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One of Equestria's greatest traits is tolerance. Every pony, whether Unicorn, Pegasus, or Earth, is accepted for who they are, and have their own parts to play in keeping Equestria running.

But what if an Earth pony decided he didn't want to play his assigned part? What if he wanted to rise above everyone else and become an Alicorn? Such a thing is possible... but the path to fulfilling one's dreams is never simple. Risks must be taken. Sacrifices must be made. And the question is always asked: How far would you go to get what you wanted? And would you be willing to pay a terrible price to get it?

Twilight isn't having a very good day. An experimental spell blew up in her face, an army of changelings is attacking Canterlot, and she just died. Yet somehow, it looks like it's going to keep going downhill from here.

Given the chance to correct what's gone wrong, Twilight swears she's going to fix all this even if it kills her. Which it will. Frequently.

Cover art by Pixel Prism
Spanish Translation
Series TV Tropes page

This story is a sequel to Flying Sky-High

So much has happened in the past year. Friends have been made, battles have been fought, and love has bloomed. Now at long last, Rainbow Dash has the chance of a lifetime: a chance to become a Wonderbolt and instantly be part of an elite squad. However, one of the key judges for the tryout is none other than her love: Soarin. He is bound by his profession to be fair and honest in his selection. Will their relationship give Dash an edge in the tryouts? Or will it strike her down before she even gets there?

Also what of the dark magic within Soarin? He's kept quiet about it for a while, but not all is as well as he lets on.

And what of the Shadowbolts? They scattered after the battle with Nightshade. Surely they didn't just disappear.

A story of remaining strong in the face of harsh challenges. Life and love can be tough, but strong hearts always find a way to prevail.

Originally Edited by: Kestrel (and on occasion: Lucky424)

New editors: Delphina34 and Zoljen

This Fic's length is a bit intimidating, but it is broken into four parts, each of which could be considered their own stories with clear beginnings and conclusions. I decided to keep it all together because it was how my outline was structured (aka i completely underestimated the length).

This is not a Gurren Lagann Crossover. The title was a coincidence. (But said coincidence has led to many references and characters that parody the anime)

Featuring multiple chapter illustrations by: Scootafail/Chiwee, PenumbraGlow0290 Deviantart: darkmoonrising, Colorstrike, and foxenawolf

I also like including pieces of fan art drawn by my readers if they drew certain scenes. So far i have included some fan art by: GlitterDash (Dev art: chessaw), Hopscotch, MyLittleXyo, Ice Blade, mlplover789 (aka NightyScribbles), EchoSong, sweet Isolation, Pie Is Epic, melovedogs123, CowgirlVK, CrystalMelody_kc, Noble Savage (Deviant art: thatdamntenpin), Those Kids In The Corner/Catalyst, natis120, eveyannie, PhonicBoom, bambiki, Randompig212, Schemmer, SOARINDASH1, Neonspirit, NorthernLights8, kikirdcz, Fuzzette, SilverWolfFTW, Cantil, Coco Candy, -_Rainbow_Dash-_, Lazzari, Valentine_X, Nightalein and Lucky Autumn

Months of torment without end. Months of going to school, fearing each torturous moment. Rarity, broken and afraid, finds solace in a small clearing in a forest near her school. Her bullies do not come for her there.

Until one day they do.

They make their intentions of beating her up quite plain, and when the leader went to attack her... What she did; she didn't mean for it to happen that way, but it happened.

In the main timeline, she killed all three of her tormentors and went on to become a deadly serial killer. Here, one of them escapes, and Rarity is caught right away...

An alternate universe of The Secret Life of Rarity

Cover art link

Want a print copy? You can get one here!

Thrust headlong into a strange new world, Solaire of Astora must make amends before he can continue with his mission. Unbeknownst to them all, a shadow from his past approaches.

On a dark night filled with even darker magics, an insane cult attempts to give Nightmare Moon a body and life of her own, utterly separate from Princess Luna. But, when the spell is interrupted by Celestia, something unexpected is created.

Now, a little black alicorn filly named Nyx finds herself living under the care of Twilight Sparkle, only to be haunted by memories and emotions from her past. Is she Nightmare Moon reborn or is she simply a doppelganger with a soul and mind of her own? Can Twilight Sparkle protect Nyx from those who refuse to see past her dragon eyes and black coat?

Or, will Nyx be forced to inherit the sins that may not even be hers and become the greatest evil Equestria has ever known?

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!)