Author's Note

Text was translated through Google Translator, and fixed with Hemingway editor

Prologue

Flagship above Earth, 2020.

Alexander Raze had used his psionic powers to throw his squad members out the door before locking it. He exhaled, then waited for the squad to escape. He concentrated and began to lift the huge flagship into space. It would be good to use it to restore Earth. But he saw what this alien alloy would do to the planet. Thus, he did not panic, did not worry, and did only what he had to.

Having raised the ship to a safe distance, Alex saw that it was in space. He then began to prepare to destroy the ship.

"Forgive me, people, but I do what I have to. "For Earth and XCOM," the man mentally said, like a final mantra. He then destroyed the Flagship in a thousand pieces. They began to fly apart, each taking a different direction. Some fell to Earth, and others burned up in the atmosphere.

Finding himself in the void, he was not surprised. He could be reborn, but "biblical things" would await him: heaven, hell, or something worse.

He let out a deep sigh and began to wait. Ultimately, a familiar, clichéd image of a "light at the end of the tunnel" became clear. But when he decided to go to the light, it turned out that the light itself was approaching him. Alex pulled himself together. Then, he looked at the bright light. It grew nearer until it swallowed him.

The visor of his helmet protected his eyes, so he saw how he was rushing into some forest. He knew he could inflict severe pain on himself, to put it mildly. So, he used psionics to try to slow or protect himself from the fall. He wrapped himself in a psi-shield. Then, he hit the ground with all his might. This left a huge furrow and a pile of dirt. Having removed the cocoon, he saw that a fire was flaring up around him, likely caused by friction. Raze, urgent to trample the flames, staggered from the blow. He caught his breath, shook his head, and moved away from the hard fall.

— As Obi-Wan Kenobi said, another happy landing! — The soldier offered a faint smile, removed his helmet, and scanned his surroundings. He tried not to wince at the burning smell. Still, it’s hard to extinguish a flame with a boot, so the grass burned slightly, and the bark of some trees became sooty. Thus, he had to hurry to put the helmet back on his head so that the filters could process it all to some extent.

— Okay, where did I end up? It’s clear that I’m in the forest, but... — the soldier muttered under his breath. Taking his trusty plasma machine gun, he decided to go in a random direction. Then, he had a strange feeling, as if he were near something, something great. After walking a couple of hundred meters more, he came out into a more or less cleared land, and saw... the castle of the Two Sisters?

— Damn you, are you serious? Dear God... — Alex exhaled with a loud breath before deciding to go into the castle. Walking the corridors of the majestic castle, Raze found many legacies. It was once home to Celestia and Luna, but they traded it for Canterlot Castle. Of scrolls and parchments, few were in decent condition. Stasis spells protected them. Stained glass windows and paintings, too, had survived time. Over time, most stained glass windows broke. The man genuinely struggled to understand why the castle was abandoned. Well, or why it was abandoned, but no one took anything away?

After exploring the ruins of Old Equestria, Alex found the most important thing here - the tree with the Elements. As he approached, the tree showed a strange response. Raze responded at once.

— No, no, no, I will not sign up for this! — the soldier immediately turned around and began to leave.

But the tree disagreed. Vines appeared and locked the exits. Then more vines that appeared tried to tie Alexander up when he dodged and tried to escape. Unfortunately, they caught him, and the tree continued to react in an unusual manner. It lit up, and if he had not been wearing a helmet, he would have suffered temporary blindness.

The man felt as if the ground had vanished beneath him, causing him to fall. After a few seconds, he found himself in some kind of timeless space, after which he began to look around.

— What the hell is going on here? — Raze, the Volunteer... The soldier, who fought in the most brutal war, felt puzzled and scared. Unlike Earth, where all non-humans were enemies, here it was unclear. It was unclear what the hell the Tree of Harmony was doing.

A sound caught his attention, and turning around, he saw... his memories?

— What the hell is going on in this Equestria?! — Alexander couldn’t understand why they started showing his flashbacks from his service on Earth, the war with the aliens... Raze understood, after looking through them, that this was a sophisticated form of brain-fuck. Having walked past his own memories, where he fought and killed for the Earth, he finally found the source of it all.

Either Alex was too high on combat drugs, or his mind had shifted. He saw a pony, completely white. It was unclear if it was a "man" or a "woman". And he intended to find out what the hell was going on.

Something interrupted his loud stream of thoughts, and silence fell in his head. He did not notice when the white pony with a shining aura began to speak directly into Alex's mind without moving her lips.

"Do not be afraid, warrior... You have had to go through a lot... And there is still a lot to go through... But the most important thing is that now you are safe. With me," she said.

"Alexander... Your whole being, right down to your name, says that you are a warrior, ready to sacrifice yourself to protect your friends and loved ones... Alexander... Dark times are coming to Equestria... Dark and very dangerous... That's why I beg you... Become a protector for Equestria and the ponies that live here... It may be difficult, but believe me, it's worth it... You will become the hero for all ponies that they have been waiting for so long..." - the pony continued.

Raze clenched his teeth. The only thing he needed was a new adventure. In the future, or already in the present, he never checked the timeline, there should be the Main 6. They solve all problems with friendship, magic, and forgiveness. Why did he need it, a young but weary soldier? He did not fit into this calm, peaceful Equestria at all.

After a long silence, thoughts flooded back into the man's mind. It felt like a heavy waterfall, causing a slight pain in his brain. Then, even through the helmet's filters, he heard a hissing sound. Looking down, he saw a new symbol of harmony on his armor. He did not remember it from the series, but he knew it was part of that spirit. The dark armor displayed a silver shield that glimmered with a golden rim. The shield bore the sun and moon, symbols of Equestria's protection.

"What the hell? Why did all this appear on my armor? I did not agree to such a deal with the devil, good lord ... and now I also need to understand what will happen next, oh, why did I get all this?" — To put it mildly, Raze was surprised. He was essentially signed up for another suicide mission and was not notified... and for some reason this something resembling the Spirit of Harmony did not even hint at the future Six. Now it will not be the Main 6. But the Main 7 or something? Alex had many questions and no answers at all.

Raze kept thinking about why he was chosen for this role and why Equestria, but then one phrase of that spirit appeared in his head — "... A warrior ready to sacrifice himself ..." — Suddenly, this thought froze the soldier and filled him with rage. He was a sacrificial lamb, made so against his will. Now, he didn't know what to feel. It was logical that the Main Six would remain the Main Six if the seventh died a hero.

The man did not like his fate at all. With no answers, he sat on the ground, thinking about his situation.

"And so it always is... Some spirits with their prophecies bring incomprehensible things until it's too late..." He had to see what would happen next. The Main Six always handled everything themselves, per the plot he remembered.

"Fuck..." Raze sighed heavily. He was, for a moment, resigned to his fate. He decided to leave this ill-fated forest and find a signpost.

Having secured the helmet on his belt and lit a cigarette, he headed for the exit of this evil castle. He put down the cigarette and inhaled the fresh air. Then, he trudged along the path Main 6 would take to the castle. They would face a lot of dangers to prove they were candidates for the elements.

As he walked, Alexander thought of how to help the Six. His armor, build, and weapons weren't suited for a chat. He scanned the area with his radar, confused by the lack of life. Only small, harmless mutants remained, as if the Main Six had never existed. There weren't even any forest wolves. They usually walked in packs. The rare inhabitants who saw a person sensed a threat and hid, fearing him.

"Awesome... What the hell kind of reconnaissance can there be here if there's nothing to recon!?"

Irritated, he sighed. He decided to leave the forest. He kept scanning with his radar and psionics to avoid surprises.

After walking through gullies, Alexander exited the forest. He saw the most famous place for all Bronies - a village called Ponyville. Alex sighed and sat in a secluded spot. He put on his helmet and adjusted the built-in binoculars. Then, he searched the village for the Main Six.

He noticed Applejack with her family working among the apple trees.

He noticed Rarity walking by with the look of a quasi-aristocrat.

He saw Pinkie Pie working in Sugarcube Corner in her traditional manner.

He even saw Rainbow Dash having a hard time on a cloud.

He didn't see only Fluttershy, for obvious reasons, and Twilight with Spike, for not obvious ones. Although why not obvious? There was someone else in the library at that time, and the lilac nerd and her assistant were kind of gone... she didn't have time to get the task of "learning friendship" in Ponyville, apparently.

Anyway, while he was getting out of the forest, evening had come. So, Alex Raze decided to find a better spot and make a mini camp to sleep. There was no need to think about the camp for now, so Alex decided to sleep like a savage - on a tree. He took out two knives made of alien alloys. Then, he climbed a decent, large tree. He secured his belongings and himself to avoid falling. Finally, he got comfortable and began to sleep.