(MLP/XCOM: EU)
(Many thanks to Dalek Ix, Arkalest and Wakka for helping make this happen)
Ninety six years ago, before the return of Nightmare Moon, a strange alien exploration probe landed on the world of Mundus, on the continent of Equestria. Uniting efforts, the griffons, ponies, zebras and minotaurs cracked the probe and shared the spoils with one another. Advanced technologies were found, advanced technologies that kick-started the Industrial Revolution of Mundus. The races lived together in harmony, and a new age of prosperity descended upon the world.
Regretfully, they did not heed the warnings that came with as much as they should have. Warnings from a long lost race once called 'Humanity'. Warnings of the Ethereals, and their mad plan. They did not train their armies, prepare their peoples, refine their technologies with speed and fervour. All that was done was the creation of a pact. A pact, and the XCOM Project.
Six years after the return of Nightmare Moon and Princess Luna, the Ethereals have arrived. In response, XCOM has been reactivated, as dictated by pacts almost a hundred years old. They know of mankind's struggles. They know of mankind's mistakes. But will they find victory where countless others have found failure? Only one thing is certain.
The Enemy has Advanced.
I will wait and see. This story seems to have promise and you should feel proud because of it.
4081702
Much appreciated. Thanks for the comment!
4081714 Youre welcome.
As another writer (Xcom one at that) I know it can be hard to write and nerve wracking when people comment on your story. Every good comment always helps and I love to help others smile.
Even when you get bad comments or thumbs dwn don't take it as an insult. Just use it as a drive to improve your work.
I like it so far. Is technology from "Enemy Within" going to be included?
4081902
That'd be spoilerssssss!
The implication I get from the cover is that Humanity, via X-com, made progress, but still lost to the Ethereals. They sent out a 'probe' which is what is physically looks like, but is really a legacy database, setup like a message in a bottle. Likely many were built, and one crashed on Equestria.
The knowledge of human history, technology, and so on, jumpstarted Equestria Technology, probably to near modern age, and that lasted 90 years. Now, the Ethereals show up, and it turns out, they disregarded the warnings, or only took them seriously to a minor extent. Either way, there isn't a sufficient defense, so they are recreating the X-Com project.
Am interested, will read more.
4086059
Right on the money. Now take this money.
Nice, onto my Read Later.
That like/dislike ratio, though...
Hmm... interesting. I think I'm going to favorite this, but not read it yet. I'll keep an eye on it and pick it up when it has several more chapters, yeah? It looks cool, but I like something with a bit more 'meat' to it before I settle in.
Note: With this, weekly updates should begin, with a new chapter every Sunday conditions permitting.
Also, because someone asked: Yes. The events of Enemy Within happened.
*Sighs*
I need to get working on my own stuff... good story, Swordomatic. Pacing looks good, and I can't find any spelling or grammar errors. I did find the beta for Ch. 2, and while I like it for being written well and for conveying the harshness of the current situation, I don't like the very end for purely personal and selfish reasons.
Question: Is Firebird a reference to Conquer the Stars? I know Dalek Ix helped you out with the story.
4090887
Thanks for the words, Cyreni. If you want, I could help you beta for your stuff. When it comes out, anyway.
Firebird is a reference to Conquer the Stars, yes. Because she's too damn good a character and Ix is too damn slow an updater. I even got permission and tips.
Poor Shining Armour. If he is going to beat himself up everytime someone dies he is going to be an alcohol fueled wreck before this story passes halfway.
Also, yay for bio-augmented Trixie! There will be a bio-augmented Trixie right?
4092588
Nnnnnope.. Trixie gets a cameo, at best. Though that would probably be better for her well being.
Incidentally, edited out Dr. Rai Wave. I have no idea what I was smoking at that time. Instead, have a bad joke.
I like, and General Blueblood was a nice surprise. Twilight as head of research and Pinkie as head of engineering should definitely be fun.
I was a biiit disappointed to see so much human tech here, rather than magical or low-tech Equestrian alternatives. Would be kinda cool if they started out with spears, magic bolts, and maybe single-shot sniper rifles for Griffons (as in, colonial-era), and then upgraded those sorts of weapons with alien tech (so, a hybrid melee weapon to replace the spear, tech/magic innovations for unicorns, etc). Also, the fact that they have a jet-powered Skyranger is never really explained, nor how they shoot down UFOs.
That said, I adore the way you've done XCom HQ. Having it all cut out of a crystal mountain is really damn cool.
4107438
Thanks for the comment, and I feel like I should explain myself on the prevalence of human tech. Whatever they found inside the probe has already been slowly integrated into their society over a century, and as such the Equestria you see here is more advanced than in canon. I have entertained the consideration of XCOM initially starting with swords, spears and crossbows and downing UFOs with brigades of war unicorns on the ground, but then I realised that the death toll would be... even more excessive. Though these guns aren't as we know them. They're more like magitech railguns with a chemical propellant component, though I should really make that known. Oh well, chapter 2.
As for the Skyranger, they found records of it in the probe banks and, though they don't have the exact same specs, name their own transport as such in honor of the original's accomplishments.
As for how they shoot down UFOs... well, Equestria has magitech F-22s flown by pegasi and griffons and operate more like giant flight-capable suits of power armor than actual jets as we know them. The tech that made it is a combination of human jet engine tech, Equestrian crystal-based magitech and griffon engineering.
Incidentally, the griffons might be a combination of dwarves from Dwarf Fortress and Klingons. I do not apologise.
4107713
Ahhh, well, your call. It would be good to at least get a description of the Skyranger, as I'm sure they couldn't make that much metal or produce the jet fuel it needs and all that, so it would be cool to see what magiteck alys they find.
Also! Hoping Gilda shows up at some point as a drafted grunt
I keep thinking of that crystalline train that showed up in a recent episode as a cool basis for a Crystal Empire version of the Skyranger. It could use anti-gravity enchantments held in crystals for VTOL, and something else for the actual propulsion.
4086063 The idea that 4086059 came up with about possibly there being multiple probes could be good for council missions/ fights against Equii's version of EXALT over some "smart probes" that follow the original probe knowing that some sentient successfully accessed it. The data on each probe could range from Copies of human documents, historical information, technology, social media, customes and maybe even information and data on the other Ethereal forces we fought.
Sort of alifeboat for everything that made us who we were and a middle finger to the ethereals that somehitng of us would survive.
Firebird!
KIA :(
4122320
I should mention that Outsiders are now Tenno.
4122320
Nope!
Oh god.
Firebird mark II is coming.
Yes.
Also: Forgot to mention how much I like the idea of pegasi and griffons being neurally linked to thier jets, so it acts as an extensive of thier body. It falls somewhere between Firefox and Evangelion, and I like.
Hm, I was a bit apprehensive about trying this story out, but so far it has been better than expected. An alternate ending to Enemy Unknown where Earth failed, but sent out beacons as a final act of defiance to warn others and prepare them for (hopeful) alien ass-kicking when Ethereals come knocking? Sounds good to me. Not sure if that's likely to happen, but it would be amazing if the story eventually goes to a point where ponies push the aliens back, then mount a mission to retake Earth (assuming there is much left to save) as a thanks to those whose message allowed them to prepare.
It's also a pretty interesting take to see the mane 6 placed on the "back lines", so to speak, rather than having them be out in the front. Certainly makes sense (depressingly pragmatic as it might sound, better to risk some mooks in day to day operations than the operators of your superweapon), and the positions fit well enough. Doctor Twilight Sparkle? I imagine she did a bouncy victory dance at that title for two hours straight, heh. And research is straight up her alley.
And Meld plus research in to cybernetics plus the first disabled soldier who needs to have her legs amputated anyway? I smell the first pony MEC trooper on the way ...
4160753
Awesome, thanks for giving this humble author a shot! I'll try not to ruin everything.
Now, MEC Troopers are definitely in the pipeline, but Firebird is going down a different line of cybernetics. MECs can't fly after all. Though they can totally use psionics.
Totes.
4160885
I imagine Ponies sort of have "psionics" covered already, at least on the unicorn front, what with magic and all. Though I imagine some of the other races or species could get some use out of that indeed.
4160887
Eh... not quite. Things will get revealed as the story goes along, but magic is not the same as psionics.
Is that a chapter note i spy? I think you forgot to remove this.
I like Iron Hoof, he is amusing in his own way.
Unfortantly i have the feeling that he will not last long.
4194037
Whatever do you mean? There is nothing there.
4196158
Iron Hoof is essentially a russian pony stereotype that happened to gain a personality. He cares about precisely three things: getting the job done, protecting his country, and his little sister Wind Chime. Who is dead. Because aliens.
Yeah he dies soon.
5398665
OhmygoditsValikdureadingmydeadponyfic
*ahem*
Right, so, I might as well mention that I'm reworking it from the ground up. A few things were... lacking. I love your DF mods, by the way!
I'm kinda curious if humans will be making an appearance later.
no meld? with meld they could have blackie out there again.
seriously black moon needs the meld now, lets see him get some mechanized revenge.
This story still updating?