A/N: Obviously this chapter was inspired by the recent Tanks for the Memories episode with Rainbow Dash and Tank, a Master/Pet dynamic, with Applejack and Harry. A Parent/Child dynamic. Imagine if your child had to sleep for a few months.

Chapter 45: Alicorn Hibernation

Harry's been really tired lately. Applejack takes him all over Ponyville for opinions. When its discovered that Alicorns hibernate for one winter when they are young, she desperately tries to keep Harry as the Winter season approaches Ponyville...

Alicorn Hibernation

YAAAAWWWNNNN Harry gave a very loud yawn disrupting Miss Cheerilee's lecture on the dynamics of spellcast theory in unicorns, flight theory for pegasi and taking in the earths magic for earth ponies. The whole class turned to their resident Alicorn.

"Is my lecture boring you Mr. Crown Prince?" Miss Cheerilee asked sternly glaring at the offending student.

"Sorry Miss Cheerilee." YAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWNNNN "I've just been super sleepy for some reason for the past two days."

"Its true." Applebloom raised a hoof. "At home Applejack won't even let him do chores anymore cause he's just so tired for some reason."

"Babies do need their naps after all." Diamond Tiara whispered to Silver Spoon who snickered

"M not a baby." Harry sleepily glared at the two. "I just..." Harry was suddenly just knocked out and snoring. Then jerked awake. "I don't even stay up past my bedtime."

"Uh, Applebloom, why don't you take Harry home?" Miss Cheerilee suggested. "Or better yet, go get Applejack so she can take him home."

"Sure thing Miss Cheerilee." Applebloom said worriedly glancing at her sleepy nephew.

"I'm telling ya girls I just don't know what's wrong with him." Applejack said as she tucked Harry in all comfy. He Mmmed

Applejack had gotten all the girls over to talk about what could be ailing the littlest Prince.

"Warm." He smiled then yawwwwwwwwwwwwned.

"I don't know how this is possible, but if I had to guess." Fluttershy said to Applejack as she brought up a book. "I'd say he's getting ready to hibernate."

"Uh...you do know he's a pony and not a bear right Flutters?" Rainbow Dash asked skeptically.

"True, I've never heard of a pony needing to Hibernate." Twilight said. "Though he IS an Alicorn. I'm going to go write a letter to Princess Celestia." She left the barnhouse to go write her letter.

"I know he's a pony but he's got all the symptoms of getting ready to hibernate that I see in my animal friends that sleep till Spring." Fluttershy said bringing the book out and opening it.

"Aww look whose all snugly wuggly." Pinkie Pie said to sleepy Harry who smiled knowingly ready for sleep. The other mares had been told about the hibernation by Twilight. "Getting ready to hibernate-"

"DON'T SAY THAT WORD!" Applejack got into Pinkie's face.

YAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWNNNNNN Harry made sleepy noises.

"Applejack you've got to stop being so angry about this!" Twilight told her friend sincerely worried about her.

"Angry?" Applejack asked. WHO SAID I WAS ANGRY? DO I LOOK ANGRY TO YOU?" Applejack made a face that looked like she was absolutely furious. Holding onto the sleepy colt as if he was her lifeline.

"If you like the word so much then why don't YOU go HIBERNATE? FAR AWAY FROM HERE!" Applejack ran off leaving sleepy Harry behind. A lasso cme and dragged Harry away after getting all four hooves tied together. Harry yawwwwwwwwned as he was drug off. Ready for sleepy time.

"Come on Sugarcube. Stay awake. Don't ya wanna do all the stuff the family does together during winter? Applejack asked the sleepy foal. "Making snowponies, snowball fights, drinking hot chocolate by the fire during Hearth's Warming Eve?" He pulled him up to eye level.

YAAAAAWWWWWN.

The mother let her foal down gently. "Let's see..According to Princess Celestia's letter ya need to do this through the Winter...So...I guess my only option..." She made a scary crazy face. "Is ta stop WInter."

Applejack tippy hooved around various busy ponies to get to snow piles and pull them away.

"Where does this snow go?" Asked an earth pony mare to a male Earth Pony.

"Over by Clear Fields."

But there's clear fields everywhere."

"No, Clear Fields right here." a new mare came up pointing to herself.

"So where dooes this snow go.

"Over by Open Fields." She said pointing to the stallion.

"Butr there's open fields everywhere."

"I'm not Everywhere, I'm right here." Open Fields protested.

The mare sighed in frustration. "So if your Open Fields, and your Clear Fields, then, what's all this?" She gestured at the fields yet to get snow.

"Open, clear fields!" The two ponies said as Applejack was pushing the snow piles away.

"Hey, where'd all our Snow Piles go?" Open Fields asked.

"Snow Piles? He's over there!" Clear Fields said pointing to a snow white coated pony with a snow man cutie mark waving at them.

After a seires of dangerous stunts, Winter finally came to Ponyville. Applejack had retreated into her bedroom with laying down with Harry cuddling him.

YAAAWWWWNNNNN

The mares had tried, unsuccessfully, to get Applejack out of this rut she was in. Twilight had had enough.

"Applejack." Twilight said. "Your winter is going to be...foalless."

Applejack's eyes started wattering Then she started bawling and hugging Harry close to her. Harry raised his sleepy little head in concern. He hated seeing his momma cry.

"Why on the heck did you do that Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Cause she'll never get over it until she lets it all out."

"You can't keep making Harry wake up Applejack. ITS NOT GOOD FOR HIM." Twilight said angrily. Hey, she was his biological aunt after all. She had her own responsibilities of looking out for his wellbeing.

"Uh...Its okay AJ." Rainbow Dash said. "Tank hibernates too remember" Harry will be up and awake and a happy little foal again in a few months."

"MONTHS?!" Applejack screamed. Then bawled even harder. "I don't want him to go at all!" She hugged her foal and buried her tears in his mane. He looked to Rarity and Fluttershy for help.

"Applejack he's not dying. He's just sleeping for a few months" Rarity told the crazed mare. She stopped only with Harry's hoof on her cheek. She took one look down and saw his concerned, sleepy face. He hadn't been talking for two days. Too much energy. If he got some rest he could say goodbye for Winter before he slept.

Suddenly it came to her. Applejack put her hoof on his. Mother to foal. "I'm so sorry sugarcube. I've been so selfish." Applejack closed her eyes and leaned into Harry's hoof. Still sniffling.

"So will you let Harry Hibernate now?" Twilight asked with a sigh.

Applejack nodded. "Of course. It be selfish of me to try to keep him awake. You ready to have a nice looong sleep sugarcube?"

Harry nodded happily.

"We can make sure he's comfortable and check up on him every day." Twilight promised Applejack as Harry dozed again.

The day berfore Harry was to go into Hibernation, Applejack and Big Mac addressed the class about Harry's condition.

"Uh, kids, I'm sorry but Harry won't be coming to class this winter." Applejack said with a look down.

Snips raised his hoof. "Is he sick?"

"He's hibernatin'." Big Mac explained.

Several foals looked skeptical.

"Ponies don't hibernate." Diamond Tiara protested.

"No but Alicorns do. Once in their young years, when their powers of all three pony races start coming in, it takes a physical toll on their bodies. I'm sure you young'uns have noticed him bein' slower and not as excitable lately?"

Featherweight and Shady Daze looked at each other. That explained a lot!

"So the Alicorn foal goes into hibernation for just 1 Winter." Applejack went on. "This helps their bodies adjust to their new abilities that are still growing in. So Harry will sleep all Winter at home at Sweet Apple Acres,. Ya'll can come visit him anytime ya want and tell him all about yer winter adventures and what not."

"So today for arts and crafts day, we're all going to make "Have a nice sleep cards." Miss Cheerilee motioned to a desk where blank greeting cards stood.

"Can we all see him before he goes to sleep?" Snails raised a hoof.

"Well..." Applejack said unsuredly. "I suppose so. Tomorrow Miss Cheerilee could you bring the class to Sweet Apple Acres about Lunch time? That's when he's going into hiberation sleep."

"Of course." Miss Cheerilee smiled.

The Next Day...

"Ya'll are almost too late." Applejack hissed to Cheerilee.

"I'm sorry. Some foals where late to class this morning." Cheerilee jerked her head to Snips and Snails who put their cards on Harry's night stable.

"Ya really wanna do this huh?" Applejack asked. Harry nodded sleepily and yawned again. Applejack looked down and Harry put a hoof against her face.

"I'm not scared anymore momma." The class saw Harry put his hoof against Applejacks face. "Neither should you be. Its just sleep right?"

"Yer right sugarcube." Applejack said. She leaned down to nuzzle her foal. "Yer right as rain. And when ya wake up, I'll be tha first thing ya see. I promise."

Harry started drowsing. The class saw his eyelids droop.

"I'll be seeing you." Applejack sang. "In that small cafe. The park across the way. The children's carousel. The apple trees, that wishin' well." Applejack sang to her foal his favorite lullaby since he was a foal. Harry smiled. He closed his eyes and began a steady breathing rhythm. "I'll find ya in the mornin' sun. And when the night is new." She started tearing up. "I'll be looking at the moon, but I'll be seeing...you." She kissed Harry on the cheek. "Goodnight sugarcube." She whispered into his ear. a tear dropping onto his pillow.

Granny Smith dabbed her eyes and blew her nose. Big Mac put a hoof around her in support and had her lean into him for comfort.

Truffle Shuffle started crying.

"That's it. Its over." Applejack told the foals. "He's asleep for the whole winter now."

Not even Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon had a snappy comment. It was the most heartbreaking scene they had ever seen. They'd cry in private later.

"But like I said ya'll can come visit and talk to him if ya want." Applejack cheered up.

This perked the saddened foals up a bit.

End of Alicorn Hibernation...

I cried when I wrote that ending. THE FEELS...

There will be continuity with the next chapter..Return of a Nightmare. Applejack hears Harry calling out her namein her sleep. The mane six and Princess Luna must save Harry from a Malevolent Spirit. A Spirit of a long forgotten foe...After that, Luna creates a shared dream for Harry and his two best friends who must help him recover the Holy Sword Excalibur!