In search of gems to complete her ornate Nightmare Night costume, Rarity accidentally finds herself transported to a world where a holiday not unlike Nightmare Night is less an event than a way of life - and her friends soon follow in hopes of rescuing her. Or, to put things more lyrically....

It was some time ago, but not too long, you see?
In a place that perhaps you have seen on TV.

For this story spans places far from pedestrian,
Crossing spooky and dark with bright and Equestrian.

Now, you may be asking how that crossing was done.
If you are not, I'd say it's time you begun!

(An excellent talking-book version of this story can be found here.)

For little less than one thousand years, the species of Equestria had been a part of the Trade Order, sharing the millenium of peace of prosperity the humans had enjoyed.

Now, with the arrival of alien invaders and the return of ancient evils, that peace was been shattered. A people unused to war had to rediscover its ways and fight for their home. The Trader Emergency Coalition was born from this need.

Ten years have passed, and the sitation has improved to the point High Command has authorized a rotation of the forces, sending the weary first generation back to their homes, to rest and recover.

Meanwhile, a lavander unicorn mare who has never been on a planet is travelling to Equestria on behalf of her teacher...

For more information, see the [URL='http://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/friends-of-a-solar-empire-mlp-fim-soase-thread-mk3.220696/#post-7541443']thread on the Spacebattles forums.

[URL='http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/FriendsOfASolarEmpire']Now with tropes!

Humans.

Truth or myth? Ancient lost civilization or just an old pony's tale?

No pony has ever seen one, and most haven't even heard of them. But Lyra knows that these wonderful creatures are more than just old legends, and she's going to find out... and possibly drive her roommate insane in the process.

Bolo Combat Unit GNY has been defeated in its primary task and now plummets to a certain destruction. What thoughts go through the metallic mind of a Combat Unit of the Dinochrome Brigade in its last few minutes, a weapon of war now resigned to its ultimate fate?

Done as a challenge from a friend, to write something that covers a subject not directly covered before in FIMfiction. Created during National Pony Writing Week in August 2012, not posted until now because I’m lazy. For more stories in Keith Laumer’s Bolo series, check out the Baen Books Library or the exceptional author William H. Keith (He writes much better than I ever could)

More popular than the "Celestia's Homecare" omnibus, better selling than "Fifty-Three More Things to do When Trapped on the Moon", and more controversial than the infamous "Cupcakes", how does the story of this remarkable book differ in a universe full of... pony?

After escaping the destruction of Equestria at the hands of some big ol' meanies, Pinkie Pie leads her friends on a series of baffling, mind boggling and downright nonsensical adventures through a galaxy where harmony is in short supply, but aliens, monsters and chaos are most definitely not.

Gasp! As they meet strange alien creatures!
Cry! As emotional torment assails our characters!
Groan! As the Author includes yet another 4th wall break!

And most importantly, DON'T PANIC

When shadows descend on Equestria, the Mane Cast joins a moody pony named Riku in fleeing their home to fight the source of the Darkness. They quickly find hints of a dark conspiracy to destroy everything good about the world, but at the same time, discover the depths of their own strength.

Kingdom Hearts Crossover.

Brought to you by Loyal2Luna, this new Downloadable Content for Mass Effect 2 brings the fight to Equestria.

Just about ready to embark on their mission to stop the Collectors from further abducting human colonies, Commander Shepard and the crew of the Normandy SR-2 are given a new priority, when the Illusive Man tasks them with investigating the mysterious disappearance of a Cerberus science team.

Soon, what begins as a simple search-and-rescue unveils a mystery millions of years in the making, and the Commander finds himself thrust into a situation he couldn't possibly have prepared himself for.

Join the Hero of the Citadel as he uncovers the secrets, combats the demons, and ultimately decides the fate of the impossible world known as "Equestria."

It occurred one peaceful night. Half of Equestria awoke to the sound like a double-shot thunderclap. A percussion heard in the skies and rattling windows from Apploosa, to Canterlot, to Ponyville. Nopony knew what it was or what it heralded for the world as it drew a line across the nation.

For Twilight Sparkle, this isolated incident might have faded from memory after a time, if not for the strange rumors of a creature sitting on the hill on the outskirts of town.

These are her thoughts given written form. These are Sparkle's Notes.

Report EVERYTHING to the Princess.

When the Knight recruit Link accidentally travels between dimensions to avoid a rainstorm and stumbles upon an innocent land of peaceful and friendly creatures known as ponies, he unknowingly sets into motion events that stirs up an evil wind. Sensing the change, Equestria's own Princesses travel to the source in Hyrule in an attempt to stem the flow, only for everything to fall apart at the last moment.

It's time for Link to heed the call of the Hero's path and face the perilous obstacles along the way. Except this time, he is going to have a little bit of help...

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!)