Rainbow Dragon

Grey. In a lifetime of color the old mare had come to find solace of the grey landscape of the family rock farm. She watched from the farm house’s back porch, neck sore from moving rocks all day, as her step-colt played with the dog.

“Pinkie,” Lilac Sky called as she trotted out onto the porch, “I think you need to come see this”. With a sigh, Pinkie pie got up from her chair and followed her wife to the front of the house. The floorboards creaked under their hooves, worn and in need of repair, but not desperately so.

“Good afternoon, it’s been a long time Pinkie. Too long” Pinkie frowned, she had really hoped she’d never see this horse again

“I’m retired, we’ve been over this.”

“Oh pinkie! It’s been three years and you’re still-”

“Some things don’t change spitfire, you should know that by now” Pinkie sighed, motioning for Lilac to give them some space. Lilac rolled her eyes, like she was dying to talk with Spitfire a moment more.

After sharing whatever little pleasantries they could, Pinkie brought Spitfire out back to the porch. Lilac brought Cyan Skies inside, keeping her out of Pinkie’s mane for the time being.

“Why the dogs?” Spitfire asked, raising an eyebrow, trying desperately to make the visit less painful than it had to be

“Keeps the diamond dogs away, they come by sometimes at night, thinking one of my rocks may be a geode. Good ol’ Gummy ll keeps em out,”

“Gummy ll?”

“Why reinvent the wheel?” Pinkie asked with a shrug. “Care for a cider?”

“No thanks, I don’t drink and fly”

Pinkie nodded “Wouldn’t expect anything less from you.” The two ponies sat in silence as Pinkie downed a cup of cider from the farm’s supply.

“I’m retired-”

“I know, but you know how the kingdom is, they like keeping ponies like you close,-”

“You like keeping ponies like me close,” Pinkie corrected. Spitfire rolled her eyes, of course she was going to be difficult about everything.

“You read the papers?”

“Don’t get em anymore, don’t need to. Don’t need to think about anything but the farm and the family.”

“Cyan start flight camp yet?” Spitfire asked.

“No, maybe next summer. Lilac doesn’t feel ready to send her off yet, and it’s really more her decision than mine”

“She teach her how to yet?”

Pinkie nodded “yeah, she was buzzing around before I trotted along,”

“Her dad was an ace wonderbolt wasn’t he?”

“Yeah, every so often Lilac likes to take him into Cloudsdale and watch the races.”

“What about you?” Pinkie shot Spitfire a look and Spitfire quickly regretted asking.

“Speaking of the foal....this new pony has been targeting families”

“Yeah?” Pinkie asked

“Real nice ones, white picket fence, green yard, 2.5 foals and happy smiles all around”

“Good thing we don’t have that here.” Grey as far as the eye could see. One foal. The understanding glance grown from a family of hardworking horses that just didn’t have the time or energy anymore. The good simple life.

“Still….all those bright cheery faces….foals skipping home from school, mom leaving apple pie to cool on the windowsill. Dad home for dinner after a long day at work, ready to meet his family with an open heart and a loving hug. They don’t deserve what this. Not what this pony is doing to them. It doesn’t have to happen Pinkie. It shouldn’t have to happen.”
Pinkie grumbled. “Fine”
Spitfire grinned, she knew pinkie wouldn’t be hard to crack, never had been. “May I have a piece of paper and pen if you don’t mind?”

Spitfire sat down at Pinkie’s dining room table and happily jotted down the address of the latest victims.

“Thank you so much for considering Pinkie, you’ve always been such a huge help to the team, an essential asset really! Meet you 9 o’clock tomorrow!” And just as quickly as she had bulged in, Spitfire was just as quickly gone. Flying out the door faster than Pinkie could say ‘Stick a cupcake in my eye’.

“What was that all about?” Lilac skies asked, walking into the kitchen seeing as Spitfire was finally gone.
` “I think I just came out of retirement” Pinkie said, as stunned to hear those words as she was to say them.

Lilac scowled. “That curd chewing feather-brain! I knew she wasn’t just visiting out of the goodness of her heart. You pinkie promised you wouldn’t go back!”

“Lilac-”

“No! No Pinkie! You nearly got yourself killed last time, and spent days in self-induced sugar coma! This isn’t healthy! It’s not safe for you to go! Let the police ponies do their job, you can’t be the only half decent investigator this side of Equestria!” Lilac’s voice trembled as she fought back the urge to cry. Pinkie wrapped her forelegs around her and Lilac nuzzled her snout into Pinkie’s neck, weeping softly.

“Shh...I was bad, but it’ll be better this time. I pinkie promise.”