This story is a sequel to A War of Words - The Opening of the Guard

For centuries, the stallions of the Royal Guard have protected Equestria from every danger imaginable.
Now they face a new threat to their position that will not be so easy to defeat.

Mares.

The story of four mares who answer the call to guard Princess Luna, and the troubles they go through to gain acceptance and respect in their new jobs. Or it could be considered to be the story of four interlopers into a traditionally male role and the underhanded tricks used to secure their position despite their obvious unsuitability for the job. Pick one.

Cover photo credit to the fantastic MuffinExplosion at DeviantArt.

Thanks to my editors: Peter, MSPiper, Featherprop, Seether00, GameKnut and Tek

Author's notes on the development of the story and characters may be found here.
This is a sequel to A War of Words - The Opening of the Guard which is featured on Equestria Daily

Changelings and ponies had always been natural enemies of each other, especially with the crystal ponies when they were around. Why wouldn't they be? Changelings were like parasites, feeding off the love that ponies gave off and driving them to illness.

However, Changelings had begun to decline. What started out with as seven hives have diminished down into three, all of which had gone into hiding so well that most ponies didn't know what changelings even were. Even Celestia had not seen one for quite a while, a long feat for an immortal pony.

Until she found a nymph. A new Changeling Queen.

Unable to find it within herself to abandon the changeling, Celestia ends up taking the nymph back to Canterlot under guise as Twilight Sparkle. The plan was simple; find the hive that Twilight belonged to and return her back to be raised with her race.

Of course, despite everything she learned through her long life, she had forgotten that things were never that simple.

For starters, she did not anticipate herself to grow fond of Twilight as time began to pass, or to beam in happiness when Twilight began to refer to her as mom.

Many Many Thanks to my Pre-Readers: Rewrite and Doctor Disco (Welcome to the Team Doctor!)

With Princess Cadence and Prince-Captain Shining Armor out on a date together, Thorax is charged with caring for their darling filly. Which means tonight is the perfect time for important things like pouncing lessons, complete with live guards to surprise!

Preread by Timaeus
Artwork by Inuhoshi-to-Darkpen
YouTube Reading by Lotus Moon.

The rainbow laser crashes into the sirens, breaking their power. But rather than changing into normal human girls, they change back into half-fish half-horse sirens. That and they are as small as cats.

The heroes of CHS decide to look after them.

Happy Easter 2017~!

#1 Popular Stories: April 16, 2017

Main Course is a successful chef and restaurant owner. Or he was, anyway, until a fire tore up his life's work and left him adrift. When he visits his sister in the rural backwater town of Ponyville, he discovers an abandoned building that's perfect for a quick fix-up so he can flip it for a profit. But the building comes with an unforeseen tenant, and when he lets her stick around he discovers that maybe, just maybe, there's something out there more important than wealth and fame.

After Pony Magazine declares Twilight Sparkle to be the most eligible bachelorette in all of Equestria, Twilight finds herself buried under a veritable mountain of bouquets and love letters from all corners of the country. Enlisting her friends to separate the chaff from the wheat, each of them try to find a letter from an admirer who might be worthy of Twilight.

But the others are skeptical of Rainbow Dash's choice - a hastily written poem that came with a messy bouquet that somepony hoof-picked and threw together at the last minute. There's no way something like that could have come from a pony worthy of Twilight's love, right?

There is now a Spanish translation of this story, courtesy of Spaniard Kiwi

On a cold snowy evening, Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle snuggle under the covers to stay warm...

...and giddy.

Trixie Lulamoon is known for her shows in Ponyville, but she could always do with a little extra spending money. And so, she decided to take advantange of the upcoming summer by starting up a theatrical arts class for young foals.

In a remote corner of the Solana Galaxy lies a backwater planet called Veldin. Nothing important ever happens there. Nothing exciting, either. Ratchet, a Lombax with no idea of his origins, is beginning to grow bored with his life, and dreams of excitement. He wishes on a falling star for some excitement to find its way into his life.

The falling star answers by crashing into his home in the form of a basket carrying a tiny creature with a horn, a pair of wings, and four hooves. The name on the basket reads "Twilight Sparkle".
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Part of the PWNY-verse.

Edit: Now with cover art by the amazing G_Haze
Video Consultant/Technician: m2pt5 (he provides the infobot videos and similar.)

Edit: Game Timeline
Ratchet and Clank: Done
Going Commando: Done
Up Your Arsenal: Done
Deadlocked: Done.
Size Matters: Done.
Tools of Destruction: Done.
Quest for Booty: Done.
Crack in Time: Done.
All 4 One: Done.
Into the Nexus: Done.

Red Team had been given an assignment. It wasn't the usual sort of assignment. They were assigned to defend their base 'until further notice'...and then never received notice. All announcements sounded pre-recorded, and enemy assaults were few and far between. The enforced inactivity was slowly fraying the bonds of the team...

...until something unexpected arrived. A tiny creature appears one day in their fortress, in need of compassion and care. Somehow, she finds that in this group of strange individuals, as she becomes their baby.

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Crossover with Team Fortress 2.
Part of the PWNY-verse.

Edit: Since I get these comments a lot, I will say here, I've never played the game and don't intend to include much in the way of game mechanics, so please don't suggest such things.

Edit 2: FAN ART! for chapter 9 by G_Haze. Makes me so happy.
Edit 3: More fan art from G_Haze, This guy's amazing!
Edit 4: New fan art! by The Pyromanecer. Thanks so much!
Edit 5: More fan art by shiningkord98.
Edit 6: New Fan Art by The Pyromancer
Edit 6: More awesome fan art from G_Haze! So awesome!
Edit 7: New fan art by Pioneering Author