//------------------------------//
// Tanks for the memories. 
// Story: The Little Pony Legend: A Kingdom of Friendship 
// by MaggiesHeartLove 
//------------------------------//


*(~)*
Matthew 5:4~
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted
*(~)*

Tanks for the memories.


"Good morning everyone, Shiro Shinobi here with exciting news! It looks like winter has greeted us once again as there have been reports of fallen snow to come in the next couple of days. That may not sound like much news, but that's only part of the story! Pegasus ponies are hard at work back in Equestria to bring winter to their enchanting land. Humans from all over the city have dropped on by to witness just how these talented little flyers can bring that fresh blanket of white."
Just as Shiro announced, humans were indeed in Equestria, or more specifically; Ponyville. Unlike the human world, the weather didn't change naturally. Ponies normally had schedules from a higher pegasus in charge for when the weather will change. But ever since Harmonic Convergence, they now had the help of the natural works of nature of the human world. It naturally told them when winter was to come. Combining the worlds gave them an internal clock they never really used before. Now, things just seemed to move even more naturally for them.
And speaking of pegasus ponies, Rainbow Dash was flying at top speed with her beloved pet tortoise, Tank. He wore a helicopter propeller on his shell so he could keep up with his pony owner, and wore goggles over his eyes. He spun around when Rainbow approached him. She smiled as she blew off the cuff of her now swept up styled mane, which she wore often instead of having her bangs over her forehead all the time. She held her pet close and pointed with her free hoof, high up onto the sky. A large city, entirely made out of cloud with rainbow water falling downwards like waterfalls, was slowly approaching. 
"Look at that, Tank! Cloudsdale's here! That means Ponyville is next up for winter!" 
She released Tank once she took notice of the beautiful autumn levees down bellow. A large crowd of ponies were galloping their way across the forest, causing the orange and red levees to fall. Each one carried a number on their backs, this was the annual running of the levees. Rainbow flew over them and shouted with great pride, "You're doing awesome, everypony! Keep it up! We need those leaves off those trees!" Rainbow flew up and landed on a cloud, where Tank awaited for her. However, she was too excited to notice how sleepy he was getting. 
"Once we get autumn cleared away, it'll be hello, winter! Man, it came a lot quicker this time, hu? Guess that's what happens when you're now connected to a world with a different season changing system." she was so caught up with talking she still wasn't aware of Tank's sleepiness. "I mean, it's like I've got this new instinct telling me when winter is suppose to come. I've never had that before. Normally I just get word from the other ponies. Not that I'm complaining, I'm totally looking forward to it!"
Then, Tank let out a yawn, which did not suit well with the pegasus pony. 
"Was that a yawn I just saw?" she asked suspiciously, only to have Tank yawn again. "How can you be tired when the most exciting time of the year is right around the corner? And don't forget the best part – our first winter together!" 
But while Rainbow was as excited as a young school filly, her pet did not share her emotion. Which was odd. As slow as Tank is, even he would follow Rainbow Dash into the most dangerous and most daring adventure ever. The poor creature was so exhausted he was slowly descending downwards.
"Come on, wake up!" she pointed to a group of pegasi who were pulling fluffs of clouds. "Once those ponies bring in the big, fat clouds full of snowflakes, we'll have a ton of snow for our extreme sledding!" she grabbed Tank and pointed to the lake, "And over there, we can play horse hockey, with no shoulder or arm pads!"
Tank smiled, he really did try to show his enthusiasm, but he was just too tired. This really worried Rainbow Dash. She was interrupted from her train of thought when a familiar human/alicorn being flew up, flapping her beautiful wings and wearing her famous proud smile.
"Hey, Rainbow Dash!"
"Hey, Korra."
"Man, I still can't it's winter already. Everything here's looking great, don't you think?"
"Almost everything. Does Tank look alright to you?"
Korra rubbed her chin as she examined the hovering, sleeping tortoise. "Well, he does seem to be moving slowly."
"I know, right?"
"And he looks kind of sleepy…"
"Totally!"
"…just like he always does." Korra shrugged, realizing that there really was nothing unusual with Rainbow's pet. Rainbow also realized she was probably worried for nothing after all. 
"Yeah, ha ha, I'm sure you're right."
"Well, I'm gonna go check on the rest of the weather team. Catch ya latter!"
Rainbow waved goodbye as Korra flew off, and she saw Tank was still yawning. Despite what Korra said, she knew that something was most definitely wrong with her pet.


(~)


Rainbow Dash took Tank to an expert….Fluttershy! The butter yellow pegasus pony was using a stethoscope to listen to the turtle's heartbeat while rainbow anxiously awaited a reply. "Well?!"
"I suppose his heartbeat could be a teensy-weensy-eensy bit slower than usual…"
"Okay, so give him a vitamin or something!" she said anxiously as Tank began to snore.
"I don't think he needs that." Fluttershy said calmly. 
"Maybe we're just staying up too late. Uh, too many Daring Do stories." Rainbow petted Tank's head, making him smile as he woke up for a brief moment before dozing off again. 
"Oh, that's not it either."
"Well, what's wrong with him then?!"
"Nothing! He's perfectly fine." upon hearing this, Rainbow released a sigh of relief, until… "He's just going to hibernate."
Rainbow's eyes widened and she looked at Fluttershy like she was crazy, "You do realize he's not a bear, right?"
Fluttershy giggled before getting a book from her shelf and opened it. "When the weather grows cold and less food is available, many animals hibernate to conserve energy." flipping through the pages, she showed her friends a variety of animals, sleeping during the wintertime. "It's like taking a really long nap during winter, and then they wake up in spring. And see? Even tortoises do it! When the time comes, Tank will leave and dig into the ground."
Rainbow looked at the image of the tortoise sleeping in a hole, which immediately made her heart speed up, but not in a good way. As she heard Tank yawn once more, she realized that she was going to have to spend her entire winter…without her pet. Without somebody she cared deeply about. The thought left a very unsettling feeling at the pit of her stomach.
"But don't worry." Fluttershy assured her, "He'll reappear when the spring sun warms the ground back up."
Rainbow Dash scoffed and rolled her eyes, refusing to believe this. "Come on! Tortoises don't hibernate! Somepony put that picture in there as a joke." she angrily slammed the book, no longer wanting to see the image again.  
"It's not a joke." said Fluttershy.
"Well, then your book must be wrong!" Rainbow strapped Tank's propeller back onto his shell as she prepared to leave the cottage. Fluttershy understood Rainbow's dilemma, but she also knew that being in denial wasn't going to help either one of them. Deep down, she knew Rainbow knew the truth, but refused to acknowledge it. 
"Rainbow Dash, Tank needs to hibernate. It's healthy for him, just like sleeping is healthy for us. Besides, I know that you know it's the truth."
Rainbow Dash gave a short laugh, "Whatever. Okay, thanks. Come on, Tank." she spun the propeller, making the sleepy Tank fly. However, he wasn't following Rainbow and so she was forced to come back and get him.
"Where are you going?"
"To get a second opinion from a real reptile expert."


(~)


Mako opened Tank's eyes which then shut close once he let go. Rainbow had brought her pet to see Mako, since he had a trio of animal reptile spirits, maybe he could help clear things up. Or, at least, tell her what she wanted to hear.
"So, what do you think?" Rainbow asked hopefully.
Mako looked at her with concern as his three spirit reptiles rested on his shoulders, "Well…"
"It's crazy, right? There's no way Tank's going to…well, you know." she couldn't even say the word.
"Sorry Rainbow, there isn't anything I can do." 
"But, Mika, Ali and San aren't going to sleep all winter!"
"That's because they're spirits. Not actual lizards. Besides, If Fluttershy says that Tank is going to hibernate, then he is."
The anthro pegasus clenched her fists in annoyance, "Well thanks a lot!" she exclaimed sarcastically before taking Tank away and leaving the apartment.
"Where are you going now?" Mako asked.
"If you can't help me, then there is only one other expert who will." 


(~)


"I told you, Rainbow Dash, I'm a dragon!" Spike crossed his arms in annoyance while Tank slept beside him. The young dragon now had a room all to his own in the large castle.
"Come on! You're practically twins!" said Rainbow, hoping to get an answer that was going to reassure her.
Spike arched an eyebrow, "I'm purple."
"But if you don't have to hibernate, why should Tank?!"
"Because he's a tortoise and I'm a dragon!"
"Same family though, right?"
"No!"
"I'll take that as a yes."
Spike groaned in annoyance and jumped off of the table where he and Tank were sitting on. "Ugh! Look, if Fluttershy says tortoises hibernate, then I guarantee tortoises hiber—"
"Well, what would you know?! You're a dragon!" Rainbow interrupted, not wanted to have a repeat of that sentence. She slammed the door, leaving Spike alone in his room.
"Finally." he said to himself before jumping into bed to read  his comic book.
Once outside the castle, Rainbow shook off her worries and tried to come up with a way to wake her pet up in time for winter. 
"Nopony knows you like I do, Tank. All you need is some hard work to get the old blood pumping." she furrowed her brows as Tank snored and collided with the door. This was going to be a lot of work.
"Come on!"


(~)


This was so exciting. Kai had never known Ponies could control the weather. It was so strange, the way things were happening in his world were happening in Equestria as well. Ponies were so naturally drawn to the changing of the reasons, it was almost scary…but cool. He spotted a familiar rainbow-haired pegasus and landed on a branch, calling out her name.
"Hey, Rainbow Dash!"
"Hey, Kai!" Rainbow greeted, waving her hoof.
"You guys are doing great! What's it like to move actual clouds like that?"
"Well, they're pretty heavy. Chock full of snowflakes! Tank and I are gonna have such a killer time in the snow." however, she quickly realized that her tortious was no longer beside her, "Tank? Tank!"
Rainbow hoof palmed herself when she saw Tank making a hole in the ground to sleep in. Kai felt sympathy for her. "Is he okay?" he asked.
"He's fine!" Rainbow exclaimed rather angrily, catching Kai by surprise and she speeded down towards her pet.
Pinkie Pie came on by and upon seeing Tank, she cooed. "Aww, look at the cute wittle Tankie, all snuggly-wuggly, getting ready to hibern—"
"Don't say that word!" Rainbow shouted as she held Tank close, shielding him from Pinkie Pie.
"Which one? "Snuggly"? "Wuggly"? "Tankie"? "Hibernate"?"
"That one!" Rainbow covered her friend's mouth, keeping her from saying anything else.
"I was just saying how cute he—"
"If you think hiber... – you know, that napping thing – is so cute, why don't you go do it?! Somewhere far away from here?!"
"Rainbow?"
The pony turned her head to see the rest of her friends, looking at her with surprised/concerned expressions. Fluttershy and Rarity were helping the animals prepare for their winter nap, while the others helped in raking the fallen levees. Kai landed and stood beside Korra, already feeling a tad intimidated by the angry pony.
"What are you looking at?! Pinkie Pie and I are just having a conversation!"
Korra shook his head, "I know conversations R.D, and that wasn't one of em."
"Is she okay?" Kai asked.
Before Korra could respond, Rainbow beat her to it…by screaming. "I'm fine! There's nothing going on!"
But Korra knew very well that that was not the case. Mako stepped forward to try and reason with his friend. "Look, Rainbow Dash, we all know how upset you are about Tank hiber—"
Pinkie Pie appeared behind him and hugged his legs for protection, "Shhhh! Don't say that word! That's what started this all!"
"We all know how upset you are about Tank. But you shouldn't take your anger out on your friends."
Mako flinched when Rainbow flew up and yelled right in his face. "Who said anything about anger?! I didn't say anything about anger! I'm not upset! And I am not angry! Do I look angry?!" The face Rainbow gave them was one they would no doubt see in their nightmares tonight. 
Bolin also tried to make peace, "Okay, just calm down."
"I'm completely calm!! Come on, Tank! Let's get out of here!" she flew away at top speed with her pet, leaving the others either conflicted, worried, or for some of them, terrified.
Korra sighed while Twilight shook her head, "Stage two." said the purple alicorn.
Rarity titled her head, "What?"
"Rainbow's going through the five stages of grief." Twilight explained.
"How many stages are there?" Bolin asked.
"Right now, she's hit the first and second. Anger and denial." Korra said. 
"What's the next one."
"Bargaining….which can only lead to good things." she said sarcastically.


(~)


Back at her home, Rainbow tried all she could to get Tank awake. "I need you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, not sleepy-eyed and scaly-tailed! Which... is exactly what you are. But get up anyway!"
Tank yawned once more. 
"You can't hiber– you know. What about all the primo things we're gonna do together this winter? Building snow ponies, starting snowball fights, sipping hot cider by the fire."
Tank snored in response. 
"Don't you wanna do those things with me?!" 
The sound of despair and sadness in her voice was enough to wake Tank up. He smiled at his owner and nuzzled her leg before sleeping again. This was terrible. Every muscle in her body was telling her this was natural, but her brain, not to mention her heart, didn't want to accept it. She then felt a tingle in her system. Winter was coming closer, and she was running out of time. 
"Think, Rainbow Dash, think! Tank's only hibernating because it's cold, right? Well, I'd rather have him awake in the heat than asleep in the cold... and the weather only changes here, not in Republic City, so…" she gasped as an idea came to her mind. The devious pony rubbed her hooves together, smiling an uncharacteristic evil smile.
"I just have to stop winter!"


(~)


The following day, the pegasus ponies were hard at work moving clouds in the sky. A female pegasus with a blue mane and tail and yellow coat flew by, placing the clouds in a specific location in the sky. Her name was Sunshower. She spotted a male pegasus with purple mane and tail and a dark teal coat. His hair was swept up.
"So where do these clouds go?" Sunshower asked in a light new york accent.
"Over by Clear Skies." said the male pony.
"But there's clear skies everywhere."
A pink pegasus pony with a purple mane, styled similarly to the male pony. "Yo, Clear Skies right here!" she said, smiling sweetly.
"But there's clear skies over there, too!" said Sunshower, pointing to the right.
"That's Open Skies!" said the pink pony.
"There's open skies everywhere!"
"I'm not everywhere. I'm right here!" said the male pony.
Sunshower sighed, finally understanding what was going on. "Wait. So you're Open Skies, and you're Clear Skies. Then what's all that?"
"Open, clear skies!" the two ponies, Open Skies and Clear Skies said in unison, much to Sunshower's annoyance. 
"Hey, where'd our fluffy clouds go?" Open Skies asked, none of them having realized that somebody had taken them while they were talking. 
"Fluffy Clouds? He's over there!" Clear Skies pointed to a tall and skinny male pegasus, with an orange bow tie and fluffy hair style.
Rainbow Dash smiled deviously as she shoved the clouds into a hole inside a hollow tree. "Hah! Stopping winter is gonna be a breeze!"
This was Rainbow's plan: to stop winter from coming so she will never have to let go of her friend. Over the past year, Rainbow had experienced and seen many things. Some she wished she never had to see, or feel. She was so close to loosing so many loved ones that the thought of either of them being gone now was still too hard for her to accept. She refused to have that grief feeling again. This time, she was making sure she didn't have to say goodbye to someone else she loved. She was going to stop winter from coming to Ponyville, no matter how long it took. Besides, it was only this part of Equestria, the other places wouldn't matter if it snowed. Winter would still come, just not here. It never snows in the Fire Nation, so why not have the same here?

Rainbow Dash;
When life gives you lemons
You can make lemonade
But life gave me Tank here
And my choice has long been made

She jumped on the already frozen ponds, breaking them as she skipped. 

No winter will come to Ponyville
I'll do it on my own
I will keep you by my side
So I will not be alone

Using a fake duckbill, Rainbow directed a flock of geese in the other direction. North instead of south. So far, so good. Anything to keep Tank with her.

And I'll fly, and I'll fly
Until the end of the sky
So I'll be the one who doesn't
Have to say goodbye

I'll clear the skies forever
So we won't be apart
I'll keep the weather warm for you
And the winter will never start

After clearing the clouds, Rainbow Dash created a small beach-like area, placing Tank on a beach chair and placing sunscreen on his shell. But even with this, it still wasn't enough to wake him up fully.
She looked up and noticed the pegasus ponies kicking the clouds, making snowflakes fall. Rainbow smirked as a plan came to her.

Weather-makers Pegasi
You make the seasons in the sky
I don't want to sabotage you
But you see, I've got to try

Rainbow smiled deviously as she watched the ponies move the snowflakes back onto the clouds, thanks to her clever trickery. 
She them used a giant magnifying glass to warm up Tank, using the rays of the sun. So far, it was working. He was waking up. But it was short lived when the ponies covered the sun with clouds and Tank fell asleep again, much to Rainbow's dismay.

No winter can come here now
I'll keep the warmth and the sun somehow
I'm sorry, ponies, this has to be
For I need my friend and he needs me

But Rainbow wasn't giving up. She placed the levees back onto the trees and spun around, creating summer-like areas where the snow was suppose to be, confusing various ponies.
She kept dispersing the clouds, making the sun shine as she held Tank close. She loved him so much, she couldn't loose him, not even for a few months. Months would seem like a lifetime. She didn't' want that. Not again.

I know it's wrong, but what does it matter?
'Cause nothing's gonna stop me now
I'll change it all, it's only the weather
And nopony's gonna bring me down

I'll keep the sunlight shining free
And I'll bust the clouds apart so you can stay with me

And I'll fly, and I'll fly
Until the end of the sky
So I'll be the one who doesn't
Have to say goodbye

I'll clear the skies forever
So we won't be apart
I'll keep the weather warm for you
And the winter will never start!

But, try as she may, Tank was still falling asleep. Her plans just didn't seem to have any effect on the outcome.
"Here comes the next shipment!" Sunshower said to the weather team, "Move those clouds over!"
All around, more and more snow was falling, more levees were being ranked, and worse, even humans were helping out! Some of the airbenders were accelerating the process by using their airbending. Down bellow, Rainbow saw Bolin using traffic cones to guide the ponies from the ground. 
"Move it people, this way, looking good, great form, we've got to get these clouds up and snowing!"
"Bolin?! What are you doing?!"
"Oh, hey Rainbow! Just helping out is all. Who knew making winter was so much fun. A little more to the left Clear Skies!" he shouted to one of the ponies above, "No, no I meant to the left!"
"There's clear skies here too!"
"Yeah, but I meant--you know what, never mind!"
Rainbow Dash took Tank to a cloud, and the poor pony was feeling more and more distraught. "Ugh! For every hoof step back, they go three hoof steps forward! And now the airbenders are making things move faster! What are we gonna do?" 
As if thing couldn't get any worse, the clouds the ponies were pulling began to release snowflakes. Winter was only a few short days away now. Rainbow watched the ponies work and then looked upon the area where they were coming from.
"Cloudsdale. That's it, Tank! If I can't stop winter in Ponyville, maybe I can stop it at the source!"


(~)


With Tank on a leach, Rainbow snuck her way into Cloudsdale towards the weather factory. She flew in and out of the clouds as to not be seen, making sure Tank was out of view as well. A whistle blew off and the pony workers exited, ready to go to lunch.
"Lunch hour! Perfect!"
Once everypony was out, Rainbow made her way in. She snuck into the airvents and entered the locker rooms, where she dawned a white uniform. She would, since she was only a police officer in training she didn't exactly have her badge yet. Then, it hit her.
"Wait! What am I doing? I can't sneak into the factory, I'm an officer in training. What will Mako and Korra say? What will Lin say?" 
Before she could answer her own questions, she spotted two more workers enter the lockers to change. She hid inside one and waited for the two to leave. However, in her rush, she didn't realize she had let go of Tank's leach. 
Once the two ponies were gone, Rainbow got out of the locker, only to realize that tank was flying away. Since he was asleep, he didn't have a knowledge on where he was going. This was bad, Rainbow had to get him and fast. She quickly put on a uniform, as to not look suspicious and went after her pet. She looked around and spotted Tank hovering into the weather factory, which was open, allowing the last three ponies to exit. Tank hovered into the room just as the doors closed. Rainbow quickly made her way towards the doors and entered. Once inside, she was amazed to see how large the place was. Despite the machines appearing to be made of metal, they were actually made out of cloud magic. They were strong enough to stay solid, but light enough to remain up-float in the air.
"Tank. Tank! Where are you?" Rainbow finally spotted Tank, still sleep flying, his leach now having been caught up in a magnifying glass, which then got tangled on a lever. Rainbow started to panic once the level was lifted up, causing it to release yellow electricity. 
"Oh no!"
A large fan was activated and Tank was being sucked in. Rainbow quickly rushed on over to save him in the nick of time, but the magnifying glass got caught in its fans. Rainbow was slammed into a barrel of snowflakes, which then fell on her, covering her with snow and two pieces of coal landed on her eyes.
"Uh, I can't see!"
Tank then landed on the floor, hitting another door, which then opened to allow a powerful wind to blast the snow off of Rainbow Dash. The wind blew both her and Tank into another room, which was filled with jars, containing lightning. One of them began to tumble and landed on the floor, causing blast to send the pony and her pet flying out of the room. The lightning then hit a booth, which began to send shock waves all throughout the winter lab, which began to mass produce more clouds at a rapid speed. Clouds and lightning filled the room, one of the strikes actually hit the water pipes, which was necessary for winter itself. The water began to spill and flood the place. Rainbow took Tank and tried to escape the craziness. 
"Let's get out of here!"
The two are then sucked into the air shoot, along with the rest of the chaotic weather she had unintentionally caused. 
From outside, the pegasus ponies could see the factory overloading, releasing yellow lightning all around, much to their horror. From down bellow, the rest of Team Avatar could see the events.
"What in the name of Celestia's goin' on up there?" Applejack asked.
Twilight's ears lowered in worry, "Prepare yourselves, everybody! Winter is coming!"


(~)


The rest of the worker ponies tried to keep the factory under control, but the power of the winds was far too strong. No matter how hard they tried, the machines would not obey. Before long, a gigantic snowball shoot from the factory from Cloudsdale and was hurling down onto the citizens of Ponyville.
Korra turned to everyone, "Everybody, look out!"
Within the snowball, Rainbow screamed and the gigantic winter ball collided onto the earth, creating a gigantic explosion of white, spreading all across Ponyville.
However, nopony was injured. Not even close. The impact left no damage, it was all perfectly harmless snow that had covered their entire town, just as intended. Winter had arrived in time…just, not exactly as everyone expected. Ponies and humans popped out of the snow, shaking the flakes off of their heads as they did, all perfectly unharmed. Shiro popped out as well, still holding his microphone. 
"Hoo-wee! Now that's what I call a 'Frozen Fever'!"
Team Avatar popped their heads up as well, while they weren't injured, they did feel pretty dazed from the impact. Thank goodness for the soft snow. Korra and Twilight popped their heads, groaning and Asami popped her head next. "Wow! That didn't hurt at all. Kinda like landing on a pillow."
"Help!" Pinkie Pie shouted, wiggling a pair of legs which were most definitely not hers. "I can't feel my legs! I can't feel my legs!"
Mako popped up from the snow, spitting it out of his mouth, sitting right behind Pinkie Pie, who was really on his lap, "Those are my legs!"
"Oh. Sorry!" she giggled.
Rainbow finally got out of the snow, shaking her head to remove the flakes and frantically searched for her lost pet. She finally found him and tapped on his shell to get him out.  
"You okay, Tank?"
Tank yawned once again, which only reminded Rainbow even more of what she was feeling. But that was the least of her troubles right now.
"Rainbow Dash!" Korra and the others rushed to her side. "Are you alright? What happened"
The pony became anxious and terrified, but she knew she had to admit the truth. "I didn't mean it, honest! At first I did but then I realized I was wrong but then Tank got away and his leach got tangled, then the factory went nuts, I tried to stop him but there was lightning, and snow and clouds and--and…" she slowly stopped upon seeing everyone's concerned faces. She then looked at Tank. All of this guilt, sadness and anger was too much. She had to get away. She took Tank and flew away, ignoring her friends calling out to her.


(~)


Wearing her sleeping robes, Rainbow snuggled with Tank in her bed. The tortoise was getting sleepier and sleepier by the minute. Winter had arrived in Ponyville and winter was already happening in Republic City, there was no stoping it, no matter how hard Rainbow tried, she knew that now. She tried to fight off her natural instincts, but it was to no avail.
The door opened and her friends walked in. Asami, Mako and Bolin took a while to adjust to walking on clouds. Thanks to Twilight's spell, they could. Pinkie Pie was the only one not with them…because she walked in by literally coming in through the wall made out of cloud magic.
"Knock, knock!"
Asami sat beside the depressed pony's bed. "How are you feeling, Rainbow Dash?"
"Whatever…" she responded despondently, making Asami feel worse.
"The poor thing looks so sad!" said Rarity.
Mako sat next to the bed, placing a hand on her mane, "Buck up, champ. If it helps, nobody's pressing charges. Who knew equipment made out of cloud magic was so easy to fix and replace." he said, trying his best to sound optimistic, but Rainbow wouldn't budge.
"Whatever…"
Even Flash Sentry (yes, he was there too) felt awful upon seeing his fellow pegasister like this. "Come on, Rainbow. It's not like you to mope around."
"He's right." said Rarity, "How can I say this tactfully...? You've lost your sparkle, Rainbow Dash."
Pinkie Pie couldn't believe what she was about to do, "I hate to say this, but, well... you've become...! A party popper!" she said in a hushed tone, it pained her to say such language.
Rainbow was finally able to respond, despite her depression. "Didn't you hear me? I said 'whatever'. I don't know if you're here to cheer me up or what, but I'm fine." she turned her back on them all.
Korra nodded her head to Fluttershy, who knew exactly what she needed to do. She stood firm and said to the pegasus, very bluntly, "Rainbow Dash, your winter is going to be...pet-less."
Rainbow finally sat up and looked at them all…her rosy colored eyes became hazy and tears swelled up. The poor pony started to bawl uncontrollably like a sad little baby as she held her pet close. This caught everybody by surprise.  
She was wheezing and sobbing and whining all at once. This was the loudest, and most intense crying anyone had ever seen from their spunky pony friend. Fluttershy, Korra and Twilight remained perfectly unfazed as they watched Rainbow release everything she had kept inside.
"Why did you do that for?!" Asami asked in shock.
"Because she'll never get past this until she lets it all out." said Twilight, speaking from a place of experience.
All they could do now was watch as Rainbow released all of the tears, still sobbing and whining louder than she ever did. Rarity used her magic to move Applejack a few feet closer to Rainbow to try and console her. 
"Uh… it's okay." she said awkwardly to the sobbing pony, "Tank'll come back in a few months."
"Months?!" Rainbow cried even louder as she held Tank closer, "I don't want them to go!" she cried out loudly like a child, sobbing and crying even louder than before.
"Wait, 'them'? What are you talkin' about?"
"I don't want to loose Tank like I lost them!"
"Who?" Rarity asked.
"Us." said Korra in a soft tone. "That's what this was all about." she walked on over and sat the closest to Rainbow, stroking her mane gently. "I should have realized it. You feel that if Tank leaves it'll be like when me and Twilight left all of you."
Rainbow sobbed even louder after Korra made that conclusion. Twilight approached her friend as well, "Oh, Rainbow. We're so sorry." said the alicorn, "Of course it was hard on you too."
"On all of us." said Flash. 
Asami crossed her arms, "Nice going you guys! How is this suppose to help her now?"
"She's got to be about done by now." said Fluttershy, "Can't be too much left in there." Rainbow Dash kept on crying, and slowly her sobs became less loud. "Feeling better?" Fluttershy asked. 
Rainbow sniffed, "Uh-huh." she was silent for a brief moment right before she resumed crying. Korra and Twilight knew that this was the right time to embrace their friend. They both held Rainbow close, consoling their friend. They didn't cry loudly, or sob, but silent tears did roll down their eyes.
Fluttershy began to feel her own heart breaking for her friend, remembering the pain of having to be away from someone you love so much. "Oh, you poor, poor thing…" she began to cry also, only instead of silent tears, she sobbed loudly.
Asami's eyes started to tear up as well, "I can't stand to see Fluttershy cry!" she said before joining in the embrace.
Rarity began to tear up as well, her lip quivering, "Me neither!"
Pinkie was tearing up also, "It's just heart-wrenching!" 
Even Bolin teared up, "Why are you all so crazy?!" he cried out before joining in the crying hug. 
Everybody else was sobbing loudly minus Korra and Twilight, who were still crying silently, but still crying. They had already released everything they felt long ago, and now Rainbow needed to do the same thing.
Flash noticed Applejack lower her hat and Mako pinch the bridge of his nose, "You guys too?!" he asked.
"Nope." said Applejack.
"We're good." said Mako.
Flash sympathized with his friends, "Look, everybody, I know how hard it is to say goodbye—"
"I'm mostly sad because you're not sad!" said Pinkie Pie.
"What?! Me?! What about those two?"
"Mako and A.J cry on the inside, Sentry!"
The country pony crossed her front left leg over her right, while Mako crossed his arms. "It's true." they both said.
Rainbow Dash started to settle down a bit, "It's alright, Fluttershy. It's alright."
Everyone who was crying released the pony, giving her space, and smiling once they knew she was getting better and wiped away their own tears. Applejack, on the other hand, was a tad concerned. "You think she's done or just getting a third wind?" she asked Mako.
"I don't know…" he turned to the pony with sympathy, "Rainbow Dash? Are you okay?"
Korra was the only one who remained beside her, wrapping her arm around the pony as she wiped her tears. "I think so. I feel better. Really, I do." she looked up at Korra, "I'm sorry."
"We're the ones who should be sorry." said Twilight.
"No, what happened wasn't your fault. I knew you would both come back, but it was still so hard. I didn't show it because I wanted to be strong for everyone. I guess, when I found out Tank would leave too, all of those memories came flooding back and…I didn't know how to handle it."
Korra kindly wiped away another tear from Rainbow's eye. "It's always good to let out your feelings Rainbow. But, knowing you, I didn't want you to feel pressured. I knew you'd come around in your own time…though, nearly destroying the weather factory wasn't what I had in mind."
Rainbow chuckled nervously, "Sorry about that." she smiled as she got off the bed. "Thanks, everybody. I don't know what I'd do without you." she began to tear up again once she saw Tank smiling at her, "Or him…" 
Rainbow and her beloved pet shared one final nose kiss and tearful goodbye. Rainbow finally accepted the reality of things. No matter how much it hurt.
"Oh, Tank... I'm sure gonna miss you."


(~)


"Well, it looks like Ponyville is starting winter with a bang! All of the townponies sure seem to be taking advantage of their winter wonderland, and by the looks of it, their human neighbors share the same feeling---Omp!" Shiro was suddenly hit in the head when a group of fillies giggled. The man smiled and chased after them playfully, "Oh, you're gonna get it ya little fillies!"
From affar, Korra laughed at the scene, only to get hit by a snowball from behind. She saw Mako, Bolin and Asami laughing while high fiving in victory. Korra smirked mischievously as she moved her hands, magically creating a large snowball, hovering over her head. The three teens started to run away while Korra ran after them with the snowball.
Applejack tossed a snowball at Pinkie Pie, "Yee-haw!"
Pinkie landed on the ground and started making snow angels. "You think we could mess up winter every year? It's way less work!"
"Uh, I don't think Rainbow Dash could handle it." said Twilight.
"Riding that entire season from Cloudsdale to Ponyville was pretty awesome." said Rainbow Dash, who had just arrived, carrying Tank in her saddle bag. The three humans walked on over, already covered in snow, thanks to Korra. "I thought you guys might like to say goodbye to Tank. He's ready to hibernate."
Pinkie Pie gasped, "Ooh, you're using the word! Oh, she's using the word!"
Twilight nodded her head, "You finally came to the final stage, Rainbow. Acceptance."
"Was it as hard on me as it was on you guys?"
"Oh, you have no idea!" Twilight wrapped her leg around Rainbow's shoulder, "But I'm glad you're doing okay."
"Yeah, me too."
Pinkie Pie smiled at Tank, "And when Tank finishes hibernating, I'm gonna throw him the biggest welcome home party ever! Or wait. Should it be a 'welcome above ground' party? Or a 'happy wake-up' party? Maybe an 'it's about time!' party!"
"And I'll design him a very special suit just for the occasion, whichever one it ends up being." said Rarity.
Korra squatted down to Rainbow's level. "Ready?"
Rainbow nodded a 'yes' and started digging a hole for Tank to sleep in. Everybody watched as Tank slowly approached the hole and made himself comfortable. 
"So, you really wanna do this hibernating thing, huh?" Rainbow asked. Tank nodded in yes. Rainbow too knew this was best, but that didn't mean it wasn't hard. As he got ready to sleep, all of his friends wished him well.
Rarity; "Goodbye, Tank."
Bolin; "Catch ya in spring."
Fluttershy; "Happy winter."
Applejack; "See you later, little feller."
Pinkie Pie; "Have a good sleep, Tank!"
Asami; "Sweet dreams."
Flash; "Bye."
Korra; "See you when you get home."
Mako; "Goodbye, Tank."
Twilight; "We'll miss you!"
The tortious smiled one last time before moving the dirt and hiding underneath it as the snow covered it up. His long winter nap had begun.
Twilight and Korra reassured Rainbow Dash as she released even more tears. But the pegasus had finally accepted Tank's hibernation. And she was happy for it. 
Once Tank had gone to sleep, everyone continued their snowy fun. But Twilight noticed that Rainbow was not accompanying them.
"Well? Ready for some winter fun?"
"Uh, I'm gonna hang here and read to him a bit. That little guy can never get to sleep without a bedtime story." Rainbow sat beside Tank's hole and took out a book, "I'll be right there."
Twilight smiled proudly as she left with her friends. Korra smiled in agreement. "You remember what Katara said before?" said the Avatar, "About finding a purpose in what we went through?"
Twilight nodded, "Yeah…I'm beginning to see that now."
And so, the two princesses joined their friends, leaving Rainbow Dash to read to her beloved pet, who would return once the first spring flower bloomed.

And I'll fly
And I'll fly no matter what is to come
And I'll be the one who sees you when you get back home
No matter what the weather
We'll never be apart
I will be waiting here for you
And you'll always be in my 
Heart

Bolin; 
Do you wanna built a snowma--
*splashed in the face by a snowball*
--"Fair enough."


	(~)