The Griffon Kingdom was once a prosperous and happy country, but in the past century it has fallen into ruin. It now sits as an empty husk of what it once was, leaving the griffons living there to scrounge for whatever they can find to survive. There is no government, no leaders, and for many griffons, no hope.

Princess Celestia has done all she can to try and aid it and the griffons living there, but there is only so much she can do without causing an international incident. Now her hoof has been forced. A changeling queen is building a hive deep inside the kingdom, and once fully established it will be a threat to ponies and griffons alike.

Gilda doesn't care about any of that. She's far more interested in finishing her new bakery. It hasn't been easy, she had to persuade a number of griffons to come together to build it, but she had gotten it done. Now, with the help of her two employees (who she might go as far to even call friends) she's almost ready to open for business.

Unfortunately, Gilda's hard work is about to put her front and center in Celestia's plan to save the Griffon Kingdom. A task which comes with a whole host of problems, as well as a crown.

Editing by m1ntf4n

Custom cover artwork by silfoe

Under the glow of a Hearths Warmming fire two creatures sat. An odd picture they were, one old and sat up on an armchair, the other not but a young lavender filly, sprawled out on the floor. But stories don’t care who tells them, and that night many a story was told. This one, in particular, would stand out as important to the would be princess, at least later in her life. And as such I will tell it here. A recount of the only, and mercifully brief, human/ equestrian war that history would see fit to curse us with. And all the lessons we learned from it. As told from the perspective of an aging scholar and a curious young unicorn.

Earth has been conquered and for hundreds of years humanity has been under the hooves of giant ponies, its once great countries and empires reduced to mere vassals, required regularly to give their citizens to the ponies. Melissa, age 14, and Joshua, age 11, are taken from their parents to magical land called Equestria where humans are treated at best as little servants, or pets to be taken care of, at worst as disposable toys.

Pre-reader: SomeRandomMinion

When Pinkie finds a strange golden arrow in the Everfree Forest, you'd think she'd leave it alone, or take it to Twilight for study. Before she can do so, however, a slight injury suddenly causes an odd apparition to introduce itself to her; simply calling itself 「Dancing Queen」. Wanting to show her new friend to the whole town, what follows is not at all what anypony could have predicted.

This story is a sequel to Stardust

When Equestria’s newest member of royalty asks for aid to be offered to her friends from abroad, the best and the brightest volunteer to serve. Captain Steel Song of the Dusk Guard are immediately mobilized to help XCOM defend their world from the enemies that besiege them. However, their first joint operation with the humans takes a turn for the worse and they quickly find themselves fighting for their lives against the full force of the monsters that threaten Earth.

(Stardust/Dusk Guard crossover)
(Coverart provided by a friend of Viking ZX!)
(While familiarity with both stories isn’t required, it is recommended)
(Many thanks to Arzoo for pre-reading!)
(All screenshots can be found at XCOM.wikia.com)
(Featured on 3/13/2013. Thanks everyone!)
(Now has it's own section on TVTropes as part of the Stardust series!)

This story is a sequel to Stardust

Twilight has finally returned home from the harrowing challenge that Discord set upon her, and the residents of Ponyville and the Elements especially look forward to having their dear friend returned to them.

Twilight, however, has changed. Still suffering from her injuries, almost incapable of using magic and haunted by the memories of her time on Earth, she becomes increasingly withdrawn from those who were closest to her. Will her frustration at her current state and her friends inability to understand her experiences cost her what she valued most before Discord's bet?

(Sequel to Stardust, familiarity with this is recommended!)
(Proofread by Arzoo!)
(Coverart commission drawn by the amazing KairaAnix!)
(Crossover with XCOM: Enemy Within, though the crossover and human elements are minimal)
(Featured 4/28/2014, thanks folks!)

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!)

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!)

Twilight Sparkle has turned evil and is bent on taking over Equestria for herself; she has already killed Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Princess Celestia, stealing the Elements of Harmony, using their raw power to destroy anyone who stands against her path to total domination. Pinkie Pie and Flutterhsy evading Twilight's pursuit, with their respective Elements of Harmony in hand, Twilight enlisted Discord to draw out the two remaining elements by turning all of Equestria into a post-apocalyptic wasteland, and when that didn't work she released all foes she had previously defeated, including the likes of Queen Chrysalis, The Dazzlings, and Lord Tirek.

Sunset Shimmer, a former student of Celestia's, now works as a smuggler for anyone with good enough cash, all while avoiding rival employers and Twilight's Royal Guards, dubbed "The Alliance" by her and other smugglers.

---

Inspired by works such as: Star Wars, Firefly, and Fallout
Art by bakki

Edit (2/10/18): Revised almost everything, up to chapter 7 and the title.
Edit (5/31/21 - now): edited for better, more consistent terminology, word choice and other cringey things.

This story is a sequel to Edge of the Ponyverse

Six heroes brought together by fate, or something more? Mare Do-Well, Fili-Second, Flutterbat, Rainbow Dash, Nightmare Rarity, and Applejack must travel the multiverse in search of a villain who wishes to do the unthinkable. End Harmony itself.

But will this ragtag team of adventurers be able to come together? Or will they be torn apart by forces beyond their understanding and control?

I don't own anything!