The unicorn frowned. "How do you know my name?" she said slowly. Her voice sounded familiar, even though she'd only been in one episode. I was slightly ashamed to admit, even to other bronies, that I had obsessively watched that episode dozens of times.
I said nothing. The pony's words confirmed my suspicions: there was an actual pony from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic on my doorstep. For real.
I grabbed my forearm and twisted it painfully, thinking that, maybe this was just a dream. And I would wake up feeling miserable again and wishing for things to get better.
Well, if this is a dream, I thought, maybe it wouldn't hurt to hang around for a little bit longer before I go back to my lovely world that is so amazing.
"Um... um... um..." I stammered, standing back to let Luster Dawn in. "Come in?"
She happily trotted inside. I was mesmerized by the sound of her hooves on the floor. It was so different and comforting at the same time. She studied the apartment for a second before jumping on the couch and laying her head on the armrest, her eyes nearly closed so that they were just slits of gold. I followed, staring at her as if she was the cure to all diseases, including COVID.
I finally burst out the question I had been holding in for so long: "Are there other ponies here, too?"
Luster lifted her head and looked at me like I was crazy. "Um... other ponies?"
"Yeah, you know," I said excitedly, "Twilight Sparkle? Rainbow Dash or Applejack, maybe? Or perhaps Pinkie Pie? Do you know any of them?"
Her eyes were full of confusion, and she tilted her head at me. "Uh... who?"
"Nevermind," I said hastily, my spirits plummeting. "Just... yeah, never mind." I awkwardly began to move towards the kitchen. "Um, can I get you anything?"
Luster thought for a moment before perking up. "Do you have any oats?" she asked. I shook my head, making a mental note to stop by a Farm and Fleet or something to buy some horse feed. "Oh, um... hay?"
"Sorry," I muttered, feeling awkward. I opened my fridge and winced at the low number of edible items it contained. "Uh, do you like... strawberries?"
"Strawberries." She thought for a moment. "I think I like strawberries."
And so I grabbed the box out of the fridge, washed the ruby red berries in the sink (one of the only things left in my kitchen besides the fridge and a microwave. I usually ate on the couch now), and set the strawberries on the couch next to her. She used her magic to lift one into her mouth.
Strangely, I didn't feel all that surprised that she could do that, or shocked, even. I was just excited because the pony on my couch at this very moment could perform magic. I wondered what else she could do, but I felt like it would be rude to ask.
Within moments, the box was empty, and Luster Dawn was lying comfortably on the couch again. I slowly sat down on the floor next to the TV and stared at her. I wasn't trying to be rude or anything; she was just so fascinating. I mean, what respectable brony wouldn't stare at a pony if there was a pony on their couch? She finally noticed and looked at me quizzically.
"What are you looking at me like that for?" she asked, and I shook my head and stared at the floor instead.
"Uh... no reason. Just... how did you get here?"
Her cheery expression dimmed as something clouded her eyes. She turned to the window and stared out into the gray sky that threatened to rain at any moment. "I... don't know," she whispered.
My heart sank. She didn't remember anything? Not about Equestria, or Twilight, or any of her friends? I had been hoping that I could learn what life was like in Equestria from an actual, legit Equestrian, but that fantasy now seemed as far away as the moon.
"What do you remember?" I said quietly, trying to make my voice sound kind and understanding. She turned to me with misty eyes and told me everything she knew.
Luster Dawn had woken up underneath the Bean with no memories of anything. The only thing she knew was her own name and had a brief idea of what her personality was. The citizens of Chicago avoided her and gave her strange looks, but for the most part ignored her, which I thought was strange. She wandered the streets for long enough to realize that this was no magical and happy land. No one would help her, and she was forced to use her magic to steal from grocery stores, which she knew she would never do on another occasion. Eventually, she figured out how to use her magic to cast a spell to lead her to someone who could help her.
"But you seemed to already know me," she said. "Have we met before?"
"You could say that," I muttered. "So, you really have no idea about... anything?"
She shook her head. "Not a clue."
I thought about that before standing up, an idea forming in my head. "I think I have something that can help."
Her eyes filled with hope. "Really?"
I nodded and ran to my room, my fingers unconsciously thumbing the dials on the lock to spell out pony like I had done so many times before. Season 1 was on top, right where I had thrown it a few moments ago when she had arrived. I picked it up and ran my fingers over the cover, tracing out Fluttershy's head with my thumb. I had always wanted to meet one of the main cast. They had gone through so much together, and still they pulled through whenever duty called. I wanted to ask them for advice that might help me through this difficult time.
Luster Dawn had only appeared in one episode, and I honestly didn't know much about her. And if she didn't remember anything about Equestria, then there was no way I could find out anything about her.
A sudden thought occurred to me. Luster was lost and confused and desperately wanted to remember her lost memories and probably return home. Having her here was the best thing that had ever happened to me, and if I showed her the show, then she might want to leave and go back home to Equestria.
Maybe it wouldn't hurt to keep the show a secret from her... just for a little while longer.
A crash sounded from the living room, and I dropped Season 1 back under the bed and ran into the room to find Luster making the couch hover in midair. She turned around to me and grinned. "Look what I can do!" she said excitedly. She noticed my shocked face and gently set the sofa back down and pawed meekly at the floor, suddenly ashamed of herself. "I'm sorry," she whispered. I immediately felt bad.
"You didn't do anything wrong," I said quickly. "I just... there isn't a lot of magic here, so... it's kind of a shock to see it."
Her face lit up again as she realized that I wasn't angry with her. She leaped gracefully back on the couch, looking up at me expectantly. "So?" she said anxiously. "Where is it?"
I instantly knew what she was talking about. I could feel my face growing red and hear the stammering in my voice as I told her. "Well... you see, I, uh, couldn't find it. Missing. Maybe I accidentally sold it or something?"
She looked at me strangely but let the matter go. I breathed a sigh of relief. I vowed to never let this pony into my room; she was a unicorn, which meant the chances of her finding my secret was at unsettlingly high rates.
I trudged back to my room, locking up my secret and vowing to forget it for as long as Luster was here. I lay down on my bed, knowing that this was impossible. How could I forget the show that had changed my life? A bad feeling began to grow in my stomach when I had lied, and now it only grew worse. I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I couldn't bring myself to make it right. This pony could be the cure for everything; what kind of person would let that go?
Deep down inside, I knew I was going to have to let her go, give her up, send her back home. Tell her the truth. I decided to try and delay that for as long as possible.
Little did I know that the time she would leave me would be much more different than either of us would have imagined.