Have you ever seen a pony that just seemed out of place? Perhaps some mannerism, some behaviour that just struck you as odd? Some piece of clothing that didn't seem quite right? perhaps a coat or mane whose colour just seemed flat-out weird. A strange build, a strange voice, or maybe they were perfectly normal, except that you swear you just saw the exact same pony not five seconds ago somewhere completely different?

Of course you have. Everypony has encountered an Outsider at some point. But never up close, it's always at a distance, and they're always gone before you have the chance to challenge them.

But sometimes the rules get broken. Sometimes fate gets distracted for a moment, and a lone unicorn mare gets to see something that she was never meant to see.

Twilight Sparkle's day is about to get very weird.

FAQ and Supplemental Materials (Potential Spoilers for new readers)

Featured! Twice!
...I really don't know what to say!

Special Thanks go to Horizon for initial proof-reading, editing, and signal-boosting, provided as a prize for spotting an Easter egg in his story Hard Reset II. Seriously, it's an awesome, brain-warping story and you should go read it right now.

Thanks also go to my editors for putting up with my atrocious grammar and spelling errors - Ganelon, Ephraim Blue, BronyWhooves, Commonancestry, Princess Autumn Forest, and Morning Sun

Cover art credit goes to EMedina13 and tamalesyatole. I am looking for more appropriate art, so If you think you can do better, let me know.

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!)

One night, a strange object crashes in Equestria. After Celestia sends a patrol to investigate a strange creature breaks into the castle. It succumbs to its wounds, but before it does it passes on what may not only be Equestria's savior, but Celestia's future.

Join Draco as he grows up in a world of ponies, magic and fantasy. There are those who accept this new being, and others who do not. But in his future, he'll have to come to terms with a shocking, and daunting, revelation.

Alternate Story to To Call the Moon My Own (You don't have to read it to understand this one!)

Cover art by Panzertank. Big thanks to him!

Featured 7/12/15! Thank you all for my first feature!

After the Changeling invasion, Celestia and Luna make the decision to have Twilight investigate the Elements of Harmony and solve the mystery of their power.

A thousand years later, Rainbow Dash awakens in a world she does not recognize. She has no idea how or why she came to be there. She does not know the language, the geography or any of the rules of this new time. She soon finds allies in Star Fall, a scholarly pegasus whose Talent is Magic, and Astrid, Star Fall's Griffin guardian. Together they set out to discover why Dash has been sent to the future, and how she might return to when she belongs.

War threatens the nations, a Nightmare stalks the shadows, and Rainbow Dash's arrival has turned her into a wild card in a deadly game that pits the law on both sides of a broken Equestria against a mysterious criminal figure, Max Cash. Yet the stakes are higher than anyone knows, for in her research Twilight Sparkle discovered a dark secret about the Elements, something that will shake the foundations of the world.

Cover image by SierraEx
Has a TvTropes page

Sometimes your passions are at odds with one another. In some cases, they're so at odds with one another that you need to hide behind a different name just to be yourself. Living two lives is hard, and in the case of Photo Finish and Rainbow Dash, it's about to get harder.

Rated Teen for mild cursing, alcohol, and mild adult themes.

Thanks to my good friend Falkon for edits, MelodicMarzipan for the awesome cover art, and everyone who has pestered me to work on this story since I had the idea back during Season 2

Hey look, someone reviewed my story!

A pariah who has long lived in their elder sibling's shadow, only to try and violently assert their own greatness and fail...both Loki and Luna know this tale all too well.
After the events of Thor, Loki Odinson of Asgard has fallen from grace, only to find himself in an unknown realm. Reaching out to him is Princess Luna, whom finds the similarities between them. Will Loki accept her help and recover from his dismay, or will he end up spurning it because of his arrogance?

More info below the break.

Arc 1: Entering Equestria 1-13
Arc 2: The Avengers 14-23
Arc 3: The Great and Powerful Student 24-33
Arc 4: Delving into Hel Itself 34-46
Mini Arc 1: Lorelei the Temptress 47-48
Mini Arc 2: The Equestria Games 49-50
Arc 5: Thor The Dark World 51-57
Arc 6: Calm Before the Storm 58-70
Arc 7: The Performance of a Lifetime, the Fall of Thanos 71-75
Arc 8: To Remember When One Should Forget 76-80, Epilogue
Bonus Chapters

Cover image from CuteSkitty on Deviantart: http://fav.me/d5whxcz