UPDATE: The full story is now up. You can find it here. Be warned, it is no longer set in the same continuity as this prologue. The feedback I got from it convinced me to take the story in a different, more realistic direction.

After a brutal and bloody war between Equestrian and NATO forces ends after two years, Sergeant James Michael Blackburn finds that he cannot return home. The portal is still as open as ever, but his people shun him away. Labeled a traitor and war criminal after defecting over to Equestria's side, Blackburn is forced to accept and live a new life in the land he gave up everything to defend. His only other option is to return to America and face the death penalty. But is he willing to accept the terms of taking on his new life, knowing his freedoms will be limited? How will he adapt to his new destiny? And what, exactly, does fate have in store for him?

Needless to say, this is an HiE story, with added anthro ponies to make writing it a little easier on me. This is just a prologue to the actual story, to help set up the world, some of the lore, and a few character relationships between Blackburn and the ponies around him. I guess it also serves as a trial run, to gauge how much interest you guys have in it. If you want to see more, please let me know!

While it isn't the first story I have ever tried to write, it is my first MLP fan-fiction ever, so any constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated.

The prologue is rated mature for language and the mention of pony "assets."