Shining Armor goes about his usual duty of waking up Princess Celestia. When he hears it's Sunday, a time when the Princess's magic gets out of control when she sleeps, the Captain tricks an unknowing recruit into doing it for him. The recruit tries every means to get to the Princess and wake her up but finds it increasingly difficult, especially when doors are involved.

When your life is as dull a gray as the world that surrounds you, the mundanities can make it all seem meaningless. Sometimes all we need is a little color -- or six -- to reintroduce us to what truly makes life worth living.

*6-16-2017 Edit, added Rainbow Dash tag because it triggered knighty.*

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.

Being the captain of Equestria's most renowned aerobatics team is a stressful, and sometimes thankless, job. Her joints ache; her muscles are taut; her mind reels from the sheer responsibility. But, like any professional, Spitfire takes it all in stride with a grin.

That is, until a certain rainbow-maned mare started mouthing off. Being accused of 'Camera Hogging' was the final straw. Spitfire finally lost her temper, dumping every ounce of that responsibility on an unwitting rookie and leaving for a single day of respite.

This story details her day of (mostly) relaxation.

(A/N: Spitfire's Day Off is a side-story to Blitz, taking place parallel to "A Very Long Day" chapter arc.)
(I was unable to locate the source of the cover image to give proper credits. Needless to say, it's not mine.)

Edit 03/07/2012: Changed format from triple-asterisk to Horizontal Rule and Sub-Chapter number. Looks much better, in my own opinion.

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

What makes a good story? Is it delicate prose and captivating description, as Twilight Sparkle claims, or is it non-stop action and entertainment, as Rainbow Dash has been arguing? With a stalemate between them, they decide there's only one way to settle this once and for all—a write-off!

The prompt? "Romance."

Featured on Equestria Daily!

Pinkie Pie has an existential crisis while painting her room. This self-parody is dedicated to Professor Piggy, who once told me that I could write a story about Pinkie watching paint dry and weave it into an incredible psychological journey. Let's see if he was right.

Featured on Equestria Daily.

Dramatic reading by MicTheMicrophoneZero.

Cover art by chaosdrop.

Spiders. Oh, how I hate spiders. And yet Luna insists on keeping one as a...pet.

Just a little fun story to keep my skills sharp, so don't expect it to last very long!

There's something strange and unnatural living in Bon-Bon's house.

Something other than Lyra.

You'd think that being trapped in stone would mean that, if nothing else, I could get some peace and quiet. Unfortunately, it seems that Celestia has other ideas.

She has appointed these ponies... these 'Keepers', as she calls them, to keep me entertained during my incarceration.

Honestly? I'd prefer the boredom.

Cover art by matrosha123
Spanish Translation by SPANIARD KIWI found here