Dashing swordswomen, wizened wizards, bitter revenge, and the power of true love.

All part and parcel of Twilight's favorite book. And what better way to spend an afternoon with her sick girlfriend?

Vaguely inspired by The Princess Bride.

An entry into Aragon's Comedy is Serious Business Contest, under the Prompt, "We Learned Something Narrative."

Thanks to r5h, Kalan, and Novel Idea for editing.

Thanks to multiversecruise for the coverart.

Sunset Shimmer and Princess Twilight Sparkle have both been plagued by odd dreams. Romantic escapades and tender moments between ponies they don't recognize that all end in tragedy.

Together, they investigate this phenomena, aware of the growing tug their hearts have for one another. The answers they find, however, may threaten to tear them apart.

Cover art from Yellowrobin. Thanks!

Pre-read by Oroboro!

Anthea, the adopted daughter of Fluttershy, finally gets to spend the entire day with her new coltfriend, Turquoise Blitz. However, their fun day is cut short by a storm that hits Ponyville. Not being able to get home because of the storm, Turquoise spends the night and helps Annie overcome her fear of the dark.

Look! I actually wrote another story. For those who don't watch me on deviantART or aren't familiar with these Next Gen characters, I highly suggest you check out their bios first. You don't need to but I feel like it'll make the story more enjoyable.

Bios for Anthea and Turquoise Blitz

If you like this story or at leas the characters, check out more stories about them in this group!

Enjoi!

(Feedback on my writing in general is greatly appreciated. It's definitely something I'd love to improve on.)

Soarin never really had any competition when it came to Rainbow Dash...not that he needed to, anyway. But when an obnoxious green pegasus flies in with the newest recruit, he decides he doesn't like the two of them together.

Slight spoilers for "Flutter Brutter"

This story is a sequel to Principal Celestia Hunts the Undead

“Look, I know Mom and Aunt Luna said I shouldn’t work ‘the business’ without them. And I know they’re right – college will be hard enough without battling the hungry dead. But people out there need a bad-ass monster hunter to save them, and that’s what I’ll be.”

“Just don’t tell Mom. You know how she gets.”

(Slice-of-life adventures of Canterlot College's rookie band of monster hunters.)

Now with a Tropes page, courtesy of AnoneMouseJr.

And check out this fan art!

Only a ship captained by a pony with nerves of steel, the best crew of veterans anypony could ask for, and the will to keep going when the third Cherry Bomb Surprise Cupcake is placed before him could possibly prevail.

This story is a sequel to A Pony Displaced: Another Path

Many years ago, Magic Barrier lost countless ponies that he held dear to Sombra's madness and his dark powers. Some years later, he lost the few ponies he still had to hold dear when Princess Luna fell to her inner darkness, Nightmare Moon and was banished for one-thousand years... taking him with her.

Now, a thousand years later, Nightmare Moon has been defeated and Barrier returned to Equestria a thousand years out of place. To top that off, Sombra was eventually defeated as well and with his defeat returned both the Crystal Empire and some of the most important ponies in Barrier's life. Ponies that Barrier had long since written off as lost.

Now, with their Captain guiding them, the recently returned group has to try and find their place in the madness that is modern Equestria, overcome what was lost, and hopefully find a new way that will help cement to them that they're not as displaced as they seem.

I imagine some of you have waited long and hard for this sequel to release. There are some of you who may have been there since the beginning of my stint as a fanfiction author, where I promised -and failed- to deliver a sequel to my first story, A Pony Displaced.

I am saddened to say that I have failed you once again with this sequel... but someone has risen to pick up after me, for the sake of those waiting for this sequel, and my own.

Those of you who follow my blog already know this, but Alticron, my co-writer/editor/proofreader/idea wall/friend is going to try and see the story to completion, after I suffered another writing burnout due in part to personal problems.

As I stated in my blog, I have the utmost faith in him and his abilities to see this story through to the end, and hope you will all enjoy his writing as much as I do.

As always, I cannot state how thankful I -and Alticron- are to Chaos Phantasm, DE_K,ChasingResonance and CanadianPony for being the editors, proofreaders, and idea-walls who made this story what it is.

If you wish to see the Dramatis Personae, click here.

Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape.

After one-thousand years of being bound in the celestial body, Nightmare Moon is free! Right alongside the poor sap that got bound with her.

Thrust into an unfamiliar world, with scars and memories that are now drastically out of place, this is the story of the former guard captain, Magic Barrier.

Do the words above sound familiar? If they do, then you've probably read my other story, A Pony Displaced. This tale isn't a sequel. It isn't a rewrite, though you might consider it a re-imagining of sorts. It is a tale of progression, one that I hope will show my development as a writer in both skill and quality. But more importantly, it is a story that offers exploration into one simple question. What if Magic Barrier had trotted down another path?

As always, thanks go out to everyone who helped me get to this point. In particular, thank you to Alticron, for editing, proofreading, co-writing, being my idea-wall, and arguably the single biggest reason this story saw the light the day, and thank you to Word Worthy, formerly Izanagi, who also edited, proofread, and threw ideas around with us. It wouldn't be possible without these two. In addition to those two I'd like to thank the newest member of the group Omnicron25 for his efforts in proofing/editing as well. Damn glad to have you on board mate.

Additional thanks to Wing for keeping me company late nights and for being a wordsmith when I needed one.

This story is a sequel to A State of Darkness

The only currency in war is life, but at the end of it all, what matters is having friends at your side. That is what was spoken in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Manehattan. We had forged a new peace with the griffons. We had prevented a war, but who could have imagined the game of targets that lurked just over the horizon? A Shadow of Resolve is the second trilogy of the A State of Darkness series -- the ongoing tale of the Wonderbolt DarkOps unit as it protects Equestria from threats, both foreign and domestic.

Note: Reading the prequel story is recommended.
Note 2: Currently on hiatus for reasons explained here.

First Featured on 2016-01-19 thanks to your awesome support.

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.