• Published 6th Jan 2021
  • 955 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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December

*December 31st, 2020* (New Year's Eve)

My first instinct when it comes to reacting to this year feels like it should be relief that it's almost over, but, for some reason, I have a hard time persuading myself of that as Dashie and I watch The New Year's Eve broadcast in the living room. This year has been unlike any other that either of us has ever witnessed, and yet, it feels weirdly similar to almost every other year...

We went to the park a lot, watched TV, and celebrated almost every holiday... If anything, I'd say that next year is going to have a lot more changes in store compared to this year. The idea of moving away from my childhood home, as well as most likely starting a new job, both terrifies and excites me. You could say that I'm 'nervicited' about it.

Oddly, I almost feel left out in comparison to the rest of the world thanks to how little the virus ended up impacting our lives. I mean, if it weren't for catching it a couple of months ago, the only difference would've been washing our hands and hooves more often than usual...

However, I think I speak for both Dashie and myself when I say that missing out on most of what this year had to offer was a good thing. 2020 was certainly the type of year that made you look forwards from it rather than back at it. Although, this whole pandemic is obviously not going anywhere when the clock strikes midnight... The first vaccine may have recently been approved for use in the United States, but it's probably going to take some time before normal people like me are able to get it. Then, of course, I still have to set up the appointment, get my first dose, then my second dose three weeks later, and finally, another two weeks after that second shot before I'll be considered fully vaccinated. Talk about a long process...

Then again, one could say that 2020 itself was quite a long process, as well. The difficulties of this year may not go away with a new one, however, it will certainly be marked as a year of recovery. I can only hope that, by the end of next year, the U.S. will have returned more or less to normalcy.

Enough negativity, though... tonight is reserved for good vibes only, at least, according to Dashie.

"Hey, Pops. Can you grab me some more of that punch we made? It's just so good! We really outdid ourselves this year!"

I chuckle as I get out of my seat on the couch and walk towards Dashie's cup, patting her on the head as I take her glass and head for the kitchen to refill it. I reply to her as I pour more punch into her cup from the plastic pitcher.

"You really think so? I mean we did add a few lemon and lime slices this year. Gives it a nice tang, doesn't it?" I finish filling her cup and, after returning the pitcher to the light yellow fridge, I walk back to my Dad's old recliner that Dashie has claimed for herself over the years.

Dashie happily takes the cup from my hands before taking a big sip, letting the flavor rest in her mouth for a moment, and swallowing. It's only after this that she finally replies back.

"Wow! We should just do that for everything!" She quickly finishes the rest out of her relatively small glass before setting it down on the side table next to her.

"Ha! I dunno about that, Dashie. They don't grow on trees..." I think for a moment after uttering those words, eventually realizing that they do, in fact, grow on trees. Why are they so expensive, then?

"Good one, Pops! I couldn't even tell that you were being sarcastic!"

----------

Midnight was quickly approaching as we chatted in the living room. The New Year's Eve broadcast had been turned down to a mere whisper, more as something to fill in the background noise than anything else. Dashie and I have a rather easy time getting bored with elongated broadcasts such as this one. The performances can be cool, and the countdown to the new year even cooler, but for the most part, it's just sort of filler. We'd much rather talk with each other instead, at least until it gets closer to time.

We talk about a lot of things, which is almost surprising considering just how often we talk to each other as it is. Then again, It's not like Dashie has anyone else to talk to... As for me, the only other people I talk to on a regular basis are my snobby coworkers and customers, and even they tend to just be asking questions instead of actually talking to me.

Regardless, I've always wondered how on Earth we rarely ever run out of things to talk about. I guess it's just another thing to be grateful for nowadays...

Anyways, I wasn't kidding when I said that we talked about a lot of things. The best (and worst) memories of the year, what might be happening next year and beyond, how we've celebrated New Year's in the past, and how my New Year's went before she came into my life.

Eventually, the clock nears midnight. Once we get to a stopping point in our conversation, I hop off the couch, walk up to the small television we had, and turn up the volume so that we could better hear it by pushing the 'volume up' button several times. The TV isn't so old that it doesn't have a remote, it's just that the remote hasn't worked since my parents were still around and I simply couldn't afford to replace it. Well, I lied... I totally could afford it, I've just never gotten around to finding the right one and buying it. I guess I've sort of been hoping that one day I'll be able to replace the whole TV as it is.

After getting it to the desired volume. I make my way to the kitchen and open the fridge. While we had been sipping on our homemade punch for most of the night, it was time to bring out the big guns. I carefully pull the glass bottle out of the fridge before setting it on the counter to get the fancy cups out.

The noise I make gets the attention of Dashie, who was watching the countdown that only had a few minutes left on it. She perks her ears in the direction of the kitchen and her eyes soon follow.

"What's that you got there, Pops?" She hovers out of her seat as she asks the question and trots into the kitchen after me. Upon getting a closer look, she lights up in excitement.

"Well, we've been doing plain old Sparkling Grape Juice all these years, and I know how much you enjoy your apple cider, so I saved up some money to get us this," I respond with a smile. I always knew from the show just how much she enjoyed Apple Jack's apple cider, so it was no surprise to me when she gulped it all up the first time I brought it home many years ago now. I'm sure that the store-bought cider isn't anywhere near as good as what AJ's must taste like, but I'm hoping that the extra money I put into getting fancy sparkling apple cider helps bridge that gap a bit.

Dashie read out the words on the bottle's label, with each one getting more excitement out of her.

"Fancy, Sparkling, Apple, Cider? Woah! I didn't even know that they made this stuff! Where the heck did you find it, Pops?"

I chuckled out loud over her reaction. I actually had to go online and order it from somewhere out of town, which was oddly only the second or third time this year that I've been on the internet, with the other times being when Dashie and I started house-hunting and the other being when Covid first started rearing its ugly head. Regardless, she doesn't need to know where it came from, the only thing that matters is that we can enjoy it now.

"Oh, why would I tell you where I got it from if we could be drinking it instead~" I begin teasing her with the bottle, floating it just out of reach above her.

A few short seconds of that was more than enough for her. "Alright, alright! Just get that thing open, then! We only have a couple more minutes!"

Looking back over at the TV, I can just barely make out the timer in the top-left corner reading out '1:52'. So, without further haste, I pop open the cork, pour our fair share into our aluminum 'wine glasses', and we quickly make our way back to the couch, sitting next to each other as the countdown nears its climax.

This has got to be the 20th time I've done this sort of thing, whether with my parents, myself, or Dashie. The start of a new year has always been a big deal, even when I didn't have anyone to celebrate with. The simple idea that I could get a fresh start the next day was always enough to fill me with hope, even if it was only slight. It just never gets old...

As the countdown on the TV gets under thirty seconds, I can't help but try and slow down time. There might not be a whole lot to celebrate about this year, but each and every day that I get to be with my Dashie is a gift, even if I don't even see her and we're just passing notes underneath my bedroom door...

I think back to all the memories that we had made this year. Celebrating the new year this time a year ago, Valentine's Day, Father's Day, our many trips to the park despite the circumstances, our much improved cooking, our playtime, even if it has grown more scarce this past year. I think back to the notice just last month that changed our lives by giving us a deadline to move somewhere else and start a new chapter. I think about the Christmas season that has just passed, and all the cool things that I was able to get for Dashie.

I glance over at the still-standing Christmas tree (if you could call it one). I can't help but remind myself just how fast all these years are going by... It really did feel like not long ago that I found Dashie and my life changed forever. If there's one thing that I can be certain of in the back of my head, it's that I won't get to keep Dashie in my life forever. Just like when I first got her, I always knew that one day, some day, she would leave. Through magic, or something else entirely. It's important to enjoy these moments while I can...

With that in mind, I snap back to reality as the countdown reaches just ten seconds. I can't call it much of a life if I don't live in it, after all.

Dashie and I chant in unison along to the TV as we count down from ten.

"10!"
"9!"
"8!"
"7!"
"6!"
"5!"
"4!"
"3!"
"2!"
"1!"

Author's Note:

Couldn't exactly push this chapter past December 2020, could I? That would be cheating... With that said, I'll almost certainly push out an Epilogue of the events directly following the end of this chapter as well as everything to do with the vaccine later in 2021 all in the same chapter. I hope that everyone has enjoyed reading over the course of the year. It's been a ton of fun to make even if it has taken a lot longer than I planned...

Don't expect to see any new stories from me for a good while, though. I have big plans for most if not all the stories that I have published under my account currently. Just wait and see.

Rdasher12

P.S. Happy late 10-year Anniversary to the OG My Little Dashie story! I originally wanted to try and get this chapter out on that day but life had other plans. Oh well...