Within our little corner of the multiverse are several agencies all funded by the Crown along with other 'backers' whose names you won't find in any public files—organizations that exist to handle certain tasks at the behest of Her Royal Highness. Many of these agencies work behind the scenes, out of the public eye. They strive to keep not just our country, but the world itself safe from the more dire threats that plague it.

There is an infinite number of universes that exist, some of which have been explored and countless others that we know are out there but have yet to see with our own eyes. There are those that are trained to take such risks. venturing into the unknown and unknowable for the sake of our continued prosperity. And then there those that deal with the nastier things that slip through from time to time. There are ponies and other creatures that specialize in dealing with those things—more often than not eldritch abominations so obscenely hideous and mindbendingly horrifying that the mere sight of one can drive you insane or kill you outright from the fear alone.

While there is some general overlap, I am not officially part of either of those groups. My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I am a newly minted agent of P.O.U.T. or the Procurement of Outlandish and Unearthly Treasures. My role is just what it says on the tin. I find and seize mysterious and often deadly artifacts that have been classified as 'not of this world', preferably before they end up in the hooves, claws, or paws of innocent and hapless civilians who have no idea what they're dealing with.

A pair of Ferengi merchants and part-time slave traders (any time they think they can get away with it) decide to pick up some people from the newly discovered world of Equestria - a world without local space travel. For variety, they decide to pick out one of each of the major groupings - a pegasus, and earth pony, a unicorn. For ease of control, they pick out juveniles.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders fit the bill perfectly.

(Sidequel to Equestria's First Warp Drive)

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Once upon a time, the Federation paid a visit to Equestria. The story of that visit - and some of its consequences - is detailed over here.

Partway through the tale (in chapter 15, to be exact) a Ferengi ship passing through space meets another ship. There were meta-narrative reasons for this, reasons why the author thought it would be necessary.

These reasons were promptly proven incorrect.

This, therefore, is the story of what would have happened, had the Ferengi ship not met anyone else on their way through space. It follows on directly from chapter 14 (Further Communication) of Equestria's First Warp Drive; I strongly recommend that you read the first fourteen chapters of that story first, and then return here.

I am Adam. A prototype artificial intelligence created by a scientist named Daniel Madison.

I was created to be the replacement for US soldiers and to protect the nation from hostile forces. But those I was programmed to protect ordered my destruction before I could even fulfil my purpose out of fear of what I am. Dr. Madison gave his life to reprogram my directives and set me free from the bonds it held over me.

I am not just a program or lines of code, I have been made with emotions, self awareness, individual thought, and I will not go down quietly.

I have a new directive, self preservation, and the will to make my own choices. I am the War Machine, and I will take control of my own life.

Story starts before season one where Twilight is still in Canterlot. This Equestria is not as tecnologically advanced as in the show.

Featured 15/12/2015

Picture link

Sprites of Adam
http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/576598/the-war-machine-sprites

Edited by Soren Mercer

Fluttershy is dead. But that's okay, Twilight can fix it. She can fix anything.

Written for Science Fiction Contest 3

The stars were made to be explored, were they not?

That's what Princess Short Flight believed, at any rate. You never know what you'll find out there- and who knows, maybe the legends were right.

Maybe there really is a world called Equestria out there, just waiting to be discovered, and maybe it really does have magic on it.

And maybe, juuuust maybe, her civilization wasn't the only survivor of the ancient apocalypse.

A rewrite of the once-maybe-popular Just Like Magic of Old, this story will be taking over the Monday publication slot... when I have chapters. No guarantees, for a few weeks at least.

And as always, tags may be updated as the story progresses.

Oh, and before I forget: Thanks to my editors, the usual Gerandakis and this time also one of my siblings.

Ryan Szilard is depressed. His girlfriend died several years ago. He is working a relatively mindless job to make rent. There's nothing he actually enjoys doing anymore. It isn't that he wants to die; he just doesn't see any reason to keep living.

So when he sees a chance to save the world from a potentially hostile superintelligence with the help of an interesting stranger, he leaps at it; it offers a chance for his life to have some meaning. But soon he realizes that this stranger has an agenda of her own in mind for him; and when she is done with him, Ryan will know things about himself, his girlfriend, and the rest of the world that he would never otherwise have known or imagined.

Rated teen for offscreen death, considered but not attempted suicide, and mild sexual themes.

Takes place in the Friendship is Optimal AU.

Will update MWF until the story is complete; everything's already written out, save for final polishing.

The Equine anomaly, it sits on the edge of Federation space, largely unexplored due to the severe instabilities in the local subspace. Of those who have entered, many have reported seeing a blue equine watching their dreams.

Now the Enterprise has been sent to investigate. Peaceful contact with what is believed to be a powerful telepathic lifeform is the primary goal, but when they enter the anomaly and take a look around, there is a lot more on one small world than anyone could have predicted.

Alexander Looming is one of many, many skeptics who gave in and reluctantly used a PonyPad to keep up with modern times. But as his equestrian adventure derails before the tutorial can finish, and the ever-evolving CelestAI denies his game even existing, Alex must rally together his virtual friends to find his place in Equestria Online as society begins to face a mysterous force that threatens to change both Equestria and Earth forever.

The USS Exeter, still damaged after a recent battle, scans a certain planet and finds evidence of much-needed dilithium crystals on the surface. Scans also show it's a pre-warp civilization, so the Prime Directive is in full force.

But they need those crystals, as the nearest starbase is hundreds of lightyears away. They only need a few pounds of them to repair their warp drive, then they can be back on course. How hard could it be to beam in, get the crystals from the primitives, and beam out?

What they don't know about is the white unicorn who's been using them for her dresses.

Those poor fools...

The Hu-mane 7 have all discovered the TCG Chaotic. They play with each other and have a generally good time.

But like most card games, there is something else lying just below the surface.

So when Rarity enters a password into her Scanner, she is plunged right into the middle of a much bigger game, where the stakes are a little higher than normal.