"Equestria's Guard: the Bravest and the Best. Do you have what it takes?"

So the advertisements say. When Rainbow Dash saves the life of Princess Luna, however, she quickly comes to learn that there's a lot more to the guard than what everypony knows. As she faces down threats to her friends, her Princesses, and her country, Rainbow will have to decide exactly who she is loyal to.

A Price of Loyalty story.

After the timeline goes awry for the eighth time, Twilight Sparkle convinces Starlight Glimmer to journey with her through the most recent world she created, using her alicorn magic potion to safely view one of the tragic timelines. As the world spirals farther and farther out of control, Twilight fears the vision may be doing more to strengthen Starlight's resolve than to bring her to an understanding of her mistakes.

Starlight Glimmer vector by itv-canterlot on Deviantart

A good portion of chapters 1-3 debuted in the Writeoff event "Forbidden Knowledge"

Red tags for mild gore and fantasy violence.

This story is a sequel to The Dusk Guard Saga: Rise

"Viking ZX has pride in the fact that he can throw his readers into a ride." —PCaRG
"... an exhilarating romp that leaves you guessing half the time and keeps you thrilled throughout." —PaulAsaran
"... you’ll enjoy this one." —City of Doors

Blade Sunchaser is a griffon on the run.

Seven days ago she was the bodyguard of two of the wealthiest railroad magnates in Equestria. One day after that she was in a jail cell.

She didn’t stay there for long. She’s got a job to do, a job with a payoff bigger than any she’s ever earned before. All she needs to do is track down two stolen bits of crystal and bring them back to her employer. Stolen bits last seen being taken north, past Equestria’s furthest borders, into the lawless wasteland known as the Ocean of Endless Ice. A haven of ice dredgers, criminals, and pirates ripe with violence, danger, and dark secrets. But for this kind of payoff, the danger is nothing. She’ll face anything, go anywhere, and do whatever it takes to see her mission through.

Even start a war ...

Book II of The Dusk Guard Saga
Epic Fantasy
Equestrian Map of the Ocean of Endless Ice
Official Series Timeline at [url=https://www.fimfiction.net/group/204855/the-dusk-guard-saga/thread/127607/the-dusk-guard-saga-timeline]TDG Group Forums
Can be found on TV Tropes at The Dusk Guard Saga’s page (Page outdated)
Cover art by Midnight Sonare
Alpha and Beta read by Siers, Raptra, and Jorlem.
If you encounter what you think are typos in the story, PM them rather than clogging the comments feed with them.

Author’s note: From time to time you may encounter a hotlink in the text. These hotlinks are background themes and can be clicked or passed over at your own choice. It is recommended that for maximum enjoyment beforehand, make sure that your volume settings on YouTube are at a comfortable level and make use of Ctrl+Shft+Clicking or the middle mouse button to open the song in a new tab, where it will play automatically without your involvement.

Or just don’t click on them until later. They are an entirely optional experience, and can be passed over without incident.

"... at the forefront of our fandom’s writing scene ... Masterpiece." —PCaRG
"... really enjoyable ..." —City of Doors
"...worthy of high praise." —PaulAsaran
"Lots of wonderful world-building, great action, well-developed characters and an engaging story." —Hoopy McGee

Steel Song is a lot of things. Earth pony. Uncle. Professional bodyguard.

Retired.

So when he receives a mysterious package from Princess Luna a few weeks after the changeling invasion, he's understandably apprehensive. More-so when he presents himself before the Royal Diarchs to find that not only do they desire him to come out of retirement, but to take command of a most unusual position...

A position that may have more significance than any of them suspect. Because strange thefts are occurring on the Equestrian Railway, thefts that nopony can explain. Thefts that may have far more sinister intentions than their seemingly innocent nature may convey.

Intentions sinister enough to shift the balance of power in Equestria forever.

Book I of The Dusk Guard Saga.
Epic Fantasy
Has a collection of Side Stories as well, the first of which is here.
Now with a TV Tropes page!
"This is 100% Approved by Twilight's Library!"
Added to Twilight's Library 11/26/2013
Added to Canterlot's Finest 12/01/2013

Equestria is a nation on the edge of disaster after the devastation caused by the Lunar Rebellion. Beset on all sides by nefarious enemies, vicious foreign invaders, insane Lunar cultists, malicious fey, and diabolical conspirators all threaten Equestria’s borders and stability. Midnight Sparkle, daughter of Archmagus Sunbeam Sparkle and herself a newly minted Magus of Equestria, soon finds herself embroiled in the chaos surrounding her homeland. But what hope does a single unicorn have against so many overwhelming threats?

A chronological sequel to The Lunar Rebellion.

On the fourth day of the fourth month of every year, Equestria pays homage to its fallen heroes. As daylight sets on this solemn ceremony, the immortal sun bows before the soldiers who died for her, and whispers an ancient question for which there is no answer.

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!)

This story is a sequel to Upheaval: Reckoning

Equestria's fragments have reunited, and the power of sunlight shines once more within Celestia. With the remnants of the Old Kingdom destroyed, the Abyssal Throne sent away, the threat of Gravitas defeated, and Black Rose no more, Equestria now faces the encroaching darkness of Oceanus and his rebels.

But the stage is not yet fully set. Twilight Sparkle and her friends must gather what means they may before the battle is joined.

Cover art provided by Captain Nibbles

This story is a sequel to Princess Twilight's Profoundly Peripheral Protector

Big threats were nothing new to Storm Kicker. Even before entering the service of Princess Twilight Sparkle, Storm's career had brought her head-to-head with some of the worst Equestria could offer, and more still—from water monsters in Canterlot to the changeling invasion. She knew when she agreed to be Princess Twilight Sparkle's bodyguard that it was probably only a matter of time before some new ancient evil broke loose, and she would need to be there, at her princess' side.

When Tirek began his assault on Equestria, Storm was ready to give her life in the service of princess. What she wasn't prepared for was Twilight sending her away. However, regardless of her princess' orders, Storm swore an oath to serve and protect her princess, and she will do what she must to fulfil it. Even if it means putting her life on the line in a hopeless battle against an enemy she cannot possibly defeat.

This story is a sequel to A Changeling Queen Under the Griffon's Crown

"It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy?[...] A new day will come."—Samwise Gamgee

Alan Williams Goldenhoof has been there and back again. He saved Equestria, saved an Empire, and even walked up to Death's door, shook his hoof, and then went on his merry way. He is loved in Ponyville, famous in Caterlot, and is considered to be a hero.

And now his heroics are about to end. Perhaps permanently.

With a shadow of arcane evil lurking in the back of his mind, and an old foe on a new battlefield, he has met his match. But no matter what they say, he knows the truth. He knows this guy cannot be trusted.

No matter what they say.

Book 3 of the Harmony for All Trilogy