Guard
noun

1. a person who keeps watch, especially a soldier or other person assigned to protect a person or to control access to a place.

There is more to a Royal Guard than meets the eye. Capturing crooks, chasing ruffians, fighting monsters, stopping assassinations, and protecting the Princess with all their worth -- with a thousand years of peace time, they have become more and less. But the future is uncertain, and within the horizon, the dark storms are a brewing.

Aiming to become a Royal Guard had never been Twilight's first choice of career -- it certainly was not what Mom and Dad wanted her to be. Still, that didn't stop Twilight Sparkle to pursue that dream. Now that she was one, she had to deal with monsters, cultists, vengeful ghosts, prickly teammates, forgotten childhood friends, and a Sunset Shimmer. Not exactly what she had expected out of her military career in peaceful Equestria, but perhaps it wasn't far off from what she wanted.

Serious thanks to Sunglow for offering proofreading and commentaries.

Link to the Spacebattles Thread

Bad things happen. Good things too, but mostly bad things. Sometimes, your wagon gets destroyed by a giant bear. Sometimes, you make a bad reputation in some town you promise to never visit. Sometimes, you compulsively splurge most of your savings on some fancy-looking trinket that you won't even wear. But getting sucked by a fiddlestinking portal to another world?

Well, not unless your name is Trixie.

[A Familiar of Zero Crossover]

You know how the story goes—

Wait, you know what? You probably don't. But let me ask you a question: If one day you woke up from your sleep, and found yourself wearing a skin not yours, how would you think you would react? In fact, how would you react if you realized that you just crushed the body's owner's soul from taking control?

I felt like shit. But hey, at least I'm not in Olathe.

[More Tags may be added]
[A LISA: The Painful Crossover]

"It was the right thing to do." -Blueblood

Despite its outside appereance, Equestria is a dangerous place. Creatures beyond what is natural lurk around the corner of your eyes, hiding behind the shadows, eyeing for food. The pony you're conversing in front of you may not even be a pony, and the nightmare you're having every night may not be as mundane as you thought it would be.

Thus it was for this purpose, Cerberus was created. To protect ponies from the dark unknowns, to give them assurance that they could close their eyes without fear, and to make sure they could converse with each other without doubt and suspicion flaring in their minds. It was through Cerberus, symbolizing the three-headed hound, that Equestria is safe.

It is now Blueblood's turn to make it stay so.

A comment-driven story inspired by a quest in Spacebattles forum, Loyal2Luna's Mass Effect crossover fic, and perhaps a bit from Raleigh's Blueblood: Hero of Equestria. I hope you'd enjoy it!

Soothing Coffee is not a brave pony, but regardless, he's not a coward. With the repetitious advices given by his mother, he decided to ask a certain pink pony up for a date.

Specifically written for this Contest. I so hate you right now, Verbose.

In one particular morning, Rainbow Dash felt a slight melancholy as she descended onto Ponyville. Maybe there'd be something to make her better there?

Inspired by this prompt.

Big thanks to Emperor Lorenzo and Eagle for pre-reading, proofreading and editing this story.

250 years ago, the last Element Bearers, Princess Twilight Sparkle, died of an old age. Years later, a book written about the six bearers were published. Now, our top and youngest journalist, Lemon Drop, shall interview the Writer why he wrote it.

Title may be changed.

Misunderstanding is a common thing in a pony-lifestyle. And in the life of a certain Librarian? That's like, a ticking bomb waiting to explode. Especially when it gets unbelievably awkward.

Cover art is not mine, but from here.

Hearth's Warming Special, and Balloon Holiday Contest contestant

Today is the Hearth's warming day, where ponies celebrate the end of the year and unification of the ponies's race. But today is also when Twilight Sparkle learns something important.

Life used to be simple. I would learn magic in the Academy, bond with my familiar, and with my sister. Even when I was unwittingly enlisted into a suicide team, life was still simple. But then, perhaps it was Divine Retribution, perhaps it was for kinslaying, and perhaps it was because I asked Mr. Richard for help.

Whatever the cases were, I am now plunged into a world filled with colorful ponies and other sapient magical beings, and unwittingly forced into a game greater than me. Still, with my trusty familiar, a new ghostly companion, perhaps I would survive all of this with only a few limbs lost. Hopefully.

Editor: (Open for whoever wants to volunteer)

P.S. Character and genre tags may be added in time

P.S.S. For those who don't know, in which you should be ashamed of yourself, Ruby is from Story of the blanks, a flash game. Search it on Master Google if you're curious.