Follow-on stories? What do you think? · 2:04am Mar 12th, 2015
I was thinking, which is a dangerous pastime, and came to the conclusion that Sunset Shimmer: Element Bearer is about to finish its second act. Once that's done, the third act will rush headlong towards the story's climax. Yes, it will take several chapters and an epilogue to finish the story, but getting to this point has caused me to think about the other stories that could be written in this world. Here are some ideas, and I'd like to hear what you think about their relative merits.
All ideas below are based on the character arcs and backstories created within Sunset Shimmer: Element Bearer. A brainstorm is NOT a promise of a story to be written later. 
Story Idea 1: The main character is Pinkie Pie's grandfather, Pickaxe Pie, during the Equestria Girls' equivalent of the Second World War. This quote sums up his boot camp and Army experiences thus far:
Pickaxe gave his friend a hand up from the floor. "Listen, Prismatic Storm, growing up as a boy with pink hair forced me to do two things. First, I had to develop a good sense of humor. Second, when jokes didn't work, I had to learn how to fight."
Pickaxe and Storm have a 48-hour pass before deploying into combat, but they don't want to miss the show. Three young women with incredible singing voices are performing for the entire camp. Hazard a guess who they might be? Potential 20,000 to 40,000 words (wild guess). This is the best developed of my brainstorms.
Story Idea 2: Sunset Shimmer's first months on the other side of the mirror. This would be a dark story, showing how she discovered that Twilight Sparkle had replaced her as Celestia's student and then telling how her increasing desperation for power and revenge led her to the events at the start of Equestria Girls. It would include many of the characters created for these segments of SS:EB, including Rarity's father, the Canterlot gangsters and a few other surprises.
Story Idea 3: Sonata has always loved to be the center of attention, and to have a handsome playwright dote on her was just more than she could handle. Set four hundred years before the events of Sunset Shimmer: Element Bearer, Sonata puts her fellow Sirens in danger by revealing too many secrets to a popular, charismatic storyteller.
Story Idea 4: A dark alternate universe based upon a scene that will occur in Chapter 18. Basically a "what if" story where all of Celestia's fears in Chapter 12 come to pass.
Now, about Chapter 18... I won't promise, but if I can make it through this week of work, I will be able to get back on track to meet my self-imposed two-week publishing deadline of March 21! Have a great night, everyone!
I like that first idea the most, but that's just me.
I like story idea 4, mainly because I just finished up a Shakespeare unit.
Seriously, how has no one done fanart of the Dazzlings dressed up like the Andrews Sisters yet? That'd be some killer coverart for #1,
#1 seems to have a lot of substance behind it, and I don't mind Pickaxe's Boy Named Sue backstory either.
I take it im the only one who likes the third idea? Imo there needs to be more stories about the Sirens in the Medieval Age.
Story idea four would be my subject of choice.
I love me a good grimdark future. Especially if you let me run rampant with ideas on how to make the characters suffer...
The first three story ideas are all very viable though. Everyone appreciates a well-written story detailing a character(s)'s past.
Though I'm still crossing my fingers for some dark stuff if you do decide to go through with this. Believe me, you'd never be out of ideas for those as long as I'm around.
Ah, well, if not, just as long as you write stuff, it'll be interesting I'm sure. Though preferably evil stuff. Everyone loves evil. Just look at Discord. and Chrysalis and Nightmare Moon. and the Sirens. and Celestia. Bowser, Ganon, Kefka. Sephiroth. Trigon. Drakken. Shego. Cinder. The Mad King. Hermaeus Mora. Robotnik. The list goes on and on.
I like the first one!
21 of March, soon after Spring starts and supposedly Season 5 starts in Spring, ooh, I'm so nervoucited! And I'd say the Shakespear one.
I think that if you're going to write flashbacks, you should write flashback stories before you finish the main story. Because the main story is the second most important thing that happens to the Sirens, right?
This may just be side-effects of me having gone on a Sandman binge, but that story is lousy with flashbacks and pretty much all of them are there to both show, say, Dream and the head of Orpheus gutting the French Revolution as a story in itself, but also set up the character arcs happening in the "present day".
The Sirens might not need any setup because it seems they've always been like they are today. I could make a case for Sunset but you've touched on that in the main story and I think that's it dealt with satisfactorily.
2870444 Season 5's already been confirmed to start April 4th, I believe. Also, not sure if I'm supposed to say anything, but Conning might have an interesting week in the fanfiction world around the end of March. Get hyped with all the nervoucitedness!
Well, I'm torn! I could see myself from a few months ago writing 2 and 4, and you know that dark fics are now my bread and butter. However, I think I'd like to see you write 1 or 3. (Well would you look at that - probably the only time you'll ever be the odd one between us.
) With number one, I could see myself commenting and asking "Alrighty, which insufferable co-worker did Pickaxe rail on?" As for number three, I could go on for pages and pages in the comments teasing you about each and every innuendo. 
So yeah, I have no clue (big surprise there, I'm sure 
). Just do whatever your heart tells you!
Wow! I didn't expect such interest in my off-the-cuff blog post! Thank you very much! This will be a large reply, so accept my apology and random responses in advance. Today's major events at work went very well, with tomorrow being largely event wrap-up, a "hot wash" or three and digging into the pile of paper stacked on my desk that built up while I was managing other priorities.
There's nothing more dangerous to me than when 2870842 and 2869679 team up. Considering that you are the only two people to have read the scene which would launch the entire "what if" story, I give more than a little weight to your feedback. Yes, the villains are often much more interesting characters than the heroes, which is probably why I'm so fascinated by Sunset Shimmer, the Sirens and Discord! And, it's fine to mention that there's potential for a writing binge during the last few days of March, since Mrs. ConningOfficer and my daughter will be traveling, leaving me to fly solo at home. With four or five hours per day to write instead of one, I'm hoping that I can crank out chapters much more quickly...
2868889, 2868941, 2869110 and 2869886: Hey, I really like the WWII idea, and the Sirens as USO performers or military members in their own right just seems to fit so incredibly well. OOOH! Brainstorm, and Google fodder. The idea of Musician Third Class Sonata Dusk of the SPARs just hit me. That would make some good fan art, too!
2868898, 2869501 and 2870444: The Shakespeare idea is interesting, but poorly formed in my mind... but that time period gives me so much freedom that just about anything goes (except plumbing and running water). But, Aria had to learn how to use a mace somewhere, right?
2871008 and 2869295: To further develop the idea for option 4 and to flesh out the scene from Chapter 18, I had to go back to Chapter 12 and the conversation between Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. The Chapter 8 conversations involving Luna also reveal some hints. I didn't plan this... but this week's work craziness combined with my enthusiasm combined for some unintentional hype.
2870674 Your point is well-taken and is a big reason why I'm just brainstorming and not going crazy with writing two stories simultaneously. Sometimes hints are better than a full narrative, I agree - but it's fun to dream, right? Thanks for commenting on my musings.
I'm beat. I need to crash. Have a great night!
2871561 You too!
I'd love to see the first idea take off, especially since you have a ton of history to
plagiarizeseek inspiration from!I'll admit, I first thought you were going to make Granny Smith, Apple Rose, and Aunt Applesauce (from Apple Family Reunion, if the names don't sound familiar) the three singers.
one-lining still applies here, right? 
There's just something about country girlsI mean, uh ...