When a freak reading accident causes Twilight to be admitted to the Ponyville hospital, Rainbow Dash is right by her side. Compelled by a sense of duty and repayment, she takes it upon herself to cheer up her friend.

Twilight's had some time to think about what happened during the Tirek crisis, and now she has only one question on her mind:

Did Twilight get Celestia's immortality or not?

When she confronts her former mentor about it, she learns some interesting things about definitions, technicalities, and necromancy.

More importantly, she learns that even the greatest of ponies have their weaknesses.

A/N: Mostly TwiLestia friendshipping, and lots of headcanon. Also one or two cameos.

Prince Blueblood thought the Grand Galloping Gala was over. He thought he could just go to sleep and put it behind him. He never expected to be reliving the same disaster of a day, over and over... and over.

TV tropes page here:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TheBestNightEver

Thanks to all the people who wrote the page and all the people who gave me a little wakeup call and comment to become aware of that fact! You can't see it, but you guys put a real smile on my face tonight.

Also, recently, extra thanks to RD Dash for giving TBNE a thorough editing. I've updated the fic accordingly (7.11.12)

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!)

The royal court of Canterlot welcomes its newest member with open forelegs: the human philosopher Voltaire, from Earth.

On Earth, Voltaire is known as the greatest enemy of tyranny in the history of literature, and a legend in his own mind.

On Equestria, the court betting pool is giving him a week before the Princess banishes him to the Moon.

Note: This story doesn't have sequels per se, but there are a couple of short follow-ups set in the present day ("Parade Coverage" and "Secret Histories"), and a prequel of sorts in "At the Inn of the Prancing Pony".

TV Tropes page.

This story is a sequel to When the Man Comes Around

The sixteenth story in the Journey of Graves.

The current directive is simple: deliver the package to the appropriate parties before the clock runs out. So what does Graves do when all the forces of fate and nature conspire to prevent him from completing his mission?

His job, that's what. This is Gunmetal Graves, and if there's one thing he's good at, it's getting the job done.

This story is a sequel to Pipsqueak's Day Off

Lickety Split has a big day tomorrow, and all he wants is to relax and prepare.

His friends—Dinky Doo, Pipsqueak, Ruby Pinch and Tootsie Flute—have other plans. They feel he should be celebrating. With copious amounts of alcohol, clover, and loud music.

At least his boyfriend, Rumble, is here to help...

Prepare yourselves for the long-awaited sequel to Pipsqueak's Day Off, a terrifying tale of hubris, indulgence, and weird science!

On a warm, rainy afternoon, two young ponies take shelter in a gazebo. One is hoping to find a job at a bakery nearby, and just wants the rain to go away so she can make it to her interview. The other isn't really a pony, and just wants the rain to go away so he isn't caught.

Life tends to work that way, I suppose.

——————
Written for the Outside Insight Fanfiction Contest.
Featured 8-10-14!

"Tirek tricked me into believing that he could offer me something more valuable than friendship. But there is nothing worth more. I see that now. He lied when he said that this medallion was given as a sign of gratitude and loyalty. But when I say that it is a sign of our true friendship, I am telling the truth."

The minute Ah heard those words, somethin' budded deep in my heart. Ah knew then that he was speakin' the truth, the entire truth, and he was talkin' from deep in his heart. Ah had always thought of Discord as a nuisance; a draconequus who was just bidin' his time by playin' along with this friendship gig, then strikin' when we let our guard down. But when he said those sentences, even though they weren't directed at me, they took root, down at the bottom o' my heart. O' course, Ah didn't know it then, but that was love Ah was feelin'.

Honest, crazy love.

Featured August 17-19th! A dream come true! I owe it all to all of you wonderful people! I honestly don't deserve this. Celestia bless you all!

Awake and alone, Applejack will find a way to survive.

And here's a TV Tropes page, if you're into that kind of thing.