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.

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.