This story is a sequel to Stardust

Times are changing for Equestria as Twilight’s return brings with it news of people and cultures from beyond the peaceful world everypony knows. Aid and volunteers are freely offered to help the besieged humans of Earth because every Equestrian knows that’s what good friends do. Unfortunately, making friends can also have the unintended consequence of making enemies.

When the monsters besieging the humans strike at Equestria with a level of brutality not seen in over a thousand years, the cry for help is sent to all the kingdoms of the world. Honored allies step forth to fulfill ancient treaties and oaths. Enemies, old and new, bury their grievances. An alliance never before seen in Equestria will be created to combat the monsters from the void.

And because of these events, a grim but welcome sibling to the XCOM project is born.

(XCOM/FiM Crossover)
(Sequel to Stardust, which I recommend reading before starting this. Fortitude Amicitia and Broken aren't required reading but are supplemental to the storyline)
(Gore tag for blood and violence)
(Alternate Universe tag because of the divergence from canon that Stardust has caused)
(Uses elements of Season 4)
(Coverart produced by the amazing Carnelian!)
(Many thanks to Arzoo, BradTheBrony, Vandenbz and Setokaiva for prereading!)
(As of 03/07/2016, the prereading team consists of Arzoo, BradTheBrony, Noble Cause and Metallusionsismagic!)
(Complete with it's own TVTropes page as part of the Stardust continuity. Could use some updating!)
(Character tags will be added as chapters are added!)
(Featured 5/12/2014! Thanks folks!)
(Possible spoilers in the comments! BEWARE!)

Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves. -Henry Davis Thoreau. "I've heard that quote several times over the course of my life, but only now am I finally beginning to understand just what it meant as I wander through this God forsaken land."

"My thumb removes the holster’s guard, and I pull the pistol from its place on my hip and bring it up. My finger squeezes the trigger but all I hear is a soft click. The wolf’s ears perk forward as I do, and it leaps without warning..."

[img]http://i.gyazo.com/f2d7e46c24f6aa69c889aa35343430b4.png[/img]

This story is a sequel to Savage

The rumors were many. Some reasonable, others unbelievable. But it was not until some unlucky souls stumbled upon it that they were able to find out their veracity. These are some of the recorded instances when the Everfree creature came in contact with the neighboring populace.

These are the other encounter ideas that I had while developing Savage, not its sequel. Any continuation of it will be in the original story.

Art is not mine but by aeflus, go check this guy out! He has some pretty neat art. Brought to you with the help of these fine persons: Mountain Bell,FreedomFiend, ScrambledCrackers and Alicorn Priest

Sometimes, things don't go exactly as one plans. Sometimes one spills their coffee, sometimes they might be late to a meeting, sometimes an entire eight-person exploration ship rams a planet that they didn't notice at significant speeds.

This is one of those times, with the UGS Possibility smashing into the planet of Equus, bringing a veritable cache of impossible wonders... if only its keepers can be convinced to share it. Needless to say, every sizeable power that hears of it wants a piece of the pie, some with far less scrupulous methods than others.

On hiatus until I'm more confident in my skills to do a good first contact story, see blog entry.

The last thing Applejack remembers, she was going out to tend to the south fields one day. She had just left the house and then... a blur. She found herself someplace else entirely. Loud, spattering noises surrounded her. Strange people were trying to hurt her. Her very body was twisted and wrong.

When she awakes from what should have been a nightmare, she discovers it was all too real. She's been trapped in another world, in a body that she can't even recognize, let alone control. To make matters worse, her natural Earth Pony magic is reacting to her new environment in strange and disquieting ways, intensifying to truly dangerous levels causing her to break nearly everything and everyone she touches.

Thankfully she's been offered help. A group of remarkable people is offering to take her in... assuming she can aid them in return. There's a man in a suit of armor. Another who carries a shield. One who carries a hammer. One a bow and arrow. One is a woman who lies just a little too much for Applejack's taste. And one of them is very, very angry.

Applejack will have to come to not only understand her new body and abilities, but also come to try and understand the meaning and value of honesty itself as she's put to the test in ways she's never anticipated. In this world of endless conflict and threats beyond any she could have ever imagined, does Applejack even stand a chance of finding her way back home?

Teen rating for mild blood, some death, and occasional mild nudity and lewd jokes.
Character and genre tags may be altered as necessary as the story progresses.

Second Lieutenant Jonathan M Casey was shot down over the Korean DMZ.
Upon ejecting from his aircraft he would find himself in a very different reality. A reality that, for all intents and purposes, shouldn't be real.
Now he must come to terms with his training, his reality, and the colorful equines that inhabit it.

Princess Luna does not only raise the moon, but she is also the defender of dreams for all those within her domain. One night Luna discovers a dream that does not belong, when curiosity get the better of her she enters. What she sees are landscape never seen before and objects of impossibilities. Luna sets out to find the dreamer in order to question how it seen so many things nopony has ever dreamed of.

A/N: Gore will be present in nightmares. Also crossovers like there is no tomorrow.

The Canterlot Caverns are a strange and enigmatic place, untouched and forgotten by pony-kind for centuries. So when a strange metal object is unearthed in their depths, it's up to Twilight Sparkle and Lyra Heartstrings to discover the many secrets it holds.

Together, the two of them will have to do their best to understand the remnants of an ancient civilization, and decipher what remains of Those Who Came Before.

The cover-image is a cleverly edited stock image, which was modified by the stupendous Corvo.
Proofreading was performed by the equally fantastical writers:
Timetraveling Pony (Who started as a proofreader when Cloud was writing this. Hats off to him for being dedicated and staying on as a proofreader for me.)
DustyPwny
Tidal
Superluminous
Night Spark
PhiliChez

And a special Thank You goes to The Sentient Cloud for allowing me the honor of continuing this great story after he retired from writing fimfictions.

As it turns out, this story is eerily similar to Lyra Heartstrings and the Hand of Man. Due to their similarity, I feel that it would be appropriate to give said story a mention.

The Everfree Forest had remained largely unexplored for centuries before Twilight and her friends started visiting it regularly. Hoping to find valuable resources, a ruthless businesspony decides to fund an expedition into the Forest, but who would be willing to risk their lives on this venture?

More worrying still, will they make it out of the Forest at all?

Thanks to XiF and Axel Nyan for prereading help!

Cover art source.

Five years ago, Nightmare Moon returned to Equestria and took it by storm. She imprisoned her sister in the moon, and Equestria fell into an Age of Darkness. She ruled with an iron hoof; her word became law. The Mare in the Moon became a grim reminder of what happened to those who opposed the new tyrant, and nopony dared oppose.

Except for one aspiring unicorn.

Twilight Sparkle, a mare shackled by the failures of her past, prowls the ruins of the old capital Canterlot, praying for a spell that can right what has been so horribly wronged. Buried beneath the rubble of the Royal Library, she finds a tome that might be the answer to her prayers.

A "Warrior of Sunlight"; surely he will be able to overthrow the wicked tyrant and restore Celestia to her rightful throne. Twilight can almost see the sun returning over the horizon. She just didn't expect this warrior to be so... jolly.

Set in Starlight's "alternate future" where Nightmare Moon reigns.

Audio reading by Skijarama