This story is a sequel to No Longer Displaced

Sass, science, and surviving shipping! Postage paid! The gruff captain put a certain pegasus professor to the test and learned that she just couldn’t quit. Now come the hard parts: an actual relationship and maybe a villain or two.

There’s also still a lot to prove. A crafty princess may have guided Tail and Magic Barrier together for basic training, but the stallion has more lessons in mind for the inquisitive academic. Meanwhile, other currents hold sway over the tides. Old friends will play new parts, and new characters are set to step onto the stage. The chess pieces are settling into place, and the queen has her eyes on one state secret. 

Perhaps when they find resolve in the shadows, the physicist thriving in the world of guard service and the captain rediscovering happiness in the modern age will see that they’re no longer alone.

Folks, I know this has been a long time coming. Some of you have been poking me for almost four years, wondering when Sober and I (Wing) would get around to writing NLD’s sequel. I hope it doesn’t disappoint. 

Cover art by the amazing dream--chan, and special thanks to some old friends and a new editor who joined the fray. Max Redbridge, welcome to the circle of crazy! Neon/Fate, thank you for your squees, deaths, and fuck yeahs! And Amby!!! Alticron, for giving us Bonecrusher. Tea, you can't have Trigger without you! Thanks to Danger Noodle for the adorable Moon Glow. Word Worthy is sneaking around in the doc, too. We also got some Latin help from everyone's favorite Brasta, and what is an NL story without floof from Dr. Batsy?

Wing’s magical comments about the continuities and timelines can still be found here. The gist remains that NLD and NLA remain in a separate continuity from APD & Co. If you find any typos, please PM them to Wing. It keeps the comment section cleaner. Don’t forget to like, share, comment, and subscribe lol. And finally, reading No Longer Displaced is strongly recommended if you want to have any idea what the hell is actually happening.

Captain Magic Barrier is far from home. Almost everything he once held dear is gone—except for a pair of alicorns, the country for which he fought, and his skills as a competent military officer. And it’s all thanks to a certain legend regarding the longest day on the thousandth year.

Professor Tail has got something to prove. A sharp mind and a quick wit in the world of academia, this pegasus is harboring a state secret that could change Equestria’s defenses forever. She just needs to survive basic training first.

Now, a common ally has played her royal hoof to bring these two together. Perhaps she knows that once training is all said and done, the physicist caught in the unfamiliar world of guard service and the captain dragged through the ages will find themselves a bit less displaced.

So, this was a super fun one to write. Well, sorta-write. In truth, I wrote very little. This story is a collaborative effort between myself and this sexy topless Wingly fellow here, and it is based quite heavily off of our characters and their intertwined stories. The amount of work he put into this is staggering, and words can not express how bloody impressive it is/was. I mean, I was there supervising, but he bloody brought it.

Cover art by the amazing dream--chan!
We have a bunch of folks who helped Wing edit that deserve thanks. These are our editors, proofreaders, and coffee slaves!
Editing Slave Word Worthy, Coffee Slave Iryerris, rebellious slave that has to be beaten into submission regularly Doccular, to Shady's Slave Floofy, because typos can suck a knob, and to the Overcute Pet, Sixkiller5, because print runs need typo slaying.

Special thanks to Discount Slave Alticron, for letting us use a certain earth pony we want to crucify.

Wing's magical comments about various story timelines can be found here, but the gist is that NLD and its coming sequels exist in a separate continuity from APD.

Lastly, if you find any typos, please PM them to Wing You should also totally follow him too.

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.