Tanks for the Memories/Gallery

"Look at that, Tank!"

"Cloudsdale's here!"

"That means Ponyville is next up for winter!"

"You're doing awesome, everypony!"

"Keep it up!"

"We need those leaves..."

"...off of those trees."

"Once we get autumn cleared away..."

"...it'll be hello, winter!"

"Was that a yawn I just saw?"

"How can you be tired when the most exciting time of the year is right around the corner?"

"And don't forget the best part..."

"– our first winter together!"

"Come on, wake up!"

"Once those ponies..."

"...bring in the big, fat clouds full of snowflakes..."

"...we'll have a ton of snow for our extreme sledding!"

My Little Pony: Sledding is Magic!

"And over there, we can play horse hockey..."

"...with no shoulder or arm pads!"

Tank is an awesome goalie.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Uh, I mean, yay!

And zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

"Everything's looking great, don't you think?"

"Almost everything."

"Does Tank look alright to you?"

I'm dancing in my dream...

"Well, he does seem to be moving a little slowly."

"I know, right?"

"And he looks kind of sleepy..."

"Totally!"

"...just like he always does."

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right."

Probably should see Fluttershy.

Ba-bump.......ba-bump.........

"Well?!"

"I suppose his heartbeat could be a..."

"...teensy-weensy-eensy bit slower than usual..."

"Okay, so give him a vitamin or something!"

Zzzzzzzz....

"I don't think he needs that."

"Maybe we're just staying up too late."

"Uh, too many Daring Do stories."

"Oh, that's not it either."

"Well, what's wrong with him then?!"

"Nothing! He's perfectly fine."

"He's just going to hibernate."

"You do realize he's not a bear, right?"

Fluttershy makes an adorable giggle.

"When the weather grows cold and less food is available..."

"...many animals hibernate to conserve energy."

"It's like taking a really long nap during winter..."

"...and then they wake up in spring."

A bear with a teddy bear.

"And see?"

"Even tortoises do it!"

"When the time comes, Tank will leave and dig into the ground.

"But don't worry."

"He'll reappear when the spring sun warms the ground back up."

"Come on!"

"Tortoises don't hibernate!"

"Somepony put that picture in there as a joke." (Stage 1: Denial)

"It's not a joke."

"Well, then your book must be wrong!"

"Rainbow Dash..."

"...Tank needs to hibernate."

"It's healthy for him..."

"...just like sleeping is healthy for us."

"Whatever. Okay, thanks."

"Come on, Tank."

"Where are you going?"

"To get a second opinion..."

"...from a real reptile expert."

...?

"I told you, Rainbow Dash, I'm a dragon!"

"Come on! You're practically twins!"

"I'm purple."

"But if you don't have to hibernate..."

"...why should Tank?!"

"Because he's a tortoise..."

"...and I'm a dragon!"

"Same family though, right?"

"No!"

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Ugh! Look, if Fluttershy says tortoises hibernate..."

"...then I guarantee tortoises hiber—"

"Well, what would you know?!"

"You're a dragon!"

Looks like Spike finally settled on a bed he liked.

Okay... that was awkward.

"Nopony knows you like I do, Tank."

"All you need is some hard work to get the old blood pumping."

Donk.

Oh, you silly DUMB turtle (Tortoise!) I mean, Tortoise.

"These things are heavy! Chock full of snowflakes!"

"We're gonna have such a killer time in the snow, Tank."

"Tank?"

"Tank!"

"Aww, look at the cute wittle Tankie..."

"all snuggly-wuggly..."

"getting ready to hibern—"

"Don't say that word!"

"Which one?"

"Snuggly?"

"Wuggly?"

"Tankie?"

"Hibernate?"

"That one!"

"I was just saying how cute he—"

"If you think hiber..."

"– you know, that napping thing –"

"...is so cute, why don't you go do it?! Somewhere far away from here?!"

Why are you watching me?

"What are you looking at?!"

"Pinkie Pie and I are just having a conversation!"

"Look, Rainbow Dash, we all know how upset you are about Tank hiber—"

"Shhhh! Don't say that word!"

"That's what started this all!"

"We all know how upset you are about Tank."

"But you shouldn't take your anger out on your friends."

"Who said anything about anger?! I didn't say anything about anger! I'm not upset!"

"And I am not angry!"

Um, totally. You totally don't look like you're angry. (Stage 2: Anger)

"Come on, Tank! Let's get out of here!"

"I need you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, not sleepy-eyed and scaly-tailed!"

"Which... is exactly what you are."

"But get up anyway!"

"You can't hiber–"

"You know."

"What about all the primo things we're gonna do together this winter?"

"Building snow ponies..."

"...starting snowball fights..."

"...sipping hot cider by the fire."

"Don't you wanna do those things with me?!"

"......."

(nope)

"Think, Rainbow Dash, think!"

"Tank's only hibernating because it's cold, right?"

"Well, I'd rather have him awake in the heat than asleep in the cold..."

Then she got an idea.

An awful idea.

We're pretty sure you can already tell what film is referenced here. If you can't, then we don't even know what to say anymore. (Stage 3: Bargaining)

Sunshower, not to be confused with Sunshower Raindrops.

"So where do these clouds go?"

"Over by Clear Skies."

"But there's clear skies everywhere."

"Yo, Clear Skies right here!"

"But there's clear skies over there, too!"

"That's Open Skies!"

"There's open skies everywhere!"

"But I'm not everywhere! I'm right here!"

"So you're Open Skies..."

"...and you're Clear Skies."

"Then what's all that?"

"Open, clear skies!"

"Hey, where'd our fluffy clouds go?"

"Fluffy Clouds? He's over there!"

"Hah! Stopping winter is gonna be a breeze!"

...Or, maybe not.

Okay, where do they get those icicles?

What's that starfish doing here?

How long will it take for those ponies to catch on to this?

Brr...

Stupid clouds.

Boy, she sure loves Tank.

"Here comes the next shipment!"

"Move those clouds over!"

"Ugh! For every hoof step back..."

"...they go three hoof steps forward!"

"What are we gonna do?"

"Cloudsdale. That's it, Tank!"

"If I can't stop winter in Ponyville, maybe I can stop it at the source!"

"Lunch hour! Perfect!"

Look at that drawing in that locker.

How did they happen to have a tortoise-sized uniform?

"The winter lab."

"We're in, Tank!"

Oops! Forgot to let him in.

"Now we just gotta figure out a way to shut it down."

"Sabotage snowflakes?"

"I think we gotta go bigger than that."

"Wait here."

"Hmm. We could get rid of these clouds, but..."

"...that's still not big enough."

"Slam dunk!"

"With no water, they can't make clouds or snow!"

"They can't make winter!"

" I hate to do this to those weather ponies..."

"...but desperate times call for desperate measures!"

"Oopsies! Looks like these were a little loose!"

"And there goes winter down the drain!"

No! Not the fan!

Whew! Thank Celesti--

Oof!

Rainbow the Snowpony... was a jolly happy soul.

That would hurt!

Jars full of lightning...and sunshine?

Uh-oh!

Explosion!

Oh, this is not good.

"Let's get out of here!"

"What in the name of Celestia's..."

"...goin' on up there?"

"Prepare yourselves, everypony!"

"Winter Is Coming!" ("Thanks a lot, Mr. Larson," said everyone without a hint of sarcasm.)

Run for your life! The machine's gonna blow!

Shut it off! Shut it off!

Whoa... Must be fun (just like being in a roller-coaster made of snow)

Booom... A snow bomb has just gone off.

Well, THAT was an interesting snowstorm.

Looks like Rainbow's efforts to stop winter may have gotten it started early.

Tank, where are you?!

"You okay, Tank?"

"Rainbow Dash! Are you alright?"

"No..."

Not sure if it's cute or egotistical that Rainbow is wearing tortoise-shaped slippers while Tank is wearing Rainbow Dash-shaped slippers.

"Knock, knock!"

"How are you feeling, Rainbow Dash?"

"Whatever..."

"The poor thing looks so sad! Just what are we doing to do?"

"I don't know what we can do."

"Buck up, sugarcube. You just ain't yourself these days."

"Whatever..."

"Uh, how can I say this tactfully...?"

"You've lost your sparkle, Rainbow Dash."

"I hate to say this, but..."

"...well..."

"...you've become... a party pooper!"

"Didn't you hear me?"

"I said, 'whatever...'"

"I don't know if you're here to cheer me up or what..."

"...but I'm fine." (Stage 4: Depression)

"Let me handle this."

"Rainbow Dash, your winter is going to be... pet-less."

3... 2... 1...

Oh, Dashie... This is the first time I've seen you cry!

I know how you feel, Dashie. Nopony wants to lose their pet.

"Whatever did you do that for?!"

"Because she'll never get past this until she lets it all out."

You're the Element of Honesty!

Say something honest!

"Uh... it's okay. Tank'll come back in a few months."

"Months?!"

That seems too long!

"I don't want him to go!"

Never tell Rainbow Dash to wait a few months.

"Alright, alright. There, there."

"Nice going, Fluttershy."

"How do we get her to stop?"

"She's got to be about done by now. Can't be too much left in there."

"Feeling better?"

"Uh-huh." Fluttershy clearly believes that she estimated this grief period correctly, but she will be immediately disproven.

Contrary to Fluttershy's belief, Rainbow Dash indeed has far longer to go.

"Oh, you poor, poor thing..."

Gee, I guess crying is contagious.

"I can't bear to see Fluttershy cry!"

"It's just heart-wrenching!"

Okay, now this is truly depressing.

"You too?"

"Nope. I'm good."

"Look, everypony, I know how hard it is to say goodbye—"

"I'm mostly sad because you're not sad!"

"What?! Me?!"

"What about Applejack?"

"Applejack cries on the inside, Twilight!"

"It's true." (Eeyup. Applejack's much more mature than the rest of her friends)

"It's alright, Fluttershy. It's alright."

Looks like it's finally over.

"You think she's done or just getting a third wind?"

"I don't know... Rainbow Dash? Are you okay?"

"I think so."

"I feel better. Really, I do." So do we, Rainbow.

"Thanks, everypony. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Or him..."

"Oh, Tank... I'm sure gonna miss you."

Awww... (Stage 5: Acceptance)

Ah, winter!

The perfect season for sledding....

Having fun....

Ice skating....

Playing ice hockey....

Hey! Even Spike got some moves.

Eat your heart out, Tonya Harding!

And snowball fights.

"Well, guess we're starting winter with a bang."

"The fun's come early! Yee-haw!"

"You think we could mess up winter every year? It's way less work!"

"Uh, I don't think Rainbow Dash could handle it."

"Riding that entire season from Cloudsdale to Ponyville was pretty awesome."

"I thought you guys might like to say goodbye to Tank. He's ready to hibernate."

"Ooh, you're using the word!"

"Oh, she's using the word!"

"And when Tank finishes hibernating..."

"...I'm gonna throw him the biggest welcome home party ever!"

"Or wait. Should it be a 'welcome above ground' party?"

"Or a 'happy wake-up' party?"

"Maybe an 'it's about time!' party!"

"And I'll design him a very special suit just for the occasion..."

"...whichever one it ends up being."

"I'm glad you're feelin' a little better, Rainbow Dash."

"Yeah, me too."

Lookin Comfy...

"So, you really wanna do this hibernating thing, huh?"

Yes, Dashie!

"Goodbye, Tank."
"Happy winter."
"See you later, little feller."
"Have a good sleep, Tank!"

"Goodbye, Tank! We'll miss you!"

Don't you think we have seen you cry TOO much, Dashie?

See you in spring, Tank!

"Well? Ready for some winter fun?"

"Uh, I'm gonna hang here and read to him a bit."

"That little guy can never get to sleep without a bedtime story."

"I'll be right there."

Oh. See you in an... hour?

Bittersweet ending.

At least her pet isn't going to live on that farm upstate with mine.