Thunderstorms have always put Scootaloo on edge. A pegasus afraid of the weather. What's wrong with her? Rainbow Dash helped create this storm, too—Scootaloo should just stop being such a baby about it.

Slightly lengthened version of a minific that finished in the middle of the pack in the /fic/ write-off "Illusion of Choice."

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!)

On the Pie family farm, there are only rocks. It's a life Pinkie moved away from. Back home, after a tragic event, her sister Inkie wonders if she should do the same. After all: it's hard to have a life worth living, with only rocks.

Written for the EQD Prereader Battle of June 2013

Edited by Vimbert.

Cover image edited by knighty.

Ponies are disappearing on suspicious holidays. Pinkie Pie has a new cupcake range. And a cleaver.

Could these things possibly be related? Can Apple Bloom solve the mystery before it is too late? Or is it cupcakes for all?

Lyra, unknown to her friends, is obsessed with Twilight Sparkle. So much so that she is willing to do anything to win her love. Originally inspired by the madness of pony threads.

When Pinkie came knocking at her castle door, Twilight herself was a little surprised. She had brought her a gift. But the older mare had a strange, dark mood about her. Shouldn't Twilight be happy, anyway? Yet when she opens the present, it just might be the most heartbreaking thing she has ever recieved.

For Rainbow Dash, seeing is believing. When her friend Twilight Sparkle told her that "electricity is harmful to humans with enough likelihood that you should definitely not zap Anon with lightning bolts", she didn't listen. After all from the two of them, it was Dash who saw more creatures zapped with lightning. Most of those occurrences were her doing as well. And so she decided to knock down two apples with one stone - teach her book loving friend a lesson about who the real weather expert is, and cure the local oddity that was Anonymous the Human from his irrational fear. Oh, and of course have a blast doing it.

Things don't exactly go according to her plan however, and she ends up creating a bigger mess than she could comprehend - not only for herself and her target, but also a certain somepony who will have to abandon her ancient traditions and improvise on the spot.

Formerly marked mature for uncouth language and the death theme. I now have an actual 'death' tag though, so I dropped it down.

Merithorical proofreading and non-constructive feedback: Anoridan and Void Whisperer
Nitpicking and comma insertion: abronie

For the past few years, Lyra has been keeping a close watch on Twilight Sparkle under the orders of Princess Celestia. Her mission: to ensure the princess's protege is emotionally stable and fit to be the leader of the Elements of Harmony.
Now Twilight has proven herself with the defeat of Discord, Lyra's mission is complete. She can finally drop her assumed identity of Heartstrings and resume her past life in Canterlot.
Or so she thought.
The princess has one final task for her, one that will uncover a conspiracy that could put the whole of Equestria under threat.
Lyra's new mission: to take down the rogue agent known as Golden Harvest.

Featured on Equestria Daily.
Featured on FiMFiction.
Review by Cerulean Voice.
Review by Undead_Wanderer

When a debt-collection company sends a representative to collect on Lyra's parents' debts, they don't care that her parents have been missing for years - the debt is legally hers. If she can't pay up, she'll lose her house.

In order to pay the debt, Lyra devises a plan that simply can not fail - she'll convert her home into an item shop and sell her way to riches! Surely Bon Bon will help, too. What could possibly go wrong?

Inspired by Recettear

Scootaloo ran away years ago. Since then she's settled into a life in Ponyville. It's not much of one, but it's hers. One cold day she finds herself in the library.

Twilight Sparkle is a Princess, sworn to help all the citizens of Equestria, but how can she help somepony she doesn't know needs it.

Edited by Zimmerwald1915 and Johnny Bench