Everypony has a story. Some tell of heroic feats and grand adventure. Others tell of villainy against the forces of Harmony. The story of an average guard, however, is one of obscurity. They live in the background, unnoticed but ever-present.

Silent Knight assumed his tale would be like that of his father's: join the Royal Guard and serve Equestria. He would be just another helmet and spear, part of the rank and file. And that was all he ever wanted.

However, when Captain Shining Armor asked for volunteers to form a House Guard for the recently returned Princess Luna, it was Silent's hooves that stepped forwards to set his new life in motion.

A head full of romance is what many Canterlot ponies would call a frivolous waste of time. Everypony was meant to play by the rules of high society: keep your nose in the air, laugh at important ponies' jokes, and attend all of the right parties. Upper Crust and Jet Set had been diligent in raising their daughter Crystal Wishes to be a pony everypony would know, but she wanted more out of life than that. She hoped she would someday meet a handsome prince and fall in love, just like in the stories she wrote.

Crystal knew life wasn't as easy as a foal's tale, but that didn't stop her from dreaming. All of the wishes, hopes, and dreams inside her heart escaped into her precious notebook as she wrote about princesses in power and dashing knights. So long as nopony found out her secret, she could continue to play the part of a dutiful daughter while waiting for her own love story to begin.

Princess Cadance is nearly ready to deliver Princess Flurry Heart into the world, and Shining should be the happiest stallion in the world. After all, he's about to become a father—what stallion wouldn't rejoice at this fact?

And yet... something's eating away at him. Keeping him up nights. Driving him to speak with anypony who'll listen. An anxiety. A fear. A doubt.

An inadequacy.

My submission to Scribblefest 2016. Rated teen for some mild descriptions of birth.

Pre-read and edited by the lovely Plumander. If you like my work, consider donating to my Ko-Fi.

A generic pony in a generic town doing generic things with other generic background ponies.

All they want is something different.

This story is a sequel to Twilight Sparkle Becomes a Changeling Queen, Book 1

Twilight Sparkle is a changeling queen. She has found herself back at the old hive, with old memories... and new opportunities. She brings a new, more pony perspective to changeling problems; and she's very excited to experiment at finding new solutions with the help of her willing and eager subjects.

But some things do not change. A queen must also defend her subjects from any who would do them harm...

Set after season three.

Poor financial decisions like forgoing star-spawn insurance and blowing all her bits on the Alicorn Amulet have left Trixie unable to pay for her appointment with the medium in Hollow Shades. Having discovered the magic of friendship, she has a deal to alter lest she incur the wrath of Tartarus. If only somepony who understood her plight could help her in her time of need. Unbeknownst to her, that somepony has been watching her perform from across the tavern.

A refined mare fresh out of high school and a dropout following her dreams find themselves forced to spend a lot of time together.

With the help of a meddling psychology tutor and their new classmates, can they find what they've been looking for?

French Translation!

Fan Stuff!

To earth ponies, there is little more important than tradition. Foals grow up taught everything from family recipes, songs, dances, to folk tales passed down from generation to generation. Of these traditions, none is more valued than a proposal, an offer to entwine your life with somepony else's.

To Bon Bon, nothing is more important to her than Lyra, and nothing matters more than making sure that her proposal is perfect.

Now, if only perfection wasn't so elusive.

And if only it was as easy to grow flowers as every other earth pony makes it seem.

Preread by auramane, Melon Hunter, and Carabutt.

Cover art by Rossby Waves.

Twilight Sparkle has been keeping Spike up at night with obsessive writing. One night, Spike's curiosity gets the best of him, and he discovers Twilight has been writing bad shipfiction about herself and her friends.

He decides to teach her a lesson she'll never forget.

Featured in The Royal Guard.

Now translated into French!

Very crazy Fanfics Anonymous Reading!

Endorsed by the Twilight Sparkle's Secret Shipfic Folder Tumblr!

Third place winner of Everfree Northwest's 2014 Iron Author Competition.

Edited by Prak and Horse Voice.

My name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, and I am a terrible pony.
I didn't mean to be. I never meant to be. But I am.

Written for the I'm the Villain of the Story contest.