When she woke up, her head was pounding. Lyra sits up in her bed to her forehead's discontent. A dull, but painful headache. Whatever was in that must've been powerful, she thinks to herself. She looks out the window and sees that it is now daytime.
She gets out of her bed and looks outside. Her head is still woozy and she sees...no. It's impossible. Could it be? After all those years of searching? She races outside and gallops straight up to them. A human. A real human! Finally! She is so elated that she jumps into the air. Nopony is even around to see her elation and silent screams of joy. The human just kind of looks at her funny.
"Are you actually real?!"she asks incredulously. The human smiles and nods.
"Of course I'm real," they say. "If I weren't real, why would you be so happy?"
She gasps and reaches out slowly. The human reaches out a hand. A hand! They grasp her hoof and shake it lightly. She recoils, surprised at how cold their hand is. Suddenly a voice from behind her.
"Lyra, what are doing?" It was BonBon. BonBon saw what was happening it reality. Lyra, shaking her hoof at open air and staring at nothing.
"What do you mean?" says Lyra confused and then points at the human.
"What?" BonBon asks, baffled.
"Uh, hello! Do you not see the human standing right here?" says Lyra. The human simply waves.
"Uhhh, no," sasy BonBon, clearly confused. "Are you feeling okay?"
"How? How could you not see it?" said Lyra. Then she put a hoof to her chin in thought. Then a look of stark realization struck her face.
"I must be the only one who can see them! Because..." she thought again. "I'm the only one who actually believed they existed!"
"I don't think that's it," said BonBon. "Maybe we should go and see Twilight."
"Fine," said Lyra. "Come on Mr. Human!"
The human smiled and strode along next to Lyra. BonBon continued to stand where she was and look confused. There were no indications that Lyra was being followed by anything. She shook her head and followed Lyra.
They reached Twilight's house and Lyra opened the door for the human. The human ducked under the doorway. Twilight was standing in the middle of the room.
"Lyra, what are you doing?" asked Twilight. "Are you going to come inside?"
"I'm merely being polite," said Lyra and then followed the human. Twilight, being her usual curious self, immediately noticed Lyra's slightly bloodshot eyes.
"Are you okay? You look like you haven't slept in days," said Twilight, frowning.
"I feel incredible!" said Lyra, "Just ask the HUMAN that is standing right in front of you!"
Twilight looked around the library, but didn't see anything else in the room.
"Uhhh, hello?" asked Twillight, getting no response, just as she expected.
"Eeee!" Lyra squealed in delight at the human's response. The human had responded politely, much to Lyra's fascination and delight.
"What? What is it?" asked Twilight, again looking around, but seeing nothing. She reached for a spell book and flipped to a page on hallucinogenic substances. She immediately cast her spell on Lyra, which made what she was seeing visible to her. She gasped. Standing there, was a human! Only problem was: Lyra was seeing things, and the human wasn't real. Still, quite fascinating. She read her book. The hallucinations should stop after a day.
"Well Lyra," said Twilight.
"Yeeees?" asked Lyra, not really paying attention.
"Looks like they'll all be gone after a day," said Twilight.
"What!?" Lyra practically screamed. "W-what do you mean? Are they going to leave?"
"Uhhh, no," said Twilight with an embarrased smile. "I'm sorry to say they were most likely triggered by a hallucinagenic alcohol. But they behave like any human might, so please, learn as much as you can about them and tell me your findings!"
"Absolutely!" said Lyra, perking up. And so Lyra went on with the rest of her day. She saw many a human, and learned a great deal from the imaginary beings. She slept soundlessly that night, content with the thought that they were still out there. Then she had a thought, a most curious thought, a very ridiculous, but so ridiculous it just might work.
"I wonder if Berry Punch has any more of that drink she made."
"Oh who am I kidding?" said Lyra, lowering her head. "I've been trying to prove they exist for the past ten years, and what have I got? Nothing. Ugh!"
She stamps on the ground with a hoof and paces around her room, mumbling to herself.
"Even my own girlfriend thinks it's stupid!" she says. "Sure she may not say it, but I know it! I can see it in her eyes!"
She looks in her mirror. Her eyes are dark and her face gaunt. She sighs and looks away.
"I need a drink," she says quietly. She opens her door and walks out, seeing her girlfriend BonBon on the couch. BonBon looks up to see Lyra storming out of their house.
"Wait, where are you going?" she asks.
"I need a drink," Lyra replies. "If you need me, I'll be at Berry Punch's."
BonBon looks worriedly at the gaunt faced Lyra, concerned for her state of mind. Lyra leaves her house and walks outside, even though it was almost midnight. The moon is full tonight, but Lyra neither notices nor cares. She approaches Berry Punch's house and knocks quietly on the door. The door slowly creeks open and a surprisingly sober Berry Punch is standing there in the doorway.
"Oh, hi Lyra," she says, "What do you need?"
"Something to help me forget, if you catch my meaning," says Lyra.
"Well then you've come to the right place!" says Berry proudly, "I've been working on a new drink. Want to give it a try?"
"Why not?" says Lyra. Berry leads Lyra to her cellar and not-so-secret distillery. Berry walks over to a table covered in materials that she uses to make new drinks. She picks up a bottle and presents it to Lyra. Lyra picks it up with her magic and inspects the bottle.
"What do you call it?" asks Lyra.
"Still working on a name," Berry replies, then brightens, "Oh! Maybe once you try it, you could give it a name!"
"Okay," says Lyra, "Here goes nothing."
She pulls off the top and takes a quick gulp. Immediately she begins to feel woozy. She stumbles and drops the bottle.
"Oh that's not good," says Berry, "Lyra, are you okay?"
"I don't...feel so good," says Lyra, whose vision is already beginning to fade. She stumbles once more and falls to the ground, out like a light.
"Oh boy," says Berry to herself, looking horrified at the sleeping Lyra. "That's the third time this week!"
