//------------------------------//
// Episode 96: Tanks For The SMASHERIES 
// Story: Yak to the Future 
// by hazeyhooves 
//------------------------------//

“Applejack cries on the inside!”

“It's true,” she admitted.

“Yaks cry on outside!” said the yaks who were sobbing and blubbering all over the carpet.

“Rainbow Dash? Are you okay?” asked Twilight Sparkle.

Rainbow sniffled and sat up from her bed. “I think so. I feel better. Really, I do.” She got to her hooves and looked up at her friends. “Thanks everypony. I don't know what I'd do without you. Or the yaks. Or.... him.” She turned to Tank and started tearing up again. “I'm sure gonna miss you.” The pegasus and tortoise pressed their faces against each other, sharing one last quiet moment together.





Rainbow Dash snapped her book shut. She had finished reading a bedtime story for Tank, who was hibernating under the freshly produced snow. Rainbow could still feel the emptiness in her heart, but it was healing around the edges by a glowing sense of peace.

The yaks solemnly arrived, forming a circle around her.

Rainbow shakily stood up. “Hey guys. Thanks for all the help.”

“Yaks had great smashing. Perfect smashing. Weather factory destruction finest work of lifetime.”

Sniff. “Glad you guys had fun. I couldn't have done it without ya.”

“Now you know why we smash.”

Sniff sniff. “Yeah. I think I do.”

“And you know why we not stay.”

Deep exhale. “Yeah. I learned a lot today.”

“Rainbow pony not alone. Always, yaks smash in memory. In dreams.” 

Watering eyes. “I'm ready.”

It was hard to focus on the yaks. Looking directly at one only made him more hazy. It was hard to tell them apart from the mounds of snow, like there was no difference. Like there never had been a difference. Nothing but tricks of light, perceived patterns in the frozen vapor.

Rainbow closed her eyes, trying to keep their faces fresh in her mind. The memory was already starting to get a little blurry. Rainbow flinched and fought to prevent herself from crying out. Then, her whole body unclenched, becoming more loose and free than she had remembered feeling in years. She could see their images again, stronger and more vibrant than ever, as they swam through a sparkling sea of stars. They melded with the light, and although Rainbow couldn't make out their forms any longer, she felt absolutely certain their presence was still there.

A whisper. “Good-bye.”