//------------------------------//
// Seeing Pink and Red 
// Story: Friends in High Places 
// by BeanPole 
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Chapter 2 – Seeing Pink and Red 
“Hey guys!” Dash smiled and waved at her friends. They all had looks of annoyance and frustration on their faces. “Sorry I’m late, I was finishing some business stuff with the team.” Dash was satisfied with that, it wasn’t exactly a lie.
After that statement the other five’s moods seemed to lighten instantly and they were bounding over to Dash showering her with hugs and excited laughter.
“We’re so glad your home Dashie!” Pinkie was ecstatic as always, bounding around the room as if she were no heavier than a feather.
“Well go on dear! Tell us all about your time with the Wonderbolts! We’re dying to hear all about it!” Rarity exclaimed.
“Yeah!” The others in the room had said it almost unanimously. Dash began telling stories of all the shows they had done, all the time training and all the time hanging out with the team. The whole time Dash was telling her story the others were very intently listening and aside from an occasional question, never spoke.
“That sounds so totally awesome!” Pinkie was growing more excited by the moment and was obviously happy to have her friend beck home. 
Rarity chimed in with one of her usual remarks, “so what are you going to do with us normal ponies now that you’re a celebrity?” The remark brought looks of honest concern and quizzicality from her friends.
“Guys, just ‘cuz I’m  a celebrity now doesn’t mean anything has changed.” Dash Smiled at her friends, “I would never forget about my family.” Her words were followed by a unanimous “awwwwww” and suddenly the group was in one large six pony hug. 
“ITS TIME TO PARTY!” Pinkie bounded up and started the music which she then turned up loud. The party was one of typical Pinkie fashion, and Dash couldn’t be happier to be with her family again. However the party might have been short lived when the Cakes woke up due to the music, but Dash offered them free tickets to a show in exchange for permission to stay up. The Cakes reluctantly agreed and the party continued through the night and until the sun rose the next morning.
The next afternoon after her usual nap that she had missed so much during the show season she went for a walk around the town, it was nice to get away from the publicity and the fans crowding her. When she walked through the town square she noticed a poster on the side of a building. When she looked closer it was a picture of her and writing on the poster said: Rainbow Dash! The Wonderbolt from Ponyville! Dash smiled realizing that it must have been the Cutie Mark Crusaders doing. She decided that she would go see them, Scootaloo was always happy to see her anyways. 
Dash approached the clubhouse that the three fillies used as their headquarters. When she knocked on the door Scootaloo opened it and when she looked up to see her idol standing in the doorway she was paralyzed. 
“Heya!” Dash just smiled at the filly. “Mind if I come in?”
“N-n-n-not at a-a-a-all,” Scootaloo almost seemed nervous around Dash.
“Something wrong? You seem nervous around me.”
“O-of course I am! You’re a bucking Wonderbolt!”
“Hey watch that tongue of yours,” She joked with the filly. “But seriously, its still just me, nothing has changed except who I work for. Your still my favorite fan.” Dash smiled at the filly and gave her a pat on the back. “Here, I brought this for you.” It was the poster she had found in the town square, only now adorned on it was a signature, bearing the name Rainbow Dash. 
“My poster? Why did you take it down? I mean I extremely happy for the autograph but I’m just curious.”
“I took it down because when I’m here at home in Ponyville I want to get away from the publicity and the crowds and fans and just relax.” Dash simply sat and smiled at the now three fillies in the room, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle had entered since the start of her conversation with Scootaloo. “You understand, don’t you?”
“Yeah I do.”
“Good, now who wants to hear about my time with the Wonderbolts?” The three fillies were excited to hear her stories of glory, fame, and celebrity and the whole time Dash was speaking they, just like the other five the night before, listened intently.
After her story telling to the three young fillies, which had taken several hours, Dash decided that she would go pay Fluttershy a visit since they hadn’t spoken much even at the party since Dash got back the night before. Dash decided to walk to her cottage to give her wings a much needed rest. Her walk was filled with many shouts of ‘Hi Rainbow Dash!’ and while she didn’t mind the attention she also didn’t want to feel like he hometown thought of her any differently now than they had before. ‘I guess that comes with being famous’ Dash thought to herself. When Dash finally came up on Fluttershy’s cottage and knocked on the door she discovered that Fluttershy wasn’t home. Dash thought this was odd seeing as Fluttershy was always taking care of her animals about this time of day. ‘Maybe Applejack has seen her’ Dash started off towards Sweet Apple Acres to find the orange earth pony. In order to save time Dash decided to fly, the sun was already dipping below the horizon to the west.
“Heya Applejack!”
“Oh, howdy Rainbow! What brings ya here at this hour?”
“I was just going to visit Fluttershy but she wasn’t at her cottage, I was wondering if you’ve seen her.”
“Oh, well silly me, we all forgot to tell you at the party in all the excitement.”
“Tell me what?”
“Fluttershy and Big Macintosh are out on a date right now, they’ve been goin strong for close to six months now.” Applejack smiled, “quite the cute couple if ya ask me.”
Dash was both shocked and impressed at the relationship between the two ponies. She was glad that they were clearly happy together… but suddenly she felt, dejected. She came to realize that while she was away with the Wonderbolts, she had little to nothing to do with what happened in her friends lives and took no part in any of it whatsoever. I guess this is the price you pay. “Oh, well good for them!” Rainbow put on a fake smile for Applejack. “I’m happy for them!”
“Yeah, Ah am too!” Apple jack looked like she was tired from a day of bucking and collecting apples.
“Well I gotta go, sorry I couldn’t stay any longer.” 
“Its ok Rainbow, I catch ya later!”
“Bye!” Dash flew back to her home. Her new revelation had really opened a door for her mind to wander through. While I’m away its like I don’t exist here… Dash went to sleep early that night, feeling dejected and excluded from her friends. Over the following weeks Dash's depression slowly faded into the background of her thoughts. Soon she had forgotten about the whole ordeal. 
A month of winter had passed and the snow that blanketed the ground was deep and a luscious white color. Applejack and Rainbow Dash, on sleds, were racing as fast as they could. They had been competing like this almost all week, not for any real competitive means, but just because it was fun. Applejack was in the lead but only just. With a small spurt from Dash's wings she sailed into the lead. Dash sped across the finish line and stood up of her sled. 
"Ah, almost beat you this time!"
"Yeah it was close!" Dash almost felt bad about cheating though. She actually didn't know what had compelled her to use her wings, she had just felt this impulse. She had felt odd lately, she had been doing things and making decisions that she was not aware of or felt she had no control over. It had only happened around her friends and she was curious as to why. She had gone to both Twilight and the doctor to see if someone had an answer, according to everyone that she had talked to she was completely healthy. She figured it was just her imagination and shrugged the feeling off. The rest of the winter was fun and cheerful, Dash was at home with her friends and she was happy.