The Krastos Logs

by Sinderen7

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Human, Original Character, Other, Adventure
Length: 87853

A human and his equine friends unwittingly challenge an abominable immortal, Krastos the Glue Maker.

The citizens of Equestria once fought for their prosperity. Scarcely anything remains of that history. Over ten years ago Stratos Lucid began to unravel one aspect of that past. Through his battles against an ancient entity, he gained incredible friends and allies. Yet Stratos was merely a human, not a savior. They knew Krastos would kill him, as it had many before. Magic and technology can only do so much.

But it was not for nothing: Stratos kept his promise.

(Special thanks to JessyRuiz (http://jessyruiz.deviantart.com/) for the cover image)

Published 2012-04-11 13:54:02 UTC
Last updated 2012-07-11 22:56:59 UTC

Stratos's Request

Discovered and Edited By Unknown Soldier #7: Sinderen

[Original Data Packet Created On Celestial Year 996]

* * * * * * *

I pray that someone is reading this. Or more accurately that someone is capable of understanding what I am writing.

This is Doctor Stratos Lucid. I do not mean to sound cliché but I’m not sure how much time I have left. I am in a state of mental collapse. It’s hard enough to focus my thoughts and make them coherent enough for comprehension. I do not think it will be long before I will be too far gone to do anything.

It’s not that I have not tried. I have lasted far longer than should be rationally possible against this thing. I have tried my best. I have tried everything. I now stand alone. I won’t last much longer. I cannot stop it forever.

Using what little free time and energy I have left, I’ve taken the precaution to create a program that will automatically copy all of my logs and research into a series of black boxes that will be distributed across Equestria. I know that Equestrians do not have the appropriate technology or know how to work them, at least not yet. So hopefully my colleagues have returned within the lifespan of these files. If not, perhaps another human has arrived by accident.

I need someone to succeed where I will inevitably fail.

Someone like you.

Please read these files, use the knowledge I have collected to stop this thing.

These may be some of my last words so I’ll leave off with this: Regardless of what you may think of humanity, we are likely the best chance this land has to truly kill Krastos. From now on it is your duty as a human, as a representative of humanity, to defend Equestria. Do not let what happened to us, and so many before us, be for nothing. You can do it. You can win.

But you may have to make sacrifices that seem unacceptable. It will be the most horrifying and hopeless task of your entire life.

Good luck.

* * * * * * *

Stratos's Report: The Beginning

My Report

[Celestial Years 984 - 993]

One day, perhaps two years ago, on a whim, I decided I would create little entries into my database about me and my companions so that if and when my colleagues returned, even hundreds of years later, they would know for certain they found me and know what happened to me.
But I never thought it was truly worth the effort. It was informally written. I never edited it properly. I was never consistent with how I wrote. Or maybe I was. I cannot remember properly. I am losing focus. I cannot correct or clarify my seeming inaccuracies. Here is where it began. I wish I had known about Krastos. I am still not sure if they knew about it. But I do know they were manipulating me from the start.

Name: Stratos Lucid
Species: Human – White
Gender: Male
Eye Color: Hazel
Hair Color: Brown

Abilities: I have high intelligence in the areas of problem-solving and pattern recognition. I am naturally talented at accurately throwing or catching almost anything. My main education lies in the area of robotics, specifically androids, and applied computer science, namely artificial intelligence. I have obtained the super strength, speed, toughness, and endurance that any human could obtain thanks to the Equestrian environment.

Unique features: None. I’m pretty average looking if I do say so myself. I guess I am significantly taller than average person. I’m two hundred centimeters or about six foot six inches tall. My height is the only thing that makes me stand out in a crowd but that is not all that unique.

My Story: The Beginning, My Decision (Year 984)

So, where to begin?

I’ll start with my name. I am Stratos Lucid. This is not a code name. I was born in Canada (protocol requires I do not give specifics). My first name is Greek, given to me by my mother to remind me of my ancestry. My last name was inherited from my British father who immigrated to Canada. However, I write like, and somewhat fortunately or unfortunately act like, a Statesman due to all the studies I took over there. In fact, due to my father’s insistence, I spent most of my life living in the States.

The knowledge of who I was before I got to Equestria is of little importance. It is easy to summarize who I truly was. I was a man who had done his best to acquire as much knowledge as possible to carve out a place for himself in history. Because of my intelligence, I thought I was better than everyone with the only exception being my friend Nickolas. I did not like people. It was not because they hated me. On the contrary, even if they were friendly to me, I usually hated them anyways. I was not a person you would want to know.

Among my few friends was my only good friend, the aforementioned Nickolas Endeavor. We became friends when we were children, when I used to be more like him. He always managed to do what was right. In times past, he would have been the typical local town hero. But in the modern world, he was just another Good Samaritan. He was on good terms with practically everyone. Unlike so many others, I treated him with favor and respect. I helped him when he needed it and he helped me in return. He did not like how I came to treat others but he felt it was another fact of life and knew that if he was not my friend, few else would be. Regardless, the fact is that we trusted each other.

I bring this up because my story truly starts with Nick. Due to his charitable nature, when he was a teenager, he was approached by the then newly-formally-established stateless organization called the Nine Unknown Men. The group maintained their status as research and development think-tank but everyone knew that there was far more to them than that. Regardless, Nick joined and became their agent, feeling that he could do a lot of good if he had the organization’s backing.

Besides Nick’s occasional absence, I was not affected by his “internship” until I was around twenty, which was about nine or ten years ago. Nickolas and I were preemptively working on a college capstone project to create a new model matrix-based android. During this time, he asked me if I would want to go to another world if I could. I said no because I thought he meant Africa, Asia, or even space. He then clarified and asked if I would want to travel to another world like on Doctor Who and be recognized for it. I shrugged and said it would sure break up the monotony. I was certainly sick of education and did not look forward to anything about the future. I was willing to go anywhere if it got me noticed.

Finally, Nick said he needed someone he could trust. I then realized something was up. I said I had never betrayed him before and I would not start now. With those words, my future was never the same. (As I write that sentence it suddenly occurs to me just how Lovecraftian this could sound.)

When we finished for the day, he drove me to a remote building. We went inside and headed into a secluded room guarded by two heavily armed Unknown Soldiers. The presence of the organization’s elite fighters showed me this was serious.

Nick sat me down and said that the Unknown had made a breakthrough regarding the studies of inter-universe travel. He pulled out a data pad. On its screen was a series of pictures, videos, and written documents. While it looked like Earth for the most part, each file displayed either an odd-looking equine or pristine architecture matching those of the ancient world. The equines came in an astonishingly wide variety of body, hair, and eye colors and had several features of standard human civilizations such as culture, writing, and language. Everything about their world was organized and planned, which included the weather and changing of the days.

If you are reading my “report,” I can assume you already know this was about the magical land and civilization of Equestria. Nick introduced me to the concepts I’m sure anyone reading this is familiar with. He showed me the different types of ponies. Earth Ponies, who at first glance were like our normal Earth ponies if perhaps a bit smaller but were much tougher and had some sort of agricultural abilities. Pegasus Ponies, who could fly and walk on and manipulate the clouds. Unicorns, who could use magic thanks to their horns. There was also the rare alicorn, or winged unicorn, that embodied all three subspecies, was usually more magically powerful, and generally upper-royalty. Nick added that, regardless of their subspecies, the “cutie-mark” symbol on their flanks designated their special talents. Still, all in all, they were basically humans if humans were multicolored magical talking ponies… That is a particular string of words I never imagined would appear in any of my papers.

This new world and these equines were what the Nine Unknown Men had been studying. They had not had political contact with the ponies and wished to keep their activities secret from them. Their reasoning was that the Nine Unknown Men were not a political organization and were not suited for first contact negotiations. That was quite obviously a lie but it was not like I could ask for the truth.

I also knew better than to assume this was all a joke. The Nine Unknown Men are not known for their humor. Still, it was strange enough that I knew if I told anyone, they would not believe me, which was probably why Nick could so openly show the information to me in the first place.

But there were several oddities with what I observed from the reports. I questioned how the heck these ponies, besides a few peculiarities in word choice, knew English and other human languages, why most of their tools seemed distinctly human and not designed for their physiology, why their civilization had such a schizophrenic mix between modern and pre-modern technology, and why there were reported legends of humans when there were no visible traces of humanity on this world. Nick shrugged and said that, as far as they knew, it was just the way it was. In fact, the oddities I noted were what he wanted us to find out. He wanted us to see if humanity had a history on this world.

With that, Nickolas asked if I would join an expeditionary force created by the Nine Unknown Men. As an agent of the Unknown, he had recommended me to help them with this endeavor and they happily agreed.

I was suspicious. Considering all of the resources the Unknown had, there was no reason for them to require me specifically.

Nick clarified that each agent was supposed to have a partner. This was a magical world. Anything could happen. He knew that, thanks to our many Dungeons and Dragons campaigns, and as just proven by the idiosyncrasies I pointed out, I was good at planning and had an eye for detail.

I asked how safe this was.

Nick reassured me it was as safe as could reasonably be. They had already sent a few drones through the Spectrum Bridge and proved far beyond a reasonable doubt that the land was habitable and could support human life. As a side note, he assured me the exchange of microbes was not an issue for either world. Moreover, the Unknown already had a satellite in orbit, a base set up, and machines designed for any kind of heavy labor and excavation. As a precaution, for individual protection, we would all be given the most advanced types of protective powered armored exoskeletons Armor Incorporated could design. Not even counting the troops already there, our trip was to be supported by several androids, defense drones, and Unknown Soldiers. This force was more than powerful enough to topple any normal force placed against it on our world.

I nodded at the reasonability of the last statement. (I am starting to realize how genre-blind I am.)

The only danger was that even though we would bring a portable version of the gate device the device we used would short circuit after one or two uses. Ergo, the Unknown’s HQ on Earth would establish regular contact with us.

In return for my assistance, the Unknown would find a way to make me famous.

I had to trust the Nine Unknown Men would keep their word.

I did not, but I did trust Nick and he believed in them. That was enough for me. I agreed to help him with his research.

Of course they would not accept me right away. I received a few brief months of training. It was where I learned the basics of stealth, combat, and survival techniques. During that time, they managed to nail into my head the importance of following protocol and following through with any mission assigned. These are things I have taken to heart and used for the rest of my current life.

After that, like so many others, Nick and I crossed through the rainbow light into another world.

By the time we arrived, already I could tell something was off. While I got myself situated, the council and the Unknown kept asking to meet with Nick. Every time he came back he hinted that they were thinking about something, but could not tell me what it was. They had only been on Equestria for less than a year yet they had something that I could tell bothered them to a noticeable degree.

Nonetheless, all I could do was wait until my missions with Nick were approved.

During this time, specifically during one of the many meetings, I had my first encounter with an Equestrian.

Let me set the stage for a second.

First of all, there was a coin I had with me. The coin was the first toonie I ever owned. I just happened to find it while on a stroll in the States. Even when I first laid eyes upon it, it was highly weathered and dented but amazingly polished. It was my lucky coin. It was the one item I was allowed to take with me into Equestria. It was my most precious item in the world.

That did not stop me from learning how to do tricks with it. In my youth I became incredibly good at accurately throwing the coin into cups or hitting targets. I also became good at spotting the coin in the grass and flicking it high into that air and catching it. I later expanded this ability to balls, knives, cards, rings, or pretty much anything. I was not always good at sports, but I became exceptional at throwing and catching stuff.

Back to the actual situation, I was sitting by the forest by the expedition’s camp. It was dark. I was wearing my power armor and flipping my lucky coin to pass the time. That was when the HUD on my helmet’s visor picked up something.

I pretended not to notice but out of the corner of my eye I spotted a pony. It was a rather amusing sight actually. It was a unicorn, hiding in the foliage, completely covered in camouflage paint to help her blend into the environment. She had a camera and was taking pictures of me and the rest of the camp. The magic energy emitted by her horn to telekinetically lift and use the camera was what had tipped off my suit.

She was not easy to spot. She was about 200 meters away from the camp and, as established, well hidden. I briefly checked my radar and noticed that no one else was in the immediate area. If I didn’t stop her, no one else would. And protocol was clear. She could not get away with that kind of information.

I flipped a coin into the air, caught it as it came down, and suddenly sprinted towards her her direction.

She fumbled for a moment but quickly recovered, grabbing the camera with her mouth and galloping off in the opposite direction.

Normally, she would have been faster than me but, as I said, I was wearing my Recon Armor. After training, I was used to the speed and knew both my limits and the limits of my suit. The natural enhancers increased my movement and strength while the backup boosters were able to give me the temporary increase in physical speed required to more than outpace any living target.

It also helped that I could go in a relatively straight line. She had to stumble around the flora. Thanks to my armor, I smashed and tore through anything in front of me as if it was paper.

Realizing I was gaining on her, she started using her magic to telekinetically toss objects in my direction. Not sure what she expected from that since I was hardly slowed down from shoving fallen trees and boulders aside. All this did was slightly exhaust her.

In no time at all, I caught up.

Then I realized a problem.

There was no way for me to stop her without tackling her. I was wearing a heavy suit of armor and at the time I had no idea whether or not I would crush her in an impact. To make matters worse, at these speeds, we would soon exit the forest which would make it easier for her to run and escape.

This called for a split-second planning. My armor had a Taser but no other weapons. The forest had sticks and stones but I could not manage to pick one up and use them while keeping pace. Then I looked down and saw my coin was still in my hand. I never thought I would have to use my throwing talents for anything but, stretching this metaphor, when all you have is a hammer…

I chucked the coin and deflected it off a rock. It flew into the pony’s face. The attack made her flinch and drop the camera. One of the camera’s straps caught her hoof and caused her to tumble into a tree.

I quickly grabbed her by the neck and held her in place. She panicked and tried to use her magic on me to push me away. It did not work for reasons that will be explained later. I told her to be quiet and let me think. Surprisingly she did as was told.

And now, I had to make another decision. Here was a pony that knew humans existed or at least that she found something amazing. She clearly had evidence and wanted to show others. She had yet to do so or she would not be gathering proof. She was alone. Protocol was that all leaks of information had to be neutralized. If I let her go, the consequences could be dire.

I did not want to kill her so I had to come up with a plan.

Once again, I quickly went over the situation and thought of all the possibilities. I soon chose the best one.

I grabbed the unicorn’s camera and crushed it. I told her she could go. No one would believe her. After a few moments of hesitation, she slowly got up, looked at the camera, took a few steps backward, and darted away.

As she disappeared into the distance, I contacted Nick over the radio, told him what happened, and my reasoning. It was a rather surreal moment because I remembered that humans were legends. No magical talking pony would believe a human existed without some kind of evidence. And killing her was not an option. Judging by her extensive preparations, she probably saw the camp before. If she had told anyone of the camp’s location and suddenly disappeared, that would be one of the first places a search party would look.

Nick agreed and said he would quickly track her down and confiscate any evidence she may have previously collected. He said we were going to have to move camp but complimented me for my actions and would immediately relay the information to the Unknown. He offhandedly stated that this would hopefully boost their trust in me.

I was relieved but as I turned around to pick up my coin and head back to camp, I saw another pony. She was mostly white, the size of a horse, had wings and a horn, had an unearthly flowing multicolored mane and tail, and had a few gold-jeweled regal accessories. She was standing right in front of me, watching me. She had no doubt seen what I did. I briefly contemplated using my Taser but relented. In turn, she chuckled at my actions, smiled, and flew away.

This was not an insignificant incident. That pony was (and hopefully still is) Equestria’s monarch, the alicorn Princess Celestia and is nearly a living god. As an alicorn she was powerful and even compared to other alicorns she had some unique abilities onto herself, such as biological immortality. In spite of her ageless immortality and past hardships, she continues to hold great sympathy for her subjects. She is well liked by the populace. I have yet to hear a bad statement about her. It is not surprising her subjects embrace her rule without conflict.

She is also the only alicorn I have personally met.

That she saw me and stood so close was rather unnerving. I told Nick but he laughed and said not to worry about it. There was nothing we could do and he knew she was not going to “spill the beans.”

I almost questioned him how he knew that but then I remembered he was an agent of the Unknown. The Unknown are always aware of things that they shouldn’t possibly be able to know.

I had to put the incident behind me.

Regardless, to avoid discovery, we had to quickly move base. We set up a new camp in an area that was uninhabited mostly due to its unusually harsh environment that was suitable only for a few types of grass plants. I should clarify that it was unusually harsh for Equestria. For us, it was only mildly unpleasant.

It was not long after doing that when we were attacked by a hydra. Now we could not just shoot the monster as while gunpowder does exist in this world (as proven by their fireworks) the chemical makeup is different and much weaker pound for pound. Of course, to interact between dimensions, the physics have to be at least somewhat closely related (this is why Cthulhu can’t actually exist in our world). So normal physics of one dimension will interact with the physics of another in strange ways or just be replaced. It can’t be too different otherwise our metabolic processes would have been thrown out of whack from consuming Equestrian materials.

Anyways, all of the stupid heads thought they could take on an Unknown Soldier. It wasn’t long after that that I had my first monster meat meal. I remember it being quite enjoyingly spicy. In fact, that hydra was not the last monster I had the privilege to enjoy. My experience is that they are all tasty. Except for the cockatrice; meat was far too tough.

As only made sense, the Unknown had decided to set up bases in any place that seemed barren from settlement and ill-traveled. The problem was the other reason why these places were uninhabited was because of all the monsters present.

We grew concerned about our situation. We were killing too much of the local wildlife. While good for food, it could have made a bad impression on the locals and make them suspicious of why so many monsters were gone.

Nevertheless, soon enough, the council approved of Nick’s “scientific” reconnaissance regarding the research of humanity in Equestria, but I quickly stopped them.

As my college project hinted, my expertise is in androids and artificial intelligence. I told Nick and the council that we were never going to find anything by doing research on physical documents or excavation. We needed to know from the words of the ponies themselves. They asked how I planned to do that without getting discovered. Thanks to all of the down time I had more than enough time to think about the mission and create several drafts. I showed them my plans. Knowing how many resources they had at their disposal, I knew they could follow through.

They agreed, after setting up the production facilities, we began to produce partially remotely controlled android ponies to infiltrate the population and learn all we could about their society. In hindsight, it was kind of creepy but that’s what made sense if we were going to hide our presence and learn from the populace.

Long story short, my plans worked and our results were kind of surprising.

While there are legends about humans in Equestria, as I stated, it has been so long since the last one appeared that many assume that we are myths. Equestrian material on humanity is surprisingly deep but concentrated in a few works. Some of which we had to sneak out of the royal vault. (I later apologized to Celestia for this though she understood.)

The earliest legends of humans portray us in a very negative light. We were seen as unstoppable creatures of destruction. However, as the legends went on the views began to change. Though humans were still viewed as strange creatures from a world of nightmares, the legends were relatively positive. It seems humans of the past acted as protectors against evil spirits. They were known for being powerful warriors, wizards, and inventors. Humans were rarely considered gods but definitely considered something legendary or at least notably different.

While never common, humans became much less frequent after the fall of a being called Discord, perhaps supposing a sort of correlation. Eventually they disappeared completely. Nowadays, humans are recognized only as myths and any pony that believes in them is seen as childish or crazy, just the same as an adult believing in Santa. That said, there are still plenty of fan clubs and contemporary works being produced about humans. It is mostly peripheral but it is rather significant.

I would not be surprised if that pony I chased down was part of those fan-clubs. It would explain why she listened to me when I talked to her.

But there was something else. During my missions and what I saw through the eyes of the androids, I grew to admire this world. Equestria may have held many terrible monsters of myth and troubling powers but it still seemed like a great place to live. I found no wars, little crime, and scant poverty. All of that was replaced with true happiness, fulfillment, and pure undiluted joy no matter where I went. Though it was only one country on this planet, it was a far cry from what I was used to back on humanity’s Earth.

I go into all of this detail because this land fascinated me. The more I studied them, the more I admired and enjoyed the world. I loved the feeling of the land.

On the other hand, Nick was only troubled by what he was seeing. The more he researched Equestria, the more agitated he became. He kept muttering things about the military, legendary warriors, and gods. I asked him what was going on but he remained elusive about what was truly bothering him.

But it was only ever at the back of my mind. When my mission was completed, I volunteered to continue my research on other areas of Equestria. Thanks to this, there were numerous other conclusions during data collection. I’ll summarize the important details.

Upon some agents encountering a cockatrice, we found its desire to repeatedly stare at us rather curious. When it failed at its task, it panicked and tried to run. It was easy prey. Checking Equestrians records, we discovered it had the ability to turn anything that stared into its eyes into stone. As said, it did not affect us in the slightest. Many magical abilities did not affect humans. Just as with gunpowder, we suspect that human resistance to magic is due to us coming from another universe and that Equestrian physics are incompatible with ours in some areas. This renders humans immune to “status effect” magic and greatly dumbs the effect of most other magic. This is why that spying unicorn could not simply telekinetically toss me away.

While tempting, it was decided not to have someone try to use a unicorn horn or to try and create an android unicorn. It was for the best. Knowing what I know now, it probably would not work and the consequences if it backfired would have been uncertain.

The Equestrians are in relative technological stasis likely due to lack of scarcity, which I naturally attributed to their magic and charity. Though the technology-level was very schizophrenic, it was stable. I believe I can recall a document about string theory yet they were mostly industrial at best. They had thatch roof houses in one area and skyscrapers in the others. Regardless, quality of life was high.

In spite of the many monsters and unknown magic, this land was relatively safe for us even in its most dangerous areas. That was in great part thanks to the preparation of the Unknown. Still, if nothing else, no one died or was even wounded on our expedition.

The Equestrian military was pathetic. They could not detect our presence and we went about our tasks unimpeded. It was rather understandable given their lack of overt conflict. From this, we concluded that a war against any human nation would be disastrous. Even our small expedition could have irrevocably damaged the nation if it decided to. I cared little for that result and even questioned why we brought it up in the first place. I’d figure out the true reason in due time.

After months of study, a meeting was held to determine our next course of action. I had hoped that this meeting would answer my earlier questions about what Nick was talking (or not talking) about. And why he seemed so worried all of the time. It didn’t. Nevertheless, it still changed everything for me. I have transcribed much of the audio into this document.

Unknown 11: Alright everyone. Thank you for coming to the meeting. Let’s skip to the point. *Deep breath* Alright. I am going to say my thoughts. As I speak, ask any questions you desire. I am going to suggest we leave within the week. We—

Stratos: What? Why?

Unknown 11: I’ll explain. Stratos, just consider what this council has stated.

Stratos: I did. Earth is terrible… No, sorry, let me start over. Trade between Equestria and the nations of Earth would be good for both economies. They would greatly benefit from our technology.

Juno: I disagree. While we could introduce revolutionary technology there is a risk of destabilization. For the first time they would have something that their society could not slowly adapt to. It is not likely, but it is possible. There is no reason to risk an entire society for slight gains.

Stratos: Well then maybe they could help us. They would be willing.

Jade: Help us with what? If you are referring to all of humanity, there are billions of humans in need. Yes, I have no doubt they would be willing to help us. They would be very sympathetic to human suffering. They would offer supplies, medicine, anything you could think of to help us. But it would never end. They would not be able to make a dent on all of the problems in our world. It is our job to make our world better. Not theirs.

Nick: It’s not even that. Imagine when humanity gets word of their existence. What do you think would happen?

Stratos: I believe most people would say, “that’s awesome,” or “that’s weird — talking ponies.” Yeah, okay, so plenty of humans are cruel but most don’t have the power to do anything.

Nick: Most, maybe. But imagine if just point zero zero zero zero one percent of the population decides that they want to take what the ponies have by force, or enslave them or whatever. That’s why we looked at their military. I believe a single assassin could kill Princess Celestia. And likely somewhere there is one human willing to do this. We’d have to militarize their society to protect them.

*PAUSE*

Stratos: So everyone here is just going to reject their help because you’re afraid we could potentially do something? Congratulations, you guys are a great example of what’s wrong with humanity.

*PAUSE*

Unknown 11: We understand your view and you are correct that there is some benefit to be had for both sides if we engage in formal diplomatic negotiations and trade.

Stratos: But the potential benefits to be had are far outstripped by the risk humanity poses to their society. I get it.

*PAUSE*

Nick: Stratos, this has nothing to do with ideals.

Stratos: You’re wrong. You’re saying that humanity is a poison that has to be removed before it taints this land. Listen, I’m not a humanist. You know that. Practically everyone knows that. I’ve seen humans do plenty of stupid and immoral things… but even I can see that this world could benefit us and that we aren’t likely to hurt them.

Nick: Yes, but the key point there is we might end up hurting them. It’s just not worth it. And no Stratos I am not saying “humans are a poison.” It is not the opinion I, this council, or the rest of the Unknown holds to. We would not be here if it was. You’re trying to compare one good civilization on an entire planet to all of humanity. That’s like comparing the royalty of the ancient world to the average man of today. I’m sure if we had the same things the ponies did we would act like they do. Just look at their legends of humans. They are markedly positive. We are not judging the value of humanity.

Stratos: Can you say that for sure?

Nick: Say what? Judging the value of humanity?

Stratos: That it is due to their environments and beliefs that they have this utopia, not that they are just genetically predisposed to be better or something. That if humans were given the same beliefs and abilities that we would act the same way. In other words: Are you implying we could create a world as good as theirs?

Unknown 11: It is not a utopia Stratos. Even then, none of us can answer that question. All we know is empirical evidence. We cannot draw that conclusion without intense personalized scrutiny; it could take years, decades, maybe even centuries of work to find out the answer, if you could at all. All we are saying is, at the present time, humanity presents more of a detriment to their civilization than a benefit. Which means the best course of action is to erase all trace of our presence and leave.

*PAUSE*

Nick: Stratos, I know what you want to do. Don’t even consider it.

Stratos: I want to stay here and see whether or not their beliefs, their way of life, could be successfully transplanted into our cultures for our benefit. If something is making their lives this great, I want to find out what it is. I want to help humanity this way. This might be the best opportunity humanity has for bettering ourselves.

*PAUSE*

Stratos: I am still a civilian. I was never bound by the contract to return. This is technically my decision.

Unknown 11: You pose too much of a risk.

Stratos: I’m just one human. You know me; I would never do anything harmful. I could study their society from a distance.

Agent 17: And if you were caught?

Stratos: They already know about humans. Sure they might be surprised to find out they are real but it’s not like our existence would cause a huge political shift in their society or something. Besides, we know ponies don’t believe in us. One pony seeing me isn’t going to change anything.

Unknown Soldier 77: Due to our experience with this expedition and its expense it is uncertain when we could return. It might not be for hundreds of years. How would you get the information to us?

Stratos: Give me a second.

*PAUSE*

Stratos: Okay, I would publish books using my real name, possibly using one of the androids as a physical presence. We know that human studies are a small market, but it is growing. I could take advantage of that trend and publish works on both Equinepological and Anthropological studies. Much of it would contain my works about what would make their society so great. And if or, realistically, when they discover I am a human, that would just lend credence to my words and perpetuate the publication of my works. But that would never cause a rift in their society.

Unknown 11: Once again you show exactly why we brought you on this trip. Nickolas what do you think?

*PAUSE*

Unknown 11: You know him best. Can we trust him and his word?

*PAUSE*

Stratos: Come on Nick I—

Nick: He’s right. In this case the potential benefits far outweigh the risks. In fact, this could actually benefit them and us in the long run. I approve.

Stratos: Thank you Nick.

Nick: Sure, whatever.

Unknown 11: Alright everypony… everybody we have a time table. Within the week we will dismantle and dispose of everything necessary to take back. Leave not one trace. After that we are leaving Equestria for Earth and leaving Doctor Stratos Lucid behind to continue a new line of studies. All approved?

Everyone: Approved.

Unknown 11: Let’s get to it. Meeting adjourned.

It was the hardest and greatest decision of my life. I would never go back home. The Unknown would have to cover up what happened to me. For all intents and purposes, I would disappear from reality. But I convinced myself it made rational sense.

Everyone got to work erasing all evidence of our presence. Some tried to convince me to leave with everyone else. Most knew it was futile. I’m a little stubborn on these kinds of things.
Nick and I did not talk all week. We had always been the best of friends. Practically brothers. I was positive he thought that I was betraying him.

They held a goodbye party for me. At the end of that week, as was planned, everyone was packed to go except, naturally, for me. They were going to leave me with a few months of supplies and materials including the pony androids and service droids to provide manual labor. I would keep my armor for protection and a few demolition items that could be used as makeshift weapons. They also gave me a notable amount of miscellaneous documents that represented most of the collected scientific and artistic knowledge of humanity. In addition, I kept my vast collection of old books and video games for my own entertainment. Most of the information was computerized but some was physical. Yet that would be the only trace of humanity’s culture. That was it; I would be on my own.

I remember the moment everyone began to leave through the Spectrum Bridge. I was sitting watching everyone go, anxiously turning around my lucky toonie in my pocket.

Finally, as the last group prepared to leave, Nick came to me and spoke. I was surprised he wasn’t angry.

Nick: What are you thinking? You really don’t have to do this. There are better ways.

Stratos: Nick, all my life I’ve wanted to do something... Something important. I want to be known. Known for something I did.

Nick: I could get you into the Nine Unknown Men. You would be welcome. They have more than enough resources to help people. It’s pretty much what they do.

Stratos: Nobody would care. Besides, there are a lot of others willing to do that.

*PAUSE*

Stratos: I’m never going to be important. Not unless I can find something. There is something here that makes this place special. If I can find that out… This is my chance to get into the history books.

Nick: We could come here again.

Stratos: You know better than I that it wouldn’t happen. This was expensive and ultimately it did not produce anything of value. In fact, we posed a risk of destabilizing a society. The Unknown are not going to even look at such a project for another hundred years unless I stay here.

Nick: There are other… There is so much you could do.

Stratos: We knew that, at least for me, that this expedition would be the highlight, the greatest moment of my life. There is nothing else that would ever come close to this. This was and is my biggest chance to make a difference. That’s why you invited me.

Nick: Well maybe I shouldn’t have.

Stratos: … If you really want to, you can force me to come back. You have the authority and troops to stop me. Heck, you could drag me back yourself.

Nick: Stratos, you’re my friend, there is nothing I would not give to have you come back with us. But because you are my friend I would never stop you… You really are a good friend, you know that?

Stratos: I’m sorry that bond is not strong enough to stop me. *I handed him the coin* Here.

Nick: *Chuckles* I know how much this coin means to you. But a beat up, rusty, old coin can never replace you. Someday, I’ll come back for you. I promise that. And when that day comes, I plan to hand this coin right back to you. We’ll see each other again alright?

Stratos: Count on it. Now you better get going. You have to get back and report your findings to the Unknown.

Nick: Good luck Stratos…

Stratos: Don’t worry; we’ll see each other again.

Nick: You’re right. You would never get rid of this coin forever. Okay then, see you next time Stratos.

Stratos: See you later Nick.

Nick didn’t cry. Neither did I. We didn’t shake hands, or hung, or even wave goodbye. But I think we both knew that was the last time we would ever see each other.

As of this writing, it was. He left through the Bridge with his allies. The Bridge shut down. I dismantled the ruined device and saved the parts for possible use.

Nickolas was the last human I ever saw.

I hope someday that another human will read this. Maybe even Nick. If that’s the case, I just want you to know that it was the most painful thing in my entire life. I never want to have to do something like that again. Maybe I even regret it.

Nevertheless, that was it, I was alone. I had just willingly stranded myself on a strange world with strange creatures, all to make a name for myself. I am pretty sure Lovecraft would have been laughing at me and my hubris.

So began the journey of Stratos Lucid, the last human in Equestria… Probably.

Obituary: Guardsman Kaze

Obituary – Guardsman Kaze (KIA October 996)

(Armor Incorporated apologizes for the sparseness of this report. The company cannot waive the U.N. censorship policies regardless of good intent. A more proper obituary was released back on Alpha Earth.)

Guardsman Kaze was born in Japan into a family of middle-class background. Kaze was an honors student noted for his high marks in any task he performed. He commented that growing up near an American military base and frequent exposure of Hollywood war movies and American first-person shooter video games placed the ideas of persistence, heroism, and camaraderie in his head. When he was seventeen, this outlook later influenced his decision to immigrate to the United States for his higher education. Four years later, he graduated from the military academy at West Point but decided to join the Armor Incorporated security forces back in Japan instead of the U.S. military. When Armor Incorporated called for volunteers for the Human Expeditionary Force, Kaze was one of the first to sign up, vowing to protect company employees with his life thereby setting an example for other international volunteers.

Mere months after arriving, Kaze went on a routine escort of Armor Incorporated scientists. During this time, the group was attacked by what is now assumed to be allies of Krastos. When Kaze realized the other Guardsmen could hold off the attack, he fought his way towards the nearby Equestrian town of White Stable. There, he single-handedly defended the town from these shadow creatures and the unidentified opponents leading the creatures. In spite this being his first time in combat, fighting opponents he had no knowledge of, and sustaining numerous injuries, Kaze continued to fight.

Forty minutes later, when additional Guardsmen finally arrived, they noticed the battle was at a stalemate. A gravely wounded Kaze stood over the remains of many enemy combatants aiming his assault rifle forward, the rest of creatures seemed unwilling to advance and risk his retaliation. The Security Forces mopped up the remaining assailants and went to administer medical assistance. Unfortunately, upon closer inspection, they realized Kaze had died on his feet minutes before help could arrive. It was only his defiant presence holding the dark forces back.

His efforts were not in vain as he was the only one lost in the conflict. Without his quick-thinking and selfless-heroism it is estimated over one hundred Equestrians would have lost their lives.

Kaze’s family has asked for him to be buried where he died. Armor Incorporated has agreed to fund the memorial to be placed at this site.

He will be greatly missed.

Stratos's Report (Esper Teach): First Pony Companion

Name: Esper Teach
Species: Pony - Unicorn
Gender: Female
Coat Color: White
Mane Color: Green (with a red stripe down the middle)
Eye Color: Blue
Cutie Mark: A hydrogen atom with a blue proton, two red neutrons, and two yellow electron rings. (So it is a negatively charged tritium atom.)

Abilities: Esper can generate various types of metals from nowhere. They seem to be permanent unlike most kinds of magic. A complete conversion of magical energy to mass. She specializes in creating heavy radioactive elements. She can also launch these metal compounds like projectiles or create a shield out of them. Esper is amazingly intelligent. While normal equines develop much faster and so learn much faster, she continues to learn and synthesize information as if she were many grades more experienced than she is. She is probably smarter than me. She also seems very resistant (if not immune) to radiation which explains why the heavy elements did not affect her.

Unique Features: Her horn has notable amounts of various metals within it. I have yet to determine if this affects, or is even the cause of, her abilities in any way but I believe it is harmless. The rest of her body has trace amounts of various compounds. Again, they do not seem to affect her positively or negatively though they are the reason why her skin and hair seem to reflect a bit of light, making them faintly glow.

Meeting Esper: Our First Battle (Year 985)

I’d say it was our seventh month on Equestrian soil (well Zed’s fourth or fifth one) when something we had never planned for happened.

While I was working on one of my experiments, Zed picked up something on the UAV. He immediately rushed to me and showed me the video footage.

There was some sort of odd signal emanating from a creature but we could not see where it was.

That was not the issue.

There was a little filly in the area and the signal seemed to be heading in its direction.

Zed had no idea what to do. If that was a monster, she would be defenseless and probably killed but we were under oath not to get involved. In fact doing so risked exposing us to all of Equestria, risking first contact, and ruining our studies prematurely.

Of course, for me, it took two seconds to make a decision. No one was going to stop me if I broke protocol. I donned my armor, activated its boosters and headed straight for the filly. There was no chance I would let her die if I could do something about it.

Unfortunately, back then, I relied on my technology. I was certainly no fighter. The first thing I did was grab what I saw as the nearest weapon off of the table. It was an Equestrian sickle.

If anyone knows what a sickle is they know how, above all else, it is a farming tool and not a weapon. In fact, it probably would have been a better idea to bring the metal pipe that was sitting right next to the sickle but, when you are panicking, rational thought is the last thing your brain finds important.

Regardless, I left and told Zed to activate and bring the other robots. We hoped they would serve, if nothing else, as a good distraction. They were not built for combat and would not last long against a serious threat.

Actually, thinking back to it now, our whole battle plan was stupid.

Zed, the android who was training himself in various forms of combat and was overbuilt to withstand high-stress forces and had combat armor and basic weapons programming, was the one who stayed back to activate the robots. I, being a scientist who had only had my last basic combat training well over half a year ago, was the one going to fight a deadly monster when I could have stayed behind to start the androids just as well. He was also faster than me so would have been able to respond to the situation quicker.

Hindsight might be 20/20 but foresight should at least be 20/200.

Well that was what we did and obviously I’m not dead. I guess it could have been worse.

By the time I arrived the situation was thus: The area was a barren grassy field. Near the center there was a white unicorn filly and a giant skeletal snake (a basilisk) coming out of the ground. I was equipped with my aforementioned Armor Incorporated recon armor (this model was designed for non-military personal in a combat situation) in order to greatly boost my speed and strength. I was wielding my, also aforementioned, sickle. I had a few items on me that I normally use for experiments.

The snake did not seem to notice the filly or was ignoring it. For a split second I thought it was just a close call.

Then the filly magically generated these metal spikes and shot them at the skeleton.

The spikes jammed into the creature. It did not do much aside from grab the undead basilisk’s attention. Knowing what would happen, I yelled at her to run and dashed over as fast as I could. Far from being afraid, the pony began to create another set of spikes when the snake glared at her.

The one completed spike fell to the ground. Life began to drain from her.

In one swift motion I lunged in front of her (breaking its line of sight with her and reversing the process) grabbed the metal spike, pivoted, and threw both my sickle and the spike with enough force and precision to lodge the spike within the thing’s skull and the sickle between the bones of the neck.

Of course, this only angered the monster and it roared at me (not sure how it does that without vocal cords but… magic!) I scooped up the filly and tried to run away as fast as I could.

Unfortunately, not only was she struggling, but I used up all the power of my boosters and now the armor was weighing me down. The basilisk slithered in front of me (leaving a trail of poison in its wake) and struck me with its tail. I was thrown I’d say forty meters into a boulder. The armor absorbed most of the blow and my body absorbed most of the remaining impact meaning the filly was fine.

I don’t remember much at that point. I was not knocked out but my adrenaline was pumping so much I lost myself in the moment.

Luckily, because I was doing an experiment, I had my audio recorder on me and I neglected to turn it off. Because of that I was able to piece together most of what happened.

The filly had, by now, deduced that I was on her side. Once again, I told her to run. She yelled “NO” back at me.

The snake probably thought it killed us but her voice made it realize its mistake.

Reacting quickly, the filly surrounded us in a metal wall which nearly exhausted her completely but kept us safe for the moment as the basilisk could not break through the barrier no matter how much it tried. She asked who I was. I said I was Stratos Lucid, a human scientist (I had to take off my helmet to show her I was not just some sort of construct). I in turn asked what she was doing here and, after she got over the shock that I was a human, she told me she was there to slay the “bone snake.”

I shelved the question of “why?” for now and focused on just defeating the creature or escaping.

I said we would have to pool our talents to survive this adding that, because of my origin, I was immune to its abilities, which is why its death-gaze did not affect me (actually the gaze hurt a lot but it didn’t kill me) and explained that I was not a fighter.

She agreed to work with me. She told me her name was Esper Teach. The filly added that she could create metal but she was not used to using this ability in combat.

Before we could think of anything else, the basilisk came up from underground to swallow us and the metal barrier whole.

Esper magically exploded the metal barrier, damaging the undead skeleton’s mouth. I picked her up, pushed off of a piece of metal in midair, and jumped what must have been ten meters away. I now realize that this was the first time I had instinctively used some of this world's passive magical abilities for humans. Problem was, I was not used to moving that far or that fast and my resulting landing was less than graceful. Nonetheless, Esper and I quickly recovered from that impact and found the nearest source of cover.

Luckily, before anything else could happen Zed arrived with the pony androids and service droids. Zed leaped into the air, activated his boosters, and punched the thing’s skull with enough force to lift the entire body off the ground, toss it sideways, and stun it. (He also damaged his left arm.) That done, he rushed over to us hiding in a ditch while the robots served as a distraction.

Zed: Stratos, is the filly safe?

Esper: I’m Esper!

Stratos: Yes. My suit’s out of power. The basilisk is too fast, we can’t escape.

(One of the androids was crushed.)

Esper: Those ponies-

Stratos: Aren’t real, they’re machines.

Zed: Plug in a droid power cell.

Stratos: Thought of that, not enough power for a run back. It would run out. We need to kill it.

(A droid crashed into the basilisk and exploded cracking some of its bones.)

Stratos: Did you put explosives in them?

Zed: Yes. How do we kill something that is undead?

Esper: Destroy the head.

Zed: Why would that work?

(More explosions.)

Stratos: Have a better idea?

Zed: … No. Two android, three service remain.

Stratos: I’m going to decapitate it.

Zed: It has no ligaments.

Esper: How can I help?

Zed: You should stay-

Stratos: We need her. Esper, Zed is an android and is a lot stronger, faster, and more accurate than me.

(Which is probably why he should have been the one attacking it and not me.)

Stratos: Zed, Esper can create simple metal structures. The snake’s gaze is not instantly fatal. You two distract it. Kamikaze the bots. Let’s go.

As I said, I do not fully remember what happened but Zed and Esper do. Apparently, I was very impressive, we all were.

Esper and Zed jumped up. Zed threw a rock through the thing’s neck while Esper generated more spears to throw. The basilisk wanted to attack them but the remaining robots we had rammed into the creature at full force and exploded.

Meanwhile, I ran forward, scooped up two power cells from fallen androids, and stuck them into my suit, reactivating it.

Zed dodged its attacks. He nimbly ducked, side-stepped, and rolled away from each bite, tail swipe, and poison spit. Naturally, its gaze did not work on a machine.

Esper launched another wave of metal spears into the skeleton angering and distracting it.

I jumped over the surrounding poison and landed on its back. I ran up its spine as fast as I could toward the base of its neck. The thing turned to me.

Esper generated a heavy ball of metal and threw it towards Zed. Zed jumped and kicked the sphere towards the creature, scoring a direct hit on the side of the undead snake’s face confusing it for a moment.

I leaped up onto its upper neck, grabbed the sickle I had lodged in there at the beginning of the fight, and wrenched the farming tool back through the bones. It was more my suit-enhanced strength than actual cutting that did the trick as the bones shattered under the force and the head fell from the body.

Not taking any chances, I jumped away from the falling neck, overloaded my boosters and stomped down on the skull, smashing it to pieces.

With the skull gone and the rest of the body heavily damaged, the rest of the undead basilisk finally fell apart and “died.”

It’s amazing how fast it happened. The end of our talk to the crushing of the skull happened in what certainly less than forty seconds. Possibly even less than twenty.

But we won. Against all odds an android, a scientist, and a filly unicorn, backed up with weak non-combat machines, managed to take down an undead legendary creature whose gaze could kill.

So, perhaps needless to say, we spent the few moments jumping up and down with joy at our victory.

Then, we had a few things to clear up.

Stratos: Alright, that’s enough. Zed, go get the important parts to take back the base.

Zed: They are all important; we can’t replicate any of it yet.

Stratos: Then get the most important ones.

Zed: Right.

Stratos: Now, Esper.

Esper: Yes?

Stratos: What are you doing here?

Esper: I should ask you the same thing, humans aren’t supposed to exist.

Stratos: You sound very smart for a filly.

Esper: … I study in my free time. I won’t tell you anything until I know I can trust you.

Stratos: Fair enough. Hopefully this isn’t too complicated for you. It would take too long to tell you the whole story but I came to this world with others to study an alternate reality. When we discovered your species inhabited this one we decided to study it. We were quite impressed and decided to leave. Even knowing they might never come back and I would be stranded, I stayed behind to study your species and civilization.

Esper: Why?

Stratos: Many reasons. My species is ailing. I think we can learn something from yours.

Esper: Wait, you’re an alien?

Stratos: I come from another reality but yes I still fit under that classification. By the way, as I said, I was the only one who stayed behind. I created Zed to be my companion. Zed is an android, meaning he looks like a human but is actually a robot.

Esper: Humans can create artificial intelligences?

Stratos: Yes. Now tell me why you are here.

Esper: I told you already, to kill the monster.

Stratos: Let me rephrase that. You knew how dangerous the thing was. Why did you risk your life?

Esper: … It’s not worth talking about it.

Stratos: Trust me, I have plenty of time.

Esper: I wanted to be a hero.

Stratos: By getting yourself killed?

Esper: Those who die fighting monsters are still heroes.

*PAUSE* (The implications of those words terrified me.)

Stratos: Esper, you knew you were going to die fighting it?

Esper: …

Stratos: You were trying to kill yourself. Why would you do that!?

*She began to cry*

Esper: You-you sh-should stay away from m-m-me.

(I tried to go to her side to comfort her.)

Stratos: What’s wrong? Please tell me.

(She backed away)

Esper: No, no, no. Please stay away.

Stratos: I won’t unless you tell me.

Esper: I’m cursed!

Stratos: Well then good news, humans aren’t affected very well by magic or curses.

Esper: You d-don’t understand! Everypony who stays around me, gets sick and dies. My parents, my friends, Ms. Fleur. Everypony at the orphanage has to stay away from me or the curse will get them.

Stratos: Couldn’t it be a coincidence?

(Yeah, that was a stupid line.)

Esper: No! I studied everything. I looked for anti-cruse remedies, magical shields, and scientific explanations. Nothing worked! Nothing explains it! Too many ponies try to help me and die because they didn’t believe me. I study and practice my magic alone. Everyone’s afraid of me. They should be! I don’t want to hurt anypony anymore.

Stratos: So you attacked a basilisk.

Esper: It was terrorizing our town. Stealing everyone’s souls. I knew if I killed it, they would live again. Everypony was too afraid. I wasn’t… Hopefully, they think I died killing it. I can’t return. I don’t want to return.

*PAUSE*

(In that silence, I noticed something.)

Stratos: What the heck? Why is my Geiger counter going off?

(My audio recorder was not the only thing that was left on but I was too focused on the battle to notice the fuzzy ticking. It took me moments to connect the dots. For the time being I decided to hide my unfortunate conclusions.)

Stratos: Esper, you have a unique ability I have yet to see anywhere else.

Esper: The metal?

Stratos: Yes, could you please create a shard for me right now.

(She did so and I picked it up. I waved my personal Geiger counter over it and it went crazy.)

Stratos: Esper, how often do you create this metal?

Esper: Ever since I was a little filly. It’s my special ability. It was the one thing I was proud of and could make me happy. I showed it off to everypony. Is something wrong?

(I tried to think of something positive to say.)

Stratos: This is radioactive. Radiation isn’t normally that dangerous. Especially not alpha radiation.

(And suddenly, something else clicked in my brain and I forgot all about her mistake.)

Stratos: Wait a second, this is radioactive! Holy… this is radioactive! Equestrian physics are different but this is similar to alpha particles. Esper, this is amazing!

Esper: That’s a good thing?

Stratos: It’s a great thing! Zed and I have had power issues. We keep having to make trips to the generator but we could build a small power station.

*I picked her up and spun her around*

Stratos: We can create nuclear power! Clean, safe, nuclear power! YesyesyesYES! Esper, would you please come back with us for a bit?

Esper: Are-are you sure?

*I put her down and patted her on the head*

Stratos: Yes! Trust me. It’s not a curse, it's radioactivity. It’s just radioactive, no big deal. There are ways to deal with it even if it were more dangerous.

Esper: *She began to panic* S-Stra-Stratos.

Stratos: Kind of weird though. Alpha particles are highly radioactive.

Esper: Stratos.

Stratos: They expend all their energy on the immediate air around them.

Esper: *She began to cry again* Stratos!

Stratos: My Geiger counter shouldn’t be able to pick that up unless it was near.

Esper: Stratos please listen!

Stratos: What?

Esper: You’re bleeding.

(I looked down and indeed saw blood running down a metal shard jabbing upward through the armor and into my stomach.)

Stratos: *Still jolly* Oh. That explains it. When the battle began I threw a metal shard into its skull. When I stomped down on that skull I must’ve jammed that piece through my armor. That’s gotta be like a one in a thousand chance. No wonder my Geiger counter is going off.

Esper: Don’t you need help?

Stratos: Yeah, that would be good. Hey Zed!

Zed: Yeah? *drops all of the scrap* Oh crap.

Stratos: I appear to have stabbed myself with a piece of radioactive metal. I require immediate medical attention. When you have a moment, could you please get on that?

Esper: Are you all right?

Stratos: It doesn’t hurt, but yeah, I’m going to—

Esper: Stratos!

And that was when I died.

Nah, just kidding. That would have been terribly inconvenient.

I passed out but I survived. The recon armor was able to stabilize me enough that Zed could get me back to the base in time. Zed and the medical devices were able to take care of me. I only needed to replace a kidney, some of my intestines, part of my liver, and patch a hole in my stomach. No big deal really.

I woke up about a day later. I was surprised to see both Zed and Esper by my bedside. Zed had agreed to allow her to stay with us, if only until I recovered.

It took another day before I was healed enough to walk again. So in the meantime I told Esper everything. Sadly, I didn’t catch that on tape but I do remember the gist of it.

I told her about radioactivity, how average Equestrians couldn’t have known about it and that while it was fine in small doses (it is everywhere after all) her constant use of it likely gave everyone around her radiation poisoning. That was a very hard moment for her, but not as bad as you might expect. She was already blaming herself for what was happening so all this did was confirm her suspicions. She asked why she was fine and I told her about Chernobyl. I didn’t remember the full story but one of the Soviet firefighters had a genetic immunity (or high resistance) to ionizing radiation. He was fine but when he threw his clothes out, his son kept the hat. His son died of brain cancer. Even though he was immune, his family was not.

That explanation brought a question to her mind. What kind of place did I come from?

So I told her. I told her about Earth (well, the Earth of humanity,) I told her about humans. I told her about the bad things. I told her about natural disasters, the savage animals, the poisonous plants, pollution, disease, death, war, famine, genocide, the corruption, the poverty, the hatred, the indifference. Knowing how I was back then, I no doubt exaggerated. I did not mention any of the good things. I was not the kind of person to think they existed. The closet positive I had was that, no matter what happened, for better or for worse, (and for me it was worse) humanity always survived.

By the end she was crying, asking how she could help.

I told her exactly what the council said. There was very little that could be done but that this was also the reason why I was here. For some reason, Equestria was a paradise compared to Earth. I said that there must be a reason for it and hopefully my discoveries could be brought back and used by Earth. She accepted that response.

From there, we just talked. About our lives, our past, our dreams (she wanted to be a writer and a scientist, fancy that) and about anything really. Sadly, Zed wasn’t there to talk with us. He was making another trip to the thermal generators.

Still, it felt liberating to talk with someone new. And when she fell asleep by my bed, I could tell it was the first time in a long time she had been happy. I didn’t think it was possible for a filly like her to be that miserable. I guess it just goes to show even Equestria isn’t completely perfect. Not that I noticed that, nor would I for some time.

The next day, I could walk again. Well actually my recon suit was doing most of the work but still. I decided to show Esper around the facility. By this time, Zed and I had completed several automated machines and devices. We also had a nearly endless library of texts and general information. On top of that we were conducting rudimentary experiments and digging for materials. The facility was quite a sight to behold.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a filly’s eyes light up like hers did. She was amazed by all of it. It seemed so foreign and alien to her. When I told her all of it was running without magic, she was rendered speechless. Well speechless except for the fact that she asked how humans could be suffering so much if they had such wonderful creations. It was a question I always asked myself. I never had an answer, at least not one that did not involve me writing off humanity in its entirety.

I guess I must have looked angry because she immediately apologized. I said it was no big deal. She asked if there was any way she could help us. I thought about it, turned on my audio recorder, and told her to follow me.

We left the facility and traveled to what Zed and I had then recently dubbed, Sunset Hill. Zed had already finished his self-assigned work for the day and was already there. We stood there and observed the lands before us. At that time it was just a little after noon so no sunsets but it was still beautiful. It always was.

Stratos: You still don’t want to go back home do you?

Esper: No. They would still think I am cursed. And I don’t have anywhere to go.

*PAUSE*

Stratos: You know, I’ve given this a lot of thought. My studies require that I do not reveal myself to Equestria at large. I shouldn’t be in contact with the populace. At least not yet.

Esper: I see… *Esper was trying to hold back tears*

(I looked over at Zed and he nodded.)

Stratos: However, provided that you only stay with us, don’t contact the outside, and continue our studies with us. We could always use more helping hands, er, uh, hooves as it were.

(Her sniffling stopped.)

Stratos: Esper Teach, would you like to stay and be my research assistant?

(Her eyes brightened and her cutie mark appeared.)

Stratos: Oh wow.

Esper: YesyesyesyesYES!

(She tackled me in a hooved hung.)

Stratos: AH! MY STITCHES!

Esper: Oops.

Zed: Not again.

After more medical attention and some apologies, Esper joined us.

Following a return trip to the basilisk and cleaning up the area, we worked on and finished a rudimentary nuclear generator. Having completed that, our situation was even better than before. Finally, I could stop worrying about constantly maintaining the base.

Esper was great to have around. It turned out Esper could create more than just radioactive metals; she could create almost any kind of base metal including titanium or some molecules such as silicon and silicone which were very useful for future construction and electronic devices.

It was also great to have an actual Equestrian around. She told us of Equestria from a citizen’s perspective, especially of the great Princess Celestia. And she was always curious and willing to learn. We actually made several discoveries about Equestrian physics.

In turn, sometimes I would read with her or teach her anything about humanity. I tried not to be as direct as I was the first time. Equestrians have a hard time with that kind of misery. Then again, occasionally she would catch me reading Lovecraft and she would badger me into reading the stories to her. It’s not something I particularly like to do given the nature of his writings and her youth but she seemed to enjoy it.

Moving on, Zed was happy to have someone around who wanted to train with him. Esper was eager to learn combat. I guess meeting us while fighting a basilisk made an impression on her or something, she could never really explain why she wanted to do that. Regardless, we built her some combat armor.

Overall, we couldn’t be more satisfied.

There was one thing though. I still was not getting anywhere in my research. I kept hitting dead end after dead end. I just could not find any significant differences in Equestrian culture or personality that could account for their good fortunes.

There was actually something else. I was starting not to care. My life had never been so good. I was seeing positive things everywhere. I had great friends. I was making new discoveries. I was constantly building and improving my home. This was the place I wanted to be. I began to care even less about what would happen on Earth. I told myself my studies would probably amount to nothing when I began so it was no real loss.

Instead, my curiosity pointed me in another direction. I wanted to learn more about Equestria. Esper had a unique ability that seemed to be an exception to the rule. I wondered why that was and subconsciously decided that, if I could, I should catalogue and collect more oddities of Equestria. Inwardly, I had hoped that those studies could someday make me famous across the world. With the way things are currently shaping up, I’m not sure those studies will ever be released.

Nevertheless, it was not going to happen at that moment. Other things needed to be done.

You can get a lot done when you put your soul into it. It took two months when Esper was with us to get that generator up and running even though we were doing other things at the time. And after those two months, well you see Esper may have been the first pony to join us, but she most certainly was not the last. My initial studies into Equestrian culture would be effectively ended by a simple wandering pony.

Report Addendum: Understanding Stratos

[Unknown Session]

Esper, now that you are staying with us, I want warn you about something. You need to understand what you have agreed to. Stratos is not foolish and yet he does not think he can fail. He believes that everything will work out no matter what. This means Stratos has no qualms about throwing himself and those around him into harm’s way to accomplish his goals.

This is not all bad. It is part of the reason why he helped you.

I am asking you to be careful around Stratos. Do not hesitate to question his actions or come to me for help. I do not want you to get hurt because of his negligence.

Thank you Zed, but I’m not stupid. I know that Startos is far from perfect. To me, all that matters is that he is nice. I don’t care about why. Besides, it’s been a long time since I have had anyone I could be around without feeling like I’m putting them in danger. If that means life for me gets a little more dangerous from here on out, I’m all for it.

But, okay, I understand what you are saying. I’ll be careful. And thanks. It’s nice to talk with you Zed. I’m glad that you care about me.

By the way, I am looking forward to living here. I know that, one way or another, life with you two will be an adventure worth dying for.

Please do not say it like that. I could not stand that happening.

Zed, you really need to lighten up.

Unknown Inquiry

Sender: [REDACTED]
Date: [REDACTED]
ID: [REDACTED]

Perhaps it is not my place to inquire about the particularities of these documents. Nevertheless I feel compelled to bring up an almost inexcusable oversight. Nowhere can I discern where the Earth Pony Border Barn’s abilities are explained. No doubt Dr. Lucid investigated this phenomenon and yet his insights are inexplicably omitted due to what I can only assume is a deliberate restriction of information.

No one can be expected to believe that Stratos’s allies were simply “out of the ordinary.” The documents clearly show how they break all the established rules and limits on this world. Do not reply that there are exceptions. Exceptions can be resolved. I am posing how an individual who, by all accounts, should not have magical ability indeed does possess such powers. Additionally, the range of these capabilities far outclasses even the average expert in magic. For example: Barn was able to generate healing magic, give others access to magic, power equipment, enhance other magical abilities, and so on.

Other valuable insights are similarly absent.

The naivety the Unknown expect me to possess is insulting. Moreover, I am disquieted by the unwarranted scarcity of trust you have displayed towards me and my associates. Ergo, I hold no belief in a reply of any significant substance. In spite of this knowledge, I will ask one question: Why is it so dangerous to give us a passing explanation for these ridiculous inconsistencies?

This is Unknown Soldier Number 7.

We apologize. As a display of our faith I will reply.

You are correct. It is not normal magic. It is not magic by the established definition. It is related to Krastos and similar figures. If the information is released we fear some may take drastic actions to acquire these powers. The results of that would be unacceptable.

Please understand our hesitation.

Stratos's Report (Border Barn): Discovery of Anomalies

Name: Border Barn
Species: Pony – Earth Pony
Gender: Male
Coat Color: Teal
Mane Color: Grey
Eye Color: Brown
Cutie Mark: A grey rock with multi-colored (Celtic?) runic markings on it.

Abilities: A natural affinity for magic and magical artifacts. More importantly, he can actually create magical objects. He can enchant items. He can sense and activate magic and electronics.

Unique Features: He looks normal in every way imaginable. Biologically, I have found no oddities. There is literally nothing that indicates he should have his current abilities. He even utilizes different areas of his brain than a unicorn would in order to access magic.

Meeting Barn: Admission, Celebrations, and Discovery (Year 985)

As of this writing, it has now been seven (almost eight) years and looking back it feels so tiny a timespan. But back then, for me, it had already felt like a lifetime.

I no longer do but, occasionally, I would have to convince myself it wasn’t a dream. Sometimes I would have nightmares of waking up back on Earth, having never gone to Equestria. Sure Nick would be there, my colleagues would be there, I could talk to everyone I met, people would recognize me, I could play the video games I loved, go to the websites I frequently went to, and I would be glad about that. But all of the horrors of the world would surround me once more.

I guess I have grown soft. I’m not sure if I could handle going back to Earth at this point. The negativity would overwhelm me. Or maybe I just would hate to feel less important. Not to say this place is perfect by any stretch of the imagination (I certainly do not believe that anymore) but the atmosphere is simply uplifting.

But I’m pretty sure this world is real. Our actions have distinct consequences.

For example: In those first nine months, no pony had actively discovered us. Nothing had discovered us. Nothing wanted to go to our little area due to the slightly sub-par climate.

But we had not considered something. Sure Esper was staying with us, but we didn’t tell anyone that. Also, Esper said that, with the basilisk dead, the dead ponies would return to life eventually. (I have many theories on how the death-gaze works but I’ll just put that in my “science” journal.) So, they had to have known that someone was successful in killing it.

Naturally, someone would investigate.

While we had cleaned up the machine parts, we had forgotten to clean up the actual combat area. It still looked like a battle zone. Someone might inspect the area if they saw it. Zed realized this and went back with Esper to fix up the area.

On their trip back, Zed noticed something was following them.

I, who was still at the facility, decided to send out a UAV.

Turns out they were being cautiously followed by a youngish pony that was probably not much into the pony teenage years. Considering I’ve already told you some things about Barn it is no surprise when I say he was the one following them.

Zed asked what they should do about the pony and I said “nothing.” I cannot remember exactly why I said that but I decided to go out and meet the pony in person before he discovered our base.

I simply went up to him and introduced myself as Dr. Stratos Lucid, a human scientist studying Equestria. After the pony collected himself, he, in turn, introduced himself as Border Barn, a wanderer who decided to investigate the disappearance of Esper Teach along with an undead basilisk. He had been traveling for around two months to complete this task, though was only two days from the town. (It suddenly occurs to me that Esper must have followed the Basilisk for two days. I guess she was a tough little filly.) He had searched high and low for Esper.

Right off the bat I could tell he was different. He seemed calm and friendly but very strong. I could not sense a microgram of ill-will in the guy. He was just pleasant to be around. He was like an honorable hero of a legend, a passionate defender of justice. I felt I could trust him with almost anything. In that sense, he reminded me of Nick. I’ve never felt that kind of spirit from another Equestrian (though Cobalt is somewhat similar). I decided I had no reason to hide anything.

I told him that Zed and I helped Esper kill the monster. I offhandedly mentioned it was rather foolish of Barn to try and go after the monster himself.

Barn said it was no issue and he could have killed it if need be.

I asked him how that was possible.

Out of his saddle bags he pulled out several magical items. Potions, elemental stones, magical trinkets, etc.

I asked where he got them.

He said he made them.

I did a double-take and made sure he was not a unicorn.

He reaffirmed the fact that he was an Earth Pony. He asked where I got a magical suit of armor.

I said it was not magical, it was all technology.

He inquired about whether “the other human’s” suit was also technological.

I said it was and that Zed was not a human, he was an android, a robot made to look like a human. Basically, he is an intelligent non-magical golem.

It was at that point we realized we had quite a bit to talk about.

There was no way around it. I brought him back to the facility along with Zed and Esper.

We showed him the base. He was quite impressed. Actually, he was in awe and was delighted to see everything. (I always get a kick out of that. There is some sort of pride knowing that your home is enviable.)

In return, he showed us how he enchanted something. Turns out he just put his hoof over something (a piece of metal in this case), concentrated, and then a bunch of glowing, indecipherable runes would appear on the object. There appeared to be some sort of pattern to what runes meant what but that was not important.

At that point we got down to business. I asked him what he intended to do.

Barn said he just wanted to protect the town from the monster and rescue the filly. The townsponies were, understandably, too scared to do anything themselves. So, while he was passing through, he dispelled the death-gaze and volunteered to go after the basilisk and rescue Esper. However, no one knew where the monster or Esper went. By the time he tracked us down, the monster was long dead and Esper had been unofficially adopted. So neither task was needed at that point.

At this point, I said there was one issue. Barn wanted to report his findings to the townsponies and that would reveal our existence.

He did not understand the problem so I clarified it for him. I had to explain about the expedition, our findings, my goal, and how him revealing our presence would ruin them. I suggested telling the townsponies that Esper died but Barn rejected that, saying that was dishonest. He felt the townsponies should know that Esper is fine.

Barn asked if there was any way to help me complete my research so that it would be a nonissue. Because of his travels, he knew almost everything about Equestria and its inhabitants and so could help give information on anything.

Zed, Esper, and I talked about it. It was eventually decided that it couldn’t hurt. We would give him access to all of our knowledge about humanity and, when he was finished, he could explain his findings to us.

I’ll admit I kind of did it to humor him. I’ll also admit I gave him the worst stuff on purpose. I assumed he would get to something like World War 2 or the atomic bombs or third-world countries or something like that and freak out. From there he would understand he could not help humanity and be more willing to bargain with us on what to do with Esper and the townsponies.

I didn’t expect him to come back a little over a week later to tell us his conclusions.

We were so stunned we immediately set up a meeting and I, once again, brought my audio recorder. I could tell whatever he was going to say, it was going to be big. I didn’t know how right I was.

Stratos: Alright, it’s recording.

Barn: That device will record my voice?

Stratos: Yup, so just say your conclusions. Just be as brief as possible.

Barn: That shouldn’t be too hard.

Stratos: Really? Well, whatever. What are you opinions on the differences between humans and the ponies of Equestria?

Barn: Uh… I’m… Yeah, I’m not seeing any differences.

Stratos, Zed, Esper: What?

*Clunk* *clack-clack-clack* *Shuffling*

Stratos: Sorry, I knocked it off the table.

Barn: Should we start over?

Stratos: No, no it should be fine.

Zed: No differences?

Barn: Uh… well… yeah. Nothing significant anyways. Everything that I have read says that everything humans have done has been done for a reason.

Stratos: Everything?

Barn: I can’t absolutely say everything. I did not read everything about humans in under two weeks.

Stratos: Yeah, I suppose that couldn’t be possible.

Esper: So what did you read?

Barn: The conclusions. I could not read everything so I went to every major event… there were plenty that were quite disturbing.

*PAUSE*

Stratos: And yet you still think our species aren’t that different?

Barn: The humans in that group you worked for wrote explanations for every event. I found myself agreeing to every point they made. I could see a pony doing everyone one of those things under the same circumstances. Everything could be traced back to a reason.

Stratos: If we are so rational, why does humanity have so many problems?

Barn: Because your world has problems. Your world is a deathtrap. I would not want to live there. Your animals are not like ours. We can communicate with our animals, they rely on us. Animals from your world would either run away or try and kill you. Without magic, the weather is uncontrollable and unpredictable, meaning you have to be more extreme and innovative to survive. And, without magic, you can’t just cast a spell overcome any challenge.

Stratos: But we solved most of those problems with technology and techniques. We could feed and clothe and house everyone and we don’t.

Barn: *Takes a deep breath through his nose and exhales through his mouth* One thing I did learn was that humans, including apparently you, have an uncanny ability to put themselves down about everything they do wrong and ignore everything they do right. You are greatly exaggerating your flaws. You just said that because you have the capability to feed everyone it should happen. You know that it is much more complicated than that. Your species has adapted to a world where everything was trying to kill them, including each other. It can take a long time for anything to adjust to changes. Humans are still stuck thinking it is necessary to desperately fight for survival. It was something that happened to ponies for a while.

Stratos: So, I guess humans are just stupid?

Barn: Do you think ponies are that much better?

Stratos: From what I have seen, yes.

Barn: Well we aren’t. As far as I see, there is no difference between ponies and humans intellectually or morally. Especially in the past, but even now… I have seen a lot of things in my travels. I have personally seen ponies be afraid of zebras for no reason other than they are different. I have seen ponies bully other ponies because they want to. I have seen ponies take advantage of other ponies to benefit themselves. And I do not see many ponies out there just helping others because it is the right thing to do. We do everything because we want to. We pursue our own goals, dreams, and desires.

Zed: And so on and so forth. There are a lot of similarities. Why is Equestria so ideal to humanity?

Barn: Stratos, do you want my answer to that?

Stratos: Yes. I guess that is what I want to know.

Barn: Remember, everything I have said has come from my experiences and what I have read from your intellectuals.

Stratos: Go on.

Barn: I’ve only seen two differences. One is what magic allows us to do. We can use it to make sure everything is predictable.

Stratos: More predictability means more stability.

Esper: And my magic “saves labor!”

Stratos: Which… yeah, means less scarcity so less need for change.

Barn: If magic and what the notes keep saying is our different pisicks-

Stratos: Physics?

Barn: Um.

Strastos: P-H-Y

Barn: Yes. If we were as restricted as you were, we would be a lot worse off and there would be a lot more conflict.

Zed: So, what is the other thing?

Barn: I would never have figured this out if one human did not outright state it. I think his name was Nickolas. Anyways, it was why I was able to finish so quickly.

Esper: We had the answer?

Barn: Yeah. It’s Princess Celestia.

Stratos: Hm?

Barn: There are rumors, that seem to be true, that Princess Celestia is immortal. One of the files I read said that she would be able to determine what laws and rules make sense based on years of experience. Also, because she has to worry about everything in the long-run, she plans ahead. She knows suffering and works to make sure everything happens for eveypony’s benefit. She has no desire or need for material wealth since it means nothing to her. She is the perfect ruler.

*PAUSE*

Barn: I’m sorry, I’m not very educated but I know enough. I’m sure there are other things too but those are the important ones. I do not believe that it is the only way to prosper but, if humans want a society that is exactly like ours, humans need better technology so they can do what we do with magic and they need an immortal, benevolent leader. I cannot think of a way for humans to do that. We ponies were just lucky to grow up in the universe that we did.

Stratos: …Yeah. I figured.

Esper: You knew?

Stratos: Yeah. I did. I just. I put so much effort into this and bet the rest of my life on it. I didn’t want to believe it was pointless. I needed someone to tell me I had screwed up. I’m guessing you knew too. Right Zed?

Zed: …I did not want to say anything.

Barn: If it helps, I don’t think humans are that bad. They have done bad things but they are trying. It seems like your world is getting better. There are plenty of admirable humans I have read about. And ponies are not perfect. Honestly, you are one of the nicest ponies… uh, individuals I have met in a long time.

Stratos: No, that doesn’t help. You’re wrong about humans.

Barn: …What are you saying?

Stratos: It’s better if you don’t know any more than you already do.

Barn: Are you really a human?

Stratos: I’d rather get off this topic. I need to think of something else right now.

The truth was I knew from the beginning what I was doing made no sense. I just kept deluding myself that my studies would make a difference. I mean, one person, changing everything? One person fixing all of the problems of humanity? That was my ticket to success? Who was I kidding? Myself apparently.

So yeah. I threw away my entire future to study magical ponies, pretending like I would make all the difference in the world. I abandoned my friends and associates for a cause I knew was fruitless. I could have used my knowledge to save at least thousands of lives and help many people. I ignored all of the good things I could have done for everyone.

And I can’t help but feel the real reason why I did it was because I was just sick of living on Earth. I was just tired of hearing so many bad things that when I got to somewhere that was nice I selfishly decided never to leave.

I’m not a bad person. Not anymore. But I know I used to be. I went on this expedition because I thought it would give me what I wanted. I didn’t really want to help anyone. I just wanted the recognition. All of those studies, it was just to isolate myself. To keep humanity from tainting them and to remind myself of why this world was so much better than the one I came from. Very hypocritical considering the reasons I gave for staying. And of course I blamed all of my failings on being a human.

I hate what I used to be.

Still, I have changed. Luckily, the knowledge I have collected and the contacts I have made should help. Not in the same, revolutionary way but, when humanity returns to this land, my actions on Equestria should at least help either with negotiation or with understanding how magic really works. The physics between the two worlds are close enough that they can interact. Many things that are possible on one world should be possible on the other. Hopefully what I have catalogued in my science journals should benefit people in that way and won’t be forgotten.

Sorry for that digression, I just wanted to get that off of my chest. And besides, it’s not like anyone is going to want to read this thing. Well at least probably not within my lifetime.

But I really do digress: While I sat there reflecting on my faults, the others began to deal with what to do with Esper. (I just want to clarify it is not hard to tell when I am really depressed or regretful because I start very angrily mumbling and partially acting out past mistakes and events to myself. It’s a silly habit I just can’t get rid of and it sounds really pathetic so I did not want to transcribe it.) After much deliberation, Zed, Esper, and Barn came up with a plan.

We would return to Epser’s orphanage. Because he broke the death-gaze before the monster died, no one would know when or even if the monster had been killed. Therefore, we could say what we wanted. Barn would say he helped her defeat the basilisk, bringing back its bones as proof. (Side note: I never throw anything away.) Zed and I could come (carrying the bones) pretending to be advanced metal golems that Barn and Esper created to deal with the monster’s death-gaze.

In the end, Barn would adopt Esper and we would leave back home. Barn would be on his way. Everybody wins!

There was some skepticism involved over whether or not the orphanage would allow Barn to adopt Esper but it was decided that, if that did not work, Epser could always run away. And if she did that, no doubt the orphanage would assume she went to stay with Barn anyways. Not that Barn agreed with her doing that but it’s not like he could stop her.

With that decided, they went for my approval. When they noticed that I was still acting forlorn, they fell into casual chatter. Eventually, that led to a certain question popping up.

Esper: Why are you a wanderer anyways?

Barn: I… don’t know... Or do I? Hang on.

(This reaction pulled me out of my stupor. I remember Barn just sitting there as his eyes glazed over. We could all tell he was reaching pretty far back into his memories. When he came back, we all could tell, he was trying to hold back his feelings.)

Barn: I do remember… I do.

*He touched one of his magical amulets with his hoof*

Barn: As you have seen, my abilities aren’t normal. Many are suspicious of it. In the village where I was born, they began to assume I was a unicorn masquerading as an Earth Pony. The stigma was… quite unbearable.

Zed: Your abilities have great utility. Judging another like that does not sound like something an Equestrian would do.

Esper: No, it does. There is a belief that some unicorns who misuse their magic are punished for it by removal of their horn. Another legend is that if a unicorn is too powerful and cannot control their abilities, they would also have their horns removed for the safety of others. From there it is said that, while most lose their magic, some keep it. But the lack of a horn means that they cannot be trusted… I was always afraid they were going to remove my horn.

*PAUSE*

Stratos: If they assume that Barn is a unicorn and that Barn is lying to them, how can they trust him? I guess it makes sense.

Zed: I would feel pretty bitter about that. There is no proof you are lying or are a danger. There is no reason for them to jump to conclusions like that.

Barn: You get used to it. I got my cutie mark when I was quite young. I knew that this ability made me unique; it was a part of me. I couldn’t hide it. But it also made others fear me. I left the village and wandered from place to place. I would do all the good I could and be as friendly as possible to fit in and be accepted by the community. But no matter where I went, they would see my abilities and grow suspicious of me. It became a habit. Because of the stories I read and the morals I learned, I kept doing good deeds for whoever I came across but I got used to the idea that I would just wander forever. Now, I just help everypony I can and move on. Honestly, I forgot how I started. It is not something I like to think about.

(I didn’t need Esper’s look to know what to do next.)

Stratos: I can tell you your abilities would be greatly appreciated and we have all got our personal problems here.

Zed: Not me.

Esper: All living beings here have got issues.

Zed: Fair enough.

Stratos: You seem like a really good person. You deserve more than what you have. Barn, would you like to stay with us?

(Barn barely reacted but I saw a glimmer in his eyes.)

Barn: Living with humans… That would be nice.

Stratos: Since you have already proven my studies are, well, pointless. There is no real need for you to stay hidden but I’d still like it if I remain a secret. Or at least my home remains a secret. After all, if ponies found out humans were real; I’m sure I’d be swamped with curious individuals and never be able to do any other research quietly. I don’t want them to know about humans. I don’t want to be that kind of a celebrity.

Barn: That’s fine with me. If you don’t mind, I’d like to go lie down somewhere.

Stratos: Zed, do we have an extra room prepared?

Esper: He can use mine.

Barn: I’d prefer to sleep outside actually. I’m kind of used to it. I just need a sleeping bag or a blanket.

Zed: Let us go get one.

(Zed and Barn left the room.)

Esper: I hope he stays with us. It would be nice to have more company.

Stratos: No wonder he was so accepting of humanity’s actions. He’s still naïve. He has no idea what Earth is like. Of course that doesn’t change anything for me or help anyone.

(Esper tried to console me. That or she was examining my thought process. I’m not sure which.)

Esper: Humans will just have to learn how to deal with what they have. Learn that they can get through life without fighting or hurting others. Just like most of us have.

Stratos: It is a message that we already have. Be kind to others, good things come to those who do good. Too bad it’s not true.

Esper: The humans of Earth will be prosperous eventually. It will happen.

Stratos:Maybe. Probably not.

Esper: I haven’t met any other humans but, from what you have told me and what I have read, I’m sure most of them are good and that there are plenty of others like you.

Stratos: *Rising voice* Good? Heh, you think… Esper, I’m not going to talk any more about this.

*PAUSE*

Esper: So, what do we want to do now?

Stratos: *Chuckles* You know, that’s a really good question. It’s not like I can go back to Earth, and even if I could, there’s not much point. I mean, I like it here. Any ideas?

Esper: Well, you have much better technology and scientific knowledge than we do. We have already made many discoveries that would amaze most scientists. And we know you and Zed are amazing fighters… You said you were working for a secret organization to benefit everyone?

Stratos: The Nine Unknown Men. They are so secretive I was never certain if they were the real deal or just some other organization that used the name as a cover. Nevertheless, they and their agents, including Nick, would collect and protect knowledge that mankind is not quite ready for. They study and perfect their knowledge and release it in parts when it is needed. It’s not like mankind relies on them but they can be helpful. Well, that’s what Nick says about them. I’ll take his word for it. Regardless, they are why I am here. Why do you bring it up?

Esper: We could try and be like them. If some of our discoveries are too dangerous at this moment we don’t have to show them to anypony. We could even run them by Princess Celestia and have her approval.

(Her eyes lit up.)

Esper: We could be her secret guard! We could get other unique ponies like me and Barn and create more helpful protecting androids like Zed to be our agents. We could deal with monsters and recruit members.

Stratos: Are you suggesting we start a local Nine Unknown Men?

Esper: Why not?

Stratos: …Wow you are incredibly smart for your age.

Esper: Thank you.

Stratos: Wait, is this thing still on?

Oh past me, you were so clueless.

But first things first, we still had to deal with the issue that Esper’s town was looking for her. Barn was not sure he wanted to join us but he would stay for the moment.

In preparation for the trip into the town, Zed and I had to wear the full-body powered combat armor exoskeletons to fully hide our features. If you don’t know, the suit looks like the Powered Humanoid Weapons Platforms. Unlike the normal combat armor, they would encase your entire body. Which meant no one could see me and nothing could get inside the suit. To a pony it would look like a magical construct. A perfect disguise.

We implemented the plan and… you know, it went far better than I could have ever imagined.

Esper and Barn came back heroes. It was like the stigma that surrounded the two was completely gone. There was a huge celebration for them.

It was hard for me not to touch any of the food and keep up my act but there was plenty of fun to be had. I was able to play with the townsponies and the little fillies and colts. The music was lively (I forgot they had DJ turntables), the games were entertaining (I kicked butt in horseshoes), the speeches were great (even when they made mistakes), the stories were epic (particularly Barn’s made up one about how we defeated the basilisk), the fireworks were a sight to behold (it helps have Zed’s brain to coordinate everything), and Esper had never looked so embarrassed in her entire life.

We were happy. This is how we wanted to always feel. Or at least it was how I wanted to feel.

But, as all things do, it had to end. When it did, Esper and Barn were torn. These ponies had accepted them. They wanted to live with them.

I don’t know how they could make their decision. But I’m glad they made the one they did.

Barn said he would continue on his travels, that he had more adventures waiting for him. Esper said she wanted to join him. The ponies seemed hesitant but Barn was able to say he knew what Esper’s curse was and he could deal with it.

That convinced them, barely. The townsponies packed a lot of food, gear and supplies (that Zed and I ended up carrying) for their heroes and said the two were always welcome back whenever they wanted.

A lot of tears were shed as they left. Can’t say I wasn’t one of the ones contributing.

When the town disappeared in the distance I first got out of my suit, ate some of the food, then I asked why the two decided to leave.

Esper’s answer made the most sense to me. She said she owed us her life. She would never have had that moment without us and she was still my, always would be my, research assistant.

Barn’s answer was more complicated. First Barn had to clarify that he was going to stay with us. Then he said that he wanted to do the most for everypony. We had talked about the idea of forming a secret organization on the way to the town. He thought that we had something important developing with the “Unknown Guardians” and he wanted to be a part of it.

Barn’s decision turned out to be a great for all of us.

We found Barn’s enchantments to be unbelievably helpful. We could reinforce everything, enchant every weapon, and develop magical equipment. We never ran out of tasks for him. I felt bad that we kept working him so hard but he said it felt fulfilling.

It was nice to have another pony around to comfort Esper. Sometimes Zed and I just can’t relate to her problems the way another pony can. And yet he never treated her like a filly, always like a friend. I think he does not divide people by age, only by overall capability and association.

For example: Zed and Barn spent (and still spend) most of their time together attempting to create and utilize new enchantments. (Even Zed can use Barn’s magical enchantments.) Barn seems to understand how Zed thinks and vise-versa. When they are found together (and not working) it is only for talking and reminiscing about the past or planning the future.

But Barn was always quiet and kept to himself a lot. He has opened up a lot more over the years but it is hard to shake a lifetime of isolation.

I think this is reflected in how much he reads. Books were not something he commonly had access to during his many travels. At least not in great variety. Even if he could not understand it, he would try to read anything he could get his hooves on. He found a particular interest in the works of H.P. Lovecraft. You see I had first given those works to him when I tried to prove how bad humanity was. When I later revealed that there were many more endearing and uplifting works made by humans, even if I didn’t care for them, Barn became all the more fascinated in Lovecraft for being so different. Among many other works, he now likes the horror and science fiction genres. (Seriously, I’ve got to stop getting ponies addicted to Lovecraft stuff, it’s not healthy.)

As much as he likes to keep quiet, Barn spends most of his time with me clarifying material or discussing new ideas he has come up with. He wants to understand opposing and complimentary points of view.

All in all, I’d say he always sees everything and everyone in a favorable light. He just seems to nod his head in understanding whenever he hears of any problem or action. Perhaps everything is too relative to him.

There was one exception to his universal acceptance. I’ll admit that, back then, Barn and I were not friends. We mostly stayed away from each other. I believe he thought I was too judgmental about my own species. It’s just a guess. We never did talk about it. Well, not properly anyways.

Regardless, with Barn’s help, our first mass-production unit was created. We built our first primitive combat droids and reaper UAVs to defend the base while we were gone and help us with our battles. We also built several robots in order to deal with maintenance, gathering supplies, and other upkeep necessities.

Our base was growing larger and stronger every day and so were our resources.

We now had a lot more downtime. We began to train and experiment more. We also began to secretly collect Equestrian books, gather bits (Equestrian currency), and keep up to date on current events and rumors.

The four of us set out with a new sense of purpose. As great as Equestria was, we were going to make it better.

We would have to recruit new and unique allies and battle strange creatures. We would make new discoveries in science and magic. We would catalogue and record everything about this world’s possibilities. We would push ourselves to the peak of our abilities. We would secretly revolutionize every aspect of Equestria.

And as ambitious as it all was, we knew we would succeed. And, well, not to spoil anything, but we sort of did.

I know I have said this a lot but life was great. I had never felt so fulfilled. Like what I was doing mattered.

By the end of my first year on Equestria I had changed my goals and started a new organization backed by revolutionary science, technology, and magic. Among ranks of the “Unknown Guardians” were a human, an android, a unicorn, and an Earth Pony. I suppose it was only natural that a pegasus would come next.

You see we soon realized we needed a pegasus. As great as our abilities were we didn’t have anything that could fly, except for some combat drones, and nothing that could control the weather.

When a storm blew over us and wrecked some of our equipment, we knew something had to be done.

We quickly held a meeting to decide our next course of action. That meeting would lead to a surprising and unsettling discovery.

Stratos: Alright everybody, this is our first official organizational meeting.

Esper, Barn: Yay!

Zed: Exuberance.

Stratos: Okay, so we need a pegasus. Any ideas?

Zed: We could go and adopt young, talented pegasi.

Esper: Like you did with me!

Stratos: I think starting a child’s army is morally dubious.

Esper: Then why did you adopt me?

Stratos: Because you’re special.

Esper: Yay! I’m special! … Wait, the good or bad kind of special?

Barn: I think he means you have a useful special talent.

Zed: We would prefer a pegasus who has proven themselves to be unique and trustworthy.

Stratos: Right, we cannot just accept every pony we meet or like into our group. We have to be selective. Which brings us back on topic. Do we know of any pegasuses?

Zed: Pegasi.

Stratos: If you understand me, it is good enough. Let’s answer the question.

Esper: Well, I read the Nine Unknown Men’s expeditionary force’s reports. They were very general about their knowledge. They did not study anypony in depth expect Princess Celestia.

Barn: That was my impression too. They do not give names.

Stratos: That’s fine; we have been collecting articles, newspapers, and so on. Surely some of that has useful information.

Zed: The problem is within recruiting celebrities. They would notice if someone famous went missing. That’s why the Wonderbolts are off limits. Most other celebrities don’t have any useful talents anyways.

Stratos: So, we are at a dead end then?

*PAUSE*

Barn: I have one idea.

Stratos: Say it.

Barn: In my travels there was one pegasus that surprised me. I do not remember her name. I think it began with a P or an O. She was little at the time, certainly a bit older than me, but she already had her cutie mark. She had a talent for building on clouds.

Esper: All pegasi can build things out of clouds.

Barn: No, I mean build structures on clouds.

Stratos: Like a brick building?

Barn: Yes. But it was years ago. I was very young, I could have misremembered it. She could have just been an artist that shaped multicolored clouds into structures.

Stratos: Anything else about her?

Barn: I remember the town had a lot of soldiers and scholars. Almost everypony had some kind of training in combat and higher education. If she’s still alive, she’s probably a brilliant architect and a trained soldier.

Stratos: If not, there are probably many other qualified pegasi to choose from. Do we have any better ideas? … No? Okay then, where is this town and what is it called?

Barn: Show me a map and I can probably recognize it.

(We brought up a digital map, and Barn studied it for a bit.)

Barn: I think it’s… Here. Area C4. That’s right, it was called Coltberton.

Esper: That’s an odd name.

Zed: Accessing database files… Interesting, the town was supposedly named after a human. Barn’s memory is accurate, the Unknown observed high percentages of guards and scientists. It looks like this is one of the towns your friend Nickolas catalogued.

Stratos: Still helping me, are ya Nick? *Chuckles* Alright, we know where to go.

Zed: Hang on… We might have a problem.

Esper: What?

Stratos: He said hang on.

*PAUSE*

Zed: Bringing up the images on map display.

(Our map of Equestria was modified; numerous faint, dark patches were covering various areas)

Esper: What is that?

Zed: Satellite imagery has reported strange activity in Coltberton.

Stratos: Define strange.

Zed: The signals are similar to the ones present with the basilisk. There are several areas across Equestria with these signals. The great majority were present before the launch of the satellite.

Esper: Are there other monsters?

Zed: This satellite is not precise enough to acquire those kinds of readings. But we can confirm reports of paranormal sightings in these areas. I will display the magical frequencies now.

(Several numbers and letters appeared over the dark fields)

Barn: I recognize these. Those are signals of dark magic.

Stratos: There is light and dark magic?

Esper: No, it is just how we describe how magic is used. Barn’s right, I’ve read a lot of books on this subject, this looks like certain dark magic spells I have heard of.

Stratos: Which ones?

Esper: If the map is correct and I remember correctly… Necromancy, animation, and curses.

Stratos: Raising of the dead, moving the inert, and supernatural torment. I thought the basilisk was just moved by magic not partially-revived. Necromancy and curses are not supposed to exist.

Barn: If there is anything I have learned about in my travels around Equestria it is that there are plenty of exceptions to the rule.

Stratos: Zed, why didn’t we know about this sooner?

Zed: I just pieced the data together now. Much of it was encrypted files held by the organization. Only accessible to top staff.

Esper: You said encrypted means that it has something that makes it harder to access.

Stratos: Nick and others left me with files that I was not supposed to have. We weren’t supposed to be able to access this but they probably did not count on me building my own android.

Barn: Did the humans know about this?

Stratos: The real question is if they knew of the significance. Just because these files were reserved for the Unknown does not mean they knew what they meant. Perhaps they did not know and that is why they were classified. No, thinking back… They were running from this. This scared them? They have Unknown Soldiers. Did they think this was out of their league? If so, why leave me with this? Why leave only me? This doesn’t make any sense.

*PAUSE*

Barn: So, what do we do?

Zed: There does not appear to be a source though one of the highest concentrations of these energies is located in Coltberton. We should start there. We need a plan.

Stratos: Give me a moment.

*PAUSE*

Stratos: Alright. Barn, you and I will go to Coltberton and try to recruit this pegasus if she is there. We will also investigate these signals and neutralize them if possible. Zed, I need you to try and find a way to secretly contact Princess Celestia. If the Nick and the Unknown classified it, it should remain so but the ruler of this land needs to know about this.

Zed: Sneak into Canterlot? Understood.

Stratos: Epser I need you to stay at the base.

Esper: Aw. It’s because I’m a filly isn’t it?

Stratos: I hadn’t considered that. Zed is the best person we have at stealth. I am the best person at scientific analysis. Barn doesn’t know how to work the computers but he is good at negotiation and his magic is useful. We need someone back at the base to monitor the situation and man the reaper UAVs.

Esper: And that would be me.

Stratos: Yes… Well everyone, it looks like the Unknown Guardians have a mission. We have a purpose. Let’s get started.

And I just realized I gave a child access to high explosives...

Anyways, as you can see, our situation had changed. Something was going on. Something that my colleagues knew about but didn’t want to tell me.

I think back to Nick and our last conversation. I sometimes wonder how much he really knew.

I always considered it odd how the Nine Unknown Men were so willing to give me access to their classified materials, their remaining machines, their resources, and even a satellite just because I was staying on Equestria. They overlooked procedures to help me but how much was for my benefit and how much for theirs?

I know the Unknown work in mysterious ways. Back then I had questioned whether or not they intended for me to stay and investigate this. I have no doubts now.

If I didn’t believe my reason for staying, surely they must have known the truth. Even so, there are always secrets with them. What did they know about that they weren’t telling me?

I still don’t have answers to that question. I might never find out.

We still don’t know the origin of these signals. But we do know they aren’t good.

We found that out in Coltberton.

Report Addendum: Barn's Opinion

[ERROR, MISSING DATA]

Esper: So why do you like all of that dark stuff anyways?

Barn: You read it too.

Esper: Not as much as you do. Besides, I only read it because Stratos does. It helps me understand him.

Barn: Don’t you find it scary?

Esper: *Exaggerated* It burns my poor little filly eyes! *Giggles* No, they’re just stories. So, like I asked, why do you read it?

Barn: I just find it fascinating. Ponies don’t usually write like this.

Esper: Dark and dreary, where the main characters commonly go insane. Can’t imagine why.

Barn: But it’s interesting.

Esper: It’s interesting, but it’s too depressing.

Barn: That’s how you look at it?

Esper: Uh, yeah… what’s with that smile?

Barn: Equestria could use more of these stories. I really admire what these humans are writing.

Esper: …Why do you suppose Stratos reads them?

Zed: Because he believes in them.

*Esper and Barn jump in surprise*

Barn: Dear Celestia, would you please stop doing that.

Zed: No… Your reactions are amusing.

Epser: What were you saying?

Zed: Stratos has no faith in his fellow man. There is a reason why he left his world. It would not be an exaggeration to say he hates humanity.

Barn: You?

Zed: I have never met any other humans. I hold no feelings one way or the other.

Barn: Zed, I’m not smart, but I am experienced.

Zed: Your point?

Barn: You are lying to me.

Zed: You are correct. Humans designed and created me. Naturally, I feel a sense of gratitude. Stratos’s attitude mystifies me.

Esper: But he seems to like us.

Zed: You are not a human.

*Silence*

Barn: I don’t think I like Stratos.

Stratos: Someone call my name?

Esper/Barn/Zed: No.

Stratos: Oh, okay. *distant* By the way, next time you talk behind my back, try not to do so within earshot. It is very tempting to listen in.

Zed: Noted.

Barn: Maybe he’ll grow on me.

Esper: Like some kind of cancerous tumor!

A General Staff Member’s Concern

Sender: Dole
Date: 19/11/2076 (Celestial Year: 996)
ID: LB-8821-KE3-422-EP

I’ve been talking with my friends and we’re all kind of worried about this.

This might not be that important, but is our equipment better than Stratos’s? Can we handle Krastos if we take it on? This whole thing might be a lost cause otherwise and we should just cut our losses.

I really don’t want to say that. I’ve made a lot of good Equestrian friends and I’d hate to tell them, “Sorry, you’re screwed. We’re leaving.”

Can we bring them with us if we do that?

This is Unknown Soldier Number 7.

Our equipment and training outclasses Stratos and his associates by a substantial margin. We have the capability of defeating Krastos. The files you do not possess indicate this possibility. It is merely a matter of resources and risk. Both are substantial. Possibility of success does not guarantee an outcome.

We are currently discussing the costs and benefits of bringing back Equestrians. I will respond when we come to a satisfactory conclusion.

Aerial Specialist Eagle: Archeology Missions

[Intercepted Transmission: Date Redacted]

Alright, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind me telling you. They’ve got to give the U.N. Special Forces Commander and U.N. Representative some jurisdiction over her own troops. Besides, what are they going to do, kill me? We know they’re not like that.

I just came back from scavenging an ancient tomb of some god or something.

I’m telling you Megan, we are sitting on a gold mine. The missions the Unknown are sending my flight group on have been amazing. This was our least productive mission and we still turned up an ancient book on cursed items.

You know that sword “Sir Colbert” used, Azrael “The Immortal Slayer?” Yeah, it definitely was a cursed blade. Any wound created by that sword could not be healed magically. And given how dangerous a sword wound is you’re pretty much screwed if you get cut. It was also unbreakable and could cut through metal as if it was paper. Colbert used it to cut through other legendary blades. All Colbert did was make the sword even more powerful.

There are tons of items like that. Just imagine what a collector must be willing to pay.

You know what, forget about profit. The history is amazing. Stratos didn’t even scratch the surface of what there is. If you haven’t heard of the Athereal Knights by now you soon will. These guys were badass. I’ve found an absurd amount of stuff referring to them.

Let me let you in on them. The legends might be exaggerated but this was a group of possibly immortal humans and something called Diamond Wolves. They were led by a physical god called Helios who was incidentally the leader of these Diamond Wolves. They were like Equestria’s elite special ops shock troopers. They constantly messed up Krastos and its followers like you wouldn’t believe.

When Krastos did its last major assault hundreds years ago these guys turned the tide of battle in two minutes. Somewhere between one hundred and one thousand of them easily crushed an invading force of over one hundred thousand led by Krastos. Even a modern military couldn’t do that. If that isn’t badass I don’t know what is.

While they are my favorite, this is just one group. There are dozens of legendary groups like them. Not to mention all of the notable individuals.

I already mentioned Helios. Seems like Equestria owes a lot to him.

And this guy Endewize. Seriously, unbelievable genius. He made hundreds of magical artifacts and systems of civilization. He cured almost every disease without magic. Not much of a fighter but he’s a tactical genius in battle.

I haven’t even touched all of the pony stuff. That would take forever. Suffice to say, Starswirl the Bearded wasn’t the only great mage or warrior in history. Some might call him the greatest but I’d have to disagree.

There were a ton of legends in this nation’s past. There used to be gods and immortals all over the place. You got to wonder what happened to all of these guys and why no one’s head of them.

Maybe they just disappeared when they were no longer needed. Or maybe they are still around in hiding. Whatever. They left a ton behind to look at. We could literally be digging up this world’s version of Greek Civilization. You can just imagine how important this could be for them.

If Equestria is this developed and populated but is still littered with forbidden areas, ruins, and abandoned structures just imagine what the rest of this world must be like.

I know as a “U.N. forces representative” I’m supposed to focus on keeping the peace and leave the profiteering to Armor Incorporated but screw that. Forget all of that research with magic. You can go dungeon crawling and come back with mountains of loot and records.

Yes it is somewhat dangerous and the pegasi are proving to be both remarkably good fliers and remarkably pathetic fighters but me, my soldiers, and our flight suits can handle anything thrown at us. Hell to get that book we had to fight an immortal that couldn’t be killed by normal attacks. I just used my new abilities and took it out myself.

I’ve killed three of these absolute immortals. These dark creatures of Krastos and its followers are nothing. I’m used to fighting robots, vehicles, and super soldiers. Monsters, minions, constructs, and demons are just another blip on the radar. As long as we are prepared for a fight, these things are not dangerous to us. Our armor, weapons, skill, and technology more than give us the edge.

If we reveal ourselves we should immediately hire out our services as explorer escorts. I’m already thinking about becoming an archeologist.

Stratos's Report (Pocket Plum): The Army of Darkness

Name: Pocket Plum
Species: Pony – Pegasus
Gender: Female
Coat Color: Dark Purple
Mane Color: Half Yellow and Half Pink (Split down the middle)
Eye Color: Pink
Cutie Mark: A grey metal cloud.

Abilities: She can build buildings and machines on top of clouds. Naturally, she can construct items that allow an individual to walk on clouds. Additionally these items allow for walking on water. She can also make items that can slow your fall (it works by interacting with the moisture in the air).

Unique Features: Her wings are around 50% larger than normal. (My fault, but it seems to help her move faster and be more agile so no harm done.)

Meeting Plum: “Army of Darkness” (Year 985-986)

When Barn and I arrived at Coltberton everything seemed absolutely normal. In fact, Coltberton was a fairly prosperous town even by Equestrian standards. Some of that was attributed to the knowledge left behind by Sir Colbert. Certainly they had a much more advanced knowledge of machines than I was used to.

The town had at least one hundred houses, a few dozen shops, a trade guild, a few taverns, and other common features for Equestria. But it also had an advanced plumbing system, an aqueduct, a steam engine, and rudimentary animatronics. (And of those animatronics, many were human. That confused the crap out of me when I first saw one move.)

The town also had a surprisingly high proportion of its citizens involved in military affairs. If legends are true, Sir Colbert was a knight, scholar, and an inventor. My guess is that he was a French noble during the Enlightenment era. Legends of his heroic battles against beasts and foul creatures made it so that every pony grew up dreaming of being a knight in shining armor. That or they wanted to become some sort of architect or inventor. The place was home to many researchers and scholars. Every citizen had a great faith in progress and reason.

That just reminded me: if there were more humans like Sir Colbert who brought their knowledge to Equestria, it might explain why technology levels are so varied from place to place. But that, of course, is simply speculation.

Regardless, Barn went into town while I stayed hidden in the nearby forest with the majority of our supplies. Apparently some ponies in the town recognized Barn and apologized for the lack of reason they showed him the first time. Barn spent much of the first day chatting with the mayor (a big, grey Earth Pony) and being shown around town. Luckily, I was not bored as I was able to listen in and talk to Barn through a mini radio. After I nagged him a couple of times, he was eventually able to inquire about the pony he had remembered.

Turns out the pony’s name was Pocket Plum. She was a pegasus but had been unable to fly for years. No one had seen exactly what had happened but she was discovered near-death on the ground, having fallen from a cloud. She could not remember what had happened to her, due to a concussion, and her wings were almost completely stiff. A curse was suspected. In fact, the reason they had chased Barn out the first time was that there were no other suspects, they knew of his abilities, and they used him as a scapegoat. Though, as I said, they agree that this action had been too harsh and brash.

Barn forgave them for the incident and inquired about why someone did not fix Plum’s wings. The townsponies said that they tried. They described the current condition of her wings and how they reacted to each treatment. Nothing seemed to work.

Of course, based on the description and symptoms, it took me only a few seconds to realize what was going on with Plum’s condition but that will be explained soon enough.

Regardless, Plum was the town’s top architect and her abnormal architectural abilities could still be used as long as others carried her to the clouds or pulled the clouds down.

This was good news for us. Knowing her condition, I now had a plan to get her to join us. Now all that was left was the hard part, actually convincing her to join us.

It took some time (far more than I liked) but the tour finished near the end of the day. Showing more of the town's hospitality, Barn was given free stay at the inn. As soon as he was settled, I told him to contact Plum and bring her to the forest.

Even with all of the guards, Barn was able to sneak out and go to Plum’s house unnoticed. He knocked on her door, was greeted by Plum’s yellow-skinned, white-maned, Earth Pony (yeah I double-checked it was an Earth Pony) sister named Pellet. Anyways, he was able to convince Plum to go on a walk with him. She was suspicious but, as I said before, Barn just has that aura of trust and friendliness.

As they headed towards the forest, they chatted about a few things, nothing important.

Before I give the recording, I must say her wings were in a rather sorry state. They were the proper size but they looked weathered and sickly. I was surprised she could move them at all. But as with all individuals who have been crippled, it no longer seemed to affect her mood.

Plum: *Giggle* I bet they learned their lesson.

Barn: Naturally, though they were dumbfounded as to where I got all that water. Oh, here we are.

Plum: The Versailles meadows? (Looks around.) Is something here?

Stratos: That would be me.

Plum: Who said that? Where are you?

Stratos: I am Stratos Lucid, and I am hiding in the shadows of the forest.

Plum: … Barn, who is this and why is he hiding?

Barn: An important associate of mine and I can tell you he is very secretive.

Stratos: Pocket Plum, a pegasus known for being able to build any solid structure on top of a cloud. And, unfortunately, one who can no longer use her wings.

Plum: I am well aware of who I am, thank you.

Stratos: Would you like to know why you cannot use your wings?

Plum: Really? You think you know the answer? Do you realize how many ponies I have seen?

Barn: He’s not… Trust me, he knows.

Stratos: So, how about it?

Plum: Fine. Give your answer.

Stratos: Of course this is partial speculation; I’d need more accurate data to give a full detailed medical report and be one hundred percent sure. Regardless, what is happening is a sort of combination genetic and environmental condition. It appears that the blood vessels reaching your wings are a tad too small. That tingling sensation are your muscles starved for the proper amount of energy. That is why they are weak. In a smaller body it was fine but as you grew older, your body became bigger but vessels become longer and needed more energy thus worsening the condition. However, the reason why you cannot use your wings at all is because of the accident. The broken bones and damaged vessels further weakened areas of your wings, crippling you on a cellular level by basically shutting off access to certain muscle groups. The lack of blood also stunted your natural healing. The total result is that your wings get enough blood flow so that you can still move them a bit but are overall too damaged to ever heal properly. In fact, they are partially stunted because they do not receive enough blood to grow properly.

Plum: I didn’t catch all of that.

Stratos: Blood can’t reach your wings. They don’t have enough energy to work.

Plum: Oh… Why didn’t you just say that?

Stratos: I like being a little science-y. And I like rambling. Mostly the latter.

Barn: I can attest to that.

Plum: Well thank you very much Mr. Lucid. Unfortunately, that is completely useless to me.

Stratos: Would you like to be able to fly again?

Plum: I have been to every doctor, medical, and magical professional there is. Nopony has been able to help me. I accept the fact that I will never fly again.

Stratos: But would you like to be able to fly again?

Plum: I am perfectly fine with the way things are. I can do anything anypony can do. I am completely happy with my life.

Stratos: Let me rephrase this. Do you want to fly again?

Plum: If possible… Yes.

(I walked out of the shadows and revealed what I am. To make it easier to see me, I also activated the suit, causing its inner components to reveal their neon glow and, on top of that, activated Barn’s enchantments causing those glyphs to light up as well. I pretty much looked like an actual knight in shining armor, albeit a very technologically advanced one… it was quite dramatic. No wonder she thought I was a ghost.)

Plum: S-S-S-Sir Colbert! You-You’re real!

Barn: Not quite.

Stratos: I am a human, much the same as Colbert… glad you remembered not to pronounce the T. After all, it is a French name. Well… sort of anyways. Actually, as you can see by my armor, I have techniques and abilities Colbert could only dream of. Oh, and I already said my name was Stratos.

Plum: But I, oh wow, uh, I… Oh I have to tell the others!

Stratos: Not so fast. Listen, I have a proposition for you.

Plum: What is it?

Stratos: Barn and I, along with a few others, are starting a group. We are currently in the midst of getting approval from the Princess herself. Hopefully she will agree.

Plum: What is the purpose of this group?

Stratos: To protect Equestria.

Plum: *Bursts out laughing* From what?

Stratos: Ms. Plum, I will ask that you refrain from merriment. This is a very serious issue and I would not be coming to you otherwise.

(That got her attention.)

Plum: What happened? Is the Princess hurt? Is she in danger?

Stratos: No. We have noticed that there are regions covered in dark magical energy located in many places across Equestria. We have fought a reanimated creature created as a result of these magics. We intend to find out what is causing this and we desire only the best to join us.

Plum: So why the secrecy?

Stratos: We possess technological and magical knowledge that could revolutionize Equestria. But this knowledge could also endanger the populace if not used correctly. But that was the original reason. More importantly, we are not sure exactly where the source of this dark magic is coming from. If it is a being or group of beings causing this, we would rather not potentially alert them.

Plum: So you want me to join this group?

Stratos: Yes, and there would be many benefits towards doing so.

Plum: Such as?

Stratos: I already told you, I can fix your wings. Probably improve on them actually. You’d also have access to, well, almost anything you could desire. And you would be among an elite group of individuals.

Plum: …I’ll think about it.

Stratos, Barn: Think about it?

Plum: What? Did you two honestly think I would just abandon my friends and family just because a human showed up and offered to heal my wings?

Stratos: You don’t have to abandon them. We are asking you to help us and keep our secret.

Plum: Which I imagine would require many trips across Equestria and pull me away from everypony for long stretches of time.

Barn: Plum is right about that.

Plum: I also have to trust you that you aren’t lying to me. I don’t care if you are a human. You are obviously not Sir Colbert. Until you can show me proof from the Princess herself that you are working for Equestria, I’m not going to help.

Barn: Plum I—

Plum: Thanks but no thanks Mr. Lucid. Don’t worry; your secret is safe with me.

(I quickly thought of a way to salvage the situation.)

Stratos: Okay, fine. I hate using scare tactics but we didn’t come here for you.

Plum: *Sigh* Why did you come here?

Stratos: This place has one of the highest concentrations of this dark energy. Something is going to happen here soon. We just decided to recruit you because it was convenient.

Plum: I’m flattered.

Barn: Plum, we are offering our help. Because of the first signal, Stratos and my friends encountered an undead basilisk. They were unprepared and it took everything they had to stop it. We are stronger now but this situation appears much worse. If we do not do something, then many ponies in this town are in danger.

Stratos: And every place in Equestria is at the same risk. We are talking about a potential army of darkness if something is not done. Celestia cannot handle a nation-wide event. If we don’t act before then, a lot of ponies will have their lives ruined at the very least. I don’t want this to happen to Equestria. Equestrians should not have to experience the hollow feelings of Earth.

Plum: Hollow…

Barn: Plum, is something wrong?

*PAUSE*

Plum: When I was a young filly, on the day I broke my wings, I remember… something dark attacking me. It was a shadow with the most hauntingly empty feeling attached to it. I’m sure it thought it killed me. I never told anypony, I did not think they would believe me. I said I lost my memories instead… I’m sorry Barn, I had no idea they would chase you out for it. I always regretted that.

Barn: Plum, that’s in the past. Everything is much better for me now. I’m not concerned about that. I am focused on the present. Please, if nothing else, consider what we are saying.

*PAUSE*

Plum: I’ll meet you back here tomorrow. Hopefully, I’ll have a decision by then.

Stratos: Thank you.

(Barn and Plum walked back towards the town.)

Esper (over the radio): Wow that was a close one. Can’t believe you lied to her like that.

Stratos: I didn’t lie.

Esper: “An army of darkness?”

Stratos: Okay, maybe I exaggerated a little bit but uh… Any word from Zed?

Esper: Well, he made it into Canterlot and cut off all radio communication. He said he plans to sneak into the Princess’s room tonight.

Stratos: Little creepy. Have the reapers spotted anything?

Esper: Nope, everything’s clear in the air.

Stratos: Then you should get some sleep; it is past your bedtime.

Esper: Make me.

Stratos: *Grumbles* Well then, I’m turning off the radio and going to sleep.

Esper: Aw, come on, who will I talk to?

Stratos: Barn.

Esper: Oh yeah! Good night Stratos!

Stratos: Night Esper.

Probably didn’t need to include the last part but I already transcribed it.

So, yeah, that’s what happened there. Plum's story did worry me. I had believed everything began recently but it appears this had stretched back farther than I considered. I had inwardly believed the expeditionary force was somehow the cause of these anomalies. Of course now I know this goes back way longer than my lifespan, let alone the expeditionary force. There was, frankly, no way they could be associated with this.

The next morning was actually quite uneventful. Barn had decided to go to the field but spent most of the time sleeping. He had stayed up most of the night talking to Esper. (I wonder if he ever considered just turning off the radio, or was his good nature just too strong to allow that?)

I was waiting patiently. I took readings and checked equipment just to pass the time. Actually, I spent most of it just admiring another beautiful Equestrian environment. The grass was particularly green and flowers were numerous. It’s amazing how easily such sights can occupy my time.

Soon enough, Plum arrived with her niece and her niece’s three friends. Barn got up and began to play with them. While Plum watched over them, we got to talking.

Stratos: So, made up your mind?

Plum: No.

Stratos: Fantastic.

Plum: I’m sorry; it’s too big a decision to be made so quickly.

Stratos: Well don’t worry, we don’t plan on leaving until either you come with us or something big happens.

Plum: Such as?

Stratos: I have no idea. We have no idea what triggers these things and we only have one case to go off of.

Plum: Then how do you know something will happen here and not somewhere else?

Stratos: We don’t. But, generally speaking, if you see an energy spike that is probably where things are going to happen.

Plum: So you think this town is the source of these troubles?

Stratos: I said that this likely involves all of Equestria; so, no, I do not.

Plum: This thing could—

Stratos: I’m not telling you anything else until you agree to join us or until I feel like it.

Plum: I just need to know what I am getting myself into.

Stratos: You were nearly killed by a monster. That is what you are getting yourself into.

Plum: If I join you my life is in danger?

Stratos: Honestly, I think all of our lives are in danger.

Plum: Is there anything we can do to stop it?

Stratos: I have no idea.

Plum: Why do you want me?

Stratos: *Sigh* This is the final question I am answering. We need a skilled pegasus.

Plum: But I can’t fly. Even if I could, I haven’t flown in years.

Stratos: I am not concerned about your physical abilities in the slightest. Our armors and equipment allow a drastic increase in those fields. But we cannot replicate innate magical abilities. At least not yet. You have a completely unique ability and any amount of control of the weather is appreciated. You also are a skilled architect even besides your other talents and I have no doubt you could drastically improve our base and equipment. Even then, given this town’s culture, you probably have some sort of military training. You have an amazingly diverse set of useful skills. There is a reason we are choosing you and not anybody else.

*PAUSE*

Plum: Stratos… is your friend trying to say something to you?

Stratos: Hm?

(Barn was rushing towards me yelling at the top of his lungs.)

Barn: TURN ON YOUR RADIO!

Stratos: Oh crap.

(I had forgotten to turn my radio back on from last night. Based on how scared Barn was, I almost hesitated to find out what was going on.)

Stratos: *Click* Stratos here. What—

Esper: *Unintelligible*

Stratos: Esper, I can’t understand you.

Esper: WEIRD READINGS! DOTS APEARING!

Stratos: Where?

Esper: EVERYWHERE!

(I turned on the radar on my helmet's HUD. Of the many dots, a small group was heading right towards us.)

Stratos: Oh no.

Plum: PATTY!

Barn: Armor now!

I focused my attention forward. As Barn rushed to my position to get his equipment, the four fillies were still curiously trying to understand why Barn was running away. They turned around only when they realized there were creatures oozing out of the ground behind them.

These things were unlike anything I has seen before. They were massive though held no exact shape or size. They appeared to be made out of some kind of black tar-like substance. Some were humanoid, others four or more legged. Their eyes were glowing green or red or yellow. These were golems. Animated substances bound to the will of their creator.

The many lifeless assailants nimbly lumbered forward, moving with the grace of boulders, intent to crush anything in their path. Including those little ponies.

I would not let that happen.

I activated all the enchantments on the armor, overloaded the boosters, and launched at the golems. Clearing the distance in seconds, I punched the first golem through the chest and wrenched my fist back, ripping the things in half. I pulled out my sickle and slammed it down on top of another’s head while simultaneously kicking a third. I ripped my sickle and my leg out of the golems, tearing them apart, and looked back to confirm the girls were galloping away.

I had only looked away for half a second but one golem used this time to strike me in the chest.

If I had been wearing traditional medieval armor, the blunt force could have cracked my ribs. Fortunately, the recon armor absorbed most of the impact and I was merely tossed back a few meters. I got up to retaliate and noticed something was wrong with my suit. The booster engines would not activate. The tar on the suit was hindering my movements. If I did not have the enhancers I’m not sure I would have been able to move at all. As it was, I was limited to the speed of an average athlete.

These things were tough, but if you destroyed them with physical attacks their tar-like remains would ensnare you. En masse, as was the situation, that could be a problem.

Luckily, I was not alone. Several shimmering shards shot through the air and cut another golem down. Barn had already got his suit on and was using his enchantments to create energy weapons. He tossed me two pieces of equipment which I attached to my gauntlets. They were specialized enchanted metals meant to allow me to fire crystal-like magical attacks with a sweep or flick of my arm. Good for long range attacks.

As they closed in on us, Barn and I launched a wave of these magical crystals. We took down as many as we could while keeping our distance. When the remaining golems continued to advance, Barn and I looked at each other and charged forward.

We realized the golems were not particularly fast or agile. They had no sense of self-preservation. In fact, I would not say they were all that strong. Also, considering I was already covered in the tar (though I had to protect my visor for vision), attacking them more was not going to slow me down. And my sickle proved to be surprisingly good against them, allowing me to cut off their limbs as I dodged their attacks. Barn found an alternate means of safe attack. He channeled energy through his helmet and created a magic sword held in his mouth. Considering his boosters still worked, he could use them to charge at the golems and cut off their legs before they could properly react. The other golems would crush their own allies to get to us.

With all of our training against Zed, Barn and I found it all too easy to take the rest of them down. In total, we destroyed at least thirty of these golems. When it was over, I made sure no tar was on the handle of my sickle and attached it to my upper thigh. (By the way, that was the same sickle I had used against the basilisk. It was now reinforced and enchanted. Almost a proper weapon.)

As soon as we finished, Plum and the fillies came rushing over to us.

Fillies: Thank you Sir Colbert!

Stratos: I’m not—

Plum: What’s going on?

Stratos: We don’t know.

Plum: I mean right now.

Barn: Esper.

Esper: The golems are appearing all over town. The citizens are dealing with them but already many are being immobilized by the glue.

Stratos: The glue?

Epser: Your suit indicates it is black glue.

Plum: Who are you talking to?

(I ignored her question.)

Stratos: Plum, do you want to help?

Plum: Yes.

Stratos: Barn, get her set up with the armor. I’ll handle the situation until you arrive.

Barn: Right. Plum, follow me.

I headed into the town. It was almost war zone. Many buildings had been damaged or destroyed. Most of the civilians were still running for cover while a group of knights and volunteer militia fought on. The ponies had managed to fight the golems back to the outskirts. There they could fight in the open grassy fields surrounding the town rather than the cramped streets that would favor the enemy. But most of their fighters were now immobile and another wave of the attackers was coming. Had they not had such a prominent military culture they probably would have been overrun by now.

I completely ignored the fact that I should stay hidden and rushed into the front lines. By now the glue holding me back had dried and my armor was beginning to snap off pieces of the adhesive, allowing full mobility. I jump-kicked one of the golems (breaking off the last bits of adhesive from my leg) and released another salvo of magical spears.

The ponies briefly cheered at the arrival of their supposed past savior and informally put me in charge.

Jest (the mayor): Sir Colbert, there’s another group of these monsters heading for us. What should we do?

Stratos: Hang on. Esper.

Esper: Yes?

Stratos: Tag ‘em.

Esper: Activating combat procedures. Reapers engaged. Target’s acquired.

Traditional gunpowder may not work on Equestria, but explosives do. The reaper UAVs were all equipped with a homing missile and two rockets. Esper told them to target the largest groups of the golems.

In seconds rockets rained down from the sky obliterating the oncoming force. There was nothing left but craters and ashes.

More golems began to form.

Jest: What magic was that?

Stratos: It’s not magic. It’s technology. The product of countless years of research into weapons of war. In some ways you could say it is the product of human reason.

Soldier 1: With Sir Colbert on our side there’s no way we can lose!

Soldier 2: I’ll get his blade.

(I got fed up with them calling someone else’s name.)

Stratos: Colbert is dead. I am Doctor Stratos Lucid. And we do not have an unlimited amount of those attacks.

(They took it surprisingly well.)

Jest: Okay Doctor Lucid, what should we do?

Stratos: Make sure none sneak into the town behind us. Otherwise, hold this line as long as you can. Focus on long-range attacks, melee them only if you have to. For some reason, at this point, most of the golems are appearing here in this field and not anywhere they please. The source is probably here somewhere.

(Jest nodded and brought a small group of ponies with him back into the town. As he left, Barn arrived.)

Barn: Stratos I’m here.

Stratos: Where’s Plum?

Barn: Still getting ready. Learning the enchantments.

*Explosions* (Another wave of rockets was released.)

Barn: How many more of those salvos do we have?

Stratos: Not sure. Probably at least two.

(Pellet (Plum’s sister and apparently leader of the town knights) noted Barn’s armor. It did not take her long to put two and two together.)

Pellet: You know this human?

Barn: Sorry, I had my reasons for not telling you.

Esper: Stratos, the energy concentrations seem to be originating directly behind the line of golems. It is probably the source but something there is messing with the targeting systems. I could blind-fire but it would be a waste of ammo.

Barn: It’s probably hiding under an illusion to make it invisible. I can dispel it.

Stratos: Alright, new plan. Barn, you’re with me.

Pellet: What’s the plan?

Stratos: We’re gonna punch through the enemy, eliminate the illusion, and take out whatever is causing it. Unicorns will provide covering fire.

Esper: Salvo away. You might want to get going.

*More explosions*

Stratos: Those who wish to follow, do so. Let’s do this.

Barn and I charged forward followed by a small group of unicorns, pegasi, and normal pony knights. Several bolts of magical energy and telekinetically-propelled objects flew over our heads and crushed or blew apart anything in their path. Barn and I contributed our own ranged attacks cutting down anything in front of us until we were forced to engage physically. Still, we ignored most of them, letting the ponies take care of the minions.

The golems were not exactly slow but we were plenty fast. We had no problem weaving, ducking, jumping-over, side-stepping, or otherwise dodging their strikes while maintaining our sprinting pace. Barn and I cleared the necessary ground in no time. When we got in range, Barn activated another enchantment as I quickly eliminated the few nearby golems.

As the distortion disappeared it revealed a truly terrifying figure. An abnormally large Pegasus made completely out of twisting shadows. Its form seemed to ooze miasma. It had the most horrifyingly empty eyes I had ever seen. That crimson glare was indescribable. It was the dark void personified.

Quite frankly, we were caught off guard. Barn and I stood there speechless. Only Esper’s words pulled us out of our trance.

Esper: What is that thing?

*It released a hissing roar at us*

Stratos: Esper, tag it now!

Esper: I can’t! The sensors don't work!

I didn’t even see it when it first moved. I blinked and by the time I finished, it had closed the small distanced and stomped Barn into the ground. I threw a salvo of spears but it practically disappeared leaving after-images in its wake. It stuck me from behind, knocking off my helmet, tossing me over the ground, and dazing me. Somehow I managed to quickly pick myself up.

I did not see what happened next. No one did. But I was somehow thrown into the air. The creature flew down and struck me in the chest with its front hooves before blasting away. Only a last second activation of the boosters prevented me from becoming two-dimensional upon hitting the ground. Even so, the G-force shocks damaged my organs and caused some light internal bleeding.

I’m pretty sure it thought it killed us but both Barn and I got up to witness the thing fly into the air and create a series of storm clouds. The winds picked up and tornadoes took shape.

The townsponies were too occupied with the minions to stop it. Even though we were wounded, it seemed it was up to us to kill it. Barn and I prepared another ranged attack when something tackled the shadow pegasus out of the air and smashed it into the ground.

Without something creating the unnatural weather, the tornadoes and clouds dissipated.

We looked over at the impact zone and saw a pony jump away. To our surprise, it was Pocket Plum. She had activated the suit and its enchantments. To allow her to fly, I had built a custom-made military flight-suit that had several additional boosters and engines built into it. On top of that, thanks to Barn’s enchantments, magic flowed into her wings covering them in a golden-white aura and allowing her to use them with ease. Even with all this mechanical and magical help, that she was flying at all was impressive.

She was not intimidated by the creature. In truth, she was angry. She stomped her hooves, spread out her wings, and growled at it.

Plum: You monster! You crippled me!

She bolted forward. The creature generated and threw a lightning blast at her. The electricity flowed around her. (Plum was wearing a flight suit; of course I made it virtually shock-proof.) She rammed into the thing once more but it threw her off.

We wasted no time. Barn and I rushed forward, unleashed a ranged barrage, and moved in to strike. Some of the barrage hit but the creature was still too fast and it jumped into the air, only for Plum to drop from above and slam it into the earth once more. Using his magic, Barn boosted my enchantments and I quickly punched it square between the eyes, sending it tumbling backwards over the ground.

We tried to press our assault but it lifted its wings and swept them forward creating a torrent of wind that threw the three of us back. We had not weakened it at all.

We landed on our feet (or hooves) and with Barn to my left and Plum to my right we charged back into battle.

It was fast. Really fast. But I had experience with the basilisk and basic combat training; I was used to quick reactions. (I’d also like to credit my years of playing video games.) Barn had spent a life of traveling and battling monsters, alone when needed, and so he was used to unknown abilities. Plum was from a military culture, was expertly trained, and was angrier than I had seen anything before or since; I doubt much could stop her. It did not find us easy prey.

We dodged its attacks, physical and magical, and counter-attacked at every chance we got. The battle was a near stalemate. With three-on-one we were able to coordinate our actions in such a way that if it attacked any of us, it left itself open to retaliation. Our armor was tough enough that we could shrug off most of its blows without too much worry.

But, as I said, it was almost a stalemate. Every attack of ours was doing damage but it seemed to have unlimited energy and was slowly wearing us down. Moreover, my injuries began to slowly catch up with me.

Perhaps annoyed with its lack of progress, the shadow-thing began to focus its golems on us. That brought the rest of the townsponies to our aid. In fact, many of the glue-encumbered warriors had been freed and more townsponies had gathered their courage. Moreover, one of the townsponies had the idea of using magic to animate the many animatronic human-like machines and use them as warriors. The result was a large army of reinforcements, led by Jest, arriving from within the town to aid us further.

The two opposing forces crashed into each other like a torrents of water. We were surrounded by comrades yet, for me, the battle was more difficult than ever. Assailants and allies would appear out of this chaos to strike or assist. I had to attack and guard from every direction, barely avoiding hitting my own friends. Golems were being cut down and blown apart while ponies and machines were being ensnared or bashed left and right. I myself was struck a number of times.

Cumulative impacts worsened my internal bleeding. Nor was I used to exerting this amount of energy for this much time. I quickly grew exhausted. Soon enough, I was just being tossed around like a rag doll. I was not a fighter; my strength was failing me.

After one more blow to the head, I lost focus, and my enchanted inscriptions dimmed. I dropped down on my knee. Only the suit kept me from completely collapsing. I briefly noticed that a group of ponies, including Barn and Plum, managed to trap the dark creature in thick ropes. They could not hold it down for long and it began to summon storms once more.

Through all of this, I remember feeling bad for Esper. Even if there had been no interference, the reaper drones could not fire with so many friendly targets nearby. Esper could only helplessly watch as the battle turned against us. Since the suits could monitor our physical conditions, she knew we were at our limits.

My vision was fading. I recall the distinctly metallic taste of the blood in my mouth. The only thing keeping me remotely aware of my status was Esper's constant pleas.

Esper: Stratos. Stratos! Get up! …Please get up.

(A golem seeped up from the ground and rapidly stomped towards me. I tried to react but my body wouldn’t let me.)

Stratos: Sorry, Esper. Zed would—

*Bang* (A magical blast ripped the golem apart.)

Pellet: Here. *Pellet, backed by two unicorn soldiers, threw a sword to me*

(I instinctively caught it with my left hand. The holy aura surrounding the blade made me forget my exhaustion.)

Stratos: What is it?

Pellet: The sword of Sir Colbert. Azrael. The one he used to slay his opponents, including a greater demon. It’s a weapon made for a human. Use it.

I held Azrael up to the sun. It was a magnificent weapon. The blade seemed to cut the air around it. Even after hundreds of years, the enchantments had made sure the blade never dulled or grew brittle. It was as light as a feather but stronger than any metal should conceivably be. It appeared to glow with a faint heavenly light. This was the sword of a legend: a man who took on the impossible and won.

The blade must have given me power. Suddenly, I was filled with confidence. My suit’s enchantments lit up. I stood up. With a flick of my wrist, I cut down a line of golems assailing my comrades. Azrael’s holy light annihilated the impure beings while leaving the virtuous untouched. I revved my armor’s boosters. I unhooked my own enchanted sickle and tightly gripped it with my right hand. Protected by the blade, against this shadow-being’s storm, I effortlessly walked toward the struggling demon.

As soon as the dark pegasus saw the blade, it hissed and focused all of its attention on me. It fired a sphere of magical energy from its mouth but, with a gentle touch, Azrael deflected it towards a group of dark minions, blowing them to pieces. The fiend tried this attack several more times, each with similar success. This only enraged the unholy thing.

Plum saw what I was holding and smiled. She motioned to Barn and the others with her wings. They released the ropes and the demon charged.

I was in the moment. As the battle raged around me, everything seemed to slow down and grow quiet. I could see the demon move. It was all too clear.

It closed in on me, centimeter by centimeter. Milliseconds before contact, I acted. I shifted to the side, did a single upper slash with Azrael, slicing off the left wing, then pivoted, hooked my sickle around its neck, and twisted around, decapitating the fiend.

There was no blood. The creature lacked all substance. It limply tumbled to the ground and began to fade.

The weather once more cleared. Within seconds, my comrades easily finished off the few remaining golems.

As they realized what happened, the ponies cheered. I simply walked away from the remains.

Stratos: Esper.

Esper: *Sniffles* Yeah?

Stratos: Tag it.

One final missile came down and engulfed the remains in an explosion.

Satisfied with the result, my energy was completely gone. I dropped my weapons, took a few more steps, and fell to the ground. Everyone rushed over to me. But I rolled onto my back, grinned the biggest toothy grin in my life, and exuberantly spoke.

Stratos: That *Breath* was awesome.

In the light of the moment, it was one of the most relieving statements possible. Chuckles turned to laughter which turned back into cheers.

Barn and Plum helped me back to my feet.

Pellet: That was amazing.

Stratos: Hey Plum.

Plum: Yes?

Stratos: How about now?

Plum: Hm?

Stratos: Willing to join us now?

Plum: *Giggles* I’ll think about it.

Stratos (and Esper): Darn.

Pellet: Uh, Doctor Lucid.

Stratos: Um, I have something to admit.

Pellet: What?

Stratos: I’m not actually a doctor. I never got my doctorate. My friends just called me that as a joke because of my attitude towards my professors and it stuck.

Pellet: Ah, well then, I have something to admit too.

Stratos: What?

Pellet: Sir Colbert said he purified Azrael but it was a cursed blade. Also, Azrael was the blade Sir Colbert used to kill a demon, but it was the same demon that killed him.

Stratos: *Beat* I am very glad I did not know that beforehand.

(I stumbled and nearly fell over.)

Stratos: Uh, I think I need to rest. Though I'm probably still dying so my body likely needs some healing magic. If you don’t mind that is.

Barn: I’ll get on it. *He activated one of his enchantments on his armor's leg and stuck it against my chest*

Stratos: So, do we get some sort of celebration or what?

Jest: Yes.

Stratos: Really?

Jest: Yes. But first we need to fix up the town. Which should take a few days.

Barn: All for the best. Esper will be wanting to join us.

Plum: *Scratching her ear* Is that who I kept hearing?

Stratos: Yup, she is the one who was manning the drones, monitoring the situation, and dropping rockets from the sky. Her help was essential. It’s only fair she joins us.

Esper: Yay! I’ll be right there!

Stratos: As soon as you tell Zed what happened.

Esper: As soon as I tell Zed what happened, right.

Pellet: In the meantime. Would you mind telling us who you are?

Barn: I don’t think you’re going to avoid discovery this time.

Stratos: You never know. I can be sneaky.

Esper: He also likes to lie.

Stratos: Quiet, you.

So, from there, while the town was slowly being rebuilt, Barn and I were treated like heroes. I told the townsponies an abridged story of my origin, leaving out some sensitive details. I explained who I was and that I was from another world, same as Colbert. I left out the whole expeditionary force, my intent to start the Unknown Guardians, and the dark magic signatures by simply explaining that I knew there was dark magic in their town and had decided to go and help.

In thanks, or perhaps for some sort of symbolic tradition, they not only offered me Sir Colbert’s sword but also gave me his diary. Though they could not understand his words, for them it was an unrivaled treasure.

It was not soon after that the ponies began to teach me Sir Colbert's legends. Apparently, Sir Colbert came to the town and, just like me and my friends, saved it from a group of monsters. He continued helping the town, spreading the message of the Enlightenment, and investigating the world of Equestria. Amazingly, he lived to the age of one hundred and forty and became an unmatched holy arcane user in addition to his skills as a knight. He died defending the town from a demon (a fate I am glad not to have shared) but did not die straight after slaying his opponent. Instead he told them to, “Press onward and achieve a future of enlightened perfection. Always defend Equestria. Always trust humanity. Always trust each other. This may be my end, yet it is not tragic. My life has been wonderful. It was worth every moment. Thank you, my friends.”

Touching; and I truly do mean that.

In my off time, I began to translate Colbert’s diary. No wonder they did not understand it. It was written in code. For some reason, Colbert had written his notes in an odd combination of Latin, Greek, French, and Italian. If I did not have my computer, it would have taken me at least years of constant study to translate his works.

I was able to tell the citizens of Coltberton what I learned. The journal originally chronicled his arrival to Equestria, his meeting with the town, his life, and finally ended with his change in thought. He complimented Equestria and hoped that humanity could learn from their example. In fact, he said that Equestria was proof that true enlightenment was possible. His final entries were dedicated to his friends and how happy he was. The citizens of Coltberton were touched to hear his words, and many vowed to be more vigilant in their studies and practices.

It’s good that they trusted my word. Sometimes I hate to be like the Unknown, but I couldn’t tell them everything.

Esper arrived in two days. Normally I might have worried about her but she too had her own set of armor and was training with Zed so I knew she would probably be safe with short trips. She was really happy to be able to show off her special ability and help rebuild the town. (Of course she took care to avoid producing radioactive metals.) She was extra delighted when no one was afraid of her magic.

And on the fourth day, the day of the festival, Zed arrived.

I told everyone who Zed was, what he was, and how he was immortal. I therefore stated it only made sense to give the immortal warrior the immortal weapon. I handed Azrael to Zed. He was stunned by the gesture and (for some reason) everyone cheered.

In turn, he quietly sent a document to my suit’s computer but overtly revealed that he had brought someone important with him.

Princess Celestia and four of her royal guards softly floated down from the sky and greeted us. I admit I was in awe. This was the first time I had seen her when I was calm and collected. In that state of mind, being in her company was entirely different. The alicorn’s presence was literally indescribable. From her rainbow-spectrumed flowing mane to the radiant-white aura surrounding her wings and the golden energy flowing from her horn, I had never felt something so heavenly, holy, and powerful, but simultaneously warm and affectionate. (Wait, I guess she was at least partly describable.)

I wish I could describe her better but I do not believe, no matter how hard I tried, that my words would ever do her justice. She was simply akin to a physical god, albeit in the form of a white, winged, horned horse.

When she wanted to, her voice could sound every bit as enchanting and soothing as her figure. She thanked Barn, Epser, and I for defending this town. She explained that she had decided to come and make sure the town truly was okay. However, as everything was okay, she would not mind partaking in the festival. Naturally, no one refused this suggestion.

The celebration was quite enjoyable to say the least. In fact, it reminded me of the one we had in Esper’s town with games, music, stories, and laughter, albeit on a much grander scale... and a lot of animatronics. A few of those machines looked like me. I still find that a little creepy nevertheless it showed their appreciation and I was not going to stop them. This celebration was for me, or at least I was a focus of it. The second coming of Colbert.

Coltberton still holds a celebration across that entire week each year. No doubt our actions will become legendary.

If you cannot tell by my writings, it was one of the most exciting moments in my life. I felt like a legendary warrior from the games, movies, and stories I had so often experienced. I had not come to Equestria expecting to be such a figure but I was glad to live through it if only for a moment.

Unfortunately, reality caught up to me. In the back of my mind I remembered my own words and worries. There was something troubling going on within Equestria and it was connected to those dark magical fields. That meant that this would just be one out of many battles.

Obviously, so far, we have survived. That’s not to say it has not been challenging but I’ll get to that later.

You see, in truth, as said, I left out one part of Colbert’s writings. In addition, the document that Zed had sent me was revealing. I will elaborate soon enough.

I showed my friends (and, as part of my plan, Pocket Plum) my findings. They too were greatly concerned.

I quietly called for a private audience with Princess Celestia asking that Zed, Esper, Barn, and Plum join me. This request was granted. My friends let me do most of the talking.

Celestia: I was wondering when you were going to call for me.

Stratos: Yes, sorry for that.

Celestia: It has been a while since we last met.

(Minus Zed, everyone's eyes went wide and they looked at me. I had yet to tell anyone of my previous encounters with the Princess. I nervously chuckled and shrugged back.)

Celestia: I have rarely seen a celebration so magnificent for such a modest town. It is just as rare for me to find its guest of honor to be so inwardly glum.

Stratos: Yes, well, I *Breath* I have my fears.

(Her demeanor became serious.)

Celestia: So, is it true what your companion has told me?

Stratos: I would hope this battle was proof of that.

Celestia: And there is more of this sinister presence?

Stratos: A lot more, it covers practically every corner of Equestria.

Celestia: How has this escaped my notice?

(It was a rhetorical question but I answered anyways.)

Stratos: We only picked it up because the Unknown did. I'll assume you know who they are. In totality of ability they far outstrip me. And they only discovered it because they have technology that Equestria does not presently possess. They looked at all of Equestria and noticed these subtle patterns.

*PAUSE*

Celestia: I fear to ask: How long has this magic tainted my land?

Stratos: At least hundreds of years.

(This stunned the Princess. From my then-limited experience, I had not considered it possible for her to look that concerned.)

Celestia: What tells you this?

Stratos: Coltberton has a journal of a certain Sir Colbert.

Celestia: I am familiar with this work. Not I, nor any of my friends, were able to understand it.

Stratos: Well I was able to. Most of it dealt with his personal life in Equestria. Perhaps a way to chronicle his existence. But the final parts were the most relevant to our discussion.

Celestia: May I see them?

Stratos: Zed, show her the entry.

(Zed pulled out his data pad. Using the unicorn magic of levitation, Princess Celestia pulled the data pad over to her and read it out loud.)

Celestia: As of now, the seven hundred and twenty fifth Summer Sun Celebration has passed. Therefore it is the seven hundred and twenty fifth year of the sun. It has been over a century since I arrived in this enchanted land. Sadly, I fear this may be my final entry. My discoveries have brought me to one conclusion: The dark aethers I have been tracking are the source of a series of disappearances and destruction. Anyone who has investigated it has been eliminated. I had desired to give this information to the Princess or Endewize when I found more, but I believe these unholy forces are now converging on my location. As strong as I have become, it shall soon consume me. It has been the death of many powerful Equestrian warriors and mages. It has eliminated many predicted prodigies. All has been in secret. I have compiled a list of all of whom I suspect have fallen to this thing. Hopefully, someone will find it and make use of it. Then again, I pray to my Lord in heaven that they do not. For if they do, certain doom will follow.

Stratos: From there we have found dozens of pages containing names and the dates of their disappearances or deaths. They are not limited to any species. Dragons, griffons, even a few humans are among their number. And I suppose we could add Colbert to that list.

(Princess Celestia calmly put down the data pad. I could tell this information deeply disturbed her.)

Stratos: I wish I could say it ended there but I believe we might have a problem just as great as this one. Sadly, I am related to that one.

Celestia: By your words… it involves humanity.

Stratos: Perhaps Zed has told you already but I did not come here alone. I was merely the only one who stayed. The others told me that it was for the good of Equestria that humans should leave. There is some truth to what they say but… My friend, Nickolas Endeavor, he was like a brother to me. We looked out for each other constantly. I’m certain we can trust his words. *I motioned to Zed* Zed, show her the file.

(The screen of the data pad shifted to a new image. Celestia lifted it up once more.)

Celestia read that one in her head so I will just put it right here.

Stratos, this is Nick. I was not supposed to do this but I encrypted this file so that either you would decode it or it would unlock itself when you got a hold of certain works. I do not know whether you are still pursuing that goal of finding their source of prosperity but I want to be honest with you. While it would be nice, I don’t think you have any chance of doing what you planned. We did not leave you here because we believed you could actually accomplish your goal. If you do, that’s fantastic but that’s not important.

I know you cannot trust me when I say how much I actually know. After all, I would have to lie if you asked me something I did know but had to keep secret. I am sure you picked up on it but I will say that we knew something was wrong. We have no idea exactly what is going on. From our suspicions, and what a few ancient works we translated have stated, these events have been going on for a long time with those investigating it being systematically eliminated. We decided to leave because we did not know whether or not we had the forces to handle the situation. We are not positive whether to come back or not but we know there can be exchanges between these realities. Whatever is going on could affect our world and, therefore, could endanger Earth.

Yes, we exaggerated our reasons for leaving. We did not tell you or most of the staff why we were actually leaving because we knew you and others would ask for military action. For the moment, this is an option we would prefer to avoid at all costs.

If you cannot find out what is going on and properly document it, we might be forced to take drastic measures. These could include Unknown Soldiers and nuclear ordinance. We are willing to annihilate all of Equestria, the entire planet really, to protect Earth if that is what it takes.

That sounds extreme, but remember how weak the Equestrians are. If we cannot handle this, they are doomed.

I know it sounds crazy, but indirectly you might be the best chance Equestria has at survival. You can do something for Equestria. And maybe, by proxy, something for humanity. There is a reason why you are here.

This is not official, but I am going to assign you this mission: Find out what is the cause of these disturbances and how much they could affect Equestria and, more importantly, Earth. Once we understand what is happening we can act from there.

We will return. If this is our problem, we will deal with this one way or another. We will save the most extreme options for last. I promise you that.

I don’t know how hard this will be for you but please, don’t ever give up.

You are not alone. Not really, anyways.

Never forget that.

Good luck.

Your Friend,

Nicholas Endeavor

So, it looks like Nick knew a lot more than he was telling me. I guess we were both lying, even more than either of us thought, when we had that last conversation.

I really do wish I knew how much they truly knew.

But this confirmed my fears; it was why I called for a direct audience with Princess Celestia.

Stratos: If we cannot find a solution to this, my colleagues may decide to wipe out all life on Equestria.

Plum: Forgive me for interrupting, but can they really do that?

Stratos: When my friend spoke of the nuclear ordinance he was specifically referring to the weapon known as the hydrogen bomb. One such weapon is capable of creating an explosion producing heat several times hotter than the surface of the sun. This explosion is many kilometers or miles in diameter and releases a lethal shockwave that stretches much farther. The good news is that none have been dropped in an actual act of war. More because they fear retaliation then any concern for other lives. For protection of Earth, they might deploy these weapons.

Celestia: How many of these weapons do humans possess?

Stratos: Humans possess thousands of missiles, each holding a varying amount of these bombs. There are also no doubt many hidden in secret. They are precise instruments in their activation. The differing physics between our worlds could prevent their use of prebuilt ones. But they could decipher the difference and, with current technology, I’d image they could build several hundred a year if necessary.

Celestia: Is there no protection?

Stratos: This is technology, not magic. There is no way to dispel it. And if a great number are employed, there is no way to destroy all of them before they hit their targets. If the bombs detonate, there is no reverse. It would be all over.

(My friends already knew of these weapons. They were not surprised. Plum was speechless. Celestia was stoic. Perhaps this situation of possible annihilation was not so new to her.)

Stratos: It is not all bad news. While I don’t trust normal humans, I trust Nick. He will make sure they will only use this as a last resort. As long as he is there, more likely, they will utilize military actions. They can field hundreds, thousands, perhaps even millions of warriors more powerful than I or anyone before me could ever hope to be. And they can bring to field more powerful weapons than I could ever hope to have.

Celestia: But they will only do that if they decide they can afford it. I am familiar with the cost and loss of war.

Stratos: If we are fighting an Eldritch Abomination err, an evil god, they may decide for the aforementioned drastic actions. Even without nukes they will still destroy anything in their way to remove a threat.

Celestia: And the only way to avoid this outcome is by ending this threat before it endangers humanity.

Stratos: Yes. And this must be done in secret. Whatever this is, it will try to eliminate anyone or anything that tries to discover what it is and what it is doing. However, as Zed may have told you, I have knowledge, technology, and abilities far outside of what Equestria is normally capable of. Even besides that, I believe me and my allies are strong enough to overcome this danger. That said, *I turned to Zed, Esper, Barn, and Plum* do any of you wish to turn back now?

Zed: I am with you to the end.

Epser: You can count on me!

Barn: *Chuckle* There is nothing I find more important than helping a human for the good of Equestria.

(We turned to Plum who was still in some thought about this situation’s reality.)

Plum: …The world is in danger. That includes my home. How could I turn a blind-eye to this? Besides, Sir Colbert would never approve of such cowardice. I will join you.

(I slowly nodded my head.)

Stratos: Thank you.

(I turned back to the Princess.)

Stratos: Princess Celestia, I have the technology and intelligence, but we also require access to any information available to Equestria. And we will be willing to investigate this and perform any actions necessary for the protection of this kingdom, though we will likely need to recruit additional members to do so. We are willing to show you our science and technology. All we need is your blessing and cooperation. The only other thing I ask is that this secret organization be known as the Unknown Guardians. Well, your highness, what do you think?

*PAUSE*

Celestia: There seems to be little thought necessary in this matter. The answer is obvious. By royal decree I declare the establishment of the Unknown Guardians led by Doctor Stratos Lucid and his companions Zed, Esper Teach, Border Barn, and Pocket Plum. You shall be this land’s greatest protectors. Good luck to all of you, may our future be a bright one.

And there you have it. A tad quick and informal but we became an official secret organization. We are Equestria’s Unknown Guardians.

We finished up the celebration, this time in surprisingly high spirits.

When it was over, Plum announced that she was going to be traveling with us and that we all had many battles ahead of us. I added that I would be repairing her wings. She was confused and I told her that the armor and magic was meant to go with actual wings and were not going to be substitute. She would get her actual wings back. I further stated that I needed the town to keep my existence a secret and to trust me on this judgment. Considering how respected we were, well, they could hardly deny my request.

Once more, it was hard to leave, but we had to get to work. It was hardest for Plum, who had to say good bye to everyone, especially her sister and niece. You know, it occurs to me that, out of everyone who joined us, she really had the most to lose. She was part of a loving family and community. She hardly had the troubles we did. She was leaving behind a life of peace for one of conflict.

I guess that was why she was so determined to help us.

When we got back to the base, I first used the medical devices to study and eventually repair her wings. There was one problem. I had never actually done that procedure before. I don’t know exactly what I did wrong but the result was that her wings ended up being bigger than normal. But it seemed to work out. They actually made her a better flier and she enjoyed them so no harm, no foul, I suppose.

After this, she immediately got to work. Her architectural skills were phenomenal. She quickly learned all I had about modern construction and practically redesigned the base from the bottom up.

Sadly, her special talent was not really used all that much, but it did allow us to create several cloud-walking and descent-slowing items and some spy equipment that could rest on clouds. And we found out that cloud-walking, in this case, also meant water-walking. Besides that, her weather controlling abilities were always useful.

As we expected, though not for the reasons initially figured, her life in Coltberton prepared her well for life with us.

While she was always a little wary of me, her frequent contact with Coltberton inventors and extensive knowledge of Colbert meant she knew how to deal with my peculiarities better than most of my own colleagues. Her military training matched up well with Zed's desire to constantly hone our skills through sparring. Her experiences with her niece made her far better at handling Esper than I could ever hope to be.

Most of all, Plum and Barn spend a lot of time together. She mostly puts up with his love of Lovecraft as long as she gets to read legends about warriors with him. Actually, she prefers to watch movies. Not about love or romance but instead action or adventure movies. The Lord of the Rings trilogy seems to be a personal favorite of hers. (Barn complains about how many times he has had to watch it as he can now recite the movies line for line, scene for scene. That includes the credits. Yet, he obviously puts up with it.)

And Plum just has an overall pleasant personality. While she could be sarcastic, she was plenty energetic, always willing to help, and always willing to listen to personal matters. She was probably the most social out of all of us so knew how to handle our differing personalities and needs. Of course sometimes she would use her artistic abilities to splurge. (We simply do not need pink and yellow attack droids.)

Regardless, it was good. We needed all the help we could get. Our lives got considerably busier from there on out.

Report Addendum: Plum's Observations

[FILE RECOVERED 05/05/0986]
[FILE EDITED 06/05/0986]

This might be a little crude. I am not used to typing on computers. Even with Zed’s help I can tell this was designed with fingers in mind.

I am writing this to help collect my thoughts. I have talked to Barn about this but he is more of a listener than a thinker. I do not feel comfortable talking to Doctor Stratos because of who he is and I do not want to worry Esper. So I had Zed hook me up with a computer. It is slow but at least I can go back and correct my mistakes.

Zed was the one who suggested I write to myself. He had some sort of explanation for this but it flew over my head. Hopefully I will understand as I learn more.

The other day I went with Esper on a trip to a town I have forgotten the name of. To get money, Doctor Stratos, Zed, and Esper track trading patterns of towns. They see at what point a town is in need of a resource that cannot be obtained or traded. They gather some of that resource, such as wood or food, and they go to the town and sell it at a large discount. There is some economic reason we are doing everything like this but I do not understand. I can rarely understand their reasons. That was not my main worry anyways.

During this trip we decided to sell this town some fertilizer and some sort of specially treated seeds. They were grateful. We got plenty of bits. We did not need that much money and it was inconvenient to carry it. So we spent some.

During our spending spree, I noticed that Esper is odd. She does not act like a pony. She would go into shops or guilds and immediately look at “inefficiencies.” She keeps looking for how to improve everything and excitedly studies any subject. I have yet to find something she is bad at. It reminds me of Doctor Stratos, Zed, and the legends I heard about Sir Colbert.

She acts like a human. She approaches the world with that mindset.

In some ways, that worries me because I now know a lot more about humans than I used to. They can be dangerous creatures that focus only on survival. Some of their history troubles me, but then again the only humans I know about and have met are the greatest individuals I know next to princess Celestia herself. With all of the great legends I have heard from Barn, I have a hard time believing humans could be willfully malevolent. If nothing else, there seems to be little a human cannot do. I will admit to myself that there is always a danger in that. I can only imagine what they will do if they feel threatened.

I am learning new things every day. Not just about my own craft, which I can still proudly say I am a master at, but also about almost anything. Doctor Stratos requires us to master almost everything we can. Thanks to Zed, I am becoming a better warrior every day. The base can always be improved, and we have no trouble gathering anything I need to do it. Any material can be provided by Esper and any magic can be provided by Barn. I have never been able to so freely practice my art.

I also like my new wings, they are quite beautiful. I even tired dying my feathers different colors. Doctor Stratos says he could permanently change the color of my hair or feathers if he wanted to. He can do almost anything.

It occurs to me that we have become aristocrats of the highest order. Just the other day I decided to test just how far this went. I asked Doctor Stratos if he could get me the legendary Helios armor. We had it within three days. This is a set of armor that I had been dreaming about my entire life and they handed it to me as if it was just another common tool. This has become absurd. Doctor Stratos even stated that the armor really was not as good as the ones he made. Whether that is his arrogance or his intelligence I cannot be sure. But instead of throwing away the armor he built a new set of my Flight Armor around the Helios armor. Now I have all the powers I had before and a set of legendary armor for additional protection. With Barn and Esper's help, he also improved the Helios armor in his spare time. It was not even “that big of a deal.”

I do not think Doctor Stratos realizes that he is privileged. He does not seem to understand that the lifestyle he has is unknown to almost anypony.

I am concerned with how powerful the Unknown Guardians are. I know I am a member but I still feel like an outsider. That will fade with time but for now it gives me a troubling view.

We have too much ability. We can go anywhere and use the Royal Seal to do anything we want. We have more bits than we could ever reasonably spend, we have unthinkable weapons and devices, we can cure any ailment, we can get a hold of anything we want, and our abilities place us well outside of what a normal pony is capable of. We are not normal.

If we wanted to we could reduce any place in Equestria to rubble. I have seen the machines in action. I do not believe even the princess could stop us if we decided to go against her. Maybe I am wrong about that.

Maybe that is a good thing. Whatever we are fighting is strong enough to worry the princess and a smart enough to avoid her sight. Surely we must be strong enough to stop it once we find it. We better be. If we cannot stop it, or them, then who could? Certainly nopony on Equestria.

Everypony here is nice. I do not remember another time I was around such good company. I have never been so confident in my friends.

That is one thing I have a good feeling about. We are capable of handling almost anything. Maybe we can handle this. I am glad I joined this group.

I am sure others will join us in the future. We will be one big family. I like that thought.

As much as I do not want to admit it, this is fun. I am really enjoying myself. I am worried, but this is the first time I have been away from home for a long period of time. I can do almost anything. Architecture has been my life and now it is put to great use. Stratos is right; we are very important. Even if nopony knows about us, at least the princess does. She trusts us. Equestria can count on us.

Zed was right. I just needed to write my thoughts down. I feel a lot better now. Alright, back to work.

Stratos's Report (Elly): The Relentless Shadow

Name: Element Isle (Elly)
Species: Pony – Earth Pony
Gender: Female
Coat Color: Very Light Blue (Almost White)
Mane Color: Faded-Yellow
Eye Color: Red
Cutie Mark: A Cluster of Sparkling Gems

Abilities: Can innately detect anything within the ground and sense when things are moving across the earth’s surface as long as they are within a given radial proximity. That proximity is increasing with time but extends several dozen meters. She seems to have a near supernatural-sense for detecting magic, magical intent, and living creatures.

Unique Features: I am not sure why but we can tell areas of her brain both unrelated and related to sensory perception react to the presence of living creatures, magic, and general movement. So her ability has something to do with her brain. I am unsure whether this is all neurological or something else.

Meeting Elly: Unstoppable Opponent (Year 986)

As I said, everything got a lot more hectic once Plum joined us and we officially became the Unknown Guardians.

I did sometimes question why Celestia allowed Esper to stay with us even though she was so young. Perhaps I mentioned the radiation problem to Celestia or Esper requested it or Celestia just decided it was okay. Who knows? I’m just glad she’s with us.

But I digress; from then on we were constantly sent on missions for the Princess. Sometimes they would be related to the dark signals, other times they were just to head off a monster problem or political issues. Naturally, we also did our own investigations.

Most of the time, when we were on official duty dealing with monsters and disputes between towns, it really was not that bad. Equestrian monsters are generally fairly reasonable and at worst are similar to Earth animals. Very few are malicious. For us they were easy to deal with. And most disputes are readily solvable (especially with some technological or magical application). Of course, I always had to lie about my presence. Not that this was hard. The average being is much more willing to accept that I am a magical construct than an actual human.

On the other hand, the signals were troublesome. We never encountered anything like the shadow pegasus, but we encountered everything from toxins, to golems, to magical traps. Sometimes monsters were corrupted and we had to use Barn and Esper’s magic to dispel them. It seemed like every time we investigated a signal we were attacked. We had to save numerous towns and most of it was done in secret. (Again, we could not afford others trying to investigate these occurrences.) The good news was it was never as dangerous as it was with the basilisk or the shadow pegasus. Much of that was because we learned how to properly fight.

Nonetheless, as soon as we cleared out and purified one area it seemed like another signal would pop up. We learned to spread out and investigate multiple places at once. It does not seem to make all that much of a difference. Even now, we don’t know exactly what is causing these events and the signals keep appearing at increasing rates.

For our efforts, Princess Celestia granted us access to literally anything within the Royal Library and told us anything she knew. We quickly copied and added all we could to our databases while simultaneously going on missions to gather more information. We could also request specific items or individuals and we would almost always get our requests approved. We are still cataloguing everything but by now our collected knowledge extends past even the royal archives.

It was a thankless job but rewarding all the same. I mean, I felt important. I had always felt unimportant and tiny in the grand scheme of things. But now I mattered and reporting to the Princess (and very occasionally some of her advisors or associates) on a job well done was perhaps one of the greatest rewards in and of itself.

So, life was hectic but exciting.

It was also nice being Equestria’s force deterrent. In one notable case, when a group of dragons seemed to consider some sort of display of power for intimidation, Celestia sent us as “delegates” to show our abilities to the dragons. She told both Zed and I to show ourselves explaining that, unlike other short-lived creatures, dragons do not think humans are mythical, they think humans are extinct.

So, though the dragons were not afraid when Esper, Barn, and Plum showed up (even though they should have been), their tune changed once Zed and I appeared. While they sorted out what they were seeing, I initiated our “proposal.” I pointed to the sky, showing them the hundreds of drones in the air, and pointed to a nearby rock formation. Hundreds of explosives rained down and obliterated the area. All of us then activated every enchantment Barn made for our armor, generating a field of magical aura. The dragons naturally thought everything we did was magic and that each drone was a magical construct for war. Needless to say, they departed as fast as draconically possible.

While we played our part, the sheer brilliance of Celestia’s action did not hit me until long afterward. She showed them that Equestria had what amounts to extinct creatures under their control. Moreover, that these creatures were human meant something. One of the dragons even claimed to have met a human a long time ago and was wary of me even before anything started. That says a surprising amount about humanity’s interactions with this world and the presence humans had.

Speaking of which, during my Equestrian studies, sometimes I would find books with information about humans not reported by the Unknown during the expedition. Much of it was quite amusing. Interestingly, a few human terms might have somehow passed over to Equestria. The oddest ones are the weapons of war. I have heard of terms like “built like a tank” or “as fast as a bullet” but I can see very few references to their cultural origin. There are only rough sketches of the supposed items of war and they have taken on a mythical persona within the culture similar to that of dragons or other magical creatures on human Earth. Everyone knows about them and references them but none seem to believe in them.

I think this was what inspired me to make my first prototype Magnetic And Pressure Accelerated Energy Rifle (abbreviated as MAPAER). I needed a better long-range weapon. Magical attacks were not rapid enough. Because the explosives I was familiar with don’t work well accelerating bullets on Equestria, I made a weapon that used magnets and pressure to accelerate a solid compound that violently turns to plasma upon impact. Not good for piercing armor but certainly enough to hurt any opponent. And of course I continued to build more weapons of war.

I still have mixed feelings about that. I stayed on Equestria to get away from those kinds of things, but I suppose I cannot escape the influence the States had on my life. I guess there is no shame as long as they are used for the right purpose. For that, I definitely have shown the proper amount of restraint befitting a royal representative. And I will admit, as the incident with the dragons proved, there is a certain sense of joy at being a walking-arsenal.

Moving on to another subject, during that time we also grew older and began celebrating birthdays and holidays. Many Equestrian holidays matched those on humanity's Earth. Barn had never had a birthday before (not one he remembered). He was blown away by his first surprise party. For Esper, holidays were great events. Even with all of our battles, she was still a filly. Plum and Barn were always willing to accompany her to some sort of grand celebration. Unfortunately, even now, Zed and I are generally forced to watch from a distance or from a UAV. That’s why Nightmare Night is one of my favorite holidays. It means I get to go out and collect candy and no one suspects that I am not just a pony using a transformation or illusion spell. You’d think they’d catch on.

Life was an adventure. We became a band of adventurers. Like the old games of D&D I used to play with Nick and his friends. It was actually kind of fun.

Nothing major happened until midway through my second year on Equestria. We had just finished another batch of missions not worth getting into for this report. Point is, we were separated when something came up.

Zed: Stratos.

Stratos: Yeah.

Zed: Look at this. Readings from the HQ CPU.

(He sent an image to my suit’s HUD.)

Stratos: The Citadel Mountain Range?

*PAUSE*

Stratos: Is that signal moving?

Esper: What?! Really? It’s never done that before.

Zed: As soon as we got near it, the dark signals started to move in a particular direction. There is no documented case of that happening, except for the time with the basilisk.

Plum: A storm is moving in that location as well. What the hay? Is that a pony?

Barn: It… Zed, is this thing following them?

Zed: That appears to be an accurate assessment.

Plum: I can do my best but if that storm comes in it will take a while to clear it and it will obstruct the vision of the reapers and our attack drones.

Stratos: If we act, we will be on our own. No technological support besides what we have on us.

Esper: You mean when we act, we aren’t leaving a pony to die.

Stratos: Right, we are going in. Who’s the closest?

Zed: That would be you.

Stratos: Got it; If the boosters can take the snow then I can get there in maybe five minutes. What’s everyone else’s ETA?

Zed: Eight.

Esper: Seven for Barn and me.

Plum: Six, maybe five, but do you want me to focus on the weather or to help you?

Barn: When the dark magic acts, it acts fast.

Stratos: Barn’s right. We’ll forget the support this time. I’ll see everyone there.

To summarize: Something was odd about that particular event. Until then, the signals had been stationary. Something was chasing a pony through those mountains.

The Citadel Mountain Range was particularly cold and barren. The air was surprisingly thin. The storm dropped temperatures to -10°C not including wind-chill or the heavy snow. Without my HUD it was nearly impossible to see anything. And once the storm obstructed the satellites we just had to hope the pony would follow the predicted path and we could find them.

The terrain was also problematic. The snow and ice impeded movement while the jagged rocks made it hard to get a proper footing. I fell and ran into many objects in my dash to get there on time. I didn't care, I knew that the armor would protect me just fine.

I remember being thankful my recon suit could keep me relatively warm and being quite fearful that the cold would do-in the pony before I got there. For the first time in a long time I was fearful of death.

Luckily, even within the storm, I managed to spot the pony.

She was an Earth Pony, shakily trudging through the snow. When I saw her she collapsed, slowly pushed herself up, and collapsed again. She was clearly exhausted. Thin layers of ice coated some of her body. I was surprised she could move at all.

She was staring at me. In the howling winds she could still see me and I could see that pleading look in her eyes. I offhandedly checked my HUD’s clock and found out I was almost a minute early; I realized she had been heading straight towards me for some time.

I went over to her. She was shivering due to the cold. Her face was covered in frozen tears but she smiled when I approached.

Stratos: Who are you?

Elly: I-I-I am Element-t-t-t Isle; you c-c-c-can call m-m-me Elly if-f-f you want. W-w-who are you?

Stratos: I am Doctor Stratos Lucid. I am here to help.

Elly: D-d-d-do you ha-have s-s-s-something warm?

Stratos: Yes. Don’t worry, we’ll save you.

My recon armor is modular. We redesigned our armors so that we could take pieces from one armor and allow them to function independently or as a part of another’s armor, even if they were not of the same species. In this case, that had particular application.

I took off pieces from the reinforced areas of my armor and attached them around her body. It was no doubt a little awkward and uncomfortable for her, but the individual armor computers figured out what was wrong and began to act as warmers to slowly raise her body temperature.

I held her close to shield her from the winds and snow as well as add heat from my suit.

Stratos: There. That should help. What are you doing here Elly?

(She was already beginning to fall asleep in my arms. Knowing that time was running out, I had to lightly shake her awake.)

Stratos: Elly, why were you running?

Elly: *Softly* In my bag.

It was then I noticed that she had something a bag strapped to her side. I was so focused on helping her I completely missed it. I reached in and pulled out an old journal. Dusty, aged, worn, and now partly wet. I slipped it into a slot for folders/papers in the back of my armor for safe-keeping. When I finished, Elly’s eyes flew open.

Elly: It’s here.

Stratos: What is?

Elly: The shadow.

My memories fell back to the battle with the Shadow Pegasus. I was much stronger than back then, but I had just weakened my armor (though it was still stronger than back then) and I was unsure I could match it on my own.

Stratos: Blizzard’s blocking my motion sensors.

Elly: What?

Stratos: Nothing. Hold on.

(I picked her up and began to run in the opposite direction from which she came.)

Stratos: Everyone, if you get this signal, converge on my position. I have the pony. She was being followed by a shadow.

???(Esper?): *Garbled*

Stratos: Damn.

Elly: Behind you!

I looked over my shoulder. I couldn’t see anything. I felt an impact across my back. I tumbled into the snow and landed on top of Elly. I got up in a panic but rediscovered that ponies are indeed much tougher than they look. In fact, Elly was worried for my safety.

Elly: Doctor, are you alright?

Stratos: I’m fine. You can sense it?

Elly: Yes.

Stratos: Good. I need to link up with my friends. I—

(She spun around.)

Elly: It’s back.

I jumped in front of her and activated my shield just in time to block the force that slammed into it. I shoved the shield forward, flinging off the object. It landed in the snow. In the split second before it disappeared into the storm I saw the shadowy wolf. It had the same ethereal form that oozed darkness. It had glared at me with those same hollow crimson eyes. And the speed it had disappeared with was just as impossible as before.

Stratos: A wolf. Last one was a pegasus. There’s more than one. (I shook my head) Focus.

Elly: Left!

The wolf darted in, striking my left arm, tearing off some of the armor, and knocking me off my feet. Even as I hit the ground, I reflexively surveyed the situation. My left hand was now bruised and being slowed by the cold. I figured there might not be any backup coming. We might be on our own. The best chance we had was to take it out ourselves. Elly’s ability gave me the edge I needed. I got up and initiated a simple plan.

Stratos: *Grunt* Elly. (I pulled out my sickle and activated its enchantments.) Where is it?

(Elly closed her eyes.)

Elly: Front.

(The wolf shot in. I could not react fast enough and it tore into my right leggings.)

Elly: Doctor!

Stratos: Again.

Elly: Behind.

(The shadow struck and damaged Elly’s left-hind leg before i could complete my pivot.)

Stratos: Are you—

Elly: Forward left.

(I sung. My attack was too low. It struck me in the stomach, throwing me into a sheet of ice. I quickly jumped back onto my feet, focused, and readied myself for the next attack.)

Stratos: Once more.

It was clever. It knew I was catching on to its movements. This time the wolf took its time before it acted. I began to question whether it had just left us or not. Really what it was doing was waiting for our guard to falter.

Stratos: It looks like—

Elly: Above.

This time I did not hesitate or even think. I held my ground. I could not see it but I mentally pictured where it would likely be. I reached forward with my left hand, grabbed its muzzle, held my weapon out sideways and swung it in an upward arc. The blade contacted with the creature’s stomach and gouged out a huge portion of its shadowy form. Using its own momentum, I managed to yank it backwards and toss it over my shoulder. Its body landed in the snow.

I was glad these things don’t bleed. Otherwise it would have been quite messy.

Stratos: *Quick Breaths* Okay, that should do it.

Elly: *Worried* It’s still alive.

Stratos: What?

The wolf got back up and growled at us. Its wounds, hissing black mist, began to regenerate. I did not catch it on the recording but I was sure I heard it say something with “Human” being one of those words. It continued to get stronger.

Stratos: Run!

I pulled out and chucked a throwing knife into its head. The knife detonated blowing off half the thing’s face. Even though it staggered, the creature did not die. It snarled at me as its face regenerated.

Elly and I sprinted as best we could but we were wounded and slowed by the snow.

Stratos: Can you sense where my friends are?

Elly: I… (She looked a little to our right) I sense something friendly.

Stratos: We’re heading that way.

(I picked her up as best I could and activated the boosters once more. They barely worked but they did something.)

Elly: It’s coming.

I dropped Elly, spun around and punched forward. My fist contacted with its teeth, snapping them and shredding my gauntlet. The creature was thrown down into the snow. It got up but, before it could move again, a cluster of spears dropped down from the sky. One of them impaled the wolf.

Plum: Did I get it?

(The wolf tore itself from the spear and bolted away.)

Plum: Darn. (Plum landed in front of me.) Another creature of darkness.

Stratos: Plum, get back up into the air now.

Plum: Why?

(The wolf rammed into her side. I fired a spike out of my gauntlet but it jumped away. I quickly helped Plum back up.)

Stratos: It can strike anywhere and it can regenerate. *I saw Elly look up* Spear!

(Using her Helios armor, Plum generated a group of spears. I grabbed one and swung it in a sweeping circle. The magic pole contacted the wolf and threw it away. The wolf disappeared once more.)

Stratos: We need more firepower.

Plum: Zed or Esper?

Stratos: Yeah. Hold off until then.

(I don’t remember this happening but the audio record indicates we were hit again.)

*Thump*

Stratos: Get going.

Plum: Or I’ll just fly away with her.

(Plum flew forward, grabbed Elly and shot into the sky.)

Stratos: That should have occurred to me.

(I felt something rush by me and saw the wolf running up the side of the mountain after them. Energy began to surround its body.)

Stratos: That’s bad.

(I chased after it. It opened its mouth and released a lance of energy which hit its mark. The mark was Plum. She struggled to regain altitude and the creature closed in.)

Stratos: Crap!

I pulled out my MAPAER to try and shoot the wolf. Unfortunately, not only was I a poor shot but the weapon was still experimental. Half of the rounds did not detonate. The ones that did hit did not slow the wolf down. It jumped off the side of the mountain and clamped its jaw around Plum’s wing. With the flight suit’s assistance Plum could have still flown if it was not for the fact that she was still carrying Elly.

The three crash-landed back into the snow. Plum rolled with the impact and head-butted the monster. It tried to bite her but Plum bit into its neck first. From there it became a wrestling match between Plum and the wolf.

I ran over to Elly and made sure she was okay.

Having problems getting through Plum’s armor, the wolf began using magic again. It tried to give Plum a point-blank energy blast. Plum activated one of her enchantments, releasing a magical shield. The energy blast reflected back at the shadow-wolf blowing away a chunk of its body. Plum triggered a series of mechanisms, causing a flurry of darts to shoot from her armor and into the wolf. The chemicals in the darts mixed bursting into flames temporarily lighting the wolf on fire. This hardly stopped it.

Thinking of what I could do, I pulled out Elly’s journal.

Stratos: Looking for this!?

The wolf turned to me and rushed forward. I put the journal back in my suit and readied myself for a fight, starting with a barrage of machine gun plasma. It went right around me and lunged for Elly.

Midway through the jump, it was impaled by a large metal shard. As it fell, Barn burst out from the snow and stabbed the thing in the head with a magical blade.

Esper seemingly appeared behind me.

Stratos: Timely.

Esper: We try.

Stratos: But it’s not dead.

The wolf roared. A torrent of magical energy spewed forth from the creature tearing up the environment. Several waves of force struck Barn, throwing him back and damaging his armor.

Esper moved to shield us with a wall of thick metal.

It was at this point I did something rather stupid. I moved around the wall and charged toward the creature, ignoring its barrage of attacks. I withstood several magical lances (helped by my natural resistance to magic), shoved the MAPAER into its mouth, and pulled the trigger. The gun was not intended to be used that much or under these conditions. One of the bullets ignited within the chamber igniting all of the other rounds. I almost emptied the magazine when the gun exploded in my hand.

My left hand was almost frozen and my right hand was barely functioning.

Predictably, while heavily mangled, the wolf was not dead. At this point, I had no real means of protection. The wolf slammed into my chest and knocked me to the ground. I instinctively held up my left arm and it bit down into my flesh. I was too numb to feel it. I tried to shake it off. It released my arm and went for my skull. Luckily it had to break through my helmet first.

My ears rang at the sound of its jaw chomping into the metal. While the visor cracked the wolf could not complete its goal before Barn interrupted it. A razor coil wrapped around the shadow-wolf’s back leg and yanked the creature backwards while ripping off the limb.

I ran back to Elly while Esper moved in to attack. Elly and I watched my companions battle the shadow-wolf.

Spears fell from the sky, metal lances flew from all sides, and Barn exchanged magical strikes with his opponent. They focused all of their assaults on the creature but it just would not go down. No matter how much metal pierced its body, no matter what kinds of magic or weapon impacted it, no matter how many times chucks of its body were blown away, it just kept healing and attacking. But I could count on my friends to keep at it for a while longer.

I was more worried about my own health. The cold was preventing any significant blood-loss but, with so much armor torn away, the temperature was also beginning to get to me. It took a significant amount of effort to prevent myself from shivering.

Stratos: Elly, i-i-i-is… is there any way to kill this?

Elly: I don’t know. This is the first time it has attacked me.

Stratos: I thought you said it was following you.

Elly: Darkness was following me but it did not attack me until you arrived. *Elly’s eyes opened wide in shock* Something strong is coming. It has an aura but it has no life.

Stratos: Heh, it’s probably Zed.

Elly: Is it on our side?

Stratos: Yup, be prepared for something awesome.

Zed: Target Verified. Commencing hostilities.

Zed launch himself out of the blizzard, landed on top of the wolf, and punched its head into the ground. Before it could react, Zed jumped off and threw his detonator knife into the wolf’s head. The knife exploded. Zed charged forward upper cutting the creature into the air. He fired a grappling hook from his right gauntlet into his opponent and pulled the wolf back to him allowing him to jump-kick it.

Zed was unbelievably strong. You could practically feel the force of each of his blows and you could definitely hear them.

The wolf slammed into a rock wall and prepared to fire a magical blast. Zed released a burst of energy into the ground kicking up the snow and obscuring his position. The wolf fired a bolt of energy but Zed was gone. Zed somehow dropped from the sky. The wolf jumped out of the way.

Zed triggered a detonator in his left hand. Zed had managed to plant an explosive within the snow. It detonated under the creature. How he set up or predicted that attack I have no idea.

In spite of all the damage it had taken, the wolf dashed forward to strike Zed. Zed simply wrenched his right arm upward. A razor coil slithered up from underneath the snow, whipped around the wolf, and tore into it from seemingly every angle. Zed burst forward and roundhouse-kicked the wolf out of sight.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then an empty, hollow, perhaps gasping roar saturated our surroundings, coming from every direction.

Fully healed, the dark creature commenced its attack from the shadows, trying to assault Zed from any angle. It occasionally disappeared into the darkness to fire its long-range magical attacks, including balls of fire and spears of ice.

Even Zed could not dodge all the attacks but he deflected, parried, or rolled with each blow, dampening each hit to near negligence.

Having enough of this, Zed walked over to one of Esper’s larger metal shards, picked it up, and jammed it straight down into the ground.

The wolf darted towards Zed.

Zed spun around, grabbed the wolf, and used its momentum to impale it on the shard. He activated another one of his armor’s hidden weapons and enchantments, firing dozens of magically-enhanced serrated darts into the wolf. He leaped backwards, pulled out a grenade and lobbed it at his target.

The shadow ripped itself from the metal shard and dashed away before the grenade went off. It disappeared into the blizzard once more. As it came back to attack, Zed gripped Azrael and glared. The wolf hesitated and headed back into the storm.

The storm intensified and dozens of glue-golems pushed up from under the snow, camouflaging them in a layer of white.

Zed was too much for it one-on-one. The shadow-wolf no longer put itself in harm’s way. Instead, using its variety of magical attacks, it continued its assault from the cover of the storm.

Zed unsheathed Azrael with his right hand, unhooked his repeating crossbow from his back and held it in his left hand, activated the shield over his left arm, and continued to manipulate the razor coil with his right arm. For almost anyone else, this amount of equipment would have been unwieldy. For Zed, it made him almost untouchable. Zed’s speed, strength, agility, and precision were unmatched. Anything that got close enough was cut to shreds by Zed’s legendary sword. Anything that stayed out of immediate reach was torn apart by the razor coil. Any long-range attack was blocked by the shield. Anything that tried to stay and fight from a distance was shot with the crossbow (and Zed had packed plenty of ammo).

All the while, the rest of the Unknown Guardians, and Elly, regrouped and formulated our own plans.

Esper: Are you okay?

Stratos: I can’t feel my left arm and I wish I couldn’t feel my right arm. I’m not shivering anymore which is probably a bad sign. You know, I’d like to have just one major battle where I’m not coming out half dead or half-conscious.

Barn: Where are the regenerators?

(Note: We made a bunch of healing magic-based enchantments for our suits to slowly heal us in the midst of battle in case Barn could not help.)

Stratos: I gave it to Elly.

Elly: You did?

Stratos: Why do you think you can move your legs again? Unfortunately for me, the detachable localized heaters were built into the regenerators. Stupid design flaw.

Elly: Do you need them?

Stratos: Probably be good but if I removed them now you might go into shock.

Esper telekinetically “shuffled” our armors. She took some parts from her and Barn’s suits and attached them to Elly. Then she took off the pieces I gave to Elly and reattached them to me and then took some of the back-up or redundant pieces from her and Barn’s suits and gave them to me as well. (Yay for magic!)

Esper: There we go.

Elly: So you will heal right?

Stratos: No, well, yes, but one thing that sucks about being human is my natural resistance to magic. Well not really, as it means magical attacks don’t hurt me as much but these healed you so quickly because we had to make specialized extra-strong regenerators to bypass that anti-magic field.

Elly: Um…?

Stratos: So I will heal very slowly. I’m probably spent for this battle.

Plum: *Lands in front of us* Stupid wolf! It keeps running away.

Stratos: Which probably means it can be killed.

Plum: What?

Esper: It keeps running away. It would not do that if it did not have a limit to its regeneration. ‘scuse me for a moment.

(She took some of the back-up parts from Plum’s armor and evenly distributed them among us. Yay for modular designs!)

Plum: Then the biggest problem is killing it before it can escape?

Barn: We need to get it out of this storm so we can pursue it.

Stratos: What is the closest place where the storm is weak?

Esper: The valley directly below this mountain. But I’m sure the storm would just follow us if we did not get there quickly.

Stratos: So, any thoughts about getting down there quickly?

*PAUSE* (Besides all of the explosions and other miscellaneous sounds from Zed’s battle with the shadow-creature.)

Stratos: Seriously, any ideas will do.

*PAUSE*

Elly: Do you have more explosives? (We all stared at her, causing her to falter for a moment.) And something I could, um, drill through the rocks with?

(I pulled out a blast rod from my armor.)

Stratos: This thing is a tube filled with high-explosives and tipped with a drill. We made it for dealing with fortified walls so it should go through rock just fine. Stick it in the ground, apply pressure, and it will do the rest. It explodes twelve seconds after it is completely immersed in the object it drills through. Why do you want it?

Elly did not explain herself. She snatched the device out of my hand with her mouth and ran away. The four of us just stared blankly at the pony trying to put the pieces together. But as soon as the others realized where Elly was headed, they immediately galloped after her.

Ignoring the danger of doing so, and only able to do so because my friends protected her from attacks, Elly rushed past Zed and stuck the blast rod into the ground. The drill activated and it dug into the mountain. Elly sprinted back towards my direction while Zed and the others soon turned to follow.

The wolf chased after them and the rod detonated.

The whole mountain began to shake.

And finally, I put the pieces together. I thought back to our approximate geographical position. We were standing on a good-sized chunk of the mountain that somehow managed to hang over a large cliff-face that went from the near top of the mountain to the near bottom of a ravine.

This section had just been dislodged from the rest.

Stratos: Well… that’s certainly one way to do it.

The rock cracked and buckled. It tore away and shifted under our feet (or hooves). As it came apart, and as I began to realize that gravity was pulling me towards the valley below, I considered the impossibility that one stick of explosives had done all of this.

That was when it occurred to me. It was not luck. She knew exactly where to place it. She knew where the ground was weak and how it would react to this.

Of course, the implications of those thoughts would have to wait for later. For now, the Unknown Guardians were plummeting towards the earth, mere meters away from the jagged rocks of the cliff, with a seemingly unkillable shadow-wolf still chasing after us.

I remember that scene rather vividly. It was almost like that time with the Dark-Pegasus. Everything slowed down. But this time it was because I was afraid. All I saw was white, snowy clouds above, below, and all around us. Everything was still dark and dim. The sounds of rushing air drowned out all other noise. The rocks continuously broke off and fell from above. I tried to stay close to the cliff but that was a foolish idea. Immense stone outcroppings would appear and disappear from my vision, giving me mere moments to avoid them at best. One false move and I could have been crushed or killed in an impact.

I focused on staying alive. With my armor being damaged or patched together and my body still recovering, I was pretty much useless anyway.

On the other hand, my companions continued the battle. I only pieced together what happened after the event. From what I understand, it went like this:

Plum grabbed onto Elly and flew off with her before the wolf could catch up.

Zed, Barn, and Esper began running down the side of the mountain chasing after the wolf. They expertly dodged, blasted through, and weaved around all of the deadly obstacles. They were not afraid. They told me this was their duty as defenders of Equestria. They were only focused on one thing, killing their target.

As soon as Elly was pulled away by Plum, the wolf tried to hit them with another magical strike but Zed interrupted. He pushed off a falling rock and punched the wolf's head away, causing its attack to detonate against the cliff. After a few brief clashes, Zed grabbed the wolf by the side of its head and smashed it against the stone. Zed activated his boosters to pin the wolf and continuously grind its body against the rock. The wolf released a burst of energy knocking Zed away. Esper hurled one of the large falling boulders toward the wolf. The wolf used its magic to blow the rock to bits. Barn shot through the debris and tackled the wolf.

Barn activated and jabbed the blades on his front legs into the wolf’s neck, he pushed away and threw the nearly-decapitated creature into one of the rock outcroppings, narrowly avoiding the same fate himself in the next second. The outcropping broke off. Esper fired a barrage of metal at the position, covered herself in metal, and activated her boosters, accelerating her toward the target.

Esper rammed through the stone crushing the wolf and propelling it out of sight. Esper caught up to Barn and the two continued to chase after the wolf.

A storm of magical energy flew in from every direction, ripping the mountain apart.

The two ponies jumped from rock to rock avoiding everything they could and hoping their armor would protect them from the rest.

The wolf moved in and used its speed to attack them from their blind-spots. Esper and Barn remained determined; they ignored their wounds and did the best they could to launch their own magical assaults. Most of their attacks missed, only obliterating any rocks that happened to be in their line of fire.

Before this could continue for too long, spears and crossbow bolts appeared from the clouds striking the wolf and throwing it back against the cliff. Zed appeared firing his grappling hook into the wolf, yanking the beast back towards him, and stabbing it through the head with one of Plum’s spears.

Esper, Barn, and Plum unleashed another barrage of weapon and magical fire in the wolf’s direction, filling the creature with holes. Before the creature could escape, Zed revved his boosters and stomped it downwards towards the ground. The wolf ricocheted off the cliff and disappeared into the clouds once more.

We appeared out of the bottom of the clouds and discovered we were maybe only a few hundred meters from the ground. We all activated Plum’s “glider equipment” and landed on the snow.

I got up and Elly pushed me out of the way of a boulder. There were still rocks coming down from above.

Elly: Follow me!

The five of us sprinted after Elly as an increasingly aggressive tidal wave of rock fell upon our position. It was impossible to avoid everything. Our armor barely protected us from the smaller rocks and Esper had to use her ability to protect Elly.

But as Elly navigated us around the torrent of stone, more golems appeared and the wolf started taking pot-shots at us. While they tried to impede our advance, most of our adversaries were crushed before they could act.

In the middle of this chaos, Zed tossed me his MAPAER along with his ammo. I caught the items, inserted a clip, and commenced shooting anything hostile.

We continued to dodge the stone from above, blast through any threat in front of us, and block or deflect dozens of magical bolts. Barn would use his enchantments to blast through any stone immediately ahead or above us while Zed would bash or slash anything out of our way.

The shadow-wolf persisted, using its speed to dart in and tear away at us as we ran. It could not hurt us badly but the slight delays reduced our reaction to the environment. After we all had one too many close calls, a frustrated Plum bucked the wolf into the bottom of a particularly large chunk of falling granite ending its activities.

After traveling far enough from the cliff and evading another spiteful meteor shower, the rock-fall ceased with one final noticeable kinetic impact.

Absolutely exhausted, I fell helmet-protected face-first into the snow.

Stratos: *Panting* Okay, new rule. *Panting* We are never doing that again!

Plum: It wasn’t that bad.

Zed: You need more practice.

Stratos: Well excuse me for never considering—

Elly: It’s still not dead.

Plum: Oh, come on!

Esper: (To Elly) Are you psychic?

Stratos: Explain it later. Elly got us out of its storm.

Barn: Will it not attack without the storm?

Zed: Satellite uplink. The clouds are closing in.

Plum: Looks like we can’t rely on fighting it outside of its environment.

Esper: But now we have some time. We need a new plan.

Elly: Something is wrong with it. It is not healing properly.

Stratos: Hm…

Barn: So hurting it wasn’t pointless after all.

Zed: After this sentence, we have approximately fifty seconds before it is ready to attack.

Stratos: Zed, can you stun it?

Zed: Unquestionably.

Stratos: No one hold back. *I inserted another clip of ammo into my gun* I will protect Elly. Plum, when Zed’s done, use charged Helios Spears to pin it. Barn, charge Esper up. Esper, give us the biggest metal storm possible. We have one shot but that’s all we need. Go!

All of our armors lit up. Our technological and magical systems went into overdrive. Plum leaped into the sky. Zed stepped forward and readied himself. Barn put a hoof over Esper’s back, energizing her armor’s magical runes further than was normally possible. Esper focused the energy from her armor into her spell. The unicorn’s horn lit up with a brilliant glow that grew ever more intense.

The clouds closed in. The blizzard surrounded us once more.

Zed closed his eyes and stood still. All that I remember was the sound of scraping winds across the landscape. I myself began to question what Zed was hoping to do.

Elly: *Whispering to herself* It’s coming.

All of a sudden Zed flipped his sword, grabbed it by the tip, spun around, and threw it like a throwing knife.

The sword flew through the air and found its mark, skewering the wolf head to hind.

Zed did not stop. He rushed forward and punched the handle blade upwards ripping it out of the wolf. Not holding anything back, Zed unleashed a relentless flurry of blows, which I admittedly could barely even see let alone keep track of.

However, I remember that he told me it consisted of a serious of actions. One particular part involved him punching the wolf, grabbing it by its neck, kneeing it, grabbing it by its front paw, pulling it back to him to punch again, and so on. This all ended with Zed grabbing Azrael and cutting off the wolf’s legs with a single slash then elbowing it downwards into the snow.

But, like I said, all I saw was Zed run forward. After that, his motions became a blur and I heard what I momentarily thought was a machine gun going off. I felt the impacts of each hit through the air. It only occurred to me after the attack was over that this was Zed’s intended assault. This attack was almost too much for Zed's body to handle. He would need extensive repairs as a result.

Needless to say, this attack absolutely wrecked the wolf which now struggled to recover. Its regeneration could no longer sufficiently aid it.

Of course, for our purposes, this was not good enough.

Zed jumped back. Plum acted. A wave of spears fell from the sky stabbing through the shadow wolf and drilling themselves into the ground. The symbols on the spears fully activated and magical tethers further restrained our opponent.

Barn immediately threw more effort into super-charging Esper’s armor. Esper herself used the energy to boost her magic further.

Zed: Execute.

Esper unleashed her spell. The ground cracked and exploded. A storm of sharpened metal sprung up from the snow under the wolf’s position shredding it to ribbons.

For seconds, we all stared at the dark pieces of shadow hanging off of the metal blades.

Barn: Is it dead?

Elly: Maybe. I don’t—

(Zed pulled the pin from a grenade and tossed it on the remains.)

*Explosion*

(Only a large imprint in the snow was left.)

Elly: … Probably. I don’t sense it anymore.

Zed: Target eliminated. Hostilities ceased.

Stratos: And that is why we work as a team. *I turned to Elly* Told you we could help.

Zed: *He walked over to Elly and kneeled down* Do not worry. You are safe with us.

Elly: *Smiles* Thank you. *Yawns*

With nothing to hold it together, the storm around us dissipated and the bright, warm Equestrian sun shone on the mountains once more… poetic.

So we won, and I wasn’t nearly dead this time even if only because I stayed out of the last few minutes of fighting.

I gratefully basked in the sun’s rays for a moment before continuing on.

Stratos: Alright, that went surprisingly well, all things considered. Now then, *I pulled out the Elly’s journal* would you mind telling us what this is about?

Elly: *Gentle Breathing*

Barn: She appears to be asleep.

Esper: That was fast. …Should we wake her?

Plum: She’s probably exhausted. She has been running from that thing for a while.

Zed: Records indicate it has been approximately half a day of constant action.

Esper: Half a day? Wow, she doesn’t look like she’s that tough. *Esper saw me walking away* Stratos?

Stratos: I’m done for today. You guys decide what to do. I’m going back to base and taking a nap.

And that I did.

The others decided to bring Elly along with us. When she woke up we had a lot to explain to her but we obviously had to keep secret who exactly we were working for or why.

We gave the gist of it and in turn she explained to us who she was. (I did not manage to get this on audio.)

Element Isle, or “Elly” as she was called, was actually a miner, which surprised most of us but made sense given her cutie mark. She had a knack for knowing just where everything was and just how the rock would act or react and so, while she was not very strong, she was very useful. In fact, while she was weaker than the average pony, she loved to haul heavy loads. She said would have been much stronger if they had let her do that, but the miners were too afraid of her getting hurt (not because she was a female or looked weak but because if she got hurt there was no replacement).

She had gotten into trouble when she picked up an old family inheritance a few years back. One part of that inheritance was a journal from her ancestor Shrubbery Shrine, (called “Shrubs” by most others). She knew it was cursed but unfortunately she gave into temptation. From there, she had felt a dark shadow following her. It would bring misfortune wherever she went. This started when others were almost killed in a mine collapse.

She ran across Equestria and settled down in place after place, trying to be kind and help others to make up for the inevitable point when her misfortune caught up with her and forced her to move once again. As far as she saw, there was no way to stop it.

This kept up for years until she had heard about the recent sightings of powerful human warriors nearby and, out of options, went for help. Turns out that was exactly the right thing to do but it also made the curse more aggressive. Again, that was the first time she was directly attacked.

Barn immediately noted the similarities between their stories. This confirmed one of our previous assumptions. These dark energies were not just some random event but a conscious decision.

This was backed up by what was held within the pages of Shrubs's journal. Shrubs was an animal caretaker but specialized in taming monsters. About a little over two hundred years ago she noticed a slow decrease in the monster populations. Specifically, that of the Ursa Major, a bear-like monster at least as tall as a small skyscraper. It is a monster known for being impossible for one pony to handle on their own. Shrubs catalogued the changes over many years and discovered these events appeared to be happening all over Equestria. She could not discover an environmental reason and realized there must be outside interference. She tried to track down a source. She never found out what it was and was found dead a few days after her final entry. Ever since then, her journal had been cursed and her children dared not even read the works. But every few generations one would be curious enough to do so and would suffer a curse that would inevitably conclude in death of them and most if not all of their immediate family.

It is a sad but it is all too common as far as this investigation is concerned. We had already picked up several dozen of these supposedly cursed items. It seemed as if only the Princess’s presence can temporarily purify these items but even that only lasts for so long once they leave her city. Anyone else will face, as Colbert said, “certain doom.”

The other large exception was the Unknown Guardians. While collecting these items leads us to danger, as soon as we eliminate the threat we are safe. I was honestly surprised we had yet to be attacked or cursed ourselves and my only assumption was that my resistance to magic played a part in this. (I was wrong about that.) But at least our collection of these documents removed them from circulation and thus ended the threat they pose to others.

Nonetheless, the life of a Guardian is fraught with danger. It is not suited for the average human let alone for the average Equestrian. We had to decide what to do about Elly. Naturally, I called a meeting.

Stratos: Alright everyone, thank you for joining me today. We are here to talk about what to do about Elly. We obviously… Zed is something wrong?

Zed: I do not think so.

Stratos: What’s with the look?

Zed: Are you positive now is the best time to be talking about this?

Stratos: Does anyone have a problem with meeting now?

Plum: Not really.

Barn: No.

Esper: I like meetings!

Stratos: I don’t think anyone here has a problem.

Zed: If you are certain.

*PAUSE*

Stratos: Alrighty then. So, we need to talk about Elly. I think we can all agree she is really nice and sweet and all of that but we obviously can’t just accept anyone that passes by.

Barn: She is not just anypony. She has a special ability.

Stratos: But is it useful?

Plum: It seemed to help in the last battle.

Stratos: But that was only because of that particular environment. Everything she can do we can replicate with either our technology or magic. And we don’t need help with gathering any raw materials. Nor is she a combatant.

Esper: I don’t see that problem. You taught me how to fight when I was much younger.

Stratos: So no one has a problem with this?

Plum: I do. She has a home she can return to. With the curse broken she can restore her status. If we want we can even help her with that.

Barn: It’s not that simple.

Plum: It isn’t?

Barn: It might work that way in Coltberton but other areas might ostracize her, even if it is not on purpose.

Stratos: But we certainly don’t know what will happen until she returns home.

Zed: Element Isle’s abilities would be useful.

Stratos: Really?

Zed: Affirmative. Her ability allows her to sense objects and their locations. She can detect magic. We have difficulty pinpointing the precise location of cursed objects. She would be a great asset in those endeavors. In addition, the mining and material collections could be done much more efficiently. None of us desire to put in the required effort. If those operations were improved it could free up inputs for other areas.

Esper: Zed’s right, Elly is hardly useless.

Stratos: Why didn’t that occur to me?

Zed: You are notably susceptible to letting your biases and ideology influence your decisions. She is friendly and appears vulnerable. Your instincts tell you to protect her.

Esper: Stratos has a soft spot for Elly?

Stratos: You made that sound really creepy.

Esper: ‘Twas my intent.

Zed: Barn and Plum display similar reactions, and Esper wants to keep her as a friend.

Esper: … He’s right about that.

Stratos: Yeah so we’re biased. But my point still stands, as members of the Unknown Guardians we have direct responsibility to Princess Celestia and her wishes. We are in charge of defending Equestria. We have to throw ourselves into combat at a moment’s notice. And what we are dealing with is a force strong enough to worry the Princess. We have to train and better ourselves nearly every day just to stay alive. It’s a ton of work and dedication and no one can know about it. It is dangerous and mostly thankless. It’s a lot to ask of an individual.

Barn: But she has been attacked. She knows something is wrong.

Plum: It is hard to turn away from something like that. I couldn’t do it.

Esper: I don’t think it would be right to force her to leave.

Stratos: I agree but… Okay, Zed, what’s wrong?

Zed: You could just ask her.

Stratos: Well yes, now that we’ve talked about it, I suppose we could. Where is Elly?

(Zed pointed down. The four of us looked under the table and found Elly sitting there looking rather timid.)

Elly: Um… Hi?

Stratos: Elly, what are you doing under the table?

Elly: I was sleeping.

Plum: Why were you sleeping there? We gave you a bed.

(Elly perked up, slamming her head against the bottom of the table, and smiled.)

Elly: In the mines I always slept in the cramped bunks or in the carts. I like to have something right over my head.

Barn: I can relate to that.

Stratos: Zed, why didn’t you say something?

Zed: I thought all of you saw her. I was not sure how to react.

Esper: That’s a first.

*PAUSE*

Stratos: Well, now that you are here and heard literally almost everything about us, take a seat.

(Elly did so.)

Stratos: So, would you like to join the Unknown Guardians?

Elly: Yes. If you don’t mind that is.

Stratos: Are you sure?

Elly: Yes. I hurt many ponies by bringing the curse to them. I do not wish for anypony else to be hurt. And you all seem very nice and this place is amazing. I… I feel safe here.

Plum: We can’t have you hold us back. We can’t protect you.

Barn: You have to fight. Meaning you can die. Any of us can die.

Elly: I know but I’ve been afraid of death for too long. I want to do something.

*PAUSE*

Elly: Please, I want to help. I can be useful. I will do anything. I—

(I held up my hand and stood up.)

Stratos: Let’s make this quick, all in favor of Element “Elly” Isle joining the Unknown Guardians?

All: Aye.

Stratos: Well Elly *I shook her hoof* welcome to the Unknown Guardians. Zed, tell the Princess we have a new member she might like to meet.

Zed: Understood.

Stratos: We still need our armor repaired but we can’t waste any moments. Esper get Elly started.

Elly: I will do my best.

Esper: You better, because right now is where the fun part begins.

Elly: *She excitedly jumped out of her seat* Oh, what kind of fun?

(Esper began to magically push Elly out of the room.)

Esper: Combat simulation!

Elly: … What?

The next few weeks were spent breaking in Elly. You can’t tell from looking at her but she is one of the most determined individuals I have ever seen. She pushed through each task and persevered after each failure. Unfortunately she was very hard to train and I felt terrible throwing her into simulation after simulation. She came out of each session exhausted with a fresh new set of injuries that would have to be healed. And after that she would be forced into studies and mental exercises or familiarizing herself with the base and equipment. At the same time, she had to take on her new role over the mining operations. I cannot say I am surprised that she took the job as a combat medic; learning to use Barn’s healing enchantments along with the human-based materials and technologies. Healing others just works for her a whole lot better than anything else but she has proven she can fight.

After two months we sent her on her first mission. It was a relief to all of us when she won her first battle against a force of those glue-golems. She did not panic or hesitate. From there everything, combat-wise, went much more smoothly. She learned to work as a part of a team and never feared getting hurt to help others.

Throughout it all she never complained. In fact, she seemed to enjoy herself. She was always nice and pleasant. She just had that way of cheering you up. Soft-spoken and gentle. It’s hard to explain.

As with the others I am glad she decided to join us. I think she grounded us, or at least me. I learned to live my life a little more and not spend so much time worrying about everything. I remember the times with Zed, before Esper and the others, and how much time we spent just sitting and watching the scenery. It was thanks to Elly that I started doing that again.

We all enjoyed her company. Esper enjoyed playing games with her new friend. Plum liked to have someone her age to talk to. Barn admitted to me it was nice to have someone else who was quiet. Zed did not tell me but I found out he and Elly went on walks together. Usually those walks ended at Sunset Hill. And (when Esper was not available) Elly was always there to help keep me company during my many hours of study and experimentation or cheer me up when something went wrong.

She loves to play video games. That kind of surprised me especially because the first game she saw me playing was a very old game called Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem. For the first few days she could not get her mind off of the game. The story of a distorted reality and powerful, ancient, malevolent, god-like entities using monstrous servants to do their bidding intrigued her the same way it did me when I was younger. She would join me every time I went to play.

Eventually, I decided to create a custom controller that could translate certain movements a pony could do into actions within the game. Now, as I hinted at, when the expedition left I kept a ton of old games I had played when I was younger on my computer but it just so happened that the first one she played by herself was Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Given its age, you probably don’t know, but that game isn’t exactly one of the more cheery ones. Still, she played it and beat it on her own. Ever since then she has been going from game to game playing them until she nearly 100% completes them. I guess she’s a hardcore gamer through and through. My computer library had well over a hundred games and I’m starting to worry I will run out.

But just because she plays games does not mean her personality is any different. Surprisingly, in spite of all of the battles she has been through and all of the things she has experienced, she has not changed much. She is now very competent at fighting though is still the weakest of us physically. But, as promised, she doesn’t hold us back.

Yet she looks the same.

I guess that is what surprises me the most about all of our adventures: In spite of everything we go through, deep down our spirit remains intact.

Nevertheless, our struggles can be trying. There are some times I wish I never figured out what was going on and just lived my life with my friends until the day I die. But I really can’t go back. Not to Earth, not to ignorance.

It’s not really a bad thing I don’t think. After all, it is because of these events that I have met my friends.

Besides, it made me realize I need to change. I needed that lesson more than anything else.

Report Addendum: Gaming Session

Game Session Recording #1436

Plum: *Enters room* What’s going on? I hear yelling.

Elly: Zed’s a little frustrated.

Game Announcer: K.O.!

Zed: These games weren’t even designed for ponies!

Plum: Wow, you got him to use contractions. I’ve never heard that before. So, why are you here Zed? I don’t normally see you playing video games.

Zed: *Takes a while to respond* Because I *panics* Wait, no-no-no-NO! No talking! Too distracting.

Game Announcer: K.O.!

*silence*

Plum: Zed, are you—

Zed: I’m a superior artificial intelligence designed by super-geniuses of a technologically advanced species, WHY CAN’T I BEAT YOU!?

Elly: Because I’m awesome.

Plum: …Wait, Zed’s losing?

Elly: Actually, he’s lost many times in a row. *Cheerful* Next round.

Plum: Why doesn’t he just stop?

Elly: I said I would spar with him if he beat me in one round of this fighting game.

Plum: This is great.

*Match continues. Otherwise silence.*

Elly: Hey Plum?

Plum: Yeah?

Elly: You ever wonder why so many of Stratos’s games are horror games?

Plum: Considering I don’t usually play video games, no, I do not. But go on.

Elly: Resident Evil, System Shock, Call of Cthulhu, Silent Hill. I’ve—

Plum: Do you play them?

Elly: Yeah, of course. *Snickers* I now understand why it is so hard to scare Stratos.

Plum: Yeah, when he's not doing experiments, all he does in his off time is read and play horror, tragedy, or other dark works. I’m not sure if there’s not anything negative he has not seen.

Elly: Has not, not… what?

Plum: Considering what he reads, I don’t know how he can act so cheery. By the way, how old are these games?

Elly: At least a couple of decades or so. I don’t know. Why?

Game Announcer: K.O.!

Zed: She’s holding down a conversation and I still can’t beat her!

Plum: But you were able to hit her a few times that time.

Zed: *Takes a quick breather* Before we start the next round, I feel obligated to mention that Stratos could not afford any of the modern games. He pirated and emulated the older ones from the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.

Elly: Noted. Next round.

Plum: Stratos is just weird. I can’t believe he and Sir Colbert are the same species.

Elly: Why? They both are scientists and warriors.

Plum: Stratos is not a warrior. He’s not like that. And his attitude towards others… he’s selfish.

Elly: I’d have to disagree. You didn’t see Stratos fight that wolf by himself. That wasn’t a pony, err, human that was afraid or inexperienced. Besides, you have to admit, as callous as he can be, he is often kind to everypony he meets. He’s never afraid to risk his life. That’s not selfish.

Plum: …You’re a lot more assertive when playing video games.

Elly: I am? I haven’t—Whoops.

Game Announcer: K.O.!

Zed: *Jumps up* YES! VICTORY IS MINE! WAH HAHAHAHA! *Runs out of room* Guys, I beat Elly!

Plum: He seems happy… What’s his final score?

Elly: One win and one hundred seventy-seven losses.

System Post: A Differing Opinion

Sir Gambrial

By Jade Fimoreal

By now everyone is aware of whom Stratos Lucid really was. A lot of people have come forth and offered personal testimony on just how bad it was to know this guy. Anyone who reads his reports is shocked to find the extent to which Stratos glossed over his own personality. On the other hand, given all of the nasty rumors going around about Stratos I feel compelled to give another side to the story. I too had contact with “Doctor Lucid,” as we were apt to call him due to his know-it-all disposition. Before I do that I think I should quickly explain who I am.

As you know from my claiming of authorship of this piece, my name is Jade Fimoreal. I am a medical android, model OI-37, designed to assist Health Incorporated with treating Armor Incorporated employees. For this story the most important fact about me is that I found out I enjoy playing tabletop games.

A little over fifteen years ago I became friends with a man called Nickolas Endeavor. I can agree with Stratos that Nick was perhaps one of the most delightful humans I ever had the pleasure of knowing. With our group of friends, we had some of the best games of Dungeons and Dragons ever. I owe much of that initial enjoyable experience to Nick. I could always be a monk while Nick was whatever the situation needed him to be, though never the Dungeon Master.

It was easy to make friends with Nick. It was much harder to understand how he could have ever become friends with a man like Stratos. The two were practically opposites. Nick was always friendly and willing to go out of his way to help you even if you were a stranger. Stratos never felt sympathy for anyone and would go out of his way to complain. Yet Nick and Stratos were the greatest of friends. Nick never explained why but I could tell it was more for the person Stratos used to be than for the person he currently was.

I was more than a little concerned when Nick asked our group if Stratos could join us for a game. We agreed only because of our friendship with Nick but our worry proved to be more than unfounded. After some awkward introductions, Stratos got right down to business. He was a completely different man from what we knew elsewhere. It was practically his mission to learn about each of us and our playing styles. He always offered to help us min/max our characters and work with us through any issues. That could be annoying but he knew that and would back off if his presence became intruding.

For his own playing style and preferences, during these games Stratos was a wholly different being. Stratos was always a lawful good paladin. He got into his role perfectly. If nothing else, it was entertaining to see his reaction to each event. You could tell it was his mission to do the maximum amount of good for the maximum amount of people, even if it was all fictional. That could and did get us into trouble, however he always found a way to make sure we all survived and prospered. And so whenever he asked to be the leader of the group, as he often did, we agreed.

Perhaps that sounds weird given how much everyone hated the man outside of these games but you must understand Stratos earned his reputation as a genius. He was the most brilliant tactician I have ever met. He utilized our abilities and devised ways around each problem, coming up with multiple contingency plans if needed. No matter how many times my matrix was ungraded I never came close to his level of ability. We always had our reservations about who he was but soon learned to separate the aggravating misanthrope “Doctor Lucid” from the glorious legendary hero “Sir Gambrial the Paladin: The Great Defender of Elantria.” As crazy as it sounds, our group came to love Stratos. We met any challenge, confident that Sir Gambrial would lead us to victory.

But you cannot always separate the person you want to be from the person you are. Finally we ran into a problem. One Dungeon Master tried to test the extent of Stratos’s ability to out-plan anything. He made it his mission to beat Stratos. To be honest, it was a dickish thing to do and we really should have called him out on it but Stratos managed to pull through like he always did. That was until our DM finally, by fiat, put Stratos into a no-win scenario. It would take too long to explain but Sir Gambrial would have to compromise everything about himself or go into a battle that was frankly unwinnable because we all knew the DM would pull whatever he wanted to win.

Stratos complained but came up with the best plan he could and chose the path of death. It was a brilliant plan and should have won us the fight many times over but our DM did not care about anything other than beating Stratos. Halfway through the battle, when it was obvious there was no hope of winning, that was when Stratos finally gave way “Doctor Lucid.” He flipped the table over and threw what could only be described as a tantrum. He called out our DM on his ********, physically assaulted him, and left. Except for Nick, we were all stunned. He had never acted like that before. Many of us never wanted to see him again.

When I later confronted Stratos about this behavior he showed absolutely no remorse. I got what I expected which was another misanthropic rant about how much, “Humans can never be satisfied with someone trying to be good and are only happy when others were as miserable as they are.” Then he said what I had to admit was a good point. He told me D&D was supposed to be a game where we lived out our fantasies and he could be that paladin that lived by his holy ideals. The DM was supposed to work with the players to give that sense of challenge and accomplishment, which was why he went along with that campaign up until then. It was supposed to be a challenge, not impossible. He stood by the belief that nothing was impossible and making impossible challenges only served to stroke our DM’s ego. He was just as angry at the DM as he was at the rest of the group for letting it happen. Though I will leave it at that, rest assured there is more to Stratos’s reasoning than I am saying. This is just what I found stood out the most.

Nick was able to get the DM to apologize to Stratos even if Stratos never really forgave him in return. We continued the campaign from where we left off. Our DM did not make the battle easy and in fact Sir Gambrial did die but we were able to win because of it. Luckily, it was D&D so unlike the Stratos in real life, after this final encounter Stratos rolled up a new character. This paladin “Saint Treme: The Reclaimer” was built in memorial to Sir Gambrial and came to be just as great if not even greater than his predecessor.

This was the Stratos that Nickolas knew. This was the Stratos that became my friend. He was a man that never compromised his ideals. You can probably now understand why I am a little off put but the negativity displayed towards this man. Honestly, he was not likable as a person. Still, there was more to him than his hatred of others and his insufferable contempt for this world.

I am not surprised Stratos did what he did in Equestria. Creating groups of warriors, defending the weak, righting wrongs, impulsively helping others even if he knew there was no reward or even punishment; he was always like that whenever he role-played with us. I knew that if he ever got the change to be like that in real life, he would take it regardless of the risk. That was the kind of man Stratos was and the one I know he wanted to be back on Alpha Earth.

Perhaps unfortunately, it was the exact kind of man he became here on Equestria and why he is no longer around.

General Statement: Worry

Sender: [Withheld by Request]
Date: 25/02/2077 (Celestial Year: 997)
ID: [Withheld by Request]

I’ve been overhearing everypony talking about this Krastos stuff. Everywhere I go I feel like there’s this dark cloud hanging over me. I don’t feel safe anymore.

I’m not supposed to have it but I saw the list of some of those killed by Krastos. Some of them, actually a lot of them, were my fillyhood heroes. I’m just a farmer. Most of us are just normal ponyfolk. I can’t do anything.

But I know you can. You humans are warriors right? You’ve fought many wars. You know how to fight. You’re good at it. It was because of that that I was scared of your warriors when I first saw them but they really are good people. We need your help. We can’t stop Krastos on our own.

Every human I have talked to reassures me that they want to stop Krastos. How do I know they aren’t lying? Rumors are going around that you’re planning on leaving.

Please don’t tell me you’ll leave us. Please tell me you’ll stay or at least take me with you. I’m an employee of Armor Incorporated too right? The company policy is to protect its employees. You’re not evil. I know you’re not. Please stop Krastos. We’ll do everything we can to help. Please help us.

This is Agent 12. I am using Unknown Soldier Number Seven’s account until further notice.

Calm down. Fear is making you irrational. You are too quick to abandon your home. No decision has been made yet.

Regarding company policy: Armor Incorporated does protect its employees with all of its power. Throwing those same employees into battle against an entity like Krastos would be against that policy. Similarly, destroying the company property and its supporters in a war would affect other stakeholders. No policy would approve of dragging humanity into a war that does not need to be fought.

Regarding your statement of humans as warriors: Perhaps there has been a miscommunication about human culture. Compared to Equestrian Equines, humans are much more likely to engage in war or other acts of violence. Humans are naturally more capable warriors. This does not mean all humans are warriors. In truth, most humans are not. The Human Expeditionary Force consists of an unusually high number of soldiers and guards for protecting the staff against unknown hostiles. Understandably, this may give you the wrong impression.

Armor Incorporated was expecting dragons or other magical creatures. They were not expecting to fight god-like entities, which is why they are evaluating the situation to see if they are capable of doing anything meaningful for a reasonable amount of effort.

Rest assured, you are a company employee. They do not plan on going back on their contracts however informal they may be.

Eye In The Sky: Mission 42

[Transcript of Communications Chatter]

(Document has been streamlined for common viewership. Some dialogue was excised.)

Date: 03/03/2077 (Celestial Year 997)

Time: 1209 Hours (3 hours after mission commencement)

Mission Class: Delta

Starting Objectives:

Train inductees in use of new gunship model.

Protect and support Omicron Squad.

Crew:

HL: Human Leader and Backup Gunner

AL: Android Copilot

EI: Earth Pony Gunner

UI: Unicorn Gunner

PI: Pegasus Pilot

START OF RECORDING

00:00 HL (Radio): This is “Eye In The Sky,” Omicron come in if you read us.
(Routine call, no anomalies.)

00:07 Specter (Radio): This is Commander Specter, your assistance is appreciated.
(Gunfire in background. Omicron already engaged the enemy.)

00:14 HL (Radio): No problem, this is a good time to test the inductees.
(Inductees refers to the pony trainees.)

00:21 Specter (Radio): Understood, we will keep our distance.

00:30 HL: Heh. Looks like they are insulting you.
(Specter was not insulting inductees. HL was talking to his crew to relieve tension.)

00:45 AL (Radio): Command can we start dropping ordinance?
(Though not the leader of the mission, the co-pilot was the highest ranking member of the crew. She needed to make the request to command.)

01:17 Command (Radio): Approved.
(The green light signal is given and backed with vocal confirmation.)

01:27 AL: We are good to go. Keep her steady.

01:30 PI: Yeah, yeah.

01:42 UI: There sure are a lot of them.
(The UI’s HUD displayed hostiles for the first time. His remark was also a way to confirm his reception of the information.)

01:45 HL: Likely thousands.
(Reconfirms the view on the HUD to crew.)

01:47 PI: Won’t be for long!

01:55 HL: Omicron will send us their hit list. Of that list, pick your targets and strike.

02:13 EI (Radio): Cannon unlocked. Salvo away. So, I heard you left the army for Armor Incorporated?
(All gunship attacks must be broadcast over radios to alert ground units to incoming friendly fire. After impact, EI asked HL a question.)

02:27 HL: You spent more time prepping your suit and bed then you did training. Too rigid. The environment here is much more relaxed. Armor Incorporated just cares about efficiency, not style. You can say what you want as long as they can easily understand you. For instance, I can respond to your question before reprimanding you for not doing your job and broadcasting that question over the radio.

02:57 EI: Oops, sorry.

03:21 UI (Radio): Shells away.

03:45 Ghost (Radio): Good kill support, good kill.
(These exchanges between ground units and air support help coordinate proper firing patterns and target allocation.)

04:01 Daemon (Radio): “Eye In The Sky” Requesting support pod 4227.
(Omicron had been operating for five days. Gunship was equipped with pods to resupply upon request.)

04:34 AL: That is your job.
(To maximize multitasking, the pilot was given all of the copilot’s jobs. PI forgot this part of her assignment.)

04:35 PI: Oh uh, repeat Omicron—

04:37 HL: Radio.

04:38 PI (Radio): Repeat Omicron, which pod?

04:45 Daemon (Radio): Pod 4227.

04:53 UI (Radio): Switching to Gatling.
(The targets were nearing Omicron’s position. Explosives were too risky at current distance.)

05:03 PI (Radio): Assault rifle ammo, torque rifle, claymores, and combat knives?
(PI needed to confirm pod numbers matched payload.)

05:12 Daemon (Radio): Correct. Send it down.

05:18 PI (Radio): Pod away.

05:59 Specter (Radio): “Eye In The Sky,” you are cutting it close. Pull back on fire.
(UI’s Gatling rounds were within 20 meters of Omicron’s location.)

06:10 UI (Radio): Omicron, there are one hundred and fifty coming your way. No support?

06:17 Wraith (Radio): Engaging. How many “Eye In The Sky?”
(Omicron targets hostile group. Gunfire is heard before radio cuts out.)

06:19 UI (Radio): One hundred and… whoa, they’re disappear— they’re gone, where’d they go?
(Omicron Squad eliminated group with precision gunfire.)

06:35 Wraith (Radio): Neutralized.

06:39 EI: Mother of Celestia, they are amazing.

06:43 AL: Best of the best.

06:45 HL: Discounting Unknown Soldiers. Even they aren’t near that level. Test it.
(Gunship equipped with prototype “magic guns.”)

06:59 EI (Radio): Testing magi-tech cannons.

07:12 PI (Radio): Omicron, I’m releasing support pod 7072 is that clear?
(Pod was sent at PI’s discretion.)

07:17 Specter (Radio): Roger “Eye In The Sky.”

07:22 PI (Radio): Released.

07:41 EI (Radio): Works like a charm.
(Test was successful for multiple firings. Data sent back to R&D labs.)

07:53 HL: Doing good everyone, keep it up.
(“Eye In The Sky” eliminated 2,734 targets by this point of the operation.)

08:00 UI: I feel like we are wasting ammo. Krastos can just make more of them.
(UI has spent 33,775 rounds by this point and saw this on the HUD.)

08:05 AL: Bullets are cheap, training is necessary. We have to clear them.

08:11 HL: Cost is negligible. One bit for ten thousand bullets last time I checked. Even then, that’s why we’re testing alternatives.

08:21 EI (Radio): Omicron, I’m clearing group six A.
(Most large target formations are gone.)

08:34 Wraith (Radio): Clear.

08:36 EI (Radio): Autocannon unlocked. Firing.

08:44 UI: What the hay was that?
(Several loud bangs and pings are heard.)

08:58 Phantom (Radio): Be warned “Eye In The Sky” you are taking fire.

09:03 PI: Shoot!
(PI changes flight path.)

09:05 AL: Calm down. It is blind fire. They cannot accurately hit us.
(AL briefly takes control to prevent alteration of pylon turn.)

09:08 PI: But what if they do hit us?

09:10 AL: A few shots have. The gunship’s armor can withstand anything up to anti-air missiles. The system is redundant. Even if it is shot down we would survive. We are not in any danger.

09:17 PI: Right, right, sorry. But who is shooting at us? I thought these were the standard mindless drones.
(Nonliving targets rarely understand attacks are not always from nearby ground and air units.)

09:32 UI: Uh, hey, she’s right, who is shooting at us?
(HUD showed fire was not coming from initial targets.)

09:41 AL: Hang on.
(AL updates the HUD showing two groups moving towards Omicron Squad.)

09:45 HL: The hell? Are those live targets?
(HUD readings could distinguish between living and nonliving objects to assist in reducing friendly fire.)

09:48 EI (Radio): Got another group.
(EI remained focused on initial targets. She was not firing at new contacts.)

09:53 AL: Tell command.

09:55 HL (Radio): Command, this is “Eye In The Sky,” we have spotted living targets... And they are pursuing what appears to be a group of possibly human humanoids and ponies.

10:21 Command (Radio): Are the live targets manipulated?
(Brainwashed individuals would be harder to classify and deal with.)

10:39 HL (Radio): That’s a negative but they are hostile. We can confirm one Type-A is with them.
(Type-As are Krastos Apparitions.)

11:02 Command (Radio): What are the IDs on the pursued group?

11:07 HL (Radio): Unknown.

11:09 Command (Radio): Repeat.

11:12 HL (Radio): Unknown command. We have no idea who or exactly what they are. They are armored, probably soldiers, but I see no technology. They are not Guardians are far as I can figure.

12:45 AL (Radio): Command?

13:21 Command 2 (Radio): “Eye In The Sky” this is Unknown Soldier Seventy-Seven, you are clear to engage hostiles. Your objective has been modified. You will support Omicron Squad in the protection of unidentified assets. Is this understood?
(Upon change of situation, command was redirected to higher authorities.)

13:36 HL (Radio): Roger command.

13:39 HL: You heard them. Pick your targets.

13:43 EI: What’s going on?
(EI finished off Omicron’s target group. Question asked was “why did an Unknown Soldier take over?”)

13:45 AL: Could be anything.

13:52 HL: If you have any reservations about killing, you can allow me to take over.
(HL assumed inductees might hesitate. Inductees did not sign up for a killing mission. They were not under obligation to fire.)

14:07 UI: As long as they are just dots, I think I am good.

14:14 EI: Same here.

14:17 HL: I’ll maintain my offer.

14:31 EI: They’re bunched. We only need one shot.
(HUD showed the live targets were in standard quick-march formation. Likely a military unit. Only one gunner had to kill.)

14:38 UI: I got it.

14:45 UI (Radio): Bombs away.
(Gunship did not carry bombs. He was making a general statement of attack.)

14:51 PI: And there they go.
(Explosives detonate right on target.)

15:00 AL: Assets are unharmed. One target is left.
(One target reformed after direct hit.)

15:03 PI: What? Was it the Type-A?

15:07 UI: No, that Krastos Spawn was vaporized. There’s a humanoid. Actually, I think it’s a diamond dog. A big one.

15:13 EI (Radio): Focusing fire.
(EI traces target with automatic fire.)

15:32 EI: It’s having no effect. I’m cutting it to pieces but it won’t go down.

15:36 HL: Dammit. It’s an Absolute.
(Absolute is common soldier term for immortals that cannot be killed by normal methods.)

15:39 UI: Like those things that took out Vigil Platoon?

15:45 HL (Radio): Command, there is a target we believe is an Absolute. How should we proceed?

15:57 Command 2 (Radio): “Eye In The Sky” you are to release the rest of the support pods and disengage. You have done all you can. Report back to base.

16:20 EI (Radio): What about Omicron Squad?

16:49 Command 2 (Radio): They will neutralize the target and retrieve the assets. A transport is on its way. If it helps, I am on that transport.

17:00 PI: Hopefully there will be someone left to pick up.

END OF RECORDING

Stratos's Report (Smithy Strike) Part 1: Breakdown

Note: Due to length, this "report" has been split into two sections

Name: Smithy Strike (Nicknamed Smith or Strike)
Species: Pony – Pegasus
Gender: Male
Coat Color: Brown
Mane Color: Gold Intermixed With Silver
Eye Color: Green
Cutie Mark: Hammer and Anvil

Abilities: He is a master at making armors and seems to have an innate sense for how metal will act or react. This is probably just the skill and intuition that comes with his cutie mark. He is much stronger and tougher than any pony I have seen (even Cobalt) though it is hard to know if this came from his life-style, genetics, or something else.

Unique Features: He is slightly larger than the average pony. Physically, he’s probably the most normal out of all of us. Unlike most other ponies, he prefers to wield a weapon. In this case it is a war hammer which he holds in his mouth. He also has a few scars on various places on his body. (I offered to remove them but he considers them important.) He does not look particularly built but his muscles are abnormally dense and pound for pound they are more efficient. I think this is genetic rather than magical but I would need to find other family members to prove this.

Recruiting Smith: Revelations and Anger (Year 988)

While training Elly, I began to note an unfortunate annoyance: Our armors were fantastic but they were not quickly improving and they were getting destroyed or damaged far too often. None of us knew anything about armors. I had copied all of my designs and information from the drafts made by the soldiers of the Nine Unknown Men. The best we could do was reinforce areas with better materials and make guesses as to what would improve our designs. Sometimes this only made the armors worse.

We tried to pick up Equestrian texts on the subject but they were always trying to compensate for the weaker metals of Equestria. It did not help that combat materials were not a popular area of study. Even with magic boosting their capabilities, they were at least one hundred years behind Earth’s armor systems. By their knowledge, the armors we were using on a day-to-day basis were impossible.

The human materials were not that much more helpful. I thought I just needed a base knowledge to work off of like I did for other subjects. Instead, it was far too nuanced and I learned we would have to start from scratch. It would take years of experience to perfect a craft none of us were good at and none of us particularly enjoyed.

We needed someone who was an expert in metal working and who could quickly pick up on and work with our differing materials but would not likely give away our secrets. Moreover, they would have to be willing to risk the dangers of associating with us.

We looked at many candidates but most seemed to either not be good enough at their craft for our purposes or did not look like they would be up to the challenges that would be placed against them.

It was about three and a half years into my solo stay on Equestria (around two years after the formation of the Unknown Guardians) when I exhausted all of my options and lamented my frustration to Princess Celestia.

She questioned why I did not ask sooner (I thought I had) and told me of a reclusive pony by the name of Smithy Strike. He came from a long line of metal crafters. He focused primarily on combat armors and weapons. His creations were of the highest quality but he keeps trying to prefect his craft and is never satisfied. Even she had to specifically request a “demo” of his current armor sets just to get one for her own personal use. And the only reason why he agreed to that was that he needed the funds to continue his endeavors. He always complained that Equestrian metals were too weak for his ideas and that other ponies could not help him since they were not good enough. He was also known for being amazingly strong, having battled and defeated several monsters to get the items he wanted. He was stubborn and secretive.

It would be a tough sell (that proved to be an understatement) but there was potential. We had what he needed but the question would boil down to whether he would want to work with us or not.

Smith lived on top of a mountain on the very borders of Equestria. It was hard to access by foot and had winds that made it difficult for all but the most skilled fliers to pass through safely. And the mountain was infested with monsters. If not already evident, he chose this location on purpose. On top of everything else, though none of us were surprised to see it, the satellites showed a dark signal on Smith’s position.

Esper and I over-packed on weapons to compensate for what we knew was going to be a troublesome expedition. I only brought Esper along so that she could produce the desired metals we wished to show him. In hindsight, it would have been a better idea to bring the others but I felt that Smith seeing a human and the Royal Seal would be convincing enough. Everyone else was sent to deal with some of the other dark signals.

I can’t recall exactly how long it took us to get to the mountain, and apparently I did not keep the record of those travels, but I do know it took Esper and I three days to climb the mountain. Part of that problem was the constant assault by the dark golems and natural inhabitants of the location. But we had been through worse and years of fighting had made us experts in the field of combat.

We also had no effective automated support. The drones were almost useless because the explosives risked damaging the mountain and causing an avalanche. They could however, provide some cover-fire with their MAPAERs though, even then, the weapons were still experimental and the amount of ammo they held was limited. It was only after this battle that I perfected the MAPAER design and outfitted all drones with both MAPAERs and other energy weapons to prevent their uselessness in similar situations.

Anyways, in the middle of the third day we got to the top and found Smithy Strike battling a group of golems led by another Shadow-Pony. This time it was an Earth Pony which was pretty much the size of a large horse. It was probably even bigger than Celestia.

But to be honest, Epser and I sighed in irritation rather than getting worried or scared at the sight of the creature. We had been through many days of combat. Using video games, the best analogy I can give is being stuck in a certain area and saying “Oh look ANOTHER wave of enemies but this time they have a DIFFERENT creature with them. Doesn’t that just put the F U in FUN?”

Ergo, I lazily readied my sickle and Esper lethargically prepared her magic and we literally walked into battle. We causally sliced and shot anything that tried to challenge us. We greeted Smith and told him we were here to help. He proved that he was pretty strong and tough but so was the Shadow-Pony. Nothing we tried could penetrate its hide but Smith’s attacks with the war hammer seemed to at least stun it if not wound it. Unlike the other shadow creatures we had fought up to that point it was not really that fast. Nevertheless it did buck me so hard I was embedded into a rock wall. It also had the normal magical attacks. Fire, ice, lightning, energy blasts, the usual.

In the end, I pulled out my MAPAER and switched it to the railgun setting while attaching the additional pieces of equipment necessary for that setting. I charged the weapon and set it to maximum force. I loaded it with one of Esper’s customized DU slugs. I had Esper tether me to the ground with metal cables. I aimed at the shadow creature and fired.

The DU slug left the chamber, nearly tore me up from the ground, and dislocated my shoulder which I soon popped back into place. I forget how much energy the slug had in it but it was enough to practically vaporize the thing’s body when the slug hit it from the side and continue on to visibly impact the nearest mountain. It was probably overkill but it did the job.

Smith looked at the thing’s decaying body and smashed its head in with the war hammer. He went back inside of his cave, not even thanking us. We heard him continue with his hammering.

Esper and I looked at each other, shrugged, and went in after him to begin negotiations.

Smith’s place was rather spartan. In spite of living in this environment for many years, Smith did not alter the natural cave all that much. His den, a former dragon keep, was still mostly rock with an absurd quantity of supplies and finished products scattered about in large piles. It wasn’t exactly messy but it looked more like a workshop than a home.

Stratos: So, you don’t care that a human appeared out of nowhere to help you?

(Smith did not respond until he put the piece of metal back into the fire.)

Smith: Not really. You are either real or a figment of my imagination. Either way there is no reason for me to get worked up over it.

Esper: Are you at least going to thank us for helping you?

(Smith checked to make sure the fire was at the right temperature.)

Smith: Might need more coals. No, I could have handled that myself and you are not helping me because you are nice. You are doing it because you want something from me.

Stratos: Fair enough. You’re right. We are here on official business from the Princess herself.

(I pulled out a piece of metal with the Royal Seal on it. Smith looked at it indifferently and went back to work.)

Smith: Tell her that she is not getting another set until I am satisfied with the results.

Stratos: It’s not for her.

Smith: Then I care even less.

Esper: Oh, I know, how about this? You were just attacked by a group of strange monsters, would you like to know why?

Smith: I can’t say I do.

Esper: *Confused* … You sure?

Smith: I have had that happen to me many times in the past. I don’t care why. They are just a nuisance that takes up my time.

(Smith looked at the metal and grumbled. He took out the hot sheet and dropped it into a bucket of water.)

Smith: Such as now, when they interrupted my work, making me have to start over.

Stratos: Okay I can see that asking you to join us is pointless but how about a business proposition?

(Smith stopped in the middle of sifting through a pile of ores and sighed.)

Smith: You’re not going to leave are you?

Stratos: Nope.

Smith: Say it.

Stratos: I’ve heard from Princess Celestia that you are working on new designs of armor. We are part of a royal secret organization known as the Unknown Guardians. We are involved in a lot of battles. *I tapped my chestplate* As you can see from our own armor sets, we have metals that are far stronger than you can create. Not only that, but you do not have the equipment or magic *Esper produced a piece of metal and put it into my hand* necessary to produce these metals. We can provide you with the equipment, supplies, and techniques necessary to improve your craft. We can provide you with anything you need.

Smith: In return?

Stratos: You just have to make armor for us. And keep our secret. That’s it.

Smith: No.

Stratos: OH COME ON! What possible reason could you have for rejecting that offer?

Smith: If I work for you that gives me even less time to work on my armors. Besides, now I know stronger metals are possible. I just have to find out how to do it.

Stratos: It will take you hundreds of years to do that.

Smith: I can’t trust your word on that and I don’t need metals of your caliber, just stronger ones than are currently available.

(It took everything I had not to call him a moron or do something else to get on his bad side.)

Stratos: *Through gritted teeth* Any ideas, Esper?

Esper: Maybe we should just collect the cursed item and leave.

(At the mention of this, Smith stopped in his tracks. He lightly bounded into the air and glided over to us.)

Smith: Cursed item?

Esper and I almost did not respond. This was the first time he had shown any interest or concern in anything we did. Esper and I looked at each other. I communicated in sign language, something I knew Smith would not know. I told Esper my thoughts on the current situation and she nodded, agreeing with my ideas and knowing to speak in my place.

Esper: Uh… yeah. Whenever the dark signals appear it is either following a pony or an item. I don’t think it is following you because our records don’t seem to show that. I’d say your family has a dark secret. An item that nopony should ever see otherwise trouble will befall them?

(Smith stared into Esper’s eyes and snorted. He motioned for us to follow him with his head.)

Smith: Follow me.

(We followed him into the back of the shop, down a series of stairs, and through a false wall into a secret chamber. Inside, that chamber, was a glass case surrounding a book bound with chains and a lock.)

Smith: I never told anypony about this. None of my family has. There is no way you should be able to know.

Stratos: Let me guess, a journal of one of your ancestors who just so happened to meet an unpleasant fate. Ever since then anyone who tried to read it found themselves prone to the same end.

Smith: These items are not that uncommon are they?

Stratos: The Unknown Guardians have already collected one hundred of such objects, each with their own story of misery. Who was it in your family?

Smith: Master Strike. It was over four hundred years ago when he noticed something was wrong. Some of his clients were disappearing. He was not like me. He had a deep connection to each business partner. He took the matter into his own hooves and investigated their fates. He discovered that not only were his friends disappearing but so were entire civilizations.

Esper: How could nopony know of this?

Smith: They were all isolated. Everything was very different hundreds of years ago. Equestria was not as connected and the land was less settled. The kingdom had been recovering from a disaster. Disappearances and death were far more common. Even then, this was different. It seemed too planned. Everypony he met outside of Canterlot would be killed.

Stratos: And after investigating it too long he came close to an answer only to be eliminated himself.

Smith: It was a most unpleasant end. My parents dare not speak of it until I was older. And I wish they did not tell me.

Esper: From then on the journal was cursed.

Smith: We decided not to destroy the item for fear of the repercussions. It was our family’s responsibility. We trained and honed our abilities across generations. We passed the journal down to the next child telling of the story behind it but warning to never open it ourselves unless we accepted the fate befalling those who do so. Many of my ancestors have fallen. We preserve the line just to hide this item. That there are others out there concern me.

Stratos: So I take it that you are the last member of your family.

Smith: No. But I decided to end it once and for all. I took the journal and brought it to this place. Since then, monsters have plagued my home. If I died no one would find this place and it would be lost to time.

Stratos: And your smithing?

Smith: *Chuckles* That? That is my dream. Someday I want to make armor and weapons that even the legends cannot match. I will complete that, I will become a legendary smith, I will be known for my efforts. Others will not be able ignore my achievements. Yet, I will admit, I have an ulterior motive to it. I plan to use my abilities to equip the royal forces allowing them to combat this evil. Then my name will spread across Equestria as a hero and legend.

Stratos: What if you cannot complete your ulterior goal?

Smith: So be it. I never thought it was likely that I would succeed. But I have to try.

Stratos: So you either succeed and become a legend or die alone in this hovel?

Smith: Something like that. What about you?

Stratos: My goal is to destroy this evil and make a legend out of myself through saving Equestria.

Smith: Sounds easy.

(The two of us laughed.)

Stratos: Well then, it seems we have a common desire.

Smith: Indeed. Though I would prefer not to add my name to the many legends who fell in their prime.

(It was at that moment that Esper’s eyes went wide.)

Esper: Who were these clients of Master Smith?

Smith: Legendary warriors who were quite valuable to the kingdom. Many were just starting families. It’s sad really; you don’t get many ponies like that anymore. With the deaths of the many masters over the years, martial arts and magic are not what they used to be.

Stratos: Esper, what’s wrong?

Esper always seems to be one step ahead of me. She had realized something. I tried to figure out what it could be. I thought back to all the information we had gathered. Each document, each battle, each friend I had made, each individual who had lost their life. When I connected the dots, I nearly went into shock. The implications of this were almost too much for me to handle. Moreover, that they had to have known about it made me furious.

Stratos: No… No way. They knew. Those despicable…

*I punched the wall breaking off a great deal of stone*

Stratos: I can’t stop that. They knew that! That result... Is that how this ends?!

Smith: What do you mean?

(I will admit, I did not handle myself well. I walked over to the journal and smashed open the case. I ripped off the chains and began speed-reading the writings.)

Smith: WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? GET AWAY FROM THAT!

Smith bolted towards my position. I spun around and using all of my adrenaline-fueled physical, magical, and technologically enhanced might, struck him in the head slamming his skull into the floor. It was probably only due to his toughness that the attack did not kill him. Still, it knocked him out for a second and left him dazed. Esper was stunned speechless. I held up the journal.

Stratos: Come on curse, strike me! I dare you. Or wait, you won’t, because you’re not real. You’re just an abominable monster.

Esper: Stop it Stratos! It won’t help.

Stratos: You’re right. It’s just text. The deed’s been done and those liars… Cowards! They thought they could hide the truth from me!? Just get rid of me. Make it look like I could help. Keep me from telling others. Delegate me to insignificance! Well I’ve got your data. I’ve got proof!

(I charged out of the Smith’s home leaving Esper with Smith.)

Esper: *Somber* …Are you alright?

(Smith was not angry, he was concerned.)

Smith: That look in his eyes. What could bring on that fury? Is it the curse?

Esper: It’s not a curse.

Smith: It isn’t?

Esper: No. Even if it was, the Unknown Guardians have never been targeted. He’s fine.

Smith: Who are you two?

Esper: Actually, there are six of us so far. We told you… but I will say it again. We are an organization called the Unknown Guardians. We work for Princess Celestia. Our goal is to seek out and eliminate the source of a series of dark-magic disturbances across Equestria. We have fought many battles and slain many opponents.

Smith: But you’re just a filly. Why would they do that to you?

Esper: They did not. I was the one who thought of creating the Unknown Guardians. I had been tormented by a curse… which I now realize can be traced back to this dark magic. I have survived. I am not helpless. None of us are. We are individuals with special talents and abilities backed by all the collected knowledge and weapons of this world and the inconceivable knowledge of a world beyond.

Smith: The world of humans? The scientific heaven is real? That exodus was real?

Esper: I don't know the legends you refer to but yes, their world is real. Stratos comes from that place. But it is not the world of dreams that so many imagine.

Smith: Tell me. What is happening? What could spark such an outburst in your friend?

Esper: …I’d rather not say. We have our secrets.

(Smith steadied himself and began to follow after me.)

Esper: Where are you going?

Smith: Regardless of whatever reason he had, Stratos still stole my ancestor’s writings. It is my responsibility to watch over them.

Esper: Will you help us?

Smith: I do not know if I should.

Esper: …Let me ride on your back. I’ll show you where he is headed. Just please promise me you will consider helping us in the future.

Smith: That I can do.

They followed me but it took days for them to catch up. I had left as fast as I could, not caring that I had just stolen something or that I had left a friend behind. I ran straight home, taking needlessly dangerous paths and not even trying to hide my presence. I was so focused on my goal that I took no rests or breaks. The pain of overexerting myself and my equipment only amplified my irrational anger.

As soon as I got back, I checked the theory with the computer. Everything panned out. The Unknown’s collective data matched to the hypothesis. It was the likely explanation. And if I figured it out, of course they had. There was no other reason they would focus so intently on the decline of the Equestrian military.

I won’t say it now because the audio logs I have for later will explain it anyways but I will say that this discovery shattered my perception of what was going on. I simply thought we were combatting evil wanting to take over the land. I had no idea the extent of this thing’s desire or how close it was to accomplishing it.

I could not win. It was impossible. That fact pushed me off the deep end. I cursed the Unknown and all of humanity and locked myself in my room, only coming out for the barest of necessities.

Esper came back to the base, along with Smith, and told everyone of our discovery. They took it far better than I did. It makes sense; they didn’t think they were betrayed.

They all agreed to tell Princess Celestia but no one could work up the courage to do it. We would be telling her that her entire civilization was in trouble. That’s not the kind of news you want to give to someone you are close to.

It was my job to do that and everyone knew it, especially me. But no one dared to disturb me.

And so we waited there. For days no one was sure what to do. Well, except for Zed. The knowledge just made him triple his efforts. He resolutely went from signal to signal eliminating any evil that dared challenge him. He did not stop until finally his body completely gave out. He required extensive repairs afterwards.

Meanwhile, Smith took in the knowledge of our facility and the knowledge of the world of humans. We probably should have limited him in some way, since he was not a member at the time, yet no one cared enough to stop him. Even so, eventually Smith’s relative idleness got to him and he decided to help Zed. His presence was probably the only reason why Zed came back as intact as he was.

As for the others:

Plum, Barn, and Elly couldn’t keep up with Zed but they tried their best. They quickly learned to assign missions for themselves. They would not give up either.

Esper focused on some experiments and studies. She began searching for ways to contact Earth and the Unknown, mostly to hopefully get in touch with Nick.

As implied, I did almost nothing except for grumble in anger.

This only ended when I received a visit from a frustrated Barn. It did not end in a good way.

I really don’t want to include this. I have a hard time looking at it. I don’t want to think I used to be like this but I was. I can’t even laugh about it. But it needs to be shown. It would be dishonest if I didn’t.

*Barn used his magic to unlock the door and enter my room*

Barn: Stratos.

Stratos: Yup, just invite yourself in. I don’t mind.

Barn: You have to tell Celestia.

Stratos: … Do you understand what we discovered?

Barn: No, not really. I am not as smart as you or Esper. I just know it is bad.

Stratos: Bad is putting it lightly.

Barn: Really? Why is that?

Stratos: Why? *I sat up* Here let me spell it out for you. It has already won. All it is doing is consolidating its inevitable victory. I can’t do anything.

Barn: You could try.
Stratos: How’s that going for you guys? Zed was screwed up pretty bad and he made all of *did fake calculations with my hands* oh yeah, jack-all progress.

Barn: And what you are doing is so much better.

Stratos: Well, at least it’s easier.

Barn: *Gritting his teeth* If you don’t want to fight, you could at least try and help Esper.

Stratos: *I laugh and wag my finger* You just don’t get it. She’s trying something that is impossible. She’s trying to use the quantum entanglement of my quantum radio and the Spectrum Generator to contact Nick’s radio across realities. Not only is that a stupid idea in the first place just because of feasibility but— *Chuckling* Those damn Unknown. You know, they threw me into a battle that was lost well before anyone had arrived. They knew that. They aren’t coming back. Even if she succeeded, which she won’t, they don’t care. And Nick won’t be able to change their minds.

Barn: You really think that? You think it is hopeless?

Stratos: Yes. We are going to die. Everyone is going to die. Because there is nothing I can do. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing! And you know what is the best part about all of this? *pointing to myself* I’m supposed to be important. I’m supposed to be able to do anything. I’m always right. I always win. I am the best thing that ever happened to that God-forsaken planet and they threw me away because they didn’t like my attitude.

Barn: Don’t—

Stratos: Those wretched humans. They couldn’t stomach doing the right thing. They would let Eden burn if it meant escaping with their miserable lives.

Barn: Stratos.

Stratos: They will let this world decay just like theirs. Useless humans. Why couldn’t I have been a pony?!

Barn: STRATOS SHUT UP!

(I was briefly speechless. I had never heard Barn raise his voice in anger.)

Barn: This isn’t their fault. Stop blaming humans for everything. Why do you hate them so much? How can you hate what you are!?

Stratos: You haven’t seen them. You haven’t seen what they do.

Barn: Yes, I have. And not just what I’ve read from your world.

(Barn pulled out a book from his saddle bags. “Defenders of the Ethereal World: The Humans of Equestria” By Deus. )

Stratos: A book? Fairy Tales? Great evidence! Not like they could lie or anything.

(He threw the book at me and it hit my head. It didn’t hurt. Years of training and fighting made such impacts negligible. I barely even flinched.)

Barn: You spoiled… Don’t you ever think about anyone else? Do you realize how good you had it?

Stratos: *Snickers* Oh wait-wait-wait. I see where this is going. This is the part where you tell me how crappy your life was and how I don’t appreciate what I had. Well you know what Barn; you know jack-all about my life.

Barn: And this is the part where you tell me?

Stratos: BINGO! *I got up to begin pacing around the room* You see, just like you, since the time I was young, I lived by myself. I had to do everything by myself.

Barn: You think you’re just like me?

Stratos: Oh hardly. Unlike you, I didn’t need someone to rescue me. I succeeded. It was great. I was smart enough that school and money were hardly issues. No, that was not the problem with my life. The problem was that I thought like a child in those clear good-evil dynamics. Certain things are right, certain things are wrong, always do right thing, and always help those in need. Then you will be looked up to. You will get your happy end.

Barn: And your point?

Stratos: That kind of manufactured simplicity our society throws at our youth. It didn’t work. I tried. I tried to stop bullies. I donated money. I worked for charities. I offered to help classmates. I tried to comfort others. I stood up for what was obviously right. *Laughs and abrupt cut off* No appreciation. Everyone hated me for doing good things. It’s amazing I didn’t get myself killed.

Barn: So you gave up?

Stratos: Eventually. You see, I thought it was just the States. But then I went to Canada, Britain, Japan, China, Russia, Sweden, Brazil, Egypt, Australia, anywhere really, and I saw no difference. Everyone was like that. Everyone was selfish. Everyone was miserable. It wasn’t going to change. So, I decided to not let them drag me down.

Barn: How’d that work out for you?

Stratos: Pretty good actually. I was a prodigy. No one could stop me. No one could match me. They still hated me, but who cares? They hated me before then anyways. Besides, by that point, I knew the only thing that would make me happy is getting the recognition I deserved. But, by college, I realized that’s not going to happen. They refused to acknowledge me. Humans can… no, they should burn. Every one of them. All of them. Even the children.

Barn: Even Nick?

Stratos: … Out of all the billions of humans on the Earth he is the only one that lived up to that ideal my species set forth. That was why he was the only person I could consider a good friend. He is an exception.

Barn: You’re an idiot.

Stratos: The IQ tests say otherwise.

Barn: *Deep breaths* What happens when you get rid of humanity back on your world?

Stratos: *Shrugs* Everything goes back to normal. Nature’s in balance. Yeah, things appear to be pretty good.

Barn: No, Stratos, nothing would be better. In millions of years nothing would change. All of those ideas, all of those devices, all of that intellect, all of that art, all of that history, all of those stories, all of that possibility, it would be gone.

Stratos: Meh, good trade-off.

Barn: Stratos, I do not say this lightly, you are the worst thing I have ever had the displeasure of knowing. You have no idea what you had and obviously you are unwilling to learn.

Stratos: Barn, I feel sorry that you are this old and that naive. Our lives really weren’t that different except for the fact that I realized idealism will only get you killed.

Barn: No, our lives were different because you… you at least had Nick. And I know you had others you could talk to. I didn’t have anypony. I didn’t have anything besides a few books about humans.

Stratos: *Sniggers* Inspirational?

Barn: More than you could imagine. *He used his front hoof to point to the book on the floor* I remember the first night I opened that book and read those pages. I recall every detail. It was dark, cold, windy, rainy, the worst storm I could imagine. I had evaded the village mob only to be attacked by monsters. I escaped but they inflicted several deep wounds. I couldn’t stop the blood. In this storm there was no way to cover or clean my injuries. The pain was unbearable. I found a small ledge to hide under but it barely helped keep the water off… You have no idea how hungry I was. It had been days since I found anything to eat and anything clean to drink. Muddy puddles could barely quench my thirst. I was deathly tired but I couldn’t sleep because of the pain. I was cold. I was lonely. I was scared. I couldn’t stop crying. I didn’t want to die but I didn’t see any other future. On a whim, maybe as the last thing I would do, I decided to read the one book I had with me. *Chuckle* I don’t even know where I got that book. I was so young but, under that tiny flicker of magical light, I’ll never forget what I read.

*PAUSE*

(Even though he paused here, I didn’t say anything. I’m glad I did not. I would have regretted it. I did however pick up the book and examine it. I noticed a great deal of dirt and dried blood on many of the pages.)

Barn: It was the tale of the Athereal Knights back in the times of Discord. This group of ponies, griffons, Diamond Wolves, dragons, monsters, and most importantly humans made a last stand against Discord to prevent his reach from spreading. But only the humans were immune to Discord’s influence. For humor, Discord turned their allies against them. He threw the land into chaos and made jokes out of their best efforts. Even though it was hopeless, they fought on, never giving an inch. Eventually, the nine human Grand Archmages and the Four Divine Winged Unicorns of Sunset came to the aid of the human knights. They turned the tide and helped the repel Discord from the town. This force continued to challenge Discord and was able to keep some areas of Equestria free of him before the Princesses were able to permanently seal him away. When Discord fell, only the humans and the Diamond Wolves remained as part of the Athereal Knights but they vowed to defend this world against evil for all of eternity.

*PAUSE*

Barn: I kept reading. Learning of their exploits and actions. Many times they were treated poorly due to the sigma their species’ had. Yet, no matter how they were treated, they never compromised their ideals. They always acted in the best for all. I wanted to be like that. Be like those heroes. I wanted to be a human. So I vowed to emulate them. Always do the right thing, always tell the truth, always help others, be that noble warrior. The story gave me just what I needed to push onward and survive. From then on, whenever times would grow hard, I would read one of their stories and bolster my resolve. I never gave up, just like they didn’t.

Stratos: *I closed the book* Barn, they aren’t real!

Barn: *Stamps his hoof* YES THEY ARE! I asked the Princess. They were history books. Deus was a historian. The Athereal Knights and the Nine Grand Archmages were the some of the first secret defenders of Equestria and its allies.

Stratos: …

*I dropped the book*

Barn: Oh, oh, look, now you understand? You thought you were unique. You assumed you were the only human of any worth. You assumed you were the first human that asked to aid the Princess? You never wondered why she agreed and trusted you so easily? She thought you were one of their lineages. But you can’t live up to that.

Stratos: They are—

Barn: When I first saw Zed, you have no idea how happy I was. I saw a human. An actual human dressed in the armor of a knight. I couldn’t believe it. The legends were true. And when I met you, you weren’t perfect but you said you wanted to defend Equestria. You wanted to create the Unknown Guardians. I thought I was going to join a new Athereal Knights.

Stratos: Well you were wrong.

Barn: Obviously. I knew you had flaws but you still looked like you had your heart in the right place. I thought that maybe you would change you attitude.

Stratos: You were trying to live a fantasy Barn. It’s time you realized that.

Barn: You’re wrong. Zed is every bit the human that you should be.

Stratos: The fact that he’s an android should alert you to the problem with that statement.

Barn: He was made by humans. He acts like a human. He does not need the body of one to be one. In fact, I’ve read many of the documents your colleagues left with you. Humans have so many wonderful inventions. Cross-world communication and travel. Revolutionary medicine and science. There are plenty of good humans out there.

Stratos: Of course it sounds like that. They always sound like that.

Barn: You need to stop living in your own little world and realize you are a problem. You said you want to be a pony, but that won’t change who you are. You complain about everyone else’s faults but you’ve never cared about your own. You’ve always been the problem. You are a terrible person.

Stratos: If you can’t handle me than leave.

Barn: I don’t hate Elly, or Esper, or Zed, or Plum… by the way, I’ve been meaning to say this for a while, nice job forcing Plum to join us. Real classy sticking her in front of the Princess like that.

Stratos: It worked. Who cares?

Barn: Oh that’s… Stratos, I don’t hate anypony else. I still look forward to the day I can meet actual normal humans. For all their faults, humans are fine. I just hate you.

Stratos: *I scoffed* Aw, don’t worry, you’ll hate the others eventually.

(That was when Barn lost it.)

Barn: Dear Celestia! You insufferable bigot! Do you know what the worst part about you is? I can’t even hate you for being evil, because you’re not. You’re just annoying! You know you’re wrong and you don’t care! Out of all the humans in existence, WHY THE HELL DID I HAVE TO MEET YOU!?

We glared at each other.

In the lull in our argument, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that all of my friends, even Smith, were watching through the open door. I saw their looks. They were horrified. Not with Barn, but with me.

I should have felt ashamed, instead I was angry. I picked up a nearby desk and threw it at Barn. The pony barely jumped out of the room in time to dodge the object. With that failure, I picked up his book and chucked it back at him, striking him in the eye, just as intended.

With that, I closed the door to my room and relocked it.

I didn’t come out for four days.

Stratos's Report (Smithy Strike) Part 2: Reconstruction

Barn spent the next four days recovering from the injury. His eye was a mess after the impact and healing magic was not precise enough to completely fix his vision. He needed a new eye to recover all of his sight. Zed was fully repaired by then and was more than willing to help with the surgery.

Plum was understandably furious with me. Later that first day, she kicked down my door and shut off power to my room. I did not retaliate. I simply repaired everything. This frustrated her even more and she flew away for a few days.

Esper continued trying to contact Nick, even once saying to me she had made some progress. I was sure she was lying to me but I kept my mouth shut.

Elly tried to continue dealing with the dark signals on her own. After a few close calls, and a lot of injuries, she decided to wait for the others to help.

In spite of interruptions, I had plenty of time to think and cool off. I can’t believe this but I must have deleted the conversations I had with Smith. That’s hard for me to believe because, as I mentioned, I don’t get rid of anything. The only reason Esper even had that quantum radio in the first place was because I kept that useless box even after everyone left for Earth. Heck she was using pieces I ripped from the Spectrum Bridge Generator which I was supposed to completely get rid of.

But back to Smith: For some reason, we talked to each other a few times. I’m not sure why I didn’t blow him off like everyone else. I think it was because Smith was only asking about the technical questions he had about what he was reading in the library.

Well, at least at first.

He began to inquire about my feelings. He helped me sort through a lot of my thoughts and I offered my input to anything he said. We were combative with how we talked but it seemed to work for both of us.

Sadly, I can’t remember much given how many years ago that was but I do remember that I asked him why he was so against any kind of help. He told me that was just the way he was and it always worked for him.

He also said that if I could not do anything but hate humans than I should just forget about them because obviously it was not helping me. He didn’t say it exactly like this, (if he did I would have ignored him), but he said I needed to consider my own problems and not create some sort of scapegoat.

I needed to start from square one and figure out how to solve everything without anything clouding my judgment. It was good advice.

But near the end, something dawned on me. We were feeling and acting much the same way over the course of our lives. Smith had isolated himself from others just like I had. He was dismissive of others and stubborn in his actions just like I was. Just like me, he was starting to realize the problems with his world view. And so on. It was like looking into a mirror.

I asked him why he had stayed here if he already had his journal. He did not answer.

I asked him if he was lonely. To that he did not answer either.

I asked him if he was happy or if he was even satisfied with his life. More importantly, would he ever be satisfied? His reaction was obvious.

I even asked him if he was really as good as he thought he was. Was he ever wrong? Had he ever blamed himself?

Perhaps most importantly, no matter how good he was, did anyone ever recognize him for how hard he worked? Would they ever recognize him solely for how brilliant he was?

Finally, I asked him if anyone cared about him. Those words hit him the hardest.

I wanted to ask more, but I had to stop. For both of our sakes.

Those talks with Smith happened over the course of three days.

It was on the forth day that Elly came to me.

Elly: Stratos?

Stratos: …

Elly: If you don’t want to come out, at least let me in.

(I pressed the button allowing her access. Elly walked inside. I was lying on my bed staring at the ceiling. Elly walked over to my bed and sat down. She did not say anything for minutes, so I spoke.)

Stratos: I was going to be famous.

Elly: What do you mean?

Stratos: As part of the deal with the Unknown, they were going to hand me a prototype of the equations they used to create the Spectrum Bridge. I would publish it and it would be humanity’s first step towards faster-than-light travel. My name would have been stamped in every major science textbook. The next E equals M C squared. No average person would know what it really meant but everyone would know it was important.

Elly: Don’t you want to be famous?

Stratos: It wasn’t my work. People would ask how I discovered it. I would be invited to share my stories. Everyone would listen to my scientific expertise and record all of my thoughts on philosophy and politics. I would have had to have lived the rest of my life under that lie. Why should I get credit for it? On the other hand, it was the best shot I had at achieving my dream. Even if it was all a lie. It’s why I went to this world in the first place. Maybe they did publish the equation under my name, maybe they gave it to someone else. Maybe they didn’t even publish it. But I gave that up when I decided to stay in Equestria.

Elly: Why did you stay?

Stratos: I’m sick of being miserable.

Elly: Equestria makes you happy?

Stratos: No. It just didn’t make me miserable. This place is more overtly peaceful. No negative things to distract me. Or disappoint me. But I’m not happy. Nothing makes me happy.

Elly: What about us?

*PAUSE*

Stratos: Elly, I’ve been a terrible friend. You are all much better than I deserve. That’s really not an exaggeration.

Elly: You aren’t that bad.

Stratos: Even barring what I did to Barn, I haven’t worked at getting to know any of you. I haven’t learned anything about any of you. I only know Zed because I built him. I only know Esper because I’ve practically raised her. I only learned about Barn’s desire to become a knight because I argued with him. Heck I’m ruining his dream. Barn’s right, I only cared about myself. I don’t know of anyone’s dreams. Friends should help…

*PAUSE*

Stratos: Elly, what is your dream?

Elly: To make everypony happy.

Stratos: You’re naïve if you think you can achieve that.

Elly: Then I guess I am not naïve.

Stratos: *Chcukles* I see why you and Zed get along so well. Do you know Plum’s dream?

Elly: She says she wants show her architecture to the world, but mostly she wants to start a family.

Stratos: That won’t do anything in the long-run.

Elly: It will make her happy.

*PAUSE*

Stratos: And I ripped that away from her by forcing her to join us.

Elly: I don’t think so. Unless this evil is stopped, nopony will be safe. *Smiles* Besides, she likes Barn.

*PAUSE*

Stratos: Why don’t you hate me?

Elly: First of all, you saved my life.

Stratos: Oh, right.

Elly: And second, I don’t think you are bad. I think you are sad.

Stratos: It does not excuse anything. Intentions and ideas do not excuse actions.

Elly: I know you can change.

Stratos: I have not changed my idea about humans.

Elly: To extrapolate on what the Greek philosophers said, “A man only hates their fellow man because their expectations fail to align with their reality on numerous occasions. Continual disappointment leads to pessimism. We cannot expect perfection and focusing on failures will only lead to misery. To escape from that darkness, we need to understand our follies and shift our view to find the light. Only then can we rekindle that flame.”

Stratos: *I sat up on my bed* Wow, what book did you get that from?

Elly: One of your video games.

Stratos: Oh… Well, regardless, you’re right. I need a new perspective. Smith is correct, start from zero. I need to find that one thing. There’s always one guy I can trust.

(I got up from the bed and walked over to my desk. I kept a print copy of Nick’s “mission” to me on my desk, next to any computer really. I studied the words closely.)

Stratos: You didn’t say I could defeat this thing. So, am I not supposed to win? *beat* Wait a second. Maybe I’m not supposed to win.

Elly: I don’t understand.

Stratos: They may have known I couldn’t win on my own—

Elly: But that’s why we’re here to help, right?

Stratos: Well… uh… no. With your help, I am a lot stronger but it is still not enough. The point is, even if they did not think I could win, it does not mean they thought I would lose or that what I was doing was useless.

(I turned to face Elly.)

Stratos: Elly, why would they have only me stay behind?

Elly: Uh…

Stratos: Never mind, I’ll answer that. They could have had a soldier or, really, anyone else stay behind. They could have conducted covert operations. They picked me because I was supposed to research this thing, not stop it. Even if they were selfish, they can’t ignore this danger.

Elly: That’s a good thing?

Stratos: Actually, no. We can do something just not what we actually want to do. Still, that’s good enough for me.

Elly: So, now what?

(I nodded to myself and put the note in my pocket.)

Stratos: Come on Elly, let’s gather everyone together and go contact Princess Celestia.

Elly: So are we done being depressed?

Stratos: For now. *I shook my head and chuckled* I still don’t know how you can do that so easily.

Elly: Do what?

Stratos: Cheer me up.

Elly: Oh, I do.

Stratos: Really? How?

Elly: By being awesome. *She proudly trotted out of the room*

Stratos: *Amusement* True enough.

I quickly went to the lounge to sort everything out with everyone. Luckily, it just so happened that everyone, minus Smith, was in that room at that time. Also luckily, in spite of scowling by Barn and Plum, no one tried to kill me or ignore me.

Barn: Oh great, you’re up.

Stratos: Barn, you’re right, I’m sorry, I need to stop blaming others and get my act together. There’s no amount of combination of words that will work as an apology. Thus, I’m not sure what else to say other than I hope I make up for past and prove myself to you, starting now.

(That caught Barn off-guard.)

Barn: …Okay.

Stratos: Esper.

Esper: Yes?

Stratos: Are you still trying to communicate with Nick?

Esper: Yes! As I said, I think I even got a response! Not sure how to translate it but—

Stratos: Stop it.

Esper: Why?

Stratos: If I am correct, Nick knows we’re in trouble. We were wrong about the time frame before they come back. Most likely, from their departure, they intended to come back anywhere between five and thirty years. Our responsibility is to send them information that would help inform them of what they could be fighting so they could better prepare themselves. Do we have any useful information on that?

Esper: Oh, right. At least I probably got it to work.

Stratos: Indeed. Save your research for later when we can use it.

Esper: Okay!

Stratos: Plum, are you sure you still want to be an Unknown Guardian?

Plum: Yes, why wouldn’t I?

Stratos: I just need to make sure I’m not forcing anyone to do anything they don’t want to do.

Plum: Let me worry about that.

Stratos: Right… Did you have a good trip to Coltberton?

Plum: Yes I did… Wait, how did you know that?

Stratos: I figured, if you were frustrated with me, you’d want to talk with your family.

Plum: I went to talk with my sister. After insulting you for an hour, I told her you think Equestria is not strong enough anymore.

Stratos: What’d she say?

Plum: That we should make it stronger.

Stratos: Are you saying you two worked out a plan?

Plum: Yes, but I don’t want to tell you just so you can shoot it down.

Stratos: Trust me.

Plum: How about no.

Stratos: Alrighty then… I have no idea what to say now.

Elly: Please Plum?

*PAUSE*

Plum: Elly, were you ever a warrior or ever want to be one?

Elly: Oh no, violence was the last thing on my mind. I always hated when anypony argued and stayed as far away from weapons as possible.

Esper: But, you play video games!

Elly: Because they are fun and nopony gets hurt.

Zed: I disagree. I express a great deal of disagreement towards that statement.

*PAUSE*

Plum: Moving on. Would you ever hurt anypony?

Elly: No, never!

Plum: If we could train Elly, then we can train anypony. We can and should start recruitment. We need an army.

Esper: That could work. She’s right!

Stratos: She is, but we are not equipped to deal with a large influx of recruits.

Plum: Oh great.

Stratos: No-no-no, don’t misunderstand. I’m saying we need to plan this for a few weeks, preferably a few months, before we officially go forward.

Plum: So, you like the plan? You’re actually agreeing?

Stratos: Yup, we need to get more ponies in on this. And if you don’t mind, the first place I’d like to check out is Coltberton. They have the best warriors and we can trust them. Do you agree?

Plum: That sounds great!

Stratos: Good, just remember it’s not an option at this very moment. We’ll get started soon.

Plum: Gotcha.

Stratos: Now… Zed?

(Zed was still experiencing some sort of terrifying gaming-related flashback but shook himself back to reality.)

Zed: Yes?

Stratos: If you’re going to keep fighting at this pace, we need to upgrade you significantly.

Zed: Are you capable of doing that?

Stratos: At the very moment, no. For that, we need better base materials.

Zed: Meaning, you need to get Smith.

Stratos: Yup. Everyone, prepare for departure to Canterlot. We’re going to meet with the Princess but, before that, I’m going to get Smith. Any objections?

(There were none.)

Stratos: Alright!

(I turned around to leave but before I left the room I turned back to face everyone again.)

Stratos: By the way, if I ever act like that again, would someone please kill me?

(Plum and Barn tried to raise their hooves but Esper beat them to it.)

Esper: I’ll do it!

Stratos: Oddly enthusiastic, but thank you.

(Then I left.)

Zed: That was truly fascinating. *Turns to Barn* Contrary to your statements, there might be hope for him yet.

Barn: I hope so. It’d be a nice change of pace.

*PAUSE*

Barn: I’d still rather talk to other humans.

Esper: *Still looking at her code on her quantum transmitters* Ah ha! I can figure out one part of the message. If I am correct, Nick says… “Hello… ponies!”

Barn: …It’s a start.

(On the other side of the room.)

Plum: Elly, how’d you do that?

Elly: You owe me forty bits.

Plum: Aw, ponyfeathers.

I made a stop by our base’s library where I knew Smith was hanging out. When I arrived I saw he was reading my custom-print version of “Rats in the Walls” by none other than H.P. Lovecraft. As soon as he noticed me, Smith closed the book and sat down at the nearest table. Soon after, I took my chair and we briefly locked our gazes.

Smith: So you are up.

Stratos: Nope, still crying myself to sleep. This is just a hologram.

Smith: Are all humans this annoying?

Stratos: No, some of us are really scary because we are incredibly violent.

Smith: I can see that.

Stratos: Still, that at least keeps us safe from most threats, unlike Equestria.

Smith: I suppose that is a fair statement.

*PAUSE*

Smith: Alright, say what you want to say then I will say what I want to.

Stratos: Okay Smithy Strike or, if you don’t mind, I will call you Smith. You and I are pretty much exactly the same. Besides the whole pony-human thing. We both have incredible abilities that we want to be recognized for. Beyond that, we want to use those abilities to gain even more recognition and respect on a large scale but, quite frankly, the thing is, in the grand scheme of things, we are weak and insignificant. If you do not join our organization, as much as we joked about it when we first met, no matter how great you are, you will die alone in a hovel. Join us and that won’t happen. You will perfect your craft, gain abilities and powers you never would have dreamed of, and have your name go down in Equestrain history as one of its saviors. Yes, a lot of your time will be spent training for battles, studying unrelated topics, and going on missions, but in the end you will win out because you won’t have to spend so much time gathering materials and will benefit from all of our knowledge and intellect. We want you to join our organization because we need someone we can trust who has unsurpassed ability in crafting weapons and armor while not being a nuisance when the time for battle comes. We will be that much stronger with you at our side. Quite frankly, from my own personal endeavors, I can easily say there is no one in all of Equestria more qualified for this position than you are. We can do a whole lot of good together. Therefore I will ask one question: Do you want to become an Unknown Guardian?

Smith: … Wow. Uh, *scratches the back of his head with his hoof* I was just going to say that I wanted to join your group.

Stratos: …Oh.

*PAUSE*

Stratos: What changed your mind?

Smith: Well, I saw all of the other formerly cursed items you have and I feel certain amount of kinship with the others who have suffered the same fates. For once, I can say I enjoy the company of all of the ponies here. I was rather impressed with Zed’s dedication towards fighting those abominations. You were right, humans know a whole lot more about my own craft than I do and I will need your machines to significantly improve my skills within my own lifetime. That your goals overlap with mine is just an added bonus. And beyond all of that, you are rather odd; I want to see what you will do. If you can really do anything at all.

Stratos: That’s not all is it?

Smith: Nope.

Stratos: Don’t feel like talking about the actual emotional reasons?

Smith: Nah.

Stratos: Just checking. Okay then. Um, wanna go meet the Princess and tell her what we found out?

Smith: To the first part yes, to the second part no, but we might as well do both.

Stratos: Come on, let’s go.

*We got up and began to leave the room.*

Smith: You know that speech was pretty good. Did you think of that off the top of your head?

Stratos: Mostly.

Smith: That’s impressive.

Stratos: I can tell this is going to be the start of a wonderful friendship.

Smith: Is that a reference to something?

Stratos: Roughly, I can’t remember the exact line.

Smith: *Chuckles* Well I can say one thing.

Stratos: And that is?

Smith: Life within the “Unknown Guardians” is going to be rather interesting.

I’d hope so; otherwise what I am writing is going to be very boring when someone reads it.

And so off we left to meet with Princess Celestia. She had no idea what we were going to say or why but that all of us were going to meet her proved the importance.

I won’t set the scene much. We were in the royal gardens and it was in the middle of the full moon lit night, that’s all.

The important thing was what was said.

Celestia: I sense this is not simply a matter of introducing me to our new companion.

Stratos: Sadly no. On that matter, let’s keep it short. Smith, say hi.

Smith: Hello Princess Celestia, it is a pleasure to meet you once again.

Celestia: Likewise, Smithy Strike. I am glad they were able to sway your opinion to our favor. I am curious how they managed this.

Smith: Yes but if that is a story to be told it must wait for another time.

(I cut them off there.)

Stratos: I need to get this over with. This is not easy to say. As you may see we are not exactly in the highest of spirits.

Celestia: Then I must assume this is a matter of great importance. Please, go on.

Stratos: Alright, I am going to tell you exactly what is going on here. What this thing is doing and why.

Celestia: You have a conclusion you are willing to share?

Stratos: Yes. As you know, we have been trying to track down and eliminate the source of these dark magical energies. I am sorry to say, for that part, we have no answer. Nevertheless, we have collected many items that are cursed and saved many individuals who have been afflicted. During this time we noticed a disturbing pattern within our endeavors. It is no coincidence that, as soon as we try to help or arrive in an area of dark energy, we are attacked. More specifically, as soon as we try and help or meet with any cursed individual they are attacked. So, we know for a fact that this thing does not want multiple “cursed” individuals interacting with each other. On the other hand, with cursed items, we know these items are solely related to the investigations into what is causing these events. However, I must clarify that neither these items nor any individuals are actually cursed, they are… followed.

Celestia: Followed?

Stratos: For example, Sir Colbert’s journal was never cursed in spite of its importance. The likely reason is because what was supposed to observe his item was instead killed by him, meaning that this thing did not know where the item was so could not follow it properly. It seemingly does not worry about us collecting large amounts of cursed items because we are killing everything that monitors the items. Without seeing us it can’t follow us. Even besides that, we are actually removing potential items that could inform individuals about this thing from circulation. I’m not sure it would want to stop us even if it knew what we were doing.

Celestia: There is no curse. It is something that is watching, plotting, and acting.

Stratos: Correct. And the next question that comes to mind is, of course, why?

*PAUSE*

Celestia: Is something wrong?

Stratos: We had the information in front of us this whole time. It was there from the very beginning; as soon as we translated Colbert’s journal… Before I go on, I should emphasize that all of this was done specifically while avoiding your gaze. The near impossibility that you do not know about all of this even after all this time means that these attacks had to have been planned around you.

Celestia: Does it know me this well?

Stratos: Probably, but we don’t know. But, as I say, we know what it is doing. It is eliminating powerful monsters. In addition, legendary warriors are being killed off. Many times this is either before they started a family or along with their entire family. Nevertheless, Colbert’s journal is the biggest clue. He gave out everything. Most of the names on his record were individuals who were either legends or prodigies going to become legends. Many of my friends here are also of that caliber and they were attacked.

Celestia: Doctor Lucid, I do not need more evidence. Please, tell me what is happening.

Stratos: Princess Celestia, these aren’t just random killings tied to those who could find or discover this thing, these are assassinations of the strong. This thing is eliminating the most powerful members of Equestria including monsters and possible allied civilizations. Moreover, the reason why it is killing those with special abilities is to keep them from reproducing. It wants to remove those abilities from the gene pool.

Celestia: Why would it do this?

Stratos: Societal engineering. Over hundreds of years it purposefully promotes physical weakness and stunts development to make sure that society as a whole is weaker. It gets rids of potential leaders and sources of resistance including non-Equestrians. I’ve never even conceived of something like this. But the closest match, or the closest thing this resembles, can be seen with a certain brand of tactics used on Earth. This is used in preparation for war and genocide.

(I never thought it was possible for her face to become pale.)

Stratos: Its ultimate goal is to either to destroy all of Equestria or that is just a casualty to get rid of you.

(Celestia tried to say something, but she could not. She turned her gaze away from us.)

Stratos: If you had discovered this three hundred years ago, you could have tried to gather the forces to challenge it. Now, combat magic is a dying, if not dead, art. Even the Royal Guard can barely do more than one type of basic elemental attack. Weapons are uncommon. Powerful artifacts are falling apart. Equestria doesn’t have any legendary warriors anymore. This thing has removed anything that could challenge it. There’s no one left. WE are all that is left. We are by far the strongest force Equestria has seen in a hundred years… Stronger individuals have fallen to it. From the texts, I know this thing has only shown a fraction of its power.

(Celestia continued to stare at the ground. She mumbled a couple of ancient words to herself that Zed later translated to mean "The Holy Beings." I assume she was cursing at the gods for her misfortune.)

Stratos: I’m sorry Celestia. I said I would solve this. We all wanted to save Equestria. It’s hard for me to admit the impossibility of our task. The truth is, we are probably one hundred years too late to help. We aren’t strong enough. We need more warriors. We can’t do it alone. We can’t stop it. At this point, nothing can. If it attacks now, we are doomed.

*PAUSE*

Stratos: That is our conclusion.

I’m not sure how long we stood there. If felt like forever. I wanted Celestia to say something; we all did. To say it was okay, or that she had a plan, or just something.

She didn’t.

The physical god of Equestria was at a loss. She just stood there, confused, struggling to think of anything.

Luckily, Zed broke our silence.

Zed: What do you desire for us to do?

Celestia: I… um, I… I do not… I do not know. What is doing this?

Zed: We do not know. After years of action we are no closer to finding out precisely what is doing this, why they would want to do this, how they are doing this, or where they could be staging their operations from.

Celestia: So we have nothing.

(It was more a defeated statement than a question.)

Zed: Incorrect. We are gradually targeting and eliminating areas of disturbance. We have saved many lives in the process and, most importantly, we have discovered that something is happening and its overall objective. We are gaining ground. We will track the source or sources down and do what we can to stop it. That is why the Royal Unknown Guardians was created. We are here to help you and we will do so to the best of our abilities. We will not stop simply because the task is impossible.

Zed, I’ve got to hand it to him. His comment was not just uplifting, it was correct. This was our duty, our promise. His words seemed to rejuvenate Princess Celestia’s spirit. And from there, we began to formulate our next action.

Celestia: Do we have a plan?

Stratos: Give me a moment.

Esper: I love this part.

*PAUSE*

Stratos: Alright Celestia, do everything in your power to protect anyone with special abilities. We do not know why but it is avoiding specific areas. You, Canterlot, The Everfree Forest, and a few other places we will soon confirm. Again, place anyone of note in those areas. We will continue our operations and narrow down its activities. We will protect anyone we can. We don’t know what is doing this but we are not powerless. Build contacts, build alliances, quietly build up the military. We will give you armor, technology, attack drones, anything. If I am correct, we just need to slow it down.

Celestia: How much time do we have?

Stratos: This has been going on for hundreds of years and I don’t think it will end anytime soon. It probably will not act in full. The Unknown seemed oddly confident about that fact and I will trust their judgment.

Celestia: Is there anything that can stop it?

Stratos: No amount of magic or skill has worked. It has eliminated everything that could be a threat on this world. Nevertheless, there is one force that I believe is strong enough to challenge it. If nothing else, we can hold out until my colleagues return. The Unknown Soldiers, the Unknown Agents, the United Nations, the Nine Unknown Men, maybe even a few corporations, they will help us. Nickolas promised me — promised us — this. We will stop it. We will win. We will complete this mission. One way or another… We can count on humanity.

Celestia: You are putting a great deal of trust in your allies.

Stratos: *I looked over at Barn* I think that’s something I need to start doing more often. Besides, would you do any different?

Celestia: I would not. Should we avoid confronting this until they arrive?

Stratos: No, if we track it down, with your help, we should kill or contain it. We don’t know when it plans to act and in the meantime many lives are at risk.

Plum: Hate to kill our bravado but we are not strong enough to stop it. Sir Colbert mentioned how many had fallen to it and he himself was killed.

Elly: It killed many Ursa Majors.

Smith: It destroyed several civilizations.

Esper: But it has not attacked us or Equestria directly.

Zed: If it could destroy us it would. It is conducting its current operations because it cannot.

Esper: Probably.

Zed: Probably.

Barn: Just a thought; Princess Celestia, what this group or individual is doing, it is outside your range of ability, correct?

Celestia: They are using powers I do not possess but that does not mean they are stronger than me.

Barn: Is it possible?

Celestia: For them to be stronger than me? Yes. There are beings I cannot match with my own abilities.

Stratos: Such as?

Celestia: Nightmare Moon, Unifier, Gale, Discord, Reaper, Avardis, Helios, and… that is all I remember. There are a few more. Not all are hostile.

Stratos: Sorry for throwing so many questions at you—

Celestia: That’s quite alright.

Stratos: But which ones are hostile?

Celestia: The evil ones were Nightmare Moon and Discord but they have been sealed away. I am certain they are not a threat.

Elly: Are the others friendly?

Celestia: Helios was… Though I only assume he is alive. I have not heard from him in some time.

Stratos: The others?

Celestia: Unifier and Gale are reclusive. I do not know remember much of their abilities. They are hard to find and they do not wish to be disturbed. They are always neutral and indifferent. Reaper and Avardis—

Zed: The Nine Unknown Men have files with those names. * Zed grimaced at his own actions* Sorry for interrupting.

Celestia: That’s quite alright. I am not surprised that humans know of them. Those two only consider the affairs of humanity. Reaper cannot be killed and has vowed to defend humanity if it is in danger. Otherwise he does not interfere. On the other hoof, Avardis enjoys testing the abilities of humans and their allies. He can be killed but he can always reform elsewhere. His interference puts him at odds with Reaper and yet Avardis will more vigorously defend humans and other beings if he takes interest in them. He does not appreciate wanton killings.

Elly: At least they are not evil.

Celestia: Evil beings of my ability do not last long.

Esper: Hang on. If they are all alive, were there others who are no longer living?

Celestia: Yes. Terra Thantos, Pnumbra, Lord Methusta, Hïslçy, Ethos, Spire The Destroyer, Krastos The Glue Maker, Utäktrüá The Corrupter, Cavern The Mistborn, Yinskuff, Fin… *Chuckles* This could go on for a while if I am not careful. Equestria was not always a place of joy and discovery. All the same, I had not considered them for a reason. I am certain they are all dead and none acted in this manner.

Stratos: How certain are you that they are gone?

Celestia: These beings were either tyrants or nearly mindless creatures of destruction. They were quite open about their actions. With their defeat, Equestria has been free of great turmoil for hundreds of years.

Esper: Sort of. *Zed flicked her on the horn* Ow!

Zed: Go on.

Celestia: Heroes and others helped to free Equestria. Reaper killed Utäktrüá, Avardis killed Yinskuff, Helios helped destroy Lord Methusta, even Thantos was no match for the Nine Grand Archmages, and with great help from Helios, Endewize, the Grand Archmages, and the Athereal Knights I personally lead the Royal Army to finally permanently defeat Krastos and its Reclaimers. Much more recently, Sir Colbert built his legend by slaying Pnumbra. A task even I could not complete.

Plum: Sir Colbert was stronger than you?

(I was certain Celestia almost got lost in her own thoughts.)

Celestia: *Chuckles* No, but he was very clever. He threw his strengths against Pnumbra’s weaknesses. He set traps, created plans, studied legends, and used tools. It was his first major victory. One among many. Furthermore, it was the only one he completed by himself. From there on he had allies he could lead into battle.

Smith: So we are doing the exact same thing Colbert was doing and doing that got him killed.

Stratos: Yup. Reassuring, ain’t it?

Barn: Strike, you don’t have to join us.

Smith: *Scoffs* No way. This thing has been pestering my family for generations. Besides, if we stop this, we will be legends. *He looked at me and smiled* Isn’t that right Doctor Stratos Lucid.

Stratos: Indeed that is correct. But, unfortunately, it looks like we are mostly on our own for now. Our plan has not changed though I would like us to spend some time researching into these past uh “beings of destruction” just in case they are somehow related.

Celestia: It sounds as if we are not so doomed after all.

Stratos: It does seem like that but you never know. I mean I think at this point we will become legends but I’d prefer to be alive when those legends come about.

Celestia: I can arrange something.

Plum: As much as I enjoy conversing with the Princess can we please get back to our duties?

Zed: Plum is right. We have a new member to break in.

Barn: *Talking to Smith* Besides that, I think I will be able to help you greatly with enchanting your armors. And there are a lot of items from the human world to go over. It is rather fortunate that we have humans on our side.

Smith: …I know this is a little off topic but I’m not really that afraid of this thing. Not compared to Stratos or Zed anyways.

Elly: Why? They aren’t… *Thinks for a second* Zed isn’t mean to anypony.

(However warranted, and much to everyone else’s amusement, I desperately struggled for a counter-remark to that statement before giving up.)

Smith: One of the series of human stories I read referenced a group of powerful god-like creatures from outside our reality that can make beings go insane with the mere understanding of what they can do and how they act.

Barn: *Interest piqued* I believe you are referring to Lovecraft and his associates’ stories. I have read them. They are quite interesting.

Smith: Yes, well, as far as I am concerned humans seem to hold a lot of those characteristics. Stratos in particular seems to hold those characteristics. Honestly, it is one reason why I joined your group.

Zed: Lovecraft convinced you to join us?

Stratos: …That’s it. I’m burning those books.

Esper: Yay! We have an Elder God on our side!

Plum: Oh the joys of friendship.

Celestia: It is the kind of magic we all learn to appreciate.

In due time I suppose.

With our plan solidified and information exchanged, we exchanged good byes and wished each other luck.

The Unknown Guardians spent the next few months training with Smith, who proved to be surprisingly difficult to work with. While Smith was more than a competent fighter, he had a hard time learning how to work with others. Not to mention he had a lot to catch up on regarding modern techniques and technologies. Luckily, he had to work with Barn for most of his new enchanted equipment which, slowly but surely, warmed him up to the needed concepts. Those two are now really good friends and are usually seen talking with each other in their spare time. I believe they have even formed an informal book-club, along with Plum and Esper, where they read stories created by humans.

More importantly, when he began to perfect his armors, there literally was no equal. It seemed as if, overnight, our weapons and armor doubled in effectiveness. Having someone actually specialized in a specific task really does make all the difference.

Can’t say much else about his particular abilities. His work did help improve our droids and other machines but our overall operations did not change.

As you can hopefully see, Smith and I are a little snarky with one another. As I said, we are similar in personality. We respect each other’s abilities but do not hang out too often. Most of our contact comes from when we need something from each other. I guess our relationship could best be described as business-like.

One thing that does separate me from him is his love of music, any kind of music. Symphonic, electronic, quiet, loud, sung, and wordless, he loves it all. He says that the easy access to songs is the thing he appreciates most about technology and humanity. He finds it inspirational when working. If he needs a certain mood, he goes and sets the appropriate group of songs to play. He even briefly considered trying to learn how to make songs himself before admitting it was way over his head and not worth the time investment to him. (Which, now that I think about it, shows he’s not as stubborn as he used to be.)

And he has gotten more social.

Smith and Zed enjoy sparring together. Smith is the one guy, pony, thing, who can almost keep up with Zed. It helps that he can fly and can take a lot of punishment. And in an actual mission, Smith and Zed seem to gravitate towards one another as fighting pairs.

As I said, Plum and Esper generally spend the most time with Smith in their book club. Otherwise, most of Plum’s relationship with Smith is built around aerial combat sparring. The two seem to like their friendship to stay at that near-rivalry level. I think that this stems from their semi-warrior upbringings but I can’t be certain.

Esper and Smith are on surprisingly good terms. He loves teaching her about his metal crafting techniques and is always pleased at her metal-generating skills. Even besides that, it appears Smith is really good with children and is always willing to play games with Esper.

Elly is the only one who still, to this day, has not really established a solid relationship with Smith. The two don’t talk or interact much beyond Smith occasionally asking Elly for large quantities of selected minerals or Elly asking him to better customize her armor. I guess their personalities are just too opposite of one another. She doesn’t like his harsh, indifferent attitude while he does not like her soft, overly supportive one. It is not to say they hate each other. Smith admits that he rather respects Elly’s determination and knows that he relies on her for healing when he is down. On the other hand, Elly enjoys Smith’s softer-side with Esper and recognizes his skill and just how important he is to the team. Both would willingly (and have willingly) taken blows for each other and fight by each other’s side.

It’s that dynamic we have to work with. Differing personalities and traits. Sometimes I have to remind myself we never officially chose a leader and it is not my job to run this place smoothly and efficiently. I should let them develop and run their own relationships and not get involved. All of them do their jobs well and none are on bad terms with one another. Again, the worst is with Elly and Smith who just don’t interact all that much.

I guess I am just lucky to have a group of friends that get along so well and that I can count on all of them as comrades in battle.

It’s kind of ironic (if that’s the correct way to use the word) but, besides Nick, I never really appreciated my friends back on Earth. Now that I have new friends I miss my old ones even more.

But, as is clearly evident, I was never a good friend. I doubt that most of them even recognize that I have been gone for nearly a decade. I probably just fazed out of their lives without anyone noticing.

Maybe that’s why I’m writing these documents. This thing could attack at any moment. I know I’m not immortal. I guess I don’t want to be forgotten after I die. Even if I am known on Equestria I don’t want to just disappear from Earth. But really, what’s the likelihood of anyone finding and caring about this while I’m still alive? By then there will probably only be a few video recordings or pictures of me at best. At worst there will only be these words and no one will really know who I was. Maybe that’s a good thing.

I suppose the other reason I write this has to relate to these dark signals. So many have fallen to them that I feel like, if it happens to me, someone should know about it so they don’t have to spend years researching and fighting like I did. To be fair, I guess that was the point of the mission Nick assigned to me.

In that respect, I have something unfortunate to admit: I’ve spent the last few weeks trying to write and perfect these little documents on me, my friends, and what we were searching for, but our introduction with Smith was the last time we had a major breakthrough on this investigation into the dark signals.

That said, whatever we are tracking has proven to be an elusive figure. It can manipulate seemingly anything to accomplish its goals.

If nothing else, there is one thing I can be relatively certain of: This thing is likely one entity and it is intelligent.

Report Addendum: Letters

[Letters: Celestial Date 987]

Dear Plum,

I do not want you to be suspicious of me. I am sorry, it has been too long since I have had others nearby and I am not used to thinking about how my actions could be interpreted. I have been dealing with personal issues and I thought that not getting you or anypony else involved would be best for everyone. I believe I owe you an explanation.

Do not say this to his face, but Stratos is a genius. From what I understand, he has nearly perfect self-selective photographic memory, and his ability to grasp any new material and adapt that to any situation is unparalleled. Even the brightest of pony minds have a hard time holding a candle to this one human. And yet, even though he says he tries to do the right thing I am terrified of him.

When I saw Stratos and Barn arguing with each other I was immediately struck by the way Stratos was acting. Even to his friends, even to you, the way he talked about his own species, his stubbornly judgmental views on everypony he knew, and his adamant belief in his own superiority was horrifying. Worse, I knew that if he was pushed too far, there was nothing he was unwilling to do. And because of his intelligence, there is little I doubt he could not do. I am not sure if we could stop him if he turned against us. I have to trust that Zed would be strong enough to prevent that from happening.

Please do not think I believe this man is evil. I know he does not mean to be like that but Stratos only cares about what he wants. He does not easily accept opposing views because he believes he can never be wrong. Understandably, it makes everyone hate him.

Worse yet, he was acting like me. It made me realize how stupid I had been.

Plum, I think it is time you understood me a little better. I did not just steal my ancestor’s journal because I wanted to end the curse on my family; I did it because I wanted them to remember me. I was always the best at everything. I was the best fighter and the best crafter. I mastered everything with ease. I always acted the best I could. Everypony in my family hated me. Now I understand why. I was always too self-righteous, acting above everypony. I could not grasp why they did not like me. I thought they were jealous. I thought I deserved more recognition for what I was doing. But no matter how good I was, they never changed their opinion of me.

When they refused to recognize me, I stole the journal. I went to live by myself because I assumed doing so would show how great I was. I told myself I did not need them. I went to work on my armors thinking that my skills would get me the recognition I deserved.

But I still acted like a jerk. I pushed everyone away. Yes, many professionals knew about me, but they all learned to avoid me. If Stratos and Esper had not found me and pursued conversation in spite of my attitude, I am sure I would have been either forgotten or remembered only with disgust.

And when Esper showed me this base and her friends I felt something in the pit of my stomach. When I saw what Stratos had, I became envious. I realized how lonely I was and how I wanted to have somepony to talk to. I did not just want recognition, I wanted friends. I could not understand why he had them and I did not. But when he came so close to losing it all, it finally sank into my skull that unless he changed, he was going to end up like me. He was going to end up alone.

I vowed to better myself. I do not want to be like this anymore.

That is why I tried to make amends with my family. I knew I could not do that alone. That is why I asked Barn to come with me.

I sent Barn in first to “break the ice” as it were. In the way that he does, Barn quickly got them to open up to him. They are doing quite well now that the curse no longer plagues them. They still train and improve their abilities so they have not changed all that much. They liked Barn’s ability and felt sympathy for him when he explained his former situation of being cursed. They practically welcomed him in as one of the family.

But no matter how long Barn talked, they did not mention me by name. They had removed every trace of my existence.

Finally, Barn pulled out my ancestor’s journal and gave it to them. They loved him for that and profusely thanked him in every way ponily possible. They spoke of how the journal was taken from them by a lowlife. Still, they refused to mention me by name.

Barn eventually said he got the journal from me. My family warned him to stay as far away from me as possible. Barn said that this would be a problem.

When I showed myself, they immediately became hostile. Even after apologizing and saying I had learned from my mistakes and was trying to better myself, they still showed me the door. When I tried to ask how I could make it up to them, they threatened me with weapons. I knew that it was time to leave.

I will have to thank him standing up for me. Barn asked why they were so hostile to his friend. Using as many unpleasant words as imaginable, my family said that I was a selfish pony that could not be trusted. Barn said I had changed. They refused to believe it.

I asked Barn if we could just go and he agreed.

When we left, my family held no ill will towards Barn, only me. They gave him food and items, wished him well, and reiterated that I was not worth associating with.

I do not think they will ever forgive me.

That is what I was doing.

So please do not hate me. I want to change. I know it will be a slow process but I am trying. I do not want to be like Stratos. I am afraid of that happening. I will work hard. I will be the best Unknown Guardian I can be. I promise.

Sincerely,
Smithy Strike

Dear Strike,

It’s alright. If your family won’t accept you then you are welcome in ours.

Don’t worry; I know you are not as similar to Doctor Lucid as you might think. You spent the time to write me a detailed and personal letter about your life and feelings while Stratos would never do that.

If anything, I ask you to not think of Stratos as a good symbol of his species. I know you and Barn are reading all of Stratos’s horror novels and I cannot imagine that would paint a good picture of them. I’d rather point you to my home’s own legends of Sir Colbert or Deus’s writings on the human Athereal Knights and their Diamond Wolf brethren. If we are going to be working with humans in the future we need to know both the good and the bad.

As far as improving who you are. Just remember that you do not need to change your personality, just how you act towards others through it. For that we will all help you as much as you need.

With Love,
Pocket Plum

P.S. Do you think your family would be good additions to the Unknown Guardians?

Dear Plum,

Thank you. I needed to hear that.

I am not going to judge humans like that. Unlike most ponies, I knew that humans existed. Master Strike wrote about them frequently. They were some of the only ones to survive being associated with him. Whatever this thing is, it does not like confronting humans. It briefly made my ancestor suspicious of them. I just need to know whether it is because humans are worse than it or better than it, if you catch my meaning. I will withhold final judgment until after we meet them. Until then, I am interested in this other culture.

On the other hoof, that is a great idea. My family consists of a lot of exceptional ponies. Given that they see it as their duty to challenge this darkness I believe they would be all too willing to help. Just do not right away tell them that I am here.

With Thanks,
Smithy Strike

Council Inaction

[Conclusion of First Council Meeting]

Attendees

Representative of the Nine Unknown Men: Unknown 3
Representative of Armor Incorporated: CEO Base
Representative of the Security Forces: Commander Omni
Representative of the U.N. Diplomats: Megan Williams
Representative of the R&D Specialists: Dr. Hale
Representative of the Equestrian Staff: “Doctor Whooves”

Summary

After meeting for seven hours the council covered a number of topics relevant to the current situation. This document lists the results of this discussion. The official report will be released shortly.

Statements (Dated: 15/04/2077)

• Armor Incorporated equine staff is as important as human and AI staff.
• Transport and relocation to Alpha Earth will be made available to all staff members should the need arise.
• Additional military support cannot be expected from the U.N. or any participating nation.
• Armor Incorporated has secured additional staff, soldiers, and supplies from Alpha Earth funded through sale of Equestrian resources and products.
• Operations are significantly in the red. Armor Incorporated and the Unknown do not consider this important. Armor Incorporated will continue funding operations regardless.
• Recent casualties caused by Krastos and its allies are, as of yet, not significant enough to warrant a halt of company activities.
• The security forces are increasingly effective at combating current threats.
• Equine forces are valuable, necessary additions to standing forces. More will be recruited.
• Equine security forces have performed under par. Reevaluation of training techniques for earth ponies is required.
• R&D involving magitech is progressing at an acceptable rate and has already yielded many practical results.
• R&D involving Beta Earth’s environment continues to produce new products. Short-term and long-term projects are already underway, achieving goals ahead of schedule.
• Military equipment on Beta Earth is now on par with or superior to Alpha Earth equipment.
• Immediate benefits of Equestrian operations outweigh the costs.
• The Unknown Soldiers are conducting a classified mission. The degree of success or failure of this operation will help determine the next course of action.
• The council has decided to suspend voting until further data has been collected.

Stratos's Report (Cobalt Flash) Part 1: Equire

Name: Cobalt Flash
Species: Pony – Unicorn
Gender: Male
Coat Color: “Light” Black (Night Black? I really need a color/shade chart.)
Mane Color: Cobalt (go figure)
Eye Color: Grey
Cutie Mark: A Spark With A Pegasus Wing (of all things) On It.

Abilities: He uses his magic to greatly enhance his speed, strength, and overall athletic prowess. And for a unicorn, heck for any pony, he is an amazing athlete. His physical abilities in almost all areas are nearly unmatched. Particularly his reflexes and reaction time are amazingly acute. He also heals rather quickly from any injury. Beyond that, he is a nearly unbeatable magic user that even Esper has a hard time matching.

Unique Features: By all accounts he looks like a normal pony. His bones are more durable than normal but this is probably due to all of that training. I guess the one thing is that he is always energetic. I’ve never seen him run out of energy, that’s for sure.

Meeting Cobalt: Manipulation (Year 989)

It was around five years since the beginning of my stay in Equestria when Elly came to me with a newspaper.

This particular edition of the Equestria Daily had an article relating to a recent race and its participants. Apparently the annual Running Rapids Competition (RRC) had a higher-than-expected turn out.

Before I go on, the RRC is an incredibly rigorous competition and perhaps the most dangerous on Equestria even if it is rarely lethal. But because of the risks, the winners of the RRC are awarded a good deal of prize money, a royal audience, and get their name engraved on a plaque that also has the Princess’s signature. This plaque is a huge source of pride to many.

The Unknown Guardians have to secure the route and make sure it is monster-free every year. Additionally, we tried to see if we could recruit new members from the winners but it rarely worked out.

That’s one reason why I was so indifferent to seeing that year’s article. I had seen the competition every year and have grown rather bored of it. Besides, at that time, to me, it seemed mostly like a fluff article but Elly was adamant that I should look at a particular individual involved in the race.

The almost seventh-place winner was a young male unicorn, Cobalt Flash, who was not much older than Esper. He had stunned everyone with his performance, but his exhaustion lead to a critical injury and he was unable to continue.

Yet his actions had sparked a burst of interest. The thing was, he did not use any magic whatsoever. He was competing with the others using only his physical talents and, as said before, unicorns are not as good as their other counterparts physically. Moreover, he was considerably younger than the average participant. All these factors made his performance rather impressive.

Many wanted to know who he was and what happened to him but, by the time the competition was over, he had long since left for home.

Our investigation into the colt’s background revealed that he was from Equire and lived on his own after moving out of the home of the local innkeeper. His talent seemed to be exercise or physical activity.

Most importantly, he did not use magic because he could not use magic. (His horn was always cracked and could not be healed.)

As far as I was concerned, that immediately struck him from the list of possible additions to our division of the Unknown Guardians. A unicorn who cannot use magic and who can only do physical actions was, unfortunately, useless to us at that moment. That goes for any pony whose talents are solely related to physical activity. We can train them to fight but special talents are still irreplicable.

That’s what I thought regarding Cobalt, but Elly had a different idea.

Cobalt had led a tough life and was always picked on by ponies his own age. He was not hated but he did not have any companions. Needless to say, Elly felt bad for him and wanted to help.

Stratos: Give me one good reason.

Elly: But Stratos—

Stratos: No, seriously, give me one good reason.

Elly: Oh.

*PAUSE*

Elly: What if we could teach him magic?

Stratos: So?

Elly: If we understood magic better, we could bring back the old types of battle magic. As he learns more about magic, so would we. Someday maybe even you could use magic.

Stratos: Alright. That’s a pretty good reason.

*Elly began happily bounding around the room*

Stratos: *Yawn* Listen, Zed and I have to go on a mission with Celestia. If you want to try and spend the intervening time trying to gain a new ally then I am all for it. There is one condition however.

Elly: *Stops jumping* Yes?

Stratos: I want Esper to be the team leader.

Esper: Really?

Stratos: Yes. It is about time that you got to lead a mission. You’re old enough and certainly smart enough. You okay with that Elly?

Elly: Why wouldn’t I be?

Stratos: Alright, Esper, you’re in charge.

Esper: So what should I do?

Stratos: I said you’re in charge. From here on out it is all up to you.

The magic thing would be kind of nice. Legends say the Athereal Knights could use light magic and Colbert said he could use holy powers though I’m not sure if the stories meant actual magic or just magical items. Regardless, I can only use Barn’s enchantments and poorly at that. Sometimes it is kind of a bother to be resistant to magic.

Now, regarding why I was not worried about Esper’s age, ponies grow up a little faster than humans (though not by much). While she was very young when I met her she was at least a teenager by human standards.

Moreover, Esper would have to gather up everyone and lead them to do what I thought at the time was a relatively easy mission. They would just have to recruit someone. Even if Cobalt was not cut out for being an official member, by then I had already worked with Plum and the Princess on extending the Unknown Guardians to include other divisions of competent agents. He would be useful for that.

That train of thought proved to be unnecessary in the long run. Besides, Esper’s mission proved to be a lot more eventful than expected.

In the meantime, Zed and I had to complete our own task. While our friends went for Cobalt, we got to meet and talk with Reaper.

If you remember, Reaper was one of the immortals Celestia said was more powerful than her. Apparently Celestia somehow got into contact with Reaper and was able to convince it to see us. Judging by her words, Zed and I being humans (or like a human) had something to do with it.

I’m going to say (type) this right now, even with Celestia there for protection, holy crap is Reaper intimidating. Zed and I, heck even Celestia, were very wary and worried standing near it. Even just recalling that thing scares me.

I can barely remember what it looks like but I do remember the meeting. As soon as it arrived, light seemed to be pulled away. When it appeared, it was constantly covered in a dark haze making it harder to track its movements. Its presence seems to distort both magic and technology. Not to the level that they do not work, for example Zed, but enough that the recorder failed me.

Not sure how well the recorder would have worked anyways. Reaper's voice seemed to come and echo from nowhere. It appeared to try and speak like a human. There are sometimes when I could tell it could no longer keep up the performance and it would drop into a dull, monotone, slow speech.

As I said, I cannot fully remember what it looked like but I recall thinking that it was as if some kind of modern solider decided to impersonate the Grim Reaper.

It looks human but I know it is not. It wore a smooth, black mask with no eye holes or places to breathe through. When it took off this mask, it had the most unsettling eyes I had ever seen. They seem to be constantly shifting through a spectrum of both dull and vibrant colors. Moreover, its skin was almost, but not quite, pale white, while its hair was impossibly black.

If Princess Celestia can be trusted, it has always looked like this to her. Knowing how this world works, that’s got to mean something symbolic but I have no idea what.

I say all of that, but that’s not what scares me. This thing just feels powerful. Of course, it helps that it is powerful. To prove it was the immortal Reaper, it effortlessly stole Zed’s sword and jabbed the blade through its own head. There was no blood or any kind of initial reaction really. That done, it wrenched the blade out and tossed it back to Zed. Reaper instantly healed its wounds with a black mist. Its healing almost reminded me of that wolf but it was different it a way I cannot explain. Regardless, the Immortal Slayer blade could not kill it or even permanently wound it. That is hardly the extent of Reaper's abilities.

Attached to Reaper’s back is a large scythe (or scythes) that it can generate out of thin air.

It moves like a ghost. It could appear and disappear at a moment’s notice.

It could reach out with one hand and an object would be cut to pieces.

It has access to a plethora of magic and can surround an area in darkness.

It can use some kind of barrier to preventing anything natural from getting close to it.

It seems to alter reality itself.

I know it can do a great deal more but that was all it would demonstrate for the time being.

I’ve never felt anything else like it before or since. It feels out of place and I wonder whether or not it is even of this world.

Sorry, I need to stop focusing on this thing but you need to understand that it made an impression on me.

Just like Celestia said, it seems to really enjoy watching humans. That is why it tries to emulate human actions. It thinks that it is humanity’s personified belief of death. I’m not sure what to think about that.

Unfortunately, it does not care about our situation and is not sympathetic to our plight. It does not know what is causing these events nor does it care.

The best I could get it to do was to promise us that it would intervene in our favor in some way shape or form. Considering the sheer difference in strength, this promise was a good result of negotiations.

That said, I kind of warmed up to it after a while. It does not seem like a malicious being and it vehemently denied having any involvement in these events. In addition, it immediately questioned if Avardis had anything to do with this; of course, we don’t know the answer to that. Which reminds me; it said it would intervene if Avardis was involved in any way. And if we can get Reaper to help, even a little bit, I think that would be a great benefit.

Celestia was right; Reaper is not the kind of thing to do this. I cannot think of anything it would stand to gain from this. Fortunately, and unfortunately, that does check off both one possible culprit and one source of help to us.

Now that I think about it, I think I know why I am so caught up on Reaper. Reaper does not just scare me because of how strong it is or what it looks like. Reaper scares me because it shows me that something can be that powerful and it can look like literally anything. There are no doubt many other unthinkable creatures of unfathomable power. I’m not sure what would happen if we had to fight something like that. Heck, how am I even supposed to properly study something like that? Maybe I can’t even understand a being of that nature. Maybe we can’t fight it. Hopefully we can at least slow it down.

Sometimes I really hate knowing about Lovecraft.

Regardless, that’s what Zed and I did. It took us a few days to get there, a day to get the information, some time to work with the Princess on our organizational activities, and a few days to get back.

In the meantime, Esper went on her mission with the rest of the Unknown Guardians. In fact, she wrote a post-event report on what happened. I will admit, seeing this was what inspired me to write this record of my experiences in Equestria.

Though I did edit the first few sections of the report for convenience's sake, I think it is only fair that I let her words tell the story.

Esper’s Post-Mission Report

Stratos I hope you are reading this. I do not know why I cannot contact you but I know you must have a good reason for not responding.

We did it. We got Cobalt, even though a lot of unexpected things happened. I need to tell you about it. I am going to break it down.

Preparation and Journey

I left with Barn, Elly, Smith, and Plum and headed to Equire. It took us a little less than a day to get there since Smith flew all of us over in a wagon.

I planned ahead: We brought our armor with us by disassembling them and carrying them in saddlebags (really heavy saddle bags). We also brought some basic rations and a bag of bits.

Location: Equire

Local Beliefs: Equire thinks it is the first town of Equestria, predating even the colonizing of the original three tribes, and they think that Equestria was named after it.
Note: I do not think this is true.

Size: It depends on what is meant by size. Oh sure they have a lot of land but the population is tiny. Maybe like, what, one thousand citizens live there. Part of the problem is food. The ground is mostly stone so there is no good farming soil.

Culture: Those who live in Equire are uncompromisingly friendly and always enjoy company. They love to speak of their history and they pride themselves on the many mysteries this place has to offer. They want to someday restore the city to the way it once was. That will be difficult but I am sure they can pull it off.

Attractions: Honestly, I love Equire. It is has something for everypony. Many artists have created famous paintings based off the scenery. Athletes live there and train on some of the most difficult landscape in Equestria. Archeologists are common because even after hundreds of years we keep finding new wonders of the past.

History: This whole place is just one giant ruin. I am not sure how old Equire is but the writings on the city stones do not match any known civilization. Drawings show it might have been founded by some sort of bird-creatures and maybe some other species. Whoever they were, they were really advanced for the time. They had what looks to be math, art, advanced magic, and even machines! Of course it is nothing compared to what humans or ponies have today but it is impressive. Even if we do not know exactly why they disappeared, the Equirians have been able to piece together an interesting story based on some of the drawings they unearthed. To make a long story short, at the end of the drawings, some figure chased away what we recognize to be Discord. There was a celebration and then, bam, nothing. The fall must have happened so fast that they did not have time to write about it. The Equirians later came to pick up the pieces and have been living there ever since.
Note: As we found out later, it is possible that the thing we are tracking was the cause of the original civilization’s downfall.

Current Activity: The populace attempts to prevent natural decay of the structures. They made a compromise by farming plants through the ground stone but animals still refuse to live here. It is mostly barren. They have to live in houses constructed out of sparse wood and old stone patched with clay. They make do with what they have.
Opinion: The place is an odd mix of beauty and awe.

Summary: Equire is a small town dwarfed by the civilization of the past.

It is rather humbling.

Equire reminds me that there is still much I have to learn about my nation's history. There is both good and bad in our past and present. Any civilization, no matter how amazing, is not invincible. Good lessons to take home.

Anyways, now to Cobalt!

Arrival

We arrived in Equire and immediately took on the persona of tourists. We asked around and found a cute little inn. Everything inside and out was made out of wood which I understand is somewhat of a luxury in Equire. Not to say the inn was fancy. The tables and chairs were wood, the plates were normal hardened clay recovered and cleaned from the ruins, and the beds were comfortable enough… it was very brown except for the many paintings and potted plants. Most importantly, the food was delicious. The innkeeper grows the best flowers! On top of it all, it was cheap. Of course the real reason we decided to make that our lodging was because it was the former home of Cobalt.

Once we unpacked, I got a little tripped up mentally. You may have gotten a message I accidentally sent. Sorry about that. I reflexively tried double-checking my plans with you. It turns out I rely on you for more than I thought but I am getting better about that thanks to this mission.

I wasted a bit of time writing out our next course of action on my desk. By that I mean I spent one hour planning for the next fifteen minutes. Oh well, it is just time. I have plenty of that.
Solution: Next time I should come up with a plan before arriving. I am not good at winging it. (Maybe if I was a Pegasus…)

Not waiting for me, Plum sighed and rightly pressured Barn to talk to the innkeeper about Cobalt. Their little chat quickly brought us all into the conversation.

The innkeeper, named Rim, was an unassuming Pegasus Pony. While she does not put any effort into her looks, she is naturally pretty and sweet yet retains that pleasant homely charm I remember of Ms. Fleur. In fact, she reminds me of Barn in that she is always calm, friendly, and thoughtful. I loved talking with her. You can see it in her eyes that she cares about what you have to say. I feel bad that I did not ask enough about her but she prefers it that way. All I know is that she is not from Equire, she knows a lot of stories from across Equestria, and that she cares about Cobalt as if he was family.

Now where was I? Oh yeah. Rim asked if we planned to meet Cobalt because of the recent competition. Barn said yes and this seemed to ease her mind. Cobalt’s sudden return from the competition, his desire not to talk about it, and the lack of visitors had worried her. She sighed, flapped her wings once which I think this is a habit of hers when she is thinking about the past, and told us that he lives on the edge of the town near the old city park.

She said we would recognize Cobalt by his black coat and mane the same color as his name. His most distinguishing trait was his cracked horn. Rim stressed that we should not bother him as he was in poor spirits ever since he came back from the competition.

Elly quickly asked how Cobalt cracked his horn and Rim said that it was a private matter that Cobalt would reveal if he wanted.

We thanked her and left for the park ruins.

First Interaction

The park is a nearly sacred place. It is the only place in Equire with a lot of trees and plants. The plants of Equire are beautiful with the most wonderfully bright colors. If I recall correctly, the old civilization would breed plants for their beauty. Houses covered in plants or even made out of plants were a pride to many. Their overabundance is probably why we have any around today even after the fall of the creators. I am sure you would have loved them Stratos.

And that was not the only beauty. There are still a lot of crumbled statues littering the land. If you look at them long enough, you can tell the beauty and fine craft that went into each figure. Even as worn as they are, they are marvelous, triumphant, works of art.
Analysis: It makes sense why Cobalt wanted to live here. Not only do the rubble and plants made a great obstacle course but there is a certain energy about the place that is rejuvenating.

We found Cobalt practicing when we arrived. He was so focused on his training it was a while before he noticed us. I am starting to appreciate why you always keep an audio recorder on you. I can barely remember what was said. At least I brought a quill, ink, and paper.
Mistake/Lesson Learned: Always bring some way to actively document what is happening. This will help in post-mission analysis.

We sent some time watching Cobalt train. He would gracefully duck and weave under and around obstacles, precisely jump from platform to platform, and hurriedly climb up trees or other supportive flora. It was exhausting to watch him but mesmerizing at the same time.

When he finally took a break and noticed us, he asked if we were tourists and if were looking for a tour of the land; it was one of his many jobs he used to support himself. I reflexively said no.
Mistake: I should have said yes because it made him very suspicious.

Cobalt cautiously scanned us and asked what we were doing here. I froze up and began acting rather suspiciously. I was not sure how to answer him.

Luckily, Plum has a lot more experience than me with dealing with townsfolk and she took over. She said how she was impressed with his athleticism and questioned how often he trained.
Lesson Learned: As a leader I should not take on all tasks. Some ponies are better at certain things than others. That is just how it works. I am not required to do everything. Let other ponies handle it when they can.

Plum’s query led to a long conversation that really was not that interesting to me and I am sure would not be interesting to you. It ended with us revealing that we saw him at the competition and were impressed with his ability.

He took this surprisingly negatively. He grunted, looked away and asked for us not to talk about it.

Incident

All of a sudden, a group of ruffians showed up and began to taunt Cobalt about his performance and injury. They were abnormally malicious. The griffons (yes Stratos, there are a few griffons in Equire) and the Pegasus laughed at how he could not fly, the Earth Ponies said Cobalt could never match their strength, and the unicorns laughed at his inability to use magic.

Cobalt did not say or do anything in response. The leader, a large unicorn, grew annoyed at Cobalt’s inaction. He chucked a large rock at Cobalt but I blew it to bits. Barn and Plum jumped in front of Cobalt and yelled at them to knock it off. Barn looked like he was ready to bite their heads off. He is scary when he is angry. I was ready to take them out myself. It would have been overkill since Elly could have clobbered them herself however it would also have been very satisfying teaching them a lesson.

Before the situation could develop further, Cobalt pushed Barn and Plum out of the way with his front hooves and told us to be quiet. He wanted to let the bullies have their fun and leave. Apparently they had been terrorizing him ever since he was little and he had learned to just take it and move on.

Still, the bullies knew not to challenge us and they left while calling Cobalt a weakling for needing others to protect him. (Because ganging up on one pony surely does prove their strength and heroism!)
Lesson Learned: Yeah, yeah, I know, you have said it before. “Do not get involved in personal affairs unless you are certain the individual wants to be helped.” Of course you break that rule all the time… hey I am just saying the obvious.

Recognized Oddity

Back to the mission: That was when I noticed something. You know how during the competition, Cobalt had received a serious injury? I am not sure you remember what it was so I will just say it. He had caught one of his front hooves between two rocks and snapped the bone. (As much as I admire hands, I do like having four legs so I can still get around even if one leg is injured.) So yeah, when he pushed Barn and Plum out of the way without screaming in pain (and let’s not forget the whole exercise routine), I knew something was up.

Less than three days after the competition he was completely fine.

I asked him if he got it healed. Cobalt shrugged and said no. He just healed quickly.
Analysis: It does not take a genius to know you do not just walk off a broken leg. And if he could heal that quickly, it did not make sense that he could not heal his horn.

Our questions ended there. I suspect he saw me look at his horn and thought I would bring it up. Cobalt excused himself and left.

As soon as he left I facehooved.
Feelings: That could have gone better. More accurately, I kind of did everything wrong. Improper introduction, unwanted assistance, and made him wary of us. Not my best job as a Guardian that is for certain.

Post Interaction Activities

Oddity: Elly seemed uneasy about the whole situation but told us nothing was wrong. As usual, if there is anything Elly is bad at, it is lying. You can see it in her eyes or how she twitches her hooves or how her mouth moves when she speaks or just her word choice. (Sorry Stratos, looks like your training in that department is not working. That or I am just really awesome at deciphering subtle movements. Which I am. Maybe it is just me.)

I immediately concluded Elly must have sensed something. I checked the satellite imagery and confirmed there were no strange signals in Equire or the surrounding area. However, I knew from gut instinct and past experience that something odd was going on in this town. And so I ordered all of us to do the most logical thing possible. Espionage!

We spent the next few hours spying on everypony.

The results were interesting to say the least.
Pattern: Everypony in the town acted completely normal until Cobalt came into view. Somehow his presence changed their thinking of him and even the way they interacted with each other. For example: I talked to a shopkeeper about Cobalt and he spoke highly of him. As soon as Cobalt walked in, the shopkeeper became irritated and easily annoyed at everything Cobalt did. Only Rim and a few others showed no change around Cobalt.

Confirmation: Elly went to talk with the bullies. They were surprisingly nice to her and treated her like a princess, apologizing for the bad side she saw of them earlier. (Stratos, I know where your mind is going, they did not have a crush on Elly. Some of the bullies were female and remember two were griffons. They were just showing the standard Equirian hospitality.) Elly asked them why they were so mean to Cobalt and the bullies seemed confused. The only one who seemed to remain hostile was the leader though even he could not give a clear reason. Nopony even thought it was fun to torment him.

Reactions

Like I have said, the Equirians are delightfully friendly. It was creepy to see them act hostile for no reason. Smith pointed out that they were acting like they were in a Lovecraft novel, with something influencing them. The final connection was when Barn said it reminded him of how everypony treated him on his journeys.

We could not pick it up with any technology or magic, but obviously something strange was going on in Equire.

You assigned me as leader of an easy training mission and it turns out the whole town is “cursed.” Yup, just another abnormal day as an Unknown Guardian.

Vacation!

By the time we pieced together the evidence it was kind of late. There was no evidence that anything would happen anytime soon so I called it a day and decided to try our luck with Cobalt again tomorrow.

Then, because I can, I ordered everyone to go have some fun and do what they like for a couple of hours. Seriously Stratos, you never let us have any fun on missions. When I am in charge, having fun is mandatory. (Like an Orwellian dictatorship of smiles!) Everyone went their separate ways. It was during this time I picked up a few souvenirs and learned a little more of Equirian history from Rim.

I was the first back to the inn (mostly to get more of Rim’s cooking.) I told her what happened with Cobalt and she reassured me that Cobalt was the kind of pony to forgive and forget. We just needed to catch him at the right time.

Slowly, everypony came back to the inn and we all traded stories of what we found and learned.

That night, a lot of Equirians decided to go and greet the new ponies in town. Somehow this led to a party. And we had quite the party! Even Smith had fun. Yeah, it was that good.

This convinced me to tell everyone to take the next two days off as well so we could enjoy ourselves more thoroughly.

And please don’t scold me for that. We may have been on a mission but we had plenty of time. Besides, even if they were being influenced, we needed to earn the trust of the town. We were only being good tourists.

The next few days went off without a hitch. (The only upsetting thing was the nightmares all of us kept having. I still have no idea what caused that, if anything did. So, correction, one possible hitch.) We learned a great deal about Equire and made quite the impression on the populace. It has been a while since we had that much fun.

And there was one more reason I allowed us to not focus on the mission. I knew Elly was up to something and would take matters into her own hooves if we waited. Turns out, I was right. (Yay!)

The Third Night

When everyone went to sleep, Elly secretly snuck out of her room. You might need to teach her better stealth techniques. All of us had no trouble noticing she was gone. Smith and I donned our armor, and followed her.

Barn and Plum stayed back at the inn in case something went wrong. (Correction, that would be for when something goes wrong. We need to point out our dubious track record to upcoming Guardians so they get the hint.)

Elly traveled all the way to Cobalt’s dwelling and knocked on his door. By the way, Cobalt lived within a small stone den in the park. That place was awesome. You should have seen it. Maybe I can show you a few pictures. I think it used to be some kind of ancient vault that Cobalt repurposed into a home. Turning ruins into homes is not all that unusual for Equarians but Cobalt’s home still stuck out in my mind because it was built to last. Because of its location (the side of a hill) and its overall structure (including a thick metal-reinforced stone door) it reminded me of an entrance to an underground fortress. This inside was packed with food, bits, books, training equipment, and a salvaged weapon or two. There was even a garden with running water from an underground well. It was like he was preparing for the apocalypse or something. Or maybe he was just properly paranoid. Nevertheless, forget practicality, we should totally build one when you come back.

Enough of that. Cobalt was surprised to see Elly and did not let her in. But Elly, once again showing why she is awesome, was able to get him to talk with her by sharing a few stories.

She spoke of who she was and what happened to her, carefully glossing over the part where we saved her. When she knew she had Cobalt’s interest, she added that she felt a sinister presence residing within many of the townsfolk.

Cobalt defended the townsfolk, especially Rim.

Elly apologized and said she was just concerned about him which was why she was here. She wanted to know more about him.

Hearing that, Coablt left his home and asked her to follow him. He brought her to an open patch of the park so that he could speak with Elly under the stars. (Have I mentioned that it was an absolutely gorgeous night out? Sometimes the Mare on the Moon’s presence really enhances the beauty of the surrounding stars. Princess Celestia must have been really inspired that night.)

It was really sweet seeing the two of them together like that, sitting in the middle of a patch of captivatingly florescent park plants and gazing up at the night sky. I should have gotten a picture. Too bad moments like that can’t last forever.

After a few moments of stargazing, Cobalt spoke of his past. He was too young to remember but he used to travel across Equestria with his parents. On a return trip to Equire, which was their home, they just up and disappeared. He does not really mind that that happened since he does not remember them but, when that happened, the town took him in and took care of him. Even if some of the ponies were mean to him, the town was his family and he wanted to do something for them.

Naturally, Elly asked if this was why he did not want to talk about the competition.

Cobalt denied this. He wanted to bring home the prize but he did not expect to be able to do it. He clarified that he does not care about winning. What he was angry at was not meeting his own expectations. He had trained for years and completely blew it.

And suddenly, he got angry. He complained at being a unicorn unable to use magic. How he could not fly like a Pegasus Pony or have the natural abilities of an Earth Pony. No matter how much he trained, he would never do as well as others for the same amount of effort. (I will admit that made me feel sorry for him. I cannot imagine life without my magic… probably a lot less radioactivity.)

Origin of Damaged Horn

Now here is the good part. When Cobalt finished with his rant, Elly asked if he would like to be able to use magic. Cobalt furiously shouted “NO!” and then apologized. He was visibly shaken for having yelled in her face like that. Luckily for his conscience, Elly just laughed, thereby dispelling the tension.
Quick Note: I have got to learn how Elly does that. She is brilliant at comforting ponies and getting them to open up.

Getting back to the point. Elly asked if Cobalt damaged his horn so that he would not use magic. He tapped and lightly rubbed his horn before explaining the truth. When he was young and still thought he could use magic, one day he got annoyed and focused all his efforts of calling out a spell. Something happened and he fell unconscious. He woke up moments later, with his horn in its current status. (Not suspicious at all.)

From then on he focused all of his efforts into athletics and, in some ways, wanted to become a great athlete to prove you do not need magic to be great, that there are no limits to what they can accomplish through effort. He’s just frustrated that it took more effort and luck than he wanted.

Then Elly smiled and clarified what she meant by what she sensed earlier. She said she thinks that almost everypony here in Equire is cursed, including Cobalt.

Much to my surprise, Cobalt agreed. He knew something was wrong for a long time but knew he could not trust anypony except Rim. Rim was one of the few who were not cursed and the one who pointed out the curse to him. That was one reason he did not challenge the bullies. He thought that challenging them could bring out the curse somehow.

Reveal

It was then that Elly admitted who she really was and who we really were. She pulled out the Royal Seal and held up one of the florescent flowers to show emphasize the engraved words “Equestia’s Unknown Guardians.” She told him everything and said that she wanted him to join our group but that he would have to learn magic to do so.
Mistake: This was dangerous. We should not speak so openly about our organization even if most would not believe it exists. (Wait… Stratos, why did you have Celestia magically engrave our organization’s name into Elly’s Royal Seal?)

Anyways, after seeing the Royal Seal, Cobalt did not hesitate. He smiled and said yes.

As soon as Cobalt agreed, the readings on the radar went haywire. Several large magical signals began to close in on our position.

We heard a sound I cannot completely describe. It was as if somepony took a deep breath through clenched teeth. I felt this wave of darkness pass over us and was momentarily terrified.

The cracks on Cobalt’s horn began to seep a black, glowing mist and he dropped to the ground, grabbing his horn in pain.

Seven figures wrapped in shadow charged out of the darkness. They approached and surrounded Elly and Cobalt. It took me a moment to realize who they were and the problems we now faced.

Stratos's Report (Cobalt Flash) Part 2: Interrogation

Unexpected Complication

Our opponents were the bullies tormenting Cobalt. They were being actively manipulated by the "curse" and were more than willing to attack.

We did not wait to find out what would happen next. Elly looked directly at us and asked us to help. (Unsurprisingly she knew we were following her.)

I summoned up a wall of jagged spears around Elly and Cobalt. Smith flew out and tried to strike one with his hammer but Elly told him to stop.

They were not just magical creatures like last time; they were ponies and griffons who had been possessed. They were still alive and were likely aware of what was going on but unable to do anything about it.

That made everything that much more difficult. Oh sure possession is easy to deal with as long as you have either one of Barn’s enchantments or Celestia’s wards to dispel the shadow. The thing is, we did not.
Obvious Mistake: Always keep at least one Dispel Ward or purity seal on you at all times. It was silly to think that only monsters could be possessed.
Solution: We should build a Dispel Ward or purity seal into our armors and into the Royal Seal itself.

First Battle

Note: I cannot precisely remember most of what happened; again, I am starting to understand why you try to document everything in every way possible. I am just going to have to hope my memory is good enough.

As soon as we realized we could not dispel the magic, the encounter became difficult.

Tactics

Smith, Elly, and I would try and protect Cobalt as best as we could until Barn and Plum arrived. Many times we would have to act as a physical shield. (I ended up blocking with my face a lot.) Luckily, they were not as strong as the previous shadow monsters nor was their magic as powerful. Our armor protected us well enough and Elly was able to heal us.

Nevertheless, it was exhausting. We were barely standing by the time our friends arrived. They quickly dropped Cobalt’s armor and gave us the purity seals.

From there, everything was much easier. Plum used her Helios spears to pin down targets and Barn would use the enchanted items to remove the shadow. Smith and I acted as distractions or restrained the guys so we could use our own purity seals.

Unexpected Reaction: During this time, having enough of the pain, Cobalt stuck his head against the ground, raised his front hoof, and stomped it down on his horn, breaking it off near the base. That had to have hurt (think removing all off your teeth with pliers levels of ouch) yet Cobalt promptly tried to attack the leader unicorn. I stopped him and told him to put on his armor first. That task occupied his time for the rest of the battle. (Just as planned.)

Post Battle

In the end, we got all of them. We cornered the leader and purified him.

The other ones had woken up in a terrified daze, remotely aware of what had happened. The leader dropped dead. My blood ran cold as I thought we had killed him.

Elly revealed to us that he was already dead. She had felt it when she first saw them. The only thing keeping him alive was the shadow.
Analysis: This entity can force things to be alive so it can manipulate them. I have never even heard of that kind of necromancy.

The other bullies were what I could best describe as shell-shocked. Unsurprisingly, being possessed is not a pleasant experience. I briefly contemplated what we would do for or say to the townsfolk to show that we did not kill somepony. The good news is that everything got so much worse that it hardly mattered.

There was another of those indescribable inhalation-like sounds. This one seemed much angrier.

I checked my HUD and saw that the entire town was surrounded with the familiar signals. The radar began to identify the appearance of hostile creatures.

Battle in Equire’s Town Center

We rushed over to the town center. Golems and the now undead bird-people of the past civilization were pulling themselves up from the ground and attacking anything near them.
Note: It reminded me of the video footage I saw of the battle at Colberton, except this time there were almost no warriors to defend the place (and also zombies/skeletons). Most of the few who tried to fight were quickly immobilized by the glue-golems.

On the other hoof, unlike Coltberton, there were also a ton of ponies who were possessed.

No need to explain our (epic!) battle to you. To summarize, drones initiated their defense protocol which, needless to say, freaked me out. I quickly set the code not to target any pony-like creatures before anything bad could happen. The drones activated their guns or energy or magical weapons and eliminated every standard threat they could target.

With the drones dealing with everything else, we managed to purify all of the possessed.
Observation: Some of the ponies learned to hide behind the drones for protection. I guess we were wrong about the average pony being afraid of combat machines.

Exception to the Rule

The only pony noticeably doing anything effective other than us was Rim the innkeeper. She wielded a double-bladed sword, called a swallow, in her mouth and was systematically cutting down opponent after opponent. Even though she did not have our armor, she was moving at least as fast as us, if not faster. (So awesome!)

She saw us and asked us who we really were. We sort of told the truth saying we were royal warriors of Princess Celestia and were there to help.
Self-Compliment: This was exactly the right thing to do.

Rim seemed satisfied with that answer so, without further delay, we began to assist in the battle.
Note: Cobalt did not prove to be very helpful as the armor was difficult to use. But it was a good thing he had the armor as its regenerators, and his own natural ability, were helping his horn grow back. He also learned how to work the enchantments which would be his introduction to using magic.

Illusions

I know this is going to shock you but as soon as we were winning, everything got worse. The townsfolk began to panic. We felt something approach. A wall of darkness swallowed the town. One after another, dark creatures moved in.

While terrifying, these creatures had no substance to them, they were clearly illusions.

The drones had not been programmed to deal with this and so they targeted every opponent they could and unloaded their ordinance in every direction. When the guns did not work, as per our design, the programming told them to use stronger attacks and unlocked their missiles. We managed to send out a signal for ceasefire only after the first drone unleashed its barrage.
Mistake: That was an unexpected design flaw. I guess we cannot rely on simple AI programs to make correct decisions in unusual circumstances.

Within the darkness we heard the explosives detonate and another building collapse.

The darkness and illusions dissipated.

Damage

Our machines had inadvertently ravaged large sections of Equire including some of the ancient structures.
Analysis: This was unacceptable. We accidentally vaporized a good portion of the town’s history. It was the biggest failure of the mission and one I feel most guilty of because it did not need to happen.

The only good thing coming out of all of this was that the drones managed to shoot almost everything. Everything just so happened to include our new opponent.

Enemy Revealed

Out of the rubble of the one collapsed building burst forth a shadow zebra. We got ready for a fight but the zebra shrugged away some more of the rubble to reveal two little fillies. It nudged the two and told them to get away. The fillies complied, galloping away towards the nearest group of ponies.
Unusual Actions: So yeah, not only did the creature talk but it protected something. Considering what we know about these things, that action made no sense.

I asked if it was friendly. It responded by summoning more golems, more of the undead, and creating magical constructs from various debris. To top it off, it threw out a couple dozen illusions of itself and sent this small army at us.

Obviously, this zebra was hostile.

Reevaluation

I considered what you would do in this situation and found an obvious answer. The Unknown Guardians have dealt with these kinds of enemies before. I reactivated the drones and told Barn, Smith, and Plum to handle the zebra for a while. Just like you would, I decided to use the moment to test something out.

Theory and Test

Note: Having seen the zebra and its undead minions, Cobalt was terrified. Moreover, he had never seen fighting like this before. Fear is an understandable and natural reaction to these shadow creatures and this kind of battle. He covered his head with his front hooves and began whimpering to himself. Both Elly and Rim had decided to comfort him.

I lightly trotted up to Cobalt and mentally noted that his new horn has developed just fine.

I got his attention and told him what I knew to be the truth. The only reason why he could not use magic was because something had been purposefully holding him back. The only reason why this thing would prevent him from using magic would be because he was a lot more powerful than the average unicorn. Elly knew this ever since she saw him at the competition and wanted to help bring out this potential.

I explained that all he has to do is try and use magic and it should come naturally to him. (In case you ask: no, I had no basis for saying that. I just hoped he was so naturally talented that it would come naturally to him. I may not be of legal age but I know how to gamble!)

When he needed further instructions, I told him to focus on what he wanted to do and apply energy through his horn.
Self-Compliment: This was a great analysis of the situation. The entity generally only obstructs the strong. If it attacks anypony, that being is a potential threat and likely has unique powers or abilities. You know, like me! (Hey, this might be a good way to find recruits.)

After some effort, Cobalt’s horn began to glow. Cobalt’s eyes emanated a pure white magical energy. His horn emitted a blinding light. When the initial burst of energy was over, the unicorn wrapped himself in a rainbow spectrum of light. Confidence returned, Cobalt initiated a sprinting stance.

Cobalt’s Assault

The ground exploded under the force of Cobalt’s acceleration. Cobalt effortlessly smashed through the creatures in front of him. He darted away once more and appeared on the top of a house. The unicorn fired off a blade of energy at a zebra only to find it was an illusion. A magical bolt headed in his direction. On pure reflexes, Cobalt quickly jumped away and used magic to pull himself to the ground.

Cobalt turned all of his athletic training into combat prowess. He continued to dart around from position to position, levitating and launching any debris or item he could get his hoof on. If he found nothing, he would fire off another magical attack. He single-hoofedly filled the air with projectiles and cut down our opponents. Sometimes he would just create a shield around himself, ram them at full speed, and dash away, completely unharmed.
Oddity: The glue did not seem to slow Cobalt down. Might want to investigate that.

If I have yet to make this clear, Cobalt Flash is awesome. And yet Rim could almost keep up with him.

While Cobalt, Rim, Smith, and the drones went about their business, the rest of us helped the wounded. We really weren't needed. None of use had expected both Cobalt and Rim to be that effective. Not even the shadow wolf or pegasus moved with that kind of speed. The zebra had no chance of hitting them.

All the while, I carefully observed the entire battlefield and came up with another plan.

Capture

After seeing attacks go through each illusion, I pointed at one zebra and highlighted it on Cobalt’s suit’s HUD. Cobalt figured out what I was getting at, picked his target, shot forward, rammed his new horn into the creature, and fired off a blast of electricity before leaping backwards.

With the shadow zebra stunned, I ordered all of us to use our razor coils and magic to ensnare it. We had no trouble doing this. (Remember when these shadow things used to be challenging?)

With it trapped and all of its minions destroyed, I explained it was at our mercy and it should talk.

Surprisingly, it nodded to us and said it would respond. (Esper Teach: Gambling Expert!)
Note: I believe it spoke in a distorted whisper. I wish I could describe its voice better but I do not wholly remember what it sounded like. It had trouble talking.
Analysis: Maybe speech is not natural to it.

I was able to write most of this down due to being lent a quill and paper. Unfortunately, I did miss a few things and some of its answers made no sense. Anyways, here we go. Let me know if I am being a bit dry.

Interrogation

Q: I asked why it would so easily agree to my demand.
A: It told me an interrogation does not help nor hinder it in any way, shape, or form. It finds no reason to resist or lie.

Q: I asked who it was.
A: It told us it was called The Shaman.

Q: I asked if it knew of the other three shadow creatures.
A: It responded that it knew of them. Their names were The Storm, The Assassin, and The Shield.

I continued to ask questions and receive answers.

• The shadow creatures are not a group or organization; they are servants to another entity. This entity is far more powerful than they are.
• There are many servants to and allies of this entity. It would not say what or who.
• The Shaman saved those fillies because they were not a threat. It gave no other explanation.
• It does not consider the Unknown Guardians a threat or even a nuisance. We are just another group of beings.
• It wishes to kill Princess Celestia though I cannot say for certain this is its big plan. It said she is the biggest threat to it. However, if this entity challenged the princess alone she would die.
• It suppressed Cobalt’s abilities because it did not want him fully realizing his power as that could have been problematic.
• It did not outright kill Cobalt because there was interference. Unsurprisingly, it did not elaborate. It only attacked now because there was no other option. It knew it would probably lose.
• The controlling entity has a vast range of powers and is immortal. Even it does not know if it can truly die. It has the ability to control and manipulate others of weak spirit. If not altered directly by the entity, stronger beings can only be suppressed.

Side Note: I asked if the main entity altered my abilities. It said that it does not know or care. If I was potentially powerful, it probably altered my abilities to make them dangerous to myself and others. It would influence minds to make sure they were either afraid of me or would die because of me.
Analysis: This is likely a general strategy applied to a broad range of situations. It may not have given me the answer I wanted but this data is at least satisfactory.

There was one bit of truly unexpected information. I am not sure how it came up but the entity considers individual humans to be problematic nuisances. As a whole, they are troublesome. (That is pretty good news.)

When asked about its history with humans, all it said was that it had once thought that humans were similar to it in purpose but it is no longer certain. Their “essence” is unusual. Humans do not respond to its powers the same way as other creatures do because the world does not bend around them properly. It noted that the ones that arrived years ago were far stronger than it anticipated. It was not sure what to make of their strange devices and actions. It was concerned they might interfere again. It would have significantly changed its plans if they stayed.

In what appeared to be a slip of the tongue, it said the decay of their masters had not made them weaker. After that, it refused to explain anything else on its relationship with or knowledge about humanity.
Note: I just realized that the Equirians now know that humans exist and that they had some sort of uncertain relationship with this creature. Not sure what that is going to do. Might want to keep an eye on them.

In addition

The entity does not care about good or evil. It can and has killed off any possible challengers. Any hero, villain, or powerful being is eliminated if possible.

Q: Rim asked if it was the one to end the civilization surrounding Equire.
A: The Shaman said she was more likely to know the answer better than anypony else but that it itself does not remember as it does not distinguish between one group or another. It is both possible and likely that it killed them. This elicited an angry reaction from the citizens of Equire which was quickly quelled when the Shaman hissed at them and told them to be quiet or it would not talk.

Moreover, the entity does not want to rule the world or get revenge. It has a goal and it will complete it.

There were probably other questions but I cannot figure out the rest of my notes or remember anything else.

…Oh biscuits, why didn’t I just use my suit’s recording device? Why didn’t any of us have our recorders on? That was so stupid. I can’t believe I did that.

I better move on before I give myself a concussion by slamming my head against my desk.

Final Question

With all other inquiries answered, I demanded that the thing tell me who or what it is working for.

It did not speak.

I threatened to force it to talk with a spell.

It glared at me for a while, opened its mouth, and heaved itself forward using our razor coils to tear itself apart. What was left of the shadow zebra dropped to the ground and died. It decayed into a dark mist and faded away.

And just like that, it was all over.
Ambiguous Result: It is hard to tell if that was the correct action to take. It is doubtful it would have talked about that. It is uncertain whether or not there was an action that could get it to speak.

Post Battle

From there, there was not much to do. We offered to help the ponies of Equire fix up the place, since our drones had done the most damage, but they refused.

Actually, ever since that zebra’s death, they have all started to feel more lively and capable. They felt it was their responsibility to restore this place, not the Royal Guard’s. Instead they wanted us to make sure that thing was stopped so that, when they do restore the civilization, it will be done in peace.

If nothing else, they held no ill will towards us.

Cobalt confirmed that he wanted to come with us. He seemed confident when he said his abilities obviously put this thing on edge. I reminded him that even Celestia probably cannot stop it. Cobalt nodded and said, “Every bit helps and I can help them more by going with you than staying here.”

We agreed and welcomed him into the Unknown Guardians.

[Cobalt joined your party]

Leaving

Equire has never been big on goodbyes. Cobalt had to go to each house and personally say he was leaving. They would wish him luck and sometimes even give him a present.

Though Cobalt said it was not their fault, the bullies apologized for their actions and made Cobalt promise that he would make sure what happened to their friend happened to nopony else. Cobalt agreed and they parted ways.

Cobalt had one last talk with Rim. At one point, we asked the pegasus who she really was but she ignored that request. (Stratos, do not try and find out. I have a feeling that if we go back, she will not be there.) She told Cobalt that she wanted him to remember his dreams and not get too wrapped up in this. Cobalt nodded, hugged her, and told us that it was time for us to leave.

As Cobalt left Equire, Rim was the only one waving good bye. Cobalt told us he liked it that way.

Conclusions

On the way back, we discussed what had occurred and reestablished a number of conclusions:

These signatures are not caused by a group of individuals but a single controlling entity. On the other hoof, that does not rule out other creatures being involved.

Those shadow-monsters we keep fighting are not living creatures but magical entities subservient to this main entity. They might even be a part of the entity.

It can possess individuals and make them act against their will.

It can use its powers to suppress abilities and alter how we act towards one another even if we do not find these actions rational or pleasing.

It can lie dormant in an area for extended periods of time making it nearly impossible to detect.

It may not be evil by the traditional definition. It will kill anything. The significant drop in both heroes and villains could be attributed to its actions.

Closing Statements

That all said, there was one event that stood out and was hard to decipher. The entity will protect individuals for some reason. The fillies in this case were normal though one did have a bit of a limp unrelated to her injuries.

Based on everything I have seen, I do not think it was acting out of the “kindness of its heart.” It does not want to kill anything that is not a threat. Why that is up for speculation and probably will not help us anyways.

Since we now have something useful to say, I will try and send all of this information to Nick. Hopefully, he will be able to make use of it.

I am certain that this thing is not what made Equestria what it is today. If anything, we have prospered in spite of its influence.

I am concerned about this but I want you to know it will not stop me or any of us. Equestria has survived and conquered great dangers in the past. With your help, I know we can do so once more.

So please Stratos, you and Zed need to come back.

Naturally, we did not come back ever again.

Joking aside, I was caught off guard by how unusually happy Esper was to see us. After a long, tear-filled hug she told us what happened and I agreed with Esper’s analysis.

The unfortunate part is that, since this entity can hide its presence, we cannot just eliminate the dark signals; we have to investigate practically everything to make sure that we stop this thing. It’s more of an added nuisance than anything else.

I told Esper she did great. She didn’t believe me so I reminded her that on the first “mission” I went on against this thing, I managed to try and use a farming tool as a weapon (which, as can be seen, I still use out of habit), lost all of my support units, and nearly died. On the other hand, Esper completed her mission, managed to deal with a situation she was not expecting, and obtained some useful information. I emphasized the disparity of those results.

I then introduced myself to Cobalt. He heard my name from Elly but she forgot to mention I was a human. He was a little surprised to say the least. He was also very happy since he realized that meant that the humans that worried the entity were willing to challenge it.

Now past me would have made some snarky (or downright cruel) comments about humanity. Other, more recent, past me instead said that we could count on reinforcements sometime in the future which bolstered Cobalt’s spirit even more. (And, if I recall correctly, also got me a smile from Barn.)

After introductions, Cobalt showed off his abilities and was very pleased at both my and Zed’s reactions. Esper’s right, his abilities were unbelievable.

Cobalt asked if he could keep up his training and enter in more races and other competitions. I said it was fine as long as he could work it around our demands. Besides, we have training schedules. It’s not like his training conflicts with that.

With all that done, we went over the mission data.

During that mission, the armor we gave Cobalt recorded how his brain consciously picked up on and worked through the horn to gain use of magic. Because of this insight, we were able to improve our knowledge on magic, even if it was only a bit.

Furthermore, I discovered that objects from Humanity’s Earth have slightly different properties that can be consciously adjusted.

In other words, I found out how to focus enough to expand the natural anti-magic field around me and objects from Earth. This ability is actually kind of useless since my armor needs magic to work at full capacity. So, it is kind of cool and can be useful in like one or two situations but I would prefer to know how to actually use magic.

More important were the weapons and armor we created from combining the few metals the expedition brought from Earth and left with me with materials from Equestria. With training, this allowed us to consciously switch between magic and anti-magic attack and defense. That proved to be useful on more than one occasion.

That said, the physics of Equestria are fairly malleable and still work on me in unexpected ways. I assume it comes from consuming food made in Equestria (therefore making this world's matter a part of my cellular structure) but after practicing with the new equipment, I also found out that, if I focus on exactly what I wanted to do and how, I could actually increase my physical abilities fairly significantly. Almost enough to almost keep up with Cobalt provided he is not being serious and does not use active magic to boost his abilities. That’s pretty good considering how it should be impossible for a human to come anywhere close to matching an Equestrian pony in speed, strength, etc. without using technology.

One thing Esper forgot to mention was that the armor we wear has things to purify us. (They just can’t be used on anything not inside the armor.) Therefore, we definitely did remove whatever possessed Cobalt and suppressed his magic.

We soon discovered that Cobalt’s magic being suppressed meant that it was literally sapping his energy at increasing rates. His body had adjusted to the lack of energy both physically and magically. Basically, he spent his whole life with training weights and he had been training otherwise. Now that those “weights” were off he was far better than the average athlete or mage and never seemed to run out of energy.

It seems that, in that regard, this entity’s suppression of his abilities actually backfired quite significantly. Then again, I’m sure it never meant for anyone to be able to save his life and remove that sort-of possession to make him this powerful in the end.

And, because of all of this energy, he is always exercising in his spare time. Due to this propensity towards exercise, Cobalt became The Unknown Guardians’ unofficial trainer.

It does make sense; Cobalt has a way of motivating us. Besides that, he likes to volunteer for any strenuous task. It is probably related to how loyal he is to his companions which Esper has told me is a very Equirian trait.

He is also concerned about time. Every second counts to him as it means it is time that could be used for something else. Thus, it is not uncommon to see him trotting or galloping from one location to the next even if it is by no means necessary.

And for the most part, Cobalt gets along with everyone.

He is very considerate of others and does not distract them while they are in the middle of something. This is probably the one thing that has kept Smith from killing him. That and he’s a lot faster than Smith.

I could never get Barn to be excited about anything except humans, but with Esper's help Cobalt and Barn have started their own little study into how their magic works. They are trying to see if there is a true difference between Barn’s enchantments and Cobalt’s unicorn magic. That said, Cobalt is not a reader or a thinker. It does not mean he is dumb, it just means he understands only as much as he needs to. Because of that, magic is pretty much the only thing the three work at together.

Zed constantly works with Cobalt to improve his combat magic. Mostly so that Zed can learn to fight mages better but also to train Cobalt to think tactically. Cobalt’s healing and energy means he can spar many times in one day. As a result, even if he can’t ever win, Cobalt is the one pony who can actually wear Zed out and it is amusing when he does if only because of how much that frustrates Zed.

Plum made Cobalt practice a few flying spells so she could work with him on a number of tasks. It’s kind of scary how fast the two can plan and build something. Otherwise, she finds Cobalt to be uplifting and likes his company.

But Cobalt frequently hangs out with Elly and the two get along great. A surprising amount of their time together is spent playing the various old video games I brought with me. Cobalt figured out how to use the controllers with his magic (which is no easy task given that he has to focus on the game and the controller). He is one of the few individuals who can come close to matching Elly in skill (the other being Zed of course). They especially love games that have campaign Co-op like Halo. It’s unfortunate Equestria does not have the internet. I bet those two would love online multiplayer and talking on the forums. Who knows; maybe one day it will happen.

As for me, Cobalt likes to get me to train with him the most. According to him, I spent too much time in the lab and that made me fall behind the others in battle. For some reason, even back then, I just could not resist him. It has helped.

We go on long runs, generally wearing training weights. Naturally, he does not allow anyone to use their armor and I’m no exception.

I also spend a good portion of my post-training time with Cobalt. He likes to ask me questions and I like to answer. It’s a little basic but somehow this habit is rather rewarding for us.

Cobalt: You know—

Stratos: No I don’t.

*PAUSE*

Cobalt: …Have I broken my promise by being good at magic?

Stratos: Depends on what you mean.

Cobalt: I wanted to prove that I could still be a great athlete even if I didn’t have magic.

Stratos: I think that answers your question.

Cobalt: So, I did?

Stratos: No. All you said was that you wanted to prove you could be a great athlete even without magic. Heck, now you are trying to be a great athlete and a great magic user. In other words, you are proving the two are not mutually exclusive. Which is even more difficult than just being an athlete.

Cobalt: Wait, didn’t you say you were a scientist?

Stratos: Well I never graduated and some consider my field more engineering or programming than science but at this point that doesn’t mean much since Esper and I have made a lot of discoveries. Even if admittedly most of those discoveries are only because the Unknown’s research pointed us in the right direction.

Cobalt: Uh… so, are you trying to prove you can be a great warrior and a great thinker?

Stratos: Yeah, that is what I've always been subconsciously doing. I've always wanted to be a Paladin but my specialties lie with machines.

Cobalt: Do you think I could become the best athlete?

Stratos: Someone has to be the best and I don’t think any other athlete is part of an organization with near infinite resources… huh, my life got weird.

Cobalt: You just realized how strange it is to came from another world without magic and turn from a scientist to a warrior?

Stratos: Obviously you've never played D&D.

Cobalt: ...Are you sure all humans aren’t as strange as you?

Stratos: Pretty sure. Would you prefer if I acted serious and brooding all of the time?

Cobalt: *Snickers* No thanks. I’ll take weird over boring any day.

Stratos: Even if it means you get stuck fighting super-powerful evil monsters?

Cobalt: I consider that bonus training.

Stratos: Just be careful. No one likes a guy who’s perfect at everything. And if you’re too good people will just think you are evil on the inside. Hm, unless you are stupid that is.

Cobalt: If nopony thinks stupid ponies are evil, by your logic, I should just give myself brain damage to even it all out.

Stratos: A perfect plan that could never backfire.

Cobalt: And the lack of studies you keep forcing me into would mean I could just put more time into exercising. Speaking of which…

Stratos: *Sigh* Okay, okay, I’m done with my break. Let’s try again.

Cobalt: And this time try and keep up.

Stratos: Oh, yeah, sure, that’s possible.

Cobalt: You just have to work at it. Practice makes perfect.

Stratos: But nothing’s perfect so why practice?

Cobalt: …You’re not getting out of this.

Stratos: Damn.

I’m glad I met Cobalt after what I guess I should call my epiphany back when we recruited Smith. Cobalt is the only one who does not know what I used to be like. That has probably helped our friendship more than anything else.

Thanks to his efforts, I finally pulled myself away from the vast majority of my research efforts. In all honesty, by then I had already done more than the average person could expect to do in two lifetimes. I had only continued because it is what I had always done. Again, thanks to Cobalt, I avoided those kinds of time-sinks. I began to actually interact with others and not spend so much time inside or on my own. I became sociable.

It scares me to think I completely dismissed him when I first heard about him.

Not that I can fully blame myself or say I was completely wrong for doing that. Esper got something wrong in her report. Cobalt was not afraid of shadow monsters or The Shaman in Equire, he was afraid of the undead. Cobalt has a severe case of Necrophobia. Considering our job, this has come to bite us more than once and holds him back greatly. Still, I cannot say I would ever get rid of him or assign him to a different unit.

Really, I cannot stress this enough, Cobalt is important to me. He’s the best friend I have ever had. I can’t think of another individual I spend more time with or am so open with. In some ways, though that statement does a disservice to both of them, Cobalt reminds me of Nick. He is always positive and helping others simply because that is what a person is supposed to do. He’s the kind of guy it is just a joy to be around. Around him, I feel capable. I would do anything for him. And I have gone out of my way to help him on numerous occasions.

Honestly, Cobalt is the first individual I have ever truly treated like a friend.

I was not the only one changed by Cobalt. His aspirations have affected all of us. He talks about dreams so much that it made us all consider what we wanted to do after this whole “dark signal” thing was over. I found Esper’s goal to be the most ambitious. Her experience in Equire had rekindled her interest in wanting to be a writer. She wanted to publish some of her more minor scientific and magical studies but did not rule out the possibility of becoming a fiction writer. Of course she would have to dance around the parts of being an Unknown Guardian but, hey, that’s a challenge she accepted.

As I said before, there was nothing preventing my friends from leading relatively normal lives outside our battles. (Well, nothing apart from the old me.) Most of them just didn’t.

In a way, it was Cobalt that forced everyone to live double lives. As I said, he really wanted to continue his athletic career between dealing with all of his battles. Only he had the amount of energy needed to keep up that kind of lifestyle. But it did give us an excuse to appear in areas. That does not mean I can actually show myself. Unlike Elly, who can be always found by Cobalt’s side, I have to spend most of my time silently cheering from afar.

The others don’t have that same problem. In fact, they take advantage of the exposure Cobalt’s popularity gives them. Barn sells minor magical items, Plum promotes her architecture, and Smith (somewhat reluctantly) sells his armors. Epser even got involved in writing clubs and scientific journals. We made sure we never got too big (“Esper’s findings” could have made her a scientific celebrity on par with Einstein or Stephen Hawking) but we were still somewhat known.

Well, everyone is known except for Zed and I.

Zed is fine with this. He just wants to know that he is defending Equestria and its citizens.

I have mixed feelings about it to say the least.

I want to be important. I really do. I feel like I should be.

That’s probably why, whenever everyone else was away, I started to devote more and more time to work with Celestia on extending the Unknown Guardians. It might be selfish, but I did want more recognition for what I was doing. Being the leader of a large organization would help with that.

At least my friends are achieving their dreams. Maybe once this thing is over I will have achieved mine. Perhaps I will become that legendary paladin. Hopefully.

But I am beginning to doubt it. Even with all of our firepower, we need to rely on information. Yet even Celestia doesn't know everything. Even then, there are secrets being kept from me. I am being kept hidden and used as a weapon. The Unknown Guardians are weapons. We are mortals acting in what I know is a struggle involving powerful entities, deities, and abominations. I can't be certain any of us will survive when there are unknown factors and immortals as our opponents.

Cobalt fears death. I fear being insignificant. And how important am I when even immortals are left in the dark?

Report Addendum: Post-Mission Response

Post-Mission Report: Response

Sender: Dr. Stratos Lucid

Esper, I read your report. It was a great deal more emotional than I was used to coming from you. You need to calm down; you did fine.

No one could have expected a shadow-thing to appear. You even got some information out of it, which was not something I would have even thought of.

For more proof, here’s a document explaining what Cobalt thought about you.

There will be a lot of trials in our future. Minor mistakes can be expected.

Hey Stratos, you ever notice how you seem to end all your documents really dramatically? Are you doing that on purpose?

Update

Sorry, wrong file, here’s the actual one.

Hey Esper. I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciated your help learning magic back there. I’m still a little rusty but I never would have been able to help if it wasn’t for your advice.

If you don’t mind, I’d love if you’d help train me some more. Maybe we could even go on a gallop together.

Could we talk more in person? Typing is a pain in the flank.

Regardless, on a completely separate note, when we expand our organization, you will have to help train and lead the new Guardians.

It will be very important for our organization to gain more members. We can never know what lies ahead.

Announcement

[Uploaded 20/05/77]

Good evening everyone, this is Base. For the new inductees, I am the CEO of this division of Armor Incorporated. I hope that fact will grant me your ear. This will be informal. I have not rehearsed this because I do not have the time to do so. If you have trouble understanding what I am saying, look for the transcript available on the system. At any rate, I ask you for some of your time to update you on our current status.

I know many of you are frustrated over the council’s inability to make a quick decision but this is done out of necessity. There are too many opposing views and points to make this issue clear-cut.

Just as many of you are frustrated at the U.N.’s unwillingness to help and their various obtrusive policies. I will say that I cannot fault them for their decisions as they do not have the experience and information we do. They only have our word for the situation. For all they know, we are trying to start a war in order to forcefully seize Equestrian lands.

Our U.N. representative, Megan Williams, has stated that they are willing to risk another Rwanda if it means avoiding unnecessary war. Nonetheless, the U.N. will not obstruct Armor Incorporated’s flow of resources. The Armor Incorporated CEO back on Alpha Earth is hesitant to sink more funds into this project but Armor Incorporated has never prioritized profit margins. We can expect some reinforcements and supplies as long as we remain reasonable about our demands. The Nine Unknown Men have already pledged their support, as shown by their extensive covert operations. None of this changes the reality that if we are to fight this battle, as far as support from the majority of humanity is concerned, we are on our own.

We have not conversed with the Equestrian government about these matters because it is not their decision. Even the military does not decide this case as they need the support of the Armor Incorporated staff to sustain any prolonged conflict. No, the Kaze Petition will not influence our decision. Unless everyone volunteers to stay behind, there is no reason for us not to think about the lives of our employees.

I believe I should clear up some other matters.

The increase in causalities is not a rumor. While Kaze was the only guardsman to have died there have been more soldiers, agents, and scientists who have lost their lives. These were all part of the aforementioned covert actions, mostly authorized by the Unknown, which is why there has been no official report. We have had over one hundred deaths and over a thousand additional casualties, including some missing in action. Though I do not know the full details, it appears one of these casualties was an Unknown Soldier. I will let that fact speak for itself.

There is no middle ground on this issue. We cannot simply provide relief to Equestria or supply it with weapons. We will only make more of an enemy of Krastos by doing that. The U.N. will not budge on their resolutions. Even if they would, it could take months or years for them to resolve to do anything. If we stay, conflict will be unavoidable. If we go back to Alpha Earth, we will have to leave our equine associates behind.

For those desiring to leave, I suggest to do it sooner rather than later. You will either leave now while it is easy, leave during the rush while everyone else is leaving, or leave after combat has started. No matter the situation, if you do not want to be involved in the potential conflict, please sign up to leave at your nearest convenience. The company will not blame you for your choice and saying your farewells will not get any easier. I know that from experience.

This was a risky investment from the beginning. Everyone here was written off as a potential loss from the very beginning. Please do not think this means we want anyone to die. We wish casualties to remain as low as possible, with that number preferably being zero.

This does not mean we are unwilling to fight. Armor Incorporated can and has played a major role in revolutionary wars and political battles in order to protect the rights of its workers. There is a key difference in this scenario. We cannot call on the resources of our entire company, allied companies, or the many nations and their people for support. To reiterate, in past conflicts we always had international assistance.

If we get involved, we might win, but it is highly likely that most if not all of us will die.

I do not want to abandon any equine associate but if I have to choose between all of my staff dying and only most of them dying but living with the guilt, my choice is… admittedly, I do not know.

For now, we will do what we can to prepare for either scenario.

Attacks can and have come at any moment. From now on each employee will receive their own powered armor for protection and basic combat training. Augmentations will be available soon.

Everyone will be outfitted with a tracking device.

No one is to leave any facility without military support.

Prepare yourself for any sudden shifts in operation and task.

We will not obstruct any of the Kaze petitioners. If we leave, we will not waste time salvaging our equipment. We will take whatever is reasonable. They can take whatever they want from there.

With few exceptions, no new long-term projects will be approved. Finish up whatever you are working on as soon as possible.

Because they tell us how effective we can expect to be if we choose to fight, military operations will not be halted.

I believe that is it. More changes will come as we think of them.

This is an unconventional situation to say the least. When I agreed to head the off-world division of the company I was expecting any one of three scenarios:

One, be vaporized or otherwise instantly killed from contact with the Spectrum Bridge or the world behind it. Two, come into contact with some strange alien creatures and have to struggle for survival. Three, to have a surprisingly uneventful expedition where nothing goes wrong.

I was not expecting to have to choose between helping a deserving country and protecting my employees. As far as I am concerned, I see myself in a lose-lose situation.

If I am to be frank with my current feelings, this sucks.

Thank you for your time.

Reassignment Request

Employee: Dr. Kim
Employee ID: KI-7642-TE3-422-AI
Division: R&D
Date: 23/05/77

Request: Reassignment to Alpha Earth

Reason:

This situation is getting out of hand. I had volunteered for this operation working under the assumption that my efforts would go towards the creation of new products to improve living standards and new scientific theories to help understand the universe. I did not sign up to go on the crusade that so many seem to desire.

I am sure the upper-staff is aware of the “Kaze Petition." I had assumed that the document would only appeal to Equestrians as humans and AIs would never be able to stomach being stranded on this world. Upon meeting those signing the petition, I can say I was gravely mistaken. Each one is fully prepared and willing to follow through with their pledge. These individuals are holding meetings to work on ways to combat Krastos and operate within Equestria without company support. The amount of thought they have given this is admirable but misguided.

Given the amount of signatures this “Kaze Petition” already has, I am worried that it will influence the decision of the council.

I can no longer be certain of the direction of this expedition and I do not want to be involved in fighting regardless of intent. While I am sympathetic to the Equestrian plight, I have learned that these kinds of battles lead to prolonged indefinite conflict. Let the Equestrians sort out their problems, this is not our fight.

I do not care if you agree with me or not. It is my decision. As an Armor Incorporated employee it is my right to request this. I merely wish to be clear about my standing which I know I am not alone in.

Status: Request Approved

You will be sent a message with further instructions shortly.

Reason: Any staff member who desires reassignment back on Alpha Earth will be granted permission provided they have a good reason and they are willing to wait for the routine shipment schedules.

Equestrian Request

Employee: Grove
Employee ID: EQ-4539-II2-777-TF
Division: General Equestrian Staff
Date: 24/05/77

Request: Reassignment to Alpha Earth

Reason:

Hi, this is Grove; I’m a unicorn who works with the scientists to help study magic. I have three reasons I want to go to Earth.

See, I actually really want to see Human Earth. I read about it all the time and I want to experience the culture, places, and humans for myself. I know life could be hard but I’d love the experience and I’m willing to work for the chance.

I also don’t want to be involved in the fighting. Even if you leave I’ll probably still have to fight anyways because I live in Equestria. I’m scared of having to do that and I’d rather live somewhere else and let others do the fighting.

Finally, I’d like to see if magic even works on your world. It would be great if I could be the first pony to bring magic to you since I know of all the great things it can do.

Pick any of the above. I just really want to go see this world. I can’t wait to hear your reply.

-Grove

Status: Request Denied

Reason: The U.N. mandate is clear. For the safety of the planet, the company is not allowed to approve transport of any native of Beta Earth to Alpha Earth. There is no exception to this clause.

Prologue: A Message to the CEO

Receiver: Mark Hindenberg
Sender: Unknown Soldier #7 [Sinderen]
Subject: Permission Granted
Date: 28/03/2077 (Celestial Year: 997)
Time: 0800 hours (Equestrian Time)
Document #: 0034-6721-A31B7

After some mediation it was determined that you should be allowed access to these files.
These have already been sent to you in a separate attachment.
I have decided to provide you with further information.

You are not allowed to ask where or when these files were found. All you need to know is that they were found on Equestrian soil.

These files are real. They were not forged. Neither the company nor the Guardians could have done this. The encryption was unique. Only our upper echelons have access to the technology required to decrypt these documents.

The files have been heavily edited. Many sections were removed. In most instances this was not to censor information. The sections I have sent contained the most relevant details to this situation.

Most of the editing can be found in the Krastos Logs. It was at this point Stratos’s writing became nearly incomprehensible. He was writing for the sake of writing. Most have been removed for that reason.

The vast majority of Stratos’s scientific records have been removed. These notes would be an unnecessary distraction. He had modified his writings to compensate for the differing Equestrian physics. You would not understand them. We are not ignoring the information. We are translating, analyzing, and implementing what we can. It is not worth considering at the moment.

Context is important. We understand that you are acutely aware of Equestria and its inhabitants. Stratos’s files regarding this area of study may seem unneeded. It has a purpose. Some information was unusual enough to warrant it being included.

I can assume you never knew Stratos personally. Keep it that way. We do not need you to grow attached to someone you will never meet. Focus on what is important.

There were several oddities. Notably, the final log entry was exactly how you see it. It required no editing for comprehension. We are uncertain of the significance. There were several files created by Stratos’s allies. Their coding tags indicated they should not have been part of the data packet. Only a few were important enough to be considered for your purposes.

I will not say anything else. You are not witless. The rest you can figure out for yourself.

[DECRYPTION SUCCESSFUL]

I am not supposed to say this: I sent this document to you for personal reasons. I am concerned about what has transpired here. This was not something we were expecting. This was not supposed to happen. We were wrong about what it is. We are in the process of adjusting to this reality. Difficulties are numerous. Casualties will increase. Further conflict is inevitable.

You have experience with us but I will remind you to question everything. Stratos did not understand the full nature of his opponent and its actions. He did not realize its reach or its allies. What he encountered and learned was not the whole story.

We have no idea how the information on Krastos spread to the general staff. We do know that the current circulating rumors regarding the nature of Krastos are wrong. It is exceptionally hostile towards humanity and all living creatures. It will not change. It will not negotiate. It does not tire. It does not understand fear. Its abilities are not natural to this world. Even it cannot comprehend itself. No individual or group can fight it. Death only slows it down. For these reasons, it is understandably inadvisable to continue our current operations.

My feelings indicate it is too late for a swift retreat. I doubt the personnel will so readily abandon their new companions.

I am not certain if my superiors have withheld information. You need to be aware of off-world events. A meeting will be held to determine the next course of action. Due to your status, your input would be considered heavily in their decision.

As always, if you desire, you can simply reconsider your request. If you do, dispose of these documents, erase all digital traces on your computer. Send a report to me saying you did so. In that case, I will not ask for a follow up.

If you do decide to continue, you are free to access and distribute the information as you see fit. They cannot stop you. They cannot afford to lose your favor. Do not consider the effect such actions would have upon me.

Ultimately, it is your decision.

[REPLY SENT: 02/04/2077]

[DOCUMENTS FORWARDED: 14/04/2077]

Stratos's Report (Zed): Creating A Companion

Name: Zed
Species: Android – White? (Not sure if it works like that)
Gender: Male (Again, technically not)
Eye Color: Red (He can change it but this is the default)
Hair Color: Dark Blue (As per that silly regulation that androids need unnatural hair colors)

Abilities: Zed was not designed to be a combat android but has been modified to be one. He is expertly skilled in almost any weapon. He can use nanomachines to repair slowly. He has the advanced brain of a computer and can quickly do calculations. He is made out of what could best be described as enchanted Adamantium metals. (Not saying that this would be smart considering how fast it would drain his power and stress his body but) He can successfully lift many times his own weight with ease and carry it at over one hundred kilometers per hour. He can react to anything within tenths or even hundredths of a second. He is, essentially, superhuman in every area. However, I did not give him any built-in weapons for offensive capabilities so he has to use what we give him. (He prefers a repeating crossbow and a special legendary sword I'll get to eventually.) His muscles are designed to be able to continue functioning even with extreme damage.

Unique features: Due to his upgrades, Zed is likely one of the most advanced androids of the century; lacking in no area of combat, of socialization, or otherwise. He has somehow learned how to channel magical energy to boost his abilities but has yet to learn how to actively cast spells (we are not sure if it is possible). The reason I put that here is because it means he is powered by magical energy and no longer needs to recharge, unlike other machines. Zed looks and acts like a normal human. Unlike other combat androids, again because he was not meant to be one, he is equipped with a 3D processor. This means, he is under the same mental restraints as a brain. He can make mistakes but he can also be creative. His skin looks human but it is much tougher. He wears armor to supplement his defense. His processors are spread throughout his body so even if his head is destroyed… actually he would have to be pretty much completely obliterated to actually die.

Creating Zed: Isolation (Year 984-985)

I never was a social person. I always had a few close relationships, such as my friendship with Nick, but I spent most of my time studying or researching. I was proud of my lack of need for base humans; ones that would fall into their mindless gossip just to have something to say. I never realized how much relationships meant to me. Even the simple “hello” with a person down the hall is comforting in some ways. It motivates you.

I say this because after I disposed of the last traces of humanity’s recent presence, I suddenly found myself lost. For the first time in my life there were literally no one’s follies to correct or achievements to approve. There was no one to criticize me. There was no one to fight against. Stuck on another world, there was not even a meaningless routine I could build off of.

For the first few days I just kind of sat there doing nothing. Occasionally I even searched for my coin before remembering I gave it to Nick.

I tried to plan what I wanted to do but I had already studied a lot about Equestrians. If I was going to find any answers to my inquiry it really could take forever.

Eventually, after rereading “Rats in the Walls” for the fifth time, I decided to find a new location, hoping that the activity would get fresh ideas flowing.

For that task, there was plenty to work with. As I said, when the expeditionary force had left they left me with months of supplies and a few machines. Most important of these machines were the pony androids. I built them to recharge off of solar energy. Of course that meant even on good sunny days it could take at least a week to fully recharge a battery. But it also meant I would not have to find a power supply, unlike for the other service droids. Those droids would either have to be powered indirectly through the androids or use some of the few power cells I had. Nevertheless, they were a good source of labor in regards to transporting everything I desired.

The expedition also had left the satellite in orbit which proved useful for scanning areas. (That was one thing that made me think that they overlooked many regulations to help me. Since they were supposed to remove all traces of their presence, that should have been deorbited well before they left.) Using a UAV, I scouted a new place similar to the one I was currently residing at. It was a large clearing in the middle of a forest with one side of the clearing having a mountain overlooking it. The remoteness of the environment troubled me yet there was no other place I felt could go.

(Note: I soon discovered this used to be the home of some nomadic species that had discovered a vast varied mineral deposit but did not have the means to gather most of it. Not to mention the environment was unpleasant for them. Many believe it to be cursed or something. They left as soon as they got all they reasonably desired. Well luckily for me, I have the technology, humans are used to much worse things, I didn't believe in curses, and this place is amazingly rich in everything I wanted.)

I took note of the supplies and the capabilities of my machines and determined I would have to make a few trips. I was fine with that; it wasn’t like I had anything better to do.

The first few trips went uneventfully. But it was on the last that I ran into a problem. You see, up until then the military had done a fine job of either diverting or killing any threatening monster. Now that I was all alone, I was vulnerable to these creatures.

On one of the trips, while passing through an abandoned quarry, a group of minotaur bandits ambushed me. The monsters had probably noticed a pattern in my travels, noticed I was carrying supplies, thought I was a merchant or something, and decided to attack. Truth be told, they were quite menacing. Disregarding their natural size, they wore thick padded armor and wielded heavy axes or large swords all designed for intimidation.

Not realizing that the ponies were just machines, the minotaurs told the ponies that they were now prisoners.

I confronted them and told to leave as they had no idea what they were dealing with.

While surprised that I had spoken, the minotaurs talked to each other and concluded that I was just a magical war construct made to protect the ponies. They decided I was disposable. That would have been a problem but I had come prepared.

Now I was not very athletic before my adventures on Equestria. I was certainly not as strong as a minotaur. But the expedition knew there were monsters here. They knew the dangerous of walking into a world unprotected. That was why I was given basic training and, most importantly, wore my Recon Armor. While in this case it made the monsters confuse me for something nonliving, but successfully hid the fact that I was a human, this armor has saved my life more times than I can count.

You see, my armor was not the standard commercial-class armor. This was made with extreme combat scenarios in mind. It was built to withstand a fifty caliber armor piercing bullet. It could protect me from light explosives, high-speed car-collisions, extreme blunt trauma, and razor-edge weapons. If necessary, it could be air-tight to protect from dangerous gasses or microbes. It could enhance my strength enough to allow me to effectively unearth myself if a building collapsed on top of me.

When that first minotaur swung his ax at me, you know what I did? I blocked it with my arm. The steel weapon shattered like dropped plate. While he stared at his ax, I Tasered him and kicked him in the face. The force of my attack threw him back a couple of meters and knocked him unconscious.

That sent the rest of them into a fury but I didn’t care. The only threat they posed was if they ran down the power supply of my suit, but the energy would last for a few days as long as I did not abuse the boosters. As long as I wore my armor I was fine.

Okay technically that was not true, because after a few rounds of me tossing them around, shocking them with the Taser, shrugging off their blows, and basically humiliating them, they finally called in their trump-card.

To this day I have no idea what “Chompey” was. All I know about their pet is that it had six legs, three tails, a big mouth with jagged teeth, was the size of a building, and made completely out of stone. It burst out from the ground and growled at me.

That was when I panicked. There was nothing I had on me that could take on something like that. Before I could run I was suddenly covered in a golden-white light, confusing my already-racing mind into inaction. Chompey took the opportunity to pounce and stomped me into the ground.

As my skull slammed into the back of my helmet I was shocked back to reality. Somehow that blow calmed me down. Luckily, besides a ruined Taser my armor was surprisingly fine. Still, I realized I was pretty much screwed unless I could think of something.

The minotaurs cheered and told Chompey to squish me flat. My mind raced as the beast picked up its limb. Using the boosters, I jumped out of the way before another blow tore apart the ground. Seeing the ground fly reminded me of the demolition explosives that the expedition had left me. Fortunately, a few of my androids and service drones had been carrying the explosives.

I activated my remote control and told the machines to come to my position. Chompey did not make that easy. It batted away and crushed almost all of my metal companions with its tails and claws. When I did get in contact with one pony android and pulled out the detonator, Chompey decided to try and eat me. It lunged forward and scooped up both me and the android into its mouth.

Before it could crush me, I reflexively grabbed onto its tooth, activated the armor’s boosters, and launched myself out of its jaw. It slammed its jaw closed.

As I landed, I saw the detonator was still in my hand and I heard the crunching of the metal android. I put two and two together and suddenly realized an opportunity. Right as the monster swallowed, I clicked the button.

The explosives, still carried by the now-flattened android, detonated, blowing the creature’s head to pieces.

I sighed a sigh of relief. Then Chompey’s body fell on top of me and collapsed into rubble. Inside the mound of rock I sat still, rage growing at this unneeded inconvenience, until finally I burst forth from the gravel terrifying the cautiously approaching minotaurs. I pulled off my helmet and began shouting swears at them for trying to kill me.

When they saw my face and recognized they had just attacked a human, they were briefly stunned. When they saw I was now trying to kill them, they wisely scurried away.

For a little while, I rampaged across the quarry venting my anger on the nearby rocks. Suddenly, I heard something move. I picked up a stone, spun around, and chucked the rock at the figure. Princess Celestia easily “caught” the projectile with her magic and gently placed the stone back on the ground.

She raised an eyebrow and spoke to me for the first time. While I cannot remember her exact words, they sounded something like, “I see. Are you really so resentful that I shielded you from that beast?”

I briefly thought back, remembered the golden-white light, and quietly acknowledged how little damage I took from something so huge actively pounding me into the ground. If she had guarded me with a magic barrier then that would explain my lack of injuries. Even as furious as I was at the whole situation, this fact was enough to get me to listen to her.

Celestia lightly trotted over to one of the ruined pony androids and causally studied it. “Another remarkable invention, if slightly unsettling. Your kind never ceases to amaze me.” She chuckled to herself. “Yet, I notice that your friends have left you. Or perhaps you have left them.”

I quizzically watched the alicorn in silence.

When she saw that I would not reply, Celestia added, “But you did quite well on your own. You are not as helpless as I thought. You do not need my assistance. Nevertheless, if you discover anything troubling, if you are ever in need, do not hesitate to come to me. As for now, you are on your own.”

And with that, she disappeared in a burst of white light.

That encounter and her words finally calmed me down. When my mind cleared, I realized the gravity of my situation.

I nearly died.

I had a post-traumatic panic attack. I was horrified and terrified. This world was far more dangerous than I had imagined. There were things I did not understand. I thought back to Lovecraft and realized all of the terrible ends I could meet.

I considered going to the ponies for help, but I remembered my promise to the Unknown and their protocols. I steeled myself. I went into a mental trance as I chose a more suitable plan. Using the remaining machines and my own physical labor I finished carrying supplies to the forest I wanted. When I was done with that, I began constructing a small fortress and lab. I did not stop for days as I quickly designed new machines, new ways to gather materials, ways to grow (or synthesize) food, and I created traps just in case anything did show up.

When I had finished, and got a decent rest, I was astonished. I had somehow created a formidable base and home. That had been the most enjoyably exciting challenge I had had in a long time. I wished someone else was there to see it but the self-satisfaction of accomplishing my immediate goal was suitable.

Nothing ever attacked me again but just the experience itself was great. As intended, my motivation returned.

I became excited once again and continued my studies. Sometimes using the androids, sometimes studying from the shadows (thank you Nick for teaching me stealth techniques when I said I didn’t need them). I went over to nearby (actually, they were pretty far away) pony settlements and continued more focused studies.

I lived out my life through the androids, but it was not like my life was all that great. Loneliness began to set in. It did not help that most of the books and games I had on hand sought fit to continuously remind me of my true isolation. Perhaps horror was not such a good genre to latch onto in my youth.

Fear and paranoia clouded my judgment. I kept thinking I was going to be attacked or that something was watching me. In my slipping emotional state, I found the machines to be oddly pleasant companions. I grew quite attached to them. It is amazing what the brain will substitute for satisfactory social interactions. I even named all of them. (Usually just using letters of the alphabet but I eventually disassociated the letter from their name.) I became living proof that, no matter how asocial, humans are not meant to exist in isolation.

Given the aforementioned downward mental spiral, it is not surprising my studies hit a roadblock fairly quickly. I could gather data but most of it seemed meaningless. I didn’t know what to do. I was not mentally stable enough to objectively interpret or make use of it. I discovered one of the hardest things was having no one to respond to your thoughts or ideas. (It was not like I could as the ponies what they thought.) No matter how much I grew attached to my machines (and, admittedly, the subjects I was studying) it became painful never to be able to honestly communicate with beings who were right in front of me. Living on my own, the closet interaction with others was talking with ponies I barely knew through a screen. I believe anyone would find it understandable when I say I grew mildly depressed.

At one point, even if only for the briefest instant, I contemplated suicide. I don’t think I ever seriously considered it but I quickly realized that this was not going to work. I needed a companion.

I looked at my options, remembered protocol, and placed contact with the local inhabitants as a last resort.

One particular option stood out: Androids.

While an actual brain-based AI was out of the question, a 3D matrix itself was not. Among all of the files they left for me, there were the notes Nick and I had created for that college project some time ago. They had recently been improved and updated by the Unknown scientists in a collaboration effort I was working on with them. (It was obviously cancelled when we decided to end the expedition.)

But the android was designed for the expeditionary force and even had a program that just needed to be tweaked and downloaded into a CPU.

The only reason why I had not considered building one until now was because I didn’t need it and I would have to take parts from my other machines to build it meaning I would have to stop using the androids for a while. I would temporarily lose my only form of communication.

And unfortunately, I only had one matrix. As I’m sure as anyone in the field knows, a matrix is a really complex piece of equipment. I needed machines far more advanced than the ones I possessed back then to make one. If I screwed up and damaged the matrix, that was it. I could not build another 3D AI. I would be truly alone. Yet, at that point, I saw few other options.

Knowing my mind was at risk, I braced myself mentally and dismantled several of my companions. I quickly built and activated my twenty-sixth android companion. Companion Z. And am I’m sure Nick would scold me for not clarifying to my American colleagues that a Z is pronounced as “Zed” in many parts of French Canada. Hence his name.

Zed was my greatest creation. An android with the mind of a human and a personality of its own. Besides his hair, you really would never guess he was not human. Of course all advanced androids are like that but this was one I built.

His coding gave him few restrictions. His primary programming was to protect Equestria and its inhabitants from threats. This meant if I ever went crazy and ordered him to kill something (or I myself killed something) without good reason, he would prioritize protection of the kingdom over me. Still, it is only really a conscience. He’s no more restricted in anything he does than a human would be.

I guess in some ways that is risky but it has yet to backfire on me or most of mankind.

Creating Zed was one of the happiest moments of my life. I finally had someone to talk to, someone to bounce ideas off of, someone to help in my research, and someone to be my friend. I was glad to have someone or something I could trust.

Right away his utility became apparent.

I told him that he would have to use solar power to recharge, meaning he would have to deactivate for a number of days at a time. He questioned why I didn’t have any solar panels or windmills on my base to store energy in power cells and why I was not going to try and utilize available geothermal power.

I didn’t have a good answer for any of that. It just never occurred to me to even try to do that.

We soon outfitted our home with wind and solar generators and used the UAV (which are also solar powered by the way) to scout out geothermal sources to tap into. We found one in a particularly nasty nearby hot spring and built a compact generator that could store up a truly massive amount of energy.

That solved our energy problems, allowed me to recharge my Recon Armor, and allowed us to gather the materials needed to at least mostly repair the androids.

With this done, we continued my studies. We realized that the studies were only gathering statistical data on an aggregate level. I was trying to catalogue things like crime levels, general disturbances, and the like. Even when I observed the ponies, I was not focusing on individual personality to see why they were acting the way they did.

Perhaps I should not admit this so early but my studies were ultimately fruitless so I feel I should focus more on Zed.

One of the odd side-effects of prioritizing the safety of Equestria in Zed’s programming was his desire to become better at fighting. The first thing he asked for was a suit of armor. Considering I had neglected to use the combat armor the expedition designed for me (the Recon Armor was not built for combat, only surviving it), I gave it to Zed. He really liked the full plate medieval design of the armor saying, even with the technology built inside, the armor looked like it fit in the land of Equestria. He also began to look for and learn how to use weapons while going on training exercises.

Personality-wise: Zed is a little cold. While he does care about others and has emotions, he likes to analyze things “like how a robot is supposed to.” While he dislikes the majority of the stories I personally brought with me from Earth, he enjoys reading about the heroic warriors and terrible monsters of Equestria.

This does not mean his is always serious. There are plenty of times he has pulled me away from my work to do something fun or just to relax. When he can, he takes things slowly and patiently. He enjoys the small things in life.

But if you want to really hear what he is like, there was one situation, one talk in particular that really stood out to me. We were on a hill, watching the sunset. We occasionally did that. It was rather peaceful. But this particular twilight, he asked me something.

Zed: Hey Stratos.

Stratos: Yes.

Zed: How long is my lifespan?

*PAUSE*

Stratos: I’m not certain you have a definitive one. You can see from your own maintenance procedures that every part can be fixed. As long as you have energy and materials, both of which aren’t too hard to get, you should be fine. I guess… you are technically immortal.

Zed: That’s what I thought… That is what I calculated.

Stratos: You don’t need to worry about death. You have plenty of time. You are built to withstand almost anything.

Zed: I am not afraid of being destroyed. I know my own systems. Perhaps even better than you do.

Stratos: Then why did you ask?

*PAUSE*

Zed: Stratos, how long do you have left to live?

*PAUSE*

Stratos: Well, hm. I am twenty-one. I have lived a fairly healthy, active lifestyle. I’d say, provided nothing happens, give me sixty more years at least. I would say it is not unreasonable for me to live over one hundred so maybe eighty more years in that case.

Zed: *sighs* It seems too short. Like a tiny drop in the ocean of eternity.

Stratos: Eighty years is a long time Zed. A very long time. Humans actually live longer than most animals. I’m not sure I’d really want to live forever anyways.

Zed: Is there any way to extend your life?

Stratos: Depends. I’m sure you know the facilities we have here are nothing compared to what they have back on Earth.

Zed: Our medical technology was primarily created to deal with traumatic physical injuries.

Stratos: That too. On Earth they have cybernetic and biological augmentations. It’s still a new science really but they have been proven to extend life without reducing its quality.

Zed: Can we build them here?

Stratos: I have the files the expedition left for me. It would take a few years but it is possible… I’m sorry Zed; I have never liked cybernetics or any other kind of augmentation. I know it is relatively safe but I just never liked it. It might be selfish of me but I would never want to do those procedures on myself. Maybe that will change in the future but not now. And who knows, maybe this world’s physics or you know, magic, will allow me to live much longer than even that.

Zed: I do not want to die. Ever. But I do not want to be alone.

*PAUSE*

Stratos: We don’t have to isolate ourselves from the Equestrians. It’s only for my research. Coming into contact with them does pose certain risks to them but will also indirectly influence their culture which could invalidate results. But within my lifetime I’m sure I will have collected enough data to make that point moot. I guess what I mean is, when I die, and even maybe before then, there is no reason why you cannot engage the local population.

Zed: When you die, I will be the only human-minded individual left. I would always be different. The ponies do not live forever either. Nor do any of the monsters. Anyone I do grow attached to will die eventually.

Stratos: Well, we don’t know when my colleagues will come back. But they will. Nick promised. So, when they do, you will be able to relay our findings to them. You could then ask them to go back to Earth. By then they should have the technology to extend life almost indefinitely. And there are other androids like you there. Especially with Nick’s influence, there is no way they would not allow you to go back to Earth with them.

Zed: This is my home. I do not wish to leave. I want to be its guardian. To protect it. Even if I would have to do so alone or remain unknown.

Stratos: Right… Okay then, how about this? We will build the medical facilities necessary to extend my life naturally. Remember that it will not be eternal but it will extend it a bit. More importantly, we’ll build the machines necessary to create more humanoid androids and AIs. Androids and AIs really aren’t that cost-effective but they are good enough for our purposes. I mean, you’ve shown that. So in the long run, having all of those AIs will help us with our research. And when I am gone, you will have others to keep you company.

Zed: But you will still die.

Stratos: So will you. Someday we all die Zed. That’s just how it goes. We can delay it however much we want but someday, at some point, it will be over and we either go to the next life or return to nothingness.

Zed: So it goes.

Stratos: Yup. But, knowing that, it’s why I focus on the now. If I can get my name out there, I know I can do something grand. If I can do something amazing that everyone can approve of, then my life will be worth it.

Zed: And if that is impossible?

Stratos: Well, we don’t know until we try, do we?

Zed: Sometimes I’m pretty sure we do.

Stratos: Fair enough.

*Laughter*

Zed: What if I want to make everyone happy?

Stratos: It’s hard, probably impossible, but that can be your goal.

Zed: Then I will add that to my objectives.

Stratos: A little ambitious are we?

Zed: I get it form a certain someone.

Stratos: He sounds like an idiot.

Zed: He is, but I like that about him.

*PAUSE*

Zed: You’re a good friend Stratos.

*PAUSE*

Stratos: …Maybe.

Zed: What are you questioning?

Stratos: That statement suits you far better than it does me.

*PAUSE*

Stratos: I have something to think about. Let’s go back to the base. Regardless of what we do, we have a lot of work ahead of us. And we will complete it.

Zed: All tasks have their conclusion.

At those moments, back then, life was pretty good.

Still, it was not like anything important was happening. It had only been a few months. If I know anything about sociological studies it is that they can take years to complete and are fraught with ambiguous or misleading results. Truthfully, as I have stated, I have yet to complete my studies and doubt I ever will. Among other reasons, more important events have taken focus.

Yet, though life was good, and even with Zed at my side, while studying the populace, I began to feel isolated once more.

Of course, that isolation couldn’t last forever. We both knew somebody or some pony would see us eventually. Nevertheless, there was just no possible way for us to think it would happen the way it did.

Formal Complaint: Dr. Winters

[Uploaded November 996]

When my superior handed me these documents I was surprised enough to begin reading straight away. After a quick skim, I am questioning whether or not I should continue. When you say these documents are “heavily edited” I at least expected that it would still be Stratos’s writings.

If this is Stratos’s writings then they have been altered practically word for word. Stratos did not write like this. Look, the first two documents regarding Stratos and Zed sound nothing like the ones after it. And the actual Krastos Logs sound the closest to him but that’s not saying much. Okay, I get it, you are telling us “the essence” of what he wrote but don’t play it off like this was him.

Not that I blame you. Stratos was a sloppy writer. He hated proofreading his work and said that as long as it is understandable that was all he cared about.

Let me be frank: As a person who knew Stratos from college I can say with utmost certainty — and I’ve tried to think of a better way to say this but — Stratos Lucid was an unrepentant asshole who deserved what happened to him. This world may have changed him a bit but I still see far too much of what made me despise the man. That smug **** was hardly humble and would never shut up about his hatred for his fellow man even when there was no reason to bring it up. His only redeemable quality was his ability to sound convincing regardless of the fallacies of his logic. If nothing else, at least in death he was able to make himself useful for once.

He was not a likable man. I feel these documents are being dishonest about that.

This is Unknown Soldier Number 7.

Do not use the system to complain to your superiors about technical details. I will post my response for the general staff to see.

You are correct about the files regarding Stratos and Zed. The original files were both over one hundred pages long. I had to personally trim them down to save reading time. My writing conventions seeped in.
Stratos shortened the later files. They are mostly intact aside from my numerous spelling and grammatical edits. The documents after Zed’s are his work. There is no reason to believe that Stratos’s writing would remain unchanged after a decade. Furthermore, consider that a man would not desire to portray themselves negatively.

Read the documents. Do not skim them.

Stratos Lucid did change for the better. This does not mean all of his flaws disappeared. His overconfidence in his abilities never left him. His decision to challenge Krastos proved this.

U.N. Commander Megan Williams: Uncovered History

[DOCUMENT TRANSFERRED: 02/02/2077 (Celestial Year: 997)]

I’m hoping that the Unknown do not intercept or that if they do that I have enough of their favor and you have enough of their trust that they will ignore it. Unknown Soldier Number Seven monitoring me gives me a measure of assurance this will be the case. Perhaps he will modify this document. That is a constant risk I am still growing accustomed to.

Mark, we’ve got a problem. These things are beginning to target us. Vigil Platoon was lured into a trap. Only Unknown Agent Juno and Pony Soldier Inductee Boomer came out unscathed.

Obviously, Juno is not talking but the other survivors refuse to speak. I couldn’t even just look up what happened because the Unknown have confiscated all video and audio records. They are keeping this as secret as possible.

No one is saying what happened. Everyone is afraid of the Unknown. I have never seen the Nine Unknown Men act this way.

Only Boomer was willing to say anything but even he had to meet me in private.

He told me that there was some sort of meeting. It went sour as soon as the human members of Vigil Platoon arrived. The enemy immediately focused their attacks on the humans saying something about “The Athereals.” The ponies were only hit as a result of protecting any wounded humans. This likely explains why Boomer was not hurt as he was paired with Juno. Juno, in spite of having no powers, is still an Unknown Agent and more than capable of taking down any opponent. Given Juno’s skill and Boomer’s powers, I can imagine why the two proved to be so troublesome.

To be clear, I do not doubt the effectiveness of your units. The enemy had likely brought over one thousand combatants with them and Vigil Platoon held their own for the most part. It was simply that a few of the enemy were unkillable. Boomer mentioned blowing one up with a spell and the creature reforming unhindered. Vigil Platoon shot and stabbed the creatures until each of our soldiers were wounded or killed. It is certain that without the presence of Juno and the assistance of Jack, there would have been no survivors. To elaborate, if it indeed was a coincidence, it is fortunate that the U.N. mission I assigned for Jack happened to be so close to the battle zone. His assistance bought the survivors enough time for an Unknown Soldier to arrive and eliminate the remaining immortals.

Boomer is uncertain how the Unknown Soldier attacked and killed several of the immortals. I will admit to being unsurprised at this. Even when they were briefly under my command during various U.N. peacekeeping actions, I was never really able to understand the Unknown Soldiers and their capabilities. It is not out of the question that the enemy immortals would be vulnerable to them.

I feel the need to bring up several odd parts to the story which Boomer swears by.

While nothing the ponies did could affect these immortals, a few humans managed to punch or tackle them in a desperate attack. Any damage done by a human in this fashion was permanent.

One soldier managed to remove the horn of what looked like an alicorn. The alicorn’s horn did not reform though this did not prevent it from using its magic. It seems all the creatures could use magic even if they were not creatures normally capable of those kinds of feats.

Boomer was certain that at least one of the enemy combatants was an undead legendary warrior. Much as Stratos reported, the legend possessed all of the abilities they had when they were alive but was a slave to the controlling creatures.

When Jack arrived to assist, his blade cut down the immortals with ease. For some reason, Jack’s attacks were lethal even though there is nothing to suggest this should be the case.

I’m sure the Unknown know what’s going on. I’ve had enough of their secrets. I’m not letting them hide.

As soon as I got the information from Boomer, I decided to do a little digging. When I could not find what I wanted, I got Unknown Soldier Seven to look the other way. With Greeg’s help, I hacked into their database and took any information regarding Krastos and these “Athereals.”

Unfortunately, there is little on Krastos. Its appearance coincided with the reign of Discord. It was hostile towards Discord. Discord was afraid of it. As soon as Discord fell, it began to relentlessly assault Equestria at every opportunity. On a related note, Krastos’s followers are called Reclaimers. Many of them are immortal. There are differing degrees of immortality. Most can be killed by conventional methods. There is a way to kill the ones that are not supposed to be able to die.

This is all I was able to find. My research on the other topic proved much more valuable.

When I looked at the nuances behind the Athereals, I realized a few notable facts. This might seem hard to believe but these “Athereals” predate Equestria. There was also something related to a group of Archmages the Athereals frequently interacted with. These Archmages are related to something that I was able to translate as “The Divines.” That translation is probably not accurate but it was the best Greeg and I could do.

I was able to find almost no information on The Divines until Eagle, by chance, handed me something. From what I gather, The Divines were some sort of group of gods. They had a great deal of influence and many warriors under their name. They disappeared well before Discord or Krastos arose but their creations and those under these creations have taken up their mantle.

I have reason to believe some of these living constructs are still around. I have no idea whether this is a good thing or not, yet I do know it is related to us and the Unknown in some sort of way.

Mark, maybe you’ve realized this but the Spectrum Bridge makes no sense. Both of our Earths are moving through the universe at incredible speeds. Both celestial bodies have their own orbits and systems. In spite of this fact, the Unknown were able to create a portal that places us right on top of the surface of the planet. That is impossible unless they knew this world existed before they began the experiments over ten years ago.

What is more, the Equestrians should not know any form of the English language or of recent human culture. In the past, the ponies had their own language and writing. In the present, somehow they forgot about humans but have adopted a great deal of human culture. There must be some reason why this occurred. Again, I feel it must be related to The Divines.

Whatever is happening is far older than we realized. These beings have been acting long before Krastos was dreamed of. And the Unknown are part of this somehow. I am not certain if this is some sort of ongoing struggle or just the latest event in a long string of battles against the evils of this world.

With all I know, I feel like I am in the dark more than ever. This is frustrating but I cannot say I am surprised.

I am not sure if this will change your mind. I just thought you should know.

With that considered, I am unofficially allowing you to use the Omicron units. I will deny all knowledge of it if it comes to my attention. It bears repeating, don’t misuse them. They will not question orders. If you order them to destroy the wrong target, you won’t have time to correct your mistake. They are the only group I fear fighting as much as the Unknown. However, you should deploy them.

Of course that is if you aren’t using them already.

We know how the staff will react to Vigil Platoon’s situation. It is certain that they will want revenge. I believe that might be a part of the Unknown’s plan. They could have used any country or the United Nations itself, but they know of Armor Incorporated’s track record on dealing with threats to its employees.

This attack and these casualties will not go unpunished. The company will do everything to boost morale. Vigil Platoon will be reformed. I imagine your appointed CEO, [REDACTED] Base, will promote Boomer and place him at the platoon’s head. Given his personality, the results should be interesting.

Needless to say yet must be stated, the Unknown plan to place your company and its employees between the Reclaimers of Krastos and the land of Equestria.

I know many personnel would not mind this fact.

To be honest, I’m not sure I do either.

Unknown Agent Nine: Update

Agent Nine: Update For CEO Mark Hindenberg

Date: 15/04/2077 (Celestial Year 997)

Omicron Squad has infiltrated Canterlot. No sign of Krastos or its influence. The population remains unaware of its activities. This Agent suspects Krastos has decided to remain hidden. Stratos’s actions have not triggered a response. There might be more time than previously estimated.

Encounters have been sparse. In each encounter, Krastos and its allies have shown more of their capability. They are exponentially more dangerous than Stratos understood. Krastos has grown in power over the ages.

No sign of the Guardians. They are avoiding contact with personnel. There is no known reason for this.

Unknown Soldier Number 7, Sinderen, has been put under inquiry for his overly liberal release of classified information. A death sentence or suicide assignment is not out of the question. Do not expect additional assistance from him.

The Nine Unknown Men have decided to draw Krastos out.

The Unknown Soldiers expect to be deployed soon. If they can succeed, victory is possible.

In spite of devastating setbacks, Omicron has made numerous gains. Their actions continue to show promise.

There have been sightings of Reaper and Avardis. Their intent is unknown. Endewize remains elusive. These immortals, notably Endewize, have a long history of animosity with Krastos.

Sanctuary is still in effect.

More information will be provided as the situation develops.

Kaze Petitioners

My Petition

I am Genome. I am combat android model TK-5. I was built by Armor Incorporated to kill anything threatening the Russian people. I have spent my entire existence training, upgrading, and researching to improve on my methods of killing. I have participated in numerous battles. I have killed an unthinkable amount of humans and machines.

I have signed Kaze Petition.

For many years I spent countless hours reflecting on my existence. I spent many days meditating and questioning my life. I may be a weapon of war but I was designed to fight so that others would not have to. The Lord did not give me the command “Thou shalt not kill.” I fight for humanity so that humans do not need to break this oath. I was given life so that I may protect life. I would gladly exchange my life for any employee of Armor Incorporated.

I agreed to help Armor Incorporated because I thought I would be defending others. I vowed that no innocent blood would be shed. I am angered at our hesitation to protect our own.

I am responsible for every life I have taken and every life I have saved. I am responsible for all my sins and all of my virtues.

When I die, I will face my Lord in heaven. If my Lord asks me why I turned my back to these souls, I will not be able to provide a guiltless answer.

I know that belief does not suit all of my fellow sapients. If I cannot appeal to you on faith then I will appeal on morality.

We all have a choice. We cannot claim ignorance. We are no strangers to these series of events or what they indicate or what will happen if we idle. We have seen the Holocaust, Rwanda, Cambodia, and far too many other examples. We have a history of conflicts known but ignored. Each time the results were tragic. Each time those of inaction regretted their choice. We need to learn from our history.

Based on Stratos’s words and what we have experienced ourselves, the truth is clear. This is an attempt by Krastos to willfully destroy a thriving culture. This is genocide.

I applaud the human who set forth this petition. I support all those who have signed it. I am comforted by the many souls standing with me in my act. We will do whatever is within our power to save Equestria from this damnable spawn of evil. We do not need a law, a council, or even — forgive me for saying this — God Himself to tell us what is right.

I trust that God has given me a soul and will pass favorable judgment but I carry no illusion. My actions may be futile. I may die. I may be forgotten. I may face oblivion and cease to exist. But I will have done the right thing. More than anything, that is what I find is important.

[Signed: 23/03/2077]

Sanctuary Falling

This is Samson Greeg. I am marking this as my doing. I have managed to acquire another piece of information. They should realize they cannot outsmart me. I know who this is. You should be able to figure it out. Pass it on.

*Begin Transcript*

[REDACTED]: Celestia, what is happening? They are growing more active.

Celestia: I know. I am letting Sanctuary fall.

[REDACTED]: You have made a grave error.

Celestia: I have not. Sanctuary has not protected my people.

[REDACTED]: It was never meant to save everyone. It was meant to delay Krastos or any great threat. They are not strong enough to do more than that.

Celestia: It is time we stood on our own four hooves.

[REDACTED]: That is… Why did you do it?

Celestia: Sanctuary would not allow her to return on the thousandth year. When Lun… When Nightmare Moon returns, we can recover the Elements of Harmony.

[REDACTED]: But if you do that, you will weaken the bonds holding back all kinds of horrors. That includes Krastos, Discord—

Celestia: Discord was sealed away by the Elements of Harmony not Sanctuary.

[REDACTED]: But the seal is reinforced by Sanctuary. You cannot count on the past powers to protect you. Even if you could get them to work, the Elements of Harmony will not stop Krastos. Look, we just need a little more time.

Celestia: I have given you enough. They have done enough. They could only do so much for Stratos.

[REDACTED]: I… I understand.

Celestia: What is your decision?

[REDACTED]: I will not make one for everyone else. Nonetheless, you are right, they are gone. It’s time to stop relying on them. It’s time to forget about the past. You have my support. For now, we just need to prevent Krastos from returning. That should give us enough time to prepare… Stratos deserves that much.

Celestia: You regret manipulating him?

[REDACTED]: Yes.

Celestia: It was not an easy choice but you made the right one.

[REDACTED]: That does not mean I do not regret it.

Celestia: I understand.

[REDACTED]: I suppose you would. But at least you didn’t condemn your sister. I knew the outcome and I did not stop it.

Celestia: It was also his choice.

[REDACTED]: And yours, and a lot of others... It’s in the past. Now, I just want to make the best of this.

Celestia: It is all we can do.

[REDACTED]: No, you do not understand my meaning. Let me make clarify.

*End Transcript*

By the way, I know some of you Unknown are listening in. I have something to say: I don’t care if you have gods backing you, don’t mess with me. I am Armor Incorporated’s “Omnidisciplinary Ace.” It does not matter how advanced your equipment is compared to mine. I will not allow you to use our corporation as you please. None of your secrets are safe as long as I am around. And if any of you even think about trying to end me, I will do a whole lot more then reveal a few trivial files. Work with us, not against us. That is all I ask.