Maybe Next Time
Equestria was known for its hospitality, extending far beyond the realm of ponies. Any number of species could be found living there, from griffins and minotaurs to diamond dogs and changelings. Now, even though the legends often exaggerated their overall presence, dragons too were to be found in Equestria. Not common by any means, mind you, but they were there; you just had to know where to look. One pony in particular knew this to be fact, despite not knowing much else about them.
Little Pinstripe was not your everyday pony, even if she did hail from a fairly nondescript town called Ponyville. A deep shade of pink, almost purple, with a bright yellow mane, she was always bouncing along everywhere, her little smile a welcome sight amongst many of Ponyville’s residents. Sure, she was going to a normal school like any good little filly, and while her grades weren’t always the best, she tried as hard as could. Her parents, one a baker, another a geologist, worked to provide for her and her sisters, most of whom were much older than her. However, Pinstripe was not like other ponies, in that she was at a hospital almost every day.
No, she wasn’t sick, she was always visiting ponies, trying to cheer them up. Must have been something she got from her great-great-great… something grandmare, she just always felt this need to make others happy in any way she could. According to legend, her ancestor Pinkie Pie had been a wonderful pony, always looking to make ponies laugh, even the occasional griffin or dragon as well. Her cutie mark, a bright cluster of white hearts ringed by red outlines, showed her talent to be spreading joy to those who had little to be happy about; hence, why she visited the hospital so much.
“Hiya mister dragon!” she called, hopping up onto the edge of the bed. The stark white room was offset by the pink balloons she brought with her, as well as the somewhat faded purple of the bed’s occupant.
“Hey there, Pinstripe,” the old dragon said. Well, old compared to her, anyway. He wasn’t a huge mountain-living dragon, as most of the books told her they might be. He was just a bit bigger than the largest pony she’d met, but then again, she hadn’t met that many ponies outside of Ponyville. “How are you today?”
“Just peachy, Spike!” she said with a smile. “What about you? Feeling better?”
“No, not today,” Spike said, shuffling away a few reports on his nightstand.
“Worse?” Her normally-pert ears faltered slightly at that. She didn’t like hearing bad news about her friends, it made her unhappy, and she preferred being happy, and making others happy too.
“No, nothing bad, just… no change, Pinstripe,” he replied. “Not that I expected anything different. How was school today?”
“Good, we got to go on a field trip today to the history museum,” the little filly replied, making a face. “Boring.”
“History can be very cool, if you give it the time,” the dragon replied with a smile. “What did you learn about?”
“Oh, you know, just some stuff about the Elements of Harmony, and some of the stuff they did at the Golden Oaks Library. But why go to a museum when I can ask someone who was there?”
“Well, memory’s a bit fuzzy, but I think they got most things right,” Spike said. “Did they tell you what happened to it?”
“It blew up?”
“Yep, but who did it?”
“They said some magic-stealing monkey thing, Turdek or something.”
Spike shook his head with a soft chuckle. “No, but it was so long ago, I’m surprised Tirek’s name has only been partially changed. I’ll have to write to the museum director about that, if I have the time.”
“How did your last test go?” Pinstripe asked, sitting down on the foot of the bed.
“No change, which could be good or bad,” Spike said. “I’d like to think that’s a good thing. It means I’m stable for now.”
“Well, mister Spike, I hope you get better, you’re one of my favorite dragons to visit here!”
“I’m the only dragon you visit.”
Pinstripe nudged his foot with one of her hooves, giving a small shrug. “Well, that doesn’t stop you being my favorite scaly. Did the doctors do anything else to you?”
“Other than those big scary needles? No, nothing else this time. One talked about some new leaf they’ve been fiddling with. It might help with the coughing, they told me.” As if on cue, the dragon let out a small series of choking sounds, rasping as he covered his mouth as best he could.
Pinstripe nodded her head. “Maybe they’ll find you some kind of special toothpaste, like they used on your scales when they start falling off. Otherwise you won’t be my favorite scaly, you’ll just be a big pinky!”
The image of him without scales, and just one pink blob, as serious as it was given his condition, was also too silly for Spike to not smile. “What about the other hospital ponies? Have you been visiting them too?”
“Of course, right after you I’m set to visit old Mr. Saddlesmith, he’s losing most of his mane these days,” she said. “Kinda like you with your scales. After him, little Bunt Cake is in with some kind of weird growth on his horn, had to miss school for the past week. Thought I’d bring him his homework too, got it in my saddlebags. What did you catch again? Something like Bunt did?”
“I didn’t catch anything, it’s not a cold, so like I’ve said before, no need to wear that surgical mask,” Spike said. “I promise you won’t catch anything.”
Slowly, the little filly removed the adult-sized surgical mask, covering almost her entire face, save for her bright green eyes. “Promise?”
“Promise, it’s something only a dragon can get,” he said.
“Did your son visit?”
“Brimstone? Yeah, he stopped by last night before heading to Canterlot,” the old dragon replied. “Wanted to know how I was doing, told me about all the diplomatic treaties he’s doing for the princesses, you know, stuff like that.”
“I’m glad he came by, doesn’t seem like you get a lot of visitors other than him and me,” Pinstripe said.
“Well, I don’t know many ponies after you or him.” He let out another raspy cough, a small sliver of smoke pouring from his nostrils before he smiled. “Same time tomorrow, then?”
“Promise me you’ll still be here?”
“I’ll do my best,” the dragon said. “Don’t let me keep you waiting from all those others who need a good smile in their lives. Celestia knows I’ve had more than enough smiles in my life as it is.”
Running up along the bed, little Pinstripe threw her forelegs around the larger dragon’s neck, giving him a good squeeze. “I promise I’ll be back tomorrow,” she whispered into his neck.
Spike returned the hug as best he could, his arms not as strong as they used to be. “I look forward to it, Pinstripe. You make an old dragon feel younger, even if just a little bit. Now run along, time to make others happy.”
The little filly gave him a small nuzzle against his cheek, and then leaped off the bed, stopping to give one last wave. “Seeya tomorrow!” With that, she left, the door closing behind her with a soft click.
Spike chuckled to himself softly, pulling back the papers on his nightstand. Such a good little filly, so kind, so willing to make others happy, just like Pinkie Pie. Seems those genes hadn’t died out like he’d feared they might. Good, the world needed more ponies like Pinstripe, ponies whose goal it was to make old, dying dragons feel better.
He’d told her he’d do his best to see her tomorrow. However, he had a feeling his best this time would not be good enough. The pain was just so great, even though the medication was as strong as it could be, he just knew it wouldn’t be enough this time. After school tomorrow, she’d come to see him, only to find an empty bed, and a small note, if the doctors were kind enough to leave it there.
She was that kind of pony, to care for others so much, that kind of… friend. He only hoped she’d understand, and that maybe, one day long from now, after a long happy life of her own, she’d meet him again. He’d already talked with his son the night before, and the arrangements were being made. He’d be with his dearly-departed wife, and his other son, as well as all his old friends, long gone.
Spike picked up the small blank letter he had on his nightstand, knowing he had to do this, before he grew too weak. With tears forming in his old eyes, he penned a simple letter, one he knew she’d keep forever.
“Hey Pinstripe, sorry I couldn’t see you again. I’ve gone on a trip to see some old friends I haven’t in a long time, some you might recognize from your history lessons. I’ll let Pinkie Pie know you’re the near spitting image of her, and maybe a few others as well. I know you always liked coming to me, and I enjoyed our time together more than you can imagine. Keep making ponies smile, you’re very good at it, so… maybe next time.”
He paused, as the lights around the edges of his eyesight began to grow dim, as they did these days. Only now… they wouldn’t brighten again.
“Sincerely, your friend, Spike.”
Author's Note
Well, there we go, my first story of 2017. I wrote this one night, wanting to write something a bit different from what I usually did, and it's also the perfect platform for a quick message.
To those of you who follow me, or those who are least partially interested in what I have to say, I have recently published a book on Amazon (an e-book) and was hoping people would be interested in checking it out. It's not too long, and I've submitted it through a process that makes it free for several days for Kindle users, so if anyone wants to check it out, please feel free to do so. The free period starts tomorrow (February 20th), so I recommend checking it out then.
I'd adore any reviews given, as I am planning on writing an entire book series to publish. Here's the link to the book, if you are interested.)
