Just stopping by for old times sake

. . . 2371. . .

. . .Enterprise D. . .

It was sudden and unexpected, a white puff of smoke appearing on the bridge.

"Fire at will!"

Thud.

The sound came from Picard's left and he looked over to see a unconscious Will Riker on the floor.

"I have been dying for that to happen for the past seven seasons!" Came a familiar voice.

"Will!" Troi shouted coming over to the man's side.

Picard turned his head away to see a crouched over dragon like beast standing in the middle of the bridge. He had a grin on his face, rubbing his two distinctive hands that did not match and were different animal parts. He towered over the captain. Data turned in the direction of the voice as did the one at the helm. Worf looked forward, his eyes widened, and his jaw slackened to the shape of a gasp. The two science officers on the bridge looked over to see a dragon like beast with a gray beard on his chin standing across from the captain.

"Who are you and what are you?" Picard asked.

"You know who I am, Mon capitaine." Picard recognized the voice that was lighter and less deep than it had been before.

It was different to the one Picard had heard coming out of a certain entity's mouth a year prior.

But still recognizable.

"Q, get off my bridge!" Picard demanded.

"You wound me!" The entity sarcastically said, one talon on his fur furry chest. "Anyway," He shook his golden right hand, his long purple tail curling around the ops station.  He had the head of a donkey with two sets of horns (one was a deer and the other was a goat), his left hand  had four fingers, his two back legs were different: one was like a goat and the other was dragon like. He had a brown torso. He had two pairs of different wings to his side: one being bat like and the other being bird like. "I have been assigned to study another species."

"Is that why you are half goat, half dragon, half donkey, half bat, and half bird?" Data asked.

"Of course!" Q said. "Mr Data, you are so smart and human, I am going to miss those qualities about you."

"But last year you said the trial was over." Picard said.

"There's a new trial for a new species!" Q threw sparkles all over the place. "THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIIIIIIIIP!" Q made a rainbow appear behind him. "And this is chronologically our last interaction, Jean-Luc." Picard folded his arms. "From now on, I am Discord, the spirit of chaos and disharmony, a  Draconequus. I made that word up myself!" Q rubbed his two hands together. "I will not leave without a proper goodbye from you."  Q patted his talon on Picard's shiny bald head. "I am going to miss rubbing that head of yours." Picard burned a imaginary hole through Q's horse head. "Got anything to say before good old Q skips out of town?"

Picard stood up unfolding his arms.

"I do not believe you." Picard said.

"My timeline is a bit complicated at the moment," Q said. "Visiting a stranded starship in the past which is technically in the future, relocating a fleet of pandas (in the future but it was in my past) to another planet full of bamboo, and other endangered species save from those ill conceived poachers." He counted off his fingers. "But do believe me when I say 'I am leaving and never going to bother you again'," His voice turned to its natural serious tone. "The Q cannot hinder humanity's progress anymore."

"Interesting." Data said.

Troi stood up.

"Are you saying you have been hindering us from the very beginning?" Troi asked.

"I am just the training wheels,counselor." Q said.

"Training wheels . . ." Troi said, sensing . . . sadness. . . from the entity.

His attention went toward the captain.

"Jean-Luc, if you dare die with regrets then on your dying day then you will be turned into a pony and be forever known as my sidekick Cue ball," Q said, his eyes staring down upon the captain that half was a smirk. "And your cutie mark will be the Star Fleet insagnia. I will also make you a white unicorn lacking any sort of hair."

"Q, I will not have regrets." Picard said.

"Or I can give you a cutie mark with a heart that has a strike through it," Q said. "Actually, the name Earl Gray would sound better." He tapped on his chin giving it some thought then he looked down toward the captain. "Tell me again that you will not have any regrets."

"I will not have regrets." Picard repeated.

Q frowned.

"Somehow  I don't believe you," Q said. "I got it!" He held his index finger as a lightbulb (a 21st century one) appeared above his head in a white flash. "Promise me."

Riker groaned.

"My head." Riker said.

The lightbulb vanished.

"I will not have regrets." Picard said.

"I didn't heeeeaaar you." Q sang, his arms folded.

"I promise that I will not die with regrets." Picard said.

"Then shake on it," Q held out his hand that was not a talon. "Mon capitaine."

Picard took Q's offered large hand and shook on the promise with eyes narrowed.

To Picard's surprise, the scenery around them melted rather than change in a white flash. It was slow and deliberate, and then the colors became bright and colorful until they were outside of a small city square. Above it read 'Ponyville', the clouds were shaped like ponies, there were pony tracks marking the path, and there were several trees surrounding the community. There were white fences seen around the small town. What had been a large hand gripped around Picard's had become smaller and more human like. Picard saw Q, in his human form, smiling. The smile wasn't condescending, at all, it was tamed and friendly.

Positive.

Bittersweet.

Very unlike the Q that Picard had gone to know for eight years.

Q was also in command red, as usual.

"Goodbye, Q." Picard said.

Q let go of Picard's hand.

"Until we meet again, Jean-Luc." Q said, with the usual unpredictable glint in his eye.

In a white cloud of smoke appeared the dragon like beast towering over the captain placing one talon lightly on his shoulder then Q nodded, as if saying, 'You are a brilliant captain.' or 'You are going to be fine, Jean-Luc. Take care.' Only Picard could understand what that short nod meant. It could mean a number of things. With a free hand the dragon like beast snapped his fingers. In a white flash Picard found himself at the briefing room with both hands to his side.

"Q ball," Riker said. "A pony named Q ball?" He furrowed his dark eyebrows. "I know Q gets amused by the captain but he is not a play toy--" Riker stopped short seeing Picard standing there, staring at thin air where a entity had once stood, beside the window. "Captain," Riker came to Picard's side appearing to be concerned. "Are you all right?"

"I am fine, Number One," Picard said, looking away from the window. "How long have I been gone?"

"Three days," Riker said, as Troi came to the side.  "What happened between you and Q?"

"Q is not coming back," Picard said. "Likely never. We made our farewells."

"Q had great feelings for you, Captain," Troi said. "I sensed them. He will miss you the most."

"Somehow, I am not surprised." Picard said.

And Picard had to file his final report on Q's appearance aboard the Enterprise. Facing the prospect that, for the first time in eight years, Picard would not need to expect the annual visits from Q. As Q had put it, "My timeline is a bit complicated at the moment." to Picard: it meant there were plenty of visits Q would have on different starships.  For now, Q was going to be in someone else hair for the time being. The thought of Q being Q with other races under a totally different appearance was fitting.

It also reassured Picard that the universe was still open to plenty of mysteries.

Even a lot more of Q.

The End.