Hello everypony!

So, as you know, this is a group for contests. Thanks to DH7, I realized that I can't judge every entry by myself. (Thank you for that, by the way. If it weren't for you, I'd be in WAY over my head. ) So, if you are interested in being a judge, then please...read the next paragraph!

So, I'm going to host a contest. The 1st and 2nd place winners will be the new judges of The Writing Contests of Equestria, along with me! I will post the prompt in this thread when this group reaches 10 members. Then, when the Judge Contest is over...the writing contests can truly begin!

Good luck to all!

3194711
Sounds interesting... I can't wait! One question, though. If you become a judge, can you still participate in future contests?

Good question! Yes, you can, but YOU WILL NOT JUDGE IN THAT CONTEST.
But when major contests come up, I might request for you to not participate in that contest so you can help. If you become a judge. So...yeah.

3199409
Ah, OK, makes sense of course.
Haha, if I become a judge, which I don't think is very likely. But I honestly can't wait! Maybe we should promote the group somehow?

Great idea! But how?

3203619
Since you made this group, you should make a blog post to inform your followers that a group like this exists. I guess I could do that too, if you want.
Also, some suggestions for the group...
Maybe you should make some more detailed rules for contests? Or post some thread with a Q&A?

3194711 What's the deadline for this contest btw?

I must participate in this judging contest. Sign me up!

Awesome! I might not win, but I'll try!

Okay, guys!

The moment you've all been waiting for! .......

The judging contest!

Okay, so here's the prompt:

Write a 1,000 word story about what would happen if robots took over Equestria. Who made the robots? Are the mane six still alive? Will you write it six days after the overthrow, or will you write it as its happening?
Who will be the main character?
Will there be romance? (Not intense )
The first and second place winners will be declared the new judges of the Writing Contests of Equestria!

Post your stories along this thread!

Good luck, everybody!

Hazzah! I shall endeavor to do so post haste

3232855
You're alive! Ahem. You should probably put this as a separate thread.

Wait a second... 1,000 words for a prompt like that!? Exactly 1,000 words? Yeesh!

I accept your challenge.

Also, how much time do we have?

1,000 words!?

You have until May 27, 2014, at 5:37 P.M

And no, not EXACTLY 1,000. Close, though.

Good luck!

Here ya go! My entry!
---------------------------------------
An ancient myth, I dare not tell,
For the results may let our world be hell.
From far away, yet still so close,
Intelligent and sentient, yet metal from hoof to nose.

“What? This doesn’t make any sense!” exclaimed Twilight. She flipped through the pages of the dusty, old book to see if she missed anything.
“From far away, yet still so close? Intelligent, sentient and metal? What does ‘sentient’ even mean?”
Twilight sighed, and stood up to go find a dictionary. She quickly found it and began to search for the word.
“Sentient… sentient… Ah! Sentient: A creature with the ability to feel?”
This left even more questions than answers.
“When they are intelligent and metal, that can point to robots. Very unlikely, but possible.” Twilight reasoned out loud.
“However, being sentient as well… That’s impossible. Only creatures with a soul can feel, right?” she asked herself.
“Right?”

Meanwhile, in another world: far away, yet still so close…

“My master…” A metallic voice said. The creature bowed deeply before the shadow. It had the features of a pony, but you couldn’t be sure, because you couldn’t see well. They were in a dark room, only lit by a few torches. It was cold, but they didn’t feel it.

“Soon, my master, soon we shall have revenge on those creatures…” the voice continued.

Another voice laughed, deep, but metallic as well. It came from a creature, with the same features as the other one, but bigger.
“Those weaklings shall be punished for their sins!”
The voice stopped and laughed again, softly.
“And then, when their misery is at its highest, they will beg to be one of us!”
He began to laugh harder, and the creature laughed as well. A laugh so vile, you could feel the shivers going up your spine.
The bigger creature stopped laughing and commanded his minion.
“Bring forth all my minions! Prepare for battle! Feel the emotion of victory surge through your body and relish the thought of a feast! Feel!” it shouted.

in the Everfree forest…

Zecora hummed as she threw the ingredients into the bowl. The brew was a foul green and seemed to emit a light of its own, but it was just a heavy reflection of the torches at the walls.
She threw another ingredient in. Smoke wavered up from the brew. After she had blown away all the smoke, she could see that the brew had turned purple.
“A purple color in this brew, means foul things will happen to not so few,” she muttered to herself.
“The one who could avoid this fright, might be Twilight.”
She packed her things and left for Twilight’s library.

In Twilight’s Library

“Twilight, relax. I’m sure it’s just another old pony’s tale.” Spike said, trying to calm her down.
Twilight huffed. “Nightmare Moon was also an old mare’s tale, and look how very real she turned out to be.”

Spike sighed. “Twilight, just because Nightmare Moon happened to be real, doesn’t mean every old pony’s tale is real.”
“Yes, but we can’t take any chances!” She stomped her hoof on the floor. “I have to see Zecora about this.” She grabbed her saddlebags and some books.
“I don’t think that’ll be necessary, Twilight. Look!” Spike pointed out of the window. There, a cloaked zebra was walking straight towards the door.

She knocked, and Twilight quickly opened the door to let her in.
“Zecora! I need your help.”
“And so do I, and that is no lie. A brew I was making turned purple without faking. Our world will be in danger, from events that will become even stranger.”

“Wait… What? So you’re saying that you don’t know it either?” Twilight asked. She was looking real desperate now.
“Oh, come on now, Twilight. I mean, it’s not like they’re going to invade us right now.”

Before Twilight could say something, the ground shook and you could hear a very, very loud roar.
“Earthquake!” Spike yelled, and ducked under the nearest table.

But Twilight didn’t hide. “Spike, come out! We must inform Celestia immediately!”
Spike nodded, shakily, and ran around to find quill and parchment.
He jotted down everything Twilight said as quickly as possible and send it.
“Now we must hope she’ll respond soon.”

Then, clattering of metal against stone echoed through the streets. The buzzing and bleeping of the robot ponies sounded through all of Ponyville.

Then, a loud, metallic and laconic voice. “Stay calm, citizens! Don’t fret, we’re only taking y’all over! Buwahahaha!”

Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash came in.
“Twilight! We’re being invaded by robot ponies!” Rainbow Dash shouted.
“Yes, I know! And I’m trying to… cough… find a… cough… solution…” Twilight fell down, coughing and fighting a sudden urge to sleep.
All the rest of her friends, fainted. Zecora and Spike managed to get away just in time.

“The sleeping gas worked, general,” a robot pony stated. “Now, let’s get them to the dungeons, so they won’t be in our way anymore!”

And so they brought them away. But, who will save us now?

“Wait! Did you just say that Pinkie got kidnapped?! Are you serious? I’ve got to save her.” Cheese Sandwich shouted. He’s standing on top of a hill, very nearby Appleloosa. He immediately turned around and galloped straight to Ponyville.

Flim and Flam saw him galloping. “Where is he going?” asked Flam. Flim shrugged.
“You know, it’s been a while since we went to Ponyville.” Flim said. “Maybe we can visit the Apple family, and maybe make amends?” He stomped and dragged his hoof in the dirt, looking down, embarresed.
Flam rolled with his eyes. “Oh, so now you want to be honest? Let me guess, Applejack?”
Flim blushed and continued staring to his hooves. Flam practically facehoofed. “Well, alright then. Let’s go.”

Soarin’ had seen the machines from far in the sky. He had been the only one to escape them from all the Wonderbolts. “I must find a way to rescue them.” He shot off, into the distance, to the direction the rest were taken.

Discord was out in the castle gardens as he heard galloping hooves behind him.
“Discord! Discord, we need your help!” Flash Sentry panted. “Ponyville is under attack and the princesses have disappeared!”

Discord’s eyes became large.
“Fluttershy…” he whispered. Louder, he continued:
“Well then, what are we standing here!” He grabbed Flash and left, using his Chaos magic.

Will they succeed?

That’s up to your imagination!

[ Well, I've got mine done. I must say, I'm no sci-fci author so this was really hard! I took a different spin on things, setting the story in the distant future of Equestria focusing on the viewpoints of OC's. Here's what I ended up with. ]

By Celestia, what now? The grey unicorn looked out the view screen at the planet below, eyes sparkling with tears. His planet, his home, and his future were now lost to him forever. Gulping, he turned to examine his quarters. The sparsely decorated room was in a state of complete chaos, clothes, reports, and maps strewn everywhere. There on the polished metal table lay a large map of Equestria with large blood red X's drawn over locations. A pit in his stomach formed as he caressed the latest X. Underneath, the words "Canterlot taken: all communications severed" were scribbled in minuscule writing.

He turned to his cot, and picked up a fresh uniform. No need for the crew to see him in this state. Walking over to the mirror, he sighed at the reflection. His salt and pepper mane was sticking up in all directions, and he attempted to return it to a sense of order with a comb. I'm getting too old for this.

A soft female voice echoed through the com channel and brought him to his senses. "Sir, the crew's ready."

"All right. I'm coming Lieutenant." Nervously, the unicorn adjusted the collar of his captain's uniform and placed his hat onto his head. Once again, it was Captain Breywall's turn to make history.

He was greeted by a soft smile and sharp salute from the young zebra mare. Typical Silara. "At ease Lieutenant." Striding forward, he set off down the long, metallic walkway. "Report."

"Uh yes sir." The zebra effortlessly kept pace with the stallion's massive strides. Holding up a communication tablet, she frowned. "We've evacuated the last of the refugee camps that were deemed approachable. But-" She gulped, continuing more slowly. "-Las Pegasus missed the deadline."

"Damn." Breywall stomped his hoof hard, sending a metallic echo down the walkway. "What's the final count?"

Silara held out the tablet for Breywall to examine. "From Hope, Lightspell, Draconis, and New Canterlot we have a total of 12,000."

Breywall cursed under his breath, thrusting the tablet back into Silara's hooves. They made it to the elevator and stepped inside. He pressed the 5 on the dial, and the machine rocketed to life.

The zebra adjusted her red communications uniform nervously. "Sir that's not the bridge."

"I know. I need to check on them." He stared, blue eyes reflecting in the polished interior of the lift. Silara rolled her eyes in frustration. Noticing her disapproval, "It's just, I'm not leaving it all behind until I see them. It wouldn't be right."

She nodded with understanding and straightened the captain's collar. "Better look presentable Breywall. They're royalty you know."

The lift grinded to a halt, and they stared into the darkened corridor. Breywall strode forward confidently, walking to the end where a set of massive doors stood. Two earth pony security officers stood guard, and saluted at the captain's approach. Breywall smiled weakly at them. "What's the status?"

The large red coated officer spoke up first. "No change sir."

He nodded. "Good. I need to see them."

The officer looked confused, eyes flashing from Silara to Breywall. "Sir? There's been no change. They can't…can't hear you."

"I know." He placed a hoof gently on the stallion's back. "It's just something I have to do. Protocol and all." Turning to the Lieutenant, "Stay here and wait. I won't be long."

Her dark muzzle broke into a soft smile. "Right sir."

Breywall strode confidently inside the room. There, in the dim artificial lighting rested eight stasis chambers. The contraptions had been around for decades, but nopony had used them in decades, until now. Sighing, he made his way towards the largest one. The glass covering had been painted with a bright sun, the same as the snow white alicorn's cutie mark.

"Your majesty." He gulped, preparing himself. "You must forgive me for ordering your stasis. It was…necessary." Slowly, he caressed the glass, and stared at his ruler's soft face. "I know you wished to fight the mechanizations, but it was no use." Tears streamed down the captain's muzzle. "Nothing we possess could stop them. Even the dragons were no match for their technology."

He sighed, wiping the tears away from his face and stood at attention. "Your instructions were to protect the beings of this planet. To this mission, I have remained loyal." Turning, he walked to the door again, and faced the pods once more. "Rest now, with your friends. When you awake, may it be in a better place than you left behind."

Silara followed Breywall to the bridge. Every creature in the room stood at sharp attention upon his arrival. He turned, examining his crew with sad eyes. Griffons, zebras, pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies all working towards the same goal. Smiling weakly, he walked to the view screen. Their planet lay before them. No, it was not their planet anymore. It belonged to the mechanizations now. He pressed the red button on the dashboard and the com channels sparked to life.

"My fellows I speak to you now in this most grievous time. I wish I could give you some measure of comfort, but there is little comfort to be had. The mechanizations have overrun our home, and driven us to our space ships. To assume our situation is dire would be an understatement." He turned to his disheartened crew and stood straight.

"Despite this, we, the last survivors of this planet have something those machines will never possess. We live, we laugh, we love, and we hope. No amount of technology will ever be able to take this away from us." A cheer broke out in the bridge accompanied by the loud stomping of hooves, claws, and paws.

Breywall smiled at them and continued, "We may be leaving this planet, but it will not be forever. No, we retreat only to grow stronger once more. They may think they have won, but they are wrong. We will return, and when we do, we will send them to the farthest recesses of space from whence they came!"

He turned to Silara, smiling weakly. "Think I overdid it?"

The zebra shook her head. "No sir, you gave them exactly what they needed."

Breywall nodded and watched the planet now fading fast from the screen. "We'll be back soon."

3233441
Ah, okay. That's plenty of time. Thanks, I need it.

You seem to not now how to use that reply button, though. But no worries, it's super easy. You see those two arrow thingies at the top right corner of each comment? Click on that when you want to reply to a particular one. It really helps.

3235822
Yeah, I really don't know how to use the reply button.
Thanks for teaching me! I was totally confused.
Good luck! I look forward to your entry!

3232855
It took me forever, but I finally have it: my entry, exactly 1071 words! I had, like, ten first drafts, but in the end I stuck with this one... *sigh* Enjoy... Oh my God, since when do I support TwilightxDash...

“This is the last point in our plan.” Twilight pointed to the checklist. “We do it right, and it’ll all be over, the machines are gone.” She hid the parchment in her saddlebag. “It’s a good thing we’re here on time.”

Rainbow Dash looked up. The metal construction towered above. Compared to it, she looked like a tiny ant, ready to be squished. “So… How do I find that switch?”

“Oh, don’t worry, it’s easy.” Twilight smiled. “I’ll be doing the brainy work and steer you right to it. Hacking this place for the fifth time can’t be any harder than it was for the first time… Just follow my signals.”

“Right…” Rainbow Dash flew up. “Into this hole?”

Twilight nodded from down below. “Yes. And remember, one wrong move and our plan shatters.”

Rainbow gulped and glided inside. Nothing surprising caught her eye. The metal walls were covered in all sorts of buttons, switches and light bulbs. Colorful cables flung from one wall to another, making it especially hard to fly in between. Remember your agility training, don’t touch anything. Now, all Rainbow had to do was wait for Twilight’s signals. Easy? Easy. Relax, Dash.

But then of course she couldn't relax. The sudden change in lighting turned her thoughts the other way. Most of the light bulbs went off, while the others changed their color to green, forming a big arrow -- Twilight’s first sign. Relax, you can do it. Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and followed the arrow, leading her up to another huge hallway. Good, more space to fly faster.

She minded her each and every move, softly flapping her wings and following the signs. It sure was easier than she thought it would be. No one lurked at her, she and Twilight made sure to deactivate the machines. But of course, the effect wasn’t permanent. This was the exact reason why she had to hurry.
The cables became scarce, and with that came more space to fly freely. And most importantly, to fly quicker. A long time has passed since Rainbow got to show her stuff. Maybe, just maybe, she was still able to do some tricks?

The arrows pointed forward. Good… Rainbow flapped her wings harder, still minding her moves. Twilight’s words chanted in her head, And remember, one wrong move and our plan shatters. True. She slowed down. Maybe it was better not to risk? But then again, she might not make it. What then?

But maybe, just maybe, she could try? Rainbow prepared her wings. I am a good flyer, there’s nothing to worry about. She beat them stronger, and just for a second she could feel a soft breeze strumming through her mane. That feeling. She flew faster and faster. Mere seconds passed as she noticed where she was heading -- straight to a wall. Rainbow quickly stopped, nearly hitting the end of the hallway.

“Well, that was close.” Rainbow wiped her brow.

One wrong move and our plan shatters.

The ground shook.

“Rainbow! What did you do!?” Twilight’s distant voice came from down below.

Rainbow’s heart pumped faster. “I-uh… Wiped my brow. A little bit too strong...”

She could feel the construction rumbling. An alarm rang out through the base. “Great, just great!”

Still, the arrows didn’t fade away. Instead, they grew bigger and turned red. There was no time to mind her moves now. Without thinking too much, Rainbow dashed along with the arrows. She could definitely feel the wind blowing through her mane and coat. This is life!

She could hear Twilight’s shrieking.

Little metal pieces that lay on the ground formed themselves into the so called Mecharachnids. They were the ones that once took over Las Pegasus, and no matter how ridiculous they looked, they were no laughing matter. With their spider-like appearance, they blended right into the crowd.

Rainbow flew faster with her hoof in front of her face, blocking out the metal creatures. Their edges scraped her hooves. In the distance, she could see the final sign, pointing to a switch.

“Aw, yeah, finally!” Rainbow put both of her hooves around the switch, and pulled it with all her strength. “Hello, freedom!”

Everything rumbled. “Rainbow, get out, now!” Twilight shouted. “There’s an opening to your left!”

Rainbow glanced to her side. Sure enough, the opening was there. She flew out, but couldn’t see Twilight anywhere.

“Rainbow! My magic is block-- Oof!”

Rainbow looked down, her worst fears complete. The machines caught Twilight in their sharp grip, pointing their laser straight at her head.

“Oh, no, you don’t!” Rainbow dashed down knocking down the several machines. Good thing they’re still not warmed up after their deactivation… She bucked them off and grabbed Twilight in her grasp.

“Rainbow, you’re bleeding.” Twilight looked up, examining Rainbow’s hooves. “How did it ha--”

“Twilight, look at you! There’s no time for my stupid scrapes,” Rainbow said.

They dashed out of the base straight through the the same door they flew in. After a minute, they finally stopped and landed on the ground, looking back. A great explosion formed before their eyes. The wind from it blew through their manes, ashes fell down.

“...We did it!” Twilight grabbed Rainbow’s face and gave her a big kiss on the cheek. “We saved Equestria!”

“Ew, Twilight…”

Twilight shrugged. “Sorry, I’m just so happy!”

Rainbow stood still, bluntly staring forward. “I can’t believe it… After half a year… And it only took us… What, five hours?”

Twilight laughed. The base was gone, the machines were gone…and everypony else with it. She stopped laughing. “Oh my… We just killed some living ponies…”

“Don’t worry, Twi, there was no other way.”

“I guess…” Twilight dropped her face. “But what do we do now?”

Rainbow shrugged. “We make a new checklist.”

Twilight observed their wounds. She really was bleeding, a lot. Now she could finally feel the stinging pain from the machines’ sharp claws. “Let’s see… Item one: Fix our wounds.”

“Okay, I’ll take that down.” Rainbow took out the piece of parchment and a pencil. “Go on.”

“Item two: Get through the night, without getting woken up by Rainbow’s snoring,” Twilight teased.

“Hey!”

Twilight giggled. “Item three: Find our friends.”

“Definitely!” Rainbow wrote down Twilight’s words. “I’ve got one. Item four: Get some food!”

“I agree.” Twilight lay her head down on the grass and closed her eyelids. “And finally, item five: Be happy.”

Hello, Fimfictioners!

I am here to announce the first and second place winners...the new judges of The Writing Contests of Equestria!

Now, before we begin, I would like to congratulate all of our entries. They were all fantastic, and it took me an EXTREMELY long time to figure out the winners. You all did stupendously, and I hope you will all continue to amaze me with your kindness, determination, and creativity.

So, without further ado, here are our winners!

First Place Winner: BluegrassBrooke!
Second Place Winner: Leafall!

Congratulations to our new judges!

The next contest will start soon enough. Good luck, and good writing, my fellow Fimfictioners!

Sincerely,
Graphite Star

3381246
Yay! Thanks a lot. I can't wait!

Um... Hello? Any pony home?