//------------------------------// // Working Together // Story: Three Seasons // by shakealchemist //------------------------------// It was an unlucky day for Dash at the Speedsters' next game. The worst play happened late in the game on third down while they were trailing. A shuffle pass to Dash, who found she had Derpy as an open blocker. 'Aw yeah, time to take this one to the house.' Dash thought racing forward for what she believed would be an easy score. She was shocked when she got slammed down from her side at the line of scrimmage. 'What?! But there was no pony there! Except . . .' Dash was in disbelief when she looked up to see it had been Derpy who had tackled her. "Derpy! What the hay?!" "Oh, sorry Rainbow. I didn't know it was you." Derpy apologized offering her a hoof up. "Really?! Will next time I have the ball, do me a huge favor and block on the other side of the field!" Dash shouted furiously, knocking her hoof aside. "Will do!" Derpy said eagerly with a smile, seemingly ignorant about Dash's anger toward her. "So stupid." Dash muttered under her breath frustrated as she marched to the sideline to make way for the punting unit. * * * "It's ridiculous is what it is! We're doing all we can and the rest of the team is basically against us. We had this nice little winning streak going on. We could be unstoppable, and then boom! You remember the rest of your team sucks." Dash complained fed up after the game in the locker room. "Next time Derpy or anypony else gets in your way just knock 'em down. Put them in their place." Gilda suggested which got a laugh out of Dash. "Next game, we'll get back on track." Dash said confidently and she got up from the bench. "Yeah, let's bail. I'm tired of talking about these losers." Gilda got up and joined Dash as they exited the locker room and into the main halls. "Hey look, it's your mare friend again." Gilda teased, pointing out Rarity who was waiting a little ways away. "Aw great. Gilda, you mind going on without me?" Dash asked wanting to avoid being embarrassed in front of her. "Ha, alright then, catch you later Dash." Gilda flew away as Dash trotted up to Rarity. "There you are darling. I was looking for you and they said I would find you here. I just had to thank you for the tickets and these passes. It was quite the game you played today." Rarity said cheerfully. "Yeah right, I lost. Thanks to a completely useless team." Dash rolled her eyes. "Pardon me?" Rarity was taken aback by Dash acting so different from last week. "You saw the game right? I put in all this effort and the rest of the team does nothing. They make winning so difficult." "That's not true. They were out there trying their best every single play." "Please, I got tackled by my own teammate, it would've been better if it were just me and Gilda out there." Dash scoffed. "Against eleven defenders?" Rarity asked pointing out the obvious flaw in her logic. " . . . well, no. I would want the rest of the team there." Dash admitted. "You may be the best player on the team, but Rainbow dear, you need the support of your team just as they need yours." Rarity told her. "I- . . ." Dash realized she had been an awful teammate. Her team always encouraged her and cheered her on. All she ever gave back were insults or she would ignore them. "Aw Celestia, Rarity how did you get so hoofball smart?" Dash deflated. "I really don't understand that much about the game, but I can see the pony you really are with how you treated me. That's the pony you need to be for them too." Rarity smiled, putting a comforting hoof on her shoulder. Dash looked up to her and returned the smile. "Thanks for the advice. Though why try to help me with the matter in the first place?" "Because we are friends." Rarity answered. "We're friends?" Dash asked confused that she felt that way after meeting her only once before. Rarity shook her head at Dash's unintentional rudeness. "Well I like to think so, I do enjoy spending time with you." "You seem cool too. Besides taking an interest in hoofball, what else do you do?" Dash asked curiously. "Oh, I'm all about fashion. In fact, I could sew you a dress if you'd like. It's the least I could do to repay you for your kindness." Rarity got excited as she thought about what Dash would look good in. "Please don't. No offense to your crafting skills, but I'm not the dress type of mare." "Oh . . . I understand." Rarity became disappointed at the news. "I could make you anything else if you'd like." "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks again for the advice. I'm sure it'll help things out a lot." Dash said trying to cheer her up. "Oh, I'm sure it will. I'll see it too since my father got season tickets to go with those passes you gave us." They shared a smile at that. Dash gave her a little awkward hug before they parted ways on that high note. * * * The next game was a wild success for the Junior Speedsters. Any play when Dash didn't get the ball she still helped out in the play by throwing blocks and distracting defenders with deep or crossing routes that pulled in extra defenders that feared giving up yet another big play to the star player. At the game's end Dash formed a group huddle with her team that Gilda wordlessly refused to join. "Killer game guys. Misty Dawn, I didn't see a single defender get past you. Derpy, great job staying involved in every play. You keep getting open like that Sunbeam and our passing game will be unstoppable." Dash praised, turning to each one as she named them. "Aw thanks, Rainbow, but it's nothing compared to your playing." Sunbeam said with a goofy smile. "Yeah Dash, with you out there not only are we certain to make the playoffs, but we're going to be championship bound for sure!" Misty Dawn exclaimed and they all cheered in agreement, even at a distance Gilda could be spotted smirking at that. "Alright team, I'd love to stay and celebrate, but I gotta go do something real quick. See you all at next practice!" Dash called out as she quickly fetched a poster from the bench on the sideline, before scanning the crowd the had largely already made for the exits. Finding her target who hadn't left her seat yet, Dash flew over and landed in a seat directly one row ahead of her. She took a seat in it facing backward as to see her. "Sup?" Dash greeted coolly. "Oh, why hello there Rainbow. We were just talking about you. Seems like you really took my advice to heart, am I right?" Rarity asked, pleasantly surprised at Dash's sudden appearance. "Yep. Say, you still willing to sew me something?" Dash inquired, getting straight to business. "But of course." Rarity nodded. "Could you make me one of these?" Dash showed Rarity the poster which she, in turn, took into her magic. "A Wonderbolts' flight suit?" Rarity made an educated guess seeing as it was a Wonderbolt poster. Dash nodded hoping that she could, and would, do it. "Very well . . . I shall see what I can do." Rarity said confidently as she gave the poster back. Even though she had never made a flight suit before, she would try her best for Dash's sake. "Aw, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Dash hugged her tightly. "Just be sure to stop by my house so I can get your measurements." Rarity said hugging Dash in return, while Hondo snapped out of the shock that his daughter had befriended and helped such a talented hoofball player. * * * 'Well, this is quite the place.' Dash thought as she waited outside Rarity's house after knocking. It was quite sizeable and had a nice little pond in the back. Still, it all fit in just fine in the quaint little town of Ponyville. Dash began to worry she had the wrong house. "Oh, why hello Rainbow Dash. I'm Cookie Crumbles, Rarity's mother. Come on in. Rarity's up in her room." Cookie greeted upon opening the door. "R-right, thank you." Dash nervously stepped inside. Looking around, Dash found the layout and decorations somewhat odd. It was a mix of fancy and homey that somehow worked out to feel welcoming. She didn't think that Rarity came from a rich family, seeing as neither Hondo nor Cookie dressed or acted like it. Only Rarity did. "Up the stairs and it the first door on your right." Cookie directed her. Dash nodded and hovered gently up the stairs. 'Why am I nervous? Is it because I don't what she's going to need me to do or because I'm going to see her again?' The second thought struck her as odd, for why would she be nervous about seeing a friend again? "Rarity! Your friend Dashie is here!" Cookie called out. 'Dashie?' Dash paused at the top of the stairs to questioned the nickname in her head. The sound of a door opening caught her attention and she turned to see Rarity stepping out from her room. "Rainbow Dash! What wonderful timing. I have everything ready to start working. Come on in darling." Rarity waved a hoof eagerly. "Okay." Dash mumbled, but hurried forward, excited to get started. Once inside the room, Dash froze in awe. From floor to ceiling, Rarity's bedroom was a mess of fashion; fabrics on the floor, spools of thread on dressers, and pictures, cutouts, and drawings of dresses of all sorts covered the walls. "You sure do love fashion." Dash whistled, impressed by both the devotion and the mess. "Yes, I do. I dream to one day be the top fashion designer in Cantorlot. Ah-hmm. Sorry about the mess by the way. I didn't know when you'd be over today and I hadn't gotten around to tidying up yet. Oh well, I'm glad you're here now. Shall we get started?" Rarity asked pulling out her tape measure as well as a quill and notepad with her magic. "Oh . . . uh, sure I guess." Dash answered unsure of what she should do. "Stand still now." Rarity said extending the tape measure starting at Dash's neck. "Wings in please." She added. Dash moved wings about a little guessing at what Rarity wanted. "Fold your wings closed." Rarity clarified guiding her wings into position. 'Duh, of course.' Dash told herself how stupid she was in her head. After a moment she noticed Rarity scribbling something down on her notepad and turned to try and read it. "I'm not finished yet Dashie. Keep holding still, I'll let you know when I'm done." "Dashie?" Dash got to ask aloud this time. "Oh, uh . . . it's a nickname my mother gave you after I told her about you." Rarity blushed at her slip of the tongue. "You don't mind it do you?" Rarity asked as she went back to taking measurements. "N-no, it's cool." Dash fumbled with her words, finding it awkward to have somepony moving about her body, seemingly inspecting and judging her by her looks. "So is your family rich or something?" Dash asked to distract herself from it. Rarity smacked Dash's shoulder. "Ow." "What a question to ask a mare. Don't you have any manner?" Rarity asked indigently. "Sorry! I was just curious. You have such a nice place." Dash apologized, shaking off the hit that hadn't really hurt. "Thank you, and if you must know my father was a professional hoofball player. He's retired now, spends most of his time traveling with mother. Though that has slowed down since they had Sweetie Belle." Rarity informed her as she carried on her work. "Really? Who did he play for?" Dash asked. "The Manehatten Magic. He was their center." "So both our dad's played hoofball." "Oh? Who did your father play for?" Rarity asked intrigued. "The . . . uh, . . . Speedsters." Dash muttered bashfully. "The school team?" Rarity asked confused. "No, that's the Junior Speedsters. The Speedsters are Cloudsdale's minor league team." Dash corrected. "Did he go to a . . . a. Oh my, How do I put it?" Rarity pondered. "No, he never made it to the majors. Not for lack of trying though." Dash answered the question she was trying to ask. "Oh, well there's no shame in that." Rarity said walking over to a dresser and setting her quill and notepad down. "No, there isn't. I think it's pretty cool." Dash agreed, happy that she wasn't being made fun of for her father never going pro for once. "You can move now, by the way, I finished." Rarity said measuring out the fabric. "You know, we should get our dads together to talk about their playing days. "Yeah, I'm sure my dad will love that." Dash flew over to hover over her shoulder. Rarity glanced back to find her right there. "So, you are a big Wonderbolts fan?" She asked what was obvious. "The biggest! And one day I'm going to be the greatest Wonderbolt ever!" Dash boasted, twisting and doing loops in flight around the room. Rarity watched her. "I'm sure you will be, you are quite the flyer." Dash paused at that. "You really think so? I-I mean I train super hard, no one at flight school is as good as me." Dash said returning to her smug mood. "Yes, well it'll be a while before I'll need you to try it on, I doubt I'll finish it today. So if you don't want to stay I'll understand." Rarity informed her. "Aw, really? . . . I don't really have anything else to do. So I could chill with you if that's alright." Dash leaned against the dresser she was working at. "I wouldn't mind the company." Rarity tried to focus on her work but could feel Dash's stare and returned it. "What?" Dash asked when she stopped working. "Darling, a little space please." Rarity requested. "Right, sorry." Dash flew back and settled onto Rarity's bed, tucking her hooves under herself. "Better?" "Yes, thank you." Rarity said turning back to the task at hoof. They chatted a while longer, but after that Dash watched her work in silence as they simply enjoyed each other's company. As evening came Rarity turned her sewing machine off and stifled a yawn. 'I think it's coming along well. You can come over to look if you want, then we should head downstairs as supper should be ready soon." A snore was the only reply she got. Turning around she saw Dash had curled up and fallen asleep. 'She looks so cute, though I could do without the snoring.' She thought trotting over to her bed. She gently places a hoof on Dash's shoulder. "Rainbow, wake up." She spoke softly, not wanting to startle her awake. "Uh, Rarity?" Was amongst the grumbled mess that came from Dash's mouth as she shifted a little. Rarity leaned in closer. "Wake up dear, dinner will be ready soon." Dash lifted her head at this. "Aw, what? I fell asleep? Sorry about that Rares." She stood, stretching out. "Don't worry about it Dashie. Let's go eat." Rarity led the way to the dining room. With good timing, they arrived to everything just being set, with an extra plate out for Dash next to Rarity's. They both took a seat and Rarity glanced over at Dash, who was stuffing her face and made a face of somewhat disgust at Dash's lack of manners. "Now Rarity, don't be like that. The poor dear is clearly starving, and with my cooking, how could she possibly help herself?" Cookie mused as she cut up Sweetie Belle's food. "So how is that dress coming along?" Hondo asked. If's mah weft woot!" Dash quickly objected with a mouth full of food. "It's a flight suit, is what she's trying to say. Rainbow isn't much of a fan of . . . fashion." Rarity said with an annoyed sigh. "And I made quite the progress, but there's still a ways to go." "Oh, so Rainbow, are you going to be leaving soon? Cause you are more than welcome to stay the night don't cha know." Cookie invited. Dash swallowed her mouth full. "I would, but I got plans for the night. Would it be cool if I stopped by tomorrow?" Rarity listened to a long pause before looking up to see all eyes were on her. "Yes, of course. I should be finishing it up tomorrow anyways. So you can try it on then." Rarity nodded. After eating, Dash thanked Cookie for the food and said goodbye to Rarity and her family before leaving to catch Gilda at a bar called Junkers'. * * * Rarity welcomed Dash into her house early into the next afternoon. "Oh, come along Rainbow, I just finished your flight suit and you must try it on!" Rarity announced happily. She hurried up the stairs and closed the door with her magic after Dash entered. "All right!" Dash raced over Rarity's head and into Rarity's bedroom. What Rarity heard next was a delighted shriek. As she entered the room Dash was spinning about midair with flight suit in hoof. "Oh my gosh! It looks just like a real Wonderbolts' flight suit!" Dash squealed. "Go on darling, put it on." Rarity encouraged with an amused smile. Dash paused looking over the suit. "Oh . . . uh." Placing her hind legs in their sleeves, Dash struggled on what to do next. "Allow me. Hooves in." Rarity said propping the suit up in her magic. Dash nodded and slipped her front hooves into place. Rarity pulled the suit up into place and zipped it up. "There, how does it feel?" Rarity asked. "Kind of tight." Dash complained. "It's a flight suit Dashie, of course, it's tight. Does it still have any give?" As she asked this, she grabbed a pinch of the elastic at Dash's flank. She pulled it away and released it, letting it snap back. "Yeow!" Dash let out along with a sharp gasp. "Flanks are fine. . ." Rarity muttered to herself, checking other spots the same way. Leaving Dash to bite her lip so she would cry out again. "It all checks out. Now for the mask." Rarity said gabbing the hood and pulling it over Dash's face. "Hey, what?!" Dash struggled about, twisting her head as her vision was covered. "Huh, hold still a moment, I almost . . . got it!" Rarity snapped the mask into place and fixed Dash's mane. "There, take a look." Rarity stepped aside so Dash could see the mirror. Dash gasped in shock this time. She walked up to the mirror. "I-I . . . look just like a Wonderbolt." For the first time, Dash didn't have to close her eyes to see herself flying as a Wonderbolt. It was as if she really was one. As she stood frozen in a dream, her eyes watered. From behind, Rarity saw this in the reflection of the mirror. "R-rainbow? Are you okay? Do you like it?" She asked concerned. Dash snapped out of it, blinking as she wiped a hoof across her eyes. "Yeah, it's . . . really awesome. Thank you Rarity." For once Dash sounded down to earth and heartfelt. She turned back to Rarity with a smile. "I owe you one." "Nonsense. I made that to repay you. How could you owe me?" Rarity said waving the thought off. "Come on now, I'm serious. Anything at all, I'll do it. Just name it." Dash said determined, "Are you sure?" Dash nodded in response to her question. "Well . . . could you help me with a dress?" Rarity asked. "Huh? How could I do that?" Dash asked lost. "I've never made a dress that accounted for a pegasus's wings before and I want to make sure it looks and feels alright. Would you be willing to model in it for me?" Rarity requested. "What?! I- . . ." Dash looked down at the flight suit she was wearing. 'She did this for me, surely I can model one stupid dress for her. So long as no pony else sees me in it.' "Fine. No big deal." Dash shrugged, relaxing. "Oh, thank you Dashie!" Rarity lit up. "Now let's get you out of that. There are a few adjustments I'd like to make to the mask anyhow." She continued, pulling the mask back and unzipping the suit for Dash, an act that causes Dash to blush. Not that Rarity caught it as she moved on to her walk-in closet. Taking a breath to remove the feeling that had run over her at Rarity's touch, Dash then pulled her flight suit down and stepped out of it. She did a sloppy job of folding it and set it aside. "I think I know just the dress. Ah, this one!" Rarity came trotting out with a long white dress. "Aw, really Rarity? Isn't that a bit much?" Dash complained. There wasn't anything in particular that she didn't like about it, Rarity could've pulled out any dress and Dash would've said the same thing. "Nonsense. Here, I'll help you into it." Once more Rarity held the outfit, while Dash slipped into it. Once in it, Dash looked back to discover something was clearly off. "Uh, Rarity? I thought this was about getting wing holes right. This dress is backless." Dash pointed out as Rarity put a hairclip into her mane. "Well, I wanted to see you in this first. What do you think?" Rarity asked pulling the mirror in front of Dash. "I look ridiculous." Dash stated flatly. She wasn't happy that Rarity had pulled a fast one on her. "What's wrong with it?" Rarity asked frowning. 'Such a simple, sleek, and elegant dress. She should love it. She looks great in it after all.' "Me! I look stupid." Dash looked away from her reflection. "What do you mean?" Rarity asked just as puzzled as before. "There's nothing wrong with your dress, it's perfect. It's me. I'm bringing it all down." "What are you talking about?! You're beautiful." "Pft, uh no. Have you seen me? I'm not beautiful. I'm . . ." Dash looked back into the mirror and shook her head. 'I don't know dresses, but I know it looks good. Not on me though, everything about me is wrong.' Wrong, that seemed like the correct word to say, but Rarity spoke up first. "Dashie, you look stunning." Rarity said gently. "You know what? Take that dress off." Rarity demanded firmly. She removed the hair clip from Dash's mane. Confused at Rarity's sudden change of mood, Dash obeyed and took the dress off. She thought for a moment she was about to be kicked out, but Rarity instead pointed to the mirror. "What do you see?" Rarity asked. "Uh, me?" Dash pointed out the obvious. "You know what I see?" Rarity asked, stepping between Dash and the mirror. "I see a stunningly beautiful mare. Why I wish I had a mane as gorgeous as yours." Rarity said putting a hoof under Dash's chin. "I-huh. . ." Dash bit her lip and blushed heavily. She turned away in an attempt to hide this. She liked to hear Rarity's praises and wanted to hear more of it. "Are there any other dresses you want me to model for you or something?" Dash grumbled, not knowing how to address the compliment. "Oh, but of course! I have some real beauties that'll show off that inner shine of yours." Rarity giggled excitedly, trotting back into the closet. * * *