Isolated from her friends and taken prisoner in the middle of a war, Twilight must deal with the very real dangers of being percieved as an enemy as well as the nightmares of her arrival on 'Earth'. Can she overcome her own fears and the fears of her captors? Will the wayward unicorn's assistance be a boon or a curse to the 'humans?' Most importantly, will she ever find her way home?

"In short, it's a story of friendship and plasma rifles, with the emphasis on the friendship. The characters are well written, the XCOM setting is fleshed out very well, and the story is compelling. If you love XCOM, you'll love the story, but even if you've never heard of it, it's more than worth giving the first 3 chapters a read.

There's excellent action later on, but the real strength lies in the collision between the friendly and naive world of Twilight Sparkle and the desperate world of humans fighting a losing war for survival and willing to do anything to turn the tide."

--Arzoo

(XCOM/FiM crossover)
(Cover art commissioned by a friend and created by the magnificent FoxInShadow!)
(Original cover art by the amazing Carnelian can be viewed here!)
(Gore tag for blood and some violence)
(Many thanks to the studius OminousTen, Arzoo, xXFluttershyForeverXx and finally Setokaiva for giving my rambles a once-over)
(Now with it's own TV Tropes page! Get to tropin' folks!)

Reader, in ancient days, the old lords of the world numbered in thousands. Then hundreds. Then even less.
Now, they are found only in tapestries and fanciful ballads.
The creatures are all vanished. All but one.

Rumors say there are more of him, somewhere far away. A young and supposedly gifted mage called Star Swirl, and Heartstrings, a gentle spinster, have joined him on a journey to find the rest.

Featured in The Royal Guard's Fic Spotlight #5
TV Tropes page (that could use more love)

In Canterlot’s gardens, there is a lightly damaged fountain.

It's very old.

[Featured on EQD 21/4/2014] [Now on TVTropes]

When Luna gifts Twilight the town of Ponyville and its surrounding countryside as her demesne she's initially confused. Then, after double checking her dictionary, more than a little concerned.

All her friends are, legally, her possessions. The town that took her in is her plaything, if she so wishes. She has been given responsibility.

Can Twilight's vision for a modern renaissance outrun the harsh realities of the shadowy figures pulling strings behind the scenes, nobles jockeying for her attention, and an irritatingly metaphorical love triangle?

Special thanks to the insatiable Blue_Paladin42, the incorrigible Maskedferret, the intuitive Southpaw and the indestructible newbiedoodle for all their hard work, past, present and future.

This story is a sequel to Tastes Like Heresy

It's said that time heals all wounds. Sometimes it takes a bit more than that, though.

Amber Spice used to have everything she thought she wanted. She had loving parents, a posh upper crust lifestyle, and her dream job as Royal Chef to the King of Unicornia. Or at least she did before she got herself banished to the Pegasopian Desert on charges of heresy. Now she's been stripped of everything she has ever loved, except for her dream to return home with a feat of culinary mastery so awe-inspiring that they just have to let her back in. Hopefully the legends about the pegasi exaggerated their taste for unicorn flesh...

Horizon, a pegasus vanguard of his caravan, has lost something important as well. Many ponies out in the great desert have. Some ponies lost their sister. Others lost their favorite storyteller. Horizon? He lost his fiancee, and nothing's ever been able to fill that hole in his heart. He can still do his job, but that's about all he finds he can do anymore. Time alone hasn't done enough to heal this stallion, but maybe something completely out of the blue will help. A fresh perspective can work wonders on one's outlook, after all.

The world has broken these ponies, but together they may yet rise again.

Edited most consistently by SirNotAppearingInThisFic, with occasional contributions from Themaskedferret and FanOfMostEverything.
Formerly edited by McWeaksauce.

[img]http://i.imgur.com/6MrWqNZ.png[/img]Twilight takes on the most important task in her career as a princess of Equestria, when she opens up a magical portal to a distant world with extra-Equestrian intelligence. With her organizational skills and keen understanding of scientific principles, she leads diplomats and scientists in a well-planned expedition to a historic first contact.

The first exchange doesn't quite go without a hitch, however, as the portal opens near a pony ranch at Texas, Earth.

For the purposes of this fic, assume Equestria Girls didn't happen.

Former one-shot.

North of Canterlot, in the far marches of Equestria near the border with the Griffon tribes, there is a mountain that flies.

West of Canterlot, beyond the Galloping Mountains and a desert painted in the pastel hues of a faded rainbow, a tower sits at the edge of the world.

South of Canterlot, past the Everfree forest and the desolate badlands, a city of gardens waits to be born.

The Lost Cities Challenge! Awesome authors who have taken it upon themselves to explore other abandoned places:

- The Land of Glass and Stone, by RazgrizS57
- The City that Breathes, by Pearple Prose
- Aletheia, by Foehn
- Far Kobresia, by Baal Bunny
- Keskiyönnon, by Bradel
- Unknown Architecture, by Not_A_Hat
- The Gentle People, by Bad Horse
- The Seal of Wax and Glass, by DuncanR

Dramatic Reading by Illya Leonov: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4.

Royal Canterlot Library interview for Lost Cities.

A few months after the events of Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000, Applejack decides to officially integrate the others into her family with an Apple tradition: a long night of cider drinking.

The next morning Applejack wakes up...in Twilight's bed...with a gold band on her hoof...and a legally binding document on the bedside table...

Cover art by ThePristineEye

Contribute to the TVTropes page!

Check out the live reading!

And check out About Last Night: A Deleted Scene, by EquesTRON.

Ever been bested by a sickeningly sweet pony, specifically one who wields the Elements of Harmony? Are you just tired of love and hope and kindness filling your world? I know I am. Come to the next meeting of Villains Anonymous, where no unjust deed of cruelty goes unrewarded. Discuss your beliefs of disaster and anarchy with your like-minded colleagues, speak of plans for your next big scheme for world domination, or just be a stuck-up jerk. Here at Villains Anonymous, all evil is welcome.

-Discord, The Spirit of Disharmony

P.S., Chrysalis, it's your turn to bring snacks.

---

Updated 11/11/12

Seeing as how some of you want me to write more, I'll get on it soon.

CURRENTLY PUBLISHING PHYSICAL COPIES, UNTIL THE 25th OF SEPTEMBER: http://igg.me/at/InnerGloryFinalFund

After doing some research into the history of Alicorns, Twilight finds a dead end. When she chooses to pursue it against Celestia's wishes, she finds herself entangled in a messy history that some want forgotten. An Alicorn's position comes with sacrifice. And when given power, one will always be in want of more...

A complicated explanation for the history and intricacies of the My Little Pony universe. If you're reading this, be ready for the long haul.

A rewrite, or rather, the heavily revised and actually worth reading version of The Struggle for Power, my earlier work. Think of that as an alpha build, and this as the "released-to-the-public" program.
http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/05/story-struggle-for-power.html