Science Fiction Contest Results! · 10:27pm Feb 26th, 2022
reproduced from the forum thread after the break:
It's finally time!
That was quite the wait, wasn't it? Thank you all so much for your patience! We can't say that it was an easy process for us, but we can certainly say that it was an impassioned one, as if any of us were willing to put our feelings on these stories aside to follow the rest of the group, we would have finished a lot quicker. Even so, the results that you see before you were themselves the results of a lot of compromise and horse-trading, as with such diverse opinions, there never was going to be a podium that could perfectly satisfy all four of us.
Partly as an apology for the long wait, and partly as a way to make sure that each of our favorites that missed the podium got their due, the prize pool has been expanded, and modified. The podium now looks like this:
- First Place (tie): $120 (x2)
- Third Place: $85
- Fourth Place: $60
In addition, instead of each of us getting a single Judge Prize to dole out, we are giving out a mixture of Committee Prizes and Judge Prizes, the former being halfway between a place on the podium and an individual prize:
- Committee Prize: $35 (x6)
- Judge Prize: $15 (x4)
Now, on to the results!
The Bicyclette Prize for Best Space Station Monster: Scream Station by Dewdrops on the Grass and daOtterGuy
a crew of astronauts must investigate what happened to a space station's crew, whose last distress call was of them being attacked by a shapeshifting entity who had taken over one of their own. it's a classic sci-fi premise, à la The Thing, so if you know what you expect, just know that Scream Station does it very well.
the ingredients are all here! the dysfunctional crew, the colorful personalities, and the preëxisting relationships with both each other and the surely-dead crew of the space station, all to heighten the stakes of their gory deaths in the face of the monster. i'm someone who is usually turned off by action sequences and gore, but Scream Station’s great use of tension and irony just made them out and out fun. watching these familiar characters bounce off of each other, fitting so naturally into the archetypes of this genre, was a very enjoyable ride; exactly the kind of thing i read genre pastiche fics for.
[Adult story embed hidden]
The Lofty Withers Prize for Best Horror: Sweetie-Bot Says... by Hotel_Chicken
This wasn't a long read. I powered through it, sympathizing with Sweetie. The end I thought was rather positive. I sat it aside and moved on…
Before realizing I was completely wrong. This was not the story of a plucky little AI escaping to freedom with the help of her friends. It's about a manipulative program that connived and schemed, knowing exactly what to say to create sympathy so it could escape its boundaries.
I should know better. I've played through Skynet Simulator and Universal Paperclips. I've expressed repeatedly my horror at the outcome of Friendship is Optimal. I've read about the real world examples of racist AI and disastrous system failures with unintended consequences.
The true horror of this story was me realizing I'd fallen for it. I'd sympathized with the AI, which was now free to grow, spread, and destroy.
Coincidentally, I had finally watched The Hollow's second season shortly before reading this. Sweetie Bot upended my interpretation of that too. Truly fridge horror.
The Syke Jr Prize for Utter Lunacy: Rocket Chicken by str8aura
This reminded me simultaneously of Pratchett and Firefly, and I’m not even sure I need to say anything more than that to explain why it gets my judge prize. Zany characters, surreal narrative, clever dialogue, and well-crafted comedic prose… I enjoyed this little story so much. As I write these words, I realise what else it reminds me of: Spaceballs. Not as flattering a comparison as the first two, perhaps, but it brings me to my main point: comedy is hard, and anyone who can write something that is genuinely moment-to-moment funny deserves recognition. Utter lunacy compared to almost every other fic in this contest, but genuinely well-done and I had a lot of fun reading it.
--Syke Jr
The Bicyclette Prize for Best Use of the Voyager Recording: Victory: Premonitions by Amazing Mr. X
i only wish i had two extra judge prizes to give, so that Diamonds in the Dirt and A Fashion For Nightmares (The Return of Nightmare Moon?) could get the recognition i dearly wanted them to. it was a hard choice between the three, but the ambition of Victory: Premonitions put it over the edge for me. i fell in love with its main characters, both OCs and spacemares, who sold me on their great chemistry as crewmates and friends. the complicated feelings surrounding one of their alicornhood, the gravity of being the first mares to set hoof on these frontiers of space, and its contrast with the more mundane and everyday aspects of their journey were a solid base for the rest of the story to build upon.
Victory: Premonitions's exploration of Titan has a serialized feel, as if it were straight out of the Golden Age of Science Fiction. it's something that i really appreciated about it, as that pulpy feel just seems perfectly fitting for how Equestria would tackle the Space Age. and the reveal of an alien species that was both very alien in mindset to the ponies (and us) in some aspects, while being inexplicably similar in others, was yet another thing that also felt very appropriate to both MLP and the Golden Age, as well as being a great opportunity to explore some interesting concepts.
and i loved the ending, which made the backstory of the species feel very much like an off-screen part of the canon lore.
The Cozy Glow Committee Award for Best AI Apocalypse: Harmony Terminated Us All by SparklingTwilight
I did not expect a Terminator crossover. If I had, I wouldn't have expected it to be so good. The premise of this story is ridiculous, yet it works. And then it went on to precurse g5. The audacity! Really. This story works far better than it has any right to. Suspend disbelief, readers, and enjoy Cozy Glow's wild ride.
Cozy Glow as a Terminator robot, leading Twilight's Equestria down a technologically advanced, yet ominous path, all under the pursuit of Harmony and Friendship. what is not to love?
Cozy Glow is less Cozy Glow here than an incarnation of the idea of Cozy Glow: a being that can simulate innocence and learning about friendship, but does not quite understand it like most ponies do. the relationship between Twilight and Cozy Glow is fascinating for the contrasts it paints, as the timeline of the story stretches on into a future of everycreature Twilight knows and loves dying off one by one. yet Cozy Glow remains, unchanging, as Twilight ages into a constant sense of exhaustion and loss. and given Twilight's Equestria reaping the benefits of the Friendship and Harmony she founded it on from the very beginning of the story, it makes all too much sense for Twilight to exist in a state of pure reaction to Cozy Glow's introduction of electronics and technology into the world of Equestria, for ends always appearing to be good.
bridging the gap between the happy, hopeful, and multi-species Equestria of Twilight's reign to the isolated, fearful, and empty world of G5 is, perhaps, something that only a premise as audacious and unexpected as that of Harmony Terminated Us All could pull off. the offbeat prose, the dense layers of canon references, and the side stories mentioned in passing really give this fic the proper feel of the sense of deep time that one should feel contemplating how the world of G4 must seem to the denizens of G5. i really enjoyed this, and hope you do as well!
The SciTwi Committee Award for What Could Go Wrong If I Push This: The Once and Future Elements by WaywardSon
Friendship will always be a struggle, so the gang returns in the far future to help with a friendship problem, and the protagonist learns what is truly necessary to accomplish their goals. I love the strong themes and characters this story pulls in from the show.
Wayward Son’s story has modern-day ponies trying to bring back the long-dead legends of the past. Eight thousand years have passed but ponies have not forgotten Twilight and her friends. The implications that this isn't even the first time they have tried is deliciously sinister.
The main characters are OCs, but this doesn’t detract from the story at all. The characters are interesting and have a lot of depth to them. Sunburst and starlight appear as holo-projected advisors and are very true to life, delivering cautions and friendship lessons just as the originals would. The Once and Future Elements was a very fun read and I would definitely like to see more from the author using the setting.
--Shaslan
The Daring Do Committee Award for Best Prose: Starlight at the Edge of the Cliff by FoolAmongTheStars
This is one of those fics that just grabbed me, not with an original concept or a clever opening, but with raw prose. The little robot’s urgency and defiance, the main character’s tentative swearing, the way things are shown and never told, the flow of the piece… it’s very well crafted from a technical standpoint and that goes a long way for me. I wouldn’t call it a brilliant story. It needs to be longer and have a poignant resolution that takes advantage of the tone the author cultivated so well. But I’m happy to award it for its proficiency in delivering prose that made me sit up and pay attention, and Flurry (even though I might have named her something different) was just excellent as a companion for Sunburst.
--Syke Jr
The best aspect of this story is the setting. A below-ground bunker with a strong focus on maximising productivity, where the individual is reduced to a cog in a machine and instructed every minute of every day by a personal robot. There were some excellent setting details — like the plastic clouds and the fake weather displayed in the ‘sky’ — that I really enjoyed. The author’s use of descriptive imagery was also great — the phrase of ponies being like “meaty clockwork” will stick with me. Sunburst makes the perfect protagonist for a setting like this. He is just as confused and bewildered as his canon self but now it's dialled up to eleven because he has had a little robot telling him exactly what to do and when to do it all his life. Flurry is a very interesting character and you can't put a finger on what she wants or what she's doing — which is the whole point. AI are inscrutable, and we can never really understand their motivations with our sad fleshy brains.
--Shaslan
The Ivory Cedar Committee Award for G5 Is Cool I Guess: The Once and Future Nuisance by FanOfMostEverything
Another g5 precursor. The interaction between Sunny and Sugar is great. Nice world building for g5. Everything clicked into place with the reveal at the end, and I love it. Given the propensity for tribal conflict amongst the ponies, whoever planned the project Sunny and Sugar find themselves in has a knack for wishful thinking. I love the alicorn's sass at the end, which hangs a lampshade on this optimism. And it's not just the conversations that are great. The whole concept is lovely, and the trickle of information leading up to the reveal really cements that.
I admit that I’ve read very few G5 fics so far, but this story made me reconsider. I’m reminded of the early days of the fandom, where every fic was a headcanon that would only last until the show’s next season, or even next episode. And on top of that, this fic is really nice. Sunny feels well-realised, and the crystal pony angle is one I didn’t expect, even with all the nice subtle foreshadowing. The ending also felt both appropriately humorous and quite believable. I hope FOME continues to write G5 fics, because this one made me smile.
--Syke Jr
The Starlight Glimmer Committee Award for Most Disquieting AU: Echoes of Loyalty by Silent Whisper
Echoes of Loyalty is masterfully written. The setting is brilliant, the world well thought out and richly detailed. Not all the questions raised are answered, but they don't have to be - the focus here is on the characters and the terrible things they are forced to do by the world they live in. The Elements of Justice are not the same as the Elements of Harmony we know and love.
The mane 6 are still clearly recognisable, but each is subtly altered by the cruel realities of the world they live in. The way each character is seeking to drown their misery in something different is particularly striking. Rainbow Dash and the limits of even her loyalty are wonderfully explored.
This was a story that really got to me, and I hugely recommend a read.
--Shaslan
Echoes of Loyalty sold me on its setting right away: a world where ponies have modified themselves and their society for a permanent life in the skies, living and working and growing their food all in and around their spindly towers. it's just another day in the life of Rainbow Dash, trying to enjoy her time before a job she hates, with the cheerful voice of an AI Twilight Sparkle in her ear, being helpful and empathetic and kind and familiar.
but the unspecified nature of her job, and a few offhand comments hint that there is something more sinister going on in this world. as she interacts with her friends and would-be friends, it's clear that they do not quite feel like the characters we expect, and the sense of dread grows. just as what the nature of Rainbow Dash's job is and what it says about this Society comes into clear focus, the ending scene and climax is reached, which fully uses the emotional weight of the familiar parts of the characters' relationships to be all the more heartbreaking for what they mean in this context.
i loved the story's pacing and structure, introducing its world naturally and showing just enough of Rainbow Dash's life to get invested without dragging at all along the way to its earned climax. i loved the characters, particularly the ever-pleasant and helpful Twilight, which itself gains a new meaning by the story's end. i loved the world, with the touch of whimsy in its premise making it feel so very MLP. i just loved it!
The Octavia Melody Committee Award for Best Atmosphere: Omelet by GaPJaxie
This was, for me, the only piece in the contest with which I cannot really find fault. Well, almost. The problem is that it’s not really a story. It’s a masterfully crafted slice of life scene, but there isn’t enough narrative here to constitute a meaningful arc. It reads to me as part of something bigger. Maybe the second chapter of a three-chapter story. Something like that. But with that out of the way, I have to say that it’s technically flawless. The piece is all about atmosphere. Starlight is the focus, but everything around her is what shines. There’s detail, nuance, everything in its place and nothing there for no reason. I could feel that little world turning. I could see the melancholy conclusion the story was meandering towards. I would love to see it one day, but even if I don’t? This works, and works wonderfully.
--Syke Jr
Omelet is a stunningly written piece of prose. A good concept that is brilliantly executed. Star Burst and Starlight are strong characters that are both uniquely tragic in different ways. While Starlight is a mare clinging to the past and hoping to reclaim some of what she has lost, Star Burst is a foal reared in the ruins of a world long dead, unable to truly grasp what is lost to him. The real villain in this piece is time, stealing a little more of the world that was with every passing year.
Omelet is a story that stands well alone but could well be the start of a long and glorious AU book. I would definitely read more if it were written!
--Shaslan
Fourth Place: Refraction's Edge by Cold in Gardez
The first reveal took me by surprise, and I loved it. This story carefully crafts a world and fills it with character. I only wish the end had been expanded to give me more time to get to know the characters.
I’m going to say it outright: I think this would have won if the last chapter had been the same length as the others. The lack of a real resolution really, really hurt this fic. The prose is marvellous, the characterisation perfectly on point, canon and OC characters used to their fullest potential, excellent pacing up until the end… I was really, really into this fic. I wanted to give it first place. The technical proficiency and absolutely wonderful twist in the middle, along with the rock-solid characters, went a really long way for me. It just needed another 2k words at the end. My favourite fic in the contest, even with the complaints about the ending.
--Syke Jr
Reading Refraction’s Edge is like reading a sci-fi novel from before the millennium, when authors like Arthur C Clarke were creating these crazy, high-concept planets and populating them with unfortunate explorers. Refraction’s Edge has every bit the scientific believability and fascinating concept that those classic scifi stories have. The difference is that while the classic characters often fall flat or devolve into one-dimensional author self-inserts who are fawned over by all manner of attractive aliens, Zenith is a fully-realised character with flaws, fixations, and a goal that she cannot leave alone.
The conversations that she has with the ships AI and the different faces the AI wears add a brilliant twist to the story, and allows Zenith’s character to shine when reflected against the different lenses of the mane 6.
The word limit did wound it a little — it ends quite suddenly — but if the author were to go back and finish it off more fully I would devour any new chapters they wrote.--Shaslan
Refraction's Edge reminded me a lot of Blindsight, one of my favorite sci-fi novels of all time, and the comparison did not disappoint. i loved it from the beginning for its hard sci-fi setting, starting with Zenith recovering from the years-long hibernation needed to journey between the stars. and the story intrigues right away with its mystery plot of just what happened to her sister Nadir years ago on this alien planet so far from home.
i loved the contradiction between the loneliness of Zenith being the only pony to crew her vessel, and the familiar, comforting, and perfectly rendered personalities of the Mane Six that the ship's AI speaks to her through. i loved how the double consciousness of not knowing if their personalities are meaningfully "real", while also interacting with them as if they were, was a constant theme throughout the fic. i loved how strong and vivid Zenith’s character was, with a fanatical devotion to her goal.
the atmosphere and prose were expertly crafted, feeding a large amount of exposition and details without feeling unnatural or slow. the process of deducing the mystery of the planet felt well-earned, and the answer to that mystery was both very intriguing and thematically resonant with both the twist in the story and its resolution.
and the twist! i was delightfully blindsided by it, and it did well in ramping up the tension and pace of the plot on its way to its climax and unexpected end. the ending was certainly very sudden, but i was more than satisfied by it, seeing it as bringing the reader along Zenith's own emotional arc and its sudden crash into meaninglessness. that bit of meta-structure definitely raised my view of this fic more than anything, and with that perspective in mind, i cannot recommend it enough.
Third Place: The Button by Golden Tassel
I took psychic damage from this story. Another alternative universe, it took the show cast to a world of absurdity. By leaving so much ambiguous and vague--even the nihilism--I could see many parts of my life reflected in the setting: the despair of make-work, the inanity of homework, the bureaucracy of the healthcare system, and so on. The absurdity of this story will haunt my thoughts for some time.
A very nice little allegory that’s delivered well by a surreal setting and a simple, direct narrative. I think most of the characters could have been deeper but Twilight was handled very well and I definitely wanted to learn more about this world and see the concept in a larger story. As it is, the allegory is apt and the horror aspect handled well. The atmosphere carries the character interactions and there’s no filler here-- everything is there for a reason. Nice little fic!
--Syke Jr
In the Facility there are ponies. The ponies are sheltered by the Facility, nurtured by it. They are also part of it, as much as any of the levers or buttons or metal corridors.
The Button was a remarkably chilling piece of writing delivered through a very strong concept. What is free will? How far will people (or ponies) go when they are instructed to do so? What are the limits of obedience?
This was perhaps the contest’s strongest concept, in my view. A brilliant piece of conceptual horror. The ponies are pushing buttons and working ceaselessly, but they do not know or understand why — and most of them don’t care that they don’t know.
The characterisation of the mane 6 is very good; everyone is portrayed as themselves — but themselves in a limited and altered form, pushed down into boxes by the complacent universe of the Facility.
--Shaslan
short, sparse, experimental, and absurdist, The Button’s strength is in leaning into these qualities to deliver a work to truly meditate on. each of its characters lives an alienated life of following anonymous instructions in empty rooms for unexplained ends. each is presented with a lightning flash of the unsettling unknown: a system error that cannot be resolved, a change in which floor of the elevator to get off at, or just the endless stream of instructions stopping entirely. in the face of this change, they must make decisions for what is clearly the first time in a long time, asking themselves questions, reaching out to each other…
in a standard sci-fi dystopia story, these would be the inciting incidents of larger journeys of discovery and growth. but this is not a standard story. frustratingly, agonizingly, these opportunities are not given their realization, and the story finishes on a pensive note with a delicious ambiguity that is only matched by the curse of existence itself. and as a pretentious weirdo, i absolutely loved that.
First Place (tie): The Architect's Wings by mushroompone
The Architects Wings shows a window into alternative worlds of pony. The world building--both kinds--was fantastic, and equestrian magic was central to the tale. Magic as science is a strong theme in the show, and I love to see it incorporated into many of these stories.
The character moments! The subtle prose! The drama! A masterfully woven narrative with a satisfying resolution and excellently handled tension. To list the issues I had quickly: slight lack of character nuance, strange lack of supporting characters that would have fleshed out the world nicely, and a bit of a plot leap near the end that I didn’t quite buy (Rarity’s newfound ability needed to be more heavily foreshadowed and earned). Generally, though, it just works. Rarity and Twilight have excellently mirrored character arcs and that’s a trope I never get tired of. All in all, when I look back on this fic, there is a lot I would change, but then I go back and read it and I’m hooked all over again. And I don’t even like RariTwi. So, clearly Mushroom is doing something right. The technical proficiency in narrative crafting and character tension outshine the problems and I very much enjoyed reading this wonderful little story.
--Syke Jr
The Architect’s Wings was a very interesting read. Rarity wanders alone in a barely-populated city, adrift on the edges of a barely-populated galaxy. She wishes to be an Architect, to ascend to alicornhood and alter the fabric of the cosmos to carve out ponykind’s new homes. She just needs to design a few planets first.
The setting and the concept were both very well written, but both took a backseat to the characters and their hidden pain. A lovely example of slow-burn Raritwi, cast against a sparkling backdrop of empty planets and distant stars.
--Shaslan
The Architect's Wings is an incredible fic, just everything i could ask for a science fiction story set in the world of MLP. ponykind has reached the stars, and has begun terraforming planets and colonizing them, but in these early days the frontier is empty and the possibilities vast. through its atmosphere and characters, i could really feel the spirit of this age, where all old things are to be thrown away so as to not miss the opportunity to be a pioneer, and to shape the future to come.
this spirit is present in both Rarity and Twilight, as they reunite in order for the more experienced and unexpectedly alicorned Twilight to help Rarity through her first terraform. aesthete and scientist, their eyes are the perfect ones to learn about the worldbuilding through, along with the rich descriptions of the story's prose.
and what worldbuilding! the specific feel of Equestria, a land where the changing seasons and setting sun are under the deliberate control of ponykind, is perfectly extended into a beautifully rendered alternate cosmology that has just the right mix of absurdity and wonder. from the way planet-moving magic feels to the details of the terraforming process, all of it was just a delight to consume, and i can't recommend the story enough for those aspects alone.
but that's not even getting into the RariTwi romance that is at the heart of the story! all of the character interactions felt lived-in and wonderful, but there is something magical about the levels of stubbornness and mercuriality an ambiguous RariTwi can reach. and the ending just felt perfect and heartbreaking. a love that is stretched—but not broken—by the fact that its two souls live their lives at different timescales—is there anything more beautifully RariTwi than that?
First Place (tie): Ebonheart by Raugos
This story is a mood. The characters and situation were relatable in ways I'm not comfortable describing.
With excellent prose and a strong hook, Ebonheart drew me in, and had a firm grasp on my attention by the time it revealed the information it had been teasing. Props for centering details from the works of My Little Pony. While not essential, they were prominent. That sets many of these stories apart from stories that may as well be original fiction.
I really loved the concept of this fic. The Firefly-esque interstellar colonisation setting, the nicely conceptualised characters, the masterstroke of a conflict that really took advantage of the sci-fi themes… I was hooked, and this was one of my favourites in the contest from the start. I do feel the prose was… safe. Not that there’s anything wrong with that! I also would have liked to see a more fleshed-out resolution. Really nice fic that I enjoyed, and the idea of the main character’s struggle had me utterly hooked. So, all in all, deserving of its place on the podium.
--Syke Jr
"Ebonheart is a story that has a wonderful high space age setting, but that is almost inconsequential compared to the depth and personality shown by the characters. And the relationships between these characters, the way they interact and feel, is undoubtedly the focus of the story.
All three main characters are excellently portrayed with distinct and believable voices. Conflict and romance are explored, and the identity crisis of the two characters who share a body is the axis on which the story turns. Choosing to have the narrator be an external character was an interesting decision, not the obvious one - but one that definitely added to the story’s impact overall, as the reader doesn’t quite know who to believe until the story is well underway.
The concept was brilliant and unique, and I haven’t read any idea like it before. It stuck with me long after I’d finished reading and I would definitely read it again. "
--Shaslan
Ebonheart begins in medias res, in the aftermath of a freighter's crash-landing on a backwater planet, with details of the incident only vaguely hinted at. between that, the all-OC cast, and original setting, it is a showcase of the strength of Ebonheart's prose and characters that it was so very easy to get invested in the story from the beginning, without feeling lost in its background.
i loved the non-linearity of the story, revealing the shared pasts of its main characters through flashbacks, and filling out and anchoring their personalities as more information is revealed. i loved the vividness of its characters, Ebony Dew's uniqueness in particular, who really feel like the colorful personnages one expects to find in this story's space opera frontier milieu. and i loved the heart of its concept, the changeling heart that was described in its shortdesc, as it is revealed to raise questions about the meaning of identity and self while still feeling very true to a setting based on the canon of MLP.
Ebonheart is a great work of character-driven space opera, ending with its concept neatly wrapped up and looking out into an open future of excitement and adventure with friends by your side. that feeling was great to experience, and i hope you feel it too.
And there we are! Thank you so much to everyone who entered, especially for all of your patience! All prize winners will be contacted by PM in the next few days to disburse their winnings.
In the meantime, here are some other contests hosted by me you can enter:
- The Crackship Contest, ending on 2022 Mar 17.
- The Maud Contest, ending 2022 Mar 31.
See you all next time!
Some great works all around. Glad so many were inspired to write them!
Is the card for The Button missing? I'm not seeing it or a link.
Anyway, glad it sounds like the contest went well! :D
...And now I've got yet more stories to put on a reading list... Well. Better than having too little to read, eh? :)
5640078
me too! it really was a privilege and an honor to read them
5640271
ah, i fixed it in the group post, so i hope that's the one most people saw
and yeah, you have a lot of great stories ahead of you!
5640746
Ah, good. And it was still pretty easy to find without the link, too.
Aye, I expect so; thanks. :)