Magnum looked both ways before tiphoofing across the yard. He listened for any signs of movement, but heard nothing. Quickly yet quietly, he opened the front door of the house.

“Dad. Dad! Hey! Dad! Hello!” Sweetie Belle had pounced on him almost immediately after he opened the door.

“Hehe. Hey Sweetie.” Magnum put down his suitcase and bent down to hug his daughter who was wrapped around his leg. Excitable as always, huh? He squeezed her for a few seconds before he asked, “Did you have a good day?”

“Yes! I played with my friends and we tried to get our cutie marks and we went skydiving and herded sheep and became shopkeepers and...”

Magnum chuckled as he put away his coat. “So you had lots of fun then?”

“Yup!” Sweetie Belle beamed at him. “How about you?”

Magnum didn’t want to think about it. His boss had given him an unrealistic deadline while demanding more than his team could provide. But if he spoke up, Magnum was afraid he’d get fired. “Rough. But it’s all better now cause I’m here with you.” Magnum kissed her on the cheek and smiled back. Sweetie Belle giggled. “So what’s for dinner? Did your mom say?”

“Daffodil sandwiches!” Sweetie Belle bounced up and down around her father as they walked into the living room. “She said that she’s almost done.”

“Great! Let me know when she’s ready, okay?” He headed towards his favorite spot, the recliner. At the end of the day, he could always count on its soft cushions to relax his aching joints. “I’m just going to put up my hooves for a bit.” Magnum jumped on the recliner and leaned backwards, letting out a sharp exhale as the pressure on his hooves lifted. “Ah! Much better!”

Sweetie Belle sat on the floor next to him and stared with her unending smile. “Soooooooo...” Sweetie Belle said, stretching out her words. “Are you ready for tomorrow?”

Magnum wiggled in place, trying to get more comfortable. “Why, what’s tomorrow?”

Her eyes brightened. “You know! You promised to take me to the park, remember?”

“Oh...” Magnum rubbed the back of his neck with a hoof. “Sorry Sweetie, I forgot. I’m really tired, so perhaps we could go another time?”

“Okay...” Sweetie deflated like a balloon, her earlier enthusiasm vanishing into a puff of smoke. She laid down and curled into a ball, her ears sitting flat against her head. “Some other time then...”

“How does next week sound?” he asked.

Sweetie Belle whispered, but Magnum still heard her. “That’s what you said last week...”

Magnum looked down at his daughter who had her head in her hooves. When he had a less demanding job, they were able to go all the time, but after he had gotten promoted, he was always either tired or busy. Except for the sparse few hours after he got home, he never really spent as much time as he wanted with Sweetie Belle.

Magnum gently stroked her back. “You were looking forward to it that much, huh?”

“Yes.” Sweetie pouted with her lips.

Magnum paused before lifting up his daughter’s chin. “Well, if it means that much to you, then alright. We can go.”

Instantly, Sweetie Belle jumped up. “Really?!”

“Of course.”

“Yippee!” Sweetie Belle bounced around in a circle. “Yay!” She jumped on his neck and hugged it tightly. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

"Anything for you, Sweetie." Magnum laughed as she cuddled into a ball in his lap. He leaned his snout down and nuzzled her. "So... you said you tried to be a shopkeeper today?"