The only currency in war is life. It is a simple creed meant for an era that most believe has long since passed. With princesses, elements, and friendship, what could dare shatter the dream sewn by Equestria’s holy lights? What could ever throw us into a state of complete, utter darkness? Well, they always forget. They always forget that Tartarus exists for a reason – that something trapped by once upon a time spawned their beloved guards. They always forget that even the Sun casts a shadow, and it is in this shadow where we sit – to serve as a bolting line of defense against all threats that slither beneath the pedestal of our magical world.
Cover art by the awesome Baron Engel.
More Background Stuff!
Somehow featured on: 2015/05/10, 2015/08/16, 2015/09/02, 2015/09/06, 2015/09/21, 2015/10/05, 2015/10/08 & 2015/12/03.
A State of Darkness builds upon the alternate universe established by the backstory of my surprisingly named OC, Wing. Since I have a doctorate in physics, I really wanted this world to have an expanded structure regarding education. I also wished to portray an Equestria in which violence yielded consequences that stretched beyond the discovery of good morals. Before touching this tale, I had envisioned a flight school curriculum that included training analogous to graduate level education, and I had fabricated a history in which the demonstration of new combat-applicable techniques during this training brought about the creation of the Wonderbolt DarkOps. There is also a heavy influence from the adventures I have had roleplaying with my closest friends -- who have shaped my characters and worldviews in ways absolutely immeasurable.
This particular group of ponies has shown an ability to handle the somewhat shadier sides of the realm. While this organization relies heavily upon pegasi and their flying skills, it is not limited to one race, which I think is just fine and dandy - especially with regards to variety. All of these historical bits that swarmed in my mind served as the nucleus for what would become A State of Darkness.
One night, I was inspired by the image of a pony soldier awaiting execution. It touched that desire I held to dive into the grittier elements of the universe brewing in my brain. That picture sealed the deal for me. I started writing, and when my fingers stopped moving, there was something present that I wanted to share with the community and continue. I am a busy physicist without a lot of writing time, but I will try my best to keep updating regularly.
Arc Overview:
Arc 1: A State of Darkness The unicorn supremacist group Einhorn Vormacht emerges and jeopardizes the harmony upon which Equestria stands. [Installments 0-9]
Arc 2: A State of History One of the characters delves into his past for the sake of a curious, by-the-book guard. [Installments 10-14]
Arc 3: A Game of Darkness [Installments 15-29] An old colleague of Wing's reappears with plans to to hurl the world into a state of chaos that not even Discord is down for experiencing.
Extremely well written! While I already hold a bias towards original character stories, this in particular has caught my interest... Especially since this alternate universe isn't dark for the sake of being opposite to the show. You have obviously put a lot of thought and world building into this, keep it up!
5504626 Thanks for your comment. :) Yeah, the whole 'it's an OC story' thing can definitely be grating for some. I understand this difficulty because there is that default question: why would anyone give two craps about my OC's? I haven't put things up on here before, but I was prodded a bit by some friends of mine to do so. Either way, I'm glad you enjoyed it; I certainly will try to keep it up.
5504733 Absolutely! I mean, I can't gush enough about the excitement of finding a fic writer with your literary skill! You're obviously very well read, yourself.
I was so moved by your piece that I was prompted to make this account! 
Sign me up as your fan! Even if I do sound a bit ass-kissy 
5505802 I certainly appreciate your comments. :P I'll try not to disappoint with the next installment. :)
Brava! A mysterious alicorn? Hmmmm... Also, I'm madly in love with this villain character of yours! I'd love to explore the fabrics of her special talent and how it relates to her "cause".
(sorry, there wasn't a good thinking icon like on WoE 
)
5562822 No other alicorns here except the princesses. :P Since I'm writing this without any planning, the idea in my head is that Ashen was kind of a dejected archaeologist. There's a lot of canon stuff - particularly things involving Daring Do - that is outside the norm, so my thought is that she looked into this and fabricated a unicorn-centric history similarly to how the Nazi's established a super-race for Germany leading up and during WW2. Her power is useful for reconstructing information - with which she can apply her spin.
"The archways extended their gothic crescents in a unified tour de force that I judged to be downright breathtaking."
Guh! Your descriptive prowess is enviable uwu
Simplistic, but the mentally visual impact is grand!
5562841 Oops! Did I misread? O: sorry, if I did! I'm probably sleepier than I thought
However! I did get a very Nazi-Germany vibe; I didn't comment on it right away in case you didn't want to hear people just noisily talking about Hitler. XD;;
Hmmmm... So her cutie mark resembles her talent for contorting the truth, in a way? O:
5562880 More like... dusting the unicorn truth. :P And I'm glad you're liking it. :)
5562926 Your story is easily topping my favorites list, even above Fallout! Though I may have spotted the smallest of errors in your latest chapter:
"...the answers I seek might be here is well." The word 'is' I think should be 'as' o:
Sorry D: don't want to over step any boundaries
5562937 Nah, you were totally right on that one. I did the final read on that thing at like 3 AM and knew there would be at least one lingering somewhere. :P
5562949 It happens! x3 I can't wait for the next update, though!
5562951 Yes, yes it does. I pretty much long ago accepted that errors always linger. I hired an editor for my first novel, got it back, and there were still things that I deemed incorrect. Thankfully, the setup of this site allows for quick fixes. :)
I will most certainly be keeping the updates coming. Things are starting to come together. I just don't know how long this first story arc will be, but I guess you can take comfort in the fact that I just said 'first story arc'. ;)
5562958 Bahaha, yes! Especially when you're just glancing at your work in the early hours of the morning xP Things can go unnoticed! Sneaky, sneaky words. I'm glad the site at least makes it easy for corrections :3
FFFFFFF- Yee-haw!! First story arc?? How many are you considering? Oh my gosh! Please write this forever... XD
5562990 Honestly, I have no idea. It's one of those 'until I get bored' sorts of things. Wing and Trigger have pretty large histories that could easily be adapted in some way. There's also a crap load of roleplay-based materials. Of course, the issue there is that those stories involve others' characters, and I am frankly not going to write for those voices out of respect. In order to incorporate those elements, I'd have to make some alterations or insert references. For example, there are already a couple references to other characters you might know from your time on WoE. That little filly who asked Wing the question about the other one was Luminescence, and the her Trigger referred to when discussing Wing's mental state in Installment 3 was Ambrosia.
5506215 So the name of the OC is Wing? Just Wing? And Trigger?
Please space out your paragraphs. It gets tiring after a bit.
Also... for random purposes if I could see any profiles you got for them that would be nice. The OCs in this fic I mean. :D
5574978 Paragraphs should only have a space between them when there's a scene change.
Also, http://worldofequestria.com/blog/79-the-canon-of-armistice/ is a good resource for Wing and Trigs info.
If there was anything I could change about this story, it would be that the installments are not long enough! I wish this was a book I could have in my hands and devour in a single evening uwu! It's brilliant, unique, stunning, and simply addicting. I absolutely love what's going on here x3!!
5631467 :P Sometimes I wonder if they should be longer, but the current length just feels right to me. :3
Excellent chapter! The fight is extremely well written.
5636333 \ o / Means a lot coming from the author whose writing absorbed the hours of last night. x3 I had to catch up... had to...
5636487 I'm glad it was so compelling.
Your story has been one that I've really enjoyed reading too. It has a gravity to it which is nice. A solid change of pace to the silliness I write ;D
5636725 Well.. I was pushing to see if the marefriend ID would be revealed. There is the really obvious guess - and if its' that, then I just wonder how he'll take it. D:
COMPELLING! I wrote in all-caps, which never happens. What have you done to me? lol
And I'm glad you like the gravity. ;) The pull has only just begun.
5636729 Yeah I think I'm annoying some folks with that haha ;D Soon though! All will be revealed soon.
5636736 People do get annoyed for no reason. lol
RIVETING. ABSOLUTELY RIVETING. GODDAMN, WING.
By far the most intense installment! I was practically glued to my screen while reading this that I barely spammed you on Skype! AHHHHH! It was so good!
The end part though... GOOD GRAVY! That spell just... your views on magic in this universe go unparalleled. I have never seen a story with so much creativity and logic. Anyone can write a story with a car, but only a true writer can predict global warming.
Dumb analogy, I know, but it's totally how I see your story. You don't just use the stupid, "well it's magic so it just works LOL" bullshit.
NEVER STOP WRITING THIS FHUJSDHGIUDGHUSO! UWU
5701612 Hehe, glad you liked. :3
*screams for a thousand years*
5738661 I take it you liked. :P
Excellent chapter if I can say so without being biased. I really enjoyed the characterizations and dialog. It is also a good break in the pacing.
On the subject of being biased, thank you very kindly for the cameo. Your portrayal of Silent Knight is excellent and flattering. Very much appreciated!
Yes because without unicorns, Equestria would f@^kin fall apart without them. So, we get a big peak into Mystic's mindset. It seems rather pity on how she views the world. It's not about bringing down unicorns, rather on how the advancement of the non-magic wielding ponies are capable without a unicorn's talent(s).
5770350 Glad to hear ya liked it, Anzel. :P
5770717 My thoughts with Ashen Mystic kind of cycled around the concept that - while her actions were yielding horrible things - rarely is it a good/evil, black/white sort of thing. Misguided folks still can believe they are right and just.
Good gravy! I have to say, an absolutely fantastic way to tone down the story. UWU!! I really hope that Amby is there for Wing and it's not a heart wrenching illusion xD LOL
And hoooooooly shit you got Tea PERFECTLY!!! FNDISIFBFITIEISHDNFIFI!!! Fuck xD that was adorable LOL!!! Glad I remembered to read this before I passed out. @u@
But now for serious review talk: I still can't get over your story telling prowess. You have such a way with the written word that I never could xD And I could sit here and gush about it until my face turns blue but that's annoying. I'll just say this: you are a natural writer. You definitely need to get yourself out there as a published author or something because holy fuck <3 you have so much talent!! X3 I'm legit pissed that this story doesn't have a bigger following. I guess if it's not porn or about canon ponies, it's not worth a second glance to this community. I know that's a pretty rude generalization but it's pretty much what it looks like. D:
Also!!! Wing butt 22 will be ready next week uwu;;;
5776228 To each their own :P I'm glad you like it though, and you have certainly been a super supporter.
5776920 You definitely deserve it and more! uwu! Soon my army will rise :3c
5780888 The Tea Leaves. lol
5781320 The Tea Leaves are steeping uwu!
So, finally got around to catching up on this one, and I have to say, this is bloody brilliant.
Like Anzel, I feel the characterization and dialogue are excellent.
You have a gift for painting imagery with words; almost subconsciously, I found myself picturing everything that was happening in my mind with relative ease.
The characters are excellent as well and I really find myself eager to find out more about them in the coming installments, in particular Ambrosia after the bit with Wing towards the end of I8. I can't help but wonder about her when the thought of her alone did what it did.
So, I've not got any criticism to really mention, {I fought to think of one, if I'm being honest} but the closest I could come to one is that you're too well-written/spoken. In my opinion, this isn't a bad thing, but as a fanfiction, your extensive vocabulary could possibly intimidate readers to some extent, or cause them to lose interest because they feel they may not be able to grap everything easily. Again, hardly a bad thing, {it was one of the selling points for me} it was all I could think of in forms of criticism.
The only other thing I can say is, hurry up with I10 dammit.
5799487 Thank you very much. :3 I'm really glad you liked it, and once again can only hope that I keep living up to expectations. I actually think that criticism is a good one. I tend to overdo it at times for sure, so keeping that in mind is not a bad thing.
Now... as for Ambrosia ;), she isn't actually my character, so it will be unlikely that there will be any direct interaction in the story. Her character belongs to one of my closest friends, and I don't think I could - or even have the right to - write for her voice. It just would not be the same by any stretch of the imagination. However, her presence is cemented to Wing's character to the point where not having even peripheral information would be a crime. That being said, if you really want to catch up on the exciting dynamic of the RootBeer shipping, I recommend http://www.wingmc.com/PONY/RootBeer.pdf .
It's beautiful... I love your vivid descriptions. They capture the feel of the moment so well. So many colors~! I like how the piece is written in a very stylized manner, yet it's scattered with so many down-to-earth touches. It's nicely balanced, I think.
I applaud your use of OCs, by the way. I think we're all a little tired of the Mane Six dominating everything.
5802123 Hehe, thanks Jazzy J. :3 I hope you enjoy the later chapters as well.
And so it begins...
I must say, I'm really looking forward to where this all goes and who this filly is. My first thoughts are probably an illegal test subject of some kind. I suppose time will tell. That or I'll weasel the answers out of you at some point in time. ;)
In any case, keep doing what you're doing.
5814614 x3 Oh, but there's more. :P
Excellent chapter! I'm excited to see what you're setting up ;D
5815198 Thanks for the comment, Anzel. :3 I always appreciate them.
B'awwwww!~ She booped his nose...
Though in all seriousness, I'm loving this chapter!! uwu It was, however, unfortunately quick to read. :3c I wish I had savoured it but alas! And as always, your writing is top tier, good gravy! I hope the next installment comes soon and this time it won't take me forever to read it XD;;
<3
5823027 Glad you enjoyed it, Tea.
5823077 I always do :3
Solid chapter as always mate. Also, damn your chapter-titles. Been listening to'em since last night near non-stop.