• Published 6th Jan 2021
  • 954 Views, 67 Comments

My Little Dashie: 2020 - Rdasher12



2020 was quite a tumultuous year from start to finish. My Little Dashie skipped over this year in the original, but this twelve-part month-by-month story offers a glimpse into what life was like for a pony who had been quarantining from the get-go.

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January

Author's Note:

Hey there, everybody. While it is true that this is my first story in over two years, I can assure you that my writing ability and motivation haven't gone anywhere and might even be stronger than before! This is Part 1 of 12 planned chapters, one for each month of 2020. There won't be too much story going on here aside from explaining what the year is like for the two of them and the challenges that they face as a family. It's a slice of pie called life and this slice happens to be the one with burnt crust and not nearly enough whipped cream (Also I think someone might have coughed on it). I hope that you all enjoy it and please leave suggestions in the comments!

*January 1st, 2020*

"Three... Two... One... Happy New Year!" Dashie and I chant in unison as we watch the ball drop over Times Square. We clink our glasses together as a goodbye to 2019 and a fresh sparkling grape juice-flavored hello to 2020.

I take a satisfying sip of the seasonal beverage, a beverage I prefer much more over the champagne that most people my age would be enjoying for this sort of occasion. I've never really been big on alcohol, whether that be due to the taste or Dashie coming into my life, I'll never know. I have thought about how Dashie might react to the taste of wine or beer, but it's not like I've had it in my house much, to begin with, anyway.

"It's the new year, Pops! 2020! The first time I get to experience the turn of a decade! Makes me feel old... I can't imagine how old you must feel Dad!"

We both laugh aloud at her sarcasm, but she did have a point. This will be the year that I turn 30, so I've experienced the turn of a decade three times now, not to mention that I've been apart of four separate decades themselves. If I didn't already feel old, I certainly do now thanks to Dashie. The years don't go by any slower as they go on, especially with an impossible cartoon pony around.

"Oh, you have no idea, Dashie... I plan to enjoy these final months in my 20's. You know, I may be getting older, but something that will never grow old is spending time with you." I chuckle as I say that, since I know that Dashie can get tired of my mushy talk. It serves her right for trying to call me old, though.

"Bleh. It may be a new year, but you sure are the same old Pops I've always known." Dashie says jokingly as we share another laugh together.

The banter goes on well into the AM, long after the New Year's coverage had come to a close. After some time, we settle down and reflect on the year that 2019 had been.

A lot had happened in the previous year, both good and bad with all things considered. The Amazon Rainforest was on fire for a fair few months, people tried to 'invade' Area 51, the Cathedral caught on fire, Avengers: Endgame came out, and 'Baby Yoda' was popular for a while. The President of the United States got impeached over a phone call, not to mention the original design for that Sonic movie and how terrible it looked. Of course, I'm getting most of these things from a website, as I honestly wasn't aware of them.

We don't watch the news very much in this house, nor do we go on the internet unless it's important. So, any world news that is out there at a given time hardly ever reaches our eyes and ears. I might hear some news here and there from coworkers, but other than that, Dashie and I are pretty cut off from the rest of the world. It's honestly been a good thing for us over the years, though. The bad in the world often outshines the good, and with how easy it is to spread the bad news around these days, it's nice to live in a little world called 'Our House' where it's like it was before news got around so quickly.

For those reasons, 2019, for us, was like multiple years before it. Dashie is still growing, but it has slowed down recently and she won't be getting much bigger. We still spend our weekdays hanging out before I go to work, followed by making dinner together once I'm home. After dark, we usually play games, watch TV, or just chat and clean up around the house. On the weekends we try to make at least one visit to the park nearby, as well as getting a bulk of the house chores done. Sundays are almost always spent watching racing of all sorts, and maybe another park visit if we have the time and the weather permits.

While I'm not sure what this new decade has in store for Dashie and me, or the world for that matter, I don't really see 2020 being much different either. Things definitely aren't perfect in our life, but there's nothing that can be done about most of our problems. A new, better-paying job would be nice. A better house, maybe? As much as we love this place and all of the memories it holds, it's just not the best one to be in, for me or for Dashie. A broken furnace, poor lighting, and not much space for Dashie to move around all make for a house that we'd never want to live in if it weren't for the years upon years of fond memories that we both cherish so much.

There are still rumors going around that this whole area may be bought up by a large corporation and used as space for a factory, but it certainly won't be happening this year, at least.

Still, we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves. You can never know what might happen, but until then, we plan to keep living the same way we have since Dashie came into my life over seven years ago now.

I only just realize that I had zoned out that entire time, as Dashie pipes in tiredly. "Hey, dad. You mind if I go take a shower and hit the hay? I'm exhausted after winding down from the celebrations and I wanna make sure I'm well-rested for our park outing."

I shake off my thought process and answer Dashie's request. "Of course, Dashie. Sorry to keep you up so late, you can call it a night whenever you like, no need to ask me. You're a big girl now!"

I wasn't kidding when I said that, while she had only been with me for a little over seven years at this point, she definitely was not an infant when I found her. It's hard to say exactly how old she was, so to me, she's just seven. But, in all reality, she is probably nearing her teenage years, if that's something ponies even have.

"Thanks, Pops.." she says, yawning "And thanks for the sparkling grape juice, too. That stuff hit the spot! Can't wait to finish it tomorrow."

I chuckle at the thought of Dashie chugging the sparkling grape juice straight from the fancy glass bottle. "You bet Dashie! But only after you eat all but one of your black-eyed peas during lunch." It had always been a tradition in my family to have black-eyed peas with the first lunch or dinner of the new year, and I was told that if you left one on your plate, then good luck would come your way during that given year. Dashie never has liked the taste of them, but a tradition is a tradition.

She gives me an 'ew' face as she responds. "Whatever you say, Dad. Maybe we should make our own tradition of not doing that... Anyways, goodnight. I'll see ya in the morning!" I guess if there's one thing that has changed recently, it would be Dashie and her willingness to show affection as often. She is certainly getting older, and probably to the age where she doesn't want to say things like "I love you" as often as she used to. But that's okay, we all go through those phases.

"Goodnight my little Dashie. Love you."

"Yeah, love you too, Pops."

Those words always do bring a smile to my face. After sitting on the couch for a few more minutes pondering what Dashie will be like as a full-grown mare, I decided to head to bed myself. It's been a long day, and I was lucky enough to get New Year's off from work, so I plan to take advantage of the chance to sleep in after 8:00 am for once, as long as Dashie lets me. She's had her own room for several years now, and she's starting to understand the joys of sleeping as much as I do. So hopefully she will.

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I lay in my bed as the clock strikes 2:00 am and I get myself comfortable. I had Dashie in my life for most of the 2010s, and I can't wait to see what comes to us as a family in the 2020s. I am getting ahead of myself there, as there is no guarantee that I'll even have her by the end of this year, much less the whole decade. I can't take any day with her for granted, as at any moment she could be taken away from me, whether that be by her friends in Equestria, the government, or something else. I pray to God that it be the former if it does happen one day.

I wish the years would go by slower, though. It feels like just yesterday that I found her on the crumbling sidewalk sleeping inside of a cardboard box. Nevertheless, life is good and it's all thanks to my little Dashie, even if she isn't as little as she used to be. I'll always love her, and I can only hope that no matter what happens, she'll always love me.

I fall asleep a few minutes later, and I dream of what 2020 just might have in store for us. But, nothing that my imagination could conjure would prepare me for what would happen to the world in just a few short months.