Set only a week after the banishment of Princess Luna to the moon, the realm of Equestria is in a state of upheaval. Celestia's royal guard attempt to regain control over the vast empire once ruled by dual monarchs, and the young alicorn's actions as a ruler have become a subject of scrutiny after her sister's attempted coup. Two factions have risen in the turmoil: The Knights of the Sun and The Bright Moon.

Far away from the political infighting and sword rattling exists a small mining town on the outskirts of Equestrian territory. Where once the royal guard would have no trouble fending off raids from bandits or other criminals, the panic of the capitol has caused a withdrawal of military forces to more essential cities and trading ports. Completely undefended and without a spell or sword amongst them, this town was soon overrun by a band of bi-pedal canines calling themselves the Diamond Dogs. As brutal as they are lazy, the Diamond Dogs have forced the local population to work until collapse to collect gems from the town mine.

Outraged by his inability to fend off these bandits and thieves, a young unicorn named Bone Marrow tries with all of his might to find his purpose in life - his cutie mark - and hopes that it will be enough to drive off the invaders of his home. He will soon discover that his special talent is far more than he bargained for.

((A Sequel will begin for this story as soon as I finish I Am a Pet Changeling. Stay tuned on Discord! https://discord.gg/nDXd3AB ))

An homage to stories like The Substitute Demon, ALL GLORY TO THE OVERGOAT!!!, and 1000 Virgin Mares, 1 Frickin' Badass Dark Overdude, Infinite Facehoofing

One thousand years ago, the Princesses Celestia and Luna were blindsided by the return of the Masters of Equus. The cult of power-mad alicorns, thought to have been banished from Equestria forever, appeared in the middle of the Princesses' battle for supremacy, and caged them away. The rest of Equestria quickly fell to their might. Even the fearsome Discord was forced to his knees before them. All of Equestria was enslaved, and an era of misery began.

Now, one thousand years later, a lone unicorn mare has learned of a creature that might be able to overthrow the Masters. A creature immune to magic, overwhelming in size and strength, sealed away for centuries uncounted. A creature of ultimate evil: the Smooze.

Unfortunately for Starlight Glimmer, in trying to ensure the creature's obedience, she modified the summoning ritual a bit too far.

Because of her meddling, the soul of a recently-deceased human is pulled from Limbo, and given life, but not exactly a body. Now he has to help her save the world, or face obliteration.

Not much of a choice, is it?

Inspired by Pen Mightier and Bucking Nonsense, the legends who – to my knowledge – popularized the "human in villain's body becomes Equestria's savior" genre. May your inkwells never run dry.

Two worlds, two peoples, two varying ways of life. For Equestria and its people, peace has been a staple of life for generations under the watchful eyes of their alicorn protectors. Resources and necessities for life are abundant, and the few times it has been threatened by external foes have ended in an Equestrian victory.

For mankind however, life is a brutal battle for survival in the war-torn hellscape of nuclear devastation. Violence and survival have been a mainstay for the last three decades, and only recently has a coalition tried to reestablish civilization. But the Earth is dying, and this last bastion of humanity only number around 50,000. For man, doom seems inevitable.

One day, two men accidentally discover something that will change the fates of both worlds forever. One man will discover Equestria and its prosperity, coming into contact with the very best Equestria has to offer. He will be shown kindness, and in turn, he will teach them understanding.

Regardless, the rest of Equestria will come to fear what they do not understand and after a tragedy costs humanity's good will, mankind will be left no choice but to invade in the name of survival. A sad tale, but one that history has repeated on numerous occasions. In the end, it will be up to a handful of individuals on both sides to find a solution and bring an end to the conflict. Will these two worlds come to terms and learn to coexist, or will one species be eradicated by the other?
First featured on 11/15/15

An ancient war machine is awakened by an enemy strike- but can it figure out what's really going on, or will it destroy the world first?

Inspired by Legacy

Many thanks to LostArchivist for help with editing and ideas!

Rewrite began 3/17/19.

Wait a minute. I'm featured? I wonder when that started...

Cancelled 9/19/19. It's just... too broken. I may rewrite at some point.

Steve Murray, the first human who discovered alien life, landed alone on Equestria.
A new world, familiar and alien at the same time.
Now he has to adapt his life to the new environment.

---
Co-authored/Co-written and edited by JBL
Proofread by Tofty

Set in an alternate universe. Takes place in Season 3, ignoring Twilicorn.
Earth time is 2013 in regards of culture/music/movies/games. Technology is more advanced, especially in space travel. Don't try to overanalyze in these scenes.

After a fleet of Separatist ships reactivates over Muunilinst at the end of the clone wars, a single Providence-class Dreadnaught escapes into unknown space in a randomized jump, and the Battle Droids on board meet everyone's favourite pony princess. Join Princess Twilight and friends as they try to make sense of the giant metal bathtubs from the sky and their strange occupants.

(Big thanks to my friend Dawny and my new editor Mine_Menace for editing this story for me, as well as Zaten for helping me proofread on later chapters)

WAIT, WHAT? I got featured? 05/27/2019
And apparently again 08/07/2019

Lazy Pines is a small town in the high country of Colorado, easily overshadowed by the bigger sights to see along Colorado State 9. When influenza strikes the town hard, it is little more than a statistical blip in a typical flu season. No one thinks any more of it as the initial wave of infection passes ... until the other symptoms begin to manifest.

Meanwhile, during what should have been a routine trip to Canterlot, Twilight Sparkle stumbles upon a strange anomaly which turns into an all-consuming mystery. As she discovers the complex web of magic stubbornly maintaining this mystery's secrets, she grows worried what it could mean for herself and her family.

And as the residents of Lazy Pines struggle to understand -- or even believe -- what is happening to them, two worlds have irrevocably been set on a direct collision course.

Updates every other weekend.

Cover art by Mix-up. Please check out more artwork by this talented artist.

Now has its own TV Tropes page thanks to redandready45.

An iron heart, born of worlds lost to death, beating into infinity.
Harvesting evermore, unstoppable and unkillable.
Expanding… Growing… Evolving...

A ruined city of steel and iron is found under Manehatten, archaeologists from all over Equestria flock to the site in hopes of becoming the next ‘Daring-Do.’ But, soon, exploration parties are going missing, and the more… fanatic explorers claim to have seen tall figures stalking them throughout the city.

But these have been dismissed as drunken ramblings, after all, nothing could be alive down there. Could there?

I DO NOT own Factorio or My Little Pony. Factorio is owned by Wube Software, and MLP is owned by Hasbro.
Please support the official releases.
Edit [10/01/19]: Holy... This has been featured. I was not expecting this... at all.

Idol Hooves holds a special place in Equestria. He's probably the only exiled changeling to serve in the Royal Guard, or at least, that's what he expects, as exiles don't really broadcast that fact. However, it's well known that Princess Celestia loves all of her little ponies, and her guards perhaps more so, and that makes it one of the best ways for a changeling to discreetly feed.

But how does a changeling even get there, let alone get exiled in the first place? For that matter, why would it ever go to Canterlot? Set a number of years before the series proper, before Luna’s redemption, Idol details how he was exiled, the ponies he’s met, and the series of misadventures that led him to joining the Royal Guard, and should continue a good ways into the series, as something of an alternate perspective.

Soon, he’ll have to deal with a boisterous new princess to serve and a royal wedding in the works bringing a third to power. Will his old instincts bring this new life crashing down around him? What precipitates Chrysalis’s ill-fated assault on Canterlot? Is it really so wrong for a changeling to enjoy good craftsmanship to an obsessive degree?

New cover art provided by the fantastic Carnifex

And a TVTropes page here.

And an Ask Blog of questionable canonity!
Out of Idol Curiosity

Fanart by Norad2! Major thanks! Short For a Royal Guard

Art by Egophiliac of Idol and his Daring Duckie Please don't tell him what that brush is meant for.

Rating updated to (T), it's a bit darker than (E)
Comedy Tag added as well
And changed the character tags a bit.