Three Seasons

by shakealchemist

School Rumor

Author's Note:

Tried getting this out before taking a break for the holiday, but here it is right after. What am I doing up here instead of the bottom? Figured I owed a warning for light suicidal themes. Nothing I think is too bad. but for those who don't want to read it I believe are owed the heads up to turn away. skipping may leave you lost and talk of suicidal thoughts will return. so you know, dead dove don't eat. otherwise, I hope you all enjoy it. Much love <3

"Hey, there sport. What's gotten you all down in the dumps? You won today, didn't you? Come to think of it, don't you usually spend game nights at your marefriend's place? Is that what's got you feeling low?" Hothoof asked his daughter who had a miserable look on her face as she rested her head on the table. He sat down next to her with a drink at his side.

Dash sighed, wiping her eyes to make sure they were dry. "Yeah . . . I didn't know if I should go over or not. You see . . . I really messed it up, dad." Dash went face down into the table and groaned.

"What happened?" Bow asked, relaxing in his chair.

"Rarity saw me kiss Sunbeam." Dash said into the table. It wasn't easy to understand her, but Bow was used to it enough that he could.

"That was bound to happen sooner or later." He stated simply.

"It really hurt her. She . . . she said she never wanted to see me again."

"Yep. That sounds about right."

"You're not helping you know." Dash grumbled, turning her head on its side to see her dad sipping at his drink.

"Well, how would you feel if you caught Rarity kissing some colt?"

". . . yeah, but she didn't know why I was." Dash defended herself.

"Does that matter? Rainbow, I don't know why you thought dating two ponies at the same time was a good idea. You lost Rarity, so live with having just Sunbeam." Bow laid it out firmly to his daughter.

"But I don't want Sunbeam! I love Rarity!" Dash blurted out, clearly upset.

Bow sighed. "Then you'll have to make it up to her. And for Celestia's sake, dump Sunbeam and date only her."

"How do I make it up to her?" Dash asked for advice on the matter.

"Well, for starters, you can apologize to her. And don't go empty hooved. Get her flowers or something." Bow answered, thinking about it.

"And then . . . ?" Dash urged him on.

"It'll be up to her to forgive you. You'll want to give her a few days to cool off though." He noted.

"A few days?! I can't wait that long!"Dash cried out. ". . . What if she thinks I don't care?" Dash added calmer.

"Trust me, wait a few days, a week even. Going over too soon will just have her unleash her fury upon you." 'Though that may happen no matter what.' He thought to himself.

Dash sighed, giving in to the idea. "Okay . . . can I borrow some bits for the flowers?"

***

It was the afternoon the day after Rarity had caught Rainbow cheating on her, and it was tearing Rarity apart. She had hardly ever left her bedroom. She was currently curled up in sheets of her bed, petting Opal as she held her autographed picture of Rainbow in the magic. A part of her wanted to throw it away, the other wanted to hold it close to her chest. 'Oh Dashie, how could you do this to me?' Her dry red eyes managed to make a single teardrop that fell onto the picture.

'I really thought we were going to have a future together.' Memories of their first date rushed through her mind, along with everything from their talk about their future together. It pained her to think that it all just wasn't enough for Dash, that she would throw it all away.

'That's right. This isn't my fault. Dash is the one who was too blind to see how good she had it.' Rarity told herself, tossing the picture aside as she perked up, only to sink back down at the thought of all the effort she'd put into the relationship. She also knew that deep down she really still loved Rainbow Dash and it would take time to get over her.

Suddenly a hushed yet all familiar voice of Rainbow Dash tickled her ear. 'Oh please my heart, aren't I suffering enough? I can't handle any more pain.' But Dash's voice came again . . . followed by her mother's. 'That's not in my head.' Rarity turned to her open bedroom window. That was where the noise was coming from. 'Rainbow Dash . . . is here?' Rarity hurried to her window and poked her head out. She saw Dash sitting by the door waiting. Her tail was whipping side to side frantically, but most noticeably was how worried Dash looked as she bit her lip and was glancing around. Rarity ducked her head back inside to keep herself from being stopped. 'Why is she here?' Heart racing and head-spinning Rarity felt like she was about to faint.

Just then, there was a knock at her door. Collecting herself and clearing her throat, Rarity responded. "Come in."

The door opened and her mother stepped inside with a bouquet of roses. "Rainbow is here. She wants to see you. I told her you were busy and she insisted on me making sure you got these." Cookie passed the roses with her magic.

'Flowers? Does she think flowers are going to make things okay? How absurd!' Rarity passed the bouquet back to her mother. "Give them back to her. And I'm not interested in seeing her." Rarity turned away, hopping back onto her bed.

"Honey, she made the effort to come down here . . . the least you can do is tell her yourself." Cookie said gently.

"No . . . I couldn't bear to face her." Rarity explained, hanging her head.

"Very well. I"ll see her off then." Cookie said, making her exit.

A moment passed where it was just her and Opal in the quiet room. 'Oh Opal, what do I do?" She asked silently as she petted her cat.

"Hey Rares . . ."

Rarity jumped, spooked, then spun around to see Rainbow Dash in her window.

"What did ya do with the flowers?" Dash asked glancing around the room.

Rarity was caught off guard by Dash's appearance, especially how she looked now. She looked so calm compared to before, she was looking at her, waiting for a response, like nothing was wrong. It made her feel so outraged. "I refused them. I don't want your stupid roses."

Dash was taken aback by that.

"Did you really think some flowers and an apology would make everything okay?" Rarity added angrily.

"I-uh . . . I'm just trying to get things back to normal." Dash admitted awkwardly from being called out.

"Well, you can't! You ruined it! And we are through!" Rarity yelled.

"Wha-what?" Dash stammered, tearing up as she was at a loss for words.

"How dense are you? Some flowers and petty words aren't going to fix this. Nothing is. I hate you!" Rarity snapped, shoving Dash off and out of her window.

"I-." Dash started shocked but was cut off by the window slamming shut.

Rarity turned away and let out a breath. 'Please let this be the end of it.'

***

Dash was lying on a lone cloud on the edge of Cloudsdale. She moped as she stared down at the last rays of the setting sun. 'I can't believe Rarity said all that. She hates me? Does she mean that? I deserve it. I shouldn't have gotten with Sunbeam in the first place. But I can't give up on setting things right, on making it up to Rarity. I just wish I knew how.' For once Dash cursed her lack of knowledge on romance.

"Yo, Dash! What's up?" Gilda called out from above her. "I hardly see you outside of goofball anymore since you've been seeing Sunbeam. Are you free? Cause we should totally go get a couple of ciders." Gilda said coming down and landing beside her.

"No, sorry Gilda. I'm not in the mood." Dash said softly, sighing.

"For cider?" Gilda looked to see that Dash looked pretty miserable. "Dang, you must be feeling really down. Something happen at school? Was it Dumb and Hoops? Don't tell me you got suspended for something."

"No, none of that." Dash answered her mind elsewhere.

"Does this have to do with that whole Sunbeam thing?" Dash met that question with a silence that Gilda took as a yes. "Dear Celestia! Dash, you're not . . ." Gilda made a face that begged Dash not to make her say it, but Dash remained silent. "pregnant." Gilda finished.

Dash shook her head and put a hoof to her face. It was so off it almost made her laugh. "No! Sunbeam and I never did anything like that." Dash informed her annoyed.

"Really? I mean, even if you don't love him doesn't mean you can't have some fun with him. I'm getting off point, what is bothering you then?" Gilda asked, taking a seat beside her.

Dash looked away. "I . . . fell in love." She mumbled.

"What?! With Sunbeam?" Gilda asked shocked, but not sure if this was really bad news.

"No! With Rarity!" Dash corrected.

". . . Who?"

"Rarity! Coach's gorgeous white unicorn daughter."

At that Gilda was taken aback. "A mare?! You mean . . ."

"Yes, I know. All this time avoiding the name fillyfooler and I do this. But I didn't know I liked mares, not until I saw her. It doesn't even matter cause she found out about Sunbeam and now she hates me!" Dash confessed.

"Wow . . . you sure messed that up."

"Me?! You're the one that came up with this whole Sunbeam plan!" Dash accused, turning to her in anger.

"Yeah, but I didn't know about this mare of yours. So don't try to blame this on me. This is your fault." Gilda pointed out.

'She-she's right. Celestia, I'm an idoit. To ever believe dating Sunbeam and Rarity at the same time would ever work out for me. All I did was make my life worst.' Dash laid her head down in defeat. "Sorry, Gilda. I didn't mean to blame you. You were always the smart one." Dash said as depressed as ever.

"Aw, now . . . I'm not mad at you. If you change your mind about the cider, we can chill at my place." Gilda offered.

"No, it's fine. I'm going to head home and get some sleep. Maybe next time." Dash said as an excuse for them to part ways. She could tell Gilda wanted to cheer her up, but Dash just wanted to be left alone.

"Alright, catch you later."

"Yeah, sure." With those parting words, they each headed home.

***

As days passed, Dash continuously stopped by Rarity's house every day, just to have Cookie or Hondo turn her away. Rarity's window was always shut with the curtains closed, so Dash never even caught a glimpse of her love. It tore her heart apart and made her heartache all the worse. She wanted to see her so badly, but the failed attempts made it seem like an impossible feat.

Gameday came and Dash pushed herself to take her mind off of Rarity. It didn't work as well as Dash would've liked. 'This is my first game without her watching.' She thought, wiping a tear away. She sat by herself on the sideline after a scoring drive, or at least she had been as now Sunbeam sat down next to her.

"Hey Rainbow, what's going on? You've seemed upset all game. You just got an amazing touchdown, and we're up. Usual you'd be all pumped and excited. So what's troubling you?" He asked, putting a hoof on her shoulder.

That made Dash shiver. "Nothing . . . I-I just got a lot on my mind."

"Come on Rainbow, somethings clearly up. I mean Coach Hondo isn't even talking to you. Which is weird, I thought you two were friends."

Dash put her hooves to her face as he pressed the issue, unwittingly hurting her more.

"As your coltfriend I want to help you, but you have to talk to me first." Sunbeam started snuggling up to her just to have Dash jump to her hooves.

"Stop it! Listen, Sunbeam, I don't love you. I never had. I got caught up in this crazy moment with the worst timing. I started a relationship with another pony right after we had and I didn't have the nerve to break it to you, and now that other pony hates me and avoids me and that's why I'm upset!" Dash confused, tearing up. "I'm sorry for leading you on as long as I did. Things got carried away and I never meant for it to turn out like this way. You're a cool friend, but . . ." Dash trailed off, turning her head away from Sunbeam, unable to face him.

"Wow." He started, clearly stunned by this revelation. ". . . I-I don't know what to say. All this time, you were lying to me?"

Dash could hardly stand it as she fought back tears. it was all she could do to manage a nod for him. And when she looked, she saw him dragging his hooves as he trotted back toward the rest of the team. 'Dang it Dash, your timing is the worst. At a game, really? Now Sunbeam hates me too, and so will the rest of the team when he tells them.' Dash cursed herself.

Suddenly she wanted an escape from her escape. Dash flew to the locker room to change and leave.

***

Rainbow Dash spent the next day contemplating over everything she'd done and what she had left, that night she found herself back on her lonely cloud. and as she laid on it she could picture it in her head, diving over the edge, holding her wings closed as she hurdled toward the ground. No more pain. No more tears. It was such a nice thought in her pained soul.

Dash stood and started leaning forward. Just as she began to fall she closed her eyes and even smiled in relief. As she felt the wind whip by her cheeks and through her mane, doubts came to her. 'What if I can win Rarity back? What if my teammates, my friends, don't hate me? My dreams of being a Wonderbolt? This would crush my parents' hearts.'

Dash opened her eyes and found her wings were already spread as she was soaring through the sky. 'What am I doing? I'm such a coward. To allow myself to sink this low and try to take the easy way out.'

***

Dash had one thing going for her the next day at school, and that was that the day was half over. 'yay. I'm so excited to go to bed and cry myself to sleep again.' She thought sarcastically to herself as she sulked down the hall between classes.

"Hey look! It's Crash."

'Oh no.' Dash fretted, pausing at the sound of Dumbbell's voice, dreading what he had to say.

"Aw geez Crash, why do you look so sad?" Dumbbell started with fake sympathy. "Did coach Hondo break up with you?"

Dash was lost at that. There were at least a hundred different things he or Hoops could've said that would've destroyed her already broken spirit. Instead, he says that nonsense? Dash was so caught off by it She didn't even have a response to it.

"Too bad, I bet you liked taking orders from him after practices. I always took you for a fillyfooler. Guess you were so desperate you switched to old colts."

"Ha! Yeah, how pathetic." Hoops seconded Dumbbell's remark.

Dash shook her head. "what the- . . . What are you even talking about?" Dash had to ask.

"Uh, your little affair with your coach, Hondo. Whole school is talking about it. I knew that fling with Sunbeam was a facade." Dumbbell declared to Dash's bewilderment.

"Where did you hear that from?" Dash wondered aloud.

"Word has it, it's from Sunbeam himself." Hoops answered this time for once.

At that Dash pushed past them, ignoring their snide remarks. What was impossible to ignore were all the now painfully obvious side glances everypony was casting her way as she passed them by, and how they would start whispering to each other. Dash didn't have to hear them to know what they were talking about. She hurried onward, trying to shut them out in vein. She closed her eyes, wishing this was all some sort of nightmare, and ran into someone. Opening her eyes she saw brown feathers, looking up she saw Gilda's worried expression.

"I guess you heard huh? It's not true is it?"

"Gilda, what?! Don't tell me you believe this rumor." Dash stomped her hoof, angered that her friend wasn't standing by her.

"Well, the way the team put it sounded true." Gilda shrugged.

"Well, it's not! Now excuse me." Dash pushed past the griffin and rounding the corner she spotted Sunbeam heading toward his next class. Dash raced up to him and pulled him aside.

"What's the big idea Sunbeam? I break up with you and you start spreading lies about me?!" Dash accused outraged.

"What? No! I mean . . . with how everything was, what you told me and how coach was treating you, I guessed that might be it. I was talking about it with the rest of the team after you had left the game. We agreed it kinda made sense but, didn't really believe it. I didn't mean for it to spread around like it did." Sunbeam explained.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Dash put a hoof to her face and sighed. "Sunbeam . . . I'm sorry. I'm a terrible friend. You clearly had real feelings for me that I exploited for my own gain and the way I broke it to you . . . I-" Dash closed her eyes as she spoke, wondering how many more apologizes she was going to have to do when Sunbeam interrupted her.

"Dash listen. I realized I kind of obsessed over you, and that made me blind to the obvious. You didn't love me. I think deep down I knew that from the start. Your acting certainly needs work." Sunbeam managed a smile at the teasing joke.

Dash was left speechless at this.

"What I'm trying to say is that I'm willing to forgive and forget, for the sake of the team. Also, I could still learn a few things from you at practice as it is."

Dash was stunned. 'It was that easy . . . he forgave me just like that.' A part of her was saddened that it hadn't worked out like that with Rarity. The other part was grateful she was finally able to get a good outcome from this. She hugged Sunbeam tightly. "Thank you." She said relieved at the thought that things were turning around for her.

Sunbeam patted her shoulder and then the bell rang. "We better get to class. We can talk more at practice, okay?" Sunbeam offered.

"Okay!" Dash called out, hurrying to her own class.

***

Dash's raised spirit didn't last long as the next day the rumor about her and Hondo being lovers had gotten worse, as did the teasing she got for it. It gave her a sinking feeling that this was leading to something very bad, like her getting kicked out of school or Hondo getting fired.

The following day at practice turned out to be the deciding moment. Dash came flying down onto the field late and both Sunbeam and Misty Dawn ran up to her.

"Dash! There you are!" Sunbeam shouted out, stopping before her.

"You better get to the locker room quick. The principal and coach are waiting on you. It's about that rumor that's been going around." Misty explained.

"What?!" 'This is it. My fears are coming true.' Dash thought in panic as she flew for the locker room as fast as possible. She burst through the doors and came to a halt.

Sure enough, there was Principal Smokey Trail and across from her was Hondo, but next to him was a surprise. To Dash, it was a heartstopper.

Rarity sat facing Smokey Trail. Her frizzy mane hid her expression.

"Ah, Miss Dash, there you are. Come in, take a seat." Principal Trail greeted, waving a hoof toward an open chair next to Hondo.

Dash didn't acknowledge her as she flew to her seat. Her eyes never left Rarity. From this new angle, while leaning forward, Dash could see Rarity's tired eyes that lacked make-up. Not that Rarity's run-down state registered to Dash's mind. All she saw was her beautiful Rarity who she had missed so much and had feared she would never see again.

"I assume you know why I called you in today." Trail spoke, still looking to Rainbow.

"Uhhh . . . yeah." Dash was slow to answer as she pulled her gaze from Rarity.

"Coach Flanks and Miss Rarity already told me their side of the story. So let's hear yours. If it matches up, then that'll settle the matter and be the end of it. Otherwise . . . well, we'll just have to hear what you say and move from there." As Trail spoke, Dash kept glancing toward Rarity.

'Why won't she look at me?' Dash thought as Rarity's eyes stayed forward.

"Miss Dash?" Trail snapped Dash's attention back to her.

"Oh . . . um . . ." 'No, I can't. I can't tell this tale with Rarity right there . . . she'd hate me more, but I must, to clear Hondo's name. I'll just keep it vague with no details.' Dash took a heavy breath. "I was seeing Rarity when I also started a relationship with Sunbeam, and well . . . Rarity found out and . . . we broke up. She was mad at me of course and started avoiding me. I think Hondo-, Coach Hondo, did too. To avoid the awkwardness. Me and Coach Hondo were never in any kind of relationship, not a romantic one anyway." Dash finished relieved. 'That wasn't so bad.' She looked to Rarity who had her head turned away now.

"Well, it sounds like typical school mare drama to me. Since your stories match up, I believe you all. No pony will get punished over silly school rumors. Though, Coach Flanks, do try to stay clear of such drama in the future." Principal Trail smiled with a knowing nod to Hondo.

"Heh, that's what I was trying to do. Thank you, Miss Trail." The two of them shook hooves and continued talking, but Dash zoned it out to watch Rarity.

She was just sitting there with a hoof to her face. Whatever she was doing, Dash couldn't see. Suddenly she stood and trotted from the room.

Dash quickly followed after her out of the room. Rarity was ahead of her down the hall and Dash was about to catch up to her when a hoof touched her shoulder. She looked back to see Hondo. "Coach?" Dash asked anxious to move along to meet up with Rarity.

"Rainbow, I'm sorry for having ignored you lately. You hurt my daughter pretty badly, and that made me mad at you, but I should've pushed those feelings aside when on the field. All of this would've never happened if I had. Thank you for clearing my name." Hondo patted her on the back.

"You're welcome. I was just doing the right thing. Now, if you would excuse me. . ." Dash quickly turned away.

"Rainbow wait!"

Rainbow Dash froze at his call. "What?" She groaned impatiently, turning around once more.

Rainbow . . . she's not ready. I don't think you're a bad mare, but Rarity . . . she's been devastated by this whole break up. She hardly sleeps and barely eats, and as of late she thinks the worst of you. She thought you had spread that rumor at school to get me fired."

"But that's not true!" Dash objected.

"I know, but Rarity's . . . angry with you, for good reason, and it's because of that that you should give her space. Going to her now will only have her lashing out at you." Hondo explained, though he also felt that he didn't want the pony who had broken his daughter's heart near her again, he also saw the same pain that haunted Rarity's eyes in Dash's. If not worse so. So he felt conflicted on the matter.

"Okay . . ." Dash answered dejectedly as they walked together back toward the field. 'I want to explain everything to Rarity, to make this up to her somehow, to be there for her, care for her and comfort her. To know she's hurting so much . . . and yet I'm to do nothing?' It didn't make sense to Dash. She wondered if it was because she didn't want it to make sense because she wanted nothing more than to be by Rarity's side.