Happy New Year! If it's not yet 2019 where you are, consider this a payment in advance. Anyway, here we go again.

Here are the full rules.

Remember, there is no prize, as such, for this contest -- but if you win, you will be able to choose the prompt for the next contest. You'll also get a mention on the group's front page. That's all, folks! Well, probably As this is a cartoon-based contest, you may also receive an Acme No-Prize for your virtual mantelpiece. It hasn't happened so far, but who knows? Here are the details for January's contest:

Prompt: ""Honesty Ain't the Best Policy" (selected by last month's winner, Impossible Numbers)
Rating: E or T
Word limit: 150
Closing date: Monday 21st January 2019, 11:59 pm UK time (world clock)

Please reply to this post with your entry. This makes it easier for me to keep track. Please do not leave feedback until after the closing date.

Entries are now open! Have fun!

6712113
This story is only 50 or so words.

What Lying Gets You

“Why don’t you have your homework?” Miss Cheerilee asked.
“Umm...” Apple Bloom replied” Oh, yeah, I’m extremley sorry, but... Winona ate it.”
“Hmm. Okay, I’ll give you an extension.” The teacher looked at her suspiciously for a moment, but shrugged.
Apple Bloom smiled before she headed back to her desk.

6712113

“Do you like it?”

Scribble held up her drawing. It looked like the eye of a hurricane had gone through a paint factory and retched its contents up on that one sheet of paper.

Without hesitation, Cheerilee stated, “Dear, it looks wonderful.”

She looked worried. “Are you sure you really like it?” Scribble held her painting close but carefully, as to not make so much as a crease in the fragile spine of the paper. Her magnum opus was certainly going on the corkboard.

Cheerilee easily smiled. “Of course I do. Every single picture of yours is a masterpiece.”

With that confirmation Scribble’s face lit up. “Oh thank you Ms. Cheerilee. I think it's the bestest.”

“I do, too, Scribble. I do, too.”

Eh, I don't see having the wherewithal or convergence of time and opportunity to do these for the foreseeable future, so I'll just back out indefinitely. See you around sometime later. Maybe.

6712113
DARN IT, AMEREEP!!! You've been at this for a year, you should know how to please the overlord by now. Hmm.... they like her.... and they appear to approve those stories.... if I have any hope of outnumbering the impossible, I need to put in twice the dosage.

........alright, I'll do just that.

"Truth or dare?"

"Dare!"

"I dare you to act like Fluttershy."

"Ooo this ought to be good."

"Now don't hold back, dear. Get her down right."

"Please, I know how Fluttershy acts. *ahem* Oh hello, I'm Fluttershy."

"Hahahaha!!!"

"I don't sound like that."

"I'm sorry Fluttershy, but you kinda do."

"Besides Sugarcube, this is all in good fun."

"If that is okay with you."

"Well I don't want to be a bother, if that is okay with yo-.... wait!"

"Heeheeheehee!!!"

"Wow Dash, it's like you know exactly what she's going to say before she says it."

"Really?"

"Aahahahaha!!!!!"

"Ooh, this is making me so mad."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just honestly trying to be the best you I can."

"Oh, that's okay."

"Friends?"

"Friends."

"Yay!"

"......................"

"Okay, this is starting to get a bit creepy. You can stop this now."

"Stop what?"

"I got this. Hey y'all, I've brought cider."

"CIDER?!?!"

6712113

Hm, I'll have to think about this one. Nothing immediately comes to mind.

6712392

if I have any hope of outnumbering the impossible,

I don't know if this was an unconscious slip or deliberately structured, but either way I applaud such wordplay. Although since I can't win this round anyway, you have one more advantage over me.

Also, for the record: you're certainly the most innovative of the contestants. The emoticon story and the brony poem stood out to me as pretty bold risks, and that's something to be recognized. Whatever else happens, you've got that going for you, good sir.

6712113

Nothing substantial. Just a bit of silly characterization that occurred to me.

“THIS TIME!” Rainbow zoomed away, towards the hive.

Hearing hoofsteps, Fluttershy turned. “Cattail?”

“What’s the hullaballoo, chérie?”

They watched Rainbow encircling the swarm.

“Incroyable! Ain’t seen nobody try takin’ flash bee honey without masks.”

Blushing, Fluttershy gripped the first-aid kit. “Sorry. I should’ve recommended the masks harder, but I didn’t wanna insist.”

Another flash. Another yelp.

“She’ll get herself stung and coma-tized! Din’t you tell her it’s no good musclin’ a hive that resists magic?”

“I tried. Rainbow thought pegasus magic might work.”

“Did she?”

“Once. Now she thinks–”

“I WON’T LOSE TO A BUNCH OF ZAPPY BUGS!” yelled Rainbow, feinting swiftly. Angry buzzing rivalled her yelps.

Cattail goggled. “Ain’t you gonna help her?”

“Now!? Rainbow would never forgive me. I’ll wait till she’s finished. See, we understand each other–”

“Be honest about her chances! Tell her it’s hopeless!”

Another yelp: Fluttershy winced. “Oh, I don’t wanna wait that long.”

A little under three days to go, everyone! Thanks to all who've entered so far.

And now there's a but under one day to go. Any more entrants?

Time's up, everyone. As ever, thank you to everyone who had a go.

Four entries for the third time running.

Feedback is now open.

6733912
Dagnabbit, good intentions didn’t get me there again.

I shall return!!

Had me a bit stumped this one

6712123 6712130 6712392 6730141

Okay, results time! Thank you to everyone who entered, and also to those who didn't enter but are still around.

I'm going for the entry by Anon Y Mous. It really made me smile, though I'm probably biased as I come from a family of teachers! Congrats!

Since you're new to this: what you need to do now is to think up a prompt for next month's contest. It's fine to take a day or two to consider possibilities. When you have, please post it in this thread.

6736336

Thank you!!

I would like for the next prompt to be 'Hidden Motives'

6736450
You're welcome! And that Sounds fine to me -- accepted!

As usual, the next thread will go up on the 1st of the month (if I remember -- please nag me if I don't).

Will be posting up the thread in a bit. Not quite the 1st here in the UK yet!

Okay, the new thread is up! Feb contest here:

https://www.fimfiction.net/group/212112/flashfic/thread/390888/flashfic-150-february-2019-hidden-motives