Chapter 1: Return of a Hero
The sun shined brightly over the small town of Ponyville. Every resident was going about their usual business just like they did every other day. Ponies went to work, chatted with friends, relaxed at home, or just hung around the various places in Ponyville. In the sky a group of three flew. These three fliers were Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust. The three of them were extremely close friends and they formed a team. Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust floated in midair as they watched Gilda fly fast. The two pegasi encouraged the griffon as she tried to perform a stunt.
"Come on G." Rainbow Dash said. "Push it."
"You can do this G." Lightning Dust yelled. "Keep it up."
Gilda flew at an extremely fast speed. A mach cone formed around her body and a flaming trail followed behind her. Gilda was determined to create her own signature move. Rainbow Dash had The Sonic Rainboom and Lightning Dust had The Lightning Strike. Gilda was certain that she had her own move. All she needed to do was find a way to pull it off. The brown and white griffon pushed herself to the limit in an attempt to increase her speed.
The griffon flew even faster than before and the flaming trail engulfed her. Gilda flew high into the sky while her two friends cheered wildly for her. The griffon flew up and then the fireball exploded around her. The flames took the shape of a griffon with its wings outstretched. Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust were beyond shocked at this display. They were astounded. Gilda flew towards them and looked at the image that she created. The griffon grinned in pride. She had done it. She had created her own signature move.
"I think I'll call it The Flaming Griffon." Gilda said.
The two pegasi liked the name and they gazed at The Flaming Griffon until it faded from view.
"That was awesome!" both pegasi shouted at the same time.
"G you were incredible." Rainbow Dash said.
"That move was amazing." Lightning Dust yelled.
"Thanks guys." Gilda said. 'I think Ponyville just got a lot more awesome after that."
The three fliers grinned to each other as they flew down towards the streets. They walked with each other and they excitedly compared their signature moves. The trio shared a dream of becoming Wonderbolts and they felt that using those moves would pretty much guarantee them the chance to join. The three friends were extremely pleased with themselves. They met up with five more ponies. Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy were all in a state of awe when they heard about The Flaming Griffon. They wished that they had been there to see it. Gilda wanted to show off her new move but she needed a lot more practice before she'd be able to use it on command. The group of eight walked on until a scream pierced the air.
A pony was standing on a balcony several stories high when she tripped. Now she was hanging on for dear life and she was screaming for help.
Quick as a flash Rainbow Dash sprang into action. She flew towards the terrified pony and grabbed her. Then she gently lowered her to the ground. A crowd of ponies gathered around Rainbow Dash and praised her for her heroic efforts. Rainbow Dash grinned as she showed off her fast flying. Her seven friends watched her and smiled. They liked seeing Rainbow Dash happy. Twilight Sparkle was also happy that Rainbow Dash didn't feel the need to swallow her pride anymore. The purple alicorn shuddered as she remembered the incident which had involved The Mysterious Mare Do Well. She regretted her actions and she knew the other four ponies involved felt the same way. Thankfully they had learned their lesson from that terrible experience and they had grown closer to Rainbow Dash as a result.
The group of eight kept walking in high spirits. They all complimented Rainbow Dash on the way that she saved that pony's life. The rainbow maned pegasus grinned at hearing all of this praise. It felt good for her to not have to hide who she really was. She had swallowed so much of her pride that her friends hardly even knew her. Now however they got to know the real her and they liked her. Rainbow Dash was ecstatic that her friends wouldn't look down on her for having a lot of pride. Granted she did go a bit overboard during the Mare Do Well incident but that was because she had kept her pride bottled up for so long. She pretty much lost control and let all of her pride out at once. Rainbow Dash wasn't humble but she wasn't as proud as she was during that time. That amount of pride was a one time thing for her. The rainbow maned pegasus walked with her friends and smiled. All of a sudden another scared shout filled the ears of the eight friends.
A pony was trapped underneath a piled of rubble and he couldn't move his legs. Rainbow Dash quickly flew to the stallion's aid and pushed the debris off of him. A crowd formed again and Rainbow Dash was showered with praise and admiration. The rainbow maned pegasus grinned broadly and created a cloud thunderbolt in the sky. Then she went back to hang out with her friends some more.
The rest of the day continued like this. A pony would be in some sort of danger and Rainbow Dash would save them. She'd be praised by the townsponies and she'd show off a bit. Her friends smiled as they watched this happen. They liked Rainbow Dash and they felt like she deserved to have her pride. After all, she was being a hero. She deserved to be proud of herself for her accomplishments.
After the sun had set, Pinkie Pie set up a small party at SugarCube Corner. The group of eight and Spike all gathered together to compliment Rainbow Dash. They praised her like a hero and Rainbow Dash loved every second of it. She was so happy that her friends didn't mind her having a lot of pride. She had been swallowing most of her pride since she moved into Ponyville but now her friends had accepted her for who she was.
Within minutes they were joined by a crowd of fillies led by Scootaloo. This group was known as the Rainbow Dash Fan Club. Scootaloo was the most devoted fan of Rainbow Dash and was appointed as the leader of the club. The group consisted of her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Babs Seed, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon. Other fillies like Snips and Snails joined them as well. The group of fillies gave Rainbow Dash glances of admiration. They really looked up to her. Rainbow Dash signed autographs for every single one of the fillies and she even posed with them for a group picture that was taken by Spike. Scootaloo promised Rainbow Dash that she and her band would create a theme song for her with lyrics. After this, the fillies left SugarCube Corner and the remaining group of nine kept on celebrating. Rainbow Dash was feeling extremely happy about everything that was happening. The best part was that her friends were there with her. She was elated by the fact that they liked her for who she was. They didn't care if she bragged. In fact they encouraged Rainbow Dash to be proud of herself. Once the party ended the group of nine left the bakery and headed off for their homes. Rainbow Dash laid in her bed and she grinned broadly. This had been an awesome day for her.