It has been said that nothing lived on the land of Equestria before the three pony tribes became one and settled there. It has also been said that ponies cultivated and created Equestria with their own hooves.

This is wrong.

Thousands of years after the cultivation of Equestria, Zachery a human soldier whose sole task is to protect the human race is allowed to take a leave of absence. It has been thousands of years since the last pony sighting and being in constant state of wartime is deemed too stressful for both the militants and civilians involved.
While this is happening, Twilight Sparkle an alicorn princess of Equestria unearths information on a lost race that lived in Equestia thousands of years ago. Unknowingly to the both her and Zachery, she slowly sets into motion the events that will cause the two species that had violently divided to once again meet. For better or for worse.

Discord has existed since the beginning of time, forced to suffer as a mere spirit called entropy. When he escaped his ethereal prison, he committed horrifying acts against the cosmos in retribution. Leading to the extinction of humanity from the lands of Equistria.

Now, after the fall of Tirek, Discord contemplates his life and what it means to be forgiven. His one chance to make up for this crime lies in the stone body of one of his victims. His body beaten and mind broken, the soldier Discord tormented before will live again. Forced to live in in a body that is not his, this man must learn to accept a new life and the lessons Equestria will teach him.

XCOM Record: Operation: Rising Star
11:52 am, 18th Febuary, 2016
Northwestern Territories, Canada.

Summary: Witness reports contact with extra-terrestrial creature. X-ray is unconcious and unresponsive. X-ray does not match description of previously observed species.

Response: Strike-One dispatched on high alert, orders are to recover X-ray alive. Alien Containment prepared for the new arrival.

***

The war ended. They were beaten back, their mothership destroyed, their command structure in ruins. Lost ships and soldiers continued in vain, but thanks to XCOM, humanity won, and the world was saved. The Volunteer saw to that - everything changed because of one man.

And then suddenly, everything changed again. Only this time, it's not a man's doing - it's a mare's.

Proofreading by the aweome Setokaiva, entirely without me asking!
Tagged Dark and rated Teen: Gore, because there is going to be some blood shed by the end of this.

A military college student named Johnson is thrown into Equestria during a routine training operation. He is a dedicated Brony, but must decide how to live in a world of peace and friendship when he is in training to be a solider.

Will he run to the town we all know who lives in.

Or run to the Princess to gain diplomatic immunity

or will he become a hero to stop an ancient evil that has returned to complete its unholy task.

"We wear the mask that grins and lies, It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes."
— Paul Laurence Dunbar

It started as a normal Equestrian morning, but doesn't it always? The princesses are frightened, and in Ponyville, a creature from a forgotten race walks into town. His kind hasn't been seen in over a thousand years, but even then he's still far from what he appears to be.

Arc 1: The First Day

Author's Note: Hey guys! This is my first story, so constructive criticism is more than welcome. I'll take this moment to say that I own nothing but my main character, the plot, and a few surprises which will appear later. All other characters and linked music are NOT mine. A word on music. At times I might offer two links to a song. The first is the OFFICIAL version, the second is the closest approximation to how I feel it is sung in the story. Just warning you, because I know some people hate covers. This story is rated teen for occasional language, implied sex, and gruesome imagery (mostly late in the story and in flashbacks). Now with technical out of the way, I wish you all happy reading, and I hope you have fun.

Edit: Bug the writer! He writes faster when you do.

There are consequences to every action, but we can't always predict what they will be. I stay up at night wondering what I could have done differently, but I've already paid the price for my actions. All I can do now is deal with the consequences, and I've got several great friends to help me do it.

Edited by: Neko Majin C, 314, Kleora, Dash The Stampede

This is an alternate take on Irrespective's "This Nose Knows". Celestia, after discovering that the Bean the search squads had found was a changeling, goes to the Flame of Destruction herself to strike a deal for his safe return. Problem is, Daybreaker needs some persuading.

Banished to another reality by a vengeful Starlight Glimmer. Twilight ends up in a near copy paste version of the Equestria that she knows and loves…with one small difference, she doesn’t exist. Twilight played a huge role back in her Equestria. So what would happen to an Equestria that ended up losing its saviour years ago?

Attempting to figure out what makes this reality different from the one she was born in and what happened to the original Twilight Sparkle. Twilight tries to reunite with those that she was closest to and find a way to replicate Starlight’s spell to return back home. However things won’t be as easy as she had originally thought.

Though after spending time in this version of Equestria, making friendships and finding love. Will she really want to go back?

Note: More tags will be added later throughout the story when required. If a tag should be there though isn’t, please comment or DM and I will rectify this mistake.

Proofreader: Rainbow Sunbeam (chapter 5 only)

Twilight Sparkle had been preparing for her entrance exam for so long, just to blow it at the end! If only she could get away to a place no one would know her.

Sometimes wishes come true.

A Collab with The Abyss

Edited by RK

Part 1 of the Shadow Trilogy

As Twilight Sparkle enters her third year amongst her friends in Ponyville, she finds herself plagued with strange dreams of an unknown power whispering dark secrets to her. The voices speak of Power, of the strength to protect what she holds most dear, of the great knowledge she could attain, such that no force could ever threaten her lands, or her friends, ever again.

Though she shrinks from this voice, the lure of greater knowledge, of magical power far beyond what she currently knows is enticing and alluring to her, eating away at her resolve even as the lack of rest begins to wear her physical defenses down.

What is this voice, and what does it plan for the most faithful student in Equestria?

Note: Events diverge from canon following the events of "Games Ponies Play"

Part 2 - The Twilight Fall
Part 3 - The Twilight War
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