>The second you started running the water, you realized what you would have to do.
>You pinch the bridge of your nose and stand up once the tub is filled.
“Octavia!” you call.
>The house is silent. You sigh.
“Don't make this difficult, young lady!”
>You step out into the hall and look towards the filly's room.
>Amidst the accumulating clutter, you can't see if anyone is there.
>Making your way to the closet, you think you hear something in the hall.
“Come on, you won't get supper until you've had your bath, you know!”
>You open the closet door and look inside. There's a pile of stuffed animals on the floor that looks strangely large. You notice a tail flicking back and forth from beneath them.
>Just as you squat to reveal the little gray filly, she springs out of the pile and scurries, giggling, into the hallway.
“Seriously?” you get back up, muttering to yourself.
>The hall is empty when you get out of Octavia's room.
>As you stand in the door frame, you catch the sound of little hooves coming from downstairs.
>You make your way down, scanning the living room when you do.
>Nothing out of place.
>There's a noise behind you. You turn and see nothing.
“Come out, Octvatia. I'm losing my patience,” you say.
>There's another noise, this time from the living room. You dash in just in time to see a streak of black as Octavia ducks into the kitchen.
>You make for the kitchen as fast as you can. When you do, you spot Octavia going into the dining room.
>Just as you start to follow her again, you stop and look behind.
>As your eye starts twitching, you start back into the living room and crouch next to the sofa.
1/
 
>The filly's hoof-falls come back around and you prepare yourself..
>After another few seconds, she passes in front of you. You leap out and catch the filly, who yelps in surprise.
“Gotcha!”
>”Noooo!” she shouts, wriggling in your arms as you stand up and start walking to the stairs.
>When you get about halfway up, however, Octavia manages to squirm out of your grasp. She bolts back down the stairs.
>Your eye twitches again.
“Octavia, you come back up here now!”
>”I don't wanna!” she calls back.
“You're not getting out of bath time!”
>You start coming back down the stairs.
>The only answer you get is a chaotic clattering in the front hall, followed by a high-pitched yelp and a loud thud.
>Worried, you rush to the source of the sound, only to find a pair of grey legs poking out of the umbrella stand by the front door.
>When she hears you approach, Octavia starts flailing, apparently trying to wiggle her way out of the stand.
>You lean over her.
“Are you okay?”
>The legs stop moving and the tail falls, defeated.
>”Mmhmm...” she answers.
“You stuck?”
>”Mmhmm...”
“Want Dad to help you?”
>...Mmhmm...”
“Alright.”
>You gently grab the filly's haunches and lift her out of the umbrella stand.
>The look on her face as you bring her upstairs makes her look like the pinnacle of misery.
>”Do I have to take a bath?” she asks, her expression changing to a more pleading one.
“Yes. You've got to get all clean for tomorrow.”
>”What's special about tomorrow?”
“Nothing, but you've got to be clean for anything you do.”
>”Ugh, fine...” she sighs.
>You open the bathroom door, relieved to be finished, but at that moment, Octavia again slips out of your grip.
>This time, however, you're ready. You whip around and catch her by the leg before she can escape to her room.
>The filly lets out a loud groan and you pull her back to the bathroom.
2/
 
“Come on, get in,” you say, pointing to the bath. The water is covered in a layer of pink bubbles.
>Octavia trudges over to the tub and stares at it.
>You huff and lift the filly up. She kicks her legs in protest, sending puffs of bubble bath into the air.
>Once she's in the tub, you watch as she sits motionless, glaring at you.
>With a smirk, you cup your hands and skim some foam off the surface of the water. Her eyes track you until you plop the bubbles on her head.
“What do you want your hat to be? Ooh! I know! How about a top hat?” you say, forming the bubbles into a cylinder.
>Octavia lowers herself until only the top half of her face is above water. She raises a hoof slowly and picks up some foam.
“Alright, let's get you washed up.” You turn around, looking for a loofah. “Where did I put that thing?”
>There's a splashing noise. You turn around to see a puddle at your feet. The snorkel you put next to the tub is also gone. Octavia has disappeared.
>You watch the tub until you see the tip of the snorkel poking up from the foam, moving from one end of the tub to the other.
>Eventually, Octavia surfaces, looking at you expectantly.
“What happened to 'I don't wanna?'” you ask smugly.
>The filly responds by popping up and sticking a hoof full of bubbles to your face. She ducks under the water again.
>You take the opportunity to pick up the loofah and the bottle of shampoo.
>When she comes up again, you squirt the shampoo onto your hand and start scrubbing her head.
>The filly tries to dive again, but you stop her.
“Hold still a minute, alright?”
>”Nop0ny stops Navigator Nautilus from exploring the deep sea!” she declares, and drops below the surface again.
“Two minutes ago, Navigator Nautilus didn't want to get IN the sea,” you reply when she comes back up. “Now let me wash your mane. It's almost time for supper.”
3/
 
>Once you finally get Octavia washed, you wrap her in a towel and empty the tub. She watches the drain intently while you dry her off.
“So did you enjoy your bath?” you ask knowingly.
>The filly just shakes her head.
>You take the towel off of her body and start fluffing her mane with it.
“Someday. Now, I'm going to go make supper. Are you going to play upstairs?”
>”Mmhmm,” she replies.
“Alright. It's squash ravioli and mushrooms. Doesn't that sound yummy?”
>She grimaces and runs off.
>Hopefully you won't have to chase her again until bed time.
>Hopefully.
End.