History Recap / MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E5TanksForTheMemories

[[caption-width-right:350: [[WesternAnimation/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas I must stop this winter from coming. But how?]]]]

->''"Let me handle this, Rainbow Dash, your winter is going to be... ''[[WhamLine petless]]."

At her home, a depressed Rainbow Dash lies disconsolately with Tank on her bed. When the rest of the Mane Six arrive to cheer her up and snap her out of her sadness, their attempts are met with immediate dismissal by Rainbow who says that she's just fine. Finally, Fluttershy bluntly tells Rainbow that she needs to spend her first winter '''without''' Tank. This causes Rainbow to burst into tears, sobbing that she doesn't want Tank to go and still want to spend her first winter with Tank. Rainbow's friends try to console her, but Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy all end up crying too... sans Twilight and Applejack. Pinkie Pie, can you give us Applejack's reason?

Rainbow eventually calms down and accepts the fact that she and Tank must part. As the rest of the Mane Six play in the snow, Rainbow arrives to bring Tank to his resting place. She asks him one last time if he really wants to hibernate, he nods, and the ponies say goodbye as he buries himself under the dirt and snow underneath a tree. Rainbow Dash stays by him for a little while longer as the others leave, saying that she wants to read him a bedtime story to help him fall asleep.

At her home, a depressed Rainbow Dash lies disconsolately with Tank on her bed. When the rest of the Mane Six arrive to cheer her up and snap her out of her sadness, their attempts are met with immediate dismissal by Rainbow who says that she's just fine. Finally, Fluttershy bluntly tells Rainbow that she needs to spend her first winter with Tank, '''without''' the latter. This causes Rainbow to burst into tears, sobbing that she doesn't want Tank to go and still want to spend her first winter with Tank. Rainbow's friends try to console her, but Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy all end up crying too... sans Twilight and Applejack. Pinkie Pie, can you give us Applejack's reason?

->''"Let me handle this, Rainbow Dash, your winter is going to be... ''[[WhamLine petless]]!"

-->'''Pinkie Pie:''' I'm mostly sad because your ''not'' sad!

-->'''Fluttershy:''' Oh, you poor, poor, thing! (cries out of pity)\\
-->'''Rarity:''' I can't bear to see Fluttershy cry!
-->'''Pinkie Pie:''' It's just... '''heart-wrenching!'''

At her home, a depressed Rainbow Dash lies disconsolately with Tank on her bed. When the rest of the Mane Six arrive to cheer her up, their attempts are met with immediate dismissal by Rainbow. Finally, Fluttershy bluntly tells Rainbow that she'll have to spend the winter without her pet. This causes Rainbow to burst into tears, sobbing that she doesn't want Tank to go. Rainbow's friends try to console her, but Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy all end up crying too... sans Twilight and Applejack. Applejack's reason?

* BrutalHonesty: When Rainbow won't admit that she is sad, Fluttershy lays on some tough love by saying she'll be spending her winter petless. (And when '''Applejack,''' of all ponies, is on your case for that...)

* DramaQueen: This characteristic of Rainbow Dash's rears its ugly head again as she has a huge breakdown over the fact that Tank is going to hibernate.

* HibernationMigrationSituation: This episode has Rainbow Dash dealing with the fact that her tortoise, Tank, has to hibernate soon. Initially, she tries preventing winter (since in this show, [[PaintingTheFrostOnWindows seasons and weather are artificial]]), but then comes to terms with the fact that she can't and Tank will need to hibernate.

* LargeHam: Ashleigh Ball gets to do it for once, with both Rainbow's tirade against hibernation and her final breakdown.

* TenderTears: Fluttershy winds up crying for Rainbow Dash when she doesn't stop crying, while Rarity and Pinkie start crying because they can't stand the sight of Fluttershy crying.

->''"Let me handle this, Rainbow Dash, your winter is going to be... ''petless!"

->"Let me handle this, Rainbow Dash, your winter is going to be... '''petless!'''"

->''"Let me handle this, Rainbow Dash, your winter is going to be... '''petless!'''"

->''"Rainbow Dash, your winter is going to be... ''petless."

* FiveStagesOfGrief: Rainbow Dash goes through each of them over the course of the episode.

--->"Tank won't be hibernating!" "Your book is ''wrong''!"

--->"Don't say that word!" "DO I LOOK ANGRY!?"

* UnableToCry: Applejack "cries on the inside".

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* AnAesop: As Rainbow Dash goes through the FiveStagesOfGrief as detailed below, she learns the episode's moral:
-->''It's best to accept nature the way it goes, and it's not worth it to try and change it.''

At her home, a depressed Rainbow Dash lies disconsolately with Tank on her bed. When the rest of the Mane Six arrive to cheer her up, their attempts are met with immediate dismissal by Rainbow. Finally, Fluttershy bluntly tells Rainbow that she'll have to spend the winter without her pet. This causes Rainbow to burst into tears, sobbing that she doesn't want Tank to go. Rainbow's friends try to console her, but Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy all end up crying too. Rainbow eventually calms down and accepts the fact that she and Tank must part.

As the rest of the Mane Six play in the snow, Rainbow arrives to bring Tank to his resting place. She asks him one last time if he really wants to hibernate, he nods, and the ponies say goodbye as he buries himself under the dirt and snow underneath a tree. Rainbow Dash stays by him for a little while longer as the others leave, saying that she wants to read him a bedtime story to help him fall asleep.

* MusicalPastiche: The BackgroundMusic when Rainbow Dash enters the weather factory is similar to the theme from ''Series/MissionImpossible''.
** Keen-eared fans have also noted that it shares the same tempo and rhythm to [=WoodenToasters'=] theme for ''Fanfic/RainbowFactory''.

* CryCute: Times ''four'' in the form of Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity, who are all bawling over Tank hibernating, Rainbow Dash's sadness about that, Fluttershy being sad about Rainbow Dash's sadness or that Twilight ''isn't'' crying.

* NiceHat: Rarity, as usual. In the coda, she's wearing a kolpik.

* AdultFear: Losing a beloved pet. Downplayed in that the pet is merely hibernating. However, Rainbow's reaction and feelings towards it makes it look and sound like Tank is going to die.

** Rainbow's ComicalAngryFace and her SlasherSmile (as pictured above) are two expressions the first season didn't have the power to animate.

* MusicalPastiche: The background music when Rainbow Dash enters the weather factory is similar to the theme from ''Series/MissionImpossible''.

* DoubleStandard: When Rainbow Dash cries, the others awkwardly try to comfort her, not knowing what to do since she almost never cries. But when Fluttershy starts crying as a result, everypony starts crying with the exception of Applejack and Twilight. (Although with Applejack she said she was crying on the inside.)

* CryCute: Times ''four'' in the form of Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity, who are all bawling over Tank bromating, Rainbow Dash's sadness about that, Fluttershy being sad about Rainbow Dash's sadness or that Twilight ''isn't'' crying.

* KarmaHoudini: Outside of speeding up Tank's hibernation, Dash doesn't seem to get into any trouble for messing with the Cloudsdale's weather factory or neglecting her duties as Ponyville's chief weather pony.

* CatharticCrying: When Rainbow Dash is despondent over her failed attempt to stop winter from coming, Fluttershy bluntly tells her friend that she's going to have to spend the winter without Tank. This leads to Rainbow wailing with vigor over her soon-to-be loss. Rainbow Dash is not known for crying an awful lot, only shedding a few tears in the episode "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E14TheLastRoundup The Last Roundup" and weeping silently in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E7MayTheBestPetWin May the Best Pet Win!]]". Adding her grief over Tank hibernating to her "tough girl" exterior only makes her bawling in this episode all the more cathartic.