Seeing Things

by BigBadWolf

Booze

"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!"