Mrs. Cake’s life isn’t always a piece of cake. The bakery needs running, Pound and Pumpkin are always up to something, and babysitters aren’t always easy to come by.

Original draft was an entry for Everfree Northwest 2018 Iron Author Contest. Received an Honorable Mention by Xepher.

Credit to Xepher for the short description.

One would think that the wounded Trixie would appreciate Twilight Sparkle taking her in to nurse her back to health. But for some ponies, leaning on someone else isn't so easy. Their crossing of paths sets them both on a journey that neither of them would've expected...

Darkness holds dominion over the world. Cinders of Sun and Moon gathered from a long-forgotten catastrophe are all that remain to shelter the village from the consuming void. But their power wanes. Lanterns of Sun and Moon held close against his chest, a stallion takes up the mantle of light bearer and forges into the abyss to return light to a world that has all but forgotten it.

Beyond the safety of the village gates, he will meet a voice of shadows and starlight, and many are the revelations it has of the world he thought he knew so well.

7/10/19 update: This story has been completely remastered to meet my 2019 writing standards! Enjoy!
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[Cover art by Ventious]

Princess, Professor, friend. What more could a pony ask for?

Ten years have gone since she met her first true friends, and Twilight Sparkle has begun to find the past weighing upon her. She always knew that her friends would begin to drift apart with time; she understood that those endless Ponyville summers must end one day. Still, even though Twilight has accomplished her dreams, something is keeping her rooted in the past.

But the bustling, decadent nights in Canterlot are made for sharing secrets, and tonight, an old friend is waiting for her among the crowds. Could a familiar face and a guiding hoof be enough to lighten the young princess's burden?

Enormous thanks to the amazing Shadowsreached for proofreading and editing. The epic cover painting was created by CosmicUnicorn.

This story is a side story to Crystal's Wishes

On the surface, Velvet Step seems like a pretty straightforward mare. She is in the Canterlot Ballet, the dutiful daughter of Sunbeam and Pepper Ridge, and the very best of friends with Crystal Wishes, her fillyhood friend and current roommate.

However, Velvet has another side to her, one that not even Crystal knows about, and she is keen on keeping it that way.

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

This story is a sequel to Three of Hearts

Joining the Royal Guard seemed like the adventure of a lifetime to Azurite. She just never imagined that her career would heave her life down the path it did. After struggling with her job, the injury of her partner, and her relationship, she’s found herself in entirely new territory: love. She’ll soon discover that love is only one of the elements necessary to keep ponies together.

Three of Diamonds is a comedy-romance story that pokes fun at some of the common tropes found in the genre. It is a direct sequel to Three of Hearts. Readers will need to be familiar with that story.

ToD is also an interwoven side story of Secrets of a Royal Guard.

Quill & Blade Universe
Adorable cover art by Potates-Chan.

Azurite isn't your normal sort of royal guard. Patrolling, protecting, and policing are fine for some ponies but they weren't for her after a routine call went sideways. Now, while struggling with the injury of her partner, she does her best to help others as a pony relations warrant officer in the palace. The palace, however, isn't quite the bastion of pony professionalism that she imagined and she soon finds her heart pulled in two different directions... toward a stallion and a mare.

Three of Hearts is an unconventional comedy-romance story that isn't afraid to take some of the most common tropes and turn them on their heads.

Quill & Blade Universe
Cover art designed and created for Three of Hearts by the super talented and ever sweet Painted Wave.

A head full of romance is what many Canterlot ponies would call a frivolous waste of time. Everypony was meant to play by the rules of high society: keep your nose in the air, laugh at important ponies' jokes, and attend all of the right parties. Upper Crust and Jet Set had been diligent in raising their daughter Crystal Wishes to be a pony everypony would know, but she wanted more out of life than that. She hoped she would someday meet a handsome prince and fall in love, just like in the stories she wrote.

Crystal knew life wasn't as easy as a foal's tale, but that didn't stop her from dreaming. All of the wishes, hopes, and dreams inside her heart escaped into her precious notebook as she wrote about princesses in power and dashing knights. So long as nopony found out her secret, she could continue to play the part of a dutiful daughter while waiting for her own love story to begin.