Legends spoke of a beast with the most wicked desire to find a blacksmith. He was muscular, handsome, filled to the brim with testosterone. Whenever the sun sets, everyone hides in their houses, locking and barricading all the doors in desperate hopes that it will stop him. He prowls the night, seeking out the blacksmith, murdering the faces of anyone who got in his way.

His name, is Markiplier.

Now this beast comes to Equestria, his burning desire to find the blacksmith still with him. It's just too bad nopony saw this coming.

Edit: There will be no sequel. Have a pleasant day.

Twilight Sparkle wakes up one morning to a harsh dose of unreality. She is stranded, without her friends, on an island which matches no known locale on Equestria. Surrounded and harried on all sides by the alien and the dangerous, she will find her mettle sorely tested, and find perhaps that the best friends you will ever have in your life are the ones you make when your back is to the wall...

Thanks to CedricBale and noobie56xx for tracking down the name of the artist so I could give them credit.

The star system Omega Centauri was just another oddity on a map to scientists in the not too distant future. However when they found the star was orbiting an earth-sized, earth-like planet instead of a black hole as its motion had suggested, a mission was scrambled to investigate this most unusual of celestial behaviors.

Hamstrung by politics, and nearly crippled before it began, the 'Lone Ranger' mission was reduced to just one crew member and left to his own devices.

These are the logs of Arrow 18 and its lone commander. This information is classified TOP SECRET by the Global Space Agency.

Do NOT tell the princess.

Twilight Sparkle finds something while searching her old bedroom closet.

When a pirate named Captain Jack Silver steals the Elements of Harmony and kidnaps the Cutie Mark Crusaders, it's up to Twilight and the rest of the Mane Six who now must take to the high seas in order to get them back. When the Mane Six finally find them, they all soon find themselves joining Jack and his crew on a swashbuckling adventure filled with challenging spirits, terrible storms and demonic pirates, all of which act as obstacles that stand in their way of finding the SEVENTH Element of Harmony.

This story is a sequel to Steel Solstice

Continued in: My Little Apprentice: Apogee

Twilight Sparkle learns that the trust and goodwill of the Princess isn't always a good thing as she's given the trust of an important assignment. When that assignment turns out to be long-term, how will she handle taking care of a filly of her own? How will she handle this strange new filly, who proves to be much more than she appears. As a matter of fact, she seems to be from an entirely separate universe.

Meanwhile, Second Chance has kept only enough of her memories to know that she isn't what she should be. The wonderful world of Equestria has its own dangers, and she seems to have a knack for attracting trouble. The more of her memories return, the more she wishes she could just forget. But you can't forget when all of Equestria depends on you remembering.

Only one thing's for sure: The longer Twilight keeps this strange filly in her care, the stranger her own life will become, and things she thought she knew about Equestria will unravel before her eyes. Strange ancient devices, an eccentric mint unicorn and her so-called "Equestrian Precursor Society" are only the beginning for Twilight Sparkle as she begins a journey of her own. She too may wish she could simply forget. Unfortunately, it's too late for either of them.

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!)

A few months after the events of Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000, Applejack decides to officially integrate the others into her family with an Apple tradition: a long night of cider drinking.

The next morning Applejack wakes up...in Twilight's bed...with a gold band on her hoof...and a legally binding document on the bedside table...

Cover art by ThePristineEye

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Check out the live reading!

And check out About Last Night: A Deleted Scene, by EquesTRON.

Coverart edited version of ranban's Two Friend

What does it mean to be a unicorn? To have spells that create fire, and have light at one's beck and call? The ability to conjure illusions, and grasp and throw objects with just a thought?

There is a point in every unicorn's life when they must decide whether to live with magic as a mundane thing, a simple tool, or to steep themselves in the higher learnings that is their birthright.

For three young mares that have been chosen to be taught by Princess Celestia, herself, their studies have only just begun.

PLEASE share your thoughts about the story in the comments!

The ponies of Ponyville grew fearful of a being that lived among them. Wielding the weapons of his people, will they finally band together and claim victory over him once and for all? Or be shot down in defeat?