My bubble of conscience was dragged through a distorted woodland of distant canopies floating in mist, of ravines that could fit an entire building inside, of amorphous shadows, of liquid silhouettes, and petrol-colored entities, which I dare not to name. The sunlight could barely reach the ground of the forest, thus, no vegetation grew there aside from a few mushrooms and mosses. The air felt thick, like breathing the waters of a swamp, or sticking your head inside a glass jar. I couldn't feel my body, only a vague sense of self that hovered over the dead roots and branches, seeing it all, hearing it all, from all sides simultaneously.
Amidst this confusing mess, the force that propelled me further finally ceased, and I was left alone in front of a dark lake; a pristine, silent lake, whose waters seemed to mimic the surface of a polished onyx.
The lake made me uncomfortable at the very first sight, because when I stared at it, I had the feeling that something — or someone — was staring back at me from the depths. I didn't wanted to stay near the shore, but I couldn't move, and I couldn't ask for help; I could only wait.
The stillness of the water was broken as a hand emerged from it, and then another; they crawled out of the lake, grabbing the rocks near the water-level, dragging behind them a moss-covered body — a very swollen and darkened shape — and cursed as it might be; the thing looked up at me. It extended its purplish hands in a plea, pushing drenched locks of hair away from its face.
'No...' I tried to say.
"Todd." Its voice gurgled.
Billy.
As he approached me I felt a terrible coldness; a coldness like no other I had experienced in life. It wasn't a physical kind of sensation, but rather, something that crawled through my soul and my mind, consuming, freezing and destroying any kind of energy I had left inside me.
I tried to scream, but my voice failed me. There was no escape from all my desperation.
"You must... kill her." He muttered, but lips remained shut; Billy's voice echoed inside my head.
"Do it, Todd." He whispered. "While you still can."
As his hands grabbed whatever was left of me, I found myself being dragged to the lake.
Even though my body was nowhere to be seen, I could feel as Billy pushed me, inch by inch, into the cold waters. I couldn't breathe — I had no mouth — there was only Billy, only panic, and then nothing, just the suffocating darkness, without bottom or end. The purest form of silence.
And then my mouth opened.
"Luna!" I yelled.
Air. I breathed. God, how I breathed.
"L-luna, w-where." I couldn't control my shaking. "L-luna..." I moved my arms around in the darkness of the room.
"Todd! Stay calm! " She said, as a bluish glow emanated from her horn. "It was a dream."
"No..." I rubbed my temples in frustration.
"It was just a bad dream." She repeated, wrapping my back with her wings, which felt larger than I imagined they would be. "But now it is no more." She leaned her head against my arm.
In the dead of the night, Luna's magic seemed to shine in a thousand different tones of blue and purple — like a radioactive element — but one that instead of bringing illness, emanated health.
"Something horrible." I said as I regained my breath. "So damn awful." I felt a tear rolling down my cheek, followed by another, and another bunch of them. They felt hot against my skin, like tiny droplets of pure heat.
"Oh dear... was it that bad?" She asked, moving around to sit in front of me. We were stationed in one of James's storage rooms; there were no beds, only two mattresses on the cement floor.
"Listen." I said, looking into her eyes. "I will never, as long as I live, let anyone touch you. Do you hear that? It's a promise."
"Todd, you can't promise me such a –"
"It's too late; I already did." I said, touching her chin. "Under my care, no harm will reach you."
"I... Todd, I..."
"Whoa–"
We both jumped from our places, looking at the door.
"James!"
"Ah, am I interrupting something? I swear I didn't see anyt–"
"No!" We said in unison.
"I heard a sort of scream, so I just– you know."
"Todd had a nightmare." Luna explained. "He was a little confused."
"It was a crappy dream. Sorry for startling y'all." I said.
"Hmmm... Yeah, it's alright." James shrugged. "In any case, I have something you might want to see, once you have — eh, well — recomposed yourself."
"What time is it anyway? I groped under my pillows, trying to find my cellphone.
"It's already nine something-ish AM; almost ten" He said, pushing a button on the wall that suddenly released the locks around the windows; just a little bit, enough to let a beam of sunlight in. "There you go; rise and shine, McRaven.;"
"Rise and shine."
"I found her." James said. "She's a whistle-blower"
"A what?"
"It's a person who exposes things — in this case — a corporation." He explained. "Katherine J. Leibniz. She's a well known biochemist who worked for Borealis until 2008, developing 'novel solutions for advanced biological engineering'. Wikipedia words, not mine."
"What the does that even mean?" I frowned.
"It means she created mutations. But those could be anything, honestly, from genetically modified maze, to pigs with human hearts." James was speaking a little too fast, and a bit more enthusiastic than I expected.
"What about alicorns?" I asked. "Could they ever conceive such a creature?"
"Well... that'd be very complicated, I believe." James played will a curl of his hair; he always did that when was thinking about something. "Why would they do that in the first place? I mean; what are the possible uses and applications for– eh, alicorns?"
"Perhaps magic?" I suggested.
"Oh Todd, you know that's not really magic. There's no such thing. Whatever she's able to do; I bet it's probably some kind small-scale quantum manipulation." He said.
"Alright, Mr. Quantum Physicist; but can humans do that? I mean, in a practical level, and not inside some Russian laboratory." I asked.
"Of course not."
"Then you have your answer. If Borealis couldn't find a way to create these 'small-scale quantum manipulations' with human technology, they found a species who could, and..." My thoughts went too far.
"Cloned them?" James said.
"Yes." I muttered. "They cloned Luna." I let myself crash on a puffy armchair, which hissed as sunk my body on it. "Fuck."
"What's the matter?" James spun around on his computer chair. "What if they did that?"
"Well, for once, there would be no place to send her back. No friends, no home, just a laboratory. She's just a copy — the original one probably exists somewhere." I said. "Think about it James; to find out that all your memories are artificial, that none of the things you remember exist. Your entire world, just a second-hand dream."
"She doesn't need to know." He said.
I nodded in silence, looking across the room — across the walls — to the lost thing I had promised to save.
"It doesn't really matter now." I finally concluded. "We need to reach out Katherine."
"Why would you possibly want that, man? It's not safe. She's a target. Borealis is probably monitoring all of her e-mails, telephones, you name it. They probably have a satellite pointed at her house right now as we speak."
"I have a bad feeling that Luna is not the thing they're looking for. At least, not the main one."
James laughed.
"Now you're the one digging into conspiracies." He said, shaking his head.
"Think about it: If something else escaped — something big — how would we even fight it? I mean, if human technology can't interact with magic, how could we even stop such a thing?" I asked.
"We can't." James shrugged.
"But she can." I said. "I need to find Katherine. I need to know."
"Are you fucking insane?" James said. "Who the hell do you think you are, Todd? Wolverine, or something?" He blew air out of his nose. "Suppose you somehow arrange a meeting with this woman — so what — are you two going to storm Borealis headquarters and demand the truth?"
"I just want to know what's out there." I said. "Something caused the death of my brother — I know it did — I know it was mocking me that night. And I want to find out what the hell is it."
"Find Katherine for me, James."
"Hey, what are you doing outside?" I asked, helping Luna climb onto the passenger seat.
"I was about to ask the same thing." She said.
"I needed some fresh air." I told her. "James won't let me open the windows."
I hadn't started the car yet, and an uncomfortable silence rose inside the cabin, as we both stared at James' oddly secured front lawn.
"What's the matter, Todd?" Luna asked, taking my hands away from the steering wheel. "Something is bugging you — don't lie to me — for I will know." She added.
"I don't really know what to do." I admitted. "I don't really know what's best for us. One side of me wants to figure out what's happening, but there's another side that wants to flee; to run away as far as possible, and forget about everything that happened." I sighed.
"Even about me?" She asked.
"What– no, of course not, Luna!" I said. "Not about you... You're the only thing I have left. I can't forget you." I was saying the truth. Luna was the only bond — the only connection — I still had with my past. All the rest seemed like a distant memory to me, foggy and full of dust.
"Then let me help you find the answers you need." She said. "Let me go with you."
"No, it's still too dangerous for you to–"
"Todd, I am not a helpless little thing!" Luna whined. "In Equestria, I am the commander of the night! Ponies see me as a goddess, a savior, a–"
"A cute little pony." I finished her phrase and let out a chuckle.
"Ughhhh!" She groaned. "It's no use talking to you about this. You never take me seriously!"
"Of course I do, Luna! 'Course I do, dear..." I said. "It's just that– I don't want you to get hurt again."
"I won't get hurt if you help me." She insisted. "At least let me show you what I have in mind."
"What is it?" I asked.
"Close your eyes." She whispered.
"W-what?"
"Just close your eyes, and you will see..."