The Door was #$%&ing Closed (and a collection of other shorts)

Unexpected Kindness

An Aryanne and Starlight Story

A Modest Sequel to Calendar Girls

Starlight looked at the camera and gave a smile. She understood her Flock’s choice to want to have service via Facebook. The pandemic that was spreading across the globe was one that had truly been the great equalizer. People regardless of race, economic standing, creed, or any other factors. A small part of her felt that the virus was doing something that most politicians had never been able to do. It was causing people to try to connect with their immediate families and practice social distancing.

“Sisters and brothers, I come to you today thanks to the internet, and I wanted to remind you that while God has indeed blessed us, and has indeed given us much, we still need to practice safety,” she smiled, “He did give us common sense, and he did give us the ability to reason. For that reason we shouldn’t tempt fate.”

She grinned, “Another thing we should do is practice forgiving one another,” she looked toward the camera, “Our lord and savior has said that he without sin should cast the first stone. There’s so much in that we need to take away. I don’t believe it means to be a doormat, but it does mean to understand each other,” she gave a soft smile, “We need to understand that this is a trying time, and people who may be acting short may be doing so out of fear. They may fear what is happening, what is being done, and they may feel no real control in their lives. These emotions are normal, and their actions may reflect them.”

She sighed, “But it doesn’t mean to simply continue to allow actions to continue,” she looked toward the bible, “Do unto others, as you would have done unto you,” she looked back at the camera, “There’s a reason that is a golden rule. To treat others the way you want to be treated, to live with dignity while treating others the same. It’s important, and it is important to remember that our actions can lift up, or bring down, another.”

She then pressed play on an old MP3 player and played a recording of various church hymns. Once they were done she said a short prayer, and asked her members to try to see the good in others and trust that God would help the world along. She stopped the live casting of her service, which had a full attendance, and looked to see her roommate. Aryanne was softly speaking into a phone.

“Ja,” she said, “Ich werde ihr einen Teil meiner Freizeit geben,” she sighed, “I mean I will give her some of my time off.”

She closed her eyes, “Einhundert, I mean one hundred. Ja, I have time for myself as well.” Aryanne nodded, and then her face fell, “Nein,” she gasped, “That.. ist schreckich, horrible, how long?”

She shook her head, “Ist Gofundme?”

A moment later she watched as Aryanne connected to the internet on her phone, she then punched in a small number, “Ist all I can give, ja, bitte danke,” she said before she disconnected the call.

“Aryanne, what’s happening?”

She looked at the porcelain skinned girl as she shook her head, “Junebug, you know?” she asked.

Starlight racked her brain, and then she remembered the cream colored girl with a two toned brown swirled hair. She knew that she worked with Aryanne, and she knew that Aryanne tended to work parties and other such things as an escort. She had done the photoshoot for the Calendar out of a sense of civic duty, and also to bring more potential followers to communist side of things.

Aryanne worked parties, and a number of other things either as an escort, dancer (well stripper), and a number of other things. She knew that Aryanne had a rule that she didn’t whore herself out. She didn’t cross that line, and she respected her for it. She also knew that Junebug obviously worked with Aryanne.

“It’s been a while, but yes, I remember her.”

Aryanne sighed, “She has a kleines Mädchen, a little girl, and the girl is ill.”

Starlight covered her mouth, “Oh God, is it…”

Aryanne nodded, “Ja, she was tested, first case in Canterlot City. Sour Family Medicine confirmed,” she sighed, “We were donating time off to her. She has used up already, and I donated some of my savings to her.”

Starlight sighed, “That’s terrible, I’m glad that you helped out…”

Aryanne sighed, “Junebug is a friend, like you, I help look out for her. I hope her kleines Mädchen is okay.”

Starlight nodded, and then closed her eyes. She silently prayed for Junebug’s little girl. In truth she hoped that she would be doing much better. She then considered her flock, and without thinking she asked Aryanne for the information for the Gofundme. Once she sent it to her she quickly sent the information, along with what Aryanne had just told her, to her congregation. After doing so she hoped that God would lay it on their hearts to help out Junebug’s family at this time.

As the hours passed she would look at the Gofundme, and she watched as it climbed from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand. Donations poured into the Gofundme for Junebug’s family. Donations that would help with medical expenses, food, and other things she was certain the family needed. But what really caught her by surprise was something that Diamond Tiara, Filthy Riches’ daughter, did.

Diamond Tiara had taken over Farmland Eatables, a division of Barnyard Bargains, and had since been running it as a more fair business with much better business practices. One of which was paying her employees health insurance completely, and the other was giving them time off, if they were sick, their kids home without daycare assistance, and none of it came from their own leave. She simply paid them for that time while the pandemic was going on.

Diamond Tiara had made a donation, and then in the comments added that Farmland Eatables would be donating three months worth of groceries to Junebug’s family free of charge, along with a freezer to keep the food frozen. It was an Unexpected Kindness that she didn’t expect to see.