I could have sent her back...

Dear Diary,

It's been a full year today since I found Dashie lying there by the side of the road.

I think I've been a good father so far. I've kept her safe and fed, I've given her books to read, I spend every single day with her, and I never ask a thing in return. I just let her do her own thing, as long as she does it safely. No chores, no school, nothing. Unlike my own daddy, I've never even touched her. I'd never ever ever ever touch her.

And I believe that's important. There are a lot of weirdos out there who would jump at the chance to sully her. After all, what sort of cop would listen to a talking horse? If she tried to talk, she'd just be hauled up to Nevada and experimented on by the government. Then, when they're done with her, they'd just toss her in some ditch and no one would find the body. They don't care if the specimen had been mistreated or not, they just wanna take her apart and see what makes her tick.

There are a lot of weirdos that would take advantage of this fact. A victim who could never talk to anyone, because if she talked to anyone, they'd kill her. Some men would see this as a source of power. Carte Blanche to do whatever they wanted to the poor filly. She could be their slave. Day after day after day of the most horrible kind of servitude, until the poor thing finally snaps and they find her body floating face down in the central river with scars all over her arms and an illegitimate child in her womb.

I don't want that for her. And I've done all I can to protect her from that.

So imagine my surprise when I find out that she's been sneaking out at midnight to fly around the city. Yes, I read her diary. I had to. She was betraying me, and I never would have found out about it otherwise.

Does she not appreciate a single thing that I do for her!? Does she WANT to get taken away by the government!? I know that she understands the consequences of her actions, so I am bewildered by her brazen disobedience.

She's been stabbing me in the back for months now, and she knows it. But no more.

I've locked the windows, and they're staying locked. There's no way she's getting out. There's no way I'm letting my little Dashie out into that cruel, heartless world for even another minute.