//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Magnificent Might of Midnight Sight Sorcerer Supreme // by Element of Malice //------------------------------// “It hurts…” Good Light said, hunched over on the couch. “Not surprised, that’s what ya git when ya eat the way you were… And when ya swallow a mixin’ spoon.” Applejack said draping a blanket over the stallion. “I’m still tryin’ ta figure out how you ate more than all of us combined. You ate the rest of our meal, our leftovers, and our back up leftovers. I was just about ta have Big Mac stand guard at the barn to protect taday’s harvest.” “ugh…” was his only response. “Don’t you worry none. Nothin’ a little sleep won’t fix.” Applejack said at the door of the living room, “Hehe I was about ta ask if ya wanted the light on, but I guess it makes no difference to ya.” Applejack turned out the light, then left the room. “Sleep well.” Applejack entered her sister’s room to see Applebloom sitting up on her bed. “somthin’ bothern’ you sugar cube?” “Na, ah’m just thinkn’ bout Good Light.” Apple Bloom said, remembering what Fluttershy told them. “Ah feel kinda bad fer him. Mostly fer being in the situation he’s in. No memory, or sight. Ah can only imagine how he’s feeling right now.” “Right now, ah think he’s feeln’ like he shouldn’t have eaten so much. Now, bedtime means bedtime, go to sleep.” “Okay, ah’ll try ta figure out what his cutie mark means tamorrow with the crusaders. Maybe that’ll help us find out where he came from.” There were lights everywhere. Big lights, small lights, bright, dim, fun, bold, adventurous, and many others of all kinds. There wasn’t a place to look that didn’t have a light dancing around in one way or another. Well, except there. It seemed like something should have been there. Like something was there, but there was no light, or there. Or there. Or… there was a light there, but it disappeared, that one too, and that one. As more lights began to disappear, the more unsafe I felt. I had to run. I don’t know why or where, but I knew that I needed to. Why did I need to run? There was nothing there. But I felt like something that should be casting light wasn’t, was that what I was afraid of? No, this was something else. These lightless things were eating the lights around me, and there weren’t very many lights left. Pretty soon, I would be alone with whatever monster I was trying to run from, and I didn’t want that. I started to panic, scream. There were only a few light’s remaining I had to warn them. I was too late, there was nothing, and I knew I was next. My hooves fell into this oozy pit, they didn’t cooperate, and I kept tripping on obstacles. I screamed louder. Then It grabbed me. They grabbed me, hundreds of lightless being trying to consume everything I was. I fought back with everything I had, screaming. And then I heard a voice, “HOLD STILL!!!” Help me, please!! I wanted to say, but I couldn’t form the words as I was being attacked, I just screamed and fought with all the strength I could muster. “GOOD LIGHT WAKE UP, YOU’RE ALRIGHT!!! IT’S JUST A NIGHTMARE!!!” Yeah!! Tell me something I don’t know!… Wait that’s Applejack’s voice, she sounds close. “CALM DOWN! Oof!” Good Light smashed Applejack between him and the hearth. “Ahm tryn’ ta help ya!! Gah!” Good Light smacked Applejack on the side of her head. She lifted the stallion off the floor, body-slamming him as she got a better grip, pinning him to the ground. “Take deep breathes, Okay! Ah need ya ta take deep breathes!” Good Light was saturated with sweat, trembling, and she could feel his heart beating through the floorboards. At least he was no longer screaming or trying to shove her through the wall. “That’s it, just breathe, okay? Breathe… Good.” His shaky breaths were slowing down, and Applejack started to talk in the most calming voice she could pull off. “You’re alright… It’s okay… It was just a bad dream… Nothing’s gonna hurt you… Deep breaths… good... Ah’m gonna let ya go now okay?” “Lights…” The word escaped his throat, sounding like a creaky floorboard as he choked back tears, “I can… see… lights.” Then he started bawling. “Hey, hey, don’t cry. It’s alright.” She wrapped her hooves around him. “Now, would ya like to talk about it?” Good Light coughed out every word that tumbled out of his mouth “I… gasp… I…sniff… I… sm… mel… ell blood… gasp… I smell blood.” “Don’t you worry about that, it’ll be taken’ care of.” “Mine?” Good Light croaked “Nope.” Big Mac said, rubbing his jaw. “Quiet!” Applejack snapped at her brother, “Now git some ice on that eye of yours and let me handle this.” “AJ what bout you?” Apple bloom said, sitting at the bottom of the stairs, “Yer bleedin’ bad.” “Go back to yer room!” Applejack said sternly. “Ah’ve had worse, ah can deal with this, no problem. Wait, on second thought, why don’t ya get some warm water and towels ready in the bathroom fer me.” Good Light put his hooves to his head as he continued to blubber, “I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I didn’t…di..dn’t me… ean to… I didn’t… I… gasp… It was so… oh real… I… I couldn’t… they were… were everywhere.” Applejack reverted back into her calm voice, “Now, now the bad lights can’t get ya. I won’t let them.” “N… No… sniff… not bad lights…sniff… worse.” Good Light was beginning to sound more like himself, but his trembling voice still cracked with every word. “Worse? What’s worse than bad lights?” Applejack wondered. “Nothing… Nothing lights… s… something, but nothing… no lights… n… nothing lights.” “Nothing lights?” asked Applejack, making sure she heard right. “Yes.” Good light answered. “Something… was there? But, there was no light?” “Yes… Yes… nothing lights.” “Uh hu, ah promise these uh, nothing lights, won’t hurt you okay.” Said Applejack, trying to sound reassuring. “No… not here…” Good Light waved his hoof around indicating the room he was in, then pointed to his head. “In here.” “In yer head… the nothing lights are in yer head?” “Yes… No… No… Yes… No.” “It’s either yes or no, it can’t be both. Are they in yer head or not?” “Yes, but no… Yes, they’re in here…” He said, pointing to his head again, “but no, they’re… They’re real...” He said, waving his hoof again. “They’re real.” “So, what yer saying is that ya know they’re not here, except in yer head, but they are real? These nothing lights?” “Yes… Yes!” “Okay,” Applejack said then yawned, “how bout ah sleep next to ya, will that make ya feel better?” “Please… Please… I need a light… Any light… A good light… Close… I need it close.” “Okay, okay, first ah have ta wash up, then I’ll be right back. Big Mac! Ah want ya ta stay next ta Good Light until ah return. I need ta put on some bandages.” “Eyup.” The red stallion said, walking in with a bag of ice over his eye. Applejack hissed through her teeth as the cotton ball soaked in alcohol touched the opened wound. “Sorry.” Apple Bloom said apologetically. “Don’t be, it’s fine. Just help me wrap it shut so the bleedn’ can stop. Then go to bed, no but’s, no nothing. Bed. Understand?” “Yeah.” Apple Bloom mumbled, not in the mood to argue. She pulled out the bandage wraps and gauze and started to wrap Applejack’s foreleg and head. “Good. You need to help Big Mac with apple buckin’ tomorrow. I’ll clean up the mess in our livin’ room in the mornin.” “Okay,” Apple Bloom responded, now finished with applying the first aid. She went back to her room and shut the door, while Applejack went back downstairs. “Big Mac, help me put this couch back.” The two siblings flipped the sofa over and slide it back to its proper place. “Thanks, Big Mac, go git some rest, now… Good Light? What are ya doing?” Big Mac just shrugged and excused himself, returning to his bed. Good Light was curled up on the floor under the coco table with no pillow or blanket. He didn’t answer or look like he wanted to talk. “Okay if you don’t want the couch, I’ll take it.” Applejack waited for him to respond, but it was in vain. “Alright then, looks like ah git the couch…” she jumped on making the springs creak for Good Light to hear, “The soft comfortable… yawn… springy...” Applejack was out like a light.