There was only one explanation. For all of it. All of the strange, erratic behavior. Her irrational fear of the sun. Her nocturnal habits of locking herself in in the dark and closing all the blinds. Wearing her sunglasses everywhere, even inside! It was time to invest in some silver, garlic, and a wooden stake.

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.

Alone in bed one morning, Octavia is left to think about her life. She has given up a lot for Vinyl, but is it really worth it? Just how much is her relationship worth to her? Is she even able to walk away?

Every choice has a cost, as Octavia will soon learn.

Pre-read by Don't Look At My Name Bro and Auramane. Cover art provided by Zedrin.

Approved by The Royal Guard!

Pinkie Pie frequently does ridiculous, dangerous, and frankly foalish things. Nopony's quite sure how she gets away with them, but she always seems to emerge with nothing more than a faint craving for cake.

Ponyville's resident sarsaparilla brewer, Sassaflash, knows Pinkie alternately as "a valued customer", and "that crazy pink mare that lives in a bucking gingerbread house", and certainly has no wish to be dragged into her antics, "valued customer" or not. That said, when a pony can hide any given object about their person, who wouldn't be just a tiny bit (fatally) curious?

It should also be noted that there doesn't seem to be any way out of... "There"... from the inside. Somepony should look into installing a door or something.

Cover Art by deviantart's wonderful "SilverVector", I recommend them for all your vectorfull needs!

Poor Sassaflash, she needs more art love; just look at how sad she looks...

It could have been just another night. Instead, Vinyl Scratch leaves a show to find herself suddenly presented with a chance to make a difference in the life of a filly no one else will look twice at. Now if only she can convince Octavia she's not making a huge mistake...as usual.

Note: This story now has an indirect sequel set several years in the future in The Most Unlikely Places. Cover art by SonicDash777.

Octavia Philharmonica would like nothing more than to practice her cello and to compose beautiful music all by herself. Unfortunately, her teacher Princess Cadance has other plans! Sent to Ponyville to assist with logistics for the Vernal Equinox Festival, Octavia wants only to get through the ceremony with as little interaction with the local populace as possible, but her plans are derailed by the return of two ancient evils. When the ancient tyrants Burning Sun and Nightmare Moon break free from their prisons and initiate a new era of war and devastation, Octavia finds herself and five other musicians -- Vinyl Scratch, Fluttershy, Lyra Heartstrings, Bluenote, and Medley -- caught up in a desperate race to find the Elements of Harmony and stop the alicorns. It will be a difficult journey, but it just might be possible, if Octavia can manage to befriend the other ponies... and if she can learn to truly listen to the music of Ponyville.

First story in the Cadanceverse!

Cover art generously provided by Mimicry.

Special thanks to my betas Blackbelt, Lev the Lurker, and RK_Striker_JK_5

It seemed as if Shining Meadow and Twinkle would have been two of the happiest ponies in Equestria. They had a profitable farm, friends that cared for them, a beautiful field in their own backyard. If only it was that easy for them. Twinkle, Shining Meadow's younger sister, had been dealing with awful depression from losing her parents just a year ago. And it was a pain for Shining Meadow to take care of the entire farm AND try to take care of her younger sibling all by herself.

After the most important night of her career is ruined and its saboteurs not even so much as punished, Octavia's life changes. She begins to pursue a path that has never been seen before in Canterlot, where concertos and rhapsodies give way to controversy and rebellion.

A path where symphonies are composed with cans of spray paint.

Cover art used with permission by LuGiAdriel14

A refined mare fresh out of high school and a dropout following her dreams find themselves forced to spend a lot of time together.

With the help of a meddling psychology tutor and their new classmates, can they find what they've been looking for?

French Translation!

Fan Stuff!