Equestria and the Crystal Empire have fallen to the Changeling Hegemony, led by the brutal Queen Chrysalis at the head of a mechanized horde of guns and tanks. Princess Cadance stayed in the Crystal Empire; Princess Twilight stayed in Equestria. Chrysalis rules the continent, only defied by Nova Griffonia, the poor Griffon colony in the north.

Across the ocean, the Griffonian Reich pledges to reclaim its lost territory, sundered by revolution a generation ago. While the Alicorn Sisters retreat to New Mareland, Princess Flurry Heart and Shining Armor turn to Aquileia, the Republic born out of the ashes of the Griffonian Reich. The Kaiser of the Reich is only a child, subject to a regent bent on war and conquest.

Flurry knows the Reich and Chrysalis have worked together.

She knows that war is coming to Aquileia.

She knows that Celestia and Luna abandoned her mother and Twilight Sparkle.

She knows that the world is on fire, and she is the last true Princess of Ponies.

She knows she will go home.

Cover Art by Opal Radiance, commissioned by Sunstreaker.
https://www.deviantart.com/opalradiance

The world ended.

That, at least, is what it sounded like. Screaming, howling, and then deathly silence.

A month later, Cheerilee and Scootaloo emerge from their shelter in search of food. As they search among the dead bodies of their friends, only one question comes to mind:

Where are the unicorns?

--------

Written for the Quills and Sofas Cheerilee contest.

Featured on May 18th, 2021!

She wanted peace. She wanted diplomacy. She wanted harmony and friendship.

She got war.

With the armies of the Changeling Lands marching through Equestria, overwhelming any and all resistance they encounter, Princess Celestia has had to resort to increasingly drastic measures to save her country and the ponies that live in it. But while her sister leads the armies from the front and her ponies fight and die in the name of princesses and country, Celestia feels useless and inadequate in Canterlot. After all, she was supposed to protect her precious little ponies. How had she failed them so badly?

Those doubts and worries gradually gnaw away at her, day after day and month after month. Until one day, she reaches a tipping point, the point of no return:

She will save Equestria, no matter what it takes.

[An Equestria at War story]

Edited by LoyalLiar and SolidFire
Art by TwoTail813

~~~You asked, you receive. Bonus chapter up~~~

Twilight has successfully created fake government jobs to help her terminally broke friends be less, uh, terminally broke. All they have to do is pass a simple little background check, just an easy little formality really. Should be no problem for these national heroes, right?

Right?

Well....

I guess the constituent parts of the cover art might be property of the federal gubbermint, but, honestly, I feel like I've spent enough on ATF tax stamps to make me stealing their crisp PNGs an equal exchange.

An accident in the lab sends our favorite boy genius to Equestria, as a pony. What will he do and how will he get back? The answer: Science! (Cover Art Updated!)
New FAQ! and TV Tropes!
Planned Phrases from Dexter:
“Pinkie Pie! Don’t push that Button!” /to Pinkie
“Please, Magic is the word simpletons and the ignorant use to describe what they cannot understand.”/ to Twilight
“No, I didn't strap a rocket to you. I strapped you to a rocket.” /to Rainbow Dash
“Friends? Who needs friends?”

Dexter is a boy super-genius with a disdain for anything girlish and no desire for friendship. After an mishap in his lab, he gets stuck in Equestria. How will he cope with the over-friendly ponies, and the girlish everything?
For any who do not know Dexter's Lab: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dexter's_Laboratory
[RIP Christine Cavanaugh: 8/16/63-12/22/2014] - Dexter's Original Voice Actress

A lone vampire bat sneaks through the mirror portal and ends up in the human world. Instead of apples, it now craves something far richer. And unfortunately for Sunset Shimmer, she's its next snack.

Sunset can't remember any of her activities past sundown. The light hurts not just her eyes, but burns her skin. And she's thirsty.

So very thirsty.

It's up to the Rainbooms to save Sunset from herself before she drinks the whole city dry. Too bad Twilight Sparkle is her primary target.

Thanks to Saro0fd3monz for the inspiration!

Edited by DrakeyC and HenryAnthonyCourtler

Now with a TVTropes page!

Now with a French translation!

Twilight has developed a device that can detect strange signals coming from outer space; signals from aliens! She gathers her friends so that they can all listen in.

But they may not like what they hear...

cover image courtesy of DocWario

I'd appreciate if everyone could keep the YouTube embeds in the comments to a minimum. The sheer number of them is putting a bit more strain on my connection than I'd like. I'm going to start deleting any comments with 2 or more embeds in them.