Hibernation
By
Teal
Fluttershy sat down next to Rainbow Dash and gave her friend a caring look, as she moved closer towards her. After having seen her cry a river of tears, Fluttershy could see that the cyan pegasus had finally started to calm down, as her tears stopped flowing and her cries softened. The loud and anguished shrieks of sadness have finally began to subside, as she rubbed her nose and began to breathe slowly.
Deciding that all the sadness within her friend had all been let out, and thinking that she finally calmed down, Fluttershy gave her a small caring smile and leaned closer to her friend.
“Feeling better?” She asked, seeing that the tears were not flowing anymore, despite the sad expression still plastered on her face.
Sniffling, Rainbow Dash gave a short and small nod as she wiped off the residue of tears that were running down her cheeks.
“U…uhu…” She managed to say, as she looked down towards her pet, Tank.
The tortoise had been cradled around her hooves throughout the entire scene, as she kept him close within her grasp. By now, Tank had his eyes closed as he slept on Rainbow Dash’s soft hooves, enjoying the warmth and comfort that was emitting from her body.
As she looked down her pet and friend, Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but feel a trickle of tear escape her eye. The sight did nothing but only reminded her of Tank’s hibernation, in which they would be separated for months, in a time which should have been filled with joy.
Feeling her body quiver in sadness, the small tear that escaped her eye now turned into a torrent, as the dam that held her emotions broke once more.
“Whaaaaaahahaaaaa!” She cried, tears spilling from her eyes, as the second wave of her sadness escaped through the cracks of this painful faith.
Watching Rainbow Dash break down and cry, Fluttershy couldn’t help but feel her heart break. The sight of one of her closest friends crying her heart out in painful sadness, as she held her beloved pet tightly within her grasp, was a moving and sad sight. It made her feel an ache within her own heart, as she felt memories from the past flash before her eyes.
Looking down upon the crying pegasus, the image of Rainbow Dash clutching Tank were suddenly replaced by the image of herself, as she cried for her own pet that she didn’t want to go.
She let out a small whimper as she realized that this exact scenario happened to her all those years ago.
A younger Fluttershy held a slightly small Angel bunny in her hooves, as her tears streamed down her cheek and onto the young rabbit.
Despite being annoyed by the fact that he was being hugged too tightly and getting wet from her tears, the young rabbit remained still as he saw his caretaker expressed more sadness and grief than she usually did.
Snow was already falling from the skies, as the weather pegasi arranged the clouds for the new season. A season of low temperatures and mounds of snow. A season where the plants freeze and the animals burrow themselves deep underground, ready to sleep through the winter months, as to store their energy till the spring comes.
A season where Angel bunny must go and hibernate, leaving behind Fluttershy all by herself.
Bringing him into a tighter hug, Fluttershy wept at the thought of living without Angel for a couple of months. The very thought saddened her and now, the day when he had to burrow himself, she just couldn’t bring herself to let him go.
To her, no matter how pesky and bothersome he could be, Angel bunny was a friend that she could not leave without. With a small circle of friends that consisted of Rainbow Dash and Angel, the thought of him leaving her just broke her heart.
Having been the one to stand beside her and be with her in times she felt rejected by others, Angel was more than just a simple pet. He was her comfort, the one she cries her troubles at, and the ones who never leaves her. When ponies made fun of her and avoided her, she went to
Angel bunny for comfort, and he always seemed to be there.
She had formed a bond within that was hard to explain. A bond that could easily see through his stubbornness and see the soft soul of the rabbit. A bond that brought together owner and pet to a friendship that would never break.
Now, the thought of him not being there brought a painful feeling to her heart.
“P…please don’t go…” She whimpered before breaking to tears once more. Her cries echoing and her tears spilling all over the poor rabbit.
“I…I don’t want you to leave me…” She managed to say between cries. “Who…who would I cry to while you’re gone?”
So she held him tightly, slowly squeezing him with each cry, as she knew that it would be painful to let him go. She didn’t know if she could do it, but knew that she must do it.
Because if she didn’t, then Angel would be uncomfortable in the winter cold, if not freeze in it.
So despite how painful it would be, she must do it.
Her eyes watering, she felt a tear rolled down her cheeks as she looked at Rainbow Dash, who was going through the same phase as she did.
To her, Tank meant more the just a pet, just like how Angel meant to her. To see them part in winter reminded her of the sad memories she had to go through.
By now, she was used to Angel’s hibernation, as she went through it every year. But now, to see her friends parting from her pet for the first time, it reminded her of the sad memories that had come to pass.
“Oh…you poor, poor thing…” She said, tears spilling from her eyes as she moved closer to the crying Rainbow Dash, who now laid her head on top of Tank’s shell.
Unable to suppress it anymore, she laid her hoof on Rainbow Dash and let out a cry, joining her in this sad moment. He tears streamed down as she let out her soft cries and whimpers, tears coating their fur, as the sound of sadness harmonized in the air.
The next thing they knew, almost everpony in the room joined them, as the tears started flowing from all of them.
Despite the sad moment, Fluttershy was determined not to let her friend feel sadness through the winter. The same sadness she experienced when she was younger.
Author's Note
I'm not sure if rabbits hibernate, but in Winter Wrap Up, you can see them leave their burrow. So in Equestria, apparently they hibernate.
Anyways, I feel that this story was sloppily written by me, so I would appreciate and feed back.
