Author's note: *** means a flashback
I remember walking through Ponyville on my first Nightmare Night. I had earned my Cutie Mark from a Pegasus race in Cloudsdale the day before. I won by a landslide! They didn't stand a chance once I made a Sonic Rainboom! I was so excited that when I got home, my parents went out and got me a costume I was dying for...
***
"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!" I screamed. "You did! You really did! Oh thank you thank you thank you!" I exclaimed with delight as I hugged my Wonderbolts costume in a death grip.
"You earned it Rainbow. Getting your Cutie Mark and creating a Sonic Rainboom are huge achievements." my father said.
"You did a great job honey. Even if we are having some financial troubles, we had to get you this. A congratulations on finding out your super special talent." my mother said as she poked my belly. I hated it when she did that. It made me giggle. I hate giggling. It's too girly for me.
"Why is it that when I got my Cutie Mark I didn't get anything? All I got was a pat on the back!" my brother said, annoyed by what I had gotten.
"It's just cause I'm better than you." I said sticking my tongue out at him and he shot his back at me.
"That's enough you two. And remember, Felix, we took you to Canterlot so you could see the Equestrian Stock Exchange. You loved it there. Might I add how expensive that was?" my mother reminded him.
Felix rolled his eyes and walked to our room. I went to school in Cloudsdale, but our home was on the ground. It was a small house and only had two bedrooms. My brother and I shared a room and a bathroom. I may not be the neatest mare around, but I swear, my brother was messier than a pig in a mud bath and it drove me crazy!
I donned my Wonderbolts costume and ran into the bathroom so I could see myself in the dark blue flight suit. It was made entirely out of cloth with the golden design and even had slits for my wings! Of course, it wasn't the real thing, but it was as close as I was going to get. I had to use a wooden stool so I could look into the mirror. I gasped at what I saw. "This is sweet! I'm a real life Wonderbolt!" I exclaimed.
I flew out of the bathroom and rammed straight into my dad. "Hey, slow down there Wondermare! Don't want to run out of energy before Nightmare Night, right?" he said as he pulled me in for a hug.
"Thank you daddy! I love it!" I said gleefully. I grabbed my Wonderbolts candy bag and ran out the door. I took off and flew as fast as I could towards the cottage near the Everfree Forest. I never went near the Forest unless I was heading for this one cottage.
I knocked on the door and stood there impatiently waiting for my friend to answer. I knocked a few more times, hoping she would get the message. "C'mon, Fluttershy! You don't want to miss our first Nightmare Night do you?" I asked her. "Besides, you have to see this amazing costume my parents got me!"
"It's too scary to go outside! So many frightening costumes and monsters! Oh, I think I'll just stay here and hide in my closet with my teddy bear." Fluttershy squealed.
I rolled my eyes. "C'mon, Fluttershy! It's one night when you can get free candy!" I said, trying to convince her to come out. The only response I got back was a whimper of fear. I sighed. "Can I at least come in? I'm not kidding when I say you have to see my costume."
After a few moments, the door slowly creaked opened. I could see her pink mane as it covered one of her eyes. "I guess that would be okay." she whispered. I walked in and looked around. Fluttershy's cottage was nice and simple. Homely.
"Sooo, what do you think? Pretty cool, right?" I asked as I showed off my costume.
"Wow. It's amazing." Fluttershy complimented shyly. "It's much cooler than what my parents gave me." She went back into her room and when she came out, she was dressed as a tree.
"A tree? Why in the world would they make you be a tree for Nightmare Night?" I asked, flabbergasted.
"Oh, I wouldn't mind to be a tree." Fluttershy said with a smile. There was a loud thud from the kitchen and a mare's laughter.
"A tree! Great idea honey!" Fluttershy's father exclaimed. There was a clink of two glasses together mixed with some laughter.
"Who would've thought that she would actually enjoy having that humiliating costume!" her mother added.
Tears started to well in Fluttershy's eyes as her alcoholic parents slew her with more insults. It made my heart burn in anger. "I think it's a great costume, Fluttershy. It fits you perfectly." I said as I tried to comfort my crying friend.
She sniffled as she tried to calm down. She wasn't allowed to cry in front of her parents. If she did...
"Thanks, Rainbow." she said quietly. She shied away from me as her parents started to laugh again. But they weren't laughing at Fluttershy this time. No. They were laughing at me for supporting her. My blood was boiling.
"Hey, let's get out of here. We can go get some candy and hang out later. I heard Acoustic Brony and MandoPony were going to be doing a concert today by Town Hall." I said, wanting to desperately get her out of that place.
There was a sound of glass shattering and a torrent of laughter. Fluttershy shrank back and hugged herself tightly. I walked up to her and gave her a reassuring hoof for her to hold. "It'll be alright. I'm here." I said comfortingly. She gingerly took it and we walked out of the cottage.
For some reason, Fluttershy is the one pony who brings out the most in me. I've known her since we started school together and we were friends ever since. I don't know why, but we just sort of connected. It may have been because she was shy and constantly bullied that I felt like I needed to be there to help her. Whatever the reason, I couldn't have asked for a better friend.
We walked through the town gazing at all the games and decorations that were being displayed. We stopped by some houses singing, NightMare Night, What a fright. Give us something sweet to bite! As we moved from house to house, I could see that Fluttershy was starting to calm down after her parent's escapade in the house. "You ready for the concert? I can't wait to see who guest stars this year!" I said.
"Oh yes. I can't wait to see them." she said happily. For such a shy little filly, she really enjoyed electric, rock, and metal music, much like myself.
"Me either. They aren't as loud as last year's band, though." I said, recalling last year's song Empyrean Flux. We sat right next to the speakers last year. The bass that shot through us made our manes tangled for about a week!
We walked to the stage and stood dead center. We had the best seats in the house. "Hey, Rainbow Dash." Fluttershy said quietly. "Who is Acoustic Brony and MandoPony anyways? I don't think I've ever heard of them before."
"Nopony really knows where they came from. They just appeared out of nowhere. They aren't even ponies! But they are awesome!" I said as the lights dimmed and the crowd cheered. Two figures walked on stage and started playing a an electric beat. We were jamming and moving to the beat.
There was a tight grip on my shoulder that yanked me and Fluttershy back. "Hey!" I yelled at the mysterious pony who had me in their hooves. Fluttershy began to have a panic attack as we were drug out from the crowd. I struggled to get free but the pony had a firm grip on us. "Let us go!" I exclaimed.
Fluttershy had started to cry as our captor took us away. He finally let us go and I turned to punch him. Before I made contact he cried my name. "Rainbow Dash! It's me! Felix!"
I stopped. "What the hay, Felix! Why did you drag us away from there?" I asked angrily. Fluttershy had curled up in her tree costume, too frightened to move.
He handed me a slip of paper. "I went to go get some cider after you left. When I got home, the house had looked liked someone was packing in a hurry. This was on the table." I took the paper and read it aloud.
"Felix. I'm so sorry about this. Your father and I have had to leave. They are coming. I wish I could say more, but I can't. When you finish reading this, get your sister. Go to the bank and ask for a Mr. Rich, and tell him, 'Felix Dash 35.' Tell him the password and withdraw only what you need. I'm so sorry. We love you, Felix. Tell Rainbow Dash we love her too. Remember to stay loyal to each other. Family is everything. Good bye."
I stood there looking at the paper I had just read. I tried to comprehend what had just happened. One minute I'm enjoying a concert with Fluttershy, the next I find out my parents just got up and left without giving any real reason as to why. "Felix...What's going on?" I asked.
"I don't know, Dash. But we need to go to the bank. Whatever is there, mom and dad wanted us to have it in case something happened. It only makes sense from what they said in the note." he said quietly.
"But what would be there? We have little to nothing." I said confused about what to do. I looked to Fluttershy who had suddenly appeared next to me.
"Is everything all right, Rainbow?" she asked gingerly.
"Everything's fine. Why wouldn't they be?" I lied.
"Well...I heard what the note said...and, well, if you want-" I cut her off.
"There's nothing wrong. They just went to go get me something else for getting my Cutie Mark. That's all..." I said shakily.
"Rainbow...if you want, you could always stay at my place. You know, until your parents get back. I mean, if that's okay with you." she said shyly.
"No. It's fine. We'll just see what's at the bank and meet them back at home." I said as I started to panic. "Go home, Fluttershy. I'll see you tomorrow."
"But, what about the concert? And getting more candy?" she pleaded with me. "Please don't let me go back alone." she said quietly. I could see the fear grow in her eyes as she realized what it would mean if she went home to her drunken parents.
I couldn't stop myself. I was in too much shock to know what I was saying. "Go home, Fluttershy! I'll talk to you tomorrow." I said as I flew towards the clouds, leaving Fluttershy behind. Felix called my name and was flying behind me. Even though he was older, bigger, and stronger than me, I was still faster. I flew up past the cloud layer and zoomed toward our house.