//------------------------------//
// S2 E7: The Tortoise and the Mare (May The Best Pet Win) (What If?) 
// Story: My Little Pony Friendship is Magic What If?: Volume 16 
// by SuperPinkBrony12 
//------------------------------//

Fluttershy had been looking forward to a quiet day at home with nothing to do, besides caring for her animals of course. Things had been nice and peaceful in Ponyville and around all of Equestria as of late, and the animal loving pegasus saw no reason why that shouldn't continue.

However, much to the pegasus mare's surprise, her quiet day home hadn't even gotten started in earnest before she heard a knock at her front door. Naturally, she decided to see who it was.

When Fluttershy opened her cottage door, she was a bit surprised to see Rainbow Dash waiting for her. And even more surprising was what the brash speedster had next to her: It was a tortoise. Heck, Rainbow herself seemed to be looking at one of her wings most unusually, as if something were off about it. But what?

"Hey, Fluttershy," Rainbow greeted in a somewhat sheepish and withdrawn tone of voice. "I uh, hope this isn't a bad time for you or anything. But uh, I kind of need your help with something, like right now."

The animal loving pegasus nodded quite slowly. "It's about that... tortoise, isn't it? I've never seen you with one before, even though I know you had pictures of tortoises in your home as a filly."

A small blush formed on the brash speedster's cheeks as she got flustered ever so slightly. "Y-yeah, but that was a long time ago. And that's not important," She quickly recovered. "You... remember how I said a while back I wanted a pet?"

Fluttershy nodded, the memory fresh in her mind. "Yes, I do indeed remember. It was during the pony pet playdate in the park. You were feeling left out because you didn't have a pet of your own," Then it hit her. "Oh, you're saying you want that tortoise to be your pet?"

Rainbow Dash nodded quite slowly. "Uh, yeah, I kind of am. Believe me, I'm just as surprised as you are. Of all the animals I thought I might have for a pet, a tortoise definitely wasn't on the list. And that's why I need your help."

"My help?" Fluttershy blinked slowly, wondering if she had misheard.

Rainbow nodded again. "Yeah. You're pretty much an expert when it comes to animals and pets. I really need your help to make sure this tortoise here," She gestured to the tortoise poking its head out from its shell. "Really is the right fit for me."

"I'll see what I can do," The animal loving pegasus promised. "Why don't you come on and answer a few questions first? Something must've happened to make you consider a tortoise for a pet." And indeed, she was right. But not for the reasons she might suspect. Heck, even she wasn't sure how she could help Rainbow Dash make sure a tortoise of all animals was a good pet for her.



Rainbow Dash followed Fluttershy as the two trotted into the interior of her cottage, the tortoise following behind to the best of its ability. After all, it wasn't exactly built for speed. That alone was enough to make Fluttershy uncertain. She would've expected for sure that among the first qualifications her friend and fellow pegasus would want, speed was something that had to be guaranteed. And tortoises were anything but fast.

Eventually, Fluttershy was able to get her fellow pegasus to sit down so that the two mares could be eye to eye with each other. It was only then that the animal loving pegasus found the courage to speak and start asking questions. "So, what exactly drew you to the uh... tortosie?" She inquired of her rainbow maned friend. "It had to be something truly special, no?"

At that the brash speedster gave off a nervous laugh. "It's kind of a long and embarrassing stoy, really," After massaging the back of her neck with a hoof and briefly looking to one of her wings, she managed to force out. "It actually began with the last Pony Pet Playdate. Seeing all our friends with pets, including Twilight, it kind of made me want to have one of my own."

Fluttershy nodded. "I remember. You seemed so torn up about it. And I was practically beside myself when you mentioned that you might want a pet." The memory was still fresh in her mind, as if it had all happened yesterday.

Granted, the entire day wasn't exactly well remembered by the pegasus mare with a lovely yellow coat, but she could well remember a conversation that struck her interests and stayed with her.

In the midst of that pony pet playdate, while everypony else was enjoying themselves with their respective companions and do whatever their pets liked to do together, Rainbow Dash had swooped down from out of the skies. Apparently, she'd been watching the entire thing from up above. And if her body language was any indication, she was not pleased to be excluded, even if there was a valid reason for it.

In no uncertain terms, Rainbow had declared aloud. "Just because I don't have a pet now doesn't mean I never want a pet! I'm responsible enough!"

Upon hearing such a statement, Fluttershy spun around as her eyes lit up and she became filled with a giddy happiness that made her excitedly exclaimer (albeit while stuttering at first)! "Ohh! Y, y, you?! Oh, really?! You really want a pet? Really, really?! 'Cause I've got so many wonderful choices at my house! My house is practically a shelter, full of animals just waiting to be adopted!" And without being asked to, she rushed over and grabbed Rainbow, dragging the pegasus away all the while flapping her wings and chattering! "Oh, and I know you'll just love them all! And I'm sure they'll love you too! Oh, and you'll be best friends forever and ever! Oh! This is perfect!"

The memory faded as Rainbow Dash explained to Fluttershy in the present. "Yeah, I remember that. But I also remember that I couldn't find an animal that really spoke to me. There were lots of potential candidates, but I couldn't decide on which one was the best of the best. Plus," She blushed a bit. "I didn't have any money on me, so I couldn't afford a pet even if I had been able to choose one."

Fluttershy giggled. "Oh come now, Rainbow Dash. Money's not a problem. I'd have been happy to let you have a pet free of charge," She paused for a moment to regain her composure. "So, how does that relate to the tortoise? I don't remember a tortoise being among the animals we considered."

"You're right, it wasn't. And that brings me to the next part of my story," Rainbow pointed out as she started thinking back. "It was just the other day, actually. I was just flying along, minding my own business. And then suddenly, whoosh!" She streteched her arms out in emphasis! "This incredible, awesome, majestic eagle came swooping out of the sky right in front of me! It was like nothing I'd ever seen before! So I decided to race it!"

"And did you win?" The animal loving pegasus inquired of her athletic friend.

Rainbow's expression and posture became somewhat sorrowful. "Not exactly. And not for the reasons you're thinking, either. That's why it's a little embarrassing to talk about. But I guess there's no harm telling you, you won't tell anypony. Right?" She briefly looked all around, as if afraid that listening devices were secretly hidden throughout the cottage.

Waving a hoof, Fluttershy replied in a confident tone of voice. "Of course not. We've been friends since we were fillies, and I've never told anypony about any of your secrets, have I? I haven't even told them about the delicate relationship you have with your parents."

"Yeah, they're the last ponies I'd want finding out about this. They'd be sure to go overboard gushing about it!" Rainbow remarked and shuddered at the thought. She recovered quickly, however, and cleared her throat. "So anyway, I was racing the eagle through Ghastly Gorge."

At that, the animal loving pegasus gasped! "Ghastly Gorge! But that place is dangerous, even for pegasi!"

The brash speedster waved a hoof in dismissal of the concern her friend had just raised. "Actually, Ghastly Gorge isn't dangerous, or scary. It's fun. Heck, I've flown through it a million times myself! I could fly through it with my eyes closed if I had to!" Then she continued explaining. "So anyway, there I was, racing through Ghastly Gorge. I had that eagle beat by a mile, when it happened!" And her mind started recalling the faithful event that had set into motion a chain of events that had brought her to this point.





Rainbow Dash was flying along, not so high above Ghastly Gorge but just high enough to avoid many of the hazards that would plague any earth ponies or unicorns that might try to navigate it. The gorge was in and of itself in a remote part of Equestria, far removed from any traces of civilization (though it was possible to take a train out to there if you really wanted to).

As she was flying along without a care in the world, Rainbow Dash was humming a tune to herself. It wasn't loud enough to drown out the far away cry of a eagle, reminding the pegasus of her opponent. The eagle was slowly but surely trying to close the distance and win the race.

Rainbow turned her head around and called out to the distance! "Come on, slowpoke! Is that the best you can do?! I ain't even broken a sweat here! Step it up, if you can!" But that's when the trouble began! Without warning, the sound of cracking and rumbling rocks began to fill the air whereas a moment before there had been only silence!

A huge torrent of rocks began tumbling down the sides of the gorge, some of them small but a lot of them surprisingly big! Rainbow Dash ducked and weaved as best she could around the sudden onslaught, all the while yelling at the top of her lungs! "AVALANCHE!"

Suddenly, a truly massive rock came rolling down from one of the sides! It slammed into Rainbow Dash before the brash speedster had a chance to react! A massive force pressed her down, sending her crashing to the floor of the gorge! She tried to move, only to find that one of her wings had been pinned underneath the solid rock! And try as she might, she couldn't free it no matter what she did! She was stuck.

The pegasus mare's moderate purple eyes then took in the sight of something she was absolutely horrified to witness! There was the eagle she'd been racing against, its umistakable brown and white coat and bright yellow beak standing out in sharp contrast to the clear blue sky overhead. It was shrieking in delight as it flew ahead, either not knowing or not caring about its opponent as it flew it out of sight.

Desperately, Rainbow cried out! "Hey! Wait! Come back! Don't leave me here! I'm the one who's supposed to win!" But it was no use, the eagle just flew on without acknowledging her desperate plea for help.

Once the eagle was out of sight, the unfortunate and terrifying reality of her situation slowly but surely sank in for the brash pegasus. Her usual bravado disappeared, replaced by a desperate panic even as she could only prance frantically in place while her wing remained trapped! "Oh no, nonono, th-this can't be happening. There... there must be some mistake! This... this has to be a bad dream! It has to be!" But she knew that wasn't true, this was all too real! Her eyes began to widen as she found herself frozen in a state of shock! She was trapped, there was no way out. And to make matters worse, there was no way for her to notify anypony about her predicament.

Hoping against hope to be overheard by anypony or anything, Rainbow shouted out at the top of her lungs! "Somepony! Anypony! Help me!" Her voice echoed across the walls of the gorge, but there was no reply of any sort.

Yet just as Rainbow Dash had hung her head in dispair and resigned herself to the hoplessness of her situation, that was when she heard it. Her ears began to pick the sound of movement, albeit very slow movement. Had somepony or something heard her desperate plea for help? Or was it something else? Something more horrifying? Some no good, nasty creature coming to prey upon the pegasus in her time of weakness, knowing she was unable to escape?

The steps slowly but surely got closer, and Rainbow managed to crank her neck around to make out the faint outline of some small figure in the distance. It didn't look like a pony, but what exactly it was she couldn't tell. And at this point she really didn't care, she was just grateful to see that there was indeed something friendly approaching her (or at least something harmless). "Yes! My prayers have been answered! Oh thank Celestia!" She exclaimed with relief! "Whoever or whatever you are, thank you SO much! Just name your price."

But when the figure finally emerged fully into the light, and Rainbow got a good look at what had come to her rescue, her hopes were immediately dashed. Now standing before her was a small and very slow moving tortoise. No wonder it had taken so long to reach her.

Hopelessness returned at once for the brash speedster. "You've gotta be kidding me!" She groaned, kicking at the ground with a hoof even though it only served to stir up dust. "A tortoise?! Really?! I'm stuck down here with no way out, trapped forever, and a tortoise is the only thing that comes to my rescue?! This can't be how it all ends for me!"

The tortoise made no acknowledgement of any sort about the pegasus' rude remarks. It instead slowly but surely walked over to the huge rock that kept Rainbow's wing pinned down. Once it reached the rock, it began to dig slowly, before opting to put its head down through the hole it had made.

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash felt the pressure that had been pinning her wing down be lifted. She looked off to her right, and saw that the tortoise was using all of its strength to nudge the huge rock upward ever so slightly! It was just enough to give Rainbow the opening she needed to free her wing! She was saved! "Wow! Never thought I'd be saved by a tortoise of all things," She said to herself, before looking over to the tortoise. "I suppose I owe you one now, little guy," Then suddenly, it hit her! "I know! I'll take you to Fluttershy! I think I know now what I want most for a pet!"





"And that's how it happened," Rainbow Dash explained as she concluded her story to Fluttershy. "This tortoise here saved my life. If it hadn't shown up when it did... I don't even wanna think about what could've happened," Then she added. "As for my wing, it'll heal. Doctors' said nothing was broken, luckily."

"You really are lucky," Fluttershy nodded in approval. "And I hope you've learned something about racing in dangerous places like Ghastly Gorge." Her tone of voice sounded more like a disappointed mother scolding her child, rather than a friend expressing her concern to another friend.

The brash speedster gave a sheepish and nervous grin. "Yeah, I won't be doing that again anytime soon. Just remember, not a word to anypony," Then she cleared her throat and changed the subject. "Now, do you remember when you last brought me to your cottage? You know, back when we were trying to find a pet for me?"

The animal loving pegasus nodded once again, and giggled as she recalled the memory. "Oh yes I do. I remember we even sang a song about it." And by chance, the song was fresh in her mind.

"So, I hope it's not too late to enter this little fellow here," Rainbow gestured to the tortoise. "Into the competition. I mean yes, I know that pets need stuff like food, water and attention. And it involves doing things like taking them for walks or cleaning up after them. But I want to make sure that whatever pet I get is a pet that suits me, a pet that really gets me. I'm feeling kind of strong about the tortoise after it saved me, it kind of reminds me a lot of myself. But if I don't put this tortoise through the same tests as the other potential pets, how will I know for sure if it's truly right for me?" Then she explained. "That's why I need your help, Fluttershy."

Fluttershy was silent for a momenr ot two, deep in thought. At last, however, she made up her mind and announced. "I'll see what I can do, Rainbow Dash. I'll help you get things set up. And I'm sure Twilight won't mind keeping track of every candidate's performance, she really does love details," She was quick to add, however. "But I can't decide for you what animal would make the best pet. That's something you'll have to decide for yourself. And I can't guarantee every potential pet will live up to your high expectations."

The rainbow maned pegasus brushed off the concern. "Not to worry, Fluttershy. I'm quite certain that the best candidate will win in the end, whoever or whatever it ends up being. I like to live life to the extreme, it's only fitting that my pet should be capable of doing the same!" And thus, the contest was set to find the best animal to be Rainbow Dash's pet.





Sometime later, after Fluttershy had managed to wrangle up all the potential candidates, she brought them to a patch of land not far from the town hall. Rainbow Dash had chosen it specifically for the fact that it would be easy to spot from afar, and with the exception of her and Twilight there was currently nopony around to interrupt anything.

Rainbow had taken the liberty of donning a dark blue ballcap hat that had a white section in the middle, and a white front that extended past her mane. She also had a shiny red whistle that hung around her neck on a white string. And once all the animals were gathered (the tortoise included), she blew long and hard on the whistle, its sharp call splitting the air.

Twilight and Fluttershy watched from afar with mixes of interest and concern, but neither said a word outloud. Their rainbow maned friend was quite certain this was the only way to truly determine which animal was best suited to being her pet. Who were they to question her given the fact that both of them had pets that most ponies would find rather unusual (such as an owl more active during the day than at night, or a bunny who really didn't live up to his name of "Angel".)?

The brash speedster, for her part, simply addressed the gathered crowd of animals assembled before her. "So! You all think you've got what it takes to be my pet, do ya?" She inquired of them in her best drill sergant tone. "Well, we'll just see about that, won't we?! There's only room on Team Dash for one of you, so if you wanna have even the smallest chance of being the lucky one, you'd better give it your all! Forget about your A game, I wanna see your A+ game! If you don't think you can handle that, I suggest you bow out now and save us all the embarrassment!" Then she warned. "This competition isn't for the faint of heart. This is serious business."

Twilight finally saw fit to speak up, albeit only to Fluttershy. "Are you sure this is a good idea? Should we really be letting Rainbow Dash treat this whole thing like some kind of sports competition? Couldn't she just pick a candidate out of a hat or something?"

Fluttershy shook her head from side to side. "Rainbow Dash would never settle for something like that. She wants the best, and this is her way of making sure she finds it. The most important thing for anypony who wants a pet is to feel confident they've made the right choice."

"Still, you think she really wants something like a tortoise or a butterfly?" The unicorn inquired with concern. "For that matter, why would she want a flamingo?"

Fluttershy shrugged her hooves. "Those were the animals that caught her interest. And in the tortoise's case, she clearly feels like she owes it for saving her back in Gastly Gorge the other day," Then she motioned a hoof to silence her friend. "Now be quiet, let's just see how this plays out. If we have to, we'll step in to make sure no creature gets hurt."

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was pacing back and forth in front of all the animals, eyeing them carefully (almost to the point of glaring, you might say). "Alright," She declared at last. "Listen up, I'm gonna explain the rules. And I am not going to repeat myself, so you'd all better listen closely." 

Clearing her throat, Rainbow then explained at length. "These 'games' will determine which one of you has the most important qualities I'm looking for in a pet. Whoever does the best in each of these categories will have the honor of being my pet, and they are:" She proceeded to list each quality one by one. "Speed!" She took off so fast that she left a trail of flames behind! "Agility!" She zipped around the animals, leaving streaks of rainbow colored light in her place. "Guts! Style," She briefly flew into the air and molded a cloud into roughly an outline of herself. "Coolness! Awesomeness! And radicalness!" When she delivered the last phrase, she briefly put on a pair of sunglasses and stood up, folding her front hooves over her chest.

Twilight came up a moment later, questioning what she thought was a redundant statement. "But aren't those all the same thing, more or less?"

Rainbow had to resist the urge to laugh as she took off her sunglasses, telling Twilight in no uncertain terms. "You would think that, Twilight. And that's exactly why you would never qualify to be my pet," As she spoke those words, she gave the unicorn a pat on the head, much to Twilight's annoyance. Once Twilight had left, Rainbow Dash then told the animals. "You'll be tested on each one in the order I just gave. Remember: Either bring your best, or don't waste my time!"





Speed was the first quality to be tested. The brash pegasus had managed to get a small track near a pond, and had all the animals line up on from left to right. In her hooves, she held a stopwatch. "Ready?" She asked as she clutched the stopwatch firmly. "On your marks... get set..." She promptly blew loudly on her whistle, signaling the start of the race!

All the animals took off as fast as they could, some moving faster than others. The one that ultimately pulled ahead and won the race was a dark brown feathered falcon with lighter brown feathers across its belly. Unsurprisingly, the tortoise was the last one to cross. Heck, it had barely even taken a step by the time the race was already over.

Rainbow could only shake her head at the display the tortoise had just put on. "Look, I know speed's not your thing, buddy. But come on, you gotta be faster than that! If you're gonna be my pet, you gotta be able to keep up! So please tell me that wasn't your best." The tortoise didn't give her an answer.

Agility was the next quality in the long list of qualities that would be tested. The test for agility involved navigating through a series of obstacles in both the air and on the ground, and whichever animal made it to the end first would be the winner. Surprisingly enough, a light green feathered hummingbird beat out the falcon to be the first to reach the finish line, thus winning the agility contest.

As for the tortoise, it really didn't get far at all. Once again, it seemed to have barely taken a step before it fell over on its side. A frown formed on Rainbow Dash's face when she saw the display. "If you thought that would impress me, you thought wrong. I'm starting to wonder if I was right to let you try out for this," She told it. "I get it, you're a tortoise. But even you must be able to do something." Again, however, she got no reply.

So instead, it was onto the next challenge: This one for guts. And the challenge was simple. "Which one of you thinks they have the guts to take Opal's favorite toy?" She explained as she set a dark purple colored stuffed mouse on the ground, all the while the distant sound of hissing could be heard. "Fair warning: The last time someone tried to take Opal's favorite toy, it didn't end well for them. I won't blame anyone who wants to back out of this one, sometimes it can take guts to know when to walk away." Unsurprisingly, many of the animals did in fact back down from the challenge.

However, a few of the animals (the tortoise included) decided to brave the cat's claws in order to have a chance of winning the guts challenge. And the one who managed to make off with the toy and elude Opal's claws was an orange spotted butterfly, whose majestic wings hypnotized Opal and drained away any will she had to resist. As such, she didn't even notice until too late that the tortoise was tipping her cat carrier right on top of her.

"Well, looks like we have more than a few brave souls," Rainbow commented. "You're not making my job any easier, you know."





The next few challenges flew by in the blink of an eye, until finally there was only the radicalness challenge left. After that, Rainbow Dash was expected to check with Twilight, and then make an announcement about which animal had won both the overall competition and the right to be her pet.

A small stage was set up to allow each of the animals a chance to show how "radical" they were. It was more or less a talent contest, and each animal had something they wanted to show off, hoping it would impress the picky pegasus pony pondering the possibility of picking one of them.

First up was a sea green feathered duck with dark green feathers across its face. The duck had a flat hat colored yellow with a red stripe across the middle, a cane, and red tap dance shoes. It tap danced a little jig for Rainbow Dash, who seemed mildly impressed by the display.

An eagle similar to the one Rainbow had raced against just the other day was next. Surprisingly, it proved to be rather adept at knitting a sweater that somehow displayed a crudely drawn image of its hopeful pegasus master on it.

The falcon opted for a magic trick, wearing a small top hat as it presented a card (the ace of diamonds). But it failed to match the card Rainbow Dash had picked (the five of clubs).

A wasp used a flashlight to make shadow puppets of various creatures by moving its stinger. At first, it seemed to impress Rainbow, but after a few changes she had dozed off and lost interest.

A light brown coated bat with dark brown colored wings went next. It played a little tune on a series of glasses, then it let out a shriek and the glasses shattered into tiny fragments.

"Whoa! That was definitely awesome!" Rainbow told the bat afterwards, before her happy smile faded and was replaced by a serious frown. "But this is the radicalness contest, so I'm afraid I'm gonna have to dock you a few points."

The tortoise was the last of the animals to compete on the stage. It had somehow managed to get a small obstacle course of sorts set up, including a hoop of fire! It took one step forward, and in doing so caused a spring to give way! It launced the tortoise into the air, and somehow it managed to land just right to make past every obstacle and land safely in a net that symbolized the finish line! It then slowly poked its head out from its shell, looking none the worse for wear.

"Okay, I'll give you that one. That was actually pretty impressive on your part," Rainbow Dash informed the tortoise. "Though I'm pretty sure someone," She briefly glanced over in Fluttershy and Twilight's vacinity before turning back to the tortoise. "Helped you get all that set up. Still, not bad. At least that counts for something."

And with that, the contests drew to a close. All that remained now was for the pegasus pony to proclaim a winner.





After checking in with Twilight and going over the score, Rainbow double checked everything just to make sure she wasn't missing or misinterpreting anything. "Huh, whaddya know?" She said outloud.

"Well, the facts don't lie," Twilight pointed out. "Still, are you sure this is what you want?"

Rainbow Dash firmly nodded her head. "Yes, Twilight. I can see now clear as day what my pet's going to be, and why."

Fluttershy flashed a bright smile. "Oh, I'm so happy for you, Rainbow Dash! Now you'll be able to attend our Pony Pet Playdates! We won't have to worry about you feeling left out!"

The brash speedster did her best to play it off. "Yeah, yeah. I mean, I would've gotten a pet eventually anyway, but all of you having pets definitely sped up the clock and helped me make up my mind," She coughed into a hoof to regain her composure, and took off her hat and whistle. "Now to just make it official."

So the rainbow maned pegasus flew back to the animals who were all waiting for her. She cleared her throat. "The results in, and I'm pleased to announce that the lucky animal who will be my new pet is..." She paused for a moment, either to build tension or because she was still a bit uncertain herself. But the moment passed and she declared. "The tortoise!"

A series of noises from the animals rang out upon them hearing the announcement! All of them seemed surprised!

Rainbow gestured a hoof to quiet the animals down. "I know, I know. I'm just as surprised as all of you are. But I can't deny it," She turned her gaze to the tortoise. "The way you were willing to go through this whole competition, even when you knew you didn't have a chance of winning a single contest, it really means a lot to me," She explained. "Until a while ago, I thought that the most important traits to look for in a pet were all physical competitive abilities. But now I can see how short-sighted and shallow that really was. You saving me in Gastly Gorge really opened my eyes, kind of reminded me a lot of myself."

It seemed like the tortoise was blushing given the unusual expression upon its face.

Rainbow Dash continued. "What you have is a lot like me: A certain kind of spirit, stick-to-it-ive-ness. A never give up, can-do attitude. Whatever it is, you've got it."

"Tenacity." Twilight blurted out from afar.

Rainbow called back. "Gesundheit," Then she pondered. "Now, what am I gonna call you, Mr. Tortoise?" She tapped a  hoof against her chin, trying to think. "It's gotta be something that's one of a kind, just like you," Then, suddenly, it came to her in a flash! "Of course! Tank! That's your name! Tank! You're unstoppable! Nothing can truly stop you from being there for those who need you, just like me!"

Fluttershy then trotted up, expressing her concern about a fact that she had apparently just now considered. "But how is Tank supposed to keep up with you when you're up in the clouds? After all, he can't fly."

The rainbow maned pegasus nearly gasped as the realization struck her! "You're right, Fluttershy! That's gonna be a real problem!"

Fortunately, Twilight came trotting up at that very moment with a smile. "Well, I think I have an idea that could help you, Rainbow Dash," Her smile widened as she added. "I would be more than happy to set you and Tank up with a magical propeller, one that would enable Tank to hover and even fly if he wants to. Provided you come with me back to the library and tell this lesson you just learned to Spike. I think Princess Celestia will be very interested in what you've learned today."

"Oh, alright," Rainbow sighed. "I suppose I do owe you for helping me keep score, Twilight." And so it was arranged. Already, Rainbow Dash was eagerly anticipating the next Pony Pet Playdate, and a chance to show Tank off to all of her friends. Just like them, she could now say she had a truly one of a kind pet: A tortoise that could fly.