Ciderholic

by twilightsparkle3562


Winter Wrap Up

Chapter 8

"Winter Wrap Up"

In the weeks that followed since Rainbow Dash had begun seeing Sweetheart, winter was nearing its conclusion and Rainbow Dash knew that it was almost time for Tank to wake up since going to sleep for the winter. As Ponyville rallied to wrap up winter, Rainbow Dash focused on the task of clearing the clouds, allowing the sun to melt the mounds of snow that had piled on the land.

"Oh, boy, I can't wait to get Tank up," giggled Rainbow Dash as her work neared its completion. It seemed that the time she spent with Sweetheart had given her a new lease on life that didn't involve her drinking the alcohol that made her a hazard to those around her. Once her work was done, she came back to the site where Tank had dug himself into the ground.

"You seem excited to see Tank again, Rainbow Dash," remarked Fluttershy, flying down to her. "I told you that it was for the best and when Tank wakes up, he will sure be happy to see you again."

Bending down towards the spot, Rainbow Dash dug into the ground and cleared away the mounds of snow with her hooves, finally breaking into the soft earth underneath.

"Come on, Tank," thought Rainbow Dash. "You can do it. Just wake up and come out of there."

After a few moments, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy could both see the ground start to move and fall down. At that point, Twilight, Rarity and Pinkie Pie also joined in to see what was happening. Twilight was wearing her new all team organizer vest to replace the one she had lost in the library explosion.

"Is he up?" asked Pinkie Pie, excitedly jumping up and down. "Is he up?"

"Shh, I think he's waking up," cried Rarity. "I see a green claw."

A small green claw came out and more dirt came down with each swipe of the claws. Rainbow Dash could see that she was growing more and more excited and at that moment, a small head came out and two small black eyes blinked. Rainbow Dash, with tears of happiness forming in her eyes, reached up and grabbed Tank's shell.

"Tank, I'm so glad to see you," cried Rainbow Dash, hugging him tightly as the rest of her friends reacted to this touching reunion.

"Don't you think Tank looks a lot happier now after a good rest?" remarked Twilight, smiling warmly. "It's like I said, sometimes it's hard to see our friends go away. But, its even better when they come back."

Rainbow Dash continued to hug her friend tightly as she took to the skies, flying like she had never flown before. It was almost as if Rainbow Dash had been reborn, freed from the grip of evil that the alcoholic cider had possessed.

"She sure seems happy," remarked Fluttershy. "I guess she realizes now that good things come to those who wait, don't you think?"

"I agree with you, Fluttershy," said Twilight. "I'm just glad to see the old Rainbow Dash back to normal."

So, they all watched as Rainbow Dash continued to spin Tank around as the winter wrap up continued throughout Ponyville. As they watched, they heard Spitfire come down along with several other Wonderbolts, helping out in the winter wrap up.

"Glad to see that Rainbow Dash is back to her old self," she said, taking off her sunglasses. "Those therapy sessions have sure done her good."

"What do you think will happen now?" asked Twilight, walking over to Spitfire. "Will she go through this again?"

"I don't think so, Princess Twilight," replied Spitfire. "I've ordered Sweetheart to have Rainbow Dash come to her regularly, so this kind of behavior doesn't happen again. There is a side to us that sometimes needs to be explored and it can be sensitive."

A hushed silence came from the rest of the ponies and they all turned their attention to Spitfire with concerned looks on their faces.

"Trust me," she said. "Rainbow Dash will have to go through with this every year as long as Tank is alive. But I assure you that we will be there by her side when the whole process starts up again."

However, there was the matter of the Flim Flam Brothers and although nopony cared about them anymore, there was the question of whether they would recreate their alcoholic cider again.

"But, what about the Flim Flam Brothers?" remarked Pinkie Pie, still holding that empty bottle. "What about them and their disgusting cider?"

"You are going to have nothing to worry about, Pinkie Pie," said Spitfire. "I'm petitioning to start a group that focuses on ponies who had the same problems as Rainbow Dash. We are going to make sure that nothing like this ever happens again."

All the ponies admired this and a small chorus of gasps and awes were heard. It was then, a few days later in Canterlot, that a document was presented petitioning the founding of an alcoholic rehabilitation center for ponies and Twilight and her fellow princesses were in Canterlot to sign the deal as Rainbow Dash looked on from the crowds.

"With the signing of this document," announced Princess Celestia. "We, the four princesses of Equestria, hereby decree the founding of Equestria's very first alcoholic cider recovery program to be headed by the Captain of the Wonderbolts, Spitfire and her own faithful student, Rainbow Dash of the Wonderbolt Reserves!"

A loud cheer came through the hall as Rainbow Dash was motioned to come up and stand by her idol as they watched the loud sound of cheers resonating throughout the hall. In the days that followed, many ponies who had been addicted to the Flim Flam Brothers' alcoholic cider, came forward and joined the program.

For Rainbow Dash, this was the end of a dark period in her life and learned a valuable lesson about not hiding your problems from anypony and instead that it is best to share them either openly with your friends or with someone in private.

It was a hard lesson, but it was a lesson that furthered her development as a pony and as a Wonderbolt.