Sorry, not falling for it.
 
 
@Lawful Girly  
I think she was out of character.

If you know how tortoises work you’d realize that tank will probably outlive the Mane 6 and he just probably burrowed. ’Cuz you know, some tortoises like to do that.

Yeah, this is clearly what that was about, especially since that uplifting song was a little overboard even for RD about someone who was just going to sleep. A PG death metaphor without having to actually write out a character.

@Prof.NightJack  
Funnily enough, judging by the quote from the original writings about their lifespans, even if it HAD just gone into hibernation for three months it should have been the same to her.
 
Because Neverland Faries have an incredibly short lifespan. Which I approve of. Because seriously, Tinkerbelle was a total bitch whose only redeeming quality was making a single “risk my life to save yours” moment for the only person she didn’t either not give a shit about or actively try to kill.

@Prof.NightJack  

 
Another plausible interpretation. I think it’s more fun when the creators leave the message open for the fans. And more violent as well.

@Mega Rapidash  
I still think that the idea it was mean to be a “dealing with death” thing is wrong, with the others trying to reassure her she would see him again I think it was more along the lines of some kids shows having the topic of a friend moving away, it’s always hard to see someone you care about go away, be it for a time of for good, but with how the others where trying to get her to understand Tank will be back I honestly can’t see it as “dealing with death”.
 
Like someone pointed out in another post, “Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast” had the creature going to hibernation for a thousand years, so that amount of time I can see as being a way to put in death without actually having death.
 
But Tank with only be asleep for a few months.

@Inkan1969  

 
I see your point, but there’s a big difference between the two cases you mentioned and MLP:FiM: Merville and Mosey weren’t pre-established characters given substantial development before the episodes where they died. Them passing away didn’t really alter the status quo in the least for the other characters, unlike Tank would if he was gone for real. Maybe the writers figured that in order to make the viewers feel that “death” for real, they should use a recurring character instead of creating a new one just for that purpose, but since some people at the top might not be happy about them writing off one of the Mane 6 pets (after all, who are they going to pair RD with in their pet-related products?) they had to come up with another solution; whether they succeeded with that approach, though…

Tank
 

So this episode is pro-death propaganda?  
I never understood why people feel that is a relevant or meaningful moral. It isn’t like real things have an alternative to dying.

@D_Tavs.exe  
This is true, for the most part.  
Sadly.

@Prof.NightJack  
Ok, TV these days tries its best to hide these complicated themes from children.

@TenaxViator  
So I just imagined an episode of Rugrats about it?

@Prof.NightJack  
Not in America. The kids must never know… unless they experience it firsthand.

@Inkan1969  
HA!

@Prof.NightJack
 
Yeah, like “Rugrats” and even “Horseland”.

aaaaaand the feels

[Next Spring]
 
“Huh? This isn’t Tank. It’s a briefcase with…1,000,000 Bits?!”

If they wanted to do an episode about loss, why didn’t they just do an episode where Gummy gets too big and Pinkie has to release him into the wild?

@gittonsxv  
A show can be kid friendly and address death with a death.

actually that was what I thought

@D_Tavs.exe  
ye, pity the show has to stay so kid friendly but then again i like tank

Well, she needs something to remind her where tank is.

To be fair, I think that was one of the purposes, to address death on the show. They did a splendid job, me thinks.

so, he’s dead?