Ranger
XCOM: Ranger
is an ongoing Crossover between My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, My Little Pony: Equestria Girls, and XCOM 2 fanfic by Wanderer D.
Unhappy that her future as a member of the monarchy is denied by Celestia, Sunset Shimmer escapes through Starswirl's Mirror into another world, planning to take it over to prove once and for all she was fit to rule. What she didn't expect—besides a species change—was to arrive in a world already conquered.
XCOM: Ranger provides the following examples :
- Abandoned Area: XCOM's old base.
- Action Girl: Several: Sunset Shimmer both of them, Jane Kelly, Elena, The Commander, Annette Durand, Alejandra, Laetitia, Twilight, etc.
- A Death in the Limelight: Once Mox gets a few POV moments, it ends with his demise.
- A Friend in Need: Laetitia. After she gets irreparably damaged by magic, decides to stay back at the cost of a slow, painful death and eventual spiritual dissolution, to help Sunset.
- All Just a Dream: Anything involving Luna before her mind-switch with Laetitia.
- Alternate Universe: The "FMP" arc features Sunset's mind dragged into one.
- Ambient: Chapters 205 - 211 have links to music videos that accompany the action.
- And I Must Scream: The Commander was partially conscious during her 20-year imprisonment, and unable to do anything other than scream at the images she could see of her people dying.
- As You Know: Necessary as the length and jumping arcs and locations sometimes need a recap to remind readers of certain important events.
- As done by Shen when she reminds everyone that The Commander has been listening to the same song the Ghost transmits within the ADVENT Network all along.
- Badass Crew: Menace, which can also be considered a Party of Representatives if we take into account that it has all the friendly aliens and factions.
- Technically all of the XCOM teams fall into this. And so do the Chosen.
- Badass Teacher: A few: For Sunset, Galahad (Equestria), Mox and Bradford, with Sonata functioning as an Evil Mentor.
- Bathtub Bonding: Happens occassionally in the story with Sunset Shimmer and Jane Kelly.
- Big Good: Commander Chrysalis.
- For Twilight, there's Galahad (XCOM) and Sunset Shimmer
- Bodyguard Crush: Alejandra when she takes the role of Twilight's protector.
- Boss Battle: Menace vs The Assassin.
- Blood from Every Orifice: Fugue's usual method of getting her way. Usually it is 100% Hemo Erotic, to the extent of causing Jane to orgasm while being possessed.
- Fugue's methods will usually Paint the Town Red.
- Blood Magic: Sunset Shimmer brings a book on this dark, forbidden art into the human world with her. She plans to study it without letting it take over her mind the way it usually does, because the magical field on Earth is much weaker than on Equestria.
- This directly causes her to later get nicknamed "Blood Witch" due to constantly being covered in blood.
- Later on, Sunset develops Blood Lust to the extent that she constantly can smell it, feel it, and can't help but taste it—no matter the source.
- Combines with her magical experiments and is the direct cause of her transformation into Fugue.
- Unintentionally has side effects, such as magically binding Sunset and Jane. Which results in the latter gaining some of Sunset's basic powers.
- Clueless Chick-Magnet: Sunset Shimmer. Not limited to her current incarnation as her transformation into Fugue is also very attractive to others.
- Colonel Badass: Sunset Shimmer both of them, Ember, Deadwood.
- Cool and Unusual Punishment: When Fugue kills Propaganda Machine Journalist, Susan Cerendis by whisper-singing in her ear.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Several of the characters on the XCOM side. Naturally enough, when your world was invaded 20 years ago.
- Darker and Edgier than Equestria Girls but Lighter and Softer than XCOM 2, naturally enough.
- Dead Alternate Counterpart: Some of the Equestria Girls characters didn't make it through the alien invasion, particularly Applejack and probably Pinkie Pie.
- Demonic Possession: Fugue is the demonic version of Sunset Shimmer
- Depleted Phlebotinum Shells: Sunset's anti-magic/essence bullets.
- Dirty Coward: Michael Cruz. He was told he'd never be remembered, being the one responsible for Twilight's team being almost completely wiped except for Alejandra and herself. He was made an example of by being publicly executed. He was given the choice to jump off the ship on his own, or be executed, although the freedom of choosing his method of death was denied by Deadwood.
- Driven to Suicide: Just Kevin after he witnesses most of his team dying in gruesome ways right before him, and getting his arm melted off. Twilight Sparkle hears him crush his own windpipe by intentionally falling onto the edge of the bed.
- Face–Heel Turn: Sunset Shimmer when she becomes Fugue.
- Five-Second Foreshadowing: The identity of the Commander is kept secret for twenty chapters, with only the vaguest hints. Then we get Twilight Sparkle musing that the Avenger reminds her "of an anthill or a beehive." In the same chapter she considers "the kind of mind that could control a place like this", and then the Commander is revealed to be the Earth version of Chrysalis.
- Forced to Watch: The Commander was forced to watch the alien troops killing dissidents and innocents. Chrysalis was also forced to watch how her Sunset Shimmer and her team all died in the battle of the Temple Ship.
- "Freaky Friday" Flip: During the FMP subplot Sunset Shimmer switches minds with her counterpart in another universe.
- Good All Along: Angel. Despite being a Viper, she's actually a very nice and friendly character who abandoned her overlords because when it came down to it, she Wouldn't Hurt a Child.
- Good Is Not Dumb: Commander Chrysalis and XCOM in general.
- Heartwarming Orphan: Gabby the griffon.
- Hand-in-claw with Alejandra Acevedo's unintentional Promotion to Parent.
- Innocent Aliens: Angel. Although she falls into the Action Girl category, Angel has displayed several moments of innocent-like behavior and downright gentleness.
- She's Intrigued by Humanity and has left her former masters to join The Rabbits and XCOM.
- Definitely seeking Interspecies Romance with Sunset Shimmer, who not only understands her language, but has admitted she thinks Angel is sexy.
- Mellow Fellow: Galahad, a gentleman who trains up the newbies, affectionately calls them 'duckies', and never seems to have a hair (or feather) out of place.
- Mental World: A few:
- Sunset Shimmer with Sonata and Aria each on different occasions.
- Geist and Laetitia have a few with Sunset as well.
- Luna uses her powers to talk this way to Sunset, Twilight, and others.
- Mind Rape: Inflicted upon Jane Kelly by Fugue.
- Then develops into Jane Kelly using Blood Magic powers to kill and abuse civilians.
- Something Only They Would Say: Following the events of Shen's Last Gift, Sweetie Belle lets Rarity know she's still alive by having a Gremlin deliver graffiti with the phrase 'liquid toast'.
- The Reveal: Plenty, especially when revealing which XCOM characters match up with which Equestria Girls characters. Delightfully appropriate in some cases: e.g. Firebrand is Rainbow Dash!
- This Is Your Brain on Evil: Sunset knows that she's losing control more and more, but that doesn't stop her from using the source of her madness when convenient.
- This Is Unforgivable!: Apple Bloom's thoughts on Julian's actions.
- Time Skip: Sunset trains with Bradford for three years. It comes as somewhat of a surprise.
- Balanced out with plenty of flashback storylines.
- During that time several things happen, including Sunset Shimmer learning some valuable lessons about teamwork, being less vicious about others, and others.
- To Hell and Back: Sunset Shimmer. While in India, Sunset almost dies (or rather, dies but is resurrected by evil) and has a brief stint in Naraka.
- Visions of Another Self: Colonel Sunset Shimmer had visions of Future!Sunset fighting for XCOM.
- Warrior Prince: Twilight Sparkle becomes this.
- and definitely a Badass Bookworm as well.
- It is also later revealed that Luna has been doing this occasionally when Laetitia has lost consciousness in the middle of battle.
