Tank N' Pals

by Wildebeest

Farewell, Pet Paradise

Chapter 21: Farewell, Pet Paradise

Tank, Owlowiscious and Opalescence whooped with joy as soon as Clint made his announcement. Seconds later, they were joined by the rest of the pet store, and the entire room erupted with cheers, applause and adulation.

"You did it, Winona!" cried Tank. "You pushed on and you did it!"

A sense of relief passed over the three pets as the realized that, at long last, Winona's crusade was over. The dog they knew and loved would finally return.

Clint glided over towards Winston's cage, undid the lock with his beak and swung the door open. "You did it, strangers. All four of you fought like champs. Especially you, owl."

Owlowiscious giggled, shielding his face with his wing to hide his blush.

"Oh, stop. You kicked my ass good and you know it. Now get out here and congratulate your friend."

The three of them nodded, smiled and emerged from the cage, eager to give their friend the praise she deserved.

But as the they approached Winona, they noticed that she still hadn't budged from her spot. She was still staring down at Winston's prone, barely conscious body, with her jaw hanging slack and her body shivering incessantly.

"Winona?" called Tank. "It's over. You won."

Winona's jaw snapped shut and she hurriedly turned her head towards her three comrades. "Oh, uh, thanks. G... good for me."

Owlowiscious gave her a worried look. "Well, what's the matter? Aren't you glad you won?"

Winona's gaze drifted downward as she rubbed her paw back and forth against the floor. "Oh, ah am, Tank, make no mistake 'bout that. Ah'm sure this is gonna be a happier place now that we've done what we've done."

"...but?" asked Opal.

"But look at what ah had to do. Look at what ah had to be." Winona's forehead started to wrinkle, and her shiver intensified.

"What do you mean?" Tank asked, even though he knew exactly what she was talking about.

Winona shrunk away from him. "Ah saw myself, Tank," she whimpered. "Ah saw my reflection in his eyes. An' the dog ah saw starin' back at me was a... a monster." Winona nearly choked on that last word.

Owlowiscious gasped. "Winona, never, ever talk like that. You're a-"

"You were scared o' me!" cried Winona, pointing an accusatory paw at Owlowiscious. "Ah saw you, an' ah could tell you were scared!"

"I- I wasn't- well, maybe a little, but I just wasn't used to seeing you like-"

"Owlowiscious, please," Opal said. "Let me handle this."

She took a few steps closer towards Winona. By this time, the crowd had long since died down and an awkward silence had passed over the store. Winona could feel the judgmental glares from all the pets in the store piercing through her, and it was enough to make her want to crawl into a hole and disappear.

"Winona, there's something I need to tell you," Opal said. "I have to admit, I was a little frightened of you, too."

"Ah knew it!" cried Winona, recoiling from Opal. "Even you were scared! Ain't no two ways about it, ah'm a-"

"Stop," Opal said sharply. "Don't interrupt."

"...okay," Winona uttered, taking a seat down on the ground and letting her head hang down in shame.

"Much better," said Opal. "Winona, in all honesty, we all were a little scared of you. But do you know who else scares me when she gets mad?"

"Who?" asked Winona.

"Rarity."

Winona let out a tiny little sliver of a gasp and craned her head up until her eyes met Opal's. "Rarity?" she asked, her anxiety eased by Opal's warm, motherly gaze.

"Yes, Rarity. Did I tell you about the time she yelled at Sweetie Belle for tracking mud in the boutique? I was hiding underneath the futon the whole time."

Winona had to hold back a chuckle. "Turns into a real demon, don't she?"

"That's putting it lightly," Opal said, letting off a fearful shudder before reassuming her warm demeanor. "But Winona, the point is that no matter how mad she gets, she's still my Rarity. And I love her with all of my heart."

Opal took Winona by the paw and gently pulled her in. "And you're still the same Winona we all know. It's okay to get angry every once in a while. It doesn't make you a monster, or a bad dog, or any of that other nonsense."

A small smile began to break out across Winona's face. "You... you mean it?"

"Absolutely," said Opal, returning the smile. "You're still our friend, Winona."

Winona leaped forward and glomped Opal, eliciting a yelp from the startled cat. She wriggled out of Winona's grip and scurried away from her. "But I do not recall giving you permission to do that," she said, brushing her fur back into place.

Winona lost her smile. "Sorry, that was rude o' me," she said with a sigh, letting her gaze drift back towards the ground.

"Well, you don't have to feel bad about it," Opal said. "Just-"

Winona let out a couple of puppy- like whimpers.

"Oh, fine," grumbled Opal, reluctantly holding out her paws. "Come here."

Winona regained her smile and walked towards Opal, giving her a gentle hug. Opal repressed a shudder of revulsion and forced herself to lean in and return the hug. A moment later, Owlowiscious flew in, perched himself beside the two and wrapped his wings around the both of them. They were then joined by Tank, who walked in and started snuggling Winona around the waist.

"Y'all are the best," Winona whispered, letting a lone tear drip down her face. Even Opal let a contented purr escape her lips as she felt the warmth of her friends' embrace surround her. A collective 'Awwwww' could be heard from the crowd around them.

"How touching," came a weary, embittered voice from just a few feet away. On the other side of the room, Winston was just beginning to pick himself up off the floor. Before he could make it onto his feet, Clint swooped in and perched himself in front of his boss.

"Don't you dare try to ruin this moment," Clint warned.

"Don't worry, I won't," Winston said. "And I gave my word. I shan't be forcing any more fights here at Pet Paradise. Also..."

He hobbled over to Tank while he was still in the middle of the group hug. "...I believe this is yours."

He plucked Tank's propeller out of his pocket and refastened it to his shell. Tank grinned, gaining a renewed sense of comfort and security from having the propeller wrapped snugly around his waist again.

"To be honest, I'm a little disappointed," Clint said. "I kinda liked the fights. Gave me a good way to blow off steam."

Winston sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Clint, but my paws are tied. I made a deal and I lost it fair and square."

"But can't I keep up my fighting anyway?" asked Clint. "You know, if I really want to?"

Winston gasped, and a grin started to spread across his face. "Actually... now that you mention it, I suppose you can."

"WHAT?!" barked Winona, breaking up the hug and stomping towards Winston. Tank, Owlowiscious and Opal started to advance towards Winston as well, glaring at him all the way.

"Now you're just going back on your deal!" cried Tank.

"I'm doing no such thing," said Winston. "If you recall, I said that if I lost, I'd never force another animal to fight again."

Winston laughed. "Aren't I an absolute card? If all four of you win, I'll never force another animal to fight again."

"There, see? I said it. But I didn't say that there wouldn't be any fighting at all."

He turned around to face the rest of the store. "So by my decree," he announced, "the nightly fights at Pet Paradise will continue... but only for those who wish to participate!"

The store erupted into cheers once more. The smaller, more frail pets gave off a collective sigh of relief, content in the knowledge that their nights of forced combat were over.

"...well, ah s'pose that's okay," Winona said with a shrug, as she and her friends backed off. "Long as you're not forcin' anyone to do it."

"Indeed," said Winston. "I'll admit that it's a bit less fun this way, but as I said, I gave my word."

"And you'd better stick by it," warned Tank. "But I think we're done here. We'd love to stick around, but we have a rabbit and a gator to catch."

Winona gasped. "Oh my stars, Angel n' Gummy! They could be anywhere by now!"

She took off towards the door, beckoning the other three pets to join her. "Come on, fellas! Let's get a move on!"

But just as the three of them were about to take after her, they heard a cry of, "WAIT!" coming from Tifa's cage.

Winona stopped in her tracks. "What's wrong?"

"Clint, lemme out," Tifa said. "I wanna say something to these guys before they split."

"Me, too!" called Carne.

Clint sighed, glided into the first aisle, picked the lock on Tifa's cage and let her out. As he flew into the next aisle to let out Carne, Tifa walked out of the aisles towards the heroes, showing a slight limp from her earlier scuffle.

"You there, Tank," she said. "Get over here."

Tank gulped and took a few timid steps towards the hare. "What is it?"

Tifa smiled at him. "First and foremost, lemme thank you guys for settin' things straight here. You really did the pets here a favor.

"Second of all, I didn't get a chance to say this earlier, but you're one hell of a tortoise. I don't think I've ever fought anyone who could take as much as you can."

She leaned over and gave his shell a couple of raps with her paw. "I want you to know that you're the toughest sonofabitch I've ever met. Know it. Own it. Don't you let anyone try to sell you short, and if they do, give 'em hell."

Tank let out a bashful chuckle.

"What, that's funny to you?" snapped Tifa. "I ain't tellin' jokes here, I'm tellin' the truth. You're a brick house, Tank."

"N-no, I know," Tank stammered. "I-I knew you were serious. And thank you."

"You're welcome," Tifa said. "Anyway, that's all I wanted to say. 'Til next time, tortoise." She then leaned in and gave him a peck on the cheek before hobbling back towards her cage.

Opal shot Tifa a jealous glare, but her attention was quickly diverted towards the husky Germane shepherd approaching from the second aisle.

"Miss Opal?" Carne called, timidly approaching the cat who reduced him to tears.

"Yes?" Opal responded.

"I just wanna say I'm really sorry about being so naughty," he said, averting Opal's gaze. "I still feel real bad about that."

Opal beamed at him. "Oh, it's perfectly alright," she said. "I... come, look me in the eyes, dearie."

Carne immediately complied, turning his eyes downward to meet Opal's.

"I just want you to learn from this. Be a good dog, treat others with respect, and always, always mind your manners," she said, punctuating the second 'always' with a dainty little tap on his nose.

"I will!" Carne said bravely, giving her a wide grin. With that, he turned himself around and trotted back to his cage.

"Y'all done?" Winona asked in a slightly miffed tone of voice. "Ah'm gettin' antsy."

"Yeah, I think so," Tank said with a smirk, still blushing from the peck. "Let's move out."

As the pets stepped out the door, Tank took a moment to give Pet Paradise one last look. It seemed that the store they had first stumbled across had given way to a new one; the store that used to look like the epitome of misery was now thriving with celebration and revelry. Tank's smirk grew into a grin, as he took pride in the knowledge that he had changed dozens of lives for the better on this night.

"Have a good night, guys," he said under his breath.

"Tank, would you mind gettin' your tail over here?" called Winona. "This gate ain't gonna lift itself!"

***

"Gummy," Angel warbled, "have I ever told ya what a fine piece of ash your owner is?"

By now, the two of them had drank enough to get a full grown stallion tipsy, to say nothing of a tiny little bunny and a one year old alligator. Angel had given up almost all control of his body and all sense of restraint.

"I mean it, Gummy, she's shomethin' elsh. How'sh a pony who eats nothin' but cupcakesh get such a tight butt?"

Gummy just shrugged and let himself fall onto his back. His eyes, which were usually open as wide as they could be, were drifting close.

"Yeh, okay. Take a nap. You desherve it."

Angel was beginning to feel a bit drowsy himself. He found it more and more laborious to keep his eyes open, and his sense of balance had long since dissipated. The only thing keeping him standing was his will alone, and that was fading fast. He wobbled from side to side in a vain attempt to keep himself upright, before doing a face plant into the bottom of the coat pocket, right beside his companion.

"Mmm... you're comfy," he mumbled, wrapping his arms around Gummy and snuggling him. "Doesh Pinkie ever cuddle you like this? She should."

By this time, Gummy had already passed out, so no response was given (not that Angel was expecting one).

"Eh, whatever. G'night."

Angel pulled Gummy in close and slowly let himself drift off into slumber. He had forgotten where he was, and he hadn't the faintest idea of how he was going to get home, but he decided to take this moment to relax and deal with those questions later. Now, it was nap time.

Or at least it was until Angel felt a sudden draft rush in, chilling him to the bone.

"Eh? What'sh goin' on?!" he demanded.

His eyes shot open to find himself hovering a few inches over the counter, with a hazel aura encasing him from head to toe. Gummy was levitating a few inches beside him, encased in the same aura. A quick glance about the room revealed that he was being levitated by the mare whose coat he had stowed away in.

"How the heck did these things get in here?" asked the mare.

"You mean they ain't yours?" asked the apron-clad stallion behind the counter.

"No, they're not mine!" exclaimed the mare. "I've never even seen them before in my life!"

The stallion shrugged. "Don't look like any animals I've seen before, either."

"Well, what do you think we should do with them? We can't just throw them out into the streets, can we?"

The stallion's horn began to glow, and the hazel aura around them was quickly replaced by a salmon one. "Give 'em here," said the stallion. "I'll keep 'em here overnight and then I'll send 'em to the shelter tomorrow morning."

Angel swallowed hard. Sh...shelter?

"Works for me," the mare said, slapping a thirty-bit note onto the counter. "I gotta get home, anyway."

A sense of dread passed over Angel as he watched the mare walk out of the bar. He tried to fight back against the stallion's magic, but his bodily control had long since left him, and all he could do was flail around impotently.

The stallion levitated both of them down to the floor behind the counter. "You two just stay put for now," he said. "I'll get you home, I promise."

In a fit of panic, Angel tried to leap over the counter, but he could only manage to get a couple of inches off the ground, and each hop ended with him landing flat on his face. By now, whatever comfort he had acquired from the strange concoction was gone. His feelings of dread and worry intensified...

...and were soon joined by a slight, but growing, feeling of nausea.

Comments

[Triaxx2]

Drunk Angel is funny.

[Discorded SheepcityUSA]

Angel's a lot more likable when he's drunk.

[Metool Bard]

Aw, how sweet. The guys at Pet Paradise aren't so bad after all.

Also, does Angel have a thing for ponies? I mean, I'm not one to judge, but with the way he talks about Pinkie's posterior, I have to worry about the little guy.

[CoastalSarv]

Angel, I can understand you getting sloshed, but Gummy? I expected more from you!

[Mayojar77]

Tank is an accidental player.

[Wildebeest]

4764749

One of my friends fucked his dog when he was drunk

TMI, my friend.

[Green Bird]

Oh m gee, I'd like to see a story where Tifa goes to Ponyville with the gang, and then Opal getting really jealous when Tifa does something forward/kiss Tank.

[Wacky]

Oh how this is getting fav'd. Great story!

[Yoshifan30]

Well then this was certainly chapter here after the battle and everything they all congratulated Winona but she felt kind of down after her behavior and she felt like she was a monster when she attacked the chinchilla and she felt really ashamed of herself that she left her anger get the best of her but the others who wants to reassure her sometimes getting angry is not always bad if you know how to control it sometimes you just have to let it out loud and it doesn't make you feel like a bad person or creature long as it's just you you're still a good one and that was pretty sweet of opal to said that now the others needs to find gummy and Angel and with that I finally caught up to your story I really hope this story does continue on but your last update was 2014 I don't know if you're still there are you just left it abandoned or something I hope it's not the case I really liked your story and I really hope to see it ends well until then see ya