One day a man wakes up in a pony's bed. For the next several days the two of them try to discover why such a thing happened.

They don't do a very good job of figuring anything out but they do cuddle a lot.

In a single night the world is changed forever after. Humanity has found out that it does not walk alone, that there are others out there. In the wake of this startling revelation, a young woman tries to find herself as her world is turned on its head.

This is an invasion, but the kind that no one was expecting.

Special thanks to Astrocity, Skeeter The Lurker, and The Cake Devil for all of their help editing this. If you guys have a minute go check out their stories. Also, I'd like to thank the many Anonymous animals on google drive. You never told me your secrets, but you were always there when everyone else was asleep.

It is 1918. The Allies have defeated the Central Powers and now US marines and US army troops are being sent to Germany for occupation duty. Among them are the men of B company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. Gunnery Sergeant Nathan Blackburn has seen the war through from beginning to finish and is relieved it is over. But when a strange cloud transports him and his comrades to a strange new land where they themselves have taken on strange new appearances, Blackburn soon realizes that his fight is far from over.

This story is a sequel to Changeling Courtship Rituals

Queen Chrysalis attacked Canterlot, brainwashed Twilight Sparkle's brother, kidnapped her former foalsitter, defeated her mentor in combat, and conquered her kingdom. She kidnapped the sisters of Twilight's friends, turned them against one another, and tried to drain all of Twilight's magic. Queen Chrysalis has, at every opportunity, done her very best to utterly destroy Twilight Sparkle's life.

For some reason, this has not caused the pony to fall in love with her.

However, due to Twilight's misunderstanding of changeling customs, it does mean they are now married. Twilight eventually managed to tell the Queen the truth, but she forgot that whether it's a kingdom or a heart, changelings conquer.

And since the changeling way of conquest didn't work, Chrysalis is determined to try the pony way. The only problem is, of course, she has no idea what that is. But she knows someone who does: Princess Cadance.

Now, with the absolutely sincere help of her mortal enemy, the pony she once locked in the caves beneath Canterlot while trying to steal her husband on their very wedding day, Queen Chrysalis is going to woo the sister-in-law of that very pony.

Surely this is the most perfect plan ever devised.

***

Proofread by ShutterflyYay.

Takes place roughly after season five (so Starlight Glimmer is running around occasionally)

For years, Twilight Sparkle and Queen Chrysalis have been at each other's throats. Both have experienced victory over the other, and both have experienced defeat. Out of all the creatures in Equestria, none despise each other the way the pony Princess and changeling Queen do. They seemed destined to remain locked in battle forever, or at least until one is finally dead at the hooves of the other. The cruel insults, the vicious loathing, and the powerful spells that have passed back and forth between them at each meeting have become the stuff of legend.

Imagine Twilight's surprise when she finds out changelings consider this dating.

And now they're married.

***

Sequel: Pony Courtship Rituals

***

Some beautiful fanart of the end of chapter three was done by Dmann892; you can see it here.

More awesome fanart, this time from chapter one.

Now with a TvTropes page (obligatory TvTropes warning goes here).

If you want a Russian translation, you can find it here.

There is now a reading of the story on Youtube, which starts here.

Twilight composes a letter to the Princess about a terrible Hearth's Warming gift.

Featured on Equestria Daily, 23 June 2012.

Ten years ago, the Griffon Empire opened a portal to a strange new world and tried to annex it. In the peace settlement that followed they lost control of the province containing the portal. Since then, the Griffonian Democratic Republic had been completely isolated, surrounded on all sides by a hostile empire. Now, for the first time, a visitor had been allowed.

Twilight Sparkle finds herself in a strange town as the Summer Sun Celebration approaches and as she works to uncover information on a being of nightmare, she finds the quiet town of Ponyville has more secrets than anypony ever suspected.

Now that Earth and Equestria have made contact, lots of ponies dream of visiting Earth, and while tourist visas are hard to come by, a few lucky students each year can participate in a foreign-exchange program.

Silver Glow is one of those lucky ponies.

She thought she was prepared for Earth, but can you ever be fully prepared for a truly foreign exchange?

Link to the dramaturge