A United States Air Force AC-130 is transported to Equestria while in transit through the Bermuda Triangle. Insanity aside, this motley crew of aviators must juggle their duties while treading the uncertain waters of diplomacy.

Disclaimer: I've decided to write this in an attempt to get a more realistic view of what military in Equestria would act like, rather then the dark brooding kill happy stuff I've read. So with that being said, these guys will act more like diplomats. So there won't be much gore, and they certainly won't be going on a killing spree. (Obviously, as fiction the term realistic is applied loosely. My main goal is a realistic characterization of one specific community within the military. Just keep an open mind about how sub-cultures can exist within an entity as large as the U.S. military and you'll be fine.) Also rated teen for obvious reasons, morbid humor, light swearing, and background stories.

When the ETS pandemic started spreading throughout the world the south in the United States was hit particularly hard. The south had a culture all its own with a stronger focus on conservative political beliefs, religion, and a strong belief in maintaining tradition and culture.

Having the ETS pandemic come strongest here was one of the greatest ironies ever. Now all of what the south was is about to be upended. For Mathew, a teen from a town in South Carolina it means far more than that. It meanst re-examining who he is and who he is meant to be.

Notes:

Shares same universe with: Pandemic by ASGeek2012 it is not required you read this story, but it will help understand some things going on in the background.

This story is considered an origin story for many of the characters in Pandemic: Picking Up the Pieces. This story is not required reading for that, but if you want to learn more about some of the characters this is where you'll find it.

Story is now complete and editing is underway. Many chapters are still pretty rough. I grew a lot as a writer as this story went on, and there is an increase in quality between the first half of this story the second half, and then the sequel.

Rating and Trigger Warning Notes: There are mentions of extreme violence at some points, general bigotry, LGBT characters (Lesbian and Transgender), there is no sex shown in this story but it's alluded to at some points

This story is a sequel to Pandemic

Six months ago, the world humanity knew had been irrevocably shattered in a way they would never have imagined. ETS -- Equine Transformation Syndrome -- had arrived, a powerful transformation spell attached to an otherwise ordinary flu virus. Only with the assistance of Equestria in the form of Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer had ETS been stopped from transforming all of humanity into ponies.

Humanity had been saved, but at a cost. Hundreds of millions of humans had been fully transformed into ponies, and many did not want to go back. The United States was hit especially hard, with over a quarter of its population as ponies. Friction between humans and ponies, Earth and Equestria, has been growing. Families torn apart by ETS had yet to reconcile.

The collision of worlds that the pandemic had brought had only just begun.

Updates weekly FOR NOW -- may switch to every two weeks in the future. I will announce as such.

Lazy Pines is a small town in the high country of Colorado, easily overshadowed by the bigger sights to see along Colorado State 9. When influenza strikes the town hard, it is little more than a statistical blip in a typical flu season. No one thinks any more of it as the initial wave of infection passes ... until the other symptoms begin to manifest.

Meanwhile, during what should have been a routine trip to Canterlot, Twilight Sparkle stumbles upon a strange anomaly which turns into an all-consuming mystery. As she discovers the complex web of magic stubbornly maintaining this mystery's secrets, she grows worried what it could mean for herself and her family.

And as the residents of Lazy Pines struggle to understand -- or even believe -- what is happening to them, two worlds have irrevocably been set on a direct collision course.

Updates every other weekend.

Cover art by Mix-up. Please check out more artwork by this talented artist.

Now has its own TV Tropes page thanks to redandready45.

A lawyer doesn't always want to know what really happened. It's a tightrope walk. Whether or not the lawyer believes in his client's innocence is not the issue. It's his duty to defend his client - no more and no less.
— Ferdinand von Schirach

Proofreading done by Dancing Mop, Sevenofeleven, Setokaiva and N4.
Credit for many images goes to N4.

Now also featured on TvTropes.org!

Nearly one year has passed since Australian pilots discovered Equestria in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

Now the world watches in awe as, with the Princesses' blessings, one of the most ferocious and dangerous tyrants of the equine world - none other than Chrysalis, the Queen of all Changelings - is marched before one of the highest courts of law of the human world - the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the Netherlands.

But the Queen is wrathful and determined, still one of the planet's single most powerful creatures.
How can mere humans, who know next to nothing of her mystical home, achieve justice for the Equestrians?

Alexander Estermann is a conceited defence attorney who will have to wade through a quagmire of vengeance, racism, manipulation, lies, hearsay and self-deception to get to the core of the affair.
Seemingly the whole world is working against him - up and including the Queen herself.

Rated teen for liberal swearing and gore for minor gory descriptions and pictures.

Disclaimer: This is not a story that is meant to reflect reality. Several things about international law have been changed to accomodate the scenario and make it, well, readable. If that should offend you for any reason, I wish to apologise in advance.

I still can't believe it all started with a family camping trip gone wrong. One moment I was enjoying my time with my parents and brothers, then next thing I knew I was stranded on a world full of magic and mythological creatures. In one day, I went from worrying about the upcoming calculus test to worrying about my next meal. I remember how the only thing keeping me going was the hope that I might find a way home. Little did I know that some deities had other plans in store for me.

I remember all the promises I made, both those kept and betrayed. I remember the friends I made on my little adventure; the same friends I threw away when everything came crashing down. Oh, the memories I made... Oh, the memories I am now forever cursed to remember.

I suppose this is a just punishment. My only regret is that my friends may never hear my side of the story.

Set between Seasons 2 and 3 // Some deviations from canon post-season 2 due to when this was originally started.

Pre-read, Cover art, and Audio Reading provided by: Skijarama

Updates Every Other Friday!

Humanity was headed towards a new frontier in the year 2022. The Portgate, a wormhole through time and space, would soon bring man from his little blue globe into the infinite universe. Soon, humanity would be able to forever explore the unknown to its heart's content.

Of course, things are never as easy as they seem.

The first world they find is a beautiful yet dangerous one, populated by monsters both big and small that lurk in the trees. Hardships pile onto those who pass through the Portgate like lead weights, dragging them behind from all angles. And the world is already inhabited by uncannily familiar civilizations wielding strange, mystical powers as easily as they breathe.

The future of humanity and those who it touches are in the stakes as each decision both sides make impacts their worlds for millennia to come. Whether they make the right or wrong ones is up to nothing but fate and fortune.

My first fanfic. I thrive off of feedback, so give it to me, positive or not! I can't improve as a writer if you guys don't tell me how, so why not leave a comment telling me what you think?

This story is a sequel to Finding My Place

It was over.

After a month of fighting for my life and trying to decide who was friend and who was foe, I'd done it. Adamant Will was dead. Everfree was liberated. The Minotaur army had been pushed out of nearly every city in Equestria, and was being routed back to their kingdom of Minos.

And yet, I still could not go home.

The portal was closed. I had no idea how to activate, or if it even could be activated, or any idea how I would get home now. While I'd found a place to stay in Everfree, It was no secret that Solaris was none to fond of me. It was only through the support of Queen Serenity and the two princesses, Celestia and Luna, that I was allowed to remain at all. Still, a grudging acceptance was better than me being out in the wilderness. At least in Everfree, I could begin to rebuild a new life. And hey, maybe I'd find some way back to Terra yet.

But of course, just because one battle is won does not mean that the war is over...

I never wanted this. All I wanted was a nice, quiet weekend away from the real world. Just me and a couple of friends out in the mountains for a few days, grilling out, camping, hunting, maybe a bit of fishing. It was going to be a nice change from the tedium of everyday life.

That was before the fall.

Now I'm trapped in a strange world filled with alien creatures, caught in the middle of a war I have no part in. And if I want any chance of getting back home in one piece, I'm going to have to choose one side and live or die by that decision.

I had hoped to get away from everything. Now I'd give anything to have it all back.

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First featured on 27 Aug 2016!