The Heart's Shell

When everything had turned back to normal, there was just one figure that was still glowing. When it stopped, it turned out to be Rainbow Dash. The real Rainbow Dash. She was lying on the ground with her eyes closed.

“Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy cried running to her childhood friend. “Are you ok?” Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and saw Fluttershy in her view.

“Yeah, I think so” she replied. “I think we’ve finally gotten rid of Tenebris for good”

“What happened to Blue Streak?” Applejack asked.

“She’s gone”

“What do you mean, she’s gone?” Rarity asked.

“Blue Streak sacrificed herself to save me. She’s gone back to her own time, probably waking up in hospital somewhere”

“That is a shame” Fluttershy commented.

“I know. And after I told her she could join us” Rainbow sighed.

“We’re just so glad you’re back!” Pinkie cried out, hugging Rainbow Dash tightly.

“Me too” Rainbow replied. Then something came into mind. “Where is Tank?”

“Over here!” Scootaloo replied. “But I don’t think he’s breathing” Rainbow’s smile vanished and hurried towards Tank. She tried to talk to him, to wake him up, to get his attention. But then she looked at the clock. It read 9:00AM. The three days were over. Rainbow Dash held Tank’s lifeless body and soon realised that it was too late.

“No, it can’t be. Tank, you can’t go!” Rainbow began to cry “We never even got to cure you!” Rainbow Dash was sobbing on top of Tank’s corpse. The other ponies even began to follow suit, even Applejack and Twilight. It didn’t matter a month ago when he was hibernating. But this time, Tank was never coming back. Rainbow tried to stop the flow of tears when she had an idea. She knew it was probably not going to work but it didn’t hurt to try anyway.

“Little Tanky please do not cry now

I will always be by your side now

If the weather starts to get too cold now

I will never leave you alone.

Goodnight Tank!” Rainbow Dash continued to sob even louder after she sang her lullaby for the last time.

‘You will soon lift up your wings one day.’ Fluttershy began to sing. Rainbow reacted and looked at her in shock. Fluttershy didn’t seem to notice.

‘That’s why you must get your rest today.

You will be a great flier one day.

Just as soon as you can fly on your own.’

The rest of the mane 5 joined in the song, just like they rehearsed. Tank was soon being lifted up out of Rainbow’s arms and was glowing.

‘But remember sweetheart that you’ll do me proud.

When you find your purpose in the sky.

Your talent comes when you lose all doubt.

But when you say goodbye.

Little Dashie someday you will leave me.

And I won’t always have you beside me.

When that time comes, Dashie, don’t forget me.

For I will always love you.

For I will always love you.’

Tank was put back on the ground. Rainbow Dash was confused about what happened. But then she noticed that Tank was starting to open his eyes. He was alive. Rainbow Dash was now crying tears of joy as ran to hug her tortoise.

“Tank! I thought I would never see you again!” she sobbed. Tank gave a healthy smile to her. Rainbow Dash giggled in joy. Then she looked over to her friends in amazement.

“Was this the cure to his illness?” she asked.

“It was a song from after you met. You could only remember the first verse so I asked your mother to sing the rest of the song for me. We learnt it and sang it” Fluttershy replied. Rainbow went to hug the rest of her friends.

“Thank you so much!” she tearfully said. Twilight pushed her away.

“Not so fast. Why didn’t you tell us that you tried to stop winter from coming?” Twilight asked. Rainbow blushed of embarrassment.

“Sorry about that. It won’t happen again” Rainbow replied.

“Haven’t you learnt anything the past five days?” Twilight asked.

“I shouldn’t linger in the past, I should be patient and wait for Tank to finish hibernating” Twilight just smiled.

The ponies headed over to Tank’s hibernation spot and said goodbye to him once again. Rainbow Dash knew this time that she was going to do the right thing. Wait until the next winter wrap up to see Tank and spend spring, summer and autumn with him.

Months later, Rainbow Dash was busy sleeping in her bed. She had her alarm clock set. She walked over to the other side of the room to check her calendar. It was the first of March, Winter wrap up day. Rainbow Dash was super excited. Finally she would be able to see Tank after months of waiting. She eagerly got on her vest that she wore the year before and looked at herself in the mirror.

“This is it, Rainbow Dash. You get to greet Tank from his hibernation today. He can help me with some of the weather stuff too” she said to herself. She did a couple of warmups to get pumped up. She also got breakfast for herself and prepared a meal for Tank for his return. She was super enthusiastic about the whole situation.

Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle was at Rarity’s boutique to fix her vest. This was the first winter wrap up with her as a princess, which made her ever more important as all-team organiser. But ever since she became a princess, she had gotten wings. Rarity needed to put appropriate wing holes in the vest so that she would be comfortable.

“Sorry I didn’t get this to you sooner, Rarity. With all that had been happening the past few months, it slipped my mind” Twilight said.

“Don’t worry your head about it, darling. It’s the least I could do. I was also finalising Tank’s post hibernation suit. She used her magic to levitate it. “Doesn’t it look absolutely ravishing?”

The suit was a dark green with a cute bowtie to match.

“That looks so cute. Tank is going to look great in that!” Twilight replied.

“Thanks. It was some of my best work. It’s not often that I make clothes for animals” the two mares giggled.

“Girls!” an enthusiastic Rainbow Dash came storming through the boutique. “It’s time!”

“Time for what?” Twilight asked. Rainbow put her hoof to her forehead.

“Duh, Tank’s wakeup of course!” Rainbow replied.

“Oh yes. I have finished his suit as promised” Rarity said, levitating the suit for Rainbow’s vision.

“Ha! Tank is going to look awesome in this” Rainbow replied. Then, her voice got softer, a bit more serious. “Thank you. This means a lot to me”

“It was the least I could do” Rarity replied. They went over and hugged each other.

“Now let’s go and tell the others!” Rainbow shouted in delight.

Pinkie Pie was busy skating on the ice yet again, doing what she usually does for Winter Wrap up, when Twilight, Rarity and Rainbow Dash came her way.

“Oh, hi guys!” Pinkie shouted in delight. “What’s up?”

“Tank’s getting woken up from his hibernation today!” Rainbow Dash squealed.

“I’ll be there! I can’t wait!” Pinkie replied as she safely skated off the ice, took off her skating shoes and followed the others.

Next was Applejack. She was starting to sort out the different seeds for the harvest. She saw her friends up in the distance.

“Hi y’all!” she yelled.

“Are you coming or not?” Rainbow shouted.

“Coming for what?” Applejack asked. Suddenly Pinkie Pie was in her vision.

“We’re going to wake up Tank and it’s going to be so much fun!” Pinkie replied bouncing up and down as the rest of the ponies caught up.

“Come on, AJ. Are plants more important that your friends?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Ok. I’m coming” Applejack finally said to Rainbow Dash. “You know I wouldn’t miss it for the world”. The two mares giggled their way over to Tank’s hibernation spot. It was covered in snow just like Rainbow had left it months before.

She wondered if Tank was going to be ok and not too cold under the snow. But Fluttershy was certain that Tank would be fine. Rainbow grabbed a shovel and started to dig some of the snow out, then she borrowed one of the bells used for the animal team.

“Wakey, wakey Tank!” Rainbow called out to him. She eagerly waited for the arrival of her little buddy. Tank’s head managed to pop out of his spot along with the rest of his body. He felt much more refreshed now and he had stopped yawning.

“Nice to see you again” Rainbow Dash said again as she nuzzled her pet.

“And just as promised, Tank. Here is the suit” Rarity said as she used her magic to put the suit on Tank. He looked really good in it everypony thought.

“Come on Tank, why don’t you help me clear the clouds with the weather team?” Rainbow said to Tank, he gleefully nodded in delight. They both took off to the sky and started to clear some of the clouds away, and this time not bring the sun in too close to melt the snow.

“Do you think she’d let him” Twilight began her sentence to Fluttershy, she reacted when she started talking. “That she would get him to hibernate again”

“Of course. Tank needs to hibernate because it’s healthy for him. Why is that?” Fluttershy asked.

“Well because months ago you told us that Angel didn’t hibernate because you supplied him with warmth and food”

“Because he’s always been domesticated I said. Tank was still in the wild when I found him, which, as a matter of fact, this would be the 1st anniversary of when I found him and soon to be the 1st anniversary of him being her pet”

“So when winter comes again, do you think Tank is going to hibernate?”

“Probably”

“And how do you think Rainbow Dash would feel about that?”

“This time, Rainbow knows what’s best for her tortoise. As long as she keeps him warm, I’m sure he won’t have to hibernate again” Twilight’s eyes widened as she was almost in rage.

“Are you kidding me?” she asked in fury. “So you’re telling me that it’s ok for Tank not to hibernate the second time winter comes around?”

“Twilight. That’s just for Rainbow herself to decide, and what Tank wants too”. The two mares giggled as they saw their friend and her tortoise clearing the clouds. Rainbow Dash was happy because from today, she was going to spend spring, summer and autumn with her pet and have lots of fun with him, even when there wasn’t snow. She felt happier that he was alive and well rather than staying with him. And she knew deep in her heart that there was always an empty shell to fill as well.

The Heart’s Shell.