Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns is the center of magical research in Equestria. Since Apple Bloom developed a love of potion making and an interest in the theory behind magic, she recognizes what an honor it would be to study there. But that would also mean being the only non-unicorn student to ever attend, leaving her friends and family, and moving to a strange city... and that's if she can pass an entrance exam designed to select the most magically gifted unicorns.

Spike has never wanted more than to be Twilight's number one assistant. But when Twilight points out that there's a pony right in front of him who needs an experienced assistant even more than she does, it means considering a life where he's making the most of his talents... but one without Twilight by his side.

For both of them, facing hard decisions are just part of growing up.

Second place winner for the April Writeoff Association prompt "Great Expectations."

Isolated from her friends and taken prisoner in the middle of a war, Twilight must deal with the very real dangers of being percieved as an enemy as well as the nightmares of her arrival on 'Earth'. Can she overcome her own fears and the fears of her captors? Will the wayward unicorn's assistance be a boon or a curse to the 'humans?' Most importantly, will she ever find her way home?

"In short, it's a story of friendship and plasma rifles, with the emphasis on the friendship. The characters are well written, the XCOM setting is fleshed out very well, and the story is compelling. If you love XCOM, you'll love the story, but even if you've never heard of it, it's more than worth giving the first 3 chapters a read.

There's excellent action later on, but the real strength lies in the collision between the friendly and naive world of Twilight Sparkle and the desperate world of humans fighting a losing war for survival and willing to do anything to turn the tide."

--Arzoo

(XCOM/FiM crossover)
(Cover art commissioned by a friend and created by the magnificent FoxInShadow!)
(Original cover art by the amazing Carnelian can be viewed here!)
(Gore tag for blood and some violence)
(Many thanks to the studius OminousTen, Arzoo, xXFluttershyForeverXx and finally Setokaiva for giving my rambles a once-over)
(Now with it's own TV Tropes page! Get to tropin' folks!)

A call for help from Cherry Jubilee brings Applejack back to a very different Dodge Junction. Its residents are fearful, a gang of kleptomaniacs has the full run, trolls are on the loose, and the sheriff's in a criminal's pocket.

Besides Big Macintosh, the only pony on Applejack's side is the most accident-prone being in Equestria. If the schemes of a psychotic but dainty griffon don't ruin things, Clutterstep just might. Applejack reckons they've got as much chance as a seed in a storm, but an Apple always honors her friends. It's a race to finish the harvest and save Cherry Hill Ranch while making it out alive back to Ponyville.

This story is a sequel to Monsters

You might think that Equestrian nights are but serene exhibitions of Luna's work on the sky. You may believe that you can just lay out on the grass and admire the beautiful stars as a warm evening breeze caresses your mane. And you would be wrong.

Equestria is a magical place, and where there is magic, there is chaos. Dead rising from their graves, inanimate objects coming to life, strange apparitions making your foal cry in her room... sounds familiar? No? Then I'm doing my job right.

I'm Twilight Sparkle, and I work the Night Shift.

This follows canon up to the end of season 2.
Check out the Fanart Repository for lots of awesome Night Shift art!

Featured on Equestria Daily.
Winner of Stories Back from the Read 2013.
One hundred percent approved by Twilight's Library!
Special thanks to Nonagon and Wise Cracker.

This story is a sequel to Becoming One With the Night

It was supposed to be a good day. Twilight and Luna were sharing the news of their relationship with their closest friends and family. However, Celestia's largest secret yet finally came out. Now, relations are strained between Celestia and everypony else. After all, what's Twilight to do when she finds out her second mother is actually her birth mother?

On top of this massive bombshell, soon Twilight will be sporting a pair of wings of her own. If she thought things were complicated now, just wait until Canterlot gets wind of a new alicorn. Life is about to become one giant nightmare for Twilight. But hey, at least she has Luna, right?

As stated above, this is a sequel. I highly encourage you to read the first story (the writing is extremely rough early on, mind you), but it's not entirely required to understand most everything that will be going on here.

EDIT: Takes place during S3, when it was originally conceived, thus the Alt. Universe tag. There was no redemption of Discord. There was no ascension. Yes, the Crystal Empire is back, and Cadance and Shining Armor are the leaders there. This should cover the more critical aspects of the season in regards to the story.