The history of war may be written by the winner, but the Royal Historian is the one who provides the notes and background to the writer. The recent events that some have called ‘Mare Wars’ or ‘The Invasion of the Barracks’ are no exception. The Royal Historian has painstakingly compiled this folder of notes and background material on what should more accurately be called, ‘The Opening of the Guard.’

Please remember to return the folder back to the Royal Historian when you have completed reading, in the event we gather more material that needs to be included.

Musty Pages, Royal Historian

Source for inside photo
Featured on Equestria Daily and the Royal Canterlot Library
With sequel, The Night Guard - Night Mares
And an interview by Benman

When they began to read the ancient book Twilight and Spike only had the slightest of ideas what it could possibly be about. As the illuminated inks revealed to them an image of Princess Celestia locked in combat with a massive dragon and his sons they realized that the song written upon the aged pages was telling of a long forgotten battle...

... and that the Celestia they know and love is capable of things they dare not imagine.

Inspired by the image "By Celestia's Might" by John Joseco.

When Twilight and Applejack have a falling out over who can claim to have the best big brother, each will stop at nothing to prove theirs is better.

And their brothers will stop at nothing to make their sisters happy.

After Princess Celestia appoints Twilight Sparkle and her friends to be ambassadors to Earth, they decide to introduce themselves to the humans by appearing in a horse show, but they need someone to get them ready. They call on Megan, the legendary warrior who guarded ponykind in days of yore. Megan has banished or slain countless demons, but can she convince the ponies to hold still long enough for her to braid their manes?

This crosses over with G1, but should be accessible to all.

Featured on Equestria Daily!

Featured in The Royal Guard.

Now with its own TVTropes page!

Editing and fact-checking by Horsegirl123. Additional editing by Portmeirion.

Big thanks to Trinityinyang for the cover art!

Sometimes, all we need are a few stats to shed some light on a subject.

The business of government never stops, and paperwork never rests, even on Hearthwarming. But this particular Hearthwarming, Cabinet Secretary and tea enthusiast Dotted Line plans to do his level best to see it, at least, take a break. His ponies need to go home to their families, and he, well, he has plans this Hearthwarming.

This story is a sequel to Under A Luminous Sky

In the wake of the Mbwun killings , Spike seems to be better off then he was before: his large, muscled body is a far cry from the chubby baby he was, and he no longer has to go through his hundred-year wyrm sleep. Life, however, is rarely so simple. As he and Twilight move back to Canterlot, Spike finds that his new body may very well mean the end of his old life.

This story is a sequel to In Her Majesty's Royal Service

After guardsponies Storm Stunner, Crack Shot, and Check Mate proved instrumental in stopping an interdimensional incident that threatened to annoy the city of Canterlot, the Royal Guard made a realization: perhaps they might just be able to serve functions beyond pulling aerial chariots and trying not to blink in public.

Now months later, they're finally starting to get somewhere with each of the odd regimens they've designed; it's a shame that three of their number will have to miss the progress to follow. In recognition of their prior bravery, quick thinking, (and to a smaller degree their dumb luck), Princess Luna has given Storm, Check, and Crack Shot a special assignment: to visit the lands on the borders of pony control, to sample the local flavors, and to maybe even take a picture or two. One might dare to call it a vacation.

However, expectations mean little so far from home, and despite Luna's wishes to keep the guardsponies out of harm's way, the world can easily change in a thousand years. The three guardsponies may be forced to deal with the inconvenience of their vacation turning into an adventure.

First Story: In Her Majesty's Royal Service

Storm Stunner is a pegasus with aspirations to join the Royal Guard: the noble ponies responsible for maintaining the peace and prosperity of Equestria. At least, that's what it says on the cover.

Follow his journey as he joins their gilded ranks, and learns just what life is really like as one of Equestria's finest.

Monster attacks. Crime. Illegal hallucinogens made from electric fruit.

They say things didn't use to be like this. They say things were different, before Luna came back 60 years ago, but Detective Hard "Hardy" Boiled of the Detrot Police Department has never known any world other than that demarcated by the seedy streets of his beloved decaying metropolis; a world in which the coroners sing and dance, surveillance bugs have personality disorders, and the Chief of Police is a scarier entity than most of the eldritch things the city attracts.

The grey unicorn who turned up dead outside the posh High Step Hotel seemed like just another case, but her missing horn is the pointy tip of a very large and nasty iceberg. It's up to Hardy and his friends - a rejected monster hunter, a psychic cab driver, and an underground antiques heir - to find out what’s going on in an investigation that promises to stick more than a cupcake into the very eye of Detrot.

Especially if Hardy has anything to say about it.

By Popular Demand, there is now a Patreon

Additional editing by coandco Sig_Awesome, Hinds, Clint, and Raccoon!
Featured on EQD - 5 Stars!
Cover art by MisterMech (http://mistermech.deviantart.com/)
Now with TVTropes page here!