New story: Monsters (Night Shift prequel!) · 5:34pm Jul 31st, 2015
Two decades after the banishment of Nightmare Moon, her shadow still lingers. Princess Celestia has been left to tend the Twin Thrones alone and protect us all from those who would see Equestria crumble. Our enemies take many forms: some would tear the world down with their claws, others with their smiles.
They are monsters all the same.
I have had many names, and I have been many things. Today I am Swift Sweep, and I work for the Equestrian Bureau for State Security.
The prequel to Twilight Sparkle: Night Shift is finally here! Expect regular updates, at least one chapter per week. That's a promise. Click the link above to go directly to the story, or hit the break for some more information on what to expect.
"Dearest sister Luna, what have you done? Don't you see the Monster you have become?"
The first thing I want to say is a big thank you for your patience. This one has been half a year in the making -- I officially started work in February -- so I hope it'll have been worth the wait.
What can you expect from Monsters?
The first thing that I need to make clear is that Monsters is not Night Shift. It is a separate story that takes place in the same universe, only about a thousand years earlier in the timeline, and deals with the ramifications of Nightmare Moon's original betrayal. The biggest difference is one of tone: whereas Night Shift was more about the action and fights, Monsters will be far more focused on (inter-)personal drama and character development, as well as world building.
If you've never read Night Shift, feel free to jump into Monsters: it was written specifically with newcomers in mind. You don't need to know anything about the original story to enjoy Monsters to the fullest. If you're already a fan of Night Shift, expect something different but similar: a princess runs a secret agency that catches unwelcome elements -- in the meanwhile the protagonist who works for this agency finds out secrets about his past and the future of Equestria. And a certain old, mutual friend might make a cameo...
What's to come?
As of this writing, all 14 chapters of Monsters are written and backed up in multiple places. Some later chapters still require some polish (looking for typos and minor structural errors), but apart from that, it's all good to go. I will be releasing at least one chapter a week, sometimes more when certain chapters are more closely connected and I don't want to leave you guys hanging. Overall it should take about 10 weeks for the whole fic to roll out, barring any unforeseen catastrophes.
A request: please add Monsters to any groups you think are relevant. I'll be adding it to a few myself, but I'm not very good with fimfiction groups, so I'll need your help.
That's about it.
Now, what are you still here for? Get reading.
Something different, but similar eh? That's a good omen.
When its finished ill read. Tracking for now.
So looking forward to this.
Wait, didn't you start of February 2014?
If it's a Prequel Story, link it to the next story.
( between "Title" and "Short Description" on the edit page ( hmm... on Twilight Sparkle: Night Shift page?))
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The reason I'm not using that feature is because of Equestria Daily. They told me that if I link from one story to the other, then Monsters wouldn't get its separate posts if/when it goes up on the site; instead it'd be lumped into a collective "updates" post as an update to Night Shift. So, at least as long as it's in EqD's sights, I won't be linking them.