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.

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.