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!)

The lost children...

Ten long years have passed since the Book of Darkness Incident. In those ten years, Equestria has come into its own as an allied world with the Time-Space Administration Bureau. Though diplomatic interactions between the two are still rocky, cultural, technological and academic sharing has helped to smooth over the bumpy relations to some degree.

In an attempt to foster better relations between the two worlds, the Bureau has established a special joint training task-force, bringing on some of the brightest and most talented mages in all of Equestria. A group of young humans, ponies, and... others have been selected as candidates for this new, experimental group.

Unfortunately for the humans and ponies of the Resolution Instructional Operations Task Force, things are not all they seem. A new threat is brewing; one that may destroy the fragile peace the Bureau has long sought to maintain... and dredge up secrets of a past long, long forgotten.

Thank you to ArtoftheDerp for serving as my pre-reader.
This fic is set after the events of Magical Pony Lyrical Twilight A's. Familiarity with this fic is essential to understanding this story.
Magical Pony Lyrical Twilight by PurpleProse is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

We were friends.
We were heroes.
Then, we were lovers.
We followed our hearts, and in doing so we became traitors. Now we'll run.
Why is it wrong? Can there really only be one way to love, and all others are wrong? Most importantly, why are we hated for love?

Be sure to check out my spin off story to this one (Eyes Unclouded)

Many thanks to my awesome editor pinkiepie17

(image by Jykinturah from deviant art)

As the Summer Sun Celebration approaches, Twilight Sparkle and the rest of her friends have plenty of their own problems to deal with. Ponyville is packed with tourists, and they've got to work themselves to the bone to make sure things go off without a hitch, and Twilight may just have the most important job of all.

But fate is about to take a turn for the strange, and soon those problems are going to be the furthest things from their minds. A magical ritual has begun in the land of Equestria, and it's not in any of Twilight's books. It's dangerous. It's destructive. And there's no getting out of it. It's called the Holy Grail War, and it's about to engulf the entire town of Ponyville.

Seven ponies have been chosen to be Masters, and Twilight is one of them. The other six could be anyone, which means Twilight doesn't know who she can trust. Their weapons in this war are called Servants, heroes from the myths and legends of a far-off world, and they're like nothing Equestria has ever seen. And this war has a prize: the granting of any wish the victor could possibly desire.

But there are a lot of unanswered questions. Where did this Grail come from? What secrets is it hiding? Who is the mysterious Servant who calls herself Ruler and does she have the answers? Twilight is going to have to figure things out, and quickly. Because this game was originally intended to be deadly for everyone who wasn't the winner, and if she makes even the smallest mistake, Twilight Sparkle might end up being a casualty... or even causing one.

Rainbow Dash would always be there for Twilight, even when her other friends are not. Something is not right in Ponyville. Since her coronation as an Alicorn Princess, Twilight has been blamed for things she clearly didn't do, and everypony but Rainbow, Scootaloo, and Spike have disowned her. However, this is not just an emotional struggle. With the Elements in disarray, all of Equestria is in danger as an old enemy returns...

Contains: TwiDash, Scootadopt, Gore, Violence

Thanks to Surry, LightningBass94, and twidashforever. Without them, this story wouldn't have been possible.

Partially inspired by the story The Truth in Meanings by Twidashforever

He had it, everypony's dream. But what happens when fate delivers a blessing and a curse in the same breath? What is given is taken away, leaving one young colt to pick up the pieces. After the death of his father, he travels from town to town in search of answers and a way to repair his father's last gift to him. According to his out-dated map, the next stop in his journey was a small, unimportant town. A town by the name of Ponyville.
[Set Before Season 3]
Co Developed with the authors: Metal Pony Fan and theRedBrony
Editor: bahatumay
Credit to Fixing Original Concept Idea: theRedBrony and also thanks to Bad_Seed_72 for extra help on details in certain chapters and scenes.

Credit for Story Art Goes To: Kyro King
Credit for Bonus Art Goes To: Metal Pony Fan

The supernatural: Ghosts, zombies, werewolves, spirits... vampires...

Twilight Sparkle always thought that the supernatural was just a bunch of superstitious nonsense, just some scary stories to tell around a campfire. She couldn't have been more wrong.

After an occult ritual gone horribly right, Twilight finds herself among the ranks of these so called 'myths', whether she likes it or not. Due to the same force that changed her, dark shadows have begun to spread across Equestria, bringing to life these ancient fairy tales. And Twilight might just be the only one that can stop them...

For better or for worse, Twilight has been changed. Will she embrace this dark gift and become the hero Equestria needs, or will she eventually succumb to temptation and become the very thing she fights?

I always loved my little brother. He has always been one of the friendliest, sweetest, and most unique colts you would ever meet. But I always had the knowledge that he was different, and a lot of ponies would hate him for it. It wasn't until this most recent spring that the cruel reality of the world would break him down. From that moment on, Celestia could only tell what his fate would bring. My name is Fluttershy, and this is the story of my brother, Mockingbird.

Rated Teen: For language, strong homophobic slurs, violence, and sexual content.

Special thanks to thedarkprep, OfTheIronwilled, and Wireframe for helping me proofread, edit and revise.

Cover art by the lovely miss Dotterall (Head over to her deviant art account and give her work the much needed praise she deserves!)

Now on YouTube!