The Foals of Harmony: Night Terrors

by Rainy Meadows

Fridge Horror

“Hey Mom, Dad, I’m home!” Lightning Strike called as he entered his home. “Man, its bad out there. I don’t wanna-”

As he hung his coat on the peg behind the door, he felt something buzz past behind him, and turned around while placing his flashlight in his mouth (he was pretty sure he might need his wings).

“Hello?” he called into the darkness.

A white hot bolt of pure electricity split the sky outside as he walked through the cloud-built rooms, the only other light coming from the wide circle of his flashlight and the softly glowing rainbow pools outside.

There was another whoosh and buzzing noise as something passed behind him.

“Look, I don’t have time for thish,” he said indistinctly through his flashlight. “I’m getting a drink.”

He entered the kitchen, feeling more than ever like he was being watched, and opened the fridge.

“GAH!”

Lightning leapt back in fright at the sight of the small blue colt lying motionless in the fridge, eyes wide open and completely derped, tongue lolling out of his mouth, and covered in gloopy-looking red liquid.

“Blitsh!” he exclaimed, and put his flashlight on the sideboard. “What they hay are you doing still up?”

“Did I scare you?” Rainbow Blitz’s piercing green eye focused on the startled Lightning. “I totally scared you, didn’t I?”

“What? No!” cried Lightning. “I was just-”

“You’re lying.”

Lightning sighed huffily.

“Alright, you startled me,” he admitted, “but what the hay are you doing still up? It’s half past eleven, for crying out loud!”

“What are you doing still up?”

“I told you, I had a date with Dawn tonight and not to wait up. Didn’t I say I wouldn’t be back until late? Now come on, get out of the fridge before your wings drop off.”

“Well, I am pretty cold,” Blitz confessed, and he hopped out of the fridge after replacing the bottle of ketchup.

“Now why are you still up?” asked Lightning.

“I...” The multicolour-maned colt seemed uneasy about giving an answer, and mumbled it incoherently.

“What was that?”

“I’m scarem mm m stmph.”

“Didn’t quite catch that.”

“I’m scared of the storm, okay?!” Blitz almost yelled, but caught himself just in time. “Thunder and lightning are scary!”

Lightning smiled reassuringly.

“I know they seem scary,” he said, “but we’re inside. The storm can’t hurt us. And anyway, my name’s Lightning. Am I scary?”

“Um... A bit.”

The older colt almost laughed at this.

“That’s good to know,” he said. “If I’m gonna be a cop, I’ve gotta be a little bit scary, or I won’t be able to do my job.” He ruffled his little brother’s mane, and grimaced at the sight and feeling of ketchup all over his hoof.

“Now how about we watch a movie?”

“Really?” asked Blitz. “That would be awesome! It’s the latest I’ve ever stayed up but you still want to watch a movie? You’re the best brother EVER!”

“Easy there, Blitz,” said Lightning, and pushed the excited colt onto the ground. “Go clean up all this ketchup and I’ll pick a movie.”

“Okie-dokie,” said Blitz as he hovered over to the sink. “Just don’t make it a scary one, okay?”

“Okay,” said Lightning. “Wait, what’re you-?”

Before he could finish his sentence, his little brother had sat down in the kitchen sink and turned on the tap, and sure, it washed away the ketchup, but pretty soon Blitz was drenched from head to hoof, with saturated stripes of red, orange and yellow flopping onto his face.

He and Lightning Strike could barely contain their laughter.