to the living room and sat her on the floor, before fetching an old ball from my bedroom for Rarity to play with. Dashie flew down onto the floor and walked over to Rarity, stroking her with a hoof.  

“Sorry Rarity,” she said, before walking over to her art box. She removed a crayon and began to draw a picture, while Rarity looked up to me expectantly, noticing the bright red ball I was holding.

I sat down on the floor opposite Rarity and gently rolled the ball towards her. The ball stopped just in front of her, as she looked at it, puzzled. She rested her lips on the ball and began sucking on the surface when she leant against it and fell over as the ball rolled away. I rushed to her, afraid she was going to start crying, only to find she sat back up giggling.

I picked the ball up again and gently rolled it over to her and Rarity soon nudged it back with her head. We sat down rolling it back and forth for an hour, when Dashie trotted over and sat next to me.

“Daddy, can I join in with you two now?” she asked, watching as Rarity gently nudged the ball back towards me. I nodded and passed the ball to Dashie, so we would roll it back and forth in a triangle.

Dashie took the ball and began to run around, nudging it with her head. She ran over to Rarity and ran around her in circles, while Rarity struggled to keep up with Dashie's speed. She eventually passed the ball back to me, so I gently rolled it towards Rarity. Unfortunately Dashie ran into it and grabbed it before Rarity had a chance.

“Come on Dashie, we need to pass it to Rarity. She's too little to run about with it at the moment.”

Dashie looked at me and frowned before kicking the ball back towards me. She sat down and carried on rolling it around in a circle, bored. Rarity saw her looking fed up and crawled over to her, sitting down on Dashie's legs. She smiled and waited for the ball to be passed. I gently rolled it over, and Rarity rolled it back again, giggling as she lay amidst Dashie's blue legs.

Dashie looked down at Rarity and began to laugh with her, helping her roll the ball back again. She lifted up Rarity's tail and began to fluff it about in her hooves, before grabbing her tail and laying it over Rarity's body. The little filly giggled at this and pulled on it, sucking a few of the loose strands.

“Daddy, can we look at my new pictures now?” Dashie said, pulling her tail out of Rarity's mouth.

“In a minute Dashie, Rarity wants to keep playing.”

“But Daddy!” Dashie cried.

“Not right now Dashie!” I said. Dashie got up and trotted off again, choosing to play with her toy cars again.

I rolled the ball back to Rarity, when she decided to stop playing and let it roll past her. She got up and began to crawl away,  beginning to explore the house some more. I followed her into my bedroom, only to find she had disappeared from sight.

“Rarity, where are you?” I called, when I heard giggles coming from under the bed. I snuck up on her and lifted the side of the sheet, finding her laughing and clapping her hooves. “There you are, come on out silly!” I reached in to grab her when she ran off into the hall. I gathered she wanted to play hide and seek, so I waited a few minutes before following her.

I stepped into the hall to seek her out, when Dashie came over to me.

“Daddy, can you please come look at my drawings now?” she whined.

“Not now Dashie, Rarity is playing hide and seek. Have you seen her?” I asked playfully. Dashie just shook her head and walked off to the living room again. I  heard a sudden unmistakeable giggle sound coming from the bathroom, which shortly turned into a low moan. I followed the sound and found her sitting inside the washing basket.

“found you!” I said, and reached in to get her, only to notice she was weeping. “What's the matter Rarity?” I lifted her out, and found she had a sock stuck on her horn, she was struggled to get it off with her hooves, and begun to shake her head about, trying to remove it.

I laughed to myself and pulled it off, before kissing her head better. “There, happy now?” I asked, which caused her to smile. I put her down and watched as she ran back into the living room, heading over to Dashie.

Rarity ran over to Dashie and began to nuzzle her head against Dashie's body, prodding her with her horn. Dashie pushed Rarity away, until she saw me. She smiled happily and grabbed her picture from beneath Rarity.

“Daddy, look at my picture now, please look! Please!”

“Okay Dashie, let me just get Rarity first.” I said, as I picked up the little filly and carried her to Dashie's picture. I bent down to take a closer look, and saw Dashie had drawn a picture of herself and I, sitting on the sofa smiling.

“That's great Dashie!” I said. “Look Rarity, that's me, and that's your sister, Dashie!” I pointed out myself and Dashie to her. Rarity looked closer. “Where's Rarity in the picture then, Dashie?” I added, realising she was looking for herself.

“She's there!” Dashie said, placing her hoof on the picture.

I leant in for a closer look, when I noticed Dashie had drawn Rarity sitting on the floor, a frown upon her face, stink lines around her. I was about to tell her off for being horrible, when Rarity let out a giggle and clapped her hooves upon seeing herself in the picture, causing Dashie to smile and flap her wings happily again. I put Rarity back down on the floor and left her with Dashie, who was drawing intently again while Rarity watched.

Dashie held a crayon out to Rarity. She sniffed at it and opened her mouth to take a bite, so I quickly reached down and snatched it away.

“Don't give her any crayons Dashie, or she might choke, okay?” I said, handing Dashie the crayon again. She nodded and carried on drawing, while Rarity watched. I left them to it as I prepared to go out and get more supplies for Rarity. I went to my bedroom and picked up my bag and car keys before going back to the living room, walking over to Rarity I bent down next to her, smiling.

“Okay, I'm going out for a bit now Rarity, So your big sister Dashie is in charge. I won't be long, so don't get upset. If you need anything let Dashie know, she'll look after you. I love you little one, stay safe!” I said, before holding her in my arms and giving her a big cuddle.  I then put Rarity back down and rubbed her head playfully.

“you're in charge Dashie, look after Rarity, make sure she doesn't get hurt.”

“Okay! Bye Daddy!” Dashie said, smiling. I shut the door behind me and hurried to my car, not wanting to be gone for more than an hour.

I ran to the front door and looked out the window to watch Daddy leave. He didn't give me a cuddle goodbye. I missed his cuddles. I sat and watched him drive off, not coming back to give me a hug. I flew back to the living room and saw Rarity curled up on my pictures. She was Daddy's favourite now.

She saw me and got up, crawling over to me, rubbing her head against my chest, making babbling noises. I pushed her away and went to my bedroom to talk to Birdy, she was my friend. She understood me. But Rarity followed me into my bedroom and saw my bedsheets. She began to pull on them, trying to wrap herself in them, all the while trampling all over my drawings on the floor, giggling and jumping up and down.

“Hey! Get off my drawings of Daddy!” I yelled, but she kept jumping on them all.

She looked at me and frowned, before sitting down and crying. I pushed her off my picture and picked it up, finding it was all wet and horrible. I grabbed her by the mane and carried her out into the hall, before going into my bedroom, shutting the door behind me. She tried to open the door by pushing against it, when I heard her start to cry so I opened the door again and she ran into me, resting her head against my body, smiling.

I led her to the living room and sat her by the sofa. “Come on, let's play with my box fort,” I said as I walked over to it. Rarity followed me inside and began to crawl about, exploring it happily. She began to wriggle about through the doorway, and her nappy fell off. She then laughed and clapped her hooves, before running inside the fort again.

“No Rarity, come back! You need to put this on!” but she kept on running around, and started to make a mess on the fort floor, wee'ing everywhere. She's running Daddy and Dashie's fort!

I chased her and grabbed her tail, but she got me wet, so I let go. It was all horrible and smelly. Then she began to climb out one of the windows and fell out onto the floor, beginning to cry. I ran outside quickly and picked her up, putting her down by the sofa. I tried to calm her down, but she kept on crying and making a mess. She was even wetter and smellier so I walked away, when she began to waggle her arms in the air like the silly baby she is.

“No! You get all of Daddy's attention! He's mine, I was here first! I wish I'd never found you!” She kept on reaching out for a cuddle, so I walked off and got her ball. “Here, cuddle with Daddy's favourite ball, silly baby!”

I kicked the ball towards her, It hit her chest and she fell backwards onto her back, unable to get up. I felt guilty, but then remembered that Daddy would still hug her and not me. I tried to make her stop crying by rubbing her head and poking her on the head, but she kept on crying.

Why is Daddy so kind to her? I was here first, he should love me more! I'm more fun than that stupid Rarity anyway. But he'll blame me for this, so I've got to hide it. I walked back to my fort and dragged her nappy outside. I dropped it as soon as possible, it smelt as horrible as she did. I put it next to her on the floor so it looked like she took it off.

I then went and got my drawings and went to my bedroom and hid. I didn't want Daddy to tell me off for it. Rarity kept on crying in the living room and I felt kinda bad, but I waited for Daddy to come home. I didn't want to touch her, she was really disgusting.

As I approached the front door, I heard Rarity crying loudly before I was even inside. I rushed in through the door and put the bags down, running over to the sofa where Rarity lay on the ground, rolling about.

I bent down and picked her up in my arms, noticing she had taken her nappy off, and was soaking wet.

“Shush, there there. Who's a silly pony? Come on, let's get you cleaned up. Where's your big sister then? She was meant to look after you, but it looks like she did a poor job.” I said, rocking her up and down as her wails turned into gentle sobs. I went to the kitchen sink and filled it with warm water and a load of bubbles, before gently placing Rarity into it.

As I began to gently wash her small body, I heard the sound of Dashie's hooves on the kitchen floor. Turning around I found her standing there, frowning.

“Dashie, what happened? You were meant to look after her!” I said quietly, not wanting to shout and upset Rarity further. Dashie looked at me and hung her head.

“After you left she started to cry and pulled her nappy off. Then she began to roll around and went wee wee everywhere. She got some on me, and  I felt sick so I went and hid, because I didn't want to get covered in it. I'm sorry Daddy.”

Dashie began to sniffle, so I bent down and rubbed her mane. “Hey, it's okay. But next time, try to watch her better, she could get seriously hurt if we're not careful. Come on, you can help me clean her up, how about that?”

Dashie nodded and flew up onto the counter, smiling at Rarity. Rarity shied away however, and began to sob louder in the bath, covering her eyes with her hooves. I looked at Dashie who looked equally confused. I began to gently rub her small purple mane, when Dashie suddenly leapt into the sink, splashing water and bubbles everywhere.

“Wheee! We can wash together!” she cried, as she began to slosh the water around, trying to make more bubbles. Unfortunately as she got in the water, it rose higher and Rarity began to struggle to keep her head above the water and the bubbles. I quickly reached in and lifted Rarity out as she began to cough and splutter. I put her over my shoulder and patted her back, making sure she hadn't inhaled any.

I frowned at Dashie, who looked back at me, now sitting motionless in the bath. I turned away and carried Rarity to the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. What is Dashie playing at? I filled the bathroom sink with water and washed Rarity alone in there. She began to smile again, until I began washing her chest where she started to wince and squeal. I took a closer look and noticed a small bruise had started to appear. I apologized and gently kissed her head, taking extra care to clean her up.

Once I was satisfied she was clean and happy, I put a new nappy on her. “Now, don't take this one off, okay?” I said, rubbing her head playfully, causing her to smile and hug my arm. I picked her up and left the bathroom, only to find Dashie sat outside the door, waiting.

“Come on Dashie, apologize to Rarity for ruining her bath.” I said, putting Rarity down on the floor next to Dashie.

“Sorry Rarity.” Dashie mumbled. Rarity looked at her, before crawling towards the living room. I watched as she crawled off, and decided to follow her.

“Okay then, let's go watch some TV to take our minds off of it.” I said, and watched as Dashie raced ahead and flew onto her chair, while Rarity crawled along as quickly as she could, trying to beat her.

I picked Rarity up and put her down on Dashie's arm chair, sitting next to her. Dashie looked at Rarity as she crawled closer to Dashie to cuddle, so I went to put on a DVD when I heard a thump. I turned around, only to see Rarity laying on the floor with Dashie looking over the edge of the chair, concerned as Rarity lay on the floor, whimpering.  

“Dashie, what did you do!?” I said, running over, picking up the little filly.

“I didn't do a thing Daddy! She fell off on her own, honest!” Dashie protested, as she flew up to my arms to check if she was okay. I turned around so Dashie wouldn't upset her further.

“No Dashie. That's enough, go to your room. I'll be in to talk to you in a bit, but for now just go sit in there and think about how you've been acting today.” I said sternly. Dashie stormed off to her room and slammed the door shut, the force of the air blowing down the hall.

“Come on Rarity, let's get you to bed. You've had a rough morning.” I gently bounced her up and down as I carried her to my bedroom, putting her in the bed itself. I tucked a blanket around her body and sat with for half an hour, gently shushing her and stroking her mane until she fell asleep. Once she drifted off, I went to talk to Dashie.

I opened the door and stepped right in, not waiting to knock. To my surprise Dashie sat on the windowsill, the window wide open, a bag of her toys next to her side. I quickly ran over and grabbed a hold of her stomach as she flapped her wings violently, trying to get away.  

“No! Let go, I don't want to stay with you any more! I hate you!” she screamed, as she started kicking me in the chest, even trying to bite my fingers.

I wrestled Dashie onto her bed and wrapped the blanket around her wings so she couldn't fly, which gave me enough time to shut the window. I turned around only to see Dashie now sat on her bed, crying. I walked over and sat down next to her, I attempted to reach out a calming hand, only for her to wrench herself away from me.

“What's gotten into you, Dashie?”

“You give her all the attention. You've done everything for her, and just ignored me. We've not done anything together all day!”

“Well she is a baby, Dashie. She needs extra care and attention, she's not a big pony like you!”

“No! I don't want to be a big pony if it means I don't get hugs!” she cried, wiping her eyes.

“Dashie, you'll still get all my love, you just need to be more responsible and patient. Come on, tell me what happened. What really happened.”

Dashie sighed and looked away from me before speaking.

“She kept on touching my stuff and ruining my drawings of you, so I pushed her outside of my room. Then she went into my box fort and wee'd all over it. She's horrible Daddy, she made a real mess!”

I felt angry at Dashie again, she needed to learn some respect. But I let her continue.

“Then she fell out of the fort Daddy and hurt herself, but she wouldn't stop crying, so I left her alone. I didn't want you to tell me off... I'm sorry Daddy...” she finished, and buried her head in her pillow.

I picked her up and gently cuddled her, trying to calm her down. She kept on sobbing and crying loudly, before looking up at me, with a concerned look on her face.

“Is she.. okay?” she said, sniffling.

“Yes Dashie, she is, but did you push her off the chair?”

“No Daddy, honest. She tried to cuddle me, but she fell backwards and fell off. I tried to grab her, honest!”

“Okay then, come on. Go say goodnight to her, and we'll tidy up your box fort. Just the two of us. But you need to be kinder to her from now on, or you won't be allowed to play with her until she gets older.”

I carried Dashie with me to the bedroom and held her next to Rarity's bed. She looked at the slipping filly and smiled, reaching out to stroke her. She gently petted her side, before turning to me and apologising. I nuzzled her head and we sat together watching Rarity sleeping for a while. After half an hour we went back to the living room and made Dashie a new fort to play in, just the two of us together.

She seemed happier throughout, until we heard Rarity crying. I went to get her, when Dashie looked at me.

“Can I go get her, Daddy?”

“Sure thing Dashie,” I said, as she trotted down to the bedroom. I followed her to the bedroom and stood outside the door, listening. I heard her gently talking to Rarity, who began to giggle softly.