Three Seasons

by shakealchemist

Fragile Wings

As school let out, Dash found a lot of free time she gained being used right back up. Sunbeam always wanted to hang out, which Dash struggled to balance avoiding and going. Of course, Rarity wanted more time with her as well. Even though she didn't push Dash for it, Dash felt Rarity was upset about their lack of time together or maybe it was just herself feeling that way.

As the weeks rolled by, practice was also seeing more and more of the Junoir Speedsters coming over to Hondo's place to be coached by him. Having Sunbeam and Rarity at the same place was worrisome for Dash at first, but as it turned out neither showed any interest in talking to the other. And for the usually short times Rarity watched them, she quietly stayed back . . . with a few cheers for Dash sometimes, but she was never around for the few times Sunbeam flirted with Dash.

Everything was going pretty smooth but with school out, she never ran into Dumbbell or Hoops. So the whole point of dating Sunbeam seemed voided. The only thing that kept it going was the fear that dumping him would just invite the teasing to return next school year, which was all too quickly approaching. Besides that, she didn't want to hurt his feelings. He was her friend, and she didn't know how she'd word it. So Dash decided not to worry about it, everything was going fine, and it was just about to get even better.

"Alright everypony, it's getting late, so let's wrap this up." Hondo announced, ending the current practice.

The group of pegasi would normally start saying their goodbyes and their flights home, but this time with hushed whispers they went up to Hondo. "Hey, coach?" Misty Dawn started, coach was kind of a force of habit to call him that stuck.

"Yes?" Hondo asked, curious about what was going on.

"We've had a lot of fun having you coach us . . ." She carried on.

"You're so good at it and you treat us so nicely." Derpy spoke up, getting murmurs of agreement.

"And well . . . WE WANT YOU TO BE OUR COACH!" Misty blurted out.

"Yeah! The Speedsters even have an opening. We only have a head coach, and you are so much better than him." Sunbeam added.

Hondo's gaze swept across the team in surprise. He saw that they were all in agreement over the matter. "Wow. You know I've had a wonderful time overseeing you all practice. Giving you all tips and advice along the way . . . it's been nice to get back into goofball, a reminder of my playing days . . . Not to get all your hopes up . . . I'd like to, but I'll have to talk it over with my family first and see where it goes from there." Hondo told them, which was enough to get them all excited.

Dash quickly said her goodbyes to the rest of the team before she hurried inside after Hondo. "So? So, are you gonna do it?" Dash asked pumped.

"I already told you Dash that I'll have to talk it over with Cookie first."

"About what?" Cookie asked walking into the room. The little commotion attracted Rarity into the room as well.

"The Junior Speedsters want me to be their coach." Hondo informed his beloved wife.

"Oh? Aren't you already? You have Dashie's team tearing up our yard every week, don't cha know." Cookie joked.

"They want to make it official and coach their actual games." Hondo said, straightening out the issue.

Rarity perked up. "Oh, oh, father! What a splendid idea! You absolutely must do it!" She pranced excitedly in place.

"Yeah, it'll be so awesome! You know you want to!" Dash added in, hovering above Rarity.

"Hush you two! You only want him to say yes so you get more time together!" Cookie scolded them teasingly.

Dash and Rarity both had a mix of shame and embarrassment on their faces.

"But she is right, you do want this. I can see it in your eyes. Every time that team comes over there's a light in them. A light I haven't seen since your playing days. I've missed that light as much as you've missed hoofball." Cookie said, putting a hoof to his chin and staring into his eyes.

Hondo sighed lovingly. "You're right, but what about all that traveling we've been planning?"

"It can wait. I'm much too busy with Sweetie Belle as it is anyways." Cookie said with a little laugh.

"Fair point . . . alright, I'll do it. I'll send the school a letter tomorrow." Hondo's words made Rarity and Dash look at each other excitedly.

Dash hugged her from above. Rarity returned it the only she really could, by putting a hoof on her's and nuzzling her cheek.

* * *

While Rarity wanted to celebrate the prospect of spending the upcoming season with Dash, they both needed a shower. She let Dash go first as to not have her sweaty rump stinking up her room. A plus was that Dash was fast, so Rarity got her turn after a short wait. Not wanting to keep Dash waiting long in return, Rarity hurried through her routine. Once she had her mane straight and coat dried, she trotted back into her room. She was surprised to find Dash laid out on her bed . . . enjoying a book. Getting closer, Rarity made out the book's cover and title; How to preen your colt.. 'There's no way I just left that out. I-. . .' Rarity noticed the bedside dresser drawer it was kept in was open. 'She went through my stuff!' Rarity's face reddened with anger. "Rainbow Dash . . ." She warned through gritted teeth.

"Hey, Rares. This is quite the book you got here. You get this for me? I don't know about this one though, I don't have one of those." Dash said, turning the book around so Rarity could see the page she was on. On one side were descriptive how-to paragraphs, but of course, Dash was pointing to the lewd picture involving a mare straddling a colt.

Rarity's face turned a deeper shade of red as embarrassment mixed with her building rage. Magic enveloped the book, closing it and lifting it away.

"Awww, I didn't even get to show you page forty-two, I really liked tha-" THWACK! Dash was shut up by the book smacking onto the top of her head. "OW!"

"How dare you go through my possessions without my permission! And then you go and-and . . . do that." Rarity huffed.

Dash rubbed the top of her head. "To be fair I stopped once I saw that book. I didn't even look in your diary which was right beneath it." THWACK! "Alright, alright, I get it! I'm sorry! I was just messing with you. I didn't mean to upset you." Dash apologized.

Rarity let out a breath, calming herself. The book floated back into its drawer to be hidden elsewhere, along with her diary, later. "Well, it wasn't funny. In fact, it was quite inappropriate." Rarity stated, composing herself.

"But did you get that to try stuff on me? I mean why, your colt?" Dash asked wondering.

"I couldn't find one on mares and didn't think that it mattered. Sorry that somepony can't be clear about what preening is." Rarity said, blaming Dash without naming her.

"Hey, as I had said, it can get intimate. It doesn't have to be . . . that, but it can. It could also be nothing special, just cleaning feathers." Dash stared at Rarity, who avoided her gaze. There was a short silence, then the real question came to Dash. ". . . Were you planning on trying any of the stuff in it?" Dash asked curiously.

Rarity's cheeks flushed once more in red. "Certainly nothing like you'd shown me, but . . . I've found a few good tips and advice here and there. . ." She admitted.

"Ooh, care to show me?" Dash asked intrigued.

Rarity thought for a minute, then gained a sly evil smile. "No. You can't behave herself when left alone, so I defiantly won't be rewarding you now."

"Aw, what?! Come on Rares, I told you I was just playin'." Dash said surprised by her refusal.

"Hmph!" Rarity turned her head away, showing Dash's words were not what she was looking for.

"Okay, okay! How about . . . I do something for you in return?" Dash offered. She really wanted to see what Rarity had in store for her.

"I'm listening . . ." Rarity trained an eye on her.

"I'll-uh . . . I could . . ." Dash bit her lip trying to think fast.

Rarity shook her head but waited to see what she would come up with.

"How about I take you out for lunch tomorrow?" Dash offered, knowing that going out to town was something Rarity wanted. By the look Rarity gave her though, it wasn't quite enough. "My treat?" Dash added.

"Deal. Come on then." Rarity hopped onto the bed.

Dash readily sat in her usual spot and extended her wings outward.

Rarity sat behind her and took a breath. She let it go as she placed a hoof on Dash's wing. 'Here it goes, just got to remember what the book said and it'll be fine.' Biting her lip, she leaned forward and hesitated.

A moment passed and Dash wondered what was up when suddenly she felt Rarity's mouth grasp around the top edge of her wing. Her teeth gently worked her feathers and every now and then she would run her tongue across her fur, smoothing it neatly down.

Rarity only did this for a small space before pulling away. "Is that alright?" She asked Dash, who seemed zoned out with flushed cheeks.

"Huh? Uh, yeah. Please, continue." Dash nodded, watching her return to preening her. 'By Celestia, she's good at this!' She thought to herself.

Rarity hoped dash was enjoying her efforts. As she moved from one wing to the next, the specks of dirt she picked up grew in amount and were driving her nuts. As gross as she found it, she pushed on for Dash. 'If I ever do this again I'm getting some water to swish in my mouth.' Rarity thought before she finally finished. "There. All done." Rarity announced, trying not to make a face at the taste in her mouth.

"What?!" Dash's eyes darted open as she looked back at Rarity, her face as flushed as ever. "No way! You just did the top edges, keep going!" Dash demanded anxiously.

All that got was a taken aback look from Rarity.

"Please?" Dash pleaded, kneading the bedsheets impatiently.

"Very well." Rarity gave in with a sigh. "But I'm doing it the way I'm used to the rest of the way." She added putting her hooves to Dash's wing.

A short way in Dash spoke up again. "Do the back thing."

That didn't make much sense, yet Rarity hazard a guess. She placed a hoof at the base of her wing and rubbed it. "You mean this?" She asked and Dash quickly nodded. While she thought Dash was acting odd, she carried on with the preening like it was business as usual. Finishing one wing, she glanced up at Dash's face. She appeared to be sweating and was biting her lip. "Are you okay darling?" Rarity asked concerned.

"I-huuaaaaa-." Dash broke off into a heated moan and quickly covered her mouth to stop it.

The two of them stared at each other in surprise.

Rarity was speechless and was further caught off guard when Dash spun around and tackled her down onto the bed. She found herself being smothered in kisses, starting at her neck and hurting upward. It tickled her and she let out a little giggle before Dash's lips shakily found her's in a passionate kiss. That along with Dash's hoof running through her mane had a single thought racing through her head as the kiss continued. 'Worth it! Worth it!' She wrapped her own hooves around Dash, holding her close.

Rarity had no clue how long they were at it when there was a knock at the door. She quickly pushed Dash somewhat off of her and summoned a pillow toward herself.

"Hey you two, dinner's ready." Hondo said, poking his head inside the room.

Poomf! The pillow smacked into Rainbow's face. "Oh right, dinner! I completely forgot. Sorry, Dash and I got caught up in a pillow fight." Rarity used as an excuse.

"No problem, just don't be long coming down." Hondo smiled before heading back down.

"To be continued?" Dash asked with a pant as she caught her breath.

Rarity playfully gave her a second hit with the pillow. "Please, we got a little carried away there, don't you think?" She got up and levitated a brush over to quick fix her mane.

". . . Maybe a little." Dash agreed, though not fully meaning it.

* * *

"And just let me . . ." Rarity adjusted Dash's chest padding in the hall outside of the locker room. It seemed to continue to be their meet-up place for home, or in this case, away games. It was the Junior Speedsters' season opener and Rarity wanted Dash to look her best.

"Hurry up, we'll be taking the field soon." Dash sighed annoyed. She dreaded the idea of having a teammate popping a head out and seeing this. Especially Sunbeam, with who Dash was guiltily still faking a relationship.

"And . . ." Rarity straightened her jersey then licked a hoof before running it across Dash's bangs to keep stray hairs in line. "Done." Rarity finished, taking a step back.

"Thanks." Dash said more for her stopping than anything else. She picked up her helmet to put it on.

"Wait!" Rarity exclaimed.

"What now?" Dash sighing once more.

"Good luck." Rarity kissed her cheek. "Or break a leg, should I say." She corrected with a giggle.

Dash smiled as she put on her helmet. "You better hurry to your seat so you don't miss anything. Are you sure you don't want to sit sideline? I'm sure nopony would mind having the coach's daughter there." Dash added.

Indeed, the school was all too eager to hire a retired pro player. Hondo was actually their head coach now, pushing Shooting Star down to the assistant coach. Which seemed to work out better, as when the school practices had started back up again Hondo knew all the players far better than Star did.

"Oh no, I couldn't. Sitting in a crowd of sweaty players sounds awful. I can barely stand it when it's just you." Rarity teased with a loving smile.

"Fair enough." 'It's probably for the better anyway. Keeps the distance between Sunbeam and Rares.' The thought made her want to kick herself. "See you after the game!" Dash turned back to the locker room.

"I'll be watching!" Rarity gleefully exclaimed as she trotted away as well.

* * *

Rainbow licked her lips before putting in her mouthpiece. She raced over to her spot and readied for the snap. The crowd roared for its defense, but Dash could picture Rarity cheering for her somewhere in there. She glanced at her defender and saw he was a rather large earth pony. 'Ha, he may be strong, but he'll never be able to keep up with me.' Dash smiled, figuring this was going to be an easy game.

At the snap Dash charged forward. She tried to sidestep her defender but found he stepped quickly into her way and gave her a shove to the side. Dash spun and stumbled before regaining her balance. 'Dang it. How cheap is that?' Dash checked to see how the play was developing and watched the ball leave Gilda's talons and head towards her area. It was thrown well ahead of her and she tried to get it, but with all her momentum loss after the early contact, the ball just whizzed past her outstretched hoof and out of bounds. She looked for a flag on the play, but the contact had been within five from scrimmage, fair game.

And so that's how it went, play after play. Dash struggled throughout the first quarter, only managing a couple of catches for less than ten yards total. It was a frustratingly slow start and it put her in a sour mood as she sat at the end of the bench while the speedsters were on defense.

"Rainbow . . ." Hondo approached her. "What's going on? You have mismatched protection. Why aren't you taking advantage of it?" He asked.

"Well, I'm trying. He's tougher than he looks." Dash said bitterly.

"That's because you're playing right into his hooves. You're faster and he's negating that with strength, but you are also more agile. So don't go right at him. Go on cross routes, stutter step, or even spin move him if you have to. Just don't let him get a hoof on you." Hondo advised her, giving her an encouraging pat on the back.

"Okay." Dash nodded. She thought it made sense and was willing to try anything to have a better game.

And it worked. Dash started making bigger plays, forcing a safety to help cover her. That opened the field up for everypony else as well, but it was Dash who made a big screen catch and run to the endzone to tie the game before halftime. Starting the third quarter, Dash was ready to do more damage.

On the first snap of the drive for the Speedsters, Dash took off on a slant route toward midfield. Her coverage tried to head her off, but she had gained a quick step ahead of him and earned an early pass from Gilda. She started to turn upfield, wings extended to flap for an extra boost of speed when suddenly there was a hefty weight on one of her wings. It stopped her in her tracks.

Dash's hooves flew out from under her as her wing was pulled back against her momentum. A loud pop left her body as she hit the ground. She found herself forced into a roll as her wing now twisted, only ending with a crack and her wing going limp.

Lying still, Dash started to collect herself. 'What happened?' She could hear the crowd in some sort of uproar. Dash tried to stand when suddenly a sharp pain ripped through her. A raising burning sensation came from her wing on top of a worse pain Dash couldn't even describe, having never felt anything as intense as this before. She tried to fold her wing in, but it remained limp and shot more pain into her. Dash cried out, her hooves flailing out to attempt to escape this torture, but the panic and pain made her hooves fail her as she flopped back onto the ground. She cried out again as everything she did only made it keep hurting more.

"Rainbow! Rainbow!!" Sunbeam slid in on his knees and helped her take her helmet off. He tossed it aside and put one hoof to her cheek and the other to her shoulder, turning her to face him. "Look at me. Calm down." He said not very calm himself, his face full of panic and worry.

"It-it hurts so much. Why does it hurt so much?" Dash asked and realized she was crying.

"Shh, shh. Just . . . try to relax and don't think about it." Sunbeam answered.

"I can't move my wing . . . how bad is it?" Dash tried to glance at her wing but Sunbeam held her down.

"It's fine. It's . . . you don't need to see it." He lied and Dash could tell he was. It was bad.

Her mind raced with thoughts. 'Is this it? Will I ever be able to fly again? No more hoofball, no Wonderbolts, no more tricks . . .' Everything started spinning as the pain and the idea of her world falling apart was too much for her to handle. Dash heard a voice say something about her going into shock. 'What about Rarity? Will, I ever see her again. Would she even love a flightless pegasus?' Dash saw a horn glow in the haze of her vision before she started to blackout. "Rare- . . . it-" Was all she could get out before it was complete darkness.

* * *

It had been quite a game. The Speedsters had been struggling but had come back. Rarity had enjoyed the first half and the second half felt like it would be better, and then it happened. Rarity watched Dash turn upfield, her wings spread wide, and then her opponent bit down on her wing in a desperate attempt to stop her. He pulled back with such force he fell over into a roll, never letting go of his hold until the only thing in his mouth was a bunch of feathers. Dash was left laying on the ground, her wing twisted backward.

Rarity gasped in shock, putting a hoof to her mouth. 'Oh no.' It only got worse as Dash started to get up only to collapse with a cry of pain Rarity could barely make out over the murmuring crowd.

Rarity covered her ears and shut her eyes, shaking her head repeatedly. 'No, no, no. This can't be happening! Please let this be some horrible nightmare.' Opening her eyes to check, she saw a gross amount of feathers, Dash's feathers, blowing across the field in the breeze. Her eyes darted back to Dash who now had a medical team by her, putting her on a stretcher.

'I have to go see her!' Rarity quickly realized, getting up from her seat. She had to know exactly what shape Dash was in, just how bad her injuries were. Racing through the halls Rarity wasted no time, going straight through the locker room. As soon as she burst through the exit toward the field, two colts raced past pulling a cart that in the back carried Dash's motionless body.

"Rainbow!" Rarity called out hoping for any kind of response but got none as the cart continued out of sight around a bend. Rarity hurried after it and caught up just as they had finished loading up Dash onto a better equipped medical wagon. "please, wait! You must let me go with her!" Rarity pleaded, coming to a stop before it.

"Sorry miss, family only." Replied a nurse on board, leaving Rarity to watch helplessly as the wagon left.

Tears flowed freely from her eyes. "Dashie . . ."

Author's Note:

Rarity's book on preening was easily a fav of mine. I find it so sweet and funny. Dash's wing injury was definitely a severe change of pace to follow. The season has a lot happen in it from all the ideas I kept coming up with to help flow between major plot points and flesh things out to keep things interesting. Little details I came up with here even help spawn more for me to write later in the story.