Where the Green Tortoise Sleeps
By Movie Reel
----------
It's been a week since Tank started hibernating and Rainbow is still adjusting.
She comes by to read him a bedtime story every night. Harmless that may be, the other girls are still seeing that she isn't as peppy as she usually is round winter.
Rainbow tries to put on a brave face, but she still aches to hold her old tortoise. She secretly bought a turtle plushie that she takes to bed every night.
Unfortunately, Pinkie finds it.
"Aww. You still miss Tank."
"No! I just... thought he might like a friend when he wakes up."
Pinkie tries cheering her up and off handedly mentions when this first happened with her and Gummy.
That gets Rainbow's fire burning and is insulted that somepony who knew this would happen and had never warned her about it. She catches herself before she says something really stupid. Pinkie takes to show her something.
She takes her to the Cakes, where the doting parents are playing in the snow with their babies. One day, Pound and Pumpkin will leave home. Carrot and Cup will be sad but they won't be sad forever, because they won't be going away forever. It's just... those first few days alone are the hardest to get through.
Rainbow lets this sink in and thanks Pinkie.
That night, she reads to Tank one more time. She tells him she loves him.
She dreams of sledding with her best tortoise by her side. She likes to think he's dreaming that too.
