Raza fell out of his bed as he woke up from his nightmare. After he hit the floor, he layed there for a moment, rapidly breathing, covered in sweat, and with his heart beating so fast that he thought it might burst out of his chest. After he had managed to calm himself down, he stood up and sat back down on the edge of his bed. As he sat there, all he could think about was his nightmare, of that laughing. The maniacal laughter of what could only be described as an insane old mare laughing at the suffering of another. The question was, who was this old mare? Whose suffering was she laughing at? Why did he have this nightmare? He didn't have a clue as to who this old mare was, as the only old mare he knew was Granny Smith from the Sweet Apple Acres. However, he knew that this couldn't have been her. While he couldn't remember exactly what the mare looked like, the blurry image of the disfigured mare in his head was more than enough to convince him that it wasn't anypony he had ever seen before. Raza concentrated as hard as he could, trying his hardest to answer any of the questions that plagued his mind, but then grunted when he felt a jolt of pain go to his head from thinking too hard. As he fell back onto his bed, he angrily kicked his back hooves into the air as he tried to handle the pain.
"Ah buck, my head!" He shouted while struggling on the bed. "Please Celestia, make it stop!"
And just like that, the pain stopped. Once he had felt the pain exit, he sat up and thanked Celestia. However, he knew that the real reason the pain stopped was because he had stopped attempting to remember what the old mare had looked like. He only thanked Celestia because he didn't want to believe in the thought that he’d just came up with, which was the thought that his mind didn't want him to remember. The idea of his mind trying to keep secrets from him was both creepy and insane, yet he couldn't help but wonder if this could be a possibility.
"Ok, I'm going to have to go see Twilight after work." He told himself as fell down onto his bed.
The thought of work made Raza realize that he was still very tired. As a result, he decided to get a little more sleep before his alarm would go off.
"It was just a nightmare. It doesn't mean anything." He repeatedly told himself as a way to ease his mind. "Just a dream." He said just before his eyes shut.
Just as his eyes had finally shut, his alarm went off, waking him back up as he had just fallen asleep. He looked at his alarm clock to see that it was indeed time to get ready. Raza facehoofed himself as he got up and went to his window to open his curtains. Once he had opened the curtains, he was immediately greeted by a blazing ray of sunshine striking down on him, which forced him to look away.
"Too bright, Celestia." Raza muttered to himself. "Too bright."
Raza got up and went to the bathroom. Once he was there, he walked over to the shower and turned on the water. Raza figured that a nice hot shower would not only wake him up, but also put his mind at ease, and for the most part, he was right. The hot water fully awakened him, but his mind was still focused on the nightmare he had, which was more irritating for him than anything else. If his mind was so determined to keep him from figuring out who the old mare was, then why couldn't he forget this one dumb nightmare? He’d had other nightmares long before this one came, some probably even worse than this recent one, but a comparison couldn't be made since he had forgotten all of those long ago. Why couldn't he forget this one? Every time he managed to make it a blank thought, the nightmare would return not even two seconds later! It was like this one particular nightmare refused to disappear! He only wished that his mind would focus on another thought.
Right at that very moment he thought that, he got his wish, as his body began to feel cold, even though he was still in the shower with the hot water pouring on him. He touched his coat, but it was still warm. Despite this, he could feel his body getting cold. Not the kind of cold you get when you step out of cold water like a pool, a lake, or a... He paused as the last thought sink into his head... A river.
"That river…" He said softly to himself as he sighed at the thought of the river.
Just then, Raza had a flashback of the previous day. The day Lyra had told him about The River. The River is what made his body feel cold, the one in the forest that Lyra had told him and Bon Bon about, saying that it somehow had the ability to transport anypony who went into it to another world, which was inhabited by some kind of strange fish walking creatures or something like that. The creatures Lyra was always talking about. Of course, Raza and Bon Bon had dismissed it as a weird dream Lyra must’ve had the previous night, but she was very persistent that what she was saying was true. In an attempt to humor Lyra rather than hurt her feelings, Raza and Bon Bon decided that one of them would go to the river with Lyra. Problem was, neither of them were particularly willing to go. After a few minutes of debate, they decided to settle it by asking Lyra to think of a number which they would try to guess. Whoever was wrong would be the one to go with Lyra.
"Ready?" Raza asked, as he was clearly ready to get this over with.
"Yeah. Let’s do this!" Lyra said excitedly as she prepared her number. "Bon Bon?"
"As ready as I'll ever be." Bon Bon said, hoping to Celestia that she wouldn't lose.
"Alright, guess!" Lyra proclaimed.
"Nineteen!" Raza shouted first.
"Twenty-three!" Bon Bon yelled.
Lyra just stood there, staring at both of them with a surprised look which made Raza and Bon Bon incredibly anxious.
"Well, who was right or close?" Bon Bon asked.
"Well… to be honest… you two were both way off." Lyra said, feeling embarrassed for her friends. “However, Raza was closer."
Raza mentally thanked his good luck. Bon Bon cursed herself as she now had to go to the river with Lyra, who was very excited to finally have somepony go back with her to the river. Though the decision was made, Raza wanted to know what number Lyra had thought of.
"Hey Lyra, what number did you think of?" Raza asked curiously.
"Five." Lyra replied.
Lyra's answer made both Raza and Bon Bon's jaws drop. Granted, the objective of game was to guess whatever number the other pony was thinking of, but the fact that Lyra had chosen such a low number left them both baffled. Regardless, it didn't matter to Raza, because he knew that would be Bon Bon's problem, who was staring at Raza with a glare that clearly said, ‘I hate you.’ Raza just gave her a smile that said, ‘Sorry Bon Bon, but better you than me.’ That smile only made Bon Bon even more irritated.
"Why five?" asked Bon Bon, who was feeling a bit cheated.
"Because that’s the number of claws that those walking wish granting fish creatures have." Lyra explained. "You know, the ones I talk about from time to time? The ones from the old pony’s tale we were told as fillies?"
"Yeah, we know." Bon Bon said, annoyed by the memories of all those countless times that Lyra had told her about those weird fish creatures and their ‘strange looking claws’.
"From time to time? That doesn't do her fascination with those fish creatures justice." Raza spoke quietly under his breath, as to not hurt Lyra’s feelings. He knew of this tale not as a filly, but from Lyra, who talked about that story's creatures way too many times.
"Alrighty, Bon Bon, let's go!" Lyra said enthusiastically as she began to walk towards the forest.
"Alright. Just hang on a moment; I need to tell Raza something." Bon Bon said, just before walking over to Raza.
"What's up?" Raza asked, even though he could already guess what she was going to say.
"Three things." Bon Bon stated as she raised her hoof to Raza. "First of all, I hate you."
"Ok, good to know." Raza said with a smile.
"Second of all, the next time Lyra asks one of us to go with her, you're gonna be the one who’s going. You got that?!" Bon Bon said in a very commanding manner.
"Fair enough." Raza said with a sarcastic grin on his face.
"And third, if anypony asks about me going with Lyra, tell them she convinced me and that's it." Bon Bon said in a voice that practically demanded that Raza say this to anypony who would ask. "Got it?!”
"Yes ma'am!" Raza sarcastically yelled out while giving a salute.
Bon Bon rolled her eyes at Raza, who had burst out laughing. She then looked back at Lyra, who was eagerly waiting for her. Bon Bon sighed. She loved her friends and didn't mean to act like a hard case, but she honestly felt like she was the mature one of the group. Considering that Lyra was practically obsessed with these mythical creatures, and she was now talking about a supernatural river, it was understandable why some ponies found it hard to take her seriously. Then there was Raza who, according to other ponies, was second only to Lyra when it came to strangeness. Bon Bon could still remember the day that she and Lyra had found him. They had been walking back from Sweet Apple Acres. Cider season had just finished up and they were now on their way home, when out of nowhere they heard the sound of a rustling bush. Naturally, Bon Bon's instincts told her to get Lyra and start running, but before she could do so, Lyra's curiosity kicked in and she went to the bush. Despite her better judgment, Bon Bon followed Lyra to the bush.
"Lyra, why are you going to that bush?" Bon Bon asked while still following behind Lyra.
"Because I'm curious as to what’s behind it." Lyra said while still walking to the bush.
"It could just be one of Fluttershy's animals that run away from her cottage." Bon Bon said as she moved slowly behind Lyra, hoping that she could convince Lyra to turn back.
"Well if that's the case, then we need to get it and return it to Fluttershy!" Lyra responded.
"Pony feathers." Bon Bon cursed in her head.
They continued walking to the bush together. Bon Bon stayed a few inches behind Lyra, since she was still convinced that this was a bad idea, but Lyra's curiosity always kept her determined on whatever her mind was set on, no matter what the situation happened to be. Bon Bon never knew what to make of Lyra's determination, but she always thought of two words that described it: it was either bravery or insanity. Heck, maybe both. Whatever it was, Bon Bon still felt like this determination would one day get them into a situation that they couldn't get out of. Thankfully, that wasn't the case this time, as Lyra's body language said that what she was seeing wasn't scary or horrifying, but surprising.
"Bon Bon, come here." Lyra said in a concerned tone as she stared at the object behind the bush.
Despite knowing that whatever it was that Lyra was looking at was only surprising her, Bon Bon didn’t feel any less worried, since she knew that surprises could be either good or bad, or sometimes even a combination of the two. Therefore, it only made sense that she would ask the most common question asked in situations like this.
"What is it?" She asked as she took a step closer, still cautious of whatever it was Lyra was looking at.
"It's a stallion." Lyra said, not bothering to look back at Bon Bon. "I think he's hallucinating."
"Hallucinating?" Bon Bon asked as she started pondering what a stallion would be doing out here. "What makes you think he's hallucinating?"
"He's kicking around and mumbling something in what seems like a fearful manner." Lyra said while she continued to observe the stallion.
"Let me see, Lyra." Bon Bon said as she got close enough to see if what Lyra was saying was true. As it turns out, it was.
"We need to get him to the hospital right away!" Bon Bon said.
"Right! Come on, I'll get his front hooves and you get his back hooves!" Lyra ordered as she grabbed the stallion's front hooves.
Bon Bon followed Lyra's instructions as she picked up the stallion's back hooves. However, the moment they pick the stallion up, he started to struggle as if he were trying to get away from something's grasp. Lyra and Bon Bon struggled to keep their grip on the stallion who continued to struggle and now began to start grunting. Bon Bon felt really bad for the stallion as she wondered what could have possibly happened to this stallion to cause him to be like this. Lyra, on the other hand, did feel sympathy for the stallion but was getting rather annoyed as well, as she struggled to keep her grip on the stallion. He certainly wasn't making this easy for them that was for sure. But at the same time, she couldn't just leave him like this. Celestia knows she wouldn't want other ponies leaving her like this! She just hoped that if this ever should happen to her, Luna forbid, she wouldn't be this much of a handful.
"Lyra, I'm losing my grip!" Bon Bon yelled as the stallion began struggling even harder.
"Try to hold on a little longer, Bon Bon!" Lyra responded as she herself was beginning to lose her grip on the stallion as well.
Bon Bon tried her hardest to keep her grip on the stallion. Lyra took notice of this, as she also tried to keep her own grip on the stallion, although she believed that her grip was weakening a lot faster than Bon Bon’s, who was now even more concerned for the stallion since he was already a wreck, dropping him wouldn't do him any favors. Just then, she got an idea to put the stallion back on the ground until he settled down. Before she could tell Bon Bon, however, her hooves lost their grip on the stallion, causing him to fall with the back of his head landing hard on the ground. The sound of his head slamming the ground made Lyra and Bon Bon even more worried about the stallion's well-being.
"Oh Celestia, now we really need to get him to the hospital!" Lyra said with a slightly panicked tone.
"Lyra, you're a unicorn! Use your magic to teleport us!" Bon Bon suggested after remembering Lyra's magic power.
"Oh right!" Lyra said, realizing that Bon Bon was right; teleportation would be their best bet. Those lessons with Twilight would finally pay off. Even though Lyra hadn't perfected it yet, she had gotten the best of it down and hadn't messed up the last three times she tried it, so she figured that the odds where mostly in her favor. She focused all of her magic on herself, Bon Bon, and the stallion. She began thinking of the hospital, and in a split second, they were in the hospital's waiting room. When Lyra opened her eyes and saw where they were, she felt proud of herself for getting the spell right without messing up. Sadly, she was the only one who felt this way. Bon Bon, who wasn't used to teleportation, was dizzy and looked like she was about to be sick, the stallion was still unconscious, and everypony in the hospital was incredibly surprised by what had just transpired in front of them.
"Oh, I think my cider is coming back out." Bon Bon groaned, still feeling dizzy and nauseous.
"Sorry, should have warned you." Lyra apologized to her friend before remembering the stallion. "Hey! We need some help here!"
The stallion was taken to intensive care. From what the doctors had told them, the stallion was dehydrated, delusional, and in intense pain from his head, although Lyra and Bon Bon knew the reason for that last one. When asked by the doctors if they were friends with the stallion or knew any friends or family of his, they told the doctor of how they found the stallion. Once the doctor had heard their tale, he suggested that Lyra and Bon Bon stick around until the stallion woke up and escort him back home, to which they agreed to do, as Lyra felt a bit of responsible for the stallion since she was the one who found him, as well as the fact that it was also a way that she could make up for dropping him. Bon Bon agreed to help when Lyra explained her own reasons for offering to help. Bon Bon had to admit that despite Lyra's strangeness, she had a noble heart, and that was more than enough to convince Bon Bon to help the stallion. Besides she liked meeting new people, and who knows? This stallion could eventually become a friend.
"Bon Bon!" Lyra yelled, trying to get Bon Bon's attention.
"Huh umm what?" Bon Bon jabbered as she broke away from her flashback and back into reality. "Sorry, what did you say, Lyra?"
"Are you ready to go yet?" Lyra asked with in a tone of voice that clearly stated that she was getting tired of waiting.
"Oh right." Bon Bon said, remembering that she had to go with Lyra to this River. "Let's get this over with."
Lyra was excited to finally get going. As for Bon Bon, she had finally accepted the fact that she had to go with Lyra to this river, while Raza got to stay behind and enjoy his day. Before leaving, they said their goodbyes to Raza, who responded with a see you later before reminding them to be safe. Before entering the forest, Bon Bon gave one last glance at Raza. She laughed a little when she saw him waving back. That whole flashback she had happened two and a half years ago, and when she thought back on it, she was glad that her guess was right, that Raza would become a good friend to her and Lyra. Despite their different personalities, they made a great small group of friends and roommates who had fun being together and enjoyed each other’s company. Thinking about this made Bon Bon realize that they would do all those things together the next day. For today, she would make the best of this mini adventure Lyra had her going on. Besides, it was more than likely that nothing would happen to them. Even so, that wouldn't change her opinion of the Everfree forest. She was only a few feet into this forest and already she hated it. Why Lyra enjoyed spending her time in this place, Bon Bon would never know.
"And they're off." Raza said to himself, watching Lyra and Bon Bon disappear into the forest. "Well, I got some free before they come back. What should I do?"
After pondering that for a few minutes, Raza realized that he never thought about how he would spend the rest of his day. Granted, he didn't have much time to plan out his day since Lyra had basically had the morning planed out for him and Bon Bon, considering that she had dragged both of them out here for this little meeting that didn't last longer than what, twenty minutes? Now that he was alone, he didn't know what to do. He could go back home and sleep the rest of the day off. However, that would be pointless, since he was fully awake now. He could probably go hang out with Twilight Sparkle and her friends, but those mares always had something going on in their lives that mostly only involved them, which made him feel like he, Lyra, Bon Bon, and the other residents of Ponyville where just side characters to the Element. He was friends with each of the Elements, yet it still made him feel kind of depressed to feel like part of the background almost every time something out of the ordinary happened. Raza smacked his head with his hoof trying to get rid of that thought. He had started thinking to figure out what to do with the rest of his day, not to get all depressed. He was sure that Bon Bon and Lyra where keeping themselves busy while he was here twiddling with his hooves. That last thought gave him an idea.
"Lyra might want to go back to the river, and since I told Bon Bon that I would go with her, I will have to go." Raza knew there was no denying that fact. "I might as well follow them to see where this river is and then I'll think of something to do when I’m there."
Raza caught up with Lyra and Bon Bon, who were still walking. Raza stayed far enough behind so they couldn't see him for the majority of the walk. Bon Bon just complained, while Lyra continued to lead Bon Bon and unknowingly Raza to the river. Raza didn't like the feeling of this forest. Yes, it was the Everfree Forest, but something about the direction that Lyra was going just felt wrong. Like, something here was not meant to be found and they should just turn back now, forget about this, go home, hang out with Lyra and Bon Bon as usual, and never come back to this place.
You don't want to do that.
"What?" Raza looked around wondering who had just said that. "I'm just hearing things."
You think so...
"Ok, now I'm getting scared." Raza felt a shiver going up his spine.
Your losing sight of them.
"What?" Raza looked to see that the voice was right. He was indeed losing sight of Lyra and Bon Bon. "Oh buck, I need to catch up."
Get going...
"Just in my head. Just in my head." Raza repeatedly told himself, hoping the voice was just him being paranoid.
“It’s right about here, I think.” Lyra said as she looked into the water.
These words brought relief to Raza, happy to finally see this river and then go back home. Staying a couple of meters behind them, he could see where they were standing. Whatever she was looking at must have been the river, although he couldn't get a good look at it from where he was. Raza than realized that Bon Bon was not with–
“Let me see it first!” Bon Bon yelled.
Bon Bon finally burst forward and fell straight onto her face. If Raza could laugh without getting noticed, he would, but he decided to hold it in until after he had left. That reminded him that now that he had seen the river's location, he could leave now.
"Have fun, girls." Raza said in his head. He then turned around and began walking back towards Ponyville.
You should stay...
"The voice again? Oh Celestia." Raza said, feeling the chill returning. He started moving faster.
And watch what happens next.
"It's just my mind playing tricks on me." Raza stared moving faster, but slowed down when he heard a pony shout.
“No! I’m not going to take any more of this craziness you’re shoving down my throat!” Raza heard coming from where he had left.
"Was that Bon Bon?" Raza looked back. "No, it couldn't have been. She would never yell at Lyra like that."
Go back...
"They're fine. Darn forest is messing with my mind." Raza started walking away again.
I said go back.
"It's just the forest." Raza was trying his hardest to keep himself calm but that voice was really starting to get to him.
You're going to miss it...
Just then Raza heard screaming coming from behind him! The first thing his mind came up with was Lyra and Bon Bon where in trouble. Instead of going back to check it out, however, he just stared running faster than he thought he was capable of. Still, a part of him kept telling him to go back and check on his friends but once he saw the exit his hooves went into overdrive. Getting out and away from this haunting voice was all he wanted to do.
Go Back, You Stupid Puppet!
Raza looked and saw what looked like the tree’s branches coming to life and reaching down to grab him, trying to drag him back deeper into the forest! He struggled against the branches in an effort to break free, but every time he broke free from one branch, three more grabbed him and pulled harder.
Go back and see your end!
Tears began to fall from Raza’s eyes as he felt his sanity being ripped from his mind in the same way that he felt his body was going to end if these trees continued to pull on him, though this wouldn't last long as he felt his body getting weaker. Raza felt light hit his eyes. He looked up to see the exit only a few feet away. Seeing this brought the adrenaline back into his body and he began to struggle again. Once he’s able to get his hooves free, he started running, since he knew that his life depended on it. The branches grip started to weaken as Raza ran faster and harder. After what felt like an eternity of struggling, he finally broke free and ran for the exit. The branches reached for him, but Raza jumped to the outside of the Everfree forest before the branches could grab a hold of his back hooves. Raza ran to Ponyville without looking back but soon started to hear the screams and cries of Lyra and Bon Bon.
Return!
Raza screamed as he awoke from his flashback, returning back to reality. He was still in the shower, with the hot water still pouring on him. He looked straight up at the shower head, letting the hot water splash all over his face, then rubbed his face with it as he thought about his flashback.
"What was that?" He wondered. “That was more than a flashback; it felt like some kind of distorted dream."
Raza turned off the water and got out of the shower. Once he was out he looked at himself in the mirror and saw that his eyes were blood shot. Had he been crying? Raza deeply sighed; he hated how this day was starting, all this madness and craziness and it was only six a.m. SIX A.M.?! Pony feathers, he was going to be late for work! Raza ran through his house, getting himself ready as fast as he could. Within a few minutes, he was done. He headed for the door, but then looked back to see that the house still a mess. He knew Bon Bon was going to get on his case when she got back for not cleaning up, but he decided that this would have to be a necessary annoyance. Besides, he could always come back later and clean up. Tomorrow will always be there, after all. With that thought in his mind, he left for the Ponyville post office.
The next few hour where tough on Raza, because for the whole time that he was delivering the mail, he kept hearing voices all around him. He tried to ignore them, but it wasn’t long before the voices began screaming. These screams started to freak Raza out as the screams slowly went from quiet to loud echoes that where ringing through his ears. He felt like he was about to begin screaming himself from the sheer pain these screams where causing him, until suddenly, just like with the whispers, the screaming had stopped, just like that. However, before Raza was able to find a sense of relief, the maniacal laughter from his dream entered his head once more. He grunted as he started bashing his head against a mailbox, hoping that physical pain would take his mind off of the mental pain. Sadly, he was wrong, as all the physical pain did was give him a headache.
"Oh Sweet Celestia, I Beg You! Make It Stop!!" Raza yelled out before falling back onto the floor.
Right after he said that, the laughter stopped. Raza started breathing rapidly to try to catch his breath. Deep down, he felt that the worst was yet to come. As a result he immediatly tried to prepare himself for whatever mental torture would come next.
Go back...
The voices, screaming, and laughter all returned together. Raza fell to the ground, screaming and struggling. This was more than he could handle, his very sanity felt like it was being ripped from his mind, while his body felt like it was on fire. Why was this happening to him? What had he done to deserve this horrible torture?
Go Back!
"Alright! I'll go! Just stop it!" Raza yelled to the voice.
Good.
And just like that, it all just stopped. The voices, screaming, laughter were all gone. Raza got back up, wiped his tears from his eyes, and looked around to see if anypony had witnessed what had just happened to him. Surprisingly, no one had been around to see him. It didn't matter though. Raza decided to head straight to Twilight’s library, hoping that she might have a solution to this problem. He knew that he would take heat from his boss later, but it didn’t matter. He needed somepony to talk to right now, and Twilight was the best pony to talk with. He ran straight to Twilight's library, not stopping for anything until he had arrived. Once he reached the door, he knocked rapidly on it. Twilight ran to the door and quickly opened it to see that Raza was in front of her. The way he looked worried her, but before she could ask Raza what was wrong, he stormed in, pushing Twilight inside. Twilight was a little angry that Raza would just barge into her home without even explaining why, but when she looked at his eyes, her anger quickly dissipated. His eyes were full of fear and pain. Whatever drove Raza to act the way he did wasn't something small, that much was clear. She desperatly wanted to know what happened to him. Raza explained everything that had happened to him this past morning. Twilight was shocked at all the horrors that Raza had gone through in just one morning.
"All that... It just seems like a distorted dream." Twilight said, still shocked by Raza story.
"Yeah, that's what I said too." Raza said, just staring at the ground.
"…You think Lyra and Bon Bon being gone had anything to do with your nightmares?" Twilight asked, all while thinking of theories of what might be causing this strange phenomenon.
"I doubt it. They've only been gone for one day. I'm expecting them to be back today, if not already." Raza said, taking a seat on the floor. "You think maybe it's the Everfree Forest messing with my head?"
“That is a possibility, but it’s a very slim one. The Everfree has never been known to inflict psychological torment to anypony outside of it. And you only spent a few minutes, minus the trees coming to life sequence, right?" Twilight asked.
"Yeah. I think so. I don't know, I wasn't exactly keeping track of time." Raza said, starting to worry about his mental stability. "You think I should be worried?"
"I honestly wish I could give you an answer Raza, I really do." Twilight said, in apologetic manner, "But honestly, I'm not sure what to make of your predicament."
"That's just want anypony who thinks he's losing his mind wants to hear." Raza said sarcastically, all while facing down, feeling helpless.
"I’m sorry, Raza. I wish –” Twilight was cut off by Raza, who raised a hoof to her.
"Thanks for taking the time to listen, Twilight, I appreciate it. But I'm gonna go home now." Raza said as he headed towards the door.
"Wait, maybe there are some test we can perform some –” Twilight said before being interrupted again.
"Again, thanks Twilight, but I'm tired. I just want to go home and rest." Raza said, opening the door and heading out. "Bye Twilight, see you around."
Raza didn't bother to wait for Twilight to exchange her own farewell, even though he still heard her say goodbye, instead opting to just let door close as he walked towards home. He was disappointed that Twilight couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. If she didn't know, no pony would know. He decided to put that thought in the back of his head, for now he wanted to focus on something else, specifically seeing Lyra and Bon Bon back home from the river. He hoped that their company could make him forget about the nightmares, the voice, and the laughter. One question did plague his mind, however: What if Lyra and Bon Bon hadn't returned from the river? Would he have to worry? Would he report their disappearance to somepony? This day just seemed to be full of questions with very few answers.
"Things have got to get better, right?" He asked himself, although he was unable to think of a response.