The night at the gala was ruined and Rainbow Dash is depressed. Though it seems her night will be mended by an unlikely source...

When Rarity needs someone to model for her new fashion line and Rainbow Dash turns out to be "the perfect choice", it can only spell out disaster. The pegasus reluctantly accepts her friend's offer, expecting the worst. But as boring as Canterlot is, there is one pony there who utterly fascinates Rainbow Dash, and suddenly she is willing to stay.

Things couldn't possibly get any worse for Rainbow Dash. Her job is falling apart, she's convinced that she's made her friends hate her, and even her dream of some day joining the Wonderbolts is in peril. While things are looking pretty bleak for Ponyville's coolest pegasus, her best friend and kinda-sorta fillyfriend Pinkie Pie is determined to whatever it takes to help her, and she's not going to quit until she can put a smile back on Rainbow Dash's face.

This is a side-story of "The Life and Times of a Winning Pony" which occurs after the events of Chapter Ten of that story.

Injured during a surprise Changeling attack while trying to protect Cadance, Shining Armor is temporarily relieved of his duties and sent to Ponyville until he recovers where he runs into an intriguing mare.

(Rated for language, with intense violence and bloodshed, with alcohol and sexual references)

Story image created by GammaEradon at deviantART.

Used with permission.

Rainbow Dash meets a stallion who is visiting Ponyville for a while, she doesn't know who he is, but the moment they see each other, a spark ignites. Join Rainbow Dash in a compelling adventure of love, friendship, and tragedy.
The story of how Rainbow Dash found her Knight In Shining Armor.

~Also big thanks to Voramere343 for helping with the story big time.

Life changes: this is just a simple fact. Sometimes the changes are great. You can gain new friends, or even have your role model take you under their wing. Other times changes can be terrible. You can lose family, and maybe even be taken away from everything you care about.

A lifetime in a dangerous reality on earth, being conscripted into the military, and life of training didn't really enthuse or surprise him, but what ended his life as a human and began his life in a new world with new obstacles did.

Mocha has it rough from birth to death, then rebirth into modern Equestria. Life isn't all fun and games for Mocha, and this is his tale.
(Part 1)

He has to learn about the world, struggle through challenges, and grow in more ways than any human should.

This is not a Gary Stu story, he will not have it easy, this isn't going to be your typical (predictable and annoying) HiE fic. (Those annoy me too.) Also, not a human turned pony story.

Thanks to Rancor for being my editor. Coverart Version 1.0 is from artist Mix-Up

Note:

Completed, book 2 coming soon.

Fluttershy and Big MacIntosh are arguably Ponyville's cutest couple.

Their friends and family wonder, though, how the extremely shy pegasus and taciturn earth pony even ended up together, let alone how they stay together.

Fluttershy and Big Mac don't worry about it too much.

Shoutout to my boy White Jesus for managing to push this back into the feature box with his favorite literally like two minutes after it fell out, lol.

XCOM Record: Operation: Rising Star
11:52 am, 18th Febuary, 2016
Northwestern Territories, Canada.

Summary: Witness reports contact with extra-terrestrial creature. X-ray is unconcious and unresponsive. X-ray does not match description of previously observed species.

Response: Strike-One dispatched on high alert, orders are to recover X-ray alive. Alien Containment prepared for the new arrival.

***

The war ended. They were beaten back, their mothership destroyed, their command structure in ruins. Lost ships and soldiers continued in vain, but thanks to XCOM, humanity won, and the world was saved. The Volunteer saw to that - everything changed because of one man.

And then suddenly, everything changed again. Only this time, it's not a man's doing - it's a mare's.

Proofreading by the aweome Setokaiva, entirely without me asking!
Tagged Dark and rated Teen: Gore, because there is going to be some blood shed by the end of this.

Pinkie, the most energetic pony, has been a bit under the weather lately and her friends and other ponies have started to notice.

It quickly takes a turn that brings her home.