Every year, Crystal Wishes and Silent Knight have a dream: their foals, friends, and family all gathered under one roof to celebrate Hearth’s Warming together.

Despite their best efforts, something always gets in the way. One year it was an outbreak of pegasus pox, but usually it’s just the fact that everypony has plans already in place, commitments to their own families, and other such unfortunate obligations.

This year, however, their dream is coming true. It just might not necessarily be how they imagined.

Welcome to the 2018 Quill & Blade Hearth's Warming story! This takes place well after the events of the main stories and includes some spoilers. Co-Written with Crystal Wishes.

The human known as Anon is sick and tired of the rules of the universe—at least the one he’s found himself in at the moment. So he decides to pick a fight with the pony equivalent of Jesus.

Nothing good ensues.

This story is a sequel to Secrets of a Royal Guard

Duty, honor, and loyalty above all else. That was what Silent Knight had been told ever since he was a colt. They had guided him all his life and he was more than ready to follow in his father’s hoofsteps by dedicating himself to the Royal Guard. Then he discovered something else he had never expected: friendship and love. He learned that he owed these values not just to his job, but to his wife, his friends, and his family. Unfortunately, he learned that too late.

War has broken out between the gryphon kingdoms and Equestria is stuck in the thick of it trying to protect their ally, Nordanver. As Silent marches off to war, he must contend with the guilt that battles within him. He played right into the claws of Sudramoar's sovereign, and now he must leave his newlywed wife behind so that he can pay the price for his foolish actions.

Knowledge of the Quill & Blade AU is recommended to understand this story. It is a direct sequel to Secrets of a Royal Guard.

This story is a sequel to Memoirs of a Royal Guard

From the outside looking in, life has never been better for Silent Knight. He is the first pony in a long line of Royal Guard ancestry to earn a commission, he has a loving mare by his side, and he bears the kingdom’s highest honor for bravely risking it all to protect Princess Luna. The future shines bright with potential, but the shadows of the past lurk at every twist and turn that lies ahead.

Guilt, anger, and regret are constantly at war in the depths of Silent Knight’s mind. Despite his best efforts to enjoy the life he has, he finds himself trapped in the past, reliving the moment when his unit was ambushed and his ponies were killed. He refuses to show any weakness, instead hiding everything behind a tough face to protect himself and those he loves. But his true feelings—and what he plans to do with them—shackle everything he holds dear with chains forged in secret.

Secrets of a Royal Guard is a comedy series with romantic, dramatic, and adventure elements. It features an original character cast and their interactions with the princesses they protect. It is recommended that readers be familiar with Memoirs of a Royal Guard.

Quill & Blade Universe

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.

Mann Co. is a battleground for the most psychotic minds on the planet. From a shapeshifting assassin to a delusional masked man-child. Perhaps the most crazy of these individuals is the Soldier, an idiot geared for war and a passion to blow everything to shreds with a rocket launcher strapped with Christmas lights. Today, while on a rampage on 2fort the soldier comes across a conundrum featuring teleporters and piss. What happens when this small mistake leads soldier to a peaceful world that finds murder the most abhorrent act of all? It seems Soldier is out of place here, and the locals feel the effects of this war-loving patriot.

(Story takes place right after episode 1)

I will update this whenever I feel like it. Previous system didn’t work so I’ll update it when i am inspired to write

A human living in Canterlot castle is given to Queen Chrysalis as part of peace negotiations between Equestria and the Hive. Celestia knew she shouldn't have let Luna finish the negotiations herself.

Cover art by jalm on Derpibooru.

Featured on 4/22/20. Thanks guys!

Now with audio readings by StraightToThePointStudio! Go check them out.
The Audio Reading Playlist

Your Twilight Sparkle ran into a problem and needs to restart. We’re just collecting some error info, and then we’ll restart for you. 

As Seen on Equestria Daily!

With special thanks to Georg for beta testing and debugging services.

Quality Control team:
Georg
Zen and Ponies

Chinese localization provided by Miracle_
Korean localization provided by Ad Hoc
Russian localization provided by GrandCat

When I agreed to be sent to Equestria I didn't read the fine print. I'm the wrong age, the wrong sex, and lost in the wilderness.

New Cover art commissioned from Lunar Froxy.

A new pony has arrived in Ponyville on the day of Summer Sun Celebration. Who is he? He's nice but when the residents of the town learn more about him, even more unanswered questions seem to pop up.
Can anypony figure out this mystery?
Probably when they actually ask the right question.
Are they going to?
No
Will he interfere with events?
We'll see.

This is just an idea I had and wrote by hand (later edited onto a computer) in a matter of a few hours. I have no delusions that this is a perfect story. Just some fun I had when writing out ideas. For the most part it will focus on different ponies crossing paths with him as the series goes on and not directly follow him. This IS technically a Human in Equestria story but by no means is he ordinary, both in body and mind as you will notice in the first chapter. He WILL be unrealistic, so please no comments about him not reacting to the situation like a normal person.
As for the back story of the character, I had originally included it but at second glance, I felt it would be better for both people inside and outside of the story to figure it out.
The amazing artwork was done by Mix-up. You can check out his other artworks on his Deviant Art page.