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!)

70 years ago, Equestria was rocked by an arcane cataclysm which warped the bodies, minds, and magic of every equine species in the world. In the modern era, Ponykind is forced to rely more on technology than magic. Mages work to discover how to use their new bodies to cast ancient spells Equestria once replied upon. International politics are weaker than ever. Eldrly ponies lament they are entering their twilight years at a mere 120 years of age.

In this new world, some have gained abilities once rare or even unheard of outside of the pages of comic books. Some of these ponies, inspired by the Elements of Harmony's work last century, chose to use their powers for the good of all. Others, decided to walk down a more selfish path. The conflict between these groups spills out into the streets of nearly every city and town in the world, and has plunged Equestrian into chaos.

With Princess Twilight focusing nearly exclusively on undoing the effects of the Cataclysm, there is little the Crown can do to keep Equestrians safe from themselves. It is the absolute worst possible time for an existential threat to come to Equis... And so, one has. Unbeknownst to all, an Interstellar Empire works in the shadows, priming Equis for invasion.

Fate has chosen one Equestrian archeologist to be Equestria's shot at remaining a free people. Fortunately for all ponykind, their unknown enemy has enemies of its own.

This story is a sequel to Blood in the sand

A few weeks after the events of Blood in the Sand, Dinky enjoys every minute with the Eternal Knights. But Earth has another adventure for her. In a world unfamiliar to her. An Earth changed. A new adventure.

An alien threat unites the world and something unnatural seeks after the little newcomer.

Unhappy that her future as a member of the monarchy is denied by Celestia, Sunset Shimmer escapes through Starswirl's mirror into another world, planning to take it over to prove once and for all she was fit to rule. What she didn't expect—besides a species change—was to arrive in a world already conquered.

TvTropes Page (Just created! Needs Help!)

Art (Will contain spoilers)

Sunset Shimmer - Bloody Sunset

Spoilers Ch. 11+: Angel - Angel and Sunny
Spoilers Ch. 18+: Princess - Comic
Spoilers Ch. 121+: Alejandra Acevedo - Flying at the speed of death
Spoilers Ch. 161+: Apple Bloom - Bloom
Spoilers Ch. 180+: Food - Sunset's Party Dress
Spoilers Ch. 185+: Fugue - Fugue by Rametep
Spoilers Ch. 197+: Exhausted

(Art is always welcome!)

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE WHOLE STORY: TIMELINE

This story is a sequel to XCOM: Ranger

With the fate of her friends on Earth hanging in the balance, Twilight has to hunt myths to figure out a way to cure Sunset and save Templar Laetitia.

Taking Daring Do as her guide—and accompanied by a ragtag team of griffons, a Skirmisher-turned-breezie, and Rainbow Dash—Twilight must travel across the lands at war with the Storm King, to reach Ancient Fleece, find a lost city, and obtain the legendary sword of King Disc Ovis: The Algae Photis.

Cover art created for this story by the talented: LateCustomer

Before you read: This is a side-story to XCOM: Ranger.

I will provide all possible information needed for those that do not have the time—or inclination—to read the other story to still be able understand this one. It's a LOT of info, however, and I'm not just going to dump it all in one go. The backstory will emerge as the story progresses.