The right thing to do and the best thing to do are sometimes mutually-exclusive; when Fluttershy finds the deposed Chrysalis injured and near-death in the Everfree Forest, she knows that the wisest course of action to pursue would be to leave her to her fate. She's a sworn enemy of ponykind, after all, and will only seek to hurt them further once she's rehabilitated.

One's true nature can never be changed, can it?

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.

Twilight Sparkle is happy with her life. Although the newly founded Twilit Court presents her with challenges, she can still continue her studies and even discover a new kind of friendship. However, this quickly ends when she suddenly loses a large portion of her memory. Now her friends have to adjust to a Twilight who doesn’t seem to know a thing about friendship. As if all that wasn't enough, a sinister force is pulling strings without anypony being able to unveil the identity of the puppeteer...

"The past catches up to everypony. We try to forget some events, but we do not know what we have lost once they have left our minds. We are no more than the entirety of our memories. Hold on to them, for they are what you are."

Artwork by CosmicUnicorn

After siding with the ferocious Tirek and taking part in Equestria's attempted downfall, the ponies in Ponyville are less than kind to Discord. Feeling lost and alone, Discord seeks nothing more than being liked. Fluttershy comes to his aid, but things prove to be a little harder than expected, Especially when Discord takes on a new form in an attempt to fit in.

Twilight's new royal duties take her beyond Equestria's borders and travel to the frozen wilds beyond even the Crystal Empire. Along the way, she will endure the pettiness of a royal prince and an apathetic reindeer who doesn't seem to care much. About anything. Will she be able to handle her new responsibilities and the untamed nature of the Northern Wilds?

Proofread/Edited by:
CartsBeforeHorses
Chromio Fractured Heart onward.
Cover Art: Silfoe

Twilight is taken back to Canterlot after the Smarty Pants incident. As the rest of the Elements begin to fight amongst themselves, will the ties of friendship last or will the bonds that they've shared be broken forever?
While the Element's bonds begin to slowly fade, an old adversary returns with one goal in mind. To ensure that Elements will never reunite, ever again.

What I think could have happened if Twilight was taken back to Canterlot.
Pre-read by Soge. Awesome Pre-reader/Editor.
Coverart by Chaosqueen. Amazing Artist.

This story is a sequel to Three from the Forest

The World of Equestria is a world of balance and harmony. When Discord was released, the balance was disrupted. Even though the Spirit of Chaos was eventually settled, the equilibrium had already shifted. Now, Twilight and her friends will see what form the balancing act will take, and what it will mean for their beloved Equestria.

A sequel to Three from the Forest. It is not required to read the prequel to understand the events of Harmony Undone: The Rise of Order.

A huge thanks to Lab for his amazing editing abilities that has helped polish this story. Cheers!

Currently, this story is undergoing a remastering. By that, I mean the story is getting a facelift to include better showing/less telly language, grammar problems, and other minor fixes to accommodate my new (and I'd like to think better) writing style. Any chapter with a (R) in front of it is a remastered chapter. Once all chapters are done, the (R)s will be removed.

10/8/17: Added the Alternate Universe tag due to the revelations of the season seven finale. Refer to this blog for the explanation.
12/28/2017: Remastering completed and the (R)s removed!