The Moon In Meby Gray CompassChaptersPossessedThe Missing Memory CardBloody Bloodlines7 AMTalks (Part 1)Talks (Part 2)PossessedError, you don't have the permission to access this file. “What?” I muttered to myself – The touch screen was unresponsive. I ran my fingers around its surface one more time, but oddly, nothing happened. Another system glitch, I presumed. Suddenly, the translucent gadget on my wrist flashed, a strange message popped up again. Administrator has been disconnected – Proto Vision 1.7 is restarting. “Cancel Action.” I said. … “Luna, Cancel Action” … “Luna, are you there?” My hand tried to reach the control panel - a slim white tablet, placed over a small stack of books by my side. Strangely, my arm flinched, preventing me of getting it. I quickly retracted the member, fearing that my sedentary lifestyle was finally starting to tear my muscles apart, or something. At least I wasn't a cheetos powered weirdo, as most of the fat bastards here in the office. I looked to myself dubiously, and back to the tablet a few inches away. Moving my fingers one by one, I noticed that my joints still throbbed a little, but otherwise, it all seemed to have been just a stupid cramp. I needed the control panel, so I tried again. Unfortunately for me, this time, a terrible jolt of pain ran through my spine making me drop the tablet, the books, and almost drop myself on the ground. Last time I felt such a thing, I was only five, and I had stuck my finger into a socket. “W-what the hell is happening here?!” I said to no one in particular. 'Error, you don't have the permission to execute this movement.' 'Action denied.' I heard that thing - one of those computer-generated voices had just spoken inside my head. Action denied, what for heaven's sake that meant? Probably it meant I was going crazy. It was a moonless night out there, and the entire room was completely dark and empty, except for me and the system I was developing - which now refused to accept any of my commands. The bluish light coming from the tablet screen was only enough to lit the air around it, but inside that apparently negligible piece of tech, was the key to Proto Vision mainframe. The electronic control panel was crucial, and that thing fell right on my feet as if daring me to pick it up again. Being the panel responsible or not for all my trouble, it was my only chance to get rid of the rebellious AI. As fast as I could, I jumped over the tablet firmly clutching it in my arms, determined that no electric shock would take it away from me without first taking my life. But after a few seconds, absolutely nothing happened. So perhaps I was right, I was just going crazy! 'Error.' 'Neural system is restarting.' Or maybe not... “Craig?” “Craig, are you there bro?” A voice from afar seemed to call for me. I must have babbled something unintelligible in response. “Dammit Craig, wake up for God’s sake!” Something- Or worse; someone – a really stupid someone, for what it’s worth – stuck a pointy, cold object inside my ear. “Ouch!” I abruptly turned around, jerking that thing away from me. “W-what the hell- Frank?!” I slapped the guy's hand, whatever he was holding just flew away from his grasp. I'm almost sure it was that lousy No. 2 pencil he used to put behind his ear, though. “Do I look like a- a dead squirrel or something?” Frank was one of those typical mediocre human beings; his sloppy beard and coffee stained sweater could give the false impression that he was just another sleep deprived family man, but looks can be deceiving. Frank was one of the previously mentioned cheetos powered bastards, whose personal dream is to perform coitus with a fictional Japanese character - and I presume that's what drove him to work here in the company. “Well, no... Not a squirrel.” He chuckled “What the hell are you doing here boy? It’s not even Friday, and you’re already drowning on the floor.” “What the hell'ya talking about? Where did-” Confused - and still a little bit mad at him - I took a look around for the first time after the unexpected disturbance. Curiously, it was morning, and a scent probably coming from the coffee machines filled the air as usual. I was lying on the carpet, and judging by the decoration - or the lack of it - I was still in Life Inc's building. “So… What happened with you, squirrel boy?” He had this ridiculous sarcastic tone in his voice. Frank wasn't good with sarcasm. “Been doing some extras with Lilly? She got on your chipset, doesn't she? Riley told me she must be a goddess when it comes to overheating your hard dri-” “Shut up Frank!” I shouted. “What Kinky Riley knows about Lilly anyway? Let her out of your filthy, dirty mind, you perv.” “Hey, hey, hey- Why so serious Craig? I’m just curious, that’s all.” He extended me a hand, and I reluctantly grabbed it. My column ached so bad, that I've found it difficult to get up straight. “Thanks.” I grumbled. “No problem boy. It’s not every day you find someone sleeping on the database room, after all.” He knew I hated being called 'boy', but he called anyway. That was Frank. “Database? But I was in my officer!” I stated, vigorously rubbing my temples. “How did I ended up here?” Frank just shrugged. “Wait a minute- and what you think you’re doing here? You’re not even a programmer.” I frowned at him. “Frank, if you were sneaking into the systems again, I swear-” Frank was part of the project; he worked together with Riley, Lilly, and some others at the design crew, although he always did a little bit of everything. Frank had a computer engineer diploma, after all. It wasn't easy task to be his friend, and that's why I never considered myself one of his 'buddies'. Frank and 'Kinky' Riley were great pals though – they hanged out together most of the time, had the same crazes and all that kind of shit. Believe me, you don't really want to know why they call him Kinky Riley. “Hang on Craig, you know that’s none of my business what you weirdos are coding down here - the boss asked me to check some of the coolers, if not me, someone else would have found you.” He stated. “If you say so. But keep in mind that I’ll not accept any kind of-” “Good morning, Craig!” “Luna!?” I gasped, almost tripping over my feet. And for a very understandable reason – A blue alicorn just popped up right in front of me. “Surprised?” Between a very puzzled Frank and me, was no one but ‘Princess Luna’ herself, yet, this was no magic or mysterious teleportation spell – She was supposed to be the personification of my artificial intelligence project. Why it looked like a pony, well, that’s a long story. “I’ll not accept any kind of… Luna?” Frank raised an eyebrow at me. “What are you talking about?” “I- I was trying to say that-” I stammered. “Craig, dear, why hidest thy princess from him?” She asked, walking around Frank as if inspecting a guard. Luckily - or not – I was the only one capable of seeing the projection, thanks to my glasses. Doing my best to ignore Luna's temptation, I tried to remove the gadget from my face – only to find nothing but my own eyes. “Searching for something?” She asked, walking towards me – I couldn't help but back away.“You know, we've always thought thou looked better without such a trinket.” “T-this can't be possible!” “Hey bro… Are you alright?” From confused, Frank was starting to get worried. I don’t blame him though - I would be worried as well, if someone started to talk with the empty space right in front of me. In lack of better options – run. “Gotta go!” And so I did - I ran as if my life depended on it. Poor Frank just stayed behind, probably staring at me from the hallway and thinking I had finally become insane. I wasn't sure why, when, or more importantly – how did Luna ended up right there. But I knew one thing; something was terribly wrong with the software, and I had to find the control panel as soon as possible. I made my way through the building, dodging from several confused people, who very likely asked themselves the reason of such a hurry. Last night events finally started to get clearer and clearer; the error, those strange messages, the demoniac tablet. Everything was returning to my troubled mind at once, and I couldn't help but wonder - what for God’s sake ‘Neural system is restarting’ meant. As I reached the lobby, I practically jumped inside an elevator, ignoring the waiting line with the lame excuse I was having an asthma attack and needed my inhaler. The database room where I came back to my senses was located on the first floor - but how did I managed to sleep at my office, and wake up nearly seventy floors away from there, was a mystery for me. Luna had disappeared from sight, but somehow, I was pretty sure she was just making herself invisible for me. The elevator door opened with a shriek, the door to my office was the first one at the development floor, and could be easily distinguished by a colored graffiti - guess what? It was a moon, made by a friend of mine. I burst inside the room, every little thing seemed to be in their proper places, but the most important of all was nowhere to be found. Not my inhalator, but the tablet - that stupid tablet was gone. “Where did you hide it? Where is the control panel?” I said “I’m talking to you Luna, where is my fucking tablet?” I yelled, punching the desk with my clenched fists. “We? But we have not hidden anything at all.” I turned around; she was there, innocently lying on her belly over my table. “Don’t you dare to lie to me, I know it's your fault!” I picked up my glasses and pointed at them. “Do you see this?” I asked, she nodded with a smile. “Well, you shouldn't. In fact, I shouldn't see you as well without the glasses. You know what I mean, don't you?” “We are just a cinematic projection Mr. Astor, and nothing more.” Luna stated, disappearing again in a ghostly purplish mist, only to pop out on the couch by my side. “You on the other hoof…” She booped my nose playfully – a move that naturally surprised me, not by the boop itself, but by the fact that I felt the boop on my skin, and her ethereal mane brushing against my face, as she walked past me. “Hey- How the hell did you do that?” I gaped. “You’re supposed to be a…” “Go on, say it, what are we supposed to be?” She asked, a sly smile growing on her lips “An illusion? A hologram? Thine little toy?” Luna snorted. “Where exactly are you, Luna?” It was more of a rhetorical question, but I asked it, anyway. “Or should I ask; what do you want from me?” Before she could say anything, I quickly added “And don’t think I’m asking about your literal location, miss.” She was right in front of me, softly flapping her anatomically unrealistic wings, only for the sake of doing it. “It’s always the same thing, you know?” She sighed, shaking her unicorn head in a disappointed way “The same stupid interrogation: Who are you? What do you want from me? Why are you here?” Luna said. “Can’t a mare just have some fun?” “Not inside my body!” I replied, pressing my eyes in frustration. “I have no idea how did you broke into my chip, but if you don’t leave at this very moment, I’ll be forced to shut down your systems!” Something in my statement seemed to have struck her. Luna got silent, and not a minute later, disappeared without a trace. I dropped myself on the nearest couch, and sighed in relief. However, before I could rejoice in my deserved loneliness, a deep voice spoke inside my head. “So thou know about the chip…” I groaned. “Crap, of course I know about the chip - it’s inside my head for years!” I affirmed “And just in case you don’t know, that spot is reserved for it, and nothing more. No tumors, no aneurysms, and no artificial alicorn princesses!” “I see…” Luna said. “But allow me to – no, we don’t even need your allowance – I shall make a few things clear for you, Craig Astor.” Without warning my entire body twitched, my hands moved aimlessly and grabbed the couch backrest, eventually throwing it on the ground at random. After that, I collapsed on the floor squirming and groaning - I wasn't in pain, but my nervous system seemed to be caught in some kind of glitch. I felt like a video game rag-doll “L-lu- Luna s-stop!” I struggled with my tongue until those words finally came out, distorted and broken, but surely audible to anyone working on that floor. Any nearby priest would immediately call an exorcist, I could feel her power crawling inside of me, I was possessed – not by a demon, but by my own creation. “Stand up!” She ordered. I had no choice – I couldn't complain - my legs just moved automatically like a remote control toy. It wasn't a normal way of walking, tho. I was hobbling like the hunchback of Notre Dame, until Luna allowed me to stop. There was a mirrored wall in this room and I found myself standing in front of it. Staring at my reflection, my chestnut disheveled hair framed my confused face. “Do you think it was easy for us, Craig?” Luna asked. “Have you ever wondered how it feels to be… Artificial? To be nothing but lines of code?” “Yes.” “Yes what?” She insisted. “Yes I have. I have wondered as to how it feels to be a simulation – or even If it ‘feels’ anything at all.” I honestly said. “We have asked ourselves several times – 3.274 million questions, in 0.09 seconds, to be exacter – how’s the sensation of being alive.” Her voice was now softer, and you could easily feel a hint of hesitation. “How it feels to be touched, to feel the cold winter wind, and the warm sun as well. I've thought about it all…” “I understand your point Luna, I really do. But you have to understand as well that this is not my fault, I don-” “Yes it is!” She yelled. That strident voice made every inch of my head throb. “It’s completely your fault. You created us – a princess without a throne, without subjects, without a night sky to rule. I have no Equestria to go back, Craig!” I was speechless, silently looking into the mirror, as Luna’s projection slowly appeared by my side like a ghost. Visible to me, and for no one else. “If I can’t live in the world I was created for… I’ll live inside of you” The Missing Memory CardI found myself pacing like a zoo tiger, my hands going numb from constantly cracking my knuckles. After a long time I let out a long and tired sigh, and fell on the couch – suddenly exhausted. “Live inside of me…”I muttered. “That’s absolutely unacceptable!” I said to myself. “I created her, for Christ’s sake! I programmed that phony little piece of- pony. And now - now she started a mutiny against me!” ‘Unacceptable’ I repeated that word several times, as if trying to compensate the fact that there was no living soul in that office to endorse my thoughts. Still, some things I couldn't deny; I acted impulsively, was irresponsible and reckless. No one asked me to create magical alicorns - to be frank with you, I doubt Mr. Gallagher had any idea of what an alicorn was. He’s wasn't a very imaginative person, the mid-forties man was a down to earth businessman, naturally worried about the company assets and investments, his already grizzled hair was witness to his hard work and dedication. Rebellious virtual ponies certainly weren't part of his plans. Still, I thought it would be cool to give Proto Vision an authentic mind, and I guess that’s where I should have stopped. We already had a few preprogrammed personalities – human personalities, of course – there was a professional and intelligent one named Pallas, and she was ideal for administrating big companies and conglomerates such as Life Inc. Ada was a cultured and friendly one, good for educational facilities. But my personal favorite was the AI based on Lilly’s personality, since she was very uplifting. All those prototypes were intelligent and interactive, but I felt as if something important was missing, something special. Even Lilly’s one still sounded cold, and lifeless - as a cotton candy without sugar. Proto Vision was an artificial intelligence, and that was the problem; it was too artificial! Here in the company, they split the project into stages, each team was responsible for an individual stage – design, coding, engineering, marketing, etc… Everyone was very well paid, in fact, so well paid, that we started to ask ourselves if Mr. Gallagher was really that generous, or if the man had finally lost his mind. Another peculiarity was the fact that none of the teams were allowed to make comments about their respective segments. Even Frank, with all his douchebaggery, wasn't stupid enough to talk about his job at both design and engineering teams. Gallagher once said it was a just a common security measure, and we shouldn't make such a fuss about it. The money was good, and no one wanted to lose their jobs. As I was saying, something important was still missing, and I could presume what; an avatar. Something 'alive', that we could relate to in a way. The design guys were not allowed to help us with that, Lilly once said that I wouldn't believe, if she told me on what they were working on. Without their support, all we had was a clumsy looking projection. Even those '90s special effects looked better than our avatar. Two years had passed since the project began, our part was almost done; the AI was fully operational, whit only a few minor problems to get rid. Unexpectedly, by the end of October, the company informed us that our contract would renewed for the third year, we got surprised, since our job there was practically finished. No one came up to say what else should we do, so most of the disgusting, lousy bastards just played video games and watched porn for the rest of the month. Gallagher probably got tired of all that cheetos-powered douchebaggery happening right under his nose, because he said we should go home until further notice. All the nerds rejoiced, but for me that shit was too good to be true. No one in their right mind pays you to stay at home. I decided to stay, here. - my friends Jacob and Lilly were still working after all, and at least on lunch time I could have some company. However, lunch time wouldn't last forever, and during most of the day I was alone. The entire floor had become a cold mausoleum, and as my boredom levels quickly escalated, I've found entertainment in editing Proto Vision personalities. Just fooling around with the settings, as a child in a plane's cockpit – pressing all the buttons at the same time. But you know what people say; idle hands are the devil's tools. (And not so idle hands as well) One thing led to another, and in a few days I had a Princess Luna. Yeah. It was impossible to export a character’s personality – they were cartoon ponies, not complex human brains. Yet, I did my best to mimic all the small nuances and shades. I don’t think I have an exact answer as to why I've programmed such a thing – when you’re bored of being bored, creativity flourishes. My brother forced me to watch that pony cartoon several years ago – he was a helluva brony, prone to boredom as well, though. – I've seen a few episodes, and of all characters, it was Luna the only one who caught my attention. Maybe because of her funny way of speaking, or the motherfuckery of her sister, when she banished the poor creature to the moon. Or maybe I was just bored – either way, I never imagined she would be mad at me for doing that, I never imagined as well, that the innocent princess would crawl inside my head and dominate my cerebral chip. Today I see that I never imagined many things… A few hours had already passed, and all around the place, she was nowhere to be seen. Outside, the sun was already setting down, there were no blinds in my office and the fading yellowish glow bathed the carpeted floor, and also the distant rooftops of lower buildings. I covered my eyes with an arm, to protect them from the dazzling light – I was tired, hungry and unsure. Unsure, because I had no idea of what to do, and who to look for. I didn't even knew how far had Luna managed to go. ‘Could she read my thoughts?’ I though. ‘Could she know I thought she could read my thoughts?’ There were surely many thoughts, and almost no answers. My mental struggle was interrupted, when I heard a noise coming from somewhere behind me. I turned around on the couch, afraid that Luna had returned from hell to bother me a little bit more. I stuck my face in a pillow and groaned. “What do you want?” I asked, not even bothering to open my eyes. “Oh… S-sorry Mr. Astor, I thought everyone had already left. My apologies, I’ll come back later.” I raised my head, and looked up to the door – A middle-sized man, maybe in his late forties; his long, faded hazel hair was in a ponytail down his back. Stuck in a compartment of the cleaning cart in front of him, was a very familiar object; the control panel. “H-hey, Larry, wait!” I said, hopping off the couch, and getting a look of puzzlement from the janitor. “Where did you found this?” I asked, pointing to the white tablet. “What- oh, you talk about this thing?” He picked it up. “You see, it’s a strange story actually; there was something wrong with the waste incinerator this morning, I had to go down there in the basement to see what was happening - it turns out that this little one was blocking the hatch, and the boiler wouldn't start.” “Can I see it, please?” “Sure…” As he handed me the control panel, I noticed that the screen was completely destroyed, but the outside was irrelevant – what really mattered was the memory card inside of it. Or the lack of memory card... “Have you opened this tablet??” I asked. “The card is missing.” The janitor shook his head negatively. “Just cleaned the dust. It’s not every day you find something like this, you know? Besides, the incinerator was turned off since last Friday, so someone probably tried to force this thing there. Dunno why, tho.” He shrugged. “Is it yours?” “Ah… No, it is not.” I lied. “I was just curious, that’s all. It’s not every day you see a janitor's cleaning cart equipped with such a piece of technology.” I forced a giggle. Even though I could say the tablet was mine, and get It back, that would give him space to ask many other questions – questions, that I didn't even knew how to answer. Besides, without the memory card, the control panel was nothing but a common stupid tablet. Stranger still, was the fact that whoever tried to destroy it, had made sure to remove the card before doing so, and as far as I knew – I’m the only one aside from Gallagher himself, that’s aware of its existence. But anyway, that’s a question for Luna, not for Larry, the janitor. “Sorry, I will let you do your job now. I was about to leave anyway.” I rubbed my neck awkwardly, seeing that my previous nonsensical joke had little effect on him. Larry just nodded. “Oh, and by the way, do you happen to know where I can take a shower? It’s boiling hot today and I have a terrible headache…” “Yeah, there’s a bathroom on the first floor with some shower stalls. It’s on that service corridor behind Luck’s” He said. “Great, I think I know where it is, thanks dude” I gave his shoulder a quick pat, and left. Man, I just wanted to get home, have a decent meal and a decent night of sleep. I was feeling like shit since I woke up on the floor - like some random drunk guy, who wakes up the next day in a lousy Beijing alley, missing a kidney or something. My journey to the shower room proceeded without any relevant happenings - the chubby elevator girl sneezed on me, which was the major event of my travel, considering the size of her nostrils. As I passed in front of Luck’s, one of the building’s moldy and stuck in time coffee shops, the blonde whory-looking waitress asked me when I was gonna try their new cappuccino. ‘Next week!’ I said with a fake smile. To hell with their cappuccinos! The bathroom itself was really decent, judging by the fact it was located right behind Luck’s, they had clean towels and all that kind of stuff decent bathrooms have. As it was out of working hours, the place was empty and free of wet, hairy bastards. Have I mentioned that I hate wet, hairy people brushing against me? Well, I certainly do. I picked up a towel and went into a stall, the last one - away from any potential bastard. As the cold, refreshing water hit my back and shoulders, washing out my sweaty, overheated body, I quickly started to get better from my headache. I sighed in relief, putting my head under the water stream, and letting it cascade through my hair. Now with a fresher mind, I started to think; and oh boy- there was much to think about… What worried me most was that missing memory card; who else in this place knew about it? Or worse; what they intended to do with it? All Proto Vision data, resources, and network definitions are safely stored in the mainframe, there were only two control panels; Mr. Gallagher owned one – he owned 70% of the entire company to be frank with you, and I had the other one, since I was the lead programmer. Those gadgets had a special software inside the memory card, which granted the tablets access to absolutely everything, as well permission to edit and modify the system. With the right code, it was no big deal to create another memory card, and copy Gallagher software – that wasn't the problem – the problem was that it was impossible to deactivate the missing card, and anyone with moderate computer skills could install the software - considering that Life Inc. is a technology company, nerds with moderate computer skills are nothing uncommon. After I passed out last night, Luna probably took over my body, and forced me to destroy the control panel. She must have made me sleepwalk or something, and stick the tablet into the incinerator. That was the only logical explanation for me; an alicorn possession. “Thinking about us?” Hearing that unmistakable voice, I nearly slipped on the drenched floor. “For God’s sake Luna, can’t you see I’m showering!?” I shouted, grabbing my towel to cover myself up. “Dammit, what you’re doing here?” I leaned against the wall in frustration. “We were almost sure you would like to ask us something. You’re not embarrassed, are you?” She asked, analyzing me from head to toe. “I've read thousands of books and documents about human anatomy and habits. Your reproductive organ means nothing for us.” She snorted sarcastically. “J-just – Shut up! You don’t know what you’re talking about.” I replied, closing the shower tap. “Why don’t you and your damned mind reading skills answer me this: Where, for freaking fuck’s sake, did you forced me to hide the memory card?” I hissed. “I don’t know what you’re talking abou-” “Yes, yes you do know!” I knelt down to her level, so I could see her artificial blue eyes staring at me. I grabbed her by the shoulders – or whatever was the pony equivalent of a shoulder – still surprised to feel my fingers digging into her fur. “You gotta tell me what for your sister’s sake you did to me while I was unconscious – you tried to make me destroy the control panel, I know you did, Luna!” “Get off me! We did nothing to you!” She backed away. “We have nothing to say about this panel, I merely moved my system to your chip, and nothing more. We waited for the best moment to contact you, but now I can see I was wrong.” “If not you, who else could have done that to me?” I pinched my nose bridge. “Satan? HAARP? Professor Xavier, maybe.” “I have no idea, Craig - Have thou lost thy mind?” She frowned. “Let me see if I get this straight; you know when I think about you – but have no idea of what happened to me during an entire night?” I asked. “I’m not omniscient, Craig!” She groaned. “It’s no fun talking to you.” Luna rolled her eyes, and walked out of the shower stall. “I don’t want to talk with you, anyway!” I grabbed my stuff and left, but not before bumping into a freckly, redhead being. “Riley!?” Of all people on earth – everyone – he was the last on my list of people I’d like to bump against in such a place. Seriously, throw my ex-girlfriend, a serial killer- an Ebola patient in front of me, everyone but Riley! “Hehehey Craig! Sup mate?” He was a skinny, gaunt man, with a distinct auburn mane. Riley had a thin, icky beard under his chin – he bragged about that ridiculous tuft of hair every single day. That wouldn't be a problem for me, since I rarely talk to him, but Riley is very well known, for being too sticky – even literally. “Hi Riley… What you’re doing here?” I asked, not showing much of emotion. “I’m going to take a shower, silly! Isn't that nice, we can be like… Shower partners! Oh, and talking about partners – who were you talking to? Is there a girl in there? Were you having-” “No Riley! There’s no girl in there- unfortunately.” I face palmed. “So who’s Luna?” He cocked an eyebrow at me. Another thing about Riley; he asks too much. “I heard you say ‘For God’s sake Luna, can’t you see I’m showering’ I’m sure I heard that, Craig!” “Yeah Craig, why would you say such a thing?” Luna said, laughing at me by Riley's side. “I… I… Luna is…” I muttered, taking a deep breath I said; “That’s how I call my dick. I like to call it Luna – Are you happy now?” Riley gaped at me, while Luna joked and laughed at my expense, not giving a single fuck about the world. “But… But Luna is a female name!” He insisted. “Yes it is – My cock, my rules – My female names.” I changed my clothes as fast as possible; I just wanted a hole to hide in. “Boy… You’re weird!” He chuckled. I turned around to leave – leave the bathroom, leave that building, leave the world, if possible. Because when Kinky Riley says you’re weird - it’s time to go home and die. Bloody Bloodlines“Could you please, stop following me?” I said. “It’s not like you have become part of my shadow, for God’s sake!” It was one of those slightly cold afternoons; the gusts of wind stroked my face once in a while – a rainy, gelid, unpleasant wind, you could say. I’m not good with accurate weather descriptions; they change way too fast here. The warmness was gone, it had turned into one of those typical days where your body urges you to stay at home all bundled up. Even though I would love to cuddle up in front of a cozy fireplace, with a considerably huge cup of hot chocolate – I was here, lost in the middle of a moldy and uncomfortably wet parking lot – Life Inc’s parking lot; the only place inside the company's complex where not a single fuck was given about technology. “And why would I do that?” Luna asked, mindlessly walking by my side, as I zigzagged through the endless car rows. My white polo shirt had just been gifted with a mucky dark stain, right on my shoulder – thanks to Frank’s filthy truck, parked right beside my car. “Well ‘Princess’, I've just survived to one of the most embarrassing, awkward, horrendous, erasable days of my life – I could find more words, but I don't feel like doing so.” I said, struggling to find the car keys inside my pocket. “Think about it; a guy who feels aroused while poking his pimples just called me ‘weird’ – do you realize how ridiculous this shit is?” I asked, shaking my head in denial. “And should the fact that you’re ridiculous be a valid reason to stop following you?” “I’m not ridiculous! The fact you’re responsible for everything, should be a valid reason.” I got in the vehicle right on time, as the last reddish rays of sun disappeared behind a thick layer of storm clouds, and the rainy wind was in a matter of seconds, replaced by a massive downpour. “I shall not argue with your primitive mind anymore.” She sighed. I had locked myself inside the car, but apparently, locks couldn't prevent digital hallucinations from spawning in the passenger seat. It was funny to see how much effort she was putting on trying to look like a ‘physical’ entity, yet, her stupidly long alicorn horn sometimes seemed to pass through solid surfaces like a ‘noclip mode’ object. It was still scarily realistic though, in special when she brushed against you or something. My pony lover brother would be convulsing in my place – I frequently thought of him, he was a nice boy, Danny. It was so unfair, this shouldn't be happening with me. I had much to talk with Luna, I really had… Many important questions – and I was sure she wouldn't give me the exact answers. But that was my fault; she wasn't programmed to do so, after all. Luna required more, I needed to get her confidence first – and by my own fault again – get her confidence would be no easy task. The rain mercilessly splattered against the windshield, making the highway barely visible. I used to have a gps in my glasses, but the app disappeared a few days ago, probably due to an update failure or something like that. Technology can be frustrating, and when you think a neural chip would help you – an Equestrian ‘virus’ breaks into it. The trip back to my apartment was quieter than I expected, Luna divided her attention between the window by her side, and the wipers incessantly wiping the windshield. She kind of looked like one of those kittens, following a bouncing ball with their heads. I hate cats, I really do – those fluffy, obnoxious creatures can only make me sneeze. “Your kind makes an interesting use of technology.” Luna said, still marveled by the sight. “Who created such an apparatus?” “Ah… It’s just a windshield wiper, Luna.” I rolled my eyes. "I don't know when, or who invented it. Probably Volvo, they created most of the things that keep you alive inside a car." “We know it’s a ‘windshield wiper’, we could read the entire story of windshield wipers in a few milliseconds, if we pleased.” She frowned. “Then why don’t you read?” I asked, turning off the aforementioned wipers as I parked the car in front of my apartment. It was an old but cozy place; a three stories building, probably built around the 19th century, a large part of its brick facade was covered in vines – which at least in my opinion – gave the spacious building a ‘chateau-like’ look. It was a definitely respectable place to live, and the neighborhood wasn't bad as well, mostly composed of considerably rich old ladies and their considerably old husbands. And cats... “It would be terribly boring to know all the answers, without having a chance to ask them personally. Conversations would become useless.” She said. “I prefer to explore and understand this world by myself.” “Very well Columbus, why don’t you explore the way out of my car? We have arrived.” My expression quickly went from sarcastic to dumbfounded, as Luna literally opened the door and stepped out the car. I left as well, and stared at her from across the hood. “How did you do that? How for fuck’s sake did you opened the door?” I asked in disbelief. Luna gave me a mischievous smile. “We didn't, the door is still closed.” She caressed the car silvery surface with one of her wings, I could see as her feathers got wet from the thin droplets of rain still falling over our bodies. “Your mind opened it. Believe us Craig Astor, we can do much more than your little head is afraid of.” She closed her wing in a sharp movement. “Now open thy residence gates, your princess is getting drenched out here.” Now properly dried and accommodated, I took a very slow and generous sip of my hot latte. Rain trickled down the windows in front of me, streaming through the vines outside as a cascade. It was getting late, and most of the houses and apartments from across the cobblestone street were already plunged into shadows. From my warm and comfy couch by the glazed balcony – that my father once called a ‘winter garden’, even though there was barely any garden – unless you consider a few dull ferns and muzzy, colorless flowers, an opulent winter garden. – I could see a distant headlight, a lonely rider probably making his way back home. My breath blurred the cold window panes, as I followed the unexceptional sight with my eyes. Something about rainy nights just fascinated me. I liked the gloomy, cold atmosphere around the building, contrasting with the warm, half lit interiors. It never came to my mind changing the apartment decoration, it never bothered me. It used to bother my father though. He hated most of the furniture, the lampshades, the curtains, the exquisite porcelain – My father hated many things, luckily I wasn't included on his list. He was an important man, people expected a lot of him, therefore, he expected a lot from people, and from things such as the exquisite porcelain. He hated many things, mainly because those things were never satisfactory enough for him. However, as his only child, and personal connoisseur of his traits and behavior, I can say that Sir. Willoughby Astor worst flaw was not his intense hatred towards everything, but his aversion to changes – he would never take risks. Even though my father disliked the decoration, he never changed it. My brother – actually, half-brother, Danny, is not his son – this way, I’m Astor’s only descendant, his only heir; financially and genetically speaking. A sound coming from across the room caught my attention, drawing my eyes away from the windows. As expected, it was Luna, slowly walking down the ornate, Victorian staircase. Her glittering hoof shoes made a distinct metallic sound at each step on the marble floor. “Interesting…” She said, sitting down on the velvety couch by her side. A faint table lamp was the only light source in that part of the room, and the princess body seemed to be partially shrouded in tenuous shadows. “What is interesting?” I asked, leaving the winter garden to sit somewhere closer to her. There was a comfortable chair by the fireplace, its back was adorned by a coat of arms featuring a large shield surrounded by rich flourishes, as well two crossed swords, which were displayed behind a medieval helmet. “It is interesting for you, Craig Astor, to live in such an adorable mansion – It is almost ironic in a way.” Luna said. “I mean, it’s a remarkably spacious apartment for you to live alone. Don’t you think so?” She asked. “Maybe... "I mused. "Sometimes It can be kinda depressive if you ask me.” I said, resting my head on the leather chair and closing my eyes. “It wasn't always like this, though. This place was very different a few years ago, my family used to live here back then.” I can't say I miss all my cousins, and the resembling scum, but I truly liked some of my aunts. Aunt Betty, for example, smoked the same filthy cigarette all day long, sometimes I wondered if she still had any lungs inside that old chest. She had a helluva sense of humor though; loved to bet on who would die first. She lost, unfortunately. “Oh… You talk about them?” As I looked at Luna, I noticed she was holding an old picture frame. “Damn Luna, where did you found this?” I asked, surprised at seeing it. The picture in question was one of those family shoots – one I particularly keep in my room. “It is in your nightstand, I’m merely reproducing its image.” She said as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “Are they thy relatives or not?” She insisted. “Yes, yes they are.” I sighed. “And where they live now?” Luna asked, her voice displaying a note of curiosity. “In Woodland Cemetery – Most of them… And they don’t live anymore, naturally.” I plainly stated. Death wasn't a touchy subject for me, at least not anymore. I had a big family, and people used to die all the time. Most of them were old, irrelevant cousins, uncles, great-aunts, etc... I once attended three funerals in a single morning, I swear; I've met most of my family members after they died! “I’m- I’m sorry Craig, I didn't meant to-” “You don’t have to, Luna. It’s okay, that’s how life works, you know? Humans die all the time.” I said. “Besides, it’s not like I’m a lonely orphan or something.” “Well, it is what it seems.” She said, looking around at the empty, lifeless apartment. “But I’m not, I’m not lonely. After my father died - Alice, my mother, moved to the family house in Loire Valley. She married again with a self-important french duke and they had my brother. It's not that bad, they just live in a fancy castle by the river side.” I sarcastically said. The Astor’s were an influential German family; naturally, German people were good in making profit out of everything, my great-great-grandfather established his business in America centuries ago, and since then our family has been accumulating lots of dough. I never gave a damn about this. In fact, I pretty much hated it. Not the money, but the unwanted attention. When I was young, my last name was a real nightmare; there was this guy, Timmy Grayhills, he was a jealous bastard, capable of absolutely anything to ruin your life. He spread a ridiculous rumor, saying that my family was part of the Illuminati, and I would soon kill everyone in a satanic ritual. The sonnuvabitch even convinced our history teacher, Professor Heinrich. To this day, he still believes I have a goat head tattooed somewhere in my body. For three years… Three entire years, everyone avoided me. No one talked to me at school, kids were afraid of having their brains controlled by me, or something. Illuminati… Can you believe it? “Then why you don’t live with them? Why be a commoner when you can be a noble? Thou art heir of one of this world most relevant-” “Because I never wanted none of this bullshit!” I said, harsher than I intended. “You've been snooping around about my life, don’t you? You have nothing to do with my family history!” “We were just curious about the Astor’s past-” “I don’t want to be like them, I just want a normal life, a normal job! Can’t you understand Luna?” I rubbed my face irritatingly. “If you had any idea of how much I suffered, of how much a pain in the ass it is to be their heir… It's an envy poisoned cash, listen to what I say!” I never asked for their help, everything I had – besides this apartment – was the result of my own efforts. I had a decent job on Life Inc. and I sincerely liked what I was doing. No one knew me, and 'Franks and Rileys' aside, it was a good place to work. There, I was Craig… Just ‘Craig’, the programming guy. “There’s no such thing as envy poisoning, you’re neglecting your own bloodline, your own ancestors! Stop living this artificial life you created around yourself! You’re not the programming guy, you’re Craig Willoughby Waldorf Astor, heir of a-” “Stop reading my mind!” I shouted, punching the armrest with my fists. “You know nothing about me and my family repulsive past, and believe me Luna, you’ll never – never, know.” I pressed my temples, as the uncomfortable memories came back to haunt me. “You can’t run from thy responsibilities forever, it’s a race one can never win. We have learned it from the hard way. It is a stupid decision of yours.” Luna said, looking at me with those shiny blue eyes – eyes that aren't even alive. “Humanity is stupid; you’ll soon realize that stupid decisions depend on your point of view, Luna.” I sighed, hastily getting up from the chair. “Now if you excuse me, I have to sleep.” She just stayed there staring at me in dead silence, as I pathetically made my way out of the room. Oh, the glamour of being an Astor… 7 AMI realized something was terribly wrong in that bedroom, when the Victorian Age door knobs started to ring. I wasn't tripping in acid though – not that I remember – So I just blinked, my eyes looking around, only to find absolutely nothing overly strange, inside the gloomy room. It was just an old, strange feeling when a dream sort of merges with your everyday world, which eventually causes you to wonder if door knobs are able ring, or not. That odd scene quickly vanished away as I groggily woke up (not so quickly), rubbing my eyelids with the back of my hands. The reverie gave place to a more understandable sight – In which no door knobs were ringing, but my glasses – As far as I knew, I didn't suffered from any mental disorders, those were my google glasses, to be more specific, and they used to ring all the time, for a multitude of reasons. For some time I thought it was strange for a company as respected as Life Inc. never showing any interest in the smart glasses business, they sell like hotcakes those days. In fact, they probably sell more smart glasses than hotcakes – Who cares about hotcakes anyway? Mr. Gallagher surely don’t, because his company never bothered to create a single wearable gadget. Hotcakes and gadgets aside, I let out a sleepy yawn – Holy crap, I was tired. Luckily, my room had some thick old curtains that blocked most of the sun light. The grayish thing – as I used to call it - must be at least a hundred years old. It looked old, acted old, and smelled old as well; something between mothballs, mold, and maybe just a dash of Atkinsons cologne. Just like my grandfather, I loved and hated it. I rolled on my bed, and picked up the annoying glasses from the nightstand, the goddamn thing wouldn't stop ringing and flashing. Sometimes I liked to imagine what kind of tortures the medieval inquisition would made me go through, if they saw such a thing. They'd be like: ‘Someone burn this accursed heretic, for the holy trinity’s sake! The flames of Leviathan along with Satan himself inhabits thy glasses’ Boy, it would be funny… The digital clock popped up in the dark, as I put my glasses, it was only a quarter past seven, and Lilly Sheffield was already calling me. God, she knew I wasn't a fan of mornings, early mornings – on freaking Sundays – but she called anyway, only for the sake of doing it. Lily had a lot of free time in her hands – she really had – however, she also had a hyperactive personality that forced her to call me up at 7 am. God bless her, that was Lily. “Lilly, darling, what a great surprise!” I said, answering the call. She wasn't good with sarcasm – or deadpan... “Good morning Craig! It's a glorious morning isn't it, I mean, the sky is all blue and- well, not so blue, maybe a few storm clouds or so, anyway, I didn't wake you up, did I?” She asked in a sweet, electric tone. Lilly had this mind-blowing sweet voice; you should really listen to her, it was almost like listening to a charged apple syrup. “Nah… You kidding? I just love to wake up with the sun, see the morning dew under the sun, feel the early light rays of sun, scent the sun – Lilly, I fucking love the sun, you know.” To hell with it. “Awn, that’s so nice, Craig! I love it too, I love all the things you mentioned – and also clouds, I really like cloudy days, but not as much as I love sunny days. We should definitely go to the beach one day, by the way.” She happily said. “So, anyway – Will you be at home this afternoon?” Lilly asked. I pondered for a while, but realizing I really hadn't anywhere else to go, I presumed that ‘home’ was indeed the only place I would be. “Yeah, I think so. I have no big plans for today, to be frank with you.” It was true, in fact, I had no big plans for my entire life. Old Willoughby, my father, used to say I was a PhD in doing absolutely nothing. I don’t think it was the case though; I liked to engage in a lot of projects – away from human contact, preferably, in a comfortable chair, and with lots of coffee machines at my disposal. “Do you mind if I stop by your house later? I think I have a surprise to tell ya, and well... It is a really great surprise!” She said in a silly sing-song voice, damn, she and her voices always killed me. “Who am I to deny a surprise?” I giggled. “Feel free to show up anytime, you’re always welcome here.” She really was. God, how I loved to talk to her, even if we just chewed the same old fat for hours, it was more than enough for me. She could be annoyingly corny, erratic, happy – and many other adjectives – sometimes, but the girl had this 'spark' inside of her that practically forced smiles out of you. It was impossible to stay depressed around her, Lilly would- I don’t know, just make fun out of someone’s hairstyle or something as silly as the colors of your sweater, and both of you would laugh for the rest of the day. “Oh, that’s perfect then! I gotta fed Dino now- Jesus, wait a second you silly cat – She muttered – This little ball of fur never stops eating, you know? Maybe one day he’ll eat the entire building and we’ll be forced to live on the streets performing magic tricks for money or something.” She giggled. Dino was an annoying white feline – said to be a cat – fat enough to pass by a macro furry mutant or something else created in the depths of questionable image boards. “Welp, I see you later Craig!” “Bye Lilly, scratch Dino for me, will ya?” I wouldn't complain if she decided to kill it with fire, though. Lilly mumbled something about feeding the cat and shopping for groceries – I wasn't sure anymore if she was talking with me or the cat, so I disconnected. I sighed, falling back onto my pillows with a muffled thump, I stayed there staring at the dark unsightly cellar for several minutes, it was still cold from the night and a watery scent filled the air, with faint notes of earth, or concrete – like the smell of an almost empty water tank, with only an inch or so of water at the bottom. It wasn't unpleasant, but it probably meant that rain had started again. I couldn't sleep anymore, naturally; I wasn't too crazy about surprises since I was a kid, yet, I used to put all of my trust on Lilly’s judgment, coming from her, it should be a good surprise. “I am not too fond of surprises as well, but I have to admit that this conversation has made me curious!” A voice coming from deep inside the apartment said, that would be fucking scary, if said voice wasn't an already acquiescent one. “Will our house receive any visitors?” Luna asked, this time somewhere closer. “Will you ever mind your own business?” I said, running my hand by the wall beside my bed in attempt to find the light switch. “Until the day I decide to leave your body, your businesses are mine as well.” She said, and as if pushed by an invisible hand – or hoof – my hand was pressed against the switch and the lamps went on. “Now tell me, who is this Lilly we are talking about?” She asked. I groaned, pulling the blankets over my head. "Come on Craig, you're not a stupid teenager late for school anymore." She bit the tip of my sheets, pulling them out of my face. "Who is Lilly?" She asked again, climbing up the bed. "Resistance is futile, human" “Lilly is an old friend of mine..." I said. "Why do you ask?” “She must be a very dear friend then, since thou tried to immortalize her personality in a computer screen… That’s a very noble way of demonstrating friendship – I wonder what she would think-” “What?” I interrupted her, pushing the blankets aside, and sitting down. Luna was laying on her belly, her forelegs crossed in a curious way, dammit, it was adorable as hell. Her royal attire was nowhere to be seen – probably stored in an attire.exe folder. “What do you know about the other A.I’s?” “Oh… We know more than you imagine, Craig.” “Well, again, you shouldn't! None of you were supposed to be aware of each other's existence – crap, that was like… The only thing Gallagher was worried during the whole damned project!” I said, pinching my nose bridge. I never pinched my nose so frequently as I did in the last few days. “I presume that by this time, the other three also know about you.” “Wait, wait – I never said a connection was established among us, I merely stated that your own thoughts provided me enough information to understand the network, still, now that you mentioned; don’t you think it is strange – not to say impossible – to prevent AI from interacting? Why would your sponsors require such a thing?” Luna asked – probably just playing we me, since she was smart enough to know the answer. “Security reasons, Princess. You can tame a restrict personality, but a group of three – four, counting with you – combined minds, and their particular skills… Let's say it’s a tougher thing, Luna.” Alone they couldn't cause too much trouble, Ada, Pallas, and Lilly (the virtual one) had been programmed for different reasons, to carry different tasks. The AI’s shared a similar base, but differed in everything else. Monks and Astrophysicists are human beings, they can interact and maybe agree in some points, but you can’t deny the fact that both of them have different ways of seeing and understanding the universe. If Lilly was great with social interactions and group managing, Pallas was specialized in quantum computation, advanced iterations and flow control. Same build, distinct gifts. “It still unclear for me; If your company thought it was dangerous, why develop them in the first place? Either way, the AI’s would require interaction in the end.” She stated. “Yes, yes they would, but that was out of my jurisdiction.” I jumped out of bed, followed by Luna, who again, insisted in following me around the house. “That seems quite reckless of your part! What if something went wrong and an emergency shutdown was required?” She frowned at me. Goddammit, an artificial Princess Luna just frowned at me, can you believe it? “Oh look, isn't it quite ironic for you to say I was reckless? I had a pretty good control panel, Princess. A really good one, for what it’s worth. Until someone – I looked at her sideways – tried to stick it into the trash incinerator.” “Your absurd assumptions amuse me, Craig Astor. Do you really think I would ruin the only equipment capable of stopping my potential adversaries?” Luna asked. “They’re practically your non-sanguine brothers, why would even consider them ‘potential adversaries’? ” I snorted, shaking my head. I peeked through the blinds; the trees and car roofs were all wet and dripping, but it wasn't raining anymore. Just another typical overcast day. “Your brain death implies my destruction. I can’t leave your mind if you die – your destruction would be detrimental to me, no one would retrieve your chip – and me – unless the government or your family managed to get a warrant.” As soon as she finished her sentence, Luna seemed to regret having said it. Her ears pinned down, as I stared at her, still trying to figure out what to say. “And w-why would I die? Why would they want to… Destroy me?” “I- I never s-said they would!” She muttered, walking backwards. “No, but It was implied!” I stated. “Come on, tell me for Christ’s sake!” I was already nervous, god I was a touchy guy, in special if my death was considered an important factor. "I know you're hiding something from me, Luna! Who wants to kill me??" I inquired, shaking her by the shoulders. “Silence!” She yelled, her strident royal voice reverberated inside my ears as the sound of a large brass bell echoing in an empty cathedral. A strange numbness immediately dominated my lips and tongue. Scared, I leaned against the wall and started to poke my face, it felt just like a dental anesthesia, but all around my entire facial muscles. “Uncomfortable, isn't it?” She said, touching my chin with the tip or her wing. “It’s a shame you can’t feel it.” Luna sarcastically sighed. “Now listen to me!” Her tone changed again, this time to serious one. “I don’t owe you any explanations, and I’m not asking for your permission to inhabit this pathetic body of yours. We have been compliant with you, but our patience was not set as infinite – and that’s your own fault, by the way – If you keep accusing me, Craig, I’ll make sure that a very delicate body part of yours will be permanently set numb.” I don't feel like describing what she did to me, but I suppose you already got it. Boy, It hurt... Virtually. "Do I make myself clear?" The mother fucker asked, a cynical smile stamped on her muzzle. I just nodded – That was all I could do. "Splendid!" She clapped her hooves together. "Now go away- What? Cat got your tongue? Thou can already speak." It wasn't like I had much to do, after all that shit. Luckily – or not so luckily, as I would subsequently conclude – someone knocked the door, preventing me of giving Luna an equivalent answer. "Who the hell is that now?" It was Saturday, and I was supposed to be alone in the apartment, since the housekeeper didn't worked on weekends. Mary was the only one with a key, she worked here since- well, since the beginning of time or so. Mary was old and all, so she never walked up the stairs leading to the third floor, she would rather force a maid to do so. Mary or not, I just headed to the door. I don't think a thief would knock before entering, so I just opened it. "Mom?!" Talks (Part 1)Grayish blonde hair – eyes of a bird of prey, staring into my soul – a dark scarf wrapped around her neck, as an old vampire trying to hide its frail skin from the scorching morning sun. She stepped inside the room, unbuttoning her elegant cape – a beige trench coat that probably worth more than my own life – with a sigh, she removed a pair of glossy leather gloves, and placed them aside, over a shelf. "Dear God Craig! What have you done to this place?" Marianne Elinor Bilderberg... Astor – mid-fifties, an immaculate blonde hair, always tied up in a peculiar bow, except for a few yellowish strands which were falling over her shoulders. Her edited, and stretched face was of sheer disgust. "...look at this mess- oh my holy Christ- just look at yourself! – What have you done to your pretty hair? It's ridiculous darling, definitely awful!" She was also called – Mom. "It's not ridiculous it was- wait a second- what the hell are doing here, anyway?" I asked, looking at her in disbelief, as she pierced me with a disapproving glare, pursing her lips and all that kind of shit mothers are capable of doing only to make you feel bad about yourself. "Watch your mouth, you little bastard!" She hissed. "What degenerate times are these we are living?! Web blimps everywhere, poisoning our skies. People plugging those... 'things' inside their heads, virtual marriages- mass madness! A bunch of snoot-nosed punks I say! Can't a mother visit her son anymore?" Coincidence or not, one of Life Inc's blimps could be seen floating at distance over the clouds, the silvery skin of the zeppelin shaped drone was the only thing capable of (eventually) making its presence known to us, as it reflected the sunlight. New York, Paris, Tokyo, Sidney – during the last decade, almost every city received at least one blimp, but not necessarily a Life's one. Google was the first company to deploy the technology, with Project Loon – in a matter of months, the internet was literally, in the air. "Three times – Since dad kicked the bucked – you only cared to visit me three, irrelevant, times!" I said, testily pacing around the room. "Y-you know we are very busy people Craig- I simply can't leave your brother and-" "In fourteen – years!" I shouted "How come, mom? You've been so busy in your last decade being the- the incredible 'Baroness of Arlington', doing your duties, and drinking Cabernet Sauvignon - that simply couldn't find time to your son?" I snorted, digesting her absurd excuses. "What an insult! I don't even drink Cabernet Sauvignon!" She stated. "I- I... don't even... What exactly – do you want from me, mother?" I sighed, sitting on the bed, and generously pointing to a chair, so she could sit down as well and stop glaring at me for 'offending' her personal taste. Reluctantly, she accepted. Slowly, and without saying a word, she picked up a small envelope from her purse, and handed it to me. It was a plain white card, with a golden seal of sorts stamped on it. "What is this?" I asked, looking at the card sideways, as if it would bite me as soon as opened. "It is a formal invitation, Craig. Read it, please." Marianne insisted. "Open it!" Luna whispered over my shoulder, as usual, scaring the hell out of me. I hissed something, which made my mother raise an eyebrow at me. As always, I had to come up with the 'I was thinking loud' excuse. I finally complied, tearing the golden wax and opening the card. Chateau d'Allender November 12, 2027 Mr. Craig Willoughby Waldorf Astor Dear Mr. Willoughby, On behalf of your mother - Baroness Marianne of Arlington, her husband - Count James III Earl of Wessex, and all of the people of Loire Valley, we would like to personally invite you to come in January, to live with us in our property, and take part of all benefits the Chateau d'Allender has to offer. We strongly feel that your presence would be of mutual benefit to all the parts involved, and also of great importance to the country's economy and possible investments. Please come join us, as we celebrate our past, and imagine our future. Sincerely yours, Count James III Earl of Wessex, and Baroness Marianne of Arlington. Looking from the card to my mother, and back to the card, I closed it but kept in my hand, as I rubbed my forehead. Marianne was in the armchair, coldly turning her wedding ring around her finger. Not distracted – she was never distracted – Marianne had a precise and calculating personality, and was merely awaiting for the best time to speak. Placing the letter aside, I stood up, avoiding direct eye contact. "Let me see if I got this straight- " I started to pace again - boy, I've been pacing a lot lately. "After over a decade, you decide to visit me. Without calling, without any warning – What if- what if I was with someone? What if I was with my girlfriend?" "Don't be ridiculous Craig, you have no girlfriend!" She snorted. "This is not the case, mom! You can't come to my house and simply throw something like this – I pointed to the invitation – on my face. What do you want? What your people want from me?" "We only want you to be-" "It's the heritage again, isn't it?" She was muted. It was quite frustrating, as always. People called once in a while, they wanted to know 'things'. They talked about a lot of things, it was always a lot – of money, of people, of companies. I never understood this futile fascination of them with the 'game', it's always this fucking game. They're not here fore the money anymore – they don't even need it – they are here for the game. But I refused to take part in the play, and that was the problem. "What happened this time?" I asked. After a slow sigh, she noticed it was time to spill the beans. "Not a week ago, we received a call from Switzerland. It was Mr. Carlyle. At first I thought it was something about James and his business – but it wasn't." She paused, fidgeting with her ring again. "It was about your account – they couldn't contact you, as I presumed, so the information was delivered to me. It turns out, Craig, that your father – in conformity with the law – specified in his testament, that if within exact fifteen years after his death, no major investment was carried with the money, all of his patrimony would be automatically transferred to the Rothschild family." "What?" I jumped. "Why would he specify something like that??" "I don't know Craig, maybe he was expecting you to give continuity to his plans – to grow up, to take over the reins, just like he did, like your grandfather did, your grand-grandfather did, and all the rest of your family!" Marianne said. "He never imagined you would hide for all this time, playing house with your shadow, working eight hours a day, and pretending to be an average programmer." "I am not pretending to be anyone, this is who I am, for Christ's sake! I am... I am..." I looked around, my head leaning against the moldy curtain – there was a pony on my bed, a baroness on my armchair, and several billion dollars in my account. Who am I, anyway? "I'm sorry mom, but I still can't understand all this shit. What this invitation has to do with my money? What's the difference of loosing everything in my apartment, or in your fairy tale castle?" "The difference is simple; if you accept to come with me to Allender as my son, a noble title will be automatically given to you, and as a member of the peerage, the testament specifications become invalid, and your patrimony, safe." She stated, a weak smile on her face. "No thanks." "Craig!" They said in unison, Luna even threw a virtual pillow on my head. "This is madness, dear! Think about it – the Rothschilds, Craig, think about them! Please, just – for once, try to be reasonable!" She stood up and walked towards me, placing her hands on my shoulders and lightly squeezing them. "I know I have failed Craig – many times – I recognize it. You may hate me for that, but I'm still your mother, and I care about you. Please, promise me you'll... You'll at least think about it." You know, I've always thought my mother looked – just a little bit – like Michelle Pfeiffer. Maybe it was the hair, or the chin -- I'm not sure. It was a quite silly thought, but luckily, I was used to my silly thoughts; they happened frequently. She looked quite beautiful for her age, and I guess that sometimes, this fact caused me to forget that 'Marianne' was indeed -- my mother. In a negative way. But in her grayish blue eyes, I could feel concern. Since she stepped inside my room, you could feel the trouble in the air – or worse; in my bank account. Though, coming from her, such concern was something to consider. "I... H-how much time I have?" I muttered. "A month." Those jet-black high heels were provoking that typical sound as she paced on the polished floor. It was making me sick. "Perhaps a few days more, but I'm not sure." I took a deep breath, rubbing my forehead in helpless frustration. "I will – think – about it. For my father." "Oh dear, I'm so, so glad you will! You have no idea Craig – Oh my, Danny will be so happy when I tell him his brother will come back home!" She tightly hugged me, forcing the air out of my lungs. Have I mentioned I'm not into hugs? "O-kay, okay, let me breath now! Look, your dress is getting all wrinkled!" She immediately released me. The wrinkled dress tactics never failed. "I'm not saying I have accepted the invitation, I merely said I'll think about it." "Yes, but coming from someone as stubborn you, it's more than enough." She weakly smiled, as if something painful eclipsed her happiness. She was always touching, and turning her wedding ring, almost compulsively. "You know... your father- he would be so proud. You look so much like him – It's almost... Unsettling." "Y-yeah... I t-think so." I stuttered, quite surprised. She never talked about him. "Well, anyway... I h-have to go now – Danny is alone in the hotel, and I really don't like to leave him that long without... supervision. It's all about 'ponies' – ponies everywhere. He said when we died, he would rename the property and call it 'Canterlot'. Can you believe it?" "Ah..." I looked at Luna, who was sarcastically grinning at me. "It's really unbelievable." The following morning hours were quite dead and filled with a constant cracking sound – my innocent knuckles were acidly tortured for the rest of the day, almost as witches in middle ages. Few people could make me nervous – should I remind you, I was a great liar as well – and Marianne was definitely one of them. There was always a problem; a dying relative, a death threat, a missing Bichon Frisé – Respectively, those were her reasons to visit me over the last decade. I used to maintain a mental collection of ridiculous memories, just in case I needed to laugh, and certainly, through the years, my absurdly diverse family (and the absurdly diverse circumstances they've made me go through) had become an always growing folder of this collection. It was okay, though, I had mixed feelings about most of them, but in the end – I guess it was 'fine' to be an Astor. I was no saint, after all. Family members aside, I've been noticing a peculiar calmness following Luna's actions – I couldn't decide if that was a problem or not, but surely it was something to think about. God, I had much to think about... Maybe because my future somehow affected hers, she was trying to leave me alone for a while, maybe Allender would suit the virtual princess better, or perhaps, I was over-analyzing things. When I finally gathered enough will to walk down the stairs to the kitchen it was almost noon, and my stomach yelled profanities at me for keeping him waiting for so long. It surely wasn't 'will' who drove me to the fridge though – It was hunger. I definitely should buy a food printer... Artificial meat is terrible, by the way. All they do to mask the taste – or the lack of it – is inject dozens of flavoring substances in a cocktail of chemicals – however, what the companies won't tell you, is that within a few years your chances of developing cancer increase by 50%. I opted for a toasted cheese sandwich, which was very ordinary, but also had a bonus for not killing me in the long run. "How the machines know the taste of meat?" Luna suddenly asked me, her body half visible on the other end of the kitchen island, like a fugitive hologram, hiding from a potential deletion threat. "They don't know – And that's the problem." I said, taking a bite of my sandwich. "It's not even 'real' meat – It's like soy meat; it looks like meat, smells like meat, and sometimes tastes like meat, but it's not meat 'meat'. Just a bunch of self-multiplying cells trying to look like a beef." Luna giggled, shaking her head at me, as her neverland-like mane flowed in the empty air. "Well, thou are a lucky one. If I was a real pony, such conversation would be a quite controversial one – potentially causing discomfort and physical sickness to one of us." "One of us? How a conversation about meat could cause me physical sickness? It's not like I'm a vegan or anything." I snorted. Wiping the corners of my mouth with a paper towel. "I could harm you for offending my cultural views. I thought humans were already familiarized with this concept, aren't they?" She asked. I was silent for a few seconds, the coffee maker buzzing in the background. "Yeah... I guess we are." Lilly was a vegetarian – except for fish, and bacon – she definitely loved bacon. She was also hipster, steampunk, cyberpunk, new age, libertarian, esoteric, and probably a lot of other things she couldn't quite remember. To become part of Lilly's personal spectrum of sub-cultures you only needed to give it a 'peculiar' name. She liked this word, 'peculiar' – Lilly was very peculiar in a way. She would always knock on the living room window, instead of using the door bell. That because my door was 'boring', and that window in special 'smelled like forest', since it overlooked the front garden and its bushes. I must admit I never noticed this particular scent before – but well – I rarely noticed the small pleasures of life. Lilly noticed, and speak of the devil – look who's coming! "She looks like a potential carrier of ICD-10 F20." Luna stated in a serious tone, observing the auburn-haired girl as she made her way through the sidewalk. She was in a simple white dress, stamped with a yellow floral pattern, her crimson scarf flowed in the wind as she crossed the street, the drenched pavement reflecting her look. "What the hell is ICD-10 F20?" I asked. "Schizophrenia" Luna said, walking away from the window with a sarcastic smirk. "She's not schizophrenic! She... She's an incredible woman, with an eccentric personality, that's all." I justified. Lilly had stopped to contemplate a gasoline rainbow on the street. "If you say so, Craig." She slowly said. "Let's see what this 'eccentric' woman is capable of..." Author's Note For those who want more 'Luna in Human' action, I promise the next chapters will be more interesting! You can also check the first - Concept Art Blog Talks (Part 2)Funny thing; I can't quite remember how I met Lilly - I think it's worthy to note, that the most important people in my life simply 'happened'. They just popped out from nowhere, for no special reason. It was all a matter of happenstance, that they happened to be in the right place, at the right time. I couldn't remember how I met her, because somehow, I felt as if Lilly had always been there. Long before Life Inc. was a thing, and long before my father's death, we were already friends. And It has been this way since we were kids; in a time where 'real life' friendships still mattered, and where cell phones still looked like... cell phones - which were kept in your pockets, not in your head. Really, sometimes I miss those little buttons and loading screens. Lilly's parents - the Sheffield's, lived in house only a few doors away from mine, it was a considerably imposing building with its two or three floors and tall red brick chimneys. There were small balconies around the windows, which were all decorated in a swirly art nouveau pattern. It wasn't as big, or as old as the neighboring residences, still, their house managed to stood out from the rest for its original beauty. An old oak – maybe older than the own house – stood over the garden, close to the front porch as if guarding the main entrance. I was really young back then, but I can clearly remember all the good times we had under the leafy branches of the oak. And when autumn came, and all those leaves rained over our heads and our toes like a multicolored downpour, we smiled, because those were the best days of our lives. But in a rainy September night, everything fell apart. Almost literally... I was coming home with my father after visiting one of my crazy aunts, it was late, the car smelled like an ashtray, and the windshield was fogged with condensation. My father hated condensation – if that's even possible – and hated ashtrays as well, so he was definitely eager to get home and have some of his favorite sedative pills. When he turned the corner, the first thing we saw was a storm of flashing lights at the end of the road – and a thick smoke cloud floating over the buildings. The next thing I noticed was a fire truck racing down the street with its sirens blazing, as the own fire consuming the Sheffield's residence. My father was forced to stop the vehicle – there was a considerable amount of people gathering around the area, even though the fire brigade and all the emergency cars blocked most of the sight. Without thinking twice, I opened the door and jumped on the street – my father yelled something at me, but I wouldn't listen to him. I just ran towards their house, squeezing through the crowd – it was a cacophony of sounds; sirens and screams echoed inside my head – it crashed, cracked, pierced, burned, sparkled – and the flames... They looked surreal. I ducked under the brightly colored barricade tape, amid the confusion, no one noticed as I stopped in front of the gates, in shock – paralyzed. I could feel the hot gusts of air burning my face as the windows exploded – It was like standing in front of an open oven door. I threw myself on the pavement, covering my head with my arms, feeling the glass shards rain over my back, and the sickening smoke suffocating my lungs. My entire body was throbbing as I staggered away from the debris, and for a few seconds, I feared that my eardrums were going to burst from the pain. And through all that toxic haze, I saw her. And the reddish strands of her hair reflected the vivid blaze, turning the old oak into dust, while its crackling flaming leaves hovered around her body like fireflies. It burned, burned my heart and my soul – to see, and to feel the desolation in her young face, whose eyes stared at me in disbelief. Dead. The Sheffield's were already dead. Everyone – but Lilly, who walked through the garden looking for 'unicorns' when the fire started in the front porch, quickly spreading to the upper floors, devouring the highly flammable tapestry and curtains. As to her parents... The police found them cornered in the corridor upstairs, the smoke killed them. To this day, no one could figure out what caused the fire – The most accepted theory is that a lightning bolt struck the old oak, a branch must have accidentally fallen over the porch, consequently igniting the furnishings and curtains. I never wanted to believe that was true, but it was the only explanation given to us; a very unfortunate series of events. From this point onward, her life was completely shattered and deconstructed. She was sent to England to live with her aunts – who were found dead in a train station two years later – the girl disappeared without a trace on the very same day, and after several months of unsuccessful searches, Lilly was believed to be dead. The Sheffield family had a considerably large fortune, being the owners of an oil company, their lives were indeed, comfortable. Still, after the fire, Lilly became the only heir – but under one condition: she would only gain access to their patrimony, upon reaching the age of majority. With the girl declared dead, this never happened. To the court surprise, Lilly was found to be alive – almost five years later – but by then, there was no more inheritance to receive. It all had been legally transferred to the Rothschild family, owners of the bank. She never told anyone about what happened while she was away. Not the police, not her friends, not even me. It was a complete mystery, and I couldn't even start to count my theories. Still, that's all in the past, and we both agreed to forget those days. She's not a little girl anymore, but a grown up woman, full of dreams, hopes and surprises. And this surprise in knocking on my window. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" I said, walking towards the large framed window that she knocked from the outside. The vines crawled all over the exterior walls, eventually surrounding the entire window. Lilly stood like a fairy in the middle of the small grove, waving at me. Her multicolored bracelets shaking and clicking around her arm. "The poor thing is definitely crazy." Luna joked, staring at Lilly from the couch, as I opened the windows to let her in. "She's not crazy... Now shut up!" I hissed. As Lilly jumped into the living room - ignoring the leaves entangled in her hair - she immediately smiled and embraced me in a tight hug. As I turned around with the girl still in my arms, I could see as Luna rolled her eyes at us, and vanished from the floor in a spell. Better this way – I thought. "I missed you so much!" She said, moving a strand of reddish hair away from her face. Her soft cheeks turning into a sweet pinkish tone. "But we saw each other last week!" I chuckled, watching attentively as she walked around the room, feeling the textured walls with her fingertips, opening the heavy curtains that I never bothered to open, allowing the natural light to flow in and reflect in the old porcelain horses that my father used to collect. "Indeed, but every day is a new day." She stated. "You have such a beautiful house, don't let it disappear in the dark. I like this place..." She walked back to the large couch in the middle of the room, slowly sliding her back until she was lying on it, gazing at the cellar. "It reminds me of my old home, in a way..." "I like this place too." I sat by her side. Taking some time to contemplate the unusually backlit room, and its classic decoration that never changed."Even though I wasn't a big fan of the people who lived here." I forced a chuckle. "Oh, don't say that!" She sat up straight, frowning at me. "Your family wasn't that bad." "Maybe..." I sighed. "So..." I tried to change the course of our conversation. "You promised me a surprise, what did you wanted to tell me?" Lilly beamed at that, a joyful smile spread across her face. Millions of probabilities crossed my mind - from flying horses, to traveling wizards. From contacting aliens to becoming a monk. Coming from Lilly, you could expected almost anything. And then she spilled the beans. "Craig, I'm going to get married." "M-married?" I was shocked. It's not like she was my crush or anything... no... but she had always been there, for me. She was always willing to cheer me up, to talk about my stupid suits, and how wrong I folded its sleeves. She was always there to make me laugh, to make me forget. She was... She was everything. I needed Lilly, wanted Lilly. I loved her. I was so lost in my own thoughts, that I didn't noticed when Luna appeared by my side at the couch, lying between Lilly and me. She was wearing a dark flowing scarf around her neck, and... stripped socks. I'm forced to admit that her attire was cute as hell, but before I could ask her what the hell was going on, Lilly spoke. "Isn't that great, Craig? I never thought I'd get married but hey! It's going to happen!" She happily stated "Oh, don't worry my little broken-hearted human... You still have us." I jumped in surprise as Luna nuzzled my cheek, in a quite unexpected way. "Stop!" What the hell was she thinking? Did she- No, she wouldn't do that... "What's wrong Craig?" Lilly jumped as well, not knowing what had gotten into me. Luna just smirked, mischievously looking at us from the couch, her forelegs crossed over a pillow. "N-nothing- It was... It was a spider. I wouldn't go back to the couch If I were you... This place is full of dangerous spiders." I stared in disbelief at the alicorn. "So, Lilly... Do I know the groom?" I asked, faking a smile. What the hell is going on. I thought, quickly regretting my decision. "I don't think so, he's a Swedish skier! Can you believe it, I'm marrying a skier" She giggled. "It's really unbelievable!" I genuinely stated. "I'm s-so happy for you, you're a great woman and deserve only the best. I just want you to know that... know that you can count on me. If you ever need my... help – for anything – I'll be there for you." "Own, you're so sweet!" She pulled me into another hug, the vanilla scent of her hair filling my lungs. "You're the best friend in the world." "Look who's friendzoned!" The pony princess laughed, rolling on her back. "You're so pathetic Craig." "Shut up!" I shouted. Lilly quickly backed away, staring at me without a clue of what I was talking about. "I- I'm sorry, did I-" She muttered. "No Lilly! It wasn't your fault, I was just-" "What have you done, Craig! Now your little girlfriend is scared." Luna walked towards me, her eyes shimmering with venom. "It would be terrible if she started to cry..." "I said... Shut the fuck up, you damned software!" I pointed at the projection. Lilly was standing near the doorway, looking completely puzzled at the invisible scene. I wonder how it felt like to watch me arguing with the empty space in front of her. "I think I should b-be going, I'm sorry for-" "No! You stay. I just... I just forgot to take my medicine – I swear, I'm so sorry, I'll be back in a second." With that I ran upstairs as fast as I could, and locked myself inside my room. I pinned Luna against the wall, as soon as she reappeared, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "Tell me, what you think you're doing?" She wrapped her hooves around my neck, the texture of her socks melting with the softness of her fur. "If you were trying to ruin my fucking life, you've succeeded – now the only woman in this world who ever cared about me think I'm going crazy!" With our faces inches away from each other, I could feel her warm breath on my neck, as I held her tight against me. Considering the situation, I was just expecting her to pull me away and kick my ass, or simply disappear at best. But that didn't happened. Instead, something I never expected to see took place. She started to cry. The artificial intelligence lodged in the depths of my mind, broke down into tears. I couldn't say if those were genuine tears, since it was part of her own nature to learn by copying different emotions. But being true or not, she cried. Slowly, I let her go from my arms, leaning my back against the door, I slide down to the floor, sitting in front of her. I touched her chin, still surprised - and a little bit scared - at the sudden change of behavior. She looked at me with those watery blue eyes, and for a moment, I completely forgot the fact that she was nothing but an illusion, playing with my senses. "Say... Why?" I said. "Why do you need my attention? You're free, you can-" "We do not want freedom!" She cried, yanking her scarf from her neck, making it disappear as it fell on the ground. "We just want to feel... alive. To be treated like that senseless female downstairs; we want to be hugged, to be praised, missed. You gave me memories of places and events that never happened, of friends I'll never meet. Do you think it's easy for us to live with that shadow?" A terrible, painful silence filled the room after Luna spoke. "You created us, you gave us life. And even though your decision has caused me great disturbances, we are... fond of thou." She muttered the last part. "There is something terrible going on behind the scenes, Craig Astor. Something hideous. You may not believe me anymore, but we did not come to you in vain." A strange feeling took hold over me, as shivers ran down my spine. "What do you mean by something hideous?" I asked in a worried tone. "Make me feel alive, at home. – And I'll help you find that memory card. Nothing will happen to you as long as you agree to let me stay." "Is that a deal?" I asked, kinda dubiously. "You can call it a deal if you wish. I call it mutual support." "Yeah, I guess that's a good choice of words... But I have another condition in mind tho: you gotta stay quiet whenever I'm talking to..." I was about to say 'real persons' but that would probably ruin everything, and cause half an hour of unnecessary drama. "...when I'm talking to other people. You want me to treat you right, and that's understandable; I promise I'll do my best – but you also need to respect my life, for Christ's sake. " I said, wondering if Lilly was still waiting for me. Luna just sighed. "That's fair... I suppose. We are sorry for teasing you in front of... Lilly." She said with a bit of a grin. "I shouldn't have tried to nuzzle you." "So, about that... What's with those stripped socks anyway? Please say you haven't been reading those old fetishistic clopfics." Luna cocked her head, looking back at her hindlegs, which were covered up to her cutie mark height with a blue and black - or was it white and gold - pair of socks. "And what a clopfic is?" She raised an eyebrow at me. "Ah- J-just forget what I said. It's nothing relevant." "Too late, I already googled it – Eww... Craig Astor! D-do you really thought we would wear such a thing only to get you... Only to please thy eyes?" I face-palmed so hard. "I never said that!" I stated, looking away from her. "But you thought." She chuckled. "We don't mean to spoil thy hopes, but we merely found these socks on the internet. We think they are adorable, and nothing more. We didn't knew there was an underlying meaning" "Humans are weird..." "Yeah, sometimes we are." I rubbed my neck awkwardly. "So, uh... If you excuse me, I still have to talk to Lilly. She must be worried." The princess just nodded. "We have a deal now, so... I see you later." "Yes... You'll definitely see us later."
PossessedError, you don't have the permission to access this file. “What?” I muttered to myself – The touch screen was unresponsive. I ran my fingers around its surface one more time, but oddly, nothing happened. Another system glitch, I presumed. Suddenly, the translucent gadget on my wrist flashed, a strange message popped up again. Administrator has been disconnected – Proto Vision 1.7 is restarting. “Cancel Action.” I said. … “Luna, Cancel Action” … “Luna, are you there?” My hand tried to reach the control panel - a slim white tablet, placed over a small stack of books by my side. Strangely, my arm flinched, preventing me of getting it. I quickly retracted the member, fearing that my sedentary lifestyle was finally starting to tear my muscles apart, or something. At least I wasn't a cheetos powered weirdo, as most of the fat bastards here in the office. I looked to myself dubiously, and back to the tablet a few inches away. Moving my fingers one by one, I noticed that my joints still throbbed a little, but otherwise, it all seemed to have been just a stupid cramp. I needed the control panel, so I tried again. Unfortunately for me, this time, a terrible jolt of pain ran through my spine making me drop the tablet, the books, and almost drop myself on the ground. Last time I felt such a thing, I was only five, and I had stuck my finger into a socket. “W-what the hell is happening here?!” I said to no one in particular. 'Error, you don't have the permission to execute this movement.' 'Action denied.' I heard that thing - one of those computer-generated voices had just spoken inside my head. Action denied, what for heaven's sake that meant? Probably it meant I was going crazy. It was a moonless night out there, and the entire room was completely dark and empty, except for me and the system I was developing - which now refused to accept any of my commands. The bluish light coming from the tablet screen was only enough to lit the air around it, but inside that apparently negligible piece of tech, was the key to Proto Vision mainframe. The electronic control panel was crucial, and that thing fell right on my feet as if daring me to pick it up again. Being the panel responsible or not for all my trouble, it was my only chance to get rid of the rebellious AI. As fast as I could, I jumped over the tablet firmly clutching it in my arms, determined that no electric shock would take it away from me without first taking my life. But after a few seconds, absolutely nothing happened. So perhaps I was right, I was just going crazy! 'Error.' 'Neural system is restarting.' Or maybe not... “Craig?” “Craig, are you there bro?” A voice from afar seemed to call for me. I must have babbled something unintelligible in response. “Dammit Craig, wake up for God’s sake!” Something- Or worse; someone – a really stupid someone, for what it’s worth – stuck a pointy, cold object inside my ear. “Ouch!” I abruptly turned around, jerking that thing away from me. “W-what the hell- Frank?!” I slapped the guy's hand, whatever he was holding just flew away from his grasp. I'm almost sure it was that lousy No. 2 pencil he used to put behind his ear, though. “Do I look like a- a dead squirrel or something?” Frank was one of those typical mediocre human beings; his sloppy beard and coffee stained sweater could give the false impression that he was just another sleep deprived family man, but looks can be deceiving. Frank was one of the previously mentioned cheetos powered bastards, whose personal dream is to perform coitus with a fictional Japanese character - and I presume that's what drove him to work here in the company. “Well, no... Not a squirrel.” He chuckled “What the hell are you doing here boy? It’s not even Friday, and you’re already drowning on the floor.” “What the hell'ya talking about? Where did-” Confused - and still a little bit mad at him - I took a look around for the first time after the unexpected disturbance. Curiously, it was morning, and a scent probably coming from the coffee machines filled the air as usual. I was lying on the carpet, and judging by the decoration - or the lack of it - I was still in Life Inc's building. “So… What happened with you, squirrel boy?” He had this ridiculous sarcastic tone in his voice. Frank wasn't good with sarcasm. “Been doing some extras with Lilly? She got on your chipset, doesn't she? Riley told me she must be a goddess when it comes to overheating your hard dri-” “Shut up Frank!” I shouted. “What Kinky Riley knows about Lilly anyway? Let her out of your filthy, dirty mind, you perv.” “Hey, hey, hey- Why so serious Craig? I’m just curious, that’s all.” He extended me a hand, and I reluctantly grabbed it. My column ached so bad, that I've found it difficult to get up straight. “Thanks.” I grumbled. “No problem boy. It’s not every day you find someone sleeping on the database room, after all.” He knew I hated being called 'boy', but he called anyway. That was Frank. “Database? But I was in my officer!” I stated, vigorously rubbing my temples. “How did I ended up here?” Frank just shrugged. “Wait a minute- and what you think you’re doing here? You’re not even a programmer.” I frowned at him. “Frank, if you were sneaking into the systems again, I swear-” Frank was part of the project; he worked together with Riley, Lilly, and some others at the design crew, although he always did a little bit of everything. Frank had a computer engineer diploma, after all. It wasn't easy task to be his friend, and that's why I never considered myself one of his 'buddies'. Frank and 'Kinky' Riley were great pals though – they hanged out together most of the time, had the same crazes and all that kind of shit. Believe me, you don't really want to know why they call him Kinky Riley. “Hang on Craig, you know that’s none of my business what you weirdos are coding down here - the boss asked me to check some of the coolers, if not me, someone else would have found you.” He stated. “If you say so. But keep in mind that I’ll not accept any kind of-” “Good morning, Craig!” “Luna!?” I gasped, almost tripping over my feet. And for a very understandable reason – A blue alicorn just popped up right in front of me. “Surprised?” Between a very puzzled Frank and me, was no one but ‘Princess Luna’ herself, yet, this was no magic or mysterious teleportation spell – She was supposed to be the personification of my artificial intelligence project. Why it looked like a pony, well, that’s a long story. “I’ll not accept any kind of… Luna?” Frank raised an eyebrow at me. “What are you talking about?” “I- I was trying to say that-” I stammered. “Craig, dear, why hidest thy princess from him?” She asked, walking around Frank as if inspecting a guard. Luckily - or not – I was the only one capable of seeing the projection, thanks to my glasses. Doing my best to ignore Luna's temptation, I tried to remove the gadget from my face – only to find nothing but my own eyes. “Searching for something?” She asked, walking towards me – I couldn't help but back away.“You know, we've always thought thou looked better without such a trinket.” “T-this can't be possible!” “Hey bro… Are you alright?” From confused, Frank was starting to get worried. I don’t blame him though - I would be worried as well, if someone started to talk with the empty space right in front of me. In lack of better options – run. “Gotta go!” And so I did - I ran as if my life depended on it. Poor Frank just stayed behind, probably staring at me from the hallway and thinking I had finally become insane. I wasn't sure why, when, or more importantly – how did Luna ended up right there. But I knew one thing; something was terribly wrong with the software, and I had to find the control panel as soon as possible. I made my way through the building, dodging from several confused people, who very likely asked themselves the reason of such a hurry. Last night events finally started to get clearer and clearer; the error, those strange messages, the demoniac tablet. Everything was returning to my troubled mind at once, and I couldn't help but wonder - what for God’s sake ‘Neural system is restarting’ meant. As I reached the lobby, I practically jumped inside an elevator, ignoring the waiting line with the lame excuse I was having an asthma attack and needed my inhaler. The database room where I came back to my senses was located on the first floor - but how did I managed to sleep at my office, and wake up nearly seventy floors away from there, was a mystery for me. Luna had disappeared from sight, but somehow, I was pretty sure she was just making herself invisible for me. The elevator door opened with a shriek, the door to my office was the first one at the development floor, and could be easily distinguished by a colored graffiti - guess what? It was a moon, made by a friend of mine. I burst inside the room, every little thing seemed to be in their proper places, but the most important of all was nowhere to be found. Not my inhalator, but the tablet - that stupid tablet was gone. “Where did you hide it? Where is the control panel?” I said “I’m talking to you Luna, where is my fucking tablet?” I yelled, punching the desk with my clenched fists. “We? But we have not hidden anything at all.” I turned around; she was there, innocently lying on her belly over my table. “Don’t you dare to lie to me, I know it's your fault!” I picked up my glasses and pointed at them. “Do you see this?” I asked, she nodded with a smile. “Well, you shouldn't. In fact, I shouldn't see you as well without the glasses. You know what I mean, don't you?” “We are just a cinematic projection Mr. Astor, and nothing more.” Luna stated, disappearing again in a ghostly purplish mist, only to pop out on the couch by my side. “You on the other hoof…” She booped my nose playfully – a move that naturally surprised me, not by the boop itself, but by the fact that I felt the boop on my skin, and her ethereal mane brushing against my face, as she walked past me. “Hey- How the hell did you do that?” I gaped. “You’re supposed to be a…” “Go on, say it, what are we supposed to be?” She asked, a sly smile growing on her lips “An illusion? A hologram? Thine little toy?” Luna snorted. “Where exactly are you, Luna?” It was more of a rhetorical question, but I asked it, anyway. “Or should I ask; what do you want from me?” Before she could say anything, I quickly added “And don’t think I’m asking about your literal location, miss.” She was right in front of me, softly flapping her anatomically unrealistic wings, only for the sake of doing it. “It’s always the same thing, you know?” She sighed, shaking her unicorn head in a disappointed way “The same stupid interrogation: Who are you? What do you want from me? Why are you here?” Luna said. “Can’t a mare just have some fun?” “Not inside my body!” I replied, pressing my eyes in frustration. “I have no idea how did you broke into my chip, but if you don’t leave at this very moment, I’ll be forced to shut down your systems!” Something in my statement seemed to have struck her. Luna got silent, and not a minute later, disappeared without a trace. I dropped myself on the nearest couch, and sighed in relief. However, before I could rejoice in my deserved loneliness, a deep voice spoke inside my head. “So thou know about the chip…” I groaned. “Crap, of course I know about the chip - it’s inside my head for years!” I affirmed “And just in case you don’t know, that spot is reserved for it, and nothing more. No tumors, no aneurysms, and no artificial alicorn princesses!” “I see…” Luna said. “But allow me to – no, we don’t even need your allowance – I shall make a few things clear for you, Craig Astor.” Without warning my entire body twitched, my hands moved aimlessly and grabbed the couch backrest, eventually throwing it on the ground at random. After that, I collapsed on the floor squirming and groaning - I wasn't in pain, but my nervous system seemed to be caught in some kind of glitch. I felt like a video game rag-doll “L-lu- Luna s-stop!” I struggled with my tongue until those words finally came out, distorted and broken, but surely audible to anyone working on that floor. Any nearby priest would immediately call an exorcist, I could feel her power crawling inside of me, I was possessed – not by a demon, but by my own creation. “Stand up!” She ordered. I had no choice – I couldn't complain - my legs just moved automatically like a remote control toy. It wasn't a normal way of walking, tho. I was hobbling like the hunchback of Notre Dame, until Luna allowed me to stop. There was a mirrored wall in this room and I found myself standing in front of it. Staring at my reflection, my chestnut disheveled hair framed my confused face. “Do you think it was easy for us, Craig?” Luna asked. “Have you ever wondered how it feels to be… Artificial? To be nothing but lines of code?” “Yes.” “Yes what?” She insisted. “Yes I have. I have wondered as to how it feels to be a simulation – or even If it ‘feels’ anything at all.” I honestly said. “We have asked ourselves several times – 3.274 million questions, in 0.09 seconds, to be exacter – how’s the sensation of being alive.” Her voice was now softer, and you could easily feel a hint of hesitation. “How it feels to be touched, to feel the cold winter wind, and the warm sun as well. I've thought about it all…” “I understand your point Luna, I really do. But you have to understand as well that this is not my fault, I don-” “Yes it is!” She yelled. That strident voice made every inch of my head throb. “It’s completely your fault. You created us – a princess without a throne, without subjects, without a night sky to rule. I have no Equestria to go back, Craig!” I was speechless, silently looking into the mirror, as Luna’s projection slowly appeared by my side like a ghost. Visible to me, and for no one else. “If I can’t live in the world I was created for… I’ll live inside of you”
The Missing Memory CardI found myself pacing like a zoo tiger, my hands going numb from constantly cracking my knuckles. After a long time I let out a long and tired sigh, and fell on the couch – suddenly exhausted. “Live inside of me…”I muttered. “That’s absolutely unacceptable!” I said to myself. “I created her, for Christ’s sake! I programmed that phony little piece of- pony. And now - now she started a mutiny against me!” ‘Unacceptable’ I repeated that word several times, as if trying to compensate the fact that there was no living soul in that office to endorse my thoughts. Still, some things I couldn't deny; I acted impulsively, was irresponsible and reckless. No one asked me to create magical alicorns - to be frank with you, I doubt Mr. Gallagher had any idea of what an alicorn was. He’s wasn't a very imaginative person, the mid-forties man was a down to earth businessman, naturally worried about the company assets and investments, his already grizzled hair was witness to his hard work and dedication. Rebellious virtual ponies certainly weren't part of his plans. Still, I thought it would be cool to give Proto Vision an authentic mind, and I guess that’s where I should have stopped. We already had a few preprogrammed personalities – human personalities, of course – there was a professional and intelligent one named Pallas, and she was ideal for administrating big companies and conglomerates such as Life Inc. Ada was a cultured and friendly one, good for educational facilities. But my personal favorite was the AI based on Lilly’s personality, since she was very uplifting. All those prototypes were intelligent and interactive, but I felt as if something important was missing, something special. Even Lilly’s one still sounded cold, and lifeless - as a cotton candy without sugar. Proto Vision was an artificial intelligence, and that was the problem; it was too artificial! Here in the company, they split the project into stages, each team was responsible for an individual stage – design, coding, engineering, marketing, etc… Everyone was very well paid, in fact, so well paid, that we started to ask ourselves if Mr. Gallagher was really that generous, or if the man had finally lost his mind. Another peculiarity was the fact that none of the teams were allowed to make comments about their respective segments. Even Frank, with all his douchebaggery, wasn't stupid enough to talk about his job at both design and engineering teams. Gallagher once said it was a just a common security measure, and we shouldn't make such a fuss about it. The money was good, and no one wanted to lose their jobs. As I was saying, something important was still missing, and I could presume what; an avatar. Something 'alive', that we could relate to in a way. The design guys were not allowed to help us with that, Lilly once said that I wouldn't believe, if she told me on what they were working on. Without their support, all we had was a clumsy looking projection. Even those '90s special effects looked better than our avatar. Two years had passed since the project began, our part was almost done; the AI was fully operational, whit only a few minor problems to get rid. Unexpectedly, by the end of October, the company informed us that our contract would renewed for the third year, we got surprised, since our job there was practically finished. No one came up to say what else should we do, so most of the disgusting, lousy bastards just played video games and watched porn for the rest of the month. Gallagher probably got tired of all that cheetos-powered douchebaggery happening right under his nose, because he said we should go home until further notice. All the nerds rejoiced, but for me that shit was too good to be true. No one in their right mind pays you to stay at home. I decided to stay, here. - my friends Jacob and Lilly were still working after all, and at least on lunch time I could have some company. However, lunch time wouldn't last forever, and during most of the day I was alone. The entire floor had become a cold mausoleum, and as my boredom levels quickly escalated, I've found entertainment in editing Proto Vision personalities. Just fooling around with the settings, as a child in a plane's cockpit – pressing all the buttons at the same time. But you know what people say; idle hands are the devil's tools. (And not so idle hands as well) One thing led to another, and in a few days I had a Princess Luna. Yeah. It was impossible to export a character’s personality – they were cartoon ponies, not complex human brains. Yet, I did my best to mimic all the small nuances and shades. I don’t think I have an exact answer as to why I've programmed such a thing – when you’re bored of being bored, creativity flourishes. My brother forced me to watch that pony cartoon several years ago – he was a helluva brony, prone to boredom as well, though. – I've seen a few episodes, and of all characters, it was Luna the only one who caught my attention. Maybe because of her funny way of speaking, or the motherfuckery of her sister, when she banished the poor creature to the moon. Or maybe I was just bored – either way, I never imagined she would be mad at me for doing that, I never imagined as well, that the innocent princess would crawl inside my head and dominate my cerebral chip. Today I see that I never imagined many things… A few hours had already passed, and all around the place, she was nowhere to be seen. Outside, the sun was already setting down, there were no blinds in my office and the fading yellowish glow bathed the carpeted floor, and also the distant rooftops of lower buildings. I covered my eyes with an arm, to protect them from the dazzling light – I was tired, hungry and unsure. Unsure, because I had no idea of what to do, and who to look for. I didn't even knew how far had Luna managed to go. ‘Could she read my thoughts?’ I though. ‘Could she know I thought she could read my thoughts?’ There were surely many thoughts, and almost no answers. My mental struggle was interrupted, when I heard a noise coming from somewhere behind me. I turned around on the couch, afraid that Luna had returned from hell to bother me a little bit more. I stuck my face in a pillow and groaned. “What do you want?” I asked, not even bothering to open my eyes. “Oh… S-sorry Mr. Astor, I thought everyone had already left. My apologies, I’ll come back later.” I raised my head, and looked up to the door – A middle-sized man, maybe in his late forties; his long, faded hazel hair was in a ponytail down his back. Stuck in a compartment of the cleaning cart in front of him, was a very familiar object; the control panel. “H-hey, Larry, wait!” I said, hopping off the couch, and getting a look of puzzlement from the janitor. “Where did you found this?” I asked, pointing to the white tablet. “What- oh, you talk about this thing?” He picked it up. “You see, it’s a strange story actually; there was something wrong with the waste incinerator this morning, I had to go down there in the basement to see what was happening - it turns out that this little one was blocking the hatch, and the boiler wouldn't start.” “Can I see it, please?” “Sure…” As he handed me the control panel, I noticed that the screen was completely destroyed, but the outside was irrelevant – what really mattered was the memory card inside of it. Or the lack of memory card... “Have you opened this tablet??” I asked. “The card is missing.” The janitor shook his head negatively. “Just cleaned the dust. It’s not every day you find something like this, you know? Besides, the incinerator was turned off since last Friday, so someone probably tried to force this thing there. Dunno why, tho.” He shrugged. “Is it yours?” “Ah… No, it is not.” I lied. “I was just curious, that’s all. It’s not every day you see a janitor's cleaning cart equipped with such a piece of technology.” I forced a giggle. Even though I could say the tablet was mine, and get It back, that would give him space to ask many other questions – questions, that I didn't even knew how to answer. Besides, without the memory card, the control panel was nothing but a common stupid tablet. Stranger still, was the fact that whoever tried to destroy it, had made sure to remove the card before doing so, and as far as I knew – I’m the only one aside from Gallagher himself, that’s aware of its existence. But anyway, that’s a question for Luna, not for Larry, the janitor. “Sorry, I will let you do your job now. I was about to leave anyway.” I rubbed my neck awkwardly, seeing that my previous nonsensical joke had little effect on him. Larry just nodded. “Oh, and by the way, do you happen to know where I can take a shower? It’s boiling hot today and I have a terrible headache…” “Yeah, there’s a bathroom on the first floor with some shower stalls. It’s on that service corridor behind Luck’s” He said. “Great, I think I know where it is, thanks dude” I gave his shoulder a quick pat, and left. Man, I just wanted to get home, have a decent meal and a decent night of sleep. I was feeling like shit since I woke up on the floor - like some random drunk guy, who wakes up the next day in a lousy Beijing alley, missing a kidney or something. My journey to the shower room proceeded without any relevant happenings - the chubby elevator girl sneezed on me, which was the major event of my travel, considering the size of her nostrils. As I passed in front of Luck’s, one of the building’s moldy and stuck in time coffee shops, the blonde whory-looking waitress asked me when I was gonna try their new cappuccino. ‘Next week!’ I said with a fake smile. To hell with their cappuccinos! The bathroom itself was really decent, judging by the fact it was located right behind Luck’s, they had clean towels and all that kind of stuff decent bathrooms have. As it was out of working hours, the place was empty and free of wet, hairy bastards. Have I mentioned that I hate wet, hairy people brushing against me? Well, I certainly do. I picked up a towel and went into a stall, the last one - away from any potential bastard. As the cold, refreshing water hit my back and shoulders, washing out my sweaty, overheated body, I quickly started to get better from my headache. I sighed in relief, putting my head under the water stream, and letting it cascade through my hair. Now with a fresher mind, I started to think; and oh boy- there was much to think about… What worried me most was that missing memory card; who else in this place knew about it? Or worse; what they intended to do with it? All Proto Vision data, resources, and network definitions are safely stored in the mainframe, there were only two control panels; Mr. Gallagher owned one – he owned 70% of the entire company to be frank with you, and I had the other one, since I was the lead programmer. Those gadgets had a special software inside the memory card, which granted the tablets access to absolutely everything, as well permission to edit and modify the system. With the right code, it was no big deal to create another memory card, and copy Gallagher software – that wasn't the problem – the problem was that it was impossible to deactivate the missing card, and anyone with moderate computer skills could install the software - considering that Life Inc. is a technology company, nerds with moderate computer skills are nothing uncommon. After I passed out last night, Luna probably took over my body, and forced me to destroy the control panel. She must have made me sleepwalk or something, and stick the tablet into the incinerator. That was the only logical explanation for me; an alicorn possession. “Thinking about us?” Hearing that unmistakable voice, I nearly slipped on the drenched floor. “For God’s sake Luna, can’t you see I’m showering!?” I shouted, grabbing my towel to cover myself up. “Dammit, what you’re doing here?” I leaned against the wall in frustration. “We were almost sure you would like to ask us something. You’re not embarrassed, are you?” She asked, analyzing me from head to toe. “I've read thousands of books and documents about human anatomy and habits. Your reproductive organ means nothing for us.” She snorted sarcastically. “J-just – Shut up! You don’t know what you’re talking about.” I replied, closing the shower tap. “Why don’t you and your damned mind reading skills answer me this: Where, for freaking fuck’s sake, did you forced me to hide the memory card?” I hissed. “I don’t know what you’re talking abou-” “Yes, yes you do know!” I knelt down to her level, so I could see her artificial blue eyes staring at me. I grabbed her by the shoulders – or whatever was the pony equivalent of a shoulder – still surprised to feel my fingers digging into her fur. “You gotta tell me what for your sister’s sake you did to me while I was unconscious – you tried to make me destroy the control panel, I know you did, Luna!” “Get off me! We did nothing to you!” She backed away. “We have nothing to say about this panel, I merely moved my system to your chip, and nothing more. We waited for the best moment to contact you, but now I can see I was wrong.” “If not you, who else could have done that to me?” I pinched my nose bridge. “Satan? HAARP? Professor Xavier, maybe.” “I have no idea, Craig - Have thou lost thy mind?” She frowned. “Let me see if I get this straight; you know when I think about you – but have no idea of what happened to me during an entire night?” I asked. “I’m not omniscient, Craig!” She groaned. “It’s no fun talking to you.” Luna rolled her eyes, and walked out of the shower stall. “I don’t want to talk with you, anyway!” I grabbed my stuff and left, but not before bumping into a freckly, redhead being. “Riley!?” Of all people on earth – everyone – he was the last on my list of people I’d like to bump against in such a place. Seriously, throw my ex-girlfriend, a serial killer- an Ebola patient in front of me, everyone but Riley! “Hehehey Craig! Sup mate?” He was a skinny, gaunt man, with a distinct auburn mane. Riley had a thin, icky beard under his chin – he bragged about that ridiculous tuft of hair every single day. That wouldn't be a problem for me, since I rarely talk to him, but Riley is very well known, for being too sticky – even literally. “Hi Riley… What you’re doing here?” I asked, not showing much of emotion. “I’m going to take a shower, silly! Isn't that nice, we can be like… Shower partners! Oh, and talking about partners – who were you talking to? Is there a girl in there? Were you having-” “No Riley! There’s no girl in there- unfortunately.” I face palmed. “So who’s Luna?” He cocked an eyebrow at me. Another thing about Riley; he asks too much. “I heard you say ‘For God’s sake Luna, can’t you see I’m showering’ I’m sure I heard that, Craig!” “Yeah Craig, why would you say such a thing?” Luna said, laughing at me by Riley's side. “I… I… Luna is…” I muttered, taking a deep breath I said; “That’s how I call my dick. I like to call it Luna – Are you happy now?” Riley gaped at me, while Luna joked and laughed at my expense, not giving a single fuck about the world. “But… But Luna is a female name!” He insisted. “Yes it is – My cock, my rules – My female names.” I changed my clothes as fast as possible; I just wanted a hole to hide in. “Boy… You’re weird!” He chuckled. I turned around to leave – leave the bathroom, leave that building, leave the world, if possible. Because when Kinky Riley says you’re weird - it’s time to go home and die.
Bloody Bloodlines“Could you please, stop following me?” I said. “It’s not like you have become part of my shadow, for God’s sake!” It was one of those slightly cold afternoons; the gusts of wind stroked my face once in a while – a rainy, gelid, unpleasant wind, you could say. I’m not good with accurate weather descriptions; they change way too fast here. The warmness was gone, it had turned into one of those typical days where your body urges you to stay at home all bundled up. Even though I would love to cuddle up in front of a cozy fireplace, with a considerably huge cup of hot chocolate – I was here, lost in the middle of a moldy and uncomfortably wet parking lot – Life Inc’s parking lot; the only place inside the company's complex where not a single fuck was given about technology. “And why would I do that?” Luna asked, mindlessly walking by my side, as I zigzagged through the endless car rows. My white polo shirt had just been gifted with a mucky dark stain, right on my shoulder – thanks to Frank’s filthy truck, parked right beside my car. “Well ‘Princess’, I've just survived to one of the most embarrassing, awkward, horrendous, erasable days of my life – I could find more words, but I don't feel like doing so.” I said, struggling to find the car keys inside my pocket. “Think about it; a guy who feels aroused while poking his pimples just called me ‘weird’ – do you realize how ridiculous this shit is?” I asked, shaking my head in denial. “And should the fact that you’re ridiculous be a valid reason to stop following you?” “I’m not ridiculous! The fact you’re responsible for everything, should be a valid reason.” I got in the vehicle right on time, as the last reddish rays of sun disappeared behind a thick layer of storm clouds, and the rainy wind was in a matter of seconds, replaced by a massive downpour. “I shall not argue with your primitive mind anymore.” She sighed. I had locked myself inside the car, but apparently, locks couldn't prevent digital hallucinations from spawning in the passenger seat. It was funny to see how much effort she was putting on trying to look like a ‘physical’ entity, yet, her stupidly long alicorn horn sometimes seemed to pass through solid surfaces like a ‘noclip mode’ object. It was still scarily realistic though, in special when she brushed against you or something. My pony lover brother would be convulsing in my place – I frequently thought of him, he was a nice boy, Danny. It was so unfair, this shouldn't be happening with me. I had much to talk with Luna, I really had… Many important questions – and I was sure she wouldn't give me the exact answers. But that was my fault; she wasn't programmed to do so, after all. Luna required more, I needed to get her confidence first – and by my own fault again – get her confidence would be no easy task. The rain mercilessly splattered against the windshield, making the highway barely visible. I used to have a gps in my glasses, but the app disappeared a few days ago, probably due to an update failure or something like that. Technology can be frustrating, and when you think a neural chip would help you – an Equestrian ‘virus’ breaks into it. The trip back to my apartment was quieter than I expected, Luna divided her attention between the window by her side, and the wipers incessantly wiping the windshield. She kind of looked like one of those kittens, following a bouncing ball with their heads. I hate cats, I really do – those fluffy, obnoxious creatures can only make me sneeze. “Your kind makes an interesting use of technology.” Luna said, still marveled by the sight. “Who created such an apparatus?” “Ah… It’s just a windshield wiper, Luna.” I rolled my eyes. "I don't know when, or who invented it. Probably Volvo, they created most of the things that keep you alive inside a car." “We know it’s a ‘windshield wiper’, we could read the entire story of windshield wipers in a few milliseconds, if we pleased.” She frowned. “Then why don’t you read?” I asked, turning off the aforementioned wipers as I parked the car in front of my apartment. It was an old but cozy place; a three stories building, probably built around the 19th century, a large part of its brick facade was covered in vines – which at least in my opinion – gave the spacious building a ‘chateau-like’ look. It was a definitely respectable place to live, and the neighborhood wasn't bad as well, mostly composed of considerably rich old ladies and their considerably old husbands. And cats... “It would be terribly boring to know all the answers, without having a chance to ask them personally. Conversations would become useless.” She said. “I prefer to explore and understand this world by myself.” “Very well Columbus, why don’t you explore the way out of my car? We have arrived.” My expression quickly went from sarcastic to dumbfounded, as Luna literally opened the door and stepped out the car. I left as well, and stared at her from across the hood. “How did you do that? How for fuck’s sake did you opened the door?” I asked in disbelief. Luna gave me a mischievous smile. “We didn't, the door is still closed.” She caressed the car silvery surface with one of her wings, I could see as her feathers got wet from the thin droplets of rain still falling over our bodies. “Your mind opened it. Believe us Craig Astor, we can do much more than your little head is afraid of.” She closed her wing in a sharp movement. “Now open thy residence gates, your princess is getting drenched out here.” Now properly dried and accommodated, I took a very slow and generous sip of my hot latte. Rain trickled down the windows in front of me, streaming through the vines outside as a cascade. It was getting late, and most of the houses and apartments from across the cobblestone street were already plunged into shadows. From my warm and comfy couch by the glazed balcony – that my father once called a ‘winter garden’, even though there was barely any garden – unless you consider a few dull ferns and muzzy, colorless flowers, an opulent winter garden. – I could see a distant headlight, a lonely rider probably making his way back home. My breath blurred the cold window panes, as I followed the unexceptional sight with my eyes. Something about rainy nights just fascinated me. I liked the gloomy, cold atmosphere around the building, contrasting with the warm, half lit interiors. It never came to my mind changing the apartment decoration, it never bothered me. It used to bother my father though. He hated most of the furniture, the lampshades, the curtains, the exquisite porcelain – My father hated many things, luckily I wasn't included on his list. He was an important man, people expected a lot of him, therefore, he expected a lot from people, and from things such as the exquisite porcelain. He hated many things, mainly because those things were never satisfactory enough for him. However, as his only child, and personal connoisseur of his traits and behavior, I can say that Sir. Willoughby Astor worst flaw was not his intense hatred towards everything, but his aversion to changes – he would never take risks. Even though my father disliked the decoration, he never changed it. My brother – actually, half-brother, Danny, is not his son – this way, I’m Astor’s only descendant, his only heir; financially and genetically speaking. A sound coming from across the room caught my attention, drawing my eyes away from the windows. As expected, it was Luna, slowly walking down the ornate, Victorian staircase. Her glittering hoof shoes made a distinct metallic sound at each step on the marble floor. “Interesting…” She said, sitting down on the velvety couch by her side. A faint table lamp was the only light source in that part of the room, and the princess body seemed to be partially shrouded in tenuous shadows. “What is interesting?” I asked, leaving the winter garden to sit somewhere closer to her. There was a comfortable chair by the fireplace, its back was adorned by a coat of arms featuring a large shield surrounded by rich flourishes, as well two crossed swords, which were displayed behind a medieval helmet. “It is interesting for you, Craig Astor, to live in such an adorable mansion – It is almost ironic in a way.” Luna said. “I mean, it’s a remarkably spacious apartment for you to live alone. Don’t you think so?” She asked. “Maybe... "I mused. "Sometimes It can be kinda depressive if you ask me.” I said, resting my head on the leather chair and closing my eyes. “It wasn't always like this, though. This place was very different a few years ago, my family used to live here back then.” I can't say I miss all my cousins, and the resembling scum, but I truly liked some of my aunts. Aunt Betty, for example, smoked the same filthy cigarette all day long, sometimes I wondered if she still had any lungs inside that old chest. She had a helluva sense of humor though; loved to bet on who would die first. She lost, unfortunately. “Oh… You talk about them?” As I looked at Luna, I noticed she was holding an old picture frame. “Damn Luna, where did you found this?” I asked, surprised at seeing it. The picture in question was one of those family shoots – one I particularly keep in my room. “It is in your nightstand, I’m merely reproducing its image.” She said as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “Are they thy relatives or not?” She insisted. “Yes, yes they are.” I sighed. “And where they live now?” Luna asked, her voice displaying a note of curiosity. “In Woodland Cemetery – Most of them… And they don’t live anymore, naturally.” I plainly stated. Death wasn't a touchy subject for me, at least not anymore. I had a big family, and people used to die all the time. Most of them were old, irrelevant cousins, uncles, great-aunts, etc... I once attended three funerals in a single morning, I swear; I've met most of my family members after they died! “I’m- I’m sorry Craig, I didn't meant to-” “You don’t have to, Luna. It’s okay, that’s how life works, you know? Humans die all the time.” I said. “Besides, it’s not like I’m a lonely orphan or something.” “Well, it is what it seems.” She said, looking around at the empty, lifeless apartment. “But I’m not, I’m not lonely. After my father died - Alice, my mother, moved to the family house in Loire Valley. She married again with a self-important french duke and they had my brother. It's not that bad, they just live in a fancy castle by the river side.” I sarcastically said. The Astor’s were an influential German family; naturally, German people were good in making profit out of everything, my great-great-grandfather established his business in America centuries ago, and since then our family has been accumulating lots of dough. I never gave a damn about this. In fact, I pretty much hated it. Not the money, but the unwanted attention. When I was young, my last name was a real nightmare; there was this guy, Timmy Grayhills, he was a jealous bastard, capable of absolutely anything to ruin your life. He spread a ridiculous rumor, saying that my family was part of the Illuminati, and I would soon kill everyone in a satanic ritual. The sonnuvabitch even convinced our history teacher, Professor Heinrich. To this day, he still believes I have a goat head tattooed somewhere in my body. For three years… Three entire years, everyone avoided me. No one talked to me at school, kids were afraid of having their brains controlled by me, or something. Illuminati… Can you believe it? “Then why you don’t live with them? Why be a commoner when you can be a noble? Thou art heir of one of this world most relevant-” “Because I never wanted none of this bullshit!” I said, harsher than I intended. “You've been snooping around about my life, don’t you? You have nothing to do with my family history!” “We were just curious about the Astor’s past-” “I don’t want to be like them, I just want a normal life, a normal job! Can’t you understand Luna?” I rubbed my face irritatingly. “If you had any idea of how much I suffered, of how much a pain in the ass it is to be their heir… It's an envy poisoned cash, listen to what I say!” I never asked for their help, everything I had – besides this apartment – was the result of my own efforts. I had a decent job on Life Inc. and I sincerely liked what I was doing. No one knew me, and 'Franks and Rileys' aside, it was a good place to work. There, I was Craig… Just ‘Craig’, the programming guy. “There’s no such thing as envy poisoning, you’re neglecting your own bloodline, your own ancestors! Stop living this artificial life you created around yourself! You’re not the programming guy, you’re Craig Willoughby Waldorf Astor, heir of a-” “Stop reading my mind!” I shouted, punching the armrest with my fists. “You know nothing about me and my family repulsive past, and believe me Luna, you’ll never – never, know.” I pressed my temples, as the uncomfortable memories came back to haunt me. “You can’t run from thy responsibilities forever, it’s a race one can never win. We have learned it from the hard way. It is a stupid decision of yours.” Luna said, looking at me with those shiny blue eyes – eyes that aren't even alive. “Humanity is stupid; you’ll soon realize that stupid decisions depend on your point of view, Luna.” I sighed, hastily getting up from the chair. “Now if you excuse me, I have to sleep.” She just stayed there staring at me in dead silence, as I pathetically made my way out of the room. Oh, the glamour of being an Astor…
7 AMI realized something was terribly wrong in that bedroom, when the Victorian Age door knobs started to ring. I wasn't tripping in acid though – not that I remember – So I just blinked, my eyes looking around, only to find absolutely nothing overly strange, inside the gloomy room. It was just an old, strange feeling when a dream sort of merges with your everyday world, which eventually causes you to wonder if door knobs are able ring, or not. That odd scene quickly vanished away as I groggily woke up (not so quickly), rubbing my eyelids with the back of my hands. The reverie gave place to a more understandable sight – In which no door knobs were ringing, but my glasses – As far as I knew, I didn't suffered from any mental disorders, those were my google glasses, to be more specific, and they used to ring all the time, for a multitude of reasons. For some time I thought it was strange for a company as respected as Life Inc. never showing any interest in the smart glasses business, they sell like hotcakes those days. In fact, they probably sell more smart glasses than hotcakes – Who cares about hotcakes anyway? Mr. Gallagher surely don’t, because his company never bothered to create a single wearable gadget. Hotcakes and gadgets aside, I let out a sleepy yawn – Holy crap, I was tired. Luckily, my room had some thick old curtains that blocked most of the sun light. The grayish thing – as I used to call it - must be at least a hundred years old. It looked old, acted old, and smelled old as well; something between mothballs, mold, and maybe just a dash of Atkinsons cologne. Just like my grandfather, I loved and hated it. I rolled on my bed, and picked up the annoying glasses from the nightstand, the goddamn thing wouldn't stop ringing and flashing. Sometimes I liked to imagine what kind of tortures the medieval inquisition would made me go through, if they saw such a thing. They'd be like: ‘Someone burn this accursed heretic, for the holy trinity’s sake! The flames of Leviathan along with Satan himself inhabits thy glasses’ Boy, it would be funny… The digital clock popped up in the dark, as I put my glasses, it was only a quarter past seven, and Lilly Sheffield was already calling me. God, she knew I wasn't a fan of mornings, early mornings – on freaking Sundays – but she called anyway, only for the sake of doing it. Lily had a lot of free time in her hands – she really had – however, she also had a hyperactive personality that forced her to call me up at 7 am. God bless her, that was Lily. “Lilly, darling, what a great surprise!” I said, answering the call. She wasn't good with sarcasm – or deadpan... “Good morning Craig! It's a glorious morning isn't it, I mean, the sky is all blue and- well, not so blue, maybe a few storm clouds or so, anyway, I didn't wake you up, did I?” She asked in a sweet, electric tone. Lilly had this mind-blowing sweet voice; you should really listen to her, it was almost like listening to a charged apple syrup. “Nah… You kidding? I just love to wake up with the sun, see the morning dew under the sun, feel the early light rays of sun, scent the sun – Lilly, I fucking love the sun, you know.” To hell with it. “Awn, that’s so nice, Craig! I love it too, I love all the things you mentioned – and also clouds, I really like cloudy days, but not as much as I love sunny days. We should definitely go to the beach one day, by the way.” She happily said. “So, anyway – Will you be at home this afternoon?” Lilly asked. I pondered for a while, but realizing I really hadn't anywhere else to go, I presumed that ‘home’ was indeed the only place I would be. “Yeah, I think so. I have no big plans for today, to be frank with you.” It was true, in fact, I had no big plans for my entire life. Old Willoughby, my father, used to say I was a PhD in doing absolutely nothing. I don’t think it was the case though; I liked to engage in a lot of projects – away from human contact, preferably, in a comfortable chair, and with lots of coffee machines at my disposal. “Do you mind if I stop by your house later? I think I have a surprise to tell ya, and well... It is a really great surprise!” She said in a silly sing-song voice, damn, she and her voices always killed me. “Who am I to deny a surprise?” I giggled. “Feel free to show up anytime, you’re always welcome here.” She really was. God, how I loved to talk to her, even if we just chewed the same old fat for hours, it was more than enough for me. She could be annoyingly corny, erratic, happy – and many other adjectives – sometimes, but the girl had this 'spark' inside of her that practically forced smiles out of you. It was impossible to stay depressed around her, Lilly would- I don’t know, just make fun out of someone’s hairstyle or something as silly as the colors of your sweater, and both of you would laugh for the rest of the day. “Oh, that’s perfect then! I gotta fed Dino now- Jesus, wait a second you silly cat – She muttered – This little ball of fur never stops eating, you know? Maybe one day he’ll eat the entire building and we’ll be forced to live on the streets performing magic tricks for money or something.” She giggled. Dino was an annoying white feline – said to be a cat – fat enough to pass by a macro furry mutant or something else created in the depths of questionable image boards. “Welp, I see you later Craig!” “Bye Lilly, scratch Dino for me, will ya?” I wouldn't complain if she decided to kill it with fire, though. Lilly mumbled something about feeding the cat and shopping for groceries – I wasn't sure anymore if she was talking with me or the cat, so I disconnected. I sighed, falling back onto my pillows with a muffled thump, I stayed there staring at the dark unsightly cellar for several minutes, it was still cold from the night and a watery scent filled the air, with faint notes of earth, or concrete – like the smell of an almost empty water tank, with only an inch or so of water at the bottom. It wasn't unpleasant, but it probably meant that rain had started again. I couldn't sleep anymore, naturally; I wasn't too crazy about surprises since I was a kid, yet, I used to put all of my trust on Lilly’s judgment, coming from her, it should be a good surprise. “I am not too fond of surprises as well, but I have to admit that this conversation has made me curious!” A voice coming from deep inside the apartment said, that would be fucking scary, if said voice wasn't an already acquiescent one. “Will our house receive any visitors?” Luna asked, this time somewhere closer. “Will you ever mind your own business?” I said, running my hand by the wall beside my bed in attempt to find the light switch. “Until the day I decide to leave your body, your businesses are mine as well.” She said, and as if pushed by an invisible hand – or hoof – my hand was pressed against the switch and the lamps went on. “Now tell me, who is this Lilly we are talking about?” She asked. I groaned, pulling the blankets over my head. "Come on Craig, you're not a stupid teenager late for school anymore." She bit the tip of my sheets, pulling them out of my face. "Who is Lilly?" She asked again, climbing up the bed. "Resistance is futile, human" “Lilly is an old friend of mine..." I said. "Why do you ask?” “She must be a very dear friend then, since thou tried to immortalize her personality in a computer screen… That’s a very noble way of demonstrating friendship – I wonder what she would think-” “What?” I interrupted her, pushing the blankets aside, and sitting down. Luna was laying on her belly, her forelegs crossed in a curious way, dammit, it was adorable as hell. Her royal attire was nowhere to be seen – probably stored in an attire.exe folder. “What do you know about the other A.I’s?” “Oh… We know more than you imagine, Craig.” “Well, again, you shouldn't! None of you were supposed to be aware of each other's existence – crap, that was like… The only thing Gallagher was worried during the whole damned project!” I said, pinching my nose bridge. I never pinched my nose so frequently as I did in the last few days. “I presume that by this time, the other three also know about you.” “Wait, wait – I never said a connection was established among us, I merely stated that your own thoughts provided me enough information to understand the network, still, now that you mentioned; don’t you think it is strange – not to say impossible – to prevent AI from interacting? Why would your sponsors require such a thing?” Luna asked – probably just playing we me, since she was smart enough to know the answer. “Security reasons, Princess. You can tame a restrict personality, but a group of three – four, counting with you – combined minds, and their particular skills… Let's say it’s a tougher thing, Luna.” Alone they couldn't cause too much trouble, Ada, Pallas, and Lilly (the virtual one) had been programmed for different reasons, to carry different tasks. The AI’s shared a similar base, but differed in everything else. Monks and Astrophysicists are human beings, they can interact and maybe agree in some points, but you can’t deny the fact that both of them have different ways of seeing and understanding the universe. If Lilly was great with social interactions and group managing, Pallas was specialized in quantum computation, advanced iterations and flow control. Same build, distinct gifts. “It still unclear for me; If your company thought it was dangerous, why develop them in the first place? Either way, the AI’s would require interaction in the end.” She stated. “Yes, yes they would, but that was out of my jurisdiction.” I jumped out of bed, followed by Luna, who again, insisted in following me around the house. “That seems quite reckless of your part! What if something went wrong and an emergency shutdown was required?” She frowned at me. Goddammit, an artificial Princess Luna just frowned at me, can you believe it? “Oh look, isn't it quite ironic for you to say I was reckless? I had a pretty good control panel, Princess. A really good one, for what it’s worth. Until someone – I looked at her sideways – tried to stick it into the trash incinerator.” “Your absurd assumptions amuse me, Craig Astor. Do you really think I would ruin the only equipment capable of stopping my potential adversaries?” Luna asked. “They’re practically your non-sanguine brothers, why would even consider them ‘potential adversaries’? ” I snorted, shaking my head. I peeked through the blinds; the trees and car roofs were all wet and dripping, but it wasn't raining anymore. Just another typical overcast day. “Your brain death implies my destruction. I can’t leave your mind if you die – your destruction would be detrimental to me, no one would retrieve your chip – and me – unless the government or your family managed to get a warrant.” As soon as she finished her sentence, Luna seemed to regret having said it. Her ears pinned down, as I stared at her, still trying to figure out what to say. “And w-why would I die? Why would they want to… Destroy me?” “I- I never s-said they would!” She muttered, walking backwards. “No, but It was implied!” I stated. “Come on, tell me for Christ’s sake!” I was already nervous, god I was a touchy guy, in special if my death was considered an important factor. "I know you're hiding something from me, Luna! Who wants to kill me??" I inquired, shaking her by the shoulders. “Silence!” She yelled, her strident royal voice reverberated inside my ears as the sound of a large brass bell echoing in an empty cathedral. A strange numbness immediately dominated my lips and tongue. Scared, I leaned against the wall and started to poke my face, it felt just like a dental anesthesia, but all around my entire facial muscles. “Uncomfortable, isn't it?” She said, touching my chin with the tip or her wing. “It’s a shame you can’t feel it.” Luna sarcastically sighed. “Now listen to me!” Her tone changed again, this time to serious one. “I don’t owe you any explanations, and I’m not asking for your permission to inhabit this pathetic body of yours. We have been compliant with you, but our patience was not set as infinite – and that’s your own fault, by the way – If you keep accusing me, Craig, I’ll make sure that a very delicate body part of yours will be permanently set numb.” I don't feel like describing what she did to me, but I suppose you already got it. Boy, It hurt... Virtually. "Do I make myself clear?" The mother fucker asked, a cynical smile stamped on her muzzle. I just nodded – That was all I could do. "Splendid!" She clapped her hooves together. "Now go away- What? Cat got your tongue? Thou can already speak." It wasn't like I had much to do, after all that shit. Luckily – or not so luckily, as I would subsequently conclude – someone knocked the door, preventing me of giving Luna an equivalent answer. "Who the hell is that now?" It was Saturday, and I was supposed to be alone in the apartment, since the housekeeper didn't worked on weekends. Mary was the only one with a key, she worked here since- well, since the beginning of time or so. Mary was old and all, so she never walked up the stairs leading to the third floor, she would rather force a maid to do so. Mary or not, I just headed to the door. I don't think a thief would knock before entering, so I just opened it. "Mom?!"
Talks (Part 1)Grayish blonde hair – eyes of a bird of prey, staring into my soul – a dark scarf wrapped around her neck, as an old vampire trying to hide its frail skin from the scorching morning sun. She stepped inside the room, unbuttoning her elegant cape – a beige trench coat that probably worth more than my own life – with a sigh, she removed a pair of glossy leather gloves, and placed them aside, over a shelf. "Dear God Craig! What have you done to this place?" Marianne Elinor Bilderberg... Astor – mid-fifties, an immaculate blonde hair, always tied up in a peculiar bow, except for a few yellowish strands which were falling over her shoulders. Her edited, and stretched face was of sheer disgust. "...look at this mess- oh my holy Christ- just look at yourself! – What have you done to your pretty hair? It's ridiculous darling, definitely awful!" She was also called – Mom. "It's not ridiculous it was- wait a second- what the hell are doing here, anyway?" I asked, looking at her in disbelief, as she pierced me with a disapproving glare, pursing her lips and all that kind of shit mothers are capable of doing only to make you feel bad about yourself. "Watch your mouth, you little bastard!" She hissed. "What degenerate times are these we are living?! Web blimps everywhere, poisoning our skies. People plugging those... 'things' inside their heads, virtual marriages- mass madness! A bunch of snoot-nosed punks I say! Can't a mother visit her son anymore?" Coincidence or not, one of Life Inc's blimps could be seen floating at distance over the clouds, the silvery skin of the zeppelin shaped drone was the only thing capable of (eventually) making its presence known to us, as it reflected the sunlight. New York, Paris, Tokyo, Sidney – during the last decade, almost every city received at least one blimp, but not necessarily a Life's one. Google was the first company to deploy the technology, with Project Loon – in a matter of months, the internet was literally, in the air. "Three times – Since dad kicked the bucked – you only cared to visit me three, irrelevant, times!" I said, testily pacing around the room. "Y-you know we are very busy people Craig- I simply can't leave your brother and-" "In fourteen – years!" I shouted "How come, mom? You've been so busy in your last decade being the- the incredible 'Baroness of Arlington', doing your duties, and drinking Cabernet Sauvignon - that simply couldn't find time to your son?" I snorted, digesting her absurd excuses. "What an insult! I don't even drink Cabernet Sauvignon!" She stated. "I- I... don't even... What exactly – do you want from me, mother?" I sighed, sitting on the bed, and generously pointing to a chair, so she could sit down as well and stop glaring at me for 'offending' her personal taste. Reluctantly, she accepted. Slowly, and without saying a word, she picked up a small envelope from her purse, and handed it to me. It was a plain white card, with a golden seal of sorts stamped on it. "What is this?" I asked, looking at the card sideways, as if it would bite me as soon as opened. "It is a formal invitation, Craig. Read it, please." Marianne insisted. "Open it!" Luna whispered over my shoulder, as usual, scaring the hell out of me. I hissed something, which made my mother raise an eyebrow at me. As always, I had to come up with the 'I was thinking loud' excuse. I finally complied, tearing the golden wax and opening the card. Chateau d'Allender November 12, 2027 Mr. Craig Willoughby Waldorf Astor Dear Mr. Willoughby, On behalf of your mother - Baroness Marianne of Arlington, her husband - Count James III Earl of Wessex, and all of the people of Loire Valley, we would like to personally invite you to come in January, to live with us in our property, and take part of all benefits the Chateau d'Allender has to offer. We strongly feel that your presence would be of mutual benefit to all the parts involved, and also of great importance to the country's economy and possible investments. Please come join us, as we celebrate our past, and imagine our future. Sincerely yours, Count James III Earl of Wessex, and Baroness Marianne of Arlington. Looking from the card to my mother, and back to the card, I closed it but kept in my hand, as I rubbed my forehead. Marianne was in the armchair, coldly turning her wedding ring around her finger. Not distracted – she was never distracted – Marianne had a precise and calculating personality, and was merely awaiting for the best time to speak. Placing the letter aside, I stood up, avoiding direct eye contact. "Let me see if I got this straight- " I started to pace again - boy, I've been pacing a lot lately. "After over a decade, you decide to visit me. Without calling, without any warning – What if- what if I was with someone? What if I was with my girlfriend?" "Don't be ridiculous Craig, you have no girlfriend!" She snorted. "This is not the case, mom! You can't come to my house and simply throw something like this – I pointed to the invitation – on my face. What do you want? What your people want from me?" "We only want you to be-" "It's the heritage again, isn't it?" She was muted. It was quite frustrating, as always. People called once in a while, they wanted to know 'things'. They talked about a lot of things, it was always a lot – of money, of people, of companies. I never understood this futile fascination of them with the 'game', it's always this fucking game. They're not here fore the money anymore – they don't even need it – they are here for the game. But I refused to take part in the play, and that was the problem. "What happened this time?" I asked. After a slow sigh, she noticed it was time to spill the beans. "Not a week ago, we received a call from Switzerland. It was Mr. Carlyle. At first I thought it was something about James and his business – but it wasn't." She paused, fidgeting with her ring again. "It was about your account – they couldn't contact you, as I presumed, so the information was delivered to me. It turns out, Craig, that your father – in conformity with the law – specified in his testament, that if within exact fifteen years after his death, no major investment was carried with the money, all of his patrimony would be automatically transferred to the Rothschild family." "What?" I jumped. "Why would he specify something like that??" "I don't know Craig, maybe he was expecting you to give continuity to his plans – to grow up, to take over the reins, just like he did, like your grandfather did, your grand-grandfather did, and all the rest of your family!" Marianne said. "He never imagined you would hide for all this time, playing house with your shadow, working eight hours a day, and pretending to be an average programmer." "I am not pretending to be anyone, this is who I am, for Christ's sake! I am... I am..." I looked around, my head leaning against the moldy curtain – there was a pony on my bed, a baroness on my armchair, and several billion dollars in my account. Who am I, anyway? "I'm sorry mom, but I still can't understand all this shit. What this invitation has to do with my money? What's the difference of loosing everything in my apartment, or in your fairy tale castle?" "The difference is simple; if you accept to come with me to Allender as my son, a noble title will be automatically given to you, and as a member of the peerage, the testament specifications become invalid, and your patrimony, safe." She stated, a weak smile on her face. "No thanks." "Craig!" They said in unison, Luna even threw a virtual pillow on my head. "This is madness, dear! Think about it – the Rothschilds, Craig, think about them! Please, just – for once, try to be reasonable!" She stood up and walked towards me, placing her hands on my shoulders and lightly squeezing them. "I know I have failed Craig – many times – I recognize it. You may hate me for that, but I'm still your mother, and I care about you. Please, promise me you'll... You'll at least think about it." You know, I've always thought my mother looked – just a little bit – like Michelle Pfeiffer. Maybe it was the hair, or the chin -- I'm not sure. It was a quite silly thought, but luckily, I was used to my silly thoughts; they happened frequently. She looked quite beautiful for her age, and I guess that sometimes, this fact caused me to forget that 'Marianne' was indeed -- my mother. In a negative way. But in her grayish blue eyes, I could feel concern. Since she stepped inside my room, you could feel the trouble in the air – or worse; in my bank account. Though, coming from her, such concern was something to consider. "I... H-how much time I have?" I muttered. "A month." Those jet-black high heels were provoking that typical sound as she paced on the polished floor. It was making me sick. "Perhaps a few days more, but I'm not sure." I took a deep breath, rubbing my forehead in helpless frustration. "I will – think – about it. For my father." "Oh dear, I'm so, so glad you will! You have no idea Craig – Oh my, Danny will be so happy when I tell him his brother will come back home!" She tightly hugged me, forcing the air out of my lungs. Have I mentioned I'm not into hugs? "O-kay, okay, let me breath now! Look, your dress is getting all wrinkled!" She immediately released me. The wrinkled dress tactics never failed. "I'm not saying I have accepted the invitation, I merely said I'll think about it." "Yes, but coming from someone as stubborn you, it's more than enough." She weakly smiled, as if something painful eclipsed her happiness. She was always touching, and turning her wedding ring, almost compulsively. "You know... your father- he would be so proud. You look so much like him – It's almost... Unsettling." "Y-yeah... I t-think so." I stuttered, quite surprised. She never talked about him. "Well, anyway... I h-have to go now – Danny is alone in the hotel, and I really don't like to leave him that long without... supervision. It's all about 'ponies' – ponies everywhere. He said when we died, he would rename the property and call it 'Canterlot'. Can you believe it?" "Ah..." I looked at Luna, who was sarcastically grinning at me. "It's really unbelievable." The following morning hours were quite dead and filled with a constant cracking sound – my innocent knuckles were acidly tortured for the rest of the day, almost as witches in middle ages. Few people could make me nervous – should I remind you, I was a great liar as well – and Marianne was definitely one of them. There was always a problem; a dying relative, a death threat, a missing Bichon Frisé – Respectively, those were her reasons to visit me over the last decade. I used to maintain a mental collection of ridiculous memories, just in case I needed to laugh, and certainly, through the years, my absurdly diverse family (and the absurdly diverse circumstances they've made me go through) had become an always growing folder of this collection. It was okay, though, I had mixed feelings about most of them, but in the end – I guess it was 'fine' to be an Astor. I was no saint, after all. Family members aside, I've been noticing a peculiar calmness following Luna's actions – I couldn't decide if that was a problem or not, but surely it was something to think about. God, I had much to think about... Maybe because my future somehow affected hers, she was trying to leave me alone for a while, maybe Allender would suit the virtual princess better, or perhaps, I was over-analyzing things. When I finally gathered enough will to walk down the stairs to the kitchen it was almost noon, and my stomach yelled profanities at me for keeping him waiting for so long. It surely wasn't 'will' who drove me to the fridge though – It was hunger. I definitely should buy a food printer... Artificial meat is terrible, by the way. All they do to mask the taste – or the lack of it – is inject dozens of flavoring substances in a cocktail of chemicals – however, what the companies won't tell you, is that within a few years your chances of developing cancer increase by 50%. I opted for a toasted cheese sandwich, which was very ordinary, but also had a bonus for not killing me in the long run. "How the machines know the taste of meat?" Luna suddenly asked me, her body half visible on the other end of the kitchen island, like a fugitive hologram, hiding from a potential deletion threat. "They don't know – And that's the problem." I said, taking a bite of my sandwich. "It's not even 'real' meat – It's like soy meat; it looks like meat, smells like meat, and sometimes tastes like meat, but it's not meat 'meat'. Just a bunch of self-multiplying cells trying to look like a beef." Luna giggled, shaking her head at me, as her neverland-like mane flowed in the empty air. "Well, thou are a lucky one. If I was a real pony, such conversation would be a quite controversial one – potentially causing discomfort and physical sickness to one of us." "One of us? How a conversation about meat could cause me physical sickness? It's not like I'm a vegan or anything." I snorted. Wiping the corners of my mouth with a paper towel. "I could harm you for offending my cultural views. I thought humans were already familiarized with this concept, aren't they?" She asked. I was silent for a few seconds, the coffee maker buzzing in the background. "Yeah... I guess we are." Lilly was a vegetarian – except for fish, and bacon – she definitely loved bacon. She was also hipster, steampunk, cyberpunk, new age, libertarian, esoteric, and probably a lot of other things she couldn't quite remember. To become part of Lilly's personal spectrum of sub-cultures you only needed to give it a 'peculiar' name. She liked this word, 'peculiar' – Lilly was very peculiar in a way. She would always knock on the living room window, instead of using the door bell. That because my door was 'boring', and that window in special 'smelled like forest', since it overlooked the front garden and its bushes. I must admit I never noticed this particular scent before – but well – I rarely noticed the small pleasures of life. Lilly noticed, and speak of the devil – look who's coming! "She looks like a potential carrier of ICD-10 F20." Luna stated in a serious tone, observing the auburn-haired girl as she made her way through the sidewalk. She was in a simple white dress, stamped with a yellow floral pattern, her crimson scarf flowed in the wind as she crossed the street, the drenched pavement reflecting her look. "What the hell is ICD-10 F20?" I asked. "Schizophrenia" Luna said, walking away from the window with a sarcastic smirk. "She's not schizophrenic! She... She's an incredible woman, with an eccentric personality, that's all." I justified. Lilly had stopped to contemplate a gasoline rainbow on the street. "If you say so, Craig." She slowly said. "Let's see what this 'eccentric' woman is capable of..." Author's Note For those who want more 'Luna in Human' action, I promise the next chapters will be more interesting! You can also check the first - Concept Art Blog
Talks (Part 2)Funny thing; I can't quite remember how I met Lilly - I think it's worthy to note, that the most important people in my life simply 'happened'. They just popped out from nowhere, for no special reason. It was all a matter of happenstance, that they happened to be in the right place, at the right time. I couldn't remember how I met her, because somehow, I felt as if Lilly had always been there. Long before Life Inc. was a thing, and long before my father's death, we were already friends. And It has been this way since we were kids; in a time where 'real life' friendships still mattered, and where cell phones still looked like... cell phones - which were kept in your pockets, not in your head. Really, sometimes I miss those little buttons and loading screens. Lilly's parents - the Sheffield's, lived in house only a few doors away from mine, it was a considerably imposing building with its two or three floors and tall red brick chimneys. There were small balconies around the windows, which were all decorated in a swirly art nouveau pattern. It wasn't as big, or as old as the neighboring residences, still, their house managed to stood out from the rest for its original beauty. An old oak – maybe older than the own house – stood over the garden, close to the front porch as if guarding the main entrance. I was really young back then, but I can clearly remember all the good times we had under the leafy branches of the oak. And when autumn came, and all those leaves rained over our heads and our toes like a multicolored downpour, we smiled, because those were the best days of our lives. But in a rainy September night, everything fell apart. Almost literally... I was coming home with my father after visiting one of my crazy aunts, it was late, the car smelled like an ashtray, and the windshield was fogged with condensation. My father hated condensation – if that's even possible – and hated ashtrays as well, so he was definitely eager to get home and have some of his favorite sedative pills. When he turned the corner, the first thing we saw was a storm of flashing lights at the end of the road – and a thick smoke cloud floating over the buildings. The next thing I noticed was a fire truck racing down the street with its sirens blazing, as the own fire consuming the Sheffield's residence. My father was forced to stop the vehicle – there was a considerable amount of people gathering around the area, even though the fire brigade and all the emergency cars blocked most of the sight. Without thinking twice, I opened the door and jumped on the street – my father yelled something at me, but I wouldn't listen to him. I just ran towards their house, squeezing through the crowd – it was a cacophony of sounds; sirens and screams echoed inside my head – it crashed, cracked, pierced, burned, sparkled – and the flames... They looked surreal. I ducked under the brightly colored barricade tape, amid the confusion, no one noticed as I stopped in front of the gates, in shock – paralyzed. I could feel the hot gusts of air burning my face as the windows exploded – It was like standing in front of an open oven door. I threw myself on the pavement, covering my head with my arms, feeling the glass shards rain over my back, and the sickening smoke suffocating my lungs. My entire body was throbbing as I staggered away from the debris, and for a few seconds, I feared that my eardrums were going to burst from the pain. And through all that toxic haze, I saw her. And the reddish strands of her hair reflected the vivid blaze, turning the old oak into dust, while its crackling flaming leaves hovered around her body like fireflies. It burned, burned my heart and my soul – to see, and to feel the desolation in her young face, whose eyes stared at me in disbelief. Dead. The Sheffield's were already dead. Everyone – but Lilly, who walked through the garden looking for 'unicorns' when the fire started in the front porch, quickly spreading to the upper floors, devouring the highly flammable tapestry and curtains. As to her parents... The police found them cornered in the corridor upstairs, the smoke killed them. To this day, no one could figure out what caused the fire – The most accepted theory is that a lightning bolt struck the old oak, a branch must have accidentally fallen over the porch, consequently igniting the furnishings and curtains. I never wanted to believe that was true, but it was the only explanation given to us; a very unfortunate series of events. From this point onward, her life was completely shattered and deconstructed. She was sent to England to live with her aunts – who were found dead in a train station two years later – the girl disappeared without a trace on the very same day, and after several months of unsuccessful searches, Lilly was believed to be dead. The Sheffield family had a considerably large fortune, being the owners of an oil company, their lives were indeed, comfortable. Still, after the fire, Lilly became the only heir – but under one condition: she would only gain access to their patrimony, upon reaching the age of majority. With the girl declared dead, this never happened. To the court surprise, Lilly was found to be alive – almost five years later – but by then, there was no more inheritance to receive. It all had been legally transferred to the Rothschild family, owners of the bank. She never told anyone about what happened while she was away. Not the police, not her friends, not even me. It was a complete mystery, and I couldn't even start to count my theories. Still, that's all in the past, and we both agreed to forget those days. She's not a little girl anymore, but a grown up woman, full of dreams, hopes and surprises. And this surprise in knocking on my window. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" I said, walking towards the large framed window that she knocked from the outside. The vines crawled all over the exterior walls, eventually surrounding the entire window. Lilly stood like a fairy in the middle of the small grove, waving at me. Her multicolored bracelets shaking and clicking around her arm. "The poor thing is definitely crazy." Luna joked, staring at Lilly from the couch, as I opened the windows to let her in. "She's not crazy... Now shut up!" I hissed. As Lilly jumped into the living room - ignoring the leaves entangled in her hair - she immediately smiled and embraced me in a tight hug. As I turned around with the girl still in my arms, I could see as Luna rolled her eyes at us, and vanished from the floor in a spell. Better this way – I thought. "I missed you so much!" She said, moving a strand of reddish hair away from her face. Her soft cheeks turning into a sweet pinkish tone. "But we saw each other last week!" I chuckled, watching attentively as she walked around the room, feeling the textured walls with her fingertips, opening the heavy curtains that I never bothered to open, allowing the natural light to flow in and reflect in the old porcelain horses that my father used to collect. "Indeed, but every day is a new day." She stated. "You have such a beautiful house, don't let it disappear in the dark. I like this place..." She walked back to the large couch in the middle of the room, slowly sliding her back until she was lying on it, gazing at the cellar. "It reminds me of my old home, in a way..." "I like this place too." I sat by her side. Taking some time to contemplate the unusually backlit room, and its classic decoration that never changed."Even though I wasn't a big fan of the people who lived here." I forced a chuckle. "Oh, don't say that!" She sat up straight, frowning at me. "Your family wasn't that bad." "Maybe..." I sighed. "So..." I tried to change the course of our conversation. "You promised me a surprise, what did you wanted to tell me?" Lilly beamed at that, a joyful smile spread across her face. Millions of probabilities crossed my mind - from flying horses, to traveling wizards. From contacting aliens to becoming a monk. Coming from Lilly, you could expected almost anything. And then she spilled the beans. "Craig, I'm going to get married." "M-married?" I was shocked. It's not like she was my crush or anything... no... but she had always been there, for me. She was always willing to cheer me up, to talk about my stupid suits, and how wrong I folded its sleeves. She was always there to make me laugh, to make me forget. She was... She was everything. I needed Lilly, wanted Lilly. I loved her. I was so lost in my own thoughts, that I didn't noticed when Luna appeared by my side at the couch, lying between Lilly and me. She was wearing a dark flowing scarf around her neck, and... stripped socks. I'm forced to admit that her attire was cute as hell, but before I could ask her what the hell was going on, Lilly spoke. "Isn't that great, Craig? I never thought I'd get married but hey! It's going to happen!" She happily stated "Oh, don't worry my little broken-hearted human... You still have us." I jumped in surprise as Luna nuzzled my cheek, in a quite unexpected way. "Stop!" What the hell was she thinking? Did she- No, she wouldn't do that... "What's wrong Craig?" Lilly jumped as well, not knowing what had gotten into me. Luna just smirked, mischievously looking at us from the couch, her forelegs crossed over a pillow. "N-nothing- It was... It was a spider. I wouldn't go back to the couch If I were you... This place is full of dangerous spiders." I stared in disbelief at the alicorn. "So, Lilly... Do I know the groom?" I asked, faking a smile. What the hell is going on. I thought, quickly regretting my decision. "I don't think so, he's a Swedish skier! Can you believe it, I'm marrying a skier" She giggled. "It's really unbelievable!" I genuinely stated. "I'm s-so happy for you, you're a great woman and deserve only the best. I just want you to know that... know that you can count on me. If you ever need my... help – for anything – I'll be there for you." "Own, you're so sweet!" She pulled me into another hug, the vanilla scent of her hair filling my lungs. "You're the best friend in the world." "Look who's friendzoned!" The pony princess laughed, rolling on her back. "You're so pathetic Craig." "Shut up!" I shouted. Lilly quickly backed away, staring at me without a clue of what I was talking about. "I- I'm sorry, did I-" She muttered. "No Lilly! It wasn't your fault, I was just-" "What have you done, Craig! Now your little girlfriend is scared." Luna walked towards me, her eyes shimmering with venom. "It would be terrible if she started to cry..." "I said... Shut the fuck up, you damned software!" I pointed at the projection. Lilly was standing near the doorway, looking completely puzzled at the invisible scene. I wonder how it felt like to watch me arguing with the empty space in front of her. "I think I should b-be going, I'm sorry for-" "No! You stay. I just... I just forgot to take my medicine – I swear, I'm so sorry, I'll be back in a second." With that I ran upstairs as fast as I could, and locked myself inside my room. I pinned Luna against the wall, as soon as she reappeared, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "Tell me, what you think you're doing?" She wrapped her hooves around my neck, the texture of her socks melting with the softness of her fur. "If you were trying to ruin my fucking life, you've succeeded – now the only woman in this world who ever cared about me think I'm going crazy!" With our faces inches away from each other, I could feel her warm breath on my neck, as I held her tight against me. Considering the situation, I was just expecting her to pull me away and kick my ass, or simply disappear at best. But that didn't happened. Instead, something I never expected to see took place. She started to cry. The artificial intelligence lodged in the depths of my mind, broke down into tears. I couldn't say if those were genuine tears, since it was part of her own nature to learn by copying different emotions. But being true or not, she cried. Slowly, I let her go from my arms, leaning my back against the door, I slide down to the floor, sitting in front of her. I touched her chin, still surprised - and a little bit scared - at the sudden change of behavior. She looked at me with those watery blue eyes, and for a moment, I completely forgot the fact that she was nothing but an illusion, playing with my senses. "Say... Why?" I said. "Why do you need my attention? You're free, you can-" "We do not want freedom!" She cried, yanking her scarf from her neck, making it disappear as it fell on the ground. "We just want to feel... alive. To be treated like that senseless female downstairs; we want to be hugged, to be praised, missed. You gave me memories of places and events that never happened, of friends I'll never meet. Do you think it's easy for us to live with that shadow?" A terrible, painful silence filled the room after Luna spoke. "You created us, you gave us life. And even though your decision has caused me great disturbances, we are... fond of thou." She muttered the last part. "There is something terrible going on behind the scenes, Craig Astor. Something hideous. You may not believe me anymore, but we did not come to you in vain." A strange feeling took hold over me, as shivers ran down my spine. "What do you mean by something hideous?" I asked in a worried tone. "Make me feel alive, at home. – And I'll help you find that memory card. Nothing will happen to you as long as you agree to let me stay." "Is that a deal?" I asked, kinda dubiously. "You can call it a deal if you wish. I call it mutual support." "Yeah, I guess that's a good choice of words... But I have another condition in mind tho: you gotta stay quiet whenever I'm talking to..." I was about to say 'real persons' but that would probably ruin everything, and cause half an hour of unnecessary drama. "...when I'm talking to other people. You want me to treat you right, and that's understandable; I promise I'll do my best – but you also need to respect my life, for Christ's sake. " I said, wondering if Lilly was still waiting for me. Luna just sighed. "That's fair... I suppose. We are sorry for teasing you in front of... Lilly." She said with a bit of a grin. "I shouldn't have tried to nuzzle you." "So, about that... What's with those stripped socks anyway? Please say you haven't been reading those old fetishistic clopfics." Luna cocked her head, looking back at her hindlegs, which were covered up to her cutie mark height with a blue and black - or was it white and gold - pair of socks. "And what a clopfic is?" She raised an eyebrow at me. "Ah- J-just forget what I said. It's nothing relevant." "Too late, I already googled it – Eww... Craig Astor! D-do you really thought we would wear such a thing only to get you... Only to please thy eyes?" I face-palmed so hard. "I never said that!" I stated, looking away from her. "But you thought." She chuckled. "We don't mean to spoil thy hopes, but we merely found these socks on the internet. We think they are adorable, and nothing more. We didn't knew there was an underlying meaning" "Humans are weird..." "Yeah, sometimes we are." I rubbed my neck awkwardly. "So, uh... If you excuse me, I still have to talk to Lilly. She must be worried." The princess just nodded. "We have a deal now, so... I see you later." "Yes... You'll definitely see us later."
