The Darkest Time is Just Before Dawn

by bookhorse125

Luster Really Likes Strawberries

The next morning dawned rainy and miserable, as can be expected in Chicago. It seemed to me that every single day was either cloudy or windy with the occasional glimpse of sunshine before we plunge back into the cold. Of course, that could just be the fact that, during this year, everything was under a cloudy and negative vibe, so much so that you could hardly enjoy the simple things in life anymore.

As it would be with anyone else, the first thought that fought its way through the sleepiness into my groggy brain was, Is she still here? And so, being the rational person that I am, I threw off the covers (literally), jumped out of bed (and nearly fell face-first on the floor), and stumbled towards the living room, blinking the sleep from my eyes and shaking my head to try and wake up my brain. If there were still pictures on the wall, I would have unintentionally knocked them down and caused them to shatter against the floor.

I am not a morning person. But when you have a pony in your house who is capable of magical abilities, you have to keep a close eye on them at all times. Because I had a feeling that Luster could blow this house to pieces without even trying.

If she was still here.

The sound of my two left feet tripping over one another would be loud enough to wake up the neighbors above and next to me in the complex, but thankfully, they had equipped their apartments with soundproof walls after the first few months of me living here. But if anypony - I mean, anyone, as there was no possible way what happened yesterday could have been real - was inside my house, they wouldn't need an alarm clock as long as I was just waking up.

Sure enough, when I trotted noisily into the living room (stop with the horse things! There is no way yesterday was not a dream! Get a hold of yourself!), she lifted her head and blinked sleepily as she struggled to bring my face into focus. Her hooves were crossed in front of her, making a makeshift pillow for her to rest her head, and the blanket I had given her the night before was slipping onto the floor, although she didn't seem to notice.

"Why are you so loud?" Luster Dawn mumbled grumpily, putting her head down and her hooves over her head, blocking her ears. "Some of us are trying to sleep, you know, like civilized ponies."

"S-sorry," I muttered, not believing what I was seeing. If she was still here, did that mean I was still dreaming? Or was this all completely real? I grabbed my arm and squeezed my fingernails into the meaty part of my arm. Sucking my breath in suddenly, I withdrew my fingers and rubbed the area that was now stinging with pain. The gouge marks I had made slowly started to fade away, but the pain remained.

So, clearly, this wasn't a dream.

"Um... um..." I stammered, unsure of how I was supposed to react. I mean, it wasn't like there was a guide on how to take care of random ponies who show up in your house who have no memory of who they are or where they came from. Or was there? I made a mental note to check Amazon later that day in case of the off chance that there was something like that. "You hungry?" I decided on, cringing at how generic it sounded.

Luster lifted her head again and nodded empathetically. "Starving," she said, leaping off the couch and landing gracefully on her feet. I felt a pang of jealousy. Even a horse was more graceful than me! "Do you have more strawberries?"

Of course, Luster had cleaned me out of strawberries the day before, but I didn't say that. Instead, I mumbled something about going to get some and that she could turn on the television to entertain herself, so long as she didn't practice magic or get into trouble. One brief explanation on how to use the remote later, I pulled on a t-shirt, pullover, and jeans, grabbed my wallet, and stuffed my feet into my too-big shoes. Long ago, before COVID even existed, I had sold my car and simply walked everywhere. It gave me exercise, I told myself. There was no need for a car. But I always had trouble convincing myself that.

Luster was staring, transfixed at the TV, which was playing the usual Sunday morning cartoons. I thanked the stars that My Little Pony wasn't airing on television anymore, and Generation 5 wasn't going to be released any time soon. I would have seen something on Equestria Daily.

Pulling my hood up to block the rain, I slipped my wallet in my pocket and let my feet subconsciously wandered down the streets towards the store I usually went to, my city instincts taking over and safely navigating me through the busy streets. Even though it was the weekend, plenty of people were pouring into the streets to make sure they got to their favorite stores with enough time left to spend several hours shopping for meaningless junk.

By the time I reached Gill's Grocers, my hood was soaked to the point that my hair was damp. I was glad for a roof to finally be over my head and gratefully pulled my hood down, reaching into my pocket and reluctantly putting on a reusable mask.

As per usual, the glass cases covered all the produce that used to be open to the air. An employee stood behind every counter to retrieve the fruits and vegetables you desired with gloves and a mask on their faces. A few more employees carried spray bottles and rags with them for whenever a shift would end, someone would leave, another would come to take their place, and all surfaces that the person who was previously present touched were mandatorily wiped down.

I stared into the glass as I walked by, my reflection the same as it always had been since this year started: messy, sandy-blonde hair that I hadn't brushed, washed, or cut in months; blank brown eyes devoid of all hope; dark circles under my eyes. Although I got plenty of sleep every night, I always was tired. Everyone was.

Gill looked up from behind the counter, where he was helping a woman pack her purchases in a plastic bag for her to take home. "Ah, Chardy! Nice to see you again," he greeted me warmly. Me and Gill had been friends in college and had stayed in touch over the years. No matter the weather, Gill always managed to bring a smile to my face. Not that it mattered; he couldn't see with the mask on, anyway.

"What can I help you with?" he said after he bid the other lady a good day.

"Um, do you have any strawberries?" I asked, scanning the room. Gill laughed.

"Do I have any? Just got a new delivery this morning! Have tons!" He stared at me questioningly. "Why do you want them? I never got the impression that you particularly enjoyed them."

"I have a... friend over, I guess you could say, who really likes them."

Gill nodded and slipped around the counter to the strawberries, where he picked up a few boxes and set them on the counter.
"Uh, could I have five, maybe?" I pulled out my wallet and mentally counted the bills inside and muttered, "I think I have enough..."

Thank God, Gill didn't question me. He obediently packed five large boxes of strawberries into a plastic shopping bag and carried them over to the cash register. I fumbled around in my wallet to produce the twenty-five dollars needed, when Gill pulled out his own credit card and swiped it.

I gaped at him. "What the - did you - what...?"

"I know you're in tough times, Char," Gill said quietly, glancing around fervently to make sure no one discovered his crime. "Least I can do to help."

He pushed the bag at me and turned away. My eyes were wide open and shocked as I shakily took the bag by the handles and walked out of the store.

Good people were hard to find at any given time, especially now, especially in Chicago. To know that Gill had my back gave me another burst of hope. I returned home and fumbled for a moment to fish the key to my apartment out of my pocket. I stepped inside, breathing a sigh of relief to be out of the rain, to find Luster Dawn still sitting in front of the TV. Except the Sunday morning cartoons had been replaced by Fox News, which was talking about politics and the bitter debate over who was going to win the election, Trump or Biden? I, obviously, was voting for Kanye West. He would definitely be a better president than those two other guys.

Luster was shouting angrily at the screen, talking about common-sense solutions that no one seemed to be thinking of and how she would be a much better president and all that nonsense. She finally groaned and flopped her head on the couch, landing on the remote and turning the television off. She looked up when she heard the door close.

"Oh! Hi," she said cheerfully, and, noticing my bag full of strawberries, she made a high-pitched screechy noise (I never understood what it was with girls and doing that), used her magic to carry one of the boxes over to her, opened it, and stuffed her muzzle into the berries.

"Nice to see you again, too," I muttered to myself, but I smiled nonetheless. I don't know why the other bronies were all over Rarity; clearly, Luster was best pony.

Besides Derpy. Derpy is best pony. But Luster comes in as a close second.

Author's Note:

Constructive criticism is appreciated. Thank you for reading!
Inspired by My Little Dashie.

Comments

[Pete100]

"Um... um..." I stammered, unsure of how I was supposed to react. I mean, it wasn't like there was a guide on how to take care of random ponies who show up in your house who have no memory of who they are or where they came from. Or was there? I made a mental note to check Amazon later that day in case of the off chance that there was something like that. "You hungry?" I decided on, cringing at how generic it sounded.

If that exists, I’m done with mankind.

Thank God, Gill didn't question me. He obediently packed five large boxes of strawberries into a plastic shopping bag and carried them over to the cash register. I fumbled around in my wallet to produce the twenty-five dollars needed, when Gill pulled out his own credit card and swiped it.

That’s a friend right there. The main 6 would be proud.

Good people were hard to find at any given time, especially now, especially in Chicago. To know that Gill had my back gave me another burst of hope. I returned home and fumbled for a moment to fish the key to my apartment out of my pocket. I stepped inside, breathing a sigh of relief to be out of the rain, to find Luster Dawn still sitting in front of the TV. Except the Sunday morning cartoons had been replaced by Fox News, which was talking about politics and the bitter debate over who was going to win the election, Trump or Biden? I, obviously, was voting for Kanye West. He would definitely be a better president than those two other guys.

That’s debatable.

[Movingtarget Productions]

All I can say... LOVE THE STORY!!!

[Pete100]

10784287
True.