Canterlot Chronicles - Major Canons (Part 1)

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!
Notes:
* This profile will cover all major characters that are canon to the show proper or "soft canon" spinoff media such as the IDW comics.
* For the purposes of definition, a "major" character is one that appears in six or more stories.
* Pure OCs (i.e. those not meant to match a character shown in the canon material defined above) that are "major" characters will be found in the Major OCs entry. OC Stand Ins will be found here - a link will be provided to their "canon depiction" for reference.
* References to canon material (as defined above) will be given in bold. References within the stories themselves will be in italics.

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Princesses of Equestria (POE) - All are alicorn rulers of the Kingdom of Equestria and are extremely powerful. Princesses Celestia and Luna are the immortal royal sisters, and Princess Cadance is their adoptive niece.

Princess Celestia - The older of the two immortal alicorn rulers of Equestria, tasked with raising the sun and rule of the daytime. During Princess Luna's thousand-year exile, she controlled the moon and ruled the night as well. The necessity of Luna's exile, along with the aforementioned immortality, caused her many hundreds of years of bitter and depressive loneliness that weighed heavily under her royal "mask". The effort she invested in Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, Twilight Sparkle and Spike was in large part done to save Luna after the "legend" she knew to be true was revealed as true. (Friendship is Magic, It's All Real)
After sending Twilight Sparkle and Spike to Ponyville to supervise preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration that would occur at the time of "Nightmare Moon's" return, Celestia largely locked herself in her royal chambers in an attempt to keep her emotions in check. She refused to come out to travel to Ponyville for the Summer Sun Celebration or even see anypony else as the events of the prophecy unfolded around her! With "Nightmare Moon's" "Night Eternal" covering Equestria, she reached an emotional breaking point and summoned Shining Armor alone to her chambers, where she confirmed his suspicions about the ongoing events and asked for both understanding and comfort during this dark moment of her life. Shining Armor gave both of those things, essentially making him "family" in Celestia's eyes and paving the way for the later Canterlot Wedding. (Friendship is Magic, It's All Real)
It was only after the triumph of friendship lead by Twilight Sparkle that Princess Celestia left Canterlot and traveled to the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters, where she forgave and reconciled with the restored Princess Luna. She then traveled with Luna and the new bearers of the Elements of Harmony back to Ponyville to conduct the Summer Sun Celebration as planned, as well as giving Twilight Sparkle a mission to learn more about friendship in Ponyville. (Friendship is Magic, The Long Road Home)
With the Summer Sun Celebration completed, Celestia escorted her sister to her new home in Canterlot Castle, although temporarily continued controlled both sun and moon as Luna's powers were at a very low level and she was not capable of immediately resuming her previous duties. The first morning after Luna's return, Celestia got a most pleasant surprise when she heard from the younger sister of the "one good stallion" that had visited during the night. With help from the one clue left behind, Celestia was able to identify this stallion as Shining Armor. This ended up dovetailing nicely with Celestia's original intention for Shining to lead Luna's recovery as well as helping to ensure Shining would eventually become nephew-in-law to both royal sisters. (One Good Stallion)
Shortly afterward, Celestia conducted an honor guard ceremony in which she (in the name of Luna) promoted Shining Armor to the rank of Lieutenant Captain and officially reconstituted the nighttime "Luna" shift which Shining Armor would now command. She then gave Shining Armor a personal debriefing that explained how Celestia knew about the identities of the new Element Bearers - the common thread of the Sonic Rainboom - and then gave him his new mission: the rehabilitation of Princess Luna. She also promised Cadance would return to assist him in that effort. Finally, she gave a long-withheld blessing for him to marry Cadance but asking to wait until Luna's rehabilitation was secure. (The Cutie Mark Chronicles, A New Mission)
Four days after Luna's arrival in Canterlot, Celestia attempted a "presentation" of Princess Luna over Captain Gibraltar's warnings that she wasn't capable of what was being asked of her. Those warnings unfortunately proved well founded, and Celestia had no choice but to temporarily continue raising the moon as it was obvious Luna had not recovered enough in the time frame to do it. In the aftermath, Lieutenant Captain Shining Armor recalled another frank moment Celestia had with him about Luna, making it clear how much pain Luna's current condition and the past between the sisters was causing to Celestia in the present. Also, Shining revealed to Luna about "The Luna Vault" Celestia had left for her sister. Finally, there was also the revelation of "The Thestrals" charged by Celestia to keep stories about the true Luna alive, albeit secret, during the time of Luna's exile. (The Luna Shift)
Princess Celestia, along with Lieutenant Captain Shining Armor, greeted Princess Cadance upon her return to Canterlot more than a week after the Summer Sun Celebration. She also revealed to Shining Armor that a lot of what Cadance passed on to Twilight Sparkle was from the "old times" with Luna. With Cadance's arrival, she had a frank and painful discussion of recent events with Cadance, witnessed by Shining Armor. Shortly afterward, she also witnessed the disastrous attempt to introduce Cadance to Luna. (Cadance)
The fallout of "Operation Love Lost", an "enemy within's" attempt to turn Luna against Cadance as a result of the disastrous introduction, prompted her to publicly execute the exposed Agents of Chaos, an effort that pained her as much as other executions in the past had. (Games We Play)
After the second attempt at abducting Luna, Celestia displayed her old "Canterlot Royal Voice" to the defeated Griffon party and ultimately affirmed what Luna had already decreed for them. She later used "The Way of the Phoenix" to save the griffon defector's life, regenerating his body in the process, as well as giving him a new name: Excelsior. (Excelsior)
A plan previously set up by Princess Celestia was ultimately responsible for the changing of Buck Withers into a good member of the Guard, as well as her forgiving him for his previous disrespectful treatment of both her and Cadance. (Buck Nothing)
After seeing the attack of the Ursa Minor on Ponyville and Twilight Sparkle's impressive handling of the situation, she concocts "Operation Shield" to protect Ponyville from further Ursa attacks. (Operation Shield)
One of the many nighttime duties she inherited after Luna's exile was the placing and maintenance of the constellations of stars in the sky. She eventually passed this on to a group of powerful "star-mover" unicorns that was the nucleus of the Royal Observatory - among which were the long-ago ancestors of Twilight Sparkle and her family. (Broken Fences)
Celestia's direct intervention was necessary to ensure Lilly Withers, wife of Equestrian Congresspony Strong Withers, was given a respectful burial in the Canterlot Valley National Cemetery. (Pocketful of Posies)
As most of the stories in In Praise of Twilight revolve around Twilight Sparkle becoming Celestia's apprentice, she appears extensively there, having frank conversations with several characters shortly after Spike's hatching and the Sonic Rainboom.
After learning of the existence of Zecora, Celestia ordered a mission that, despite interference by the Agents of Chaos, succeeds in making Zecora an official Equestrian citizen. She herself (along with Luna) also watched remotely (via the "magical security cam") the oath swearing three Royal Guard stallions conducted to make Zecora a full citizen. (Zecora)
Following the parasprite infestation seen in Swarm of the Century that aborted a Ponyville visit, Celestia called and later attended a board of inquiry regarding the incident, although she let Twilight Sparkle off easy. She also witnessed a Wonderbolt show sabotaged by a parasprite release, causing her to temporarily imprison the two leading Wonderbolts, later releasing them and dropping the charges after learning the two Wonderbolts were framed. (The Parasprite Project)
After learning the apparent betrayal of "Mr. Hoofer" and several attacks against Royal Guard members by him, Celestia ordered his arrest and public humiliation after his suicide. At the time, it was believed "Mr. Hoofer" was the leader of the Agents of Chaos. (High Fashion High Noon)
Princess Celestia cancelled all Nightmare Night celebrations above the individual level in Equestria for the first year after Luna's return, believing Luna was not yet ready to handle all the legends surrounding that holiday. She approved the batponies idea to replace the Canterlot celebrations and participated in them herself, playing both "Nightmare Moon" and herself in the play "Circle of the Moon". (Circle of the Moon)
After witnessing the events of the Best Young Flyer competition in Sonic Rainboom, Celestia released pictures and "video" to brief the night shift with about the history of Rainbow Dash's two known rainbooms, as well as give a warning about the Agents of Chaos potentially acting again. This warning proved to be correct, and in the end Celestia had to deal with Agent Snake herself by burning off his wings! (Rainboom Revolution)
Celestia would give out most of the consequences - punishment for treason or reward for loyalty - following the failure of the Operation Whirlwind rebellion. All the while, she worried about a seemingly innocent statue that, as was later learned, the prison of the entity Discord that the Agents of Chaos had unsuccessfully attempted to "revive". (The Return of Harmony, Consequences)
She invited the "Cutie Mark Crusaders" to perform a reprise of their performance seen in The Show Stoppers in Canterlot, which had the side-effect of exposing Lieutenant Troilus' newly-emerged active campaign against pegasi for the first time. (The Crusaders)
She had first both the Element Bearers as a group and then the Ponyville Royal Guard contingent travel to Appleloosa in order to bring peace between the settlers and native buffalo tribe, later receiving reports and then the draft peace treaty after the success of that mission. (Over a Barrel, Mission to Appleloosa)
Celestia placed the Wonderbolts under the protection of Shining Armor for their attempt at revival after Operation Whirlwind, and despite the attempt's failure did not intervene further in the situation except to help calm a riot at the abortive board of inquiry for Shining Armor. (Phoenix Down)
The previous engineering of "livening up" the Grand Galloping Gala (which ended in an animal stampede and damage to the ballroom) allowed Celestia to escape the stuffy obligations of the Gala and have a more informal outing with Twilight Sparkle and her fellow Element Bearers. (Best Night Ever, A Just Cause)
Later in A Just Cause, a bit of her actions involving the founding of the city of Canterlot and its caverns is mentioned by Captain Gibraltar. Also, she firmly made it clear to Gibraltar she wanted Shining Armor, not a different pony, leading Operation Just Cause.
A lot of her actions in attempting to reassure the populace of their being no dark secrets in Canterlot Castle unintentionally lead to the release of the draconequus Discord, forcing her to play a secondary but vital opposition role due to her not being able to use the Elements of Harmony against him anymore. Additionally, Celestia was forced to explain about Discord to Shining Armor earlier than she did to his sister and her friends, following the pattern established with "Nightmare Moon". Finally, her returning the friendship letters to Twilight was explained as a "backstop" that ultimately succeeded in Discord's defeat and resealing. (The Return of Harmony, The Day of Discord)
After Discord's resealing, Princess Celestia communicated to Shining Armor the reason for keeping the statue of Discord intact instead of smashing it to pieces, as it was part of a plan that would not be manifested until much later. (Keep Calm and Flutter On, Zero Point)
It is also mentioned in Zero Point about her knowledge of and lack of success in recruiting earth pony soldiers in the E.U.P. Guard, which exacerbated the pegasi-unicorn tensions inside that service. Finally, her worries about underestimating Discord's effects are revealed when she briefs Shining Armor and Cadance about the incident seen in Lesson Zero.

Princess Luna - The younger of the two immortal alicorn rulers of Equestria, tasked with raising the moon and rule of the nighttime in general. The resentment at her "beautiful night" being ignored by the general Equestrian population eventually led to her turning into the evil "Nightmare Moon" and a thousand-year banishment to the moon by Celestia using the Elements of Harmony - an event which profoundly affected all of Equestria and both sisters personally. (Friendship is Magic, Princess Twilight Sparkle)
After the foretold return, "Nightmare Moon" covered all Equestria in a "Night Eternal" that would've eventually destroyed the kingdom - as Shining Armor correctly surmised, the real reason for Princess Celestia sending Twilight Sparkle to Ponyville was to stop this by learning "the magic of friendship" to summon the Elements of Harmony and use them to defeat "Nightmare Moon". This would ultimately save and restore Princess Luna as well. (Friendship is Magic, It's All Real)
With the "dark powers" of "Nightmare Moon" driven out of her by the Elements of Harmony, Luna was "reborn" at a very low power level and a much younger appearance than before; she later described it as being nearly incinerated in a great storm of fire. Princess Celestia arrived at the site of the victory afterward, and the two sisters were reconciled after a thousand years of separation. Luna was escorted first to Ponyville by the Element Bearers (officially Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy carrying her between them) and Celestia, then after the Summer Sun Celebration there to her new home - and rule - in Canterlot. (Friendship is Magic, The Long Road Home, Buck Nothing)
She was greeted in Canterlot Castle by an honor guard and placed in a temporary bedroom suite while more permanent accommodations were cleared for her. It was there on the first night in Canterlot, when she was caught in the deepest depths of guilt, despair and confusion, that she was visited by "one good stallion" - a member of the Royal Guard, his identity concealed under the armor, who reached out in extraordinary kindness and friendship to her. It was not until Luna informed her sister of the events the following morning and showed the one clue left behind that she learned the identity of the "one good stallion" - afternoon shift Lieutenant Shining Armor, Twilight Sparkle's big brother! (One Good Stallion)
A direct result of this revelation was Shining Armor's promotion to Lieutenant Captain, done by Celestia in Luna's name as Luna herself could not yet do it directly. Nevertheless, Luna was an active participant in the honor guard ceremony in which the promotion was given, and the subsequent conference between Celestia and Shining was focused on her rehabilitation. (A New Mission)
Four days after her arrival, she was "presented" by Celestia supposedly to commemorate her resuming her royal duties. Unfortunately, Celestia asked too much of her still-weak sister and the effort caused Luna to pass out. She was taken to Canterlot Hospital, where she was watched by Shining Armor while unconscious. After her recovery, and a frank discussion about the wrongs of the situation she was in after her frustration threatened to boil over, she returned to Canterlot Castle. There, she had first tastes of soda and coffee, and encountered The Thestrals that soon after pledged to her service. (The Luna Shift)
The attempt to introduce Cadance to Luna proved disastrous due to Luna's temper and Cadance's inability to explain how she became an alicorn. It was only after Luna was nearly abducted and learned she had been deceived by an "enemy within" that she began to accept Cadance's presence in Canterlot. During the "enemy within" deception, Shining Armor saw a dream version of "Nightmare Moon" in a vision of Luna's corruption, possibly a magic "echo" of a later vision Twilight Sparkle had. (Princess Twilight Sparkle, Cadance)
Shortly after this, Luna had more first experiences, including video games and junk food, courtesy of Shining Armor. By this time, Luna had developed a major crush on Shining Armor, although recognized it would not be returned and that her emotions had to be put aside for the sake of both her sister and Cadance. (Games We Play)
She pointed out to Shining Armor the depiction of her "true form" in the "Harmony Defenders" video game when she first played it, explaining the difference between what was shown in the storybooks and what was actually the case for Luna as caused by Celestia's proclamation. This is consistent with the later vision of Twilight Sparkle. Luna was the target of a second abduction attempt by the Griffon Ambassador working in cooperation with the Agents of Chaos shortly afterward, thwarted by a defection from the griffon party and quick action by Shining Armor and other Guard officers. (Princess Twilight Sparkle, Excelsior)
Princess Luna also expressed an interest in LARPing and other Role Playing Games such as "Oubliettes and Ogres" and "Hocus Pocus: The-Get-Together", which lead to official groups in the Canterlot Guard to be formed to help express those interests, build friendships and, most importantly, make a significant statement of loyalty. At the same time, the relationship between Luna and Shining Armor was central to yet another attempt at taking down Shining Armor, thwarted when Buck Withers didn't play along with the plan causing it to fail. (Buck Nothing)
By the time of "Operation Shield", Luna's powers had recovered to a certain extent, most notably allowing her mane and tail to sparkle with stars. The friendship with Shining Armor was also seen to have been catalytic toward helping her adjust to modern life, at least partly expressed as gratitude to Shining both for his own efforts and as "standing in" for his sister. She also gave Shining a congratulatory kiss after his success in encasing all of Canterlot in a forcefield bubble. (Operation Shield)
In Broken Fences, we learn one of her original duties as ruler of the night was the placement and maintenance of the constellations of stars. After her exile, this duty passed to Celestia and later the unicorns of the Royal Observatory. We also see Luna in a brief conversation with Shining Armor regarding the problem with Moon Dancer.
In Praise of Twilight not only reiterates Luna's gratitude to Twilight for setting her free and shows further progress in her recovery, but shows some Equestrian propaganda around her liberation and return to her duties. It also shows her involved in the "Oubliettes and Ogres" club and the developing munchkinism that would vex her fellow players (and others later as well).
She (along with Celestia) watched remotely (via Celestia's "magical security cam") the oath swearing three Royal Guard stallions conducted to make Zecora a full citizen. (Zecora)
The LARP group she was a part of was attacked by "Mr. Hoofer", and Luna helped repel this attack - one of the first evidences of her returning to what she was before her exile. (High Fashion High Noon)
Luna would have great trouble dealing with both the first and second Nightmare Nights after her return. The first one was essentially cancelled by Celestia's decree, and the great trouble that occurred during Luna's visit to Ponyville in the second one (Luna Eclipsed) seems to indicate the cancellation of the first one was ultimately the correct thing to do despite reeking of overprotectiveness on Celestia's part. The batpony substitution for the Canterlot celebration along with Celestia's participation in it and other support helped Luna get through the first Nightmare Night. (Circle of the Moon)
An ice statue made in her image by Lieutenant Captain Fidelitas was featured in the first Royal Guard Hearth's Warming party after her return and was shattered in Agent Snake's attack on that party. (A Hearth's Warming Caper)
When "Operation Whirlwind" was executed, she was in a meeting with Shining Armor and Gibraltar and assisted in fighting off the rebel attack lead by Agent Animosity. She then joined in the effort to warn Celestia about the rebel attack and defeat Agent Snake in the castle throne room. Luna was also mentioned in conversation between the Mane Six, as causing her to return to being "Nightmare Moon" was the initial main objective of the Agents of Chaos. (Rainboom Revolution)
Luna next appears in The Crusaders, conversing with Shining Armor about the Oubliettes and Ogres RP group both before and after Lieutenant Troilus' conspiracy was defeated. It was also revealed that the owl later named Owlowiscious was Luna's original pet later given to Twilight Sparkle as a nighttime assistant. (Owl's Well That Ends Well)
She briefly appears as part of the Canterlot Oubliettes and Ogres group in Phoenix Down. In A Just Cause, she was briefly seen coordinating the clean up of the Grand Galloping Gala in Celestia's absence.
Princess Luna refused to object to Princess Celestia's decision to open the castle statue garden to public tours, which in turn contributed to a near breakdown when Discord was released as a result. This was largely a consequence of knowing it was her fault that neither she nor Celestia could use the Elements of Harmony anymore, forcing her to stay on the sidelines as others fought against Discord. (The Return of Harmony, The Day of Discord)

Princess Cadance - Niece by adoption and "apprentice" to Princess Celestia, later to Princess Luna as well. Formerly she foalsat for many prominent colts and fillies, including her future sister-in-law Twilight Sparkle. Twilight Sparkle ended up being the biggest beneficiary of her positive influence on others. She was not in Canterlot at the time of "Nightmare Moon's" return, having been sent "into the field" months before by Celestia. Lieutenant Shining Armor, her "stallionfriend" and future husband, briefly thought of her during the "Night Eternal". (Friendship is Magic, A Canterlot Wedding, It's All Real, The Long Road Home)
After the triumph of friendship and the reconciliation of the royal sisters, Princess Celestia sent a recall order to Cadance, allowing her and Luna to meet for the first time but also promising a potential conflict as Luna was not used to there being another alicorn princess in Equestria. (A New Mission, Cadance)
More than a week after the Summer Sun Celebration, Cadance arrived in Canterlot as per the recall order and reunited with both her adoptive aunt and her stallionfriend. As she had not been told the truth about Luna, she was naturally quite confused about what was going on. Shortly thereafter, Celestia explained to her why she had been sent away and, earlier, kept ignorant of the truth about Luna. During this conversation, Cadance also explained where she was during "Nightmare Moon's" return. Shortly afterward, she was introduced to Luna, an event which ended badly as Cadance could not adequately explain how she had become an alicorn. This gave an "enemy within" an opportunity to attack both her and Shining Armor - their real target - by trying to deceive and ultimately abduct Luna. (Cadance)
The "couple's chariot" which Shining Armor used to give Princess Luna her first nighttime tour of Canterlot was originally built for Shining and Cadance in their teenage years to allow them to go on dates more easily. (Games We Play)
Cadance, along with a pair of her old Canterlot Academy friends, had a nasty confrontation with the Griffon Ambassador that resulted in the alicorn breaking two of his legs and some of his ribs. (Excelsior)
Although she did not appear in Buck Nothing or Pocketful of Posies, she was frequently referenced as the old rivalry for her affections in Canterlot Academy was a central driving force of the events of those two stories. She next appears in Operation Shield, in Shining Armor's dreams and excitedly delivering news to Shining Armor about Twilight Sparkle saving Ponyville from an Ursa Minor attack. She also gave Shining a congratulatory kiss after his success in encasing all of Canterlot in a forcefield bubble.
She, among others, unsuccessfully tried to convince Twilight Sparkle to make friends her age. (Broken Fences)
Like the other princesses, she extensively appears in In Praise of Twilight, thanks at least in part due to her residence in the castle during the time Twilight was Celestia's apprentice. We also see in this story she has joined the Oubliettes and Ogres club Shining Armor started, presumably with no apparent problems or objections by the other members.
She helped break the news of the parasprite infestation in Ponyville to Shining Armor, and attended the board of inquiry following it alongside Princess Celestia. She was also involved in the attack on Hoity Toity's boutique by "Mr. Hoofer". (The Parasprite Project, High Fashion High Noon)
In Circle of the Moon, we see her twice, first in conversation with Shining Armor regarding the Nightmare Night that was just cancelled by Celestia and secondly as part of the play "Circle of the Moon", having joined Celestia's efforts to make up for the previous cancellation by playing the depowered Luna in that batpony-driven effort.
Cadance had a small role in the suppression of Agent Snake, assisting in the final combat with him in the throne room. (Rainboom Revolution)
She briefly appears as part of the Canterlot Oubliettes and Ogres group in The Crusaders. In Phoenix Down, she temporarily took over GMing the group after Shining Armor was suspended from duty following the anti-pegasi stadium riot; she also witnessed the abortive attempt at a board of inquiry regarding the riot and had to help calm another riot that broke out.
Despite being an alicorn princess, Cadance was excused from attending the Grand Galloping Gala, instead going on a "date night" with Shining Armor as had been allowed by Celestia in previous years. After the actions of Twilight Sparkle and her fellow Element Bearers had caused a disaster at the Gala, Cadance followed Shining back to Canterlot Castle and helped him find the disappeared Celestia and Element Bearers. (Best Night Ever, A Just Cause)
As Cadance's particular brand of magic was of little use against the chaos of Discord, she was for the most part forced to watch on the sidelines along with her adoptive aunts and Shining Armor after the draconequus was released. However, she did help calm Luna down (Luna had blamed herself for Discord's rampage), made an abortive attempt to assist in finding the Element Bearers when Discord had them trapped in the hedge maze, then later saw Twilight used something based on her own magic to help break Discord's control over her fellow Element Bearers. (The Return of Harmony, The Day of Discord)
Her impatience with waiting for Luna's rehabilitation to be completed boiled over shortly after Discord's resealing and return to Canterlot, necessitating Shining Armor to reassure her the time was just about right for the wedding. When she attended the ceremony formally promoting Shining Armor to Captain of the Guard, Cadance received - and accepted - Shining's proposal. (Zero Point)
The "Want It, Need It" spell seen in Lesson Zero is revealed to have been based on Cadance's own magic, causing her great consternation when it was revealed Twilight had used it in a "Class X" incident. (Zero Point)

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Twilight Sparkle and Family (TSF) - This section includes Twilight Sparkle herself and her direct biological relatives as well as Spike, considered adopted into her family. The rest of the Equestrian royal family, which she is later related to by marriage, are included in Princesses of Equestria above.

Captain Shining Armor - Male unicorn officer of the Royal Guard, older brother of Twilight Sparkle and "stallionfriend" of Princess Cadance. Twilight hailed and adored him as her "Big Brother Best Friend Forever" (or B.B.B.F.F. for short) and he was one of the major positive influences in her life. He was an Academy cadet when Twilight Sparkle became Celestia's pupil of magic, and by the time of the foretold return of "Nightmare Moon" he had reached the rank of Lieutenant within the Canterlot Royal Guard. (Friendship is Magic, Cutie Mark Chronicles, A Canterlot Wedding, It's All Real, The Long Road Home, A New Mission)
Shining Armor was on emergency duty in Canterlot as the "Night Eternal" of "Nightmare Moon" covered Equestria. He was summoned alone to Princess Celestia's personal chambers, whereupon Celestia confirmed his suspicions regarding the ongoing events and his sister's involvement in them. She then pleaded for his understanding and comfort during this very dark hour, both of which he was more than willing to give. (Friendship is Magic, It's All Real)
He was part of the honor guard for Luna's arrival in Canterlot, at which time he also learned of his younger sister's victory and assignment to Ponyville. Despite his own concerns and the exhaustion of being on duty for many hours straight, he went far beyond the call of duty in reaching out to the guilt-ridden and disoriented Princess Luna her first night in Canterlot. Concealed in his Guard armor, Luna did not know who he was until Celestia told her based on the one clue he left behind. This action not only consolidated the previous victory of friendship, but briefly caused Luna to fall for him, marked him as the one to lead Luna's rehabilitation and set him on the path to becoming a part of the royal family himself. (One Good Stallion)
The following day, he was summoned in fulldress to the throne room whereupon he was acclaimed for his previous actions and given a public promotion to Lieutenant Captain by Princess Celestia (technically in Princess Luna's name because Luna could not do it herself) in an honor guard ceremony. He was then assigned, first in the honor guard ceremony and then in a private conversation with Princess Celestia, to command of the reconstituted night shift so that he can do the work Celestia intended of him - leading Princess Luna's rehabilitation. It was also then that Twilight's assignment was confirmed to him. (A New Mission)
Shining Armor quickly realized he had a daunting task ahead of him, thanks to a combination of Princess Luna's temper, internal problems within the Guard, and apathy among the Canterlot elite. After an ill-advised "presentation" attempt by Princess Celestia, Shining had to watch over Luna in Canterlot hospital during his first night on the job. There several ponies showed their support for his efforts, including Lieutenant Captain Fidelitas, Fancy Pants and Fleur Dis Lee. When she awoke, Shining had a frank discussion and reassertion of loyalty to Luna before the two returned to Canterlot Castle. Once back at Canterlot Castle, Shining helped introduce Luna to soda and coffee as well as mentioned "The Luna Vault" - a museum of artifacts left by Celestia over the thousand years for her sister. Finally, he escorted Luna to meeting The Thestrals for the first time. (The Luna Shift)
Shining Armor escorted Princess Celestia when she reunited with Cadance, who had been recalled to Canterlot after the reunion of the royal sisters. At the same time, he learned much of what Cadance had passed on to his younger sister was from the old relationship between Celestia and Luna. During the subsequent conversation between Cadance and Celestia, he was a witness and helped in explaining the recent events to the previously-unaware Cadance. He also was a witness to the disastrous meeting between Cadance and Luna, and was the real target of the subsequent attack of the "enemy within". During this attack, he saw a dream vision of Luna's corruption, possibly a magic "echo" of a later vision Twilight Sparkle had. (Princess Twilight Sparkle, Cadance)
Shortly after that conspiracy was defeated, Shining Armor introduced Luna to more experiences new to her, most notably video games and "junk food". He also conducted a discrete tour of nighttime Canterlot for Luna. He also had two copies of the "Harmony Defenders" video game, one of the few "faithful" depictions of the pre-exile Luna as pointed out by Luna herself. (Games We Play, Excelsior)
Shining Armor received the defection of the griffon slave and lead the effort that thwarted a second abduction attempt on Luna. Later, the defector griffon was assigned to his night shift command. This didn't stop the attacks on Shining Armor, and another plot focused on publicly defaming his reputation was thwarted when Buck Withers refused to play along with it, which also caused the reconciliation of him with his old high school rival for Cadance's affections. (IDW Comics #11-#12, Excelsior, Buck Nothing)
Another attack on Shining Armor came when Fidelitas was assigned to "Operation Shield" (a measure Shining indignantly protested to no avail), removing a buffer between Shining Armor and Aten. Subsequently, he was challenged to encase all of Canterlot in his shielding magic, a dare which Aten expected to win. Although Shining did indeed succeed in accomplishing the dared task (earning congratulatory kisses from Princess Luna and Princess Cadance as a result), the disruption caused by the dare created other opportunities Aten was able to exploit. (Operation Shield)
We also see in Operation Shield how Shining's friendship with Luna was catalytically assisting Luna's adaption to modern times and the slow restoration of her powers, mostly through him gifting her items he no longer had use for.
Some time later he received a "distress call" from Star Dancer, the mother of Moon Dancer, regarding her filly. Although he was unable to stop Moon Dancer's slide into social isolation following her snub by Twilight Sparkle, or the subsequently triggered Agent of Chaos plot that left Star Dancer disabled, he was able to stop the Agents involved in that plot from harming anypony else. We also learn that he knew of Moon Dancer's admiration of Twilight Sparkle and was pained he could not convince his sister to acknowledge this. (Amending Fences, Broken Fences)
Shining Armor was instrumental in thwarting an assassination attempt on Guard Upper Class Buck Withers, mostly by defeating the would-be assassin Agent 21 of the Agents of Chaos. Shortly after that, he granted a previously-denied leave request to Buck, and attended the funeral of Buck's mother Lilly Withers, where he had a conversation about an "oncoming storm" with Captain Gibraltar. (Pocketful of Posies)
He extensively appears in In Praise of Twilight, thanks at least in part due to him being posted or in training at Canterlot during Twilight's time as Celestia's apprentice, presumably so as to maintain the strong bond between the siblings.
He first traveled to Ponyville in Zecora as one of the Canterlot reinforcements to Operation Integration, successfully leading the mission to its completion. Unfortunately, however, he was not able to meet up with his younger sister at that time due to Agents of Chaos interference (and did not tell Zecora of the relationship either).
In The Parasprite Project, he was visited by Lieutenant Captain Fidelitas and Princess Cadance that told the news about the parasprite infestation seen in Swarm of the Century, giving him fears of headaches regarding his sister's mistake. The headaches later came actually from Wonderbolt Captain Spitfire, who turned against Shining after a Wonderbolt show had been sabotaged by a parasprite release Spitfire blamed on Shining's younger sister.
Shining Armor was one of the main forces opposing the attack on Hoity Toity's boutique by the Agents of Chaos - he met (though was not introduced to) Rarity at this point. Later, the LARP group he was a part of was attacked by "Mr. Hoofer", apparently in direct retribution for the thwarting of the previous attack. (High Fashion High Noon)
Shining Armor was extensively involved in the events of Circle of the Moon, both in supporting Luna (despite his own personal misgivings about Celestia's actions) and also in warning his sister about the events unfolding in Canterlot. We also learn that Shining has to constantly remember not to be second-guessing his younger sister's actions.
Shining Armor was the main pony in charge of countering Agent Snake's attack on the Royal Guard Hearth's Warming party, whereupon he first speculated on the possibility of Snake being an alicorn based on personal observation. (A Hearth's Warming Caper)
A briefing of the night shift given after the events of Sonic Rainboom was the first time Shining learned of what his sister did during that time, which struck him first as incredulously reckless, and then later made him a target of verbal attack and threats by Wonderbolt Captain Spitfire. When "Operation Whirlwind" was actually executed, he ended up providing a critical defense against the main rebel attack force, ensuring the attack's failure. After the rebel attack was defeated, he joined in the effort to warn Princess Celestia about the rebellion and attempt to resurrect "the chaotic one", then in defeating Agent Snake in the castle throne room. (Rainboom Revolution)
In The Crusaders, Shining Armor is first mentioned as leading the effort to hunt the escaped Aten and his fellow rebels. Later, he was duped to enable Lieutenant Troilus' conspiracy to proceed, the latter only being thwarted by learning of Shining Armor learning of the duping.
He was assigned to protect the Wonderbolts during their attempt at revival, and was more directly attacked by Troilus, falling victim to a riot that ruined the revival attempt and got Shining Armor put before a board of inquiry. Before the revival attempt, he also interviewed Soarin' to learn about the progress of the Wonderbolt reform effort. After the board of inquiry was suspended, he visited Spitfire and Soarin again in Canterlot General Hospital. (Phoenix Down)
As had been done in previous years, Shining Armor was excused from service during the Grand Galloping Gala (hence his absence from that event) so as to have a more enjoyable date night with Princess Cadance. However, after the actions of Twilight's friends caused an animal stampede and damage to the castle ballroom, Shining Armor was hastily called back on duty by Captain Gibraltar in order to find the suddenly-disappeared Princess Celestia and the Element Bearers. He discovered them at Pony Joe's donut cafe in Canterlot, though was unable to join the party there due to his previous orders. (Best Night Ever, A Just Cause)
The morning after the Gala, he was present as part of a meeting regarding the missing Prince Blueblood when Java Jive arrived with a vital piece of information about his whereabouts, then assisted the subsequent investigation into thefts related to Operation Hornpoint. Later, Shining was assigned command of Operation Just Cause, meant to deal both with Hornpoint and the remnants of the Agents of Chaos. (A Just Cause)
Shining Armor was one of the Royal Guard officers concerned about Celestia's opening of the statue garden to public tours, and one of the officers dispatched to initially combat Discord. Despite being defeated by the draconequus, he continued to attempt to assist fighting against him, and later found the shielding spell he taught to his younger sister played an important role in Discord's eventual defeat. Shining was also appointed as Acting Guard Captain when Captain Gibraltar was incapacitated after being defeated by Discord. (The Return of Harmony, The Day of Discord)
Like his younger sister, Shining Armor was extensively involved in Trivia Trot, and reportedly verbally snapped when he lost the previous tournament in Canterlot Castle by one point. (A Trivial Pursuit, The Day of Discord)
Discord's defeat and resealing by his younger sister and her friends apparently helped fasttrack the approval of Shining Armor's promotion to Captain rank as well as set the stage for the Canterlot Wedding that had long been hoped for, all the while him trusting on Celestia's timing and planning to make sure everything would turn out alright. Shining moved into the Captain's suite while waiting for the formal promotion ceremony, at which point he made the long-awaited proposal. (Zero Point)
Shortly before the ceremony, Shining learned of a "Class X" incident that was caused by Twilight in Ponyville, both explaining the latter's absence from the ceremony and throwing a worrying damper over the entire proceeding. (Lesson Zero, Zero Point)

Twilight Sparkle - Student of magic to Princess Celestia and later becomes an alicorn princess in her own right. She was dispatched by Princess Celestia to supervise the Summer Sun Celebration in Ponyville at the time predicted to be "Nightmare Moon's" return according to legend. This dispatch puzzled a number of Royal Guard officers, including her older brother Lieutenant Shining Armor. This puzzlement enabled Shining Armor to figure out Celestia's true motives regarding the dispatch - the defeat of "Nightmare Moon" and salvation of Equestria. (Friendship is Magic, A Canterlot Wedding, Magical Mystery Cure, It's All Real)
Twilight's subsequent learning of the magic of friendship and unleashing of the Elements of Harmony alongside her new fellow Element Bearers allowed her to succeed in this mission. She lead the triumphal escort back to Ponyville from the Castle of the Two Sisters, which included mentor Princess Celestia and the restored Princess Luna. Afterward, she was given a mission to learn more about friendship in Ponyville. (Friendship is Magic, The Long Road Home)
During Shining Armor's promotion to Lieutenant Captain and subsequent assignment, Twilight Sparkle was mentioned twice: first in her role in Luna's salvation, then in reference to how she became Celestia's pupil of magic in the first place. (Friendship is Magic, Cutie Mark Chronicles, A New Mission)
Twilight Sparkle received a letter from her recently-promoted older brother explaining the situation about Luna and the returning Princess Cadance as well as giving words of encouragement; this triggered a frank discussion with Spike later on. An infant version of Twilight also featured prominently in the retold first encounter between Fancy Pants and her family, as her running off during a day trip in Canterlot was what allowed the meeting to occur. Shining Armor briefly thought of her again just before Luna regained consciousness at Canterlot Hospital. Finally, she was mentioned repeatedly both by Luna and Lieutenant Vesper during Luna's meeting of The Thestrals the same night. (The Luna Shift)
Twilight was mentioned three times in the context of Cadance's recall to Canterlot: first in describing what Cadance passed onto her coming from Celestia's own former relationship with Luna, second with Shining Armor wishing Twilight was the one doing the introduction of Cadance to Luna instead of him, and third with the arrival taking place shortly after her attempt to figure out how to share two Grand Galloping Gala tickets among six ponies. She was also mentioned in the context of the recent events Celestia explained to Cadance upon the latter's arrival in Canterlot, and during Luna's meeting with Cadance. A nightmare Shining Armor had during this time period apparently was an echo of a vision Twilight Sparkle had in the future (The Ticket Master, Princess Twilight Sparkle, Cadance)
Twilight Sparkle is mentioned a number of times in Games We Play onward, usually in context of previously established events and relationships, but does not appear again until Operation Shield where we see her attend a party thrown in her honor after defending Ponyville from an Ursa Minor attack. She then played an important supporting role in the subsequent "Operation Shield", most notably in repairing a vandalized cloud cannon.
We next see her in the context of the trouble around Moon Dancer, whom Twilight Sparkle knew before her enlightenment regarding the magic of friendship and subsequently snubbed unwittingly when she moved to Ponyville. She received a letter from her brother regarding the problems with Moon Dancer, but never fully read it, perhaps in trying to keep her conscience from guilt-tripping her about it. Shining Armor's effort went completely to waste, and it would not be for a long time until Twilight set to right the wrongs she had committed against Moon Dancer. (Amending Fences, Broken Fences)
Twilight, with Spike's assistance, tried and failed to stop Agent 21 from escaping Ponyville after assisting Agents P1 and P2 in attacking Lemony Gems' jewelry shop. Later, she had to send Spike alone to Canterlot, explaining his absence in an impromptu sleepover Twilight had with Applejack and Rarity. The stories Spike heard there of Twilight's past provided much context for her days as Celestia's apprentice, particularly the event which made her the apprentice in the first place (Look Before You Sleep, The Cutie Mark Chronicles, Pocketful of Posies, In Praise of Twilight)
Twilight was interviewed by Aide Cherry Fizzy in regards to the poison joke incident seen in Bridle Gossip, an interview that was interrupted by Agent of Chaos P1 until Twilight told off his anti-zebra prejudice. (Zecora)
Her role in the parasprite infestation seen in Swarm of the Century caused much consternation in Canterlot, despite being left off easy by Celestia considering Twilight's attempts to stop the parasprites were done in good faith.
In Circle of the Moon, Twilight first heard of Celestia's announcement canceling the Nightmare Night festivities in public announcement, then received a letter from her older brother warning her not to read too much into Celestia's actions. She also helped Rarity in the costumes for the "Circle of the Moon" play the batponies in Canterlot put on for Luna.
Her actions in the episode Sonic Rainboom and their consequences were shown and discussed in Rainboom Revolution, having unwittingly helped trigger Operation Whirlwind. During Operation Whirlwind, she fought against the actions of the two Agents of Chaos stationed in Ponyville.
The morning after Operation Whirlwind's failure, Twilight received an "unscheduled" letter from Celestia that did little to satisfy her suspicions of something going on, so she actively sought information from Royal Guard stallions on rotation, both for her own benefit and to act as a conduit of information for the other Element Bearers. She was also involved in the funeral for Agents P1 and P2. (Consequences)
In The Crusaders, she is seen establishing an Oubliettes and Ogres RP club in Ponyville, the first meeting of which is interrupted by the arrival Princess Celestia's invitation to the "Cutie Mark Crusaders".
She traveled with the other Element Bearers to Appleloosa on Princess Celestia's orders, and after witnessing a brief conflict between the settlers and native buffalo tribe, helped Lieutenant Meadow Song draw up a peace treaty between them. (Over a Barrel, Mission to Appleloosa)
After the crashing of the highly-anticipated Grand Galloping Gala by the actions of her fellow Element Bearers, Twilight Sparkle was able to get the quality catch-up time she desired with Princess Celestia at Pony Joe's donut shop, once a frequent hang-out location. She was later mentioned by Shining Armor in several different contexts. (The Best Night Ever, A Just Cause, After the Gala by AleximusPrime(used with permission))
Her Trivia Trot winning streak broken in A Trivial Pursuit was mentioned in The Day of Discord. The Day of Discord also extensively adds to the account of her fight against Discord first outlined in The Return of Harmony.
After Discord's defeat, a series of unseen events outlined in an also-unseen friendship letter indicate that Twilight lead the effort that brought the repetrified Discord back to Canterlot in one piece. She was intended to attend the promotion of her older brother to Captain of the Guard, but the invitation to do so was lost in a bout of mania later sometimes called "Lesson Zero", and a result she did not attend the ceremony. In that story, we also see her in conversation with Applejack about Lieutenant Crispin. (Lesson Zero, Zero Point)
The "Class X" incident later generally referred to as "Lesson Zero" was the direct result of a temporary lack of friendship problems in the wake of Discord's attack, an effect that was later used to accuse her of being the "patient zero" of a vaguely-defined disease (really meant as a cover for extensive Changeling infiltration). Not surprisingly, Twilight was disgusted when she learned of this accusation, which caused her to miss an announcement of her brother's promotion to Captain of the Guard and proposal to Princess Cadance. (Lesson Zero, Zero Point)

Sir Night Light and Lady Twilight Velvet - Equestrian nobility, parents of Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor. Night Light is properly titled "4th Earl of Canterlot Valley" and Twilight Velvet holds a "Right Honorable" title as she is daughter of a noble herself. Lieutenant Shining Armor briefly thought of them during the "Night Eternal" of "Nightmare Moon". (The Cutie Mark Chronicles, It's All Real, The Luna Shift)
Both of their respective special talents involve the night sky and stars - Night Light as an astronomer, Twilight Velvet assisting Princess Celestia in populating the night sky with constellations. The common interest not only lead to their meeting and marriage, but passed along to both of their foals an appreciation for the night - very important in helping the recovery of Princess Luna, who had turned to evil largely because she felt her night was not appreciated. (One Good Stallion)
Princess Celestia mentions them, though not by name, shortly after Shining Armor's promotion to Lieutenant Captain, the princess wishing they had "three more to send for service of the kingdom" considering how much good both Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle were doing for Equestria in general. (A New Mission)
In the retold first encounter of Fancy Pants with them along with their foals, it is revealed that their kindness not only inspired Fancy Pants to be a good example but decisively laid the foundation for the future success of their foals. As Fancy Pants said to Shining Armor, "you are as much a product of that value system your parents hold as you are a result of their union". (The Luna Shift)
In Broken Fences, we learn more specific information about their past, as Star Dancer had been a classmate in Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, and later co-worker in the Royal Observatory, with both of them. We also learn that both of them were "star-movers", the term for a unicorn powerful enough to nudge the stars set in the dome of the sky - this was the standard explanation for why both Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle were so powerful. Finally, we are told they were unsuccessful in trying to convince their daughter to make friends her age.
Both parents also appear in In Praise of Twilight, as they were present when Spike was hatched and their filly became Celestia's apprentice. Not surprisingly, the events left a very big impact on them both.

Spike the Dragon - Young purple dragon, magically hatched by Twilight Sparkle and raised by Princess Celestia to be Twilight's assistant. He accompanied Twilight to Ponyville to assist in the Summer Sun Celebration preparations and stayed with Twilight when she was assigned to learn about friendship. During his first days in Ponyville, he has a frank conversation with Twilight regarding her brother and Princess Luna. Lieutenant Captain Shining Armor also briefly thought of him while watching Princess Luna recovering in Canterlot Hospital. (Friendship is Magic, The Cutie Mark Chronicles, The Luna Shift)
Spike is first seen performing his regular assistant duties for Twilight Sparkle in Operation Shield, including sending Twilight Sparkle's friendship reports to Princess Celestia. He also sometimes clashes with Rainbow Dash, her snarkiness prompting him to respond in kind.
In Broken Fences, Spike is first mentioned in the context of Shining Armor going to talk to Moon Dancer. Shining wished he had the gift Spike was going to give her at that point. Apparently Spike left the damaged gift behind in the library (although this was not noticed by Shining during his talk with Moon Dancer in that library), as it was later found there by Twilight Sparkle and Spike when they returned to it for the first time since moving to Ponyville. Later he was actually seen doing his assistant duties when Twilight received the letter from his brother. (Friendship is Magic, Amending Fences)
Spike assisted Twilight's failed attempt to stop Agent 21 from escaping Ponyville to Canterlot. Later, he was sent alone to Canterlot to facilitate negotiations with the Finance Minister over the long-term provision of Twilight in Ponyville and heard many stories surrounding Twilight and his hatching. It was also revealed how generally uneasy the castle staff and some members of the Royal Guard was with Spike's presence in the castle. Finally, it was revealed that Celestia gave Spike his name, shortly after he was hatched by Twilight. (The Cutie Mark Chronicles, Pocketful of Posies, In Praise of Twilight)
Spike had three small appearances subsequently: at work during Cherry Fizzy's interview of Twilight Sparkle in Zecora, assisting in the recovery of Ponyville following the parasprite infestation in The Parasprite Project, and alerting Twilight of the announcement of Mayor Mare in Circle of the Moon. Another small appearance was assisting Twilight's information gathering following the defeat of Operation Whirlwind, as seen in Consequences.
In The Crusaders, Spike received the invitation Celestia sent out to the "Cutie Mark Crusaders", allowing for Twilight Sparkle to pass it along more quickly to the intended recipients than the conventional post would allow. He was also briefly mentioned later in the story, as the
featured owl later named Owlowiscious would later come into conflict with Spike for a short time. (Owl's Well That Ends Well)
He was involved in the mission of the Element Bearers to Appleloosa, briefly ending up a captive of the native buffalo tribe before gaining their respect, and then helped Twilight Sparkle and Lieutenant Meadow Song draft a peace treaty between the buffalo and Appleloosan settlers. (Over a Barrel, Mission to Appleloosa)
Although involved in transporting the Element Bearers to the Grand Galloping Gala, he was considered too young to attend the event himself and hung out at Pony Joe's donut shop until the Gala was crashed and he was joined by Princess Celestia and the Element Bearers there. During this impromptu party, he was Rarity's dancing partner. (The Best Night Ever, A Just Cause, After the Gala by AleximusPrime(used with permission))
Briefly seen in Zero Point, assisting Twilight on a shopping trip to Ponyville's Quills and Sofas shop.