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// Where a Season Ends, One Begins 
// Story: Friends in High Places 
// by BeanPole 
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Chapter 1- Where a Season Ends, One Begins
A huge explosion tore across the sky in a beautiful array of color and magnificence. Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight all sat and watched the spectacle unfold right before their eyes. The free tickets they had been given for the show were amont the best in the stadium, they were centered in the arena and just below the princess’s private box. The final Wonderbolts show of the year was always fabulous, this was the end of Rainbow Dash’s first full season flying with them. The maneuver that had just been executed had involved Dash flying straight down and as she broke the sound barrier the rest of the team flew outwards in a circular pattern creating a flowering affect as the rainboom ripped through the stadium. The maneuver had brought on ‘ooohs’ and ‘ahhhhs’ from the crowd just as the Wonderbolts always managed to do.
After the show was the end of the flying season and the beginning of winter, which meant that Rainbow Dash would be able to come home for the first time in almost a year. All five of the friends missed Dash very much. They longed to spend a winter hanging out and having fun with their celebrity friend. After the show the five went as close as they could to the backstage area to try and meet Dash. They spotted her briefly through a curtain, she was apparently having a conversation with Spitfire and Thunderwing about the show tonight.
“RAINBOW DASH!” Pinkie was ecstatic about seeing Dash and was having trouble controlling herself as she bounced all over the place, literally appearing to be on the floor, wall, and ceiling at once. 
Rainbow looked over in the direction from which she had heard her voice. “Hey guys!” She smiled and quickly pardoned herself from the company of Spitfire and Thunderwing and started trotting over to the group of her best friends, still in uniform. However on her way over to the assembly she was intercepted by Soarin who, stopped her and said something to her which the other five could not understand and they began trotting away together in the directin of the rest of the team.
Dash shouted back over her shoulder, “sorry guys! I’ll catch up with ya later!. Offical business and all!”
Pinkie instantly stopped her bouncing and seemed extremely dejected. “B-b-b-b-but Dashie…” A frown crossed her face and her hair went almost straight. 
“Its ok Pinkie,” Twilight seemed sincere and concerned for her pink friend, “She is just doing some business, she is a celebrity now after all.”
“Ok,” the tone of pinkie’s voice was a little happier and her mane was starting to curl again. “I guess I’ll just have to go PLAN A WELCOME HOME PARTY!” With those words she bounded from the room towards the airship they used to get into Cloudsdale. 
Twilight was the first to speak up, as usual, “Come on girls, we had better get home, we can meet Rainbow there when she isn’t busy.” The others agreed and they all started off towards Ponyville.


The Wonderbolts, sat around in their private lounge drinking and celebrating their good performance and an amazing season. After changing out of her flight uniform and showering Rainbow Dash had join the rest of the team in the lounge. She shared a few good laughs with Spitfire and Thunderwing about minor mistakes in training, or even in shows. She discussed important business information such as training camp return dates after winter and publicity options with the team’s manager, Cloudwalker. Dash had been offered a pay raise for the next season, but she had kindly declined it. She made plenty of money now, more than she could ever spend in one winter by herself. She wanted nothing more than to get back home to Ponyville and spend a winter with her friends relaxing from the physically taxing and demanding season she had just completed. Rainbow loved the rest of the Wonderbolts, they had grown over the season to be great friends, but Dash missed her best friends, the ones that she had know for the majority of her life.
“Hey Rainbow!” She looked up from the window which she had been looking out, lost in thought. Soarin was walking over to her, “We’re all goin out to celebrate tonight, you wanna come with?”
“Sorry Soarin, I need to get back home, my friends are waiting on me.”
“Aww, come on Dash, you got all winter with them! Just tonight, us Wonderbolts, out on the town, my treat!”
Dash was torn, she really wanted to spend one more night out with the team, but she knew her friends would be disappointed if she didn’t return tonight. But he did have a point, she did have three months in Ponyville before Fall training started up, and even then she could spend a few hours at home for another month or two. “Ok ok Soar, I’ll go.” Dash smiled at Soarin, there would be time for apologies to her friends later. The eight members of the team headed out for one last night of fun.
After roaming the streets for several hours, the team finally settled down in a restaurant called ‘The Restless Stallion” which Spitfire, had called ahead and reserved the whole building in order to get some privacy without all the fans and publicity around. The team casually ate their meals and conversed about whatever happened to come up to talk about, from new potential acrobatics to the economical state of Equestria. Dash wasn’t going to lie to herself she was having a great time, especially since Soarin was paying for all her food. Still, she felt bad about having ditched her friends, she knew that Pinkie probably had a party planned for her return. She really enjoyed Pinkie’s partys, it was her special talent after all. Dash chuckled to herself and she decided that it was about time to leave and return to Ponyville.
“Excuse me everypony, I’m sorry, but I need to get going back to Ponyville.” Dash stood up to leave and with a little bit of contempt, they each said their goodbyes. When it came time to say goodbye to Soarin her leaned into her and whispered something so that only they could hear.
“Take care of yourself dash, and remember, don’t tell anypony yet.”
Dash simply nodded and smiled at Soarin. She wouldn’t call what they had a relationship but it was definitely a strong friendship at least. Nothing at all had happened between save for one short kiss that wasn’t talked about by either of them after the next day, but she did see the possibility of a relationship in the future, but nothing more. 
Although her wings were tired from the earlier show she felt it would be faster to simply fly back to Ponyville rather than wait for some sort of transport. She always enjoyed flying, the wind in her mane, the way it felt under her wings as she dived and rose. Her mind drifted back to the time she had become a local celebrity for a while. She had let the publicity go to her head and it had taken her own friends to snap her out of her selfish trance. She had promised herself after she had been offered her contract that she wouldn’t let the celebrity status go to her head again. 
Finally she saw it; the top of Ponyville’s town hall had peaked over the horizon. She would be reunited with her friends soon. The thought brought a smile to her face, until she remembered that she would have to explain her absence to the others. Should she lie and say that the meeting ran over? She didn’t want to lie to her friends, she was the element of loyalty after all. I’ll just have to cross that bridge later. When she finally came up on Sugarcube Corner the lights inside were on and Dash saw all of her friends sitting inside but there was clearly no party going on. Dash opened the door and walked in.