The Human Paradox

I had joined the United Space Exploration Front, a committee composed of many major nations established to explore space for scientific and economic purposes,  5 years ago. It took those five years for the ship I was to serve on, the Tsar, to be built. Once built, and christened, we were to be immediately deployed. Air force "planet jumper" scouts had spotted a unique planet, which meets the standards for Human life, set long ago by scientists, and referred to as the "Goldilocks conditions."  Those being a planet wide average temperature of between 70-85 degrees Fahrenheit, or 20-30 degrees Celcius, A stable atmospheric pressure of 1 atm, and liquid water.

 As our maiden voyage, the Tsar was to be sent to scout the planet to ensure accuracy of data, and to set up a landing zone from which we would colonize the planet. The thought of performing such a feat thrilled me. Since I joined, all I've wanted to do was go to another planet. I was practically bouncing when I lined up for final roll before departure. When the six engines of the Tsar roared to life, and the thrust of over 16 million horsepower, 11.6 million kW, caused the fabric of my seat envelop me as I sunk in, I felt my heart leap. We broke the atmosphere with a bang, which caused the whole ship to shudder. The bang was followed by a hissing as the pressurizing system tried to regulate the oxygen being lost to the vacuum outside. Once we had lost the last traces of gravitation, another system came on, a wonderfully complex piece of mechanical engineering. The system used magnetism, in conjunction with a controlled under-floor vacuum to help the crew members maintain a sense of direction while they serve onboard, as well as provide a constant circulation of air, which is pulled into the vacuum and recycled. At this point we were told to report for briefings and duty assignments.

Upon entering the main chamber, a crowd consisting of most, if not all, of the 3,500 crew members aboard, was present. The officers went down the lines and assigned numbers. Once each number was delivered to everyone, we split into groups of similar numbers. The officers briefed us of our mission:
"For those of you who can't read the papers, or are too stupid to look it up, we are on a mission to establish a base of operations on a foreign planet named Equ3-s7-r14, Eq. for short. From this base, we are going to colonize said planet." I couldn't help but grin like a fool in excitement. "This planet has been rated by the scouts as hospitable to human life, however, we will not take a risk. If it's hospitable for human life, god knows what kinds of creatures will be out there to kill you." The reality of this statement hit me hard. It had never crossed my mind that I would have to deal with unfriendly predators. I had grown accustomed to being at the top of the food chain, and the thought of surviving against other top predators was deterring to say the least. "To ensure all our safety, we will send men down in platoons, to various points on the planet's surface. You will maintain communications with the bridge at all times, and should you encounter anything.....shoot to kill. Now, I, and the other officers will divide you up into platoons of twenty-five. Plan on making friends of these twenty four others, they may be the one to decide if you live or die on Eq."

The officers took the groups of about 500 and split them into groups of 25, taking the names and ranks of the members, and assigning living quarters for them. I was assigned to 8th Regiment 2nd platoon, the Texas Rangers, a scout/cavalry division. I was issued my patch, a raven on a golden shield, and my room number. I was stationed on the Port side, C-deck, right in the middle of the ships. Once we were assigned our cabins, we found our rooms, claimed our beds, and got partially set up, when were warned that lights out was to be called in 30 minutes. I hurriedly showered and prepared myself for bed. I slept soundly that night, ready to take on whatever threats may make themselves apparent on Eq.
The next morning started with a revelry awakening most of the ship. We filed into mess, where I got to meet my platoon mates for the first time. First I met was a fellow from the African Union, most likely South Africa, Corporal Stemmel. Stemmel was a nice man, a tinge conservative, as most Boers are, but a nice man nonetheless. He stood strong, with broad shoulders and a chest to match. His arms were beefy, perhaps not muscular, but beefy. He seemed the typical man, gruff, cynical, and not very complex. He was, however, dedicated. After Stemmel, I met Private First Class Rustam, he came from the Russian Commonwealth Confederation, most likely somewhere in the Asiatic mountains. Rustam was shorter, but nimble, and surprisingly strong for his size. His skin was a tan, and his cheeks were puffy. Rustam was a nice man, very friendly and supportive. He showed his best self when others needed his help.  Then came Specialist Carina. Carina came from the United Scandinavian Nations. Carina was of moderate height, her hair was the typical blonde, her eyes blue, her skin pale. She did not look like the type to be handling military work, she was girly, but curious. She had an unusually strong drive to get things accomplished. These were my squad mates, we would be deployed as a platoon, but we would remain together as squads.
After morning mess, we went in for combat training and role assignments. Stemmel ran the gauntlet first. It began with an urban environment. He performed at a mediocre level, next came the jungle scenario, in which he flourished. Afterwards, he was instructed to "hold a position", which he did so with an annoyed grunt. After the examination of his skills had ended, Stemmel was dubbed "suitable standard infantry material", and armed accordingly. Stemmel received the Lg-15, short for light gauss model 15, a moderately powerful weapon, it fired a round using magnetism to ensure accuracy and power. Next went Carina, Carina did best in the defensive position. She was given the job of Engineer, and issued a Pr-316, a semi-automatic plasma rifle, which atomizes the air in front of the weapon to deliver a near instant bolt of plasma to the enemy. Carina also will receive training in repairing machinery, handling explosives, and constructing structures such as shelters and barricades. Rustam went last, Rustam was found to be best as a squad support. He was issued a SR-09, a Support Rifle, a heavy gun that fed from a large chain of rounds. Rustam would also receive training in emergency medical services and beginners strategic operations.

"Command  Sergeant Major Roman, please report to role assignments." When they called my name, I was shocked. Being an officer, I hadn't thought I'd be given a direct combat role, but I went nonetheless. I performed superbly in the urban setting, and was told that my "superb reflexes and quick critical thinking" landed me a spot on close combat. I was issued a USMG, a Universal Sub Machine Gun, or the Marine Gorp as some had nicknamed it, an automatic weapon that fired a potent round, albeit at a slow rate of fire.

After Role assignment, we met up with the rest of the Regiment. Being a scout/cavalry regiment, we were expected to practice using the vehicles we had. Each squad entered a simulator of the Luchs, an eight wheeled all terrain armored car. Being the highest rank in my squad, I was the commander, who used the gun sight for the turret, as well as the radio for the vehicle. At first, Carina, the driver, did poorly, running into trees, and getting stuck on buildings. After a few remarks from Stemmel about women drivers, she stepped up and learned from her mistakes quickly. By the end of the day we had become fairly aware of our responsibilities, as well as how much we needed to work to perfect them.
Such was our life for the next few months. We spent the time training, becoming proficient in our areas of expertise. I became adept at spotting enemies, and dealing with situations that required quick reflexes, both physically and mentally. Carina did well, she became a strong markswoman with her rifle, and she had a knack for fixing vehicles. Rustam had some issues with his gun initially. It was a heavy weapon for a small man from the mountains, but he eventually grew accustomed to it, and would at times, even forget he was holding it. Finally, Stemmel seemed the most happy about his assignment. Stemmel was indeed the grunt. He enjoyed taking orders instead of giving them, he liked the general lack of responsibility that came with being a general infantryman, he thrived in tough conditions. The Luchs had become our second home. We could identify enemies quickly, Rustam loading a shell, Carina maneuvering to avoid anti-armor weapons, I taking careful aim and radioing a warning to other vehicles, and Stemmel firing the cannon that took down the enemy. Our training lasted for many months on board the Tsar, and we had hoped that it would carry us to safety on Eq.

Three months after first breaking Earth's orbit, we were awoken by a proximity alarm. The ship had arrived in orbit around Eq, and this was the officers' way of letting us know. By earth time, it was around 5 in the morning when the alarm sounded its blaringly loud siren. The ship stirred extra early, and morning progressed as usual. We entered the mess, and most scrambled to the windows, to catch a glimpse of the new earth. I had managed to sneak a peek. Eq. was about 35% water, the rest land. It seemed for the most part vegetated, with little to no desert. A few mountain ranges could be seen, with two major chains in the northeast and southwest. After taking my glance, I sat with my squad mates at the table.

"So? What's it like?" Carina busted, clearly excited to know this new land. Her eyes never left mine as she eagerly awaited an answer.

"I bet it's a dumb ol' rock, hardly worth our time", said Stemmel, exerting his usual pessimism.
Rustam eyed Stemmel indignantly, "and what is wrong with rocks?" Rustam and Stemmel always found issue with one another, it was uncomfortable, and usually confrontational, yet we all knew that deep down, it was playful.

"Well nothing, if you're from one"
Carina was still anxiously waiting for my response. I imparted as much detail as I was capable of recalling from my brief glance.

"Well, it's mostly green, spare a few mountain ranges. Water covers significantly less of it than is does on earth, only around 40% I think."
everyone looked at me, dying to know more about it, "that's all I've got."

 After morning mess, we were directed to the landing craft. Onboard the Tsar was 50 heavy lift landing craft, capable of lifting one armored vehicle and a compliment of crewmen, and 100 light landing craft. We were given our briefings, reminded that contact with the bridge was to be maintained at all times, and don't assume anything. Eq. may be like earth, but that doesn't mean the animals and diseases are. We were given in ear communicators, which had a near permanent link to the ship, and a 5 mile communication zone with any other communicator. The officers then assigned each squad a spot on the planet to land, and from there, scout a ten mile zone around the landing site. Our squad was picked for the middle of a jungle, which was not to my liking. Nonetheless, we donned our combat armor, a flexible, durable, and protective vest of plastics and ballistic plating. After double checking that our filtration masks were functioning, we entered the landing craft and awaited the inevitable. A bang and some shaking signaled that the craft had been ejected from the Tsar, and soon enough a roar signified that the computer guided engines were flying us to our landing zone. Inside of the craft was dead silent in fear and anticipation. The only sound, aside from the breathing of the masks, was the squeaking of the struts on the Luchs armored car in the cargo bay. A few minutes past when we began to feel a pressure building on us as we entered the atmosphere and gravitational field. It was at this point that an alarm sounded, followed by an explosion. The ship flailed wildly as the computer sought to regain stability of the craft.  We stared at each other with fear in our eyes, Carina was the first to call in.

"Bridge, Bridge, this is landing flight Charlie 8, the guidance system has malfunctioned, and we suspect damage to the ship."

"Charlie 8, this is bridge, we copy. Similar reports are coming in from other landing craft. Brace for impact, and deliver a sit-rep upon touchdown"

We shared glances once more as the bridge reported. Not only were we expected to crash, but so were the other flights. We feared the worst as the windows showed we were rapidly approaching the ground. Stemmel had his head bowed, whether he was in a brace position, or if he just couldn't bare his fear in our presence I will never know. A terrible grinding and crunching noise emitted from the ship as it hit the ground. That was the last thing I heard before everything went black.

I awoke, I don't know how many hours later. It was night out. Carina was missing, as was the Luchs. Rustam was still unconscious, though he appeared untouched. Stemmel was moaning a deep, miserable moan. I worked to free Rustam and dragged him out of the wreckage of the ship. Stemmel I came back for, to find his head bleeding severely. I took him carefully, making sure not to jostle the head and neck too much, out of the metal that seemed to encase him. For his sake, I would have to hope Rustam woke up soon. After placing Stemmel lightly to the ground, I observed my surroundings. We were in the jungle, the Luchs was about 20 meters away from the wreckage. The landing ship lay in a twisted heap. The front was crushed inward, and the side Stemmel was on was mangled horrifically, and bent inward. Carina came out from under the Luchs, she was bruised, but she didn't show any signs of discomfort.
"Boy am I glad you guys made it!" she exclaimed, giving me a brief hug, before looking at the two on the ground.

"I wouldn't consider us alright just yet," I noted, drawing her attention to the gash on Stemmel's head.  I took some anti-biotic cream from Rustam's bag and applied it to the cut, and bandaged it amateurly.  Carina cringed and went back to the car. "How's the damage on the car?"

"Not too bad, snapped an axle. Good thing this beast has armor, otherwise it might've crumpled like a tin can." A blue glow emitted from underneath the vehicle as Carina welded together the broken pieces. She took to engineering well, and never missed an opportunity to fix something.

"How long will she be down?"

"I figure maybe a few hours most, it's not that bad"

"have you reported to bridge yet?"

"I tried, communications are down." I paused for a moment. That's not a good thing. Bridge should never not be able to communicate. This reeks of hostile military action.

Rustam stirred, and being the medically trained soldier he is, took his time to account for every bone in his body before rising. He looked over to Stemmel, who at this point was semi-conscious and bleeding through the bandage. Rustam immediately applied a coagulant, applied a fresh dressing, and injected a pain killer. Gradually we informed each other of what was going on, and what we thought was the proper course of actions. Stemmel was the last to rise, and last to know, but one of the most outspoken in his opinions.

"Obviously we continue with the mission. We need to scout the area, who knows, maybe we'll find the communications jammer!" The Luchs was up and running again, and having nowhere else to go, we agreed with Stemmel and entered the car. We drove carefully through the jungle in what we hoped would be a safe direction. I constantly scanned the horizon, looking out for any sort of predator that could topple an armored car. The stifling silence intensified our burning fears , which quickly died when a transmission ran through the communicators.

"Help! Help! They're everywhere!"
I, being on the Luch's radio, responded, "This is the 8th, 2nd platoon. What's your status?"

"We're surrounded by massive flying lizards. I think it's dragons!" The communicator went dead as a whoosh and crackle engulfed my ear. The transmission only served to confirm our fears. I looked to Stemmel, usually gung-ho, but his eyes told me he did not want to encounter beasts of that magnitude. We continued our drive, more cautious than ever. Our drive lasted several hours, but was cut short due to a fuel leak that developed while driving. Carina beat herself on the head for not driving carefully enough, but Rustam comforted her, and she moved on.

We set out on foot for perhaps another hour. Darkness was setting in fast, and we didn't want to be trekking in the night. Carina and Stemmel hastily built a shelter, if one could even call it that. We kept guard in shifts, one of us always watching and listening for more radio communications. When morning arose, Stemmel's head was doing worse, much worse. Despite the disinfectant cream, it still developed an infection. The area around the cut was swollen, and soft. Stemmel complained of a massive headache,  understandably. We did what we could, and gave him another pain killer. We marched onward, halting at every foreign noise, ensuring our safety, before moving on. We talked only in short spurts, trying not to distract each other from the mission ahead. The jungle was humid, and we had to stop often to rehydrate. Rustam was handling it best, though even he was thoroughly drenched with sweat. Stemmel was being more or less dragged, as he wavered in and out of consciousness. While in consciousness he would walk, mostly unaided, but he would often have to lean on me or Rustam for support when he became woozy. We were in a sad state, though it appeared as though the only real threat was Stemmel's infection, which could be cured if we managed to make it back onboard the Tsar. The infection had begun to progress, the area was filling more with puss, and turning a sickly green. Rustam thought that at the rate it was spreading, we had four days, maybe five, before it became lethal. We had just finished a rehydration break, and Stemmel was feeling confident enough to continue, so we hiked further towards what we hoped would be salvation. As we walked, Carina started to hum a tune. The tune quickly raised our spirits, and we followed suit. Soon we began to outright sing the song, smiling for the first time since crashing on Eq. I felt a weight lift off of my chest and almost stopped paying attention to our situation. I fell to the dangerous notion that nothing would harm us. I caught myself slipping, and fixed myself, making sure to listen carefully past the singing. I caught the low growl below the song, but not soon enough.

From behind a bush sprung a lizard like creature. It was nothing I had ever seen before. It was a forest green, speckled with black. It held a similar shape to a jungle cat, but with a larger snout. The creature lept with tremendous agility, and appearing as nothing more than a blur, collided with Rustam. the collision seemed to rip at Rustam's spine, causing his head to lift and his neck to stretch to inhuman dimensions. The creature landed, and crushed Rustam's head between its jaws. Bone fragments, brain matter, and blood spurted out from the sides of the creatures mouth. I, with the lightest gun, was first to react. I began to shoot at the creature, who seeing me as a threat, sprinted toward me, talons out. My bullets seemed to have only marginal damage, causing the creature to merely wince, while still bounding on its line to kill me. The beast leaped at me, intent on taking me down.I had received a blessing, as one of the shots fired penetrated the creatures eye. This caused its vital functions to cease, but momentum landed the creature on me. I feel to the ground, and squirmed as the creature oozed blood and eye fluid onto me. Stemmel was fading, so Carina did her best to heave the easily 140 pound creature off of me.

We quickly rushed to inspect the damage done to Rustam. Clearly, he was not alive. His head had effectively been split in half, and caved inward. Patches of grey from beneath the red revealed at least part of his brain was still within his mangled head.  His neck, as I suspected, had been wrenched upward, and the skin and muscle had tore near the base of the neck, revealing his vertebrae. Carina collapsed next to Rustam.

"This.....this is awful," she muttered, unable to describe what she was seeing. I tried to take her away from it, so she wouldn't see any more than she needed to, but she stoutly refused. She turned to me. "Is this what war is?"

The question took me by surprise. I had become numb to the devastation, the disgusting damage war does on a body. Seeing her reaction brought back vivid memories of some of the most mangled bodies I had witnessed. The look on her face was one of lost innocence, it was the look of someone who had been mentally scarred, and will never be the same person. I pitied her, I knew the feeling of losing a friend for the first time, and I can only imagine what sort of internal strife a girl like her must be going through. I must not, however, allow emotions prevent our evacuation off of this planet.
"We have to keep going"

"Shouldn't we at least give him a burial!?" Carina fumed. Her outburst again took me by surprise. "Shouldn't we treat him as another human being? Is that so wrong?!"
I heaved a sigh, "I wish I could allow it, but we must continue. We've lost one, we've got a time limit on another, and who knows what'll happen if we stay? There could be more of them!"
Carina grunted, and took a shovel from her bag. She began to dig a hole. I sighed once again. If this girl wants something done, then she's going to get it done. I took the best option available, and helped her dig. The sooner we finish, the sooner we get out of this forsaken jungle, and the sooner we can meet up with others and get back onboard the Tsar.

Several hours passed, and Stemmel hadn't awoken yet. We dug a grave 8 feet down, standard for battlefield gravesites. We lowered Rustam in, after taking whatever supplies would prove useful to us, and covered Rustam quickly. The sun was starting to set, and clouds were rolling in. We trekked for another hour before we set up a camp. Carina constructed a shelter, she still had the supplies from last time, and we stayed up for a while. It was silent between us. What we had witnessed was unsettling to say the least, and we learned a valuable lesson about preparedness, the hard way.

"Do you think Stemmel will be alright?" Carina finally asked, breaking my thought process. I shook off the haziness and pondered for a second. He had three days left, tops. There was a serious risk of him not making it, but I couldn't let Carina become demoralized again.

"We'll make it out of here in time." I said softly, in as much of a reassuring tone as I could. I followed with a fake smile. I could tell she wanted to believe me, but she had her doubts.
"What do you think took us out of the sky?" Carina chimed again. "Do you think there's another intelligent species here, and they launched a defense against us?"

"To be honest, I don't know, but I really hope not." I spoke plainly, but truthfully. Another species would mean war, and we had no idea what sort of weapons they'd have. If they managed to overcome that thing that killed Rustam, they must be powerful. We decided on shifts, and called it a night, happy to leave the horrors of the day before behind us. I bid her goodnight as I took first shift. Night delivered nothing extraordinary, which I counted as a blessing. I switched shifts and slept heavily, dreaming of the comforts of home, where my friends were alive, and I could walk around without being afraid of imminent death.

I awoke calmly, albeit a bit comedically as I wrestled with Stemmel's  oversized arm, which had draped itself over my face during the night. Carina giggled as she saw my squirm my way out of the tent. I began my morning routine, or as close to it as I could in this place. Admittedly, I had a tough time emptying my bladder with Carina standing guard nearby, though I did eventually. We waited another hour to see if Stemmel would rouse. The hour passed, and when I went to inspect his condition, he was feverish, and hallucinating. He was sweating profusely, and shaking,  and muttered about his sister, and the Bantus who stole his milk. Neither of us knew what to do. He was too heavy to be carried, and he certainly couldn't walk himself. Carina and I pondered for a moment, and I came to an unfortunate idea.

"Carina, could you go collect some firewood? We're gonna have to wait here for a while for the fever to subside." I begged her. I couldn't let her see what was going to unfold.

"Alright, I guess I will," She agreed reluctantly, and walked slowly away from the campground. I waited a few minutes after I couldn't hear her footsteps anymore. When the time had come, I went into the shelter. Stemmel lie on the floor, and I said to him softly, hoping in vain that my voice would make this any easier. I took my service pistol.

 Stemmel  responded to this, "No Gisele, that's daddy's gun! I know he was a bad man, but we don't shoot
people!" His words, though out of context, were eerily relevant. I leveled the gun, and closed my eyes. The hammer clicked, and the bullet flew. Stemmel lay on the ground, with a hole in his left forehead, silent. I exited the shelter as Carina came running back.

"What did you do?" She sounded panicked, almost in a fury. "What did you do!?"

"It had to be done." Carina looked over my shoulder, and saw Stemmel's motionless feet, then looked over to my drawn pistol. She made the connection. She collapsed onto me.

"Why?" she cried out, between sobs. "Why did he have to die?"

"He was too sick, we couldn't keep moving with him in that condition, and we didn't have anything here to save him." She continued to sob, but she realized the truth in the statement. She sobbed and cried for about 15 minutes before she calmed down. I gave her more time afterward to settle, before we began to move again. While walking, Carina spoke a few words.

"To think, I picked a beautiful blue flower for him too." She motioned to a blue bloom that was poking out of her bag. The bloom was a deep blue, the color sought after by so many rose breeders. A sapphire of a flower that was indeed, beautiful. I looked back to the hike ahead of us. We had mounted a hill, and about a two days hike away, I spotted an end to this awful jungle. This lifted our spirits as we continue on. Little was present to stop us, but we never put our guard down. We had seen firsthand what happens when we do. A few discussions were tossed around, regarding the natural features of this world. We concluded that the day seemed longer here than on earth (We were right, the day lasts roughly 25 hours and 13 minutes), and that there was little fresh water, which proved an issue, as our canteens had dried up this morning.

I awoke first. I was excited to start our walk to get out of the jungle. Carina woke up about ten minutes later. We both picked up our gear and headed off early, eager to be rid of this place and all the danger that came with it. While we were walking, I noticed Carina began to cough significantly more than usual.

"Are you feeling alright, Carina?"

"Huh? Yea, I just can't stop coughing." I was satisfied with that answer, though I was still worried. Progressively the day became hotter, so we stopped every hour or two to rest. Carina was beginning to get winded, her stamina significantly decreased from its norm.

"Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yea, it's just the heat getting to me." Well she was right, it was hot; hotter than usual. We kept up our walking, and Carina kept up her coughing. Each time I looked at her, she looked more and more sick. Her skin was going pale. Her coughing was getting heavier. I wanted to stop, but she insisted that we keep going, her determination getting to her once again. Finally she out right collapsed, wheezing for air. I hurriedly ran over to her and lifted her off the floor. Her head rolled on her neck, and her labored breathing was becoming shorter and lighter. Before I could rescue her breathing, she was dead. I sat there, next to the body, and puzzled what had killed her. A disease? No, she was wearing a filtration mask. Maybe the mask malfunctioned? I tested the mask with a biome data sensor that we were given in order to determine whether the area we landed in was suitable for humans. The sensor immediately warned of high carbon monoxide readings, 83% of the air that Carina was breathing was carbon monoxide, the other 17% was not oxygen. Somehow, her filtration mask became a pollutant mask, enhancing the non-breathable substances in the air.

I gave her a quick burial, knowing that was what she would have wanted. I stared at the patch of ground that held her body. She was so innocent, she had such emotion, it nearly brought a tear to my eye that a girl like her had her life cut short from a system malfunction. I collected myself and continued my journey through the jungle.  By the end of the day, I was out of the jungle, and into some sort of forest. I set up camp, and slept under the stars. I awoke extremely thirsty. Despite wandering this jungle for at least a week, I have yet to find a water source. Nevertheless, I picked up and kept walking. Only one more day before I'm home-free. The sun, blistering due to lack of water, made it difficult to continue. It was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the dry mouth, and the sticky feeling of a skin that has sweat its last sweat. I walked until I couldn't walk, then I crawled, and finally when the last of my energy was failing me, I pulled myself through the forest. Trees pass by as I struggle to the bitter end to make it out alive; each heartbeat distorts my vision, as my body is pushed to the very limit. I get out of the forest. My mission completed, my will gave out, and my vision blurred. I can recall briefly seeing something resembling buildings before my world went dark. All I could hear was my heartbeat slowly fade, then silence.

I awoke to a ludicrously sugary smell. It burned my nose as I inhale. I opened my eyes slowly, and find a bright pink horse looking over me.

"Well hello there stranger!" the horse speaks in a shrill voice. I, acting on instinct, roll of the bed, and find my gun laying against a night stand. I point the barrel at the horse, who seems unphased.
"What'cha got there? Is it a toy!?" The horse bounced around the bed and comes to me once more. I maintain the barrel on her at all times. As she approached I note an insignia in the shape of balloons on the horse's hindquarters. "Why don't you talk much?"

"Who are you?" I stuttered. After seeing that lizard creature in the jungle, I can't take my chances, no matter how adorable this little horse is.

"Well I'm Pinkie Pie silly head! Who are you?" She wears a large smile and cocks her head to the right as she poses the question.

"I'm Anon"

"Nice to meet you Anon! Why are you so different from Everypony else?" The question took me aback. I wasn't used to being considered alien, though I suppose a human is a strange sight to a species of pastel ponies.

"Long story short, I'm from another planet." I lowered my gun, I saw no immediate threat from this horse. Her charmingly naive demeanor had effectively disarmed me.

"oooOOOOoooh!" She gasped, "You're an alien!?" She jumped up and down, apparently excited by this fact. "I'm GONNA have to throw you a party!" I failed to follow the connection, though I didn't interrupt her on it. He bounced her way out of the room, and downstairs. I rearmed myself, and followed suit. When I came down the stairs, I saw the source of the disgustingly sweet odor. I was sleeping above a confectionery store. The pink one was speaking to two others. The two appeared older. They froze, eyes wide in fear, as I stepped down the stairs.

"See!? Isn't he weird!? " The couple, who's marks were of cakes, stared at each other, back at me, then looked to the pink one again.

"He sure is. Maybe twilight would know what to do with him?" They suggested to the pink one. Her face lit up at the idea.

"Yea! That's a great idea! Come on Anon, we're gonna see a friend!" She continued to bounce out the door, and I followed. As we walked toward this other friend, twilight, that they spoke of, the pink one's incessant chattering continued. "So you're an alien? Wowie! What kind of crazy animals do they have there? I bet you've got something freaky, like mutant ducks! Those things must be scary! What about something silly, like a squirrel with an extra tooth? I'd die laughing if I saw one of those!"

"Well, from the sound of the kind of creatures you have here, it sounds like we've got the same thing. Except that our ponies aren't pink.....or have balloons on their hindquarters." I interjected, hoping to placate her bombardment of questions.

"Ponies on your planet don't have cutie marks!? How do they know their special talents?" Her eyes grew large as she asked. She cocked her head slightly.
"Well....they've all got the same talent, being work horses. You know, hauling heavy things"
She jumped at this, "EVERY pony is a work pony? That sounds awful! Don't they ever rest, or play, or or or party?!"

"Well, they aren't intelligent like you and me. They don't speak our language, they don't think about things as much as we do. They just know how to move things, that's all they're good for," I concluded. I had hoped that making such an abrupt statement would mark the conclusion to this discussion, and I was right. For a few glorious moments, she had stopped talking, but it quickly started up again.

"So, are there others like you? What do the mares look like? Are they pretty? Do they like to party? Do you like to party? Why are you here anyway? Did you come all the way from your planet to party with me? Aww that's so sweet! Oh look we're here." We stopped in front of a large tree, in which was built a door. The pink one knocked, and a soft, kind voice begged us in.

"Twilight! I've got a visitor for you! He's a weird one," the pink one shouted from the doorway. Upon entering a small lizard creature, descending from the stairs, greeted us. He promptly forgot what he was doing upon seeing me.

"Well hey Pinkie, who'd you brin.....Twilight, you're gonna want to see this." The little lizard cried. Once more the voice that bid us in responded.

"Alright, alright I'm coming." A purple pony came down the stairs, and jumped upon seeing me. "What in Equestria are you?"

"I'm Anon, I'm from another planet, named earth."

"An alien? I thought those didn't exist!" She became very excited about the existence of alien life, and rushed to my side to inspect me. "We're gonna have to do a lot of research. Study your habits, your eating patterns, your anatomy. So much to learn!" I interjected as she drooled over the studying she was going to do.

"Well....I'm on a mission of sorts, and in order to best complete it, I think it best that I meet your leader." The purple one seemed a bit abashed that the thought hadn't occurred to her,
"Yes, ahem, of course. The princess would most definitely need to meet you," the purple one stammered out. I took note that it was a princess. The ponies have a monarchy, a government. These are not mearly semi-sentient horses, they've got the capability to form a coherent society. I am not sure how well the United Space Exploration Front would take this news.

"Spike, take a letter," the purple one commands. The small lizard groans, and begins writing on a piece of parchment. The purple one dictated as the lizard wrote.

"Dear Princess Celestia,  currently with me is a strange creature who claims to be visiting from another world. He requests that I take him to you, so that he may finish a mission he was assigned. I await your instruction. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle." After the lizard had finished, he huffed a small piece of fire onto the parchment, which caused it to promptly vanish. The purple one continued to inspect me as we awaited a response. The response came by means of the lizard regurgitating the parchment.
"Oh boy! What's it say? What's it say!?" The pink one was jumping with anticipation. The parchment seemed to levitate and open itself in front of the purple one. She read aloud.
"It says: 'Dear Twilight, I would be delighted to have this extra-terrestrial being in my company. Please bring him to me as soon as possible. Eternally yours, Princess Celestia." The purple one looked to the pink one, who was gazing with a large smile on her face. "Looks like we're going to Canterlot."


We entered into a train, and rode it for the two hour ride to the capital of this kingdom. Upon arriving, the first thing I saw was a tremendous castle. A positive sign that the princess was an absolute ruler. She had complete control of the wealth, and used it for her own exorbitant desires. Two guards greeted us on the steps to the palace.

"Halt! Who goes?"

"Twilight Sparkle, apprentice to Princess Celestia"

"And what is this?" The guard questioned suspiciously, eying me intently.

"This is a creature that the princess must see immediately," Twilight responded firmly.

" Very well Miss Sparkle" The two guards stepped aside and allowed our passage into the castle Upon entrance we come to a throne room, elaborately decorated in the finest materials, and surrounded by several stained glass murals depicting what appeared to be some myths involving the princess.

"Ah, there you are Twilight." A smooth, motherly voice called out. A horse, significantly larger than the ponies who lead me here, stepped into the room. Her coat is pure white, and her mane was a rainbow pastel. Her mane seemed to be constantly flowing, a feature that disturbingly defies the laws of physics.

"Princess" I speak cautiously, I don't wish to incite the wrath of the pony planet, "I am Anon"

"The alien, yes I know." She interrupted. She smiled welcomingly upon meeting me. "I am Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria."

"It's a pleasure your highness, but I must speak with you about a dire matter." I warned urgently.
"What is it that is so urgent?" Twilight engaged herself into our discussion, sounding worried. Celestia maintained a cool demeanor, as though nothing could possibly go wrong. I spoke gravely, trying to convey the horrific possibilities of what my come.

"I fear that the due to the crashes and deaths of the others, USEF may take action to neutralize anything hostile on the planet. When we were sent to the planet to scout it for livability, All of the landing craft malfunctioned and crashed onto the planet. A few of us survived, but to my knowledge, I'm the only one alive. Communications with the Tsar above were cut off, and I haven't been able to report to them. I think they assume everyone is dead. If this is the case, then all your lives are in critical danger"

"I know you crashed, I set up the field that defeated your landing craft" Celestia announced. "It was for the security of the ponies. I would have destroyed the ship too, but it is out of reach of my magic. I do not want any foreign influence to ruin our lives here, and I will defend my people!" I could easily detect the hostility in her tone.  We all went and looked out the window. The Tsar, which had been orbiting since day 1, was now maneuvering. It pointed away from the planet, and sped off. Presumably, they counted everyone KIA and went home to report hostility on Eq. I feared for the lives of everyone here when they return.

"Well, it appears as though you'll be staying with us," Celestia said, still maintaining a calm demeanor. "You are free to make friends with whoever you wish, and do whatever you wish, so long as you do not upset our quality of life." A stern warning from a powerful being.

"I promise that I shall do no intentional harm upon you, or this planet." This was a promise I intended to keep. I would rather not experience any medieval punishments. "Is there a place I may stay for a few days, until I can find a proper home?"

"You may stay here in the castle, and I will see to it that you are taught proper etiquette, along with the knowledge that comprises pony life." With that, two guards took me to my room. It was a small room for the royal palace, though still extravagant and significantly more luxurious than the peasant ponies' home. The room was comprised of a large bed, fit for a full sized horse, and which was covered in the softest sheets known to man. across from the bed was a fireplace with a marble mantle. To the left of the bed was a well stocked bookshelf. Doubtless full of what the princess deemed "knowledge that comprises pony life". It has been a trying day, and I went to sleep, dreaming of being a pony back on earth.

I awake fairly early in the morning, and no sooner had I taken my first step out of bed, someone entered my room. She was a dark blue pony, taller than most, but shorter than the princess. Her mane shared the same physics defiance of the princess however.

"Good morning, Anon, we are princess Luna, we shall be your mentor", she bellowed at me quite loudly. The magnitude of her volume took me by surprise. I flinched momentarily, and was instinctually about to reach for my weapon, but thought better of it and stopped myself.

"Hello your highness, may I request that you not speak so loudly, it startles me"

"Very well. Art thou ready for thine education?" Her old English speaking was bizarre, though it was comprehendible, so I decided against mentioning it to her.

"I suppose I am," I responded casually. I didn't think I had much of a choice. A book carefully floated over to the princess. It opened itself and she read from it. After what looked like pondering, it returned to its shelf, and a new one showed itself to the princess. She smiled and it floated to me, revealing a diagram of a crude drawing of a horse, along with wings and a horn. The princess began to explain

"Within Equestria, you will see three types of ponies, earth, pegasus, and unicorn. Earth ponies are earthbound, hence their name, and bear no magic. Pegasii have wings. Unicorns have horns, which allows them the ability to perform magic, such as levitating the book in front of you." She explained simply, attempting to avoid making comments that are too complex for me. I glanced over the book to look at her, which gave me the opportunity to notice she bared both wings and a horn.

"Well then what are you?"

"We, my sister and I, are Alicorns. Alicorns have the abilities of both flight and magic." She remarked. She seemed happy that I was inquisitive, perhaps to her it was a sign that I was dedicated to being integrated. "Alicorns are only found among the royalty, as our magic is much stronger than a regular unicorn's, and without us using our powers to benefit the others, Equestria would suffer."

"What sorts of tasks do the royalty usually perform to help the others?" The concept of royalty dedicated to easing the plight of the peasant was a foreign one. Human history has shown that power corrupts, and usually leads to the nobility ignoring the peasantry.

"Well my sister raises the sun every day, and I raise the moon at night. We ensure the continuation of the cycle of life." She replied somewhat indignantly. She quickly forgave my ignorance. "We make sure that the ponies of Equestria live happy lives, protecting them from harm, helping those in need, and dedicating our lives to maintaining stability." The concept sent me reeling. Could this really be a sort of utopia where the rulers selflessly dedicate themselves to the lower classes? In an absolute monarchy no less? The princess sensed my incredulity. "What is the matter?"

I couldn't believe what I had heard, surely this must be some sort of propaganda. "Nothing is the matter. It's just difficult for me to believe what is being said. Please continue." She eyed me suspiciously, but continued her lecture.

"Breeding between the different species of ponies is possible, and the determination of which type of pony is created is difficult. Our scientists haven't completely figured it out, but the basic structure seems to be that earth pony genes are passed down the most often. Pegasii genes are dominant over unicorn, but recessive below earth pony. Unicorns take the place of the least common, being recessive behind both pegasii and earth pony genes. Alicorns are the exception. Alicorn genes replace earth pony genes in the sequence.  Alicorn genes remain dominant over pegasus and unicorn genes, though it is possible for unicorns and pegasii to be born from two alicorns." The princess concluded her lecture promptly, and allowed me a moment to absorb what had been said. "I believe that is enough for today"

"Thank you princess," I responded. That actually cleared up a lot about pony society, and I was glad to have the knowledge now.

"Of course, Anon," the princess smiled, and left with two guards. With my lessons over I got dressed and ate a quick lunch with the princesses. I was glad to know that eggs were part of pony culture, I doubt I would be able to last long on carrots and grains. After lunch I returned to my room, and was about to start reading one of the books on the bookshelf when the purple one who sent me here entered my room. From the look on her face, she was ready to do something.

"Anon, there you are!" She shouted happily, "I'd like to ask you a few questions."

"Please, go ahead." I allowed her to ask me whatever she pleased. I felt that if I was to learn of ponies, it would be nice to have someone who could help me relate earth to "Equestria" as they called it. She quickly began her interview.

"Could you describe your home planet?" She asked, clearly not understanding the magnitude of the question she had asked.

"My home planet, Earth, is composed of mostly water, roughly 75% of the surface of earth is water. The land masses that are on earth are politically split by the humans of earth." I drew her a basic map of the continents of earth, and explained to her the countries on it and the name of the continents. "There is the European Alliance here in western Europe, the Russian Confederation of the commonwealth takes up Eastern Europe and much of the mountains of Asia. There's the African Union, which takes up the entire continent of Africa. The rest of Asia forms the Pacific empire. On the other side of earth there's the North American republic, and below that are the Presidential Anarchies of South America."

"Wow, earth is really split up." Twilight's eyes grew big. Nations clearly weren't something she was used to.

"Within earth there are many different types of people, each continent has at least one different type, many have up to 10 different types. Each human has his own beliefs, his own wants. This leads to many large conflicts between countries, and even between people in the same country." I saw Twilight look upset, so I stopped describing the disunion in humanity. Twilight pressed onward.

"So these countries each have their own governments?"

"Yes, each one is different from the others, some have elected officials, others have kings and queens. They do all share one thing in common though. They all promise to help the people they serve, but because humans have different beliefs, it's difficult for the government to give the people what they want. Usually this means people suffer." Twilight grew even more upset, so I stopped again. "Maybe we should switch topics?" She nodded.

"Tell me more about the environment on earth. You said it was mostly water, but what about the land?"

"The land is as diverse as the people who live on it," I began, "it has forests plentiful with wood, and grasslands that can grow any crop." Twilight looked relieved at what seemed to be a sign of good news for earth. "but it also has deserts, so arid and dry that nothing can grow, and many animals die if they go in. Tundra which freeze any sort of plant that tries to grow there for most of the year. Resources in these regions are few, and this unequal resource distribution on earth is the cause of much of the suffering of humans."

"how?"

"Humans who have a resource are unwilling to share it with those who need it. Those who need it are forced to pay for it, if they can, or else they go without whatever resource it is they need. Many people can't pay, so they go hungry, or thirsty, or without a home."

"that's.......awful" Twilight seemed on the verge of tears, hearing of the horrific nature of humanity. "Is that why you came here? To help the people who don't have enough?"

"Sort of, we came here to collect resources, whether those go to those who lack, or to those who have, I can't guarantee."

"Now tell me about humans." She stated it firmly. Determined to learn what there is to know.

"Humans are a race descendent of primates. We developed through thousands of years, learning how to harvest fire, to learning to construct with stone, to harnessing electricity, and so on until we are where we are today."

"What about anatomy?" She asked, looking me over.

"Human anatomy is difficult to explain. We stand on two legs, clearly. In order to be bipedal, we have narrower hips. This means that the majority of our organs sit up higher, lying here, in the chest." I motion to my rib cage.

"and behavior?"

"humans are normally social creatures, we tend to culture into groups, and we have a natural tendency to behave as pack animals. We aren't keen on sharing though, which I've explained already." Twilight confirms. "Humans are known to be impulsive, often stealing, harming, or even using other for sexual exploitation, based on what the human feels necessary."

"Sexual exploitation?" Twilight seemed baffled by this concept

"Humans are capable of mating at all times of the year, however, females are often unwilling. The process of courting a female human is long, and is not a guaranteed success, so there are humans who would rather force a woman to mate, than to court her, and spend excessive amounts of time, money, and effort." Twilight appeared interested by this. She clarified why.

"That's different from ponies. Mares have what's known as estrous cycles, where for a while ever year, we are willing to mate. We release pheromones, which in turn, cause the stallions to be willing to mate."

"Interesting," I remarked, not very interested in the reproductive cycles of horses. Twilight smiled and began to leave

"Well, I should be going. It was nice talking to you Anon." She left out the door. The rest of my day remained fairly uninterrupted, only the occasional check up by a guard, and a few visitors who wanted to see the royal alien. This was my life for the better part of a month. Teachings of the pony ways in the morning, lunch, speaking with various people until dinner, and conclude the day with a little reading, and a heavy sleep. On a few spare occasions I saw the true generosity of the princess, when a peasant would come to her with a problem, and she would, without question, send help to ease the issue. Should a crop not be growing, pegasii were dispatched to make rain. If a house had burned down, a team of craftsmen were assembled to rebuild it. She was as selfless and kind as princess Luna had claimed her to be.

These few chances where I witnessed the kindness of the princess had given me a more positive attitude about my stay here, and had allowed me to be more trustful of the ponies I was living with. I grew to enjoy my time here on Equestria, until spring came.


Springtime in Equestria, full of nice days, clear skies, and hormonally jacked up horses. Spring was certainly trying for me. Being of a different species, I took no interest in what the ponies had to offer me, but that didn't stop them from trying. Estrous season ran amuck. Indeed, even those I had come to know as friends were caught up in the pheromones. It started one day, when I was expecting a lesson from Luna. When she entered, something was amiss. She seemed distracted, almost antsy. She tried to tell a story regarding some entity called "Nightmare Moon", but eventually conceded that she was unable to continue. She then proceeded to reach around, and place her hoof between her haunches. I had no idea what she was doing, until she began letting out moans. Once it struck me, I immediately turned away.

"This is not the sort of behavior a princess should conduct herself with!" I exclaimed, speaking to a wall to avoid eye contact.

"Please Anon, don't stop watching me." The idea of being sexually pleasing to a horse was not in the least bit attractive, so I staunchly refused.

"Princess, this sort of behavior is meant for private occasions, not to be performed in front of another." I tried to be polite as possible, while still expressing my opinions, she's still royalty after all.

"Anon, you will watch Us or you will suffer the consequences!" She used what she had explained as the royal canterlot voice. It was a terrifying thing to hear coming from a horse that was performing sexually explicit activities in front of me. Despite my better judgment, I did turn around. I was presented with a very open view of the princess's marehood, being pleasured by her own hoof. I wished nothing more than to turn away, but I was under threat by royalty, so I stood my ground. She shuddered, and collapsed on the floor with a moan. "Thank you Anon, it was most pleasing." She concluded our lessons for the day there. I was initially baffled by the event, but as the spring ran onward, more and more these types of scenarios presented themselves, ultimately culminating in an almost rape.

Twilight Sparkle was visiting from the village of Ponyville, checking up on my status, and seeing what more she could learn regarding humanity. Clearly her lessons on Genocide, Atomic, Nuclear, and Thermonuclear weapons, and diseases such as the Bubonic Plague and HIV/AIDS were not enough to deter her from knowledge, despite having caused her to break down into tears several times, and at one point becoming ill. When she came to visit, she didn't even attempt to control her lust. Upon entering my door, I found myself magically thrown onto my bed, and twilight climbed on top of me. She rubbed herself against my crotch for a while, before attempting to clear my pants. Thankfully ponies don't understand how to remove pants. This stalled her for a while, but after some frustration, she decided to just cause my pants to vanish entirely. She was about ready to insert me into her when princess Celestia interrupted.

"Now now Twilight, I know it's estrous season, but you can do more to control yourself," She said with the most motherly of tones. This convinced twilight to dismount me.

"I'm sorry Anon. I just don't know what came over me." She looked sincerely apologetic, and I suppose I couldn't hold it against her, she was just performing what her hormones told her.

"It's fine Twilight" I responded, I was suspicious of all mares now, but at least she had her wits back.

"Now let's see what we can do to ease those urges." The princess smiled at twilight. They both departed, but not before I caught the princess eyeing my nethers.

I managed to survive estrous season relatively intact. It was a long spring to say the least, though after that incident, most mares stayed away from me, on what I suspected was a royal decree. Post estrous season came more studies. I finally got to hear the tale of Nightmare Moon: Princess Luna became jealous that her sister was more beloved due to her bringing the day, while the ponies slept during Luna's night. She became evil, and attempted to usurp the throne. the Windegos: Ponies made of pure wind that brought about terrible blizzards that debilitated society, and nearly froze the planet over due to the hate and disputes among the different races of ponies. and even the pony belief in the afterlife, Tartarus. It was an interesting time, full of knowledge about a culture that was so like our own, and yet, significantly different. The ponies spent their lives working to help others. This selfless nature not only allows them great success, but grants them seemingly limitless joy. Whether it be the princess, who issues decrees of friendship and trust, to the pink pony who throws parties at every occasion, to twilight, who spends her time gathering as much knowledge as possible so she can be prepared for any situation. Every pony has an innate kindness about them that allows their society to thrive on sheer love.

Life returned to its usual norm for another three months. Once fall hit though, things started going wrong. Fall brought about the return of the Tsar. The ship that had once carried me to this planet, and later abandoned me on it, had returned and this time, it brought a fleet with it. Indeed, with the Tsar were at least three other heavy cruisers, and what appeared to be five full fledged battleships. Their appearance caused quite a commotion, and warranted an immediate explanation to the princess, which she had made quite apparent when she burst into my room suddenly.

"Anon! What is the meaning of this!?" She raged at me. She was beyond furious that the ships had returned, with military force.

"In all fairness your highness, I tried to warn you"

"I don't have time for your insolence. Follow me." She stormed out of the room, and I obeyed. She took me to her throne room, where masses of royal guard were waiting for her orders. "Shining Armor, you and the other captains prepare out defenses. Let nothing through, do you understand?"

"Yes your highness." The one she addressed and several others began directing orders, and the guards rushed to their assigned positions. Meanwhile, the one she had called forth, Shining Armor, cast a spell to create a shield bubble. I was hopeful that it could potentially stand up against the human weaponry.  The princess turned to me once more, and she appeared as though she wanted to speak. Just as she opened her mouth however, a quake shook the entirety of the castle. I quickly rushed to a window to find the cruisers had opened fire with their planetary siege weapons. Large caliber, high speed, high explosive shells that crated massive craters the size of a farm. The shells rained from the heavens, and ponies outside the field fled in horror towards the capital, and the safety of their princess. The princess spoke to me.

"What force do they bring?"

"Four heavy cruisers, carrying siege cannons. As well as five Battleships, baring the strongest the human armada has to offer"

"Our prospects are grim then?"

"It's possible, though I reserve hope that the shield will hold." I spoke truthfully. I had confidence the shield would hold, my confidence was solidified when a shell crashed onto the shield, and the shield held strong. Indeed, it seemed as though the ponies would be safe here.

And so they were. For three days the heavy cruisers fired upon the planet, leaving devastating craters across the landscape. A once fertile land that bore crops capable of feeding every mouth it housed, reduced to massive holes and rubble. Those ponies that survived the initial bombardment hid in the capital. During the three days of bombardment, I met with my pony friends. Pinkie pie came to me in tears, begging me to somehow make the bombardments stop. Unfortunately, I had no ability to do so. Twilight, grasping the direness of the situation, merely gave me a hug without saying a word. We both knew what was going to happen. The capital stood strong for those three days,  until the battleships opened fire. Their cannons were of a different type. The battleships bore special weapons that fired a beam, and when the beam came into contact with an atomically dense object, it erupted into a massive explosion. The shield was severely tested by these. Observing from my view point, I began to see cracks developing in the field as fusion explosions pushed its very limits. Inevitably, the shield collapsed.

It was at this point that the ships entered phase two of their attack. They maneuvered to expose their broadsides, and sent unguided drop pods. Having learned from the navigation malfunctions caused by Celestia's shielding. The pods crashed onto the ground, and troops were deployed immediately. The troops rushed to the capital, heading directly to the fort. Blasts of magic rang from the walls as the guard fought off the invasion force. The human forces opened fire with their weapons. Royal guards were felled left and right. Holes in the wall were blasted open by heavy armored vehicles that arrived via large drop pods. Celestia rushed outside immediately, to do her part to defend the castle. Humans stormed through the holes in the walls. Celestia was blocked by lines of royal guards protecting the halls of the royal palace. Ringing in the halls nearby, gunshots signified that humans had successfully entered the inner sanctum. The guards protecting the throne bore their pole arms in defense, slashing down whatever human they saw. Their phalanx formation worked well, until someone tossed an explosive charge around the corner. Their lines disrupted, the guards were thrown into chaos, and were gunned down by the human death squads. Celestia retreated back into the throne room, where she and a half dozen guards made their final stand. She shot beams of magic that disintegrated anyone it contacted. The guards shielded her and flung bolts of magic themselves. The shielding deflected the bullets, which ricocheted around the room, destroying stained glass murals of the myths I had been taught. The guards stood firm, and the forces seemed to dwindle, however, another salvo of crashes signified incoming reinforcements. Valiantly the guards regrouped, and stood strong to defend their monarch. Celestia had been raining fire against them, and the whole group seemed undaunted by the new influx of troops. That is, until a marksman took aim and penetrated the shielding.

I gazed in awe as the princess I had come to admire as benevolent, if not downright saintly for her dedication to the betterment of others, was gunned down. A bullet entered her right shoulder, followed by another shot into her chest, and she was defeated by a shot to the neck. The princess listed to the left and fell to the ground, lifeless, in a growing pool of blood. The guards stood to the very last, but inevitably fell dead by their princess. I sat by the window, watching this once peaceful, nearly perfect society being demolished before my very eyes.  Three humans approached me, curious as to why I wasn't in military garb.

"Are you a survivor from the first deployment?" He asked, pointing his weapon at me.
"Yes." I managed to choke out. The destruction around me was devastating. The ponies I had come to know, Celestia, Luna, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, all of them were dead. Being taken back to the ship, I could see the extent of the damage done. I saw pony bodies, dismembered, disemboweled.  There were some that weren't even bodies at all, but piles of what was left behind after a siege cannon stuck, or perhaps from an armored vehicle. The military was actively seeking to kill the ponies. I saw a few ponies executed where they stood, others were shot trying to flee. The devastation was total, it all happened so fast, but such is the might of the human military. The three military men took me to a landing pod.

"The officers are going to want to see you for debriefing." With that, they took me back onboard the Tsar. Half a year ago, this was my home. The only ones I cared about were those on this ship, and whatever was on the planet was what I feared. Now, it was the other way around. I entered one of the many debriefing rooms onboard the ship. I was met by two officers, a note taker, and several video cameras
"Welcome back son. Now, I'm going to have to ask you, what was it like being stuck on that planet for so long?"

I recounted my tale of survival, the death of each and every one of my squad mates by various alien means. I told of my rescue by the sentient horses who comprised the society they just destroyed. I told of my stay in the royal palace, my education in all things "pony", and the friendships I had come to create with the very friendly creatures that lived on the planet. I told of the society they had built, one in which resources did not dominate, but rather, love did. Of the benevolent princess, who would spare a helping hand for whoever needed it. Of the towns, who would dedicate entire days solely to benefit the life of a single pony. I told of the kindness they extended, despite my being alien. I described that despite the obvious class difference between the royalty and the peasantry, the ponies didn't complain, because they knew the royalty cared for them, and the peasantry cared for the royalty. I described the horror on Twilights face as I described the amount of resources we had dedicated into eradicating each other with, and what natural phenomenon earth held that led to the deaths of far too many people. Each and every flaw humanity had in itself, the ponies lacked. I recounted with as much detail I could all I had learned about the ponies. The two officers stood in awe of the society. Once I had finished recounting the utopia that I lived in for half a year, I was free to go. I traveled to a bunk that had been assigned to me. I sat on the bunk, staring at the ceiling.

Nothing was going to bring back those wonderful ponies. Humanity had reared its ugly head, and done what it is doomed to do. It was then that I realized the paradox of man. We perpetually seek to create a utopia, and yet, are doomed to destroy it whenever we find one. We search for a way to create perfection out of greed and corruption, and refuse to accept kindness and love as viable options. We dedicate ourselves to expand, to encompass more resources, in a desperate attempt to better the lives of humans, and yet, in expanding, destroy the lives of those we are trying to aid. Thus is fault of mankind. Thus is the human paradox.