Tank's Epiphany

by Vanilla Melody

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, Sad, Main 6, Princess Luna, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash, Tank
Length: 5835

Tank had always considered her his best friend, but can he face the harsh reality?

Tank had always considered her his best friend, but can he face the harsh reality?

Part of the story was inspired by part of this video:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yfTV3UV_WlY

Originally written for the EQD Outside Insight Summer Fanfic Contest, but then . . . turned into something else.

Cover Art: http://brainchildeats.deviantart.com/art/Tank-280028383

Published 2014-07-30 23:30:06 UTC
Last updated 2014-07-30 23:30:06 UTC

Tank's Epiphany

Tank's Epiphany

I gaze up at Molly, as I do every night. Old memories resurface.

~*~

I remember there used to be a dark outline of a pony blemishing one side of her, but for some reason, it had disappeared. The last night my eyes met that shadowy mare was years ago, on that one special night where all the pony folk stay up, loud and rowdy. I hadn't the faintest clue where she'd gone off to, though. I remember I'd hoped it was just a little vacation and she would return. Some of my most treasured memories were composed of me, her, and the still night.

I remember I used to talk to her, tell her about my day, even though she never replied back. I guess she was kind of my best friend, in a way. None of the other animals at that shelter really interacted with me all that much, what with me being the "weirdo with delayed reactions." I don't think they ever quite understood that it wasn't my fault I was so slow, I was just born that way. But that quiet mare I talked to every night never made fun of me. She never ever said anything at all, in fact, and, for some reason, I guess I was okay with that.

It was really hard knowing that in the morning, she'd leave, and I would again be alone in the world, save for that gentle, yellow pony Fluttershy. It was she who took care of me, tended to my needs. You may be thinking, 'How wasn't she your friend?' She was very kind to me, true, but unconditional kindness can only go so far. She had other animals to take care of and other issues of her own. She had her own life, and couldn't solve every single little problem of each animal. I've always tried to make things easier for her, unlike that brat of a rabbit, 'Angel Bunny', as she called him, demanding every little bit of spare time she had. Pfft, an ironic name if you ask me.

He and I had a mutual hatred for each other when we were younger, but that's another story in itself.

Fluttershy was more like a . . . half-mother, for lack of a better word, to me than anything, and that's different from a friend. She fed me, made sure I was fit and healthy, and gave me a roof to sleep under every night, but that was about it. Even with her around, I still felt like it was just me against the world.

Anyways, after I'd figured out the mare on Molly had left for good, I won't lie, I was devastated. My only friend had been taken away from me, and once again, I was a complete loner. I fell into a severe state of depression, skipping meals and laying in bed all the time, thinking. I know that multiple times, I tried to force myself to stop this nonsense, to get up and do something with my life. But my mind was so weighed down with negative emotions, that it actually seemed to have an effect on my body. It was scary, as I was unable to move or control my limbs, like they weren't connected to me anymore.

One night, I forced myself to think happy, positive thoughts, for Fluttershy's sake. She was on the verge of tears, as she couldn't seem to do anything to help me and I couldn't bear to see the poor thing like that. I figured that if depressing thoughts could have that big of an impact on me, so could uplifting ones. Thinking sunshiny, rainbow-filled thoughts, I slowly, painfully, crawled out of my bed, past a sleeping Fluttershy, and stopped at one of her cottage's windows.

I had thought about it before, but dismissed it as a silly idea, especially since I was practically paralyzed when it came to me. Now, I wasn't sure if it was as foolish as I'd told myself, so I gave it a go. I began to talk to Molly herself. (Which was also when I'd started calling her that.)

She gave me exactly the same feeling as the mare on top of her had, and that was when I realized that the mare was just a part of Molly, she had only been connected to what gave me so much comfort each night. All along it had really been Molly I spoke to. I suddenly felt as though a huge burden weighing me down had been released, and I let a smile loose. I'll never forget that night, when I realized my friend hadn't and never would leave me, that her loyalty was stronger than steel. From the pit of my stomach, something warm had burst and permeated through my body, filling me with glee. I loved that feeling, the feeling of being loved, even if it was from someone so far away. I didn't think I would ever feel depressed again.

I began to dream of flying to Molly day and night. Meeting her in person became my newest goal. My mind was filled with ridiculous and crazy thoughts of how I was going to get to her. I spent most of my time daydreaming about her, all the adventures I'd have with my best friend. But in the back of my mind, I knew that there was no way that could happen, not with my heavy shell keeping me grounded. I kept on fantasizing those amazing scenarios, though. It just made me so happy to pretend that they were real.

Soon after, this rainbow maned pony came to Fluttershy's cottage for a pet. They sang a duet about the various animals staying with her, and to this day, I still can't figure out where the accompanying music came from. I remember I was originally going to hide in the cottage to avoid all the commotion, but then it struck me.

If I was able to become this pegasus's pet tortoise, she could help me live out my dream and fly me up to Molly! I'd seen this pony before on occasion, whenever she visited Fluttershy. And I'd seen her fly. Let me just say, she was extremely talented at her craft, and I knew that if anypony could help me reach my bestie, it would be her.

I tried my best to catch her attention while they were singing, but as soon as I'd figured out that she wanted an animal who could not only fly, but could fly as fast as herself, my heart sank, like a stone in water. There was no way I'd be able to compete and expect to win. I'd regretfully made up my mind that I would go back to Plan A, and hide in the cottage, totally not sulking. That was when it fell upon my tortoise ear holes that this pony wanted an animal with "speed, agility, guts, style, coolness, awesomeness, and radicalness." I had no chance at the former two, but the last five? Technically three, because "coolness, awesomeness, and radicalness" are kind of the same thing.

I'd never really considered myself the "gutsy" type; not that I'd had much experience with scary things either way. I'd also never been known as a socialite. I was unsure how well I would do on those portions, but they probably weren't too important, as they weren't listed three times in a row. And for the record, I thought I was pretty awesome! It was worth a try.

When I told Fluttershy I wanted to compete, (by the way, she can talk to us non-equines! [cool, right?]) she seemed pretty happy about my ambitiousness, and showered me with words of encouragement. Feeling on top of the world, I strutted up to the cyan pony, soaking up the supportive words Fluttershy was currently giving me. My illusion of confidence immediately shattered with a single look she gave me.

"Seriously, Fluttershy! The turtle? What did you bring that thing here for?" she'd said. I mentally wilted. It hurt that she wasn't any better than the other animals, but what stung more was that she was right. What was I doing there?! Just what was going on in my little reptilian brain?! I'd known better than anyone that I had absolutely no shot at winning, yet Fluttershy still stood in my defense.

Licking a piece of cloth and using it to shine my shell, she replied, "Technically he's a tortoise, and he's always dreamed of being somepony's pet." Um . . . Sure! I guess it would be kind of cool to be Molly's pet, but I'd rather she stay my friend. "He just wants a chance to compete, he won't get in the way. You won't even know he's here." That last part caught me off guard; did Fluttershy doubt my awesomeness as well? The ratio of confidence to uneasiness in me suddenly became zero to infinity.

"No." came the inevitable answer.

Fluttershy was not quick to give up. "Oh, just let him try."

"Ugh, but there's no way he can possibly keep up. Look at him!" Sigh. I'm so used to being judged based on what I am and the (kind of true) stereotypes that come with it that it barely irks me anymore.

"It won't hurt to let him try."

"But–"

"Just let him try?" Fluttershy picked me up without warning and held me against the rainbow pegasus pony's face, making me feel more than a little awkward. That feeling was probably mutual.

After a couple moments, she growled, then said, "Ugh, fine!" and I was set back down. My personal space was quickly invaded once again as she got up in my face, muzzle to snout, wearing a disapproving look. "But don't say I didn't warn you! This isn't a game, you know!" She drew back to address the rest of the animals lined up. "Alright, now these games will determine which one of you has the most important qualities I'm looking for in a pet."

I remember masking my countenance with stoic nonchalance, but deep down inside, I was terrified. If I blew it, I'd never get to fly up to Molly, and all my dreams would be crushed. The rainbow maned pony's competitive spirit didn't exactly help my case, what with her constant berating. And half the time it wasn't even my fault!

Like, in the first . . . test or whatever, we were supposed to fly (or walk, in my case) a certain number of laps around a track as quickly as we could. My stomach was already somersaulting, so when the race began, I guess I just, I don't know, froze. I'd mentally chastised myself to go faster, to do my very best, but anxiety gripped me tightly, and I was only able to manage one, long drawn out, pathetic step.

Or like in round five, when I'd inconveniently gotten a tickle in my throat, just before it was my turn to show off my cool sounds, resulting in a less than attractive hacking cough.

After the seventh round, one where we had to show off our radicalness, Rainbow Dash, as I had come to know her, took me aside and told me to give up and go home, that I had failed in everything but creeping her out. Well, maybe she didn't word it exactly like that, but I still got the hurtful message all the same. Being my stubborn self though, I wasn't about to back out now, not after spending so much of my time on all of this. This mare was testing me, testing my tenacity and optimism, and I wasn't just about to let her win.

Then there was the final test: a race against herself. Stretching, I remember she'd said, "Whichever of you make it across the finish line with me will have proven you can keep up with me, and will have earned the honor and glory of getting to be my pet!"

All but four other candidates had been disqualified, with the exception of me, what with my intense desire to meet my friend. The race was held at Ghastly Gorge, much to my displeasure. I honestly don't remember what happened for most of it, save for me being incredibly exhausted after the first five minutes. But I kept crawling on, desperate to carry out with my con.

That's right, I was planning on conning Rainbow. At the time, I hadn't really considered it that; I was only innocently taking advantage of my good fortunes.

But when I found her fighting back tears near mountains of rocks from a rock slide (I'd thought I'd heard rumbling!), all my selfish desires vanished, replaced with genuine concern for the pony sitting in front of me, despite my steadily growing fatigue. Living with Fluttershy for nearly your entire life does that to as impressionable a tortoise as me. My benign thoughts didn't last for long though, when I realized that Dash's wing was caught underneath a boulder.

Oh no.

Oh no.

If that rock damaged her wing permanently, she would never be able to fly again, and I would never be able to get up to Molly! I raced (if my, painstakingly slow, fastest can be considered that) to the rock. Apparently, Rainbow Dash heard my approaching footsteps.

She cheered, "Wahoo! My prayers have been answered! Oh, thankyouthankyoutha–"

Then she noticed it was just little old me, hastily digging.

"You?! Oh no! Now I'm not only going to be stuck here forever, I'm gonna be stuck here forever with the most annoying turtle in the world!"

I continued digging, halfway there, resisting the strong urge to yell at her to shut up.

"Gyh, I'm doomed. DOOMED, I tell you!" Rainbow burst into silent tears.

Oh please! You don't know how easy you have it! Besides, I'm helping you, you featherbrained nitwit! That was when I'd finished digging. Slowly, I raised the boulder with my head. The 'most annoying pegasus in the world' ceased her ranting and tears, and stared at me, shocked by my immense strength. She just sat there, ogling at my feat until I let out a low, impatient croak to get her to move from her spot. After all, it wasn't like supporting a 1.5 ton boulder with only my neck and head did me any justice.

She gave a sheepish smile and pulled her wing out of harms way, which prompted me to slowly lower the huge rock. After finishing that task, I looked up at the chuckling cyan pony in front of me. "Sorry, little guy," she said, patting my shell with a hoof. "Guess I've kind of been underestimating you this whole time, heh. Forgive me?"

I ignored her question and crawled to her right to inspect the damaged wing. It hung limp at her side. This was not good. Fortunately, I had a stash of band-aids and medical tape inside my shell. I was carrying it throughout the games just in case I got hurt and needed a little patching up.

I popped back into my portable home and retrieved said medical equipment. Pushing it to Rainbow Dash, I croaked again. "Thanks," she said, smiling. She took it and proceeded to wrap her injured wing with the tape.

After I tucked it back into my shell when she was done, we both headed back to finish the race. Rainbow couldn't fly, so she opted to sit on my shell instead while I continued to slowly crawl.

As if I didn't carry enough weight on my back already.

So eventually we made it back, me still nervously clinging on to the desperate hope that Dash would choose me to be her pet out of pity and I would get to fly to Molly. But, alas, that didn't seem to be the case, as a falcon had crossed the line first. I made no effort to conceal my emotions now and sadly gazed at the peregrine perched on Dash's withers. I'd known I would never win. I'd known this was all just a silly little daydream that would never come true. But I still couldn't help feeling more than a little disappointed.

That was when I heard Rainbow say, "But I said whoever crosses the finish line with me gets to be my pet." I lifted my head in surprise.

An obnoxiously loud pink pony cried, "You did! You did say that! She did say that, that was the rule!" My heart beat rapidly; could it be?

"And the only racer who crossed the finish line with me was the one who stopped to save me when I needed help. The tortoise!" The falcon let out an indignant cry.

I couldn't believe it. I could not believe it. I slowly smiled as Rainbow picked me up to rub her muzzle against my snout. I looked over to the falcon after she set me back down, who had walked up to me, and defeatedly shook my foreleg with a wing.

My smile stretched out even farther when I realized I'd actually get to live out my dream now! It was a miracle!

"Wouldja look at that? He even smiles slow," an accented orange earth pony said, grinning. Ahahaha.

"Spike, take a letter," my new pet owner commanded the purple dragon. A wild OPAL appeared! "Dear Princess Celestia," she started.

What will TORTOISE do? I reached out to snatch her toy mouse, but pulled back as soon as she noticed me.

"I used to think that the most important traits to look for in a pet, or any best friend, were all physical competitive abilities. But now I can see how short-sighted and shallow that was."

The wild OPAL used FURY SWIPES!

"Today I learned what the most important quality really is. A certain kind of spirit. A stick-to-it-ive-ness."

I grabbed the toy while the furious pussy scratched my shell.

"A never give up, can-do attitude that's the mark of a real winner. And this tortoise has it."

Opal noticed her squeaky mouse had disappeared, and she jumped off of me with an annoyed meow.

"Tenacity," the purple mare suggested.

Rainbow Dash brushed her off with a quick, "Gesundheit," and then continued. "You just can't stop that little guy. He's like a... like a... Tank!" She let her hoof drop onto my shell, signaling that my name was now 'Tank'. Tank. Tank. Tanky-Tank. I liked the ring of it.

Fluttershy spoke up. "But Rainbow! You didn't want a pet that couldn't fly because it would keep you grounded and hold you back, remember?" And here I thought the shy mare was supporting me and my endeavors.

Rainbow brought her hoof to her face in thought. "Hmm . . ." she muttered, looking up to the sky.

A little while later, I was brought to a large, hollow tree, filled with books. I could only imagine that this was the town's library.

"Okay, Twilight," Dash said, pulling out a strange metal contraption. The lavender unicorn inside the tree gave a smile and focused her horn onto the thing Rainbow Dash had brought. Enveloping it in a magenta aura, she channeled a good deal of magic into it, or so it seemed, as she was gritting her teeth, wearing a strained look on her face. A few beads of sweat rolled down her temples. After a few minutes, she finished, and quickly inspected the doohickey. Finding no faults with it, she smiled proudly, and magicked the thing onto my shell.

It gave a peculiar whirring sound and I craned my neck to see it. That was when I noticed I no longer felt the ground. I whipped my head downwards and saw it much farther away from me than it had been before. The same went for a nearby bookshelf.

I crashed into it, knocking more than a few books to the ground and leaving a tortoise shaped depression into the hard wood. Thankfully, I wasn't hurt, but guilt overtook relief as I watched Twilight wince at my blunder. I floated down to the floor and hung my head in shame.

"Don't worry about it," she said to Rainbow. "It's alright. Tank just has to learn to control the magic."

"Yeah . . ." Rainbow said, scratching the back of her head. "How exactly is he s'pposed to do that?"

"Well, as long as he knows exactly where he wants to go, the telepathic magic in there should read his thoughts and take him flying there. That was how he was able to come back down just now."

"Cool. Oh yeah, also, you looked kind of drained after performing that spell. Do you want us to come back for the cloud-walking spell later?"

Twilight shook her head. "It's much simpler on an animal, so I'm pretty sure I can do it now itself." She grabbed me in her magic and began to cast some other spell on me. It felt weird. My feet started to tingle, and soon, that tingling grew stronger and stronger, until it spread through my whole body. Tongue, shell, weird contraption, everything. The purple unicorn strained her horn, pouring magic into me, until she finally let me down again. Breathing heavily, she let out a weak grin.

"You okay, Twi?" Dash asked, concern dripping from her words.

"Yeah . . . Just . . . gimme a . . . moment . . . Whew!" She wiped her forehead with a hoof. "Okay . . . Okay, so now, Tank should be able to walk on clouds permanently."

"Awesome!" Rainbow beamed. I was still feeling a little off from all the tingling, but that didn't last for very long. The blue pony thanked the purple one, and with that, the two of us flew up to her cloud home, one of us smashing a couple of trees down along the way.

Rainbow's home was grand. Magnificent even. Water and liquid rainbows cascaded around the house and trickled down the sides, evaporating nearly five feet above the grass. The clouds that made it up were curled and fluffy where appropriate, and gave a very 'fantasy-like' feeling to the whole place. Influences of Poneman architecture were strong too, what with the arched doorways and domed rooms at the top, complete with Ionic Poneman columns. In short, I was thoroughly impressed.

Rainbow probably noted the awed look on my green face and she smirked. "Wait till you see the inside." The two of us landed on the front porch, also made of clouds. I turned to the surface I was standing on and prodded it with one of my feet. It wasn't as plushy as I'd thought it would be. It actually felt kind of hard, like it was just a fluffy carpet on cement. I looked up to Rainbow in confusion, but I don't think she noticed. She led the way inside saying, "Welcome home, Tank." Once again, I was surprised, though not in the same way.

The inside was nothing like the outside, and was far from grand or magnificent. It looked like just another pony's humble abode, complete with clutter and messiness. It was normal. Plain. Ordinary. I liked it.

For obvious reasons, I was excited for the night to come. The thought of using my propeller thing to launch me into the sky and take off towards Molly made me jittery and I could hardly sit still. This would be even better than having Dash fly me to her! I could hardly wait.

After what had seemed like forever and a day, night finally fell, and I 'ran' to one of the windows. Molly winked back down at me, and I beamed. This was it. This was finally the day I was gonna do it. I was going to fly up to my best friend and nothing could stop me! Except for a certain blue pony.

I had jumped into the air, barely reaching the window until I felt a pair of strong hooves grab me around my belly. Chuckling, Rainbow asked, "Tank, what are you doing? You do know your bed is inside, don't you?" I desperately croaked out to her, to explain I had to fly up to Molly since I now had everything I needed, but to no avail. She just laughed and said, "C'mon. It's cold outside, especially up here." Hanging my head in defeat, I let her carry me back to my bed, determined to carry out with my plan after she'd fallen asleep.

At last, the time came. It was nearly midnight, and I could hear Rainbow's loud snores coming from several rooms away. I crept out to the window on foot; I didn't want the whirring of my motor to awake her. I slowly climbed onto the sill, looked back one last time, and took off, into the starry night sky.

It wasn't as cold as Rainbow had implied, but a little windy. I liked that feeling though, the feeling of the cool night air kissing your neck and body. I gazed down below; all was still in Ponyville, quiet and peaceful. My heart soared as I looked up at a rapidly approaching Molly. A huge smile was on her face, but mine threatened to fall off. In a soft, silvery voice, she said, "Hello, Tank. I've been waiting quite a while for you."

"Hey there! I've been trying forever to get to you, Molly, and now I've finally done it!" I laughed. The most beautiful creature in the world giggled and my heart melted. I was finally with my best friend, and nothing would ever part us.

"Wanna hang at my place?" she asked, beckoning behind her. I nodded my head vigorously, my smile never leaving. I started to follow her, flying across the stars, when she suddenly turned around without warning.

A bright blue light emanated from within her and she transformed into a navy blue alicorn. I knew that if she was an alicorn, then she was a princess too, so she could be trusted, and Molly would be safe.

I gazed up at the pony in front of me and asked, "Who are you?"

She gave a small sigh, and replied, "Princess Luna of Equestria."

"Cool," I said. "I'm Tank the Tortoise." She nodded her head in acknowledgement.

"It is nice to meet you, Mr. Tank the Tortoise." She walked up to me and kneeled down to my level. "This is a dream. You are really back at Rainbow Dash's and your own home asleep." I stared up at her, confused.

"Wha?" came my oh so intelligent reply.

"This is just a dream," she repeated. "That is why I am here. As the princess of the night, it is my solemn duty to enter the dreams of my subjects and to ensure their minds are at rest," the dark mare continued. "Be it equine or chelonian, all creatures in this kingdom deserve a good nights rest."

My perplexed expression didn't relax for a second. "I'm . . . I'm not having a nightmare, though. This has actually been a relatively nice . . . dream, I guess, so far," I said slowly. Luna sighed once more, sadness in her eyes, while I just sat there, confused. Her long silence was beginning to worry me, but finally, she spoke again.

"I have been watching your dreams for a while, Tank, and I have noticed a common theme between most them," she said, her voice quiet. "They all seem to be about yourself bonding with . . . Molly, as you call . . . her."

I visibly brightened. "Oh yes, she's my best friend!" For some reason I couldn't explain at the time, Luna shook her head at me with this really intense look that clearly screamed, I'm so sorry.

"Wh-What happened? Is everything all right?" My head hung in worry, but also with a little bit of fear.

"I'm so, so, sorry to be the one to have to tell you this," I gulped and thought, Oh no. "But I really doubt anyone else will. Be warned, I will be blunt with you." I nodded my head in understanding, mentally bracing myself for what was going to come.

She scrutinized her hooves, and after a few long moments, glanced back up to me again. Looking me square in the eye, she took a deep breath and said, "Your friend Molly is just the moon. She is not a real live organism who can communicate with others. She, and I should really say it, is only a place."

At first, I didn't believe her. I slowly shook my head, taking a few steps backwards out of instinct, ignoring the moisture steadily growing in my eyes. "No," I'd murmured, smiling and still shaking my head, but the true sincerity in the princess's eyes and all the evidence backing her made it incredibly difficult to believe myself. "No," I said again, with more force. My heart rate quickened, until it was practically thundering in my chest. "N-No. No. No! No!" The alicorn reached out a wing and pulled me close to her.

My vision blurred. "No! N-NO! I won't b-believe you!" Tears streamed down my tortoise cheeks while the princess held me close. "Mo-Molly is my friend," I whispered. "She'll never leave me." The princess of the night gave me a heavy hearted look and tightened her hold on me. Then I finally let it all click.

My small smile widened into a manic grin and I started to laugh through my tears. "Hahaha! Heehee, my life has, haha, has been a lie! Ahahahahaheeheeheehaha! HahaheeHEHEHAHA! Haha, to think I actually thought I had a best friend! Heh heh, all, along, heehee, I, I, I never ever, *snort*, had anyone, HAHA! Heehee! Oh my stars, I don't and never have had a best friend! Heeheehee! I, I don't have a friend!" My stomach hurt. "Hahaha! That's the funniest thing ever, heehee! I, I r-really want a fr-fr-friend! I, I want ... I don't have ahAHAHAHEEHEHHAH! I DON'T HAVE A FRI-HEH-HEND! EVERYONE H-HATES ME!" I sobbed and wailed into Luna's shoulder until I couldn't breathe.

It was a long time before I finally ran out of tears.

After I'd calmed down, she whispered to me, "I think you're forgetting somepony." I looked up at her with my sore eyes, confused. "If I understand correctly, Rainbow Dash has adopted you as her pet tortoise?"

"Wait, how did you kn—" Luna silenced me with a raised hoof. I nodded an affirmative.

"Like I said, I've been watching your dreams. Anyways, back to the point. Do you not consider her a friend?"

"I—I don't know! I only wanted to be her pet so she would fly me up to Mol—the moon. I never really considered what would happen if I wasn't able to get up to it. I really don't know."

Luna said, "I see you never originally planned to be her friend. You were only going to use her." I winced at how she worded that. "Might I ask you something though?"

I nodded.

"Why can't you give Rainbow Dash a chance to be your friend?"

"Well, I don't know! I want Molly to be my friend."

Luna sighed. "I'm very sorry Tank, but 'Molly' is only the moon. If there was anyone you considered a friend in it, then it would be me. I am essentially the living incarnate of the moon. Now, why can't you let Rainbow Dash be your friend?"

"I . . . I don't . . . I don't really see how she would be any different from Fluttershy."

"Tank, a pet owner is incredibly different from a caretaker."

I cocked an eyebrow and asked, "How? They both do the same things."

"You see . . . well, actually, why don't you find out for yourself? I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. You already know how it feels to live with Fluttershy, the caretaker, and now you can find out what it's like to live with Rainbow Dash, your owner. And future best friend."

"B-Best friend?" I croaked, unsure if she was sincerely telling the truth or playing a very cruel joke on me.

"Of course. A pet is something much, much more than a random animal living in a random pony's house. She picked you out because she wanted to be friends with you."

"Is that . . . Is that really true?" I almost didn't want to hear the answer in case she decided to end the mean prank here and start laughing in my face.

She nodded and gave me a gentle smile.

My head drooped. "I feel really guilty now for wanting to con her at the beginning. She doesn't deserve a tortoise as awful and selfish as me." Luna raised my head with a hoof, smiling.

"Everyone makes mistakes, Tank. I myself should know better than anyone." She showed a hint of regret on her face, but smiled again as she said, "The important thing is that we acknowledge we made them so we can avoid them in the future."

"But how do I do that?"

"Rainbow Dash reached out to you by adopting you as a pet. Reach back out to her and accept the friendship she is giving you. Let her be your friend." I scrunched my eyebrows in thought, and then slowly gave Luna a big smile.

"Thank you," I said to her, putting my right forefoot on her shoulder, "Friend."

~*~

I remember after that night, I'd grown a lot closer to Dash. The princess was right; Rainbow really had wanted to be my friend. I now finally had someone, a best friend who would never, ever leave me.

Years later, I still continue to look up at the night sky, and . . . Molly. I never really did start calling her 'the moon.' I guess I was just unable to let go of her, though I did stop talking to her. Now, I just look up at her milky white brightness and remember old, long gone, memories. I crawl back to bed, eager to meet my first real friend in my dreams tonight.

Author's Note

First thing's first. No, I am NOT trying to malign Fluttershy or put her in a bad light. That was never my intention and it never will be.

Second, this is LITERALLY my first draft, except for a few small changes here and there. I would very much appreciate it if you went overboard with the constructive criticism. Basically, if you tell me it's awesome, I'll feel pleased but kind of off :applejackunsure:, if you tell me it's horrible, I'll feel sad :fluttershysad:, and if you tell me it's horrible and then explain why, I'll be a very happy writer! :pinkiehappy:

Thank you for reading, and don't forgot to rate, comment, favorite, and all that good stuff!