All right, off we go! Our community had an online convention the other day, so why don't we have an online writing contest? I know, it's a crazy idea. But it might just work! Given the state of the world just now, I suspect some of us could do with a bit of fun ponying, so here it is! For newcomers and anyone who'd like a reminder...

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. I can't think of anything even mildly funny to put here, so please add your own joke in your head. There. Wasn't that great? Now, on to the details:

Prompt: "So Long and Goodnight" (selected by last month's winner, The Red Parade)
Rating: E or T
Word limit: 150
Closing date: Tuesday 21st April 2020, 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!

7186420

The last silk scarf in the string was wrapped around the stem of a rose. Jack Pot winked, finishing his slight-of-hoof by passing the flower over. "For the most beautiful filly in Equestira."

Trixie clapped her hooves with joy.

With the final good-night magic trick done, Jack Pot pulled the blanket up and finished tucking Trixie into bed. "Now remember, Daddy is going off on tour. He's not going to see his best assistant for a while, so what do you say?"

"Break a leg!" Trixie beamed, her smile missing a tooth.

"Atta girl," he said with a smile right back. Leaning close, Jack Pot kissed his daughter's forehead before shutting off the light and heading out of the room.

At the door, he paused and looked back. "I love you, Trixie."

"Love you too daddy."

Then he closed the door and Trixie never saw him again.

7186420

Far on a distant shore a Tempest roared.

And the audience roared with her.

“...and that was the point I whispered into Princess Twilights ear, “My ship is prepared!””

The crowd collapsed into howls of laughter and applause.

Except for two.

Luna fidgeted, her expression alternating between amusement and sisterly concern. “Tempest Shadow doing stand up comedy. Who knew.”

“Wasn’t funny!” A stony faced Celestia snapped. “Very rude to Twilight.”

“I believe it was Twilight’s recommendation that got her the gig here and that was a rather good impression of….”

“No it wasn’t!”

“….you, particularly the part about getting you stoned and the sketch on the Queen of the Hippos was hysterical.”

“Didn’t see you laughing.”

“Having met Her majesty, it was a little to close to reality.”

On the stage Tempest grinned and bowed to the Silver Shores residents. “Thank you mares and gentle-colts. So long and good night!”

7186420
I'm gonna be honest, I was seriously planing to skip this month. I was more intent on finishing a story by the 10^th because I had faith that I would be in the features section on the front page.

It tied in with 'FF7 Remake' coming out that day and it was also my 7^th anniversary since starting an account here on FIMfiction, but I guess I needed another 7 because it didn't get me front page.

So I made something else to be disappointed about...

You are so special, my little girl.

One that's more priceless than diamonds and pearls.

Oh you are so smart.

My lovely sweet tart.

I'll love you forever, my Heart.

Your mother will quell.

Your father repels.

Stopping those that would cause harm to our belle.

Our own work of art.

The top of our charts.

I'll love you forever, my Heart.

As you learn and as you grow.

The next thing that you'll know.

A Princess you'll be.

Just wait and you'll see.

My dear sweet pony.

But as for right now, the day is now done.

Tomorrow we'll wake and then have lots more fun.

Just like from the start.

You will always be part.

I'll love you forever, my Heart.

7186420
Top song, that. Love the 80s themed mashup version that was floating around a year or two back too.

Here is my submiiiiiision!

Maybe I'll Catch Fire

---

"I believe one more will kill you."

That got Spitfire's attention. Octavia watched the mare sitting opposite blink, stare at her mug, and then blink again.

"You think?"

Octavia politely blunted her sigh. She was trying, but this was always so hard.

Spitfire shrugged and chugged the cider down. "Eh, a good captain goes down with her ship. Uh, mug."

"You're a muse to us all." Octavia stared at the clock, mostly to distract herself. "I believe we'll be evicted shortly. Besides, I do have a recital tomorrow."

Spitfire mumbled something.

"You know the routine. Just put it—her—out of your mind. Get some sleep."

"I can't! I live hard and I love hard. That's just how the 'Fire rolls."

"Good grief." Octavia inhaled. "Diminuendo, dear. You'll make up, just like always..."

"Heh. Thanks, 'Tavia, for listening. You're a good friend."

Octavia pretended she hadn't heard.

Her heart wasn't so kind.

Thank you to everyone who's entered so far! You have about two and a half days left if you wish to join their ranks.

7186420

Hallo and good day! After a long absence, I finally got some of my fighting spirit again, so guess who's back to give this another go?

Or maybe not "fighting", per se.

Flitter’s oldest memory: her parents, tucking her in.

She’d been a baby. Big sister Cloudchaser hadn’t. Anything else had happened far away, and then she’d been living with Cloudy.

So Flitter pestered her. Their parents had “D-worded”, as Cloudy grimly put it, but how? Falling in battle?

Cloudy, whose mane was so cool, writhed wounded. Flitter, with her prissy bow, grinned with bloodlust.

A battle, Cloudy reluctantly said. Sorta.

Fighting some ancient enemy!? Evil armies!? Rebels against Celestia!?

No.

Yet every time “fighting” was mentioned, Cloudy cringed. Flitter spotted it. Aha! So what had they been fighting?

Eventually, Cloudy muttered, “Each other.”

Monsterizing curses! Despair! Heroic sacrifices! How tragic! Flitter's imagination gasped in awe.

---

Later, young Flitter figured out why Cloudy shuddered whenever married ponies argued; Cloudchaser fought her own memories.

“D-worded”.

Flitter never mentioned parents again. Suddenly, fighting wasn’t cool anymore.

But Flitter’s warmest memory: Cloudy, tucking her in.

7186420

Here's a quick one. I know it isn't exactly cannon, so I hope this counts.

Twilight sighed as she trudged through the door to her daughter’s room for what felt like the thousandth time that night, wriggling draconequus held in her magic.

“Eris, for the last time, go to sleep.”

“But I don’t wanna!”

“What about a story? Will you go to bed if I tell you a story?”

“What’s this I hear about a story?” Discord popped his head in through the open door, then his body followed suit, speeding through the hallways until it connected with his floating head with a snap. “Are you promising our daughter stories without me? Twilight, I thought you were better than this.” She rolled her eyes.

“Get over here, you big goofball.”

---

Twilight eased the door shut quietly, then stopped and looked back. Discord was curled around Eris like a cat, the smaller draconequus tucked against the curve of Discord’s belly.

“Goodnight, my favorite troublemakers."

Thank you once again to our fine entrants! You have about thirteen and a half hours left if you wish to join them this month.

7186420

And here is my entry. Late again, as I worked hard on getting "My Little Pony: Guardians of Crystal Growth (Season 1)" ready for its release and also because I struggled with finding an idea for a long time, but I'm at least earlier than in March. This time even with a title!

Let it fall, let it fall.

The yellow filly, sitting on the roof of her house, looked at the sky. It wasn't the real sky, but that didn't matter. The stars and the sun weren't real, either, just glowing machines constructed by Sombra Corporation. Which also didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore. Because the stars, the sun and the sky, they all came falling down on them.
And maybe that was for the best. They were poor, starving throughout the year and freezing in Winter. There was no perspective, nor hope. She did not mourn her fate.
"Let it fall, let it fall, we are small, so let it fall," the filly sang quietly.
And in the last few seconds, as the plate was close to end the pain, she looked at the crying ponies below her. Their faces were so different than hers.
Her heart stung only for a moment. "So Long and Goodnight, Sector 7."

.
.
This is planned to be written as a full ponification at some point, based on a small idea I was inspired to a few years ago, but it fits well here and it's the only idea I got for the prompt.

7186420
Why not?

Unspoken

Octavia’s jaw slackens when she spots Vinyl Scratch in the front row. She feels faint.

The question she’s asked every day for months leaps into her dry mouth. But she can’t say it, because she’s still on stage and the orchestra is taking a bow.

Vinyl looks back at her, a tremulous smile pulling at the corners of her muzzle.

Where have you been?

Barely expecting an answer, Octavia mouths it, a silent plea that goes unnoticed by everypony else.

Vinyl’s smile fades. She shrugs and shakes her head, as if she hadn’t understood.

Octavia doesn’t believe her. Because Vinyl Scratch is superb at reading lips. Because Octavia learned about non-verbal communication from Vinyl herself.

She learned that it isn’t enough.

Octavia snaps her mouth shut and shakes her own head sharply. The curtain comes down with a finality that Vinyl’s absence had somehow lacked, and she blinks away tears.

7200172

Welcome back! So to speak.

Figured I might as well scratch my name on the wall. It's nothing special, but I hope y'all enjoy it. That being said, feel free to rip it to pieces if you want.
:)

As the world outside the cave grew darker still, five generations of dragons, plus one alicorn, solemnly huddled around the purple-scaled behemoth in the center. He didn't have much time remaining.

The recumbent dragon gazed at the lavender-coated alicorn before him, and, in an disconcertingly hushed voice for such a gargantuan creature, whispered to her and her alone.

"...Guess this is it, huh?"

"I guess so," the alicorn replied.

"...How much do you wanna bet Pinkie's planned a 'dragon-sized' welcome party for me?"

In spite of herself, the alicorn chuckled. "I think that's pretty much a given, Spike."

There was a brief silence.

Then, Spike took on a far more concerned tone. "Twilight, I'm sorry I can't—"

"Spike, don't worry," Twilight reassured her longtime friend. "You can go. I... I'll be alright. I promise."

"...Y-You sure?"

She nodded. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

7188316 7191714 7193265 7193287 7198414 7198750 7200120 7200172 7200330

All right, everyone: your time is up! Nine entries this month, which is pleasing. Very good to see both new and returning authors here, too. As always, I'll take a few days mulling over my decision, but you know what happens now, don't you? Got it in one.

Feedback is open!

Ooh, 9, huh? Did not see that coming a day ago. All you cool kids dancing with deadlines! *shakes fist like the old man that I am*

Quick-fire thoughts, because this is a nice ten minute break from being an amateur teacher. I wish schools would reopen already.

7188316
Ah, I liked this one a lot, and it feels like a believable origin/childhood scene for the former great and powerful assistant. Thanks for writing!

7191714
Goodness me if this concept/set-up isn't gold. Definitely something that would benefit from a little more room to grow, but there is still a lot to enjoy here. Thanks for writing!

7193265
Something a little different, eh? I can feel the meaning beneath the words, so that was conveyed nicely! A couple of rhymes felt a little jarring, but nothing that detracted from my enjoyment. Thanks for writing!

7193287
If I'm honest, I think I've lost the prompt along the way here; again, I have probably unconsciously road-tested a longer story idea by mistake, haha. I'm happy with the dialogue though.

7198414
Bursting at the seams, this! I enjoyed it, though. It felt real as a micro-study of significant life events; and enough of it mirrored my wife's childhood that it hit me with some genuine feels. Thanks for writing!

7198750
Huh, is this, like, a thing? Well I never. I wonder how much I've really been aware of the fandom at times, heh. Cute scene, though; I bet Discord is way better at telling bedtime stories than Twilight, though! Thanks for writing!

7200120
Hmm... This seems familiar somehow... I wonder why. Pretty evocative scene though, this, and the line about the sun/stars/sky falling is my favourite one of the round. Thanks for writing!

7200172
Really well-sculpted characters given the absence of dialogue and the limitations of the word-count. I enjoyed this one, too. Thanks for writing!

7200330
You pack a lot in here, more power to you for that. I think the initial "doesn't have much time" reference works against the piece though, if I'm honest; the rest of the entry almost has a delicious bait-and-switch about it, which is kinda given away by that earlier line. Still a lot to enjoy about how this is written, however. Thanks for writing!

Goodness, there was some good stuff this month. Don't envy our esteemed judge. Again.

7200281
I saw your signal boost for the group and came for a gander and realised I had something lying about that could fit with a slight amount of tweaking. It still doesn't count 'cause I wrote 80% of it three million years ago :p It's probably a blip on the radar, but a bit of fun, thanks!

7188316
Cute, sad, oof, the feels... poor Trixie... wonder why she doesn't see him again. Nice kernel of possible Trixie backstory that makes a lot of sense! Thanks for sharing!

7191714
“Having met Her majesty, it was a little to close to reality.” That's a great line :D Love the image of Luna fidgeting while Celestia sits there fuming, brings a smile to my face. I would probably have said Hippogriffs rather than Hippos 'cause I got lost there, but I only watched the film once several years ago so arguably I'm the fool here! Thanks for sharing.

7193265
7 years on fimfic--Congrats! Nothing to be disappointed about as long as you're having fun. :) Writing poetry is hard, and this is good, especially managing to get across who the lullaby is being sung to without any scene-setting around the piece. Thanks for sharing!

7193287
Fantastic characterisation through dialogue. Poor Octavia. But who doesn't enjoy a bit of pining! Thanks for sharing.

7198414
I'm so impressed by how much lifetime there is in just 150 words. Really feel for Cloudy. Pieces about sisters are great, thanks for sharing!

7198750
This is cute! Any daughter of Discord's would be a daddy's girl :) Thanks for sharing!

7200120
Interesting piece of pony sci-fi! There's a lot of scope in this idea: if you want to expand it, definitely go for it! Thanks for sharing it with us.

7200172
Your obsession with the present tense continues unabated, huh? :)

7200330
Excuse me while I go and feel wistful in a corner. Thanks for sharing!

Nice stories, folks!

In the name of constructive criticism and the mutually supportive principles of fairness and honesty, I'm going to be the grumpy git who hates children, Christmas, and little orphan kittens in a box with an endearingly misspelled sign saying "pweas adop mi" on the side*. In the name of not getting mobbed for it, I'll try to keep to a clear reason for being so mean.

* Damn lazy kittens. Get a job already!

7188316

I can sum up my response to this one as: "It's a fine cute scene, but it's not a full story." That's not a bad thing, really! A scene can be well-executed in its own right, and for the most part, this one is (I'd check your spelling, though). But without the full anatomy of a story structure, this admittedly felt a bit weak to me. Like admiring a well-constructed skull, but wondering where the rest of the skeleton is.

There are some genuinely nice touches here. The "goodnight magic trick" and the "Break a leg!" line both weave Trixie and Jack Pot's thespian background into a heartwarming action to make the scene less a generic bit of cuteness and more something unique to the characters. That gives it a personal touch that makes the scene stand out; imagine, by way of contrast, if it had just been a bedtime story and a "Good night!" instead. I think we can agree that would've been bland and uninspired as hell. And the reason for the disappearance of Daddy here I assume is meant to be a mystery in itself, so I'll give it a pass.

My biggest problem comes when we move from "Aw, that was cute" to "So what was that about?" In general terms, a story usually documents an event or series of events and the effect that has on someone. That's because people reading stories usually latch on to what characters do. They're interested in their lives and how they respond to setbacks.

Think of a story as a sort of thought experiment teaching the audience how to (or how not to) deal with a situation (note that it doesn't have to be spelled out at the end with a "Dear Princess Celestia"; it's fine if it's shown in the story itself, giving a demonstration).

In the present context, Trixie's Dad having a last moment with his daughter before he leaves forever is the event that should generate this interesting response, so you obviously see the potential for conflict in it. You even show how loving they are, all the better and harsher when things take a turn for the worse. In some respects, storytelling is an act of creative torment, sometimes mild, sometimes severe.

But since there's no actual response from the characters and it just ends there, the story feels like a concept that was never fully executed. Imagine a joke with all set-up and no punchline, and hopefully you'll appreciate how I felt reading it.

For instance, suppose you trimmed the scene down** to make room and then included a second one showing, say, Jack Pot's feelings or actions or justifications for not returning. Show him responding to the event, even if he was the one who started it.

** And yes, I know from experience this is annoyingly hard to do, but thinking bare-bones (what does the audience really need to know?) and only allowing those unique flourishes like "Break a leg!" helps a lot. For instance, I'd chop out the first sentence of your story. Not only is it clear in following sentences what's going on, and not only are the mechanics or components of the trick not the point of (or important in and of themselves to) the story, but it means we get to the characters faster: "Jack Pot winked, finishing his slight-of-hoof by passing the flower over. 'For the most beautiful filly in Equestira.' " Stuff like that cuts the fat and leaves pure, lean muscle, to draw back and then punch the reader with.

Or, since Jack Pot's side is meant to remain a mystery, Trixie's own response to his absence, I think it would have been to the story's benefit and would have given us something we could call a payoff to the (admittedly still well-done) scene.

Better still if the response is also unique to the characters, just like you did with the "sleight-of-hoof" aspect being more interesting than a generic bedtime story. Maybe Trixie grew up resentful of her father and used tricks to surpass him (leading to her bloated pride). Or maybe she tries to block out her emotions and they manifest as an inhumanly large interest in his line of work (leading to her taking her craft way too personally). Or maybe she even uses audience awe and respect as a way to distance herself from other ponies in an effort to avoid feeling abandoned again (leading to her theatrical, superior personality).

It doesn't have to be a full biography, of course, not for such a short tale. Another scene would suffice, with her maybe showing her "start of darkness" or taking the first steps on this path, just to give a taste of future development. For instance, have a scene with her mother tucking her in***, but Trixie's busy copying her father's trick and - when her mother ignores it or doesn't appreciate it enough - rudely tells her to get out. Or if you want to be more explicit, maybe delve into her mother's thoughts as she watches her daughter, commenting explicitly on how the child's becoming distant, cold, and haughty.

*** This is a bonus because having another "parent tucking in child" scene also mirrors the first scene. Mirroring is a very good trick in narrative circles, because one of the things an audience is constantly doing is comparing one thing in your story with another. Making that more explicit will also make it clearer which details are more important to focus on, by making them contrast with what was shown before. In this case, contrasting the father's happier bedtime with the mother's unhappier one.

So long as the first scene shows a cause and the second scene shows an effect, audiences will charitably connect the two, because they expect the two scenes to be more significant than a coincidence (so in a sense, your job's half-done! You just have to point your audience's minds in the right directions and let them walk the rest of the way).

But that's conditional on you having a direction to point them to. Without it, they might admire the craftsmanship of your sign, but they won't be able to get anywhere with it.

7200834

OK... I'm going to leave this up because it might still be useful. Also, I don't want to consign an hour's work to the bin, to be frank.

But since it's clearly excessive, I'm going to be upfront: I got carried away writing this, I've gotten carried away writing reviews before, and I'll probably get carried away if I try it again, and getting carried away, unfortunately, eats a lot of time. Which is sadly why I don't think I'm really in the headspace to write an essay another eight times.

Just want to stress I meant nothing personal to TCC56, the author, for singling them out; they were just first in the queue when I started doing this.

I might come back later and try some shorter attempts, but no guarantees. That's how it stands at the moment.

7200872

Just want to stress I meant nothing personal to TCC56, the author, for singling them out; they were just first in the queue when I started doing this.

No offense is taken and feedback is always valuable. (Though I will admit I've been sitting here going "What's a polite way to respond to a 1000 word critique of a 150 word piece?" I suppose when in doubt the answer is to say thank you!) I'm actually of a fairly similar mind of it and agree with most of your critique - it's another one where it really needs double/triple the wordcount to get some flesh on it.

7200875

You're welcome. Part of my second thoughts was that I wasn't sure in hindsight how you'd take it, but if you don't mind, then I'll definitely leave it.

it's another one where it really needs double/triple the wordcount to get some flesh on it.

Aw man, I know the feeling. You thinking of expanding it? Could rival my critique in length, if you like.

7200877

Aw man, I know the feeling. You thinking of expanding it? Could rival my critique in length, if you like.

We'll have to see! I try to keep all my 150 entries on the backburner for possible expansion. Why waste a good seed?

7200805

Goodness, there was some good stuff this month. Don't envy our esteemed judge. Again.

I regret to inform you that our esteemed judge has other pressing commitments, so you're getting me.

I'm having to think really hard about this month's collection, so I might take a couple of days longer than usual. If I haven't posted my decision by Monday, someone yell at me.

7200875

"What's a polite way to respond to a 1000 word critique of a 150 word piece?"

Write a 7000-word rebuttal to the critique :D

7201524
I yell at you most days. You just don't hear me because of lockdown/social distancing/etc.

That is a lot of responses! I wasn't even sure if this would be a good prompt lol! What a great round!

7188316 7191714 7193265 7193287 7198414 7198750 7200120 7200172 7200330

Okay, everyone, results time! By Celestia, but this one was hard. Two honourable mentions given the number of entries: the first for Somerset Cider, whose story really did make me laugh. (For Astrarian and anyone else wondering, a Hippo/Hippogriff mix-up is a minor movie plot point.) The second for paperhearts -- tremendous emotional impact and a truly intriguing pairing, though as you said yourself it's pushing the prompt somewhat.

My winner? As it happens, the returning Impossible Numbers -- some fascinating, believable and emotional backstory for those sometimes somewhat neglected characters. I loved it.

You've been here a few times before, Impossible Numbers, so you know how it goes. Please post your choice for May's prompt here. Congratulations!

Actually, congratulations to all of you. I loved reading these. Plus a special welcome to those who've either never been here before or haven't for a long time.

7203443

(For Astrarian and anyone else wondering, a Hippo/Hippogriff mix-up is a minor movie plot point.)

My lack of canon knowledge is showing eek

Congrats, Impossible Numbers!

7203443

If I may quote all the cool kids: "Like. A. Boss."

Ego trip aside, I am so gratified to have been rewarded the honour! It's nice to come back and score a goal. I missed these challenges.

Anyway, next prompt. I used to theme each prompt according to a Main Six character or Spike, so I might move on to the Cutie Mark Crusaders now. Pegasi have been on my mind lately, so we'll do one for Scootaloo. How about...

Also, because I checked the rules and noticed this was allowed, how about a little bonus challenge, just for fun?

Normal: Write whatever you want.
Easy: Don't write about Scootaloo.
Medium: Don't write about pegasi.
Hard: Don't write about any flying species whatsoever (e.g. alicorns, griffons, dragons, birds).

Of course this would be entirely optional and just for fun, not bonus points or anything. What do you think, Loganberry?

Also, on a side note for 7200805, 7200833, and 7203443: what did people think "D-worded" meant? I'm curious if I played it too coy.

7203851

Thanks!

7203886

what did people think "D-worded" meant?

Pretty sure I thought it meant divorced from the get-go, even though it should probably be read as dead the first time through. Maybe I did read dead the first time through? I can't remember...

7203886

I'm Flying Without Wings

Prompt accepted, and the bonus challenge too!

what did people think "D-worded" meant? I'm curious if I played it too coy.

I thought you judged it just right -- that was a factor in my decision. I suspected it meant divorced from the start, but there was just enough doubt in my mind.

Oooh, a bonus challenge! Excellent!

7203901
7203910

Excellent! Precisely what I was hoping for. Thanks for letting me know.

7203886

what did people think "D-worded" meant?

Dead.

7209112

Thought so.

7200805 7200833

Hmm... This seems familiar somehow... I wonder why.

There's a lot of scope in this idea: if you want to expand it, definitely go for it!

Thank you for the feedback! This flashfic is indeed planned to get expanded someday, after I have the idea that inspired it for more than three years already.^^

7193265

I was more intent on finishing a story by the 10th because I had faith that I would be in the features section on the front page.

It tied in with 'FF7 Remake' coming out that day

And now, after finally reading all the entries of April while catching up with everything, I can see that, in this very same month, I have decided to write a pony version of FF7 as a flashfic. It is amazing. Coincidences really do not exist.

7302049

This flashfic is indeed planned to get expanded someday, after I have the idea that inspired it for more than three years already.^^

It is amazing. Coincidences really do not exist.

That pretty much appears to be my life story from time to time.

What makes this even more ironic, is that the idea for my Final Fantasy crossover was considered shortly after the MLP movie came out to theaters in October 2017. It's not exactly three years, but the fact that sometime during that duration (around early 2019, I think), I wanted to open the story with a train cake ambush for a bombing infiltration mission, doesn't help at making this a coincidence.

7302132

So you got your idea for your FF ponified fic in 2017, the same year in which I got my idea for my ponification of FF7, and you originally wanted to start the fic with a scene that is a reference to the beginning of FF7, the game I got inspired to ponify as a fic.
Fascinating. Fascinating indeed. Maybe that means we should get together one day and work on a pony project in FF style. It would just be a long time until I could do that, with other projects pinning me down at the moment and potentially for very long still and with no clear plan which of my massive catalogue of ponyfic ideas I will write in the coming years. But maybe that is a sign that we should work together on something like this one day.

7302197
I wouldn't mind working on a project together someday. I'm not strongly familiar with the entire FF franchise, but I know my fair share of facts and details with the central series.

7302233

I'm not too familiar with it either; I played 9 (excessively), 10 (only a few times), 6 (only once, twice at most), 1 & 2 (only the beginning, then quit because the difficulty was too strong for me and never touched them again since) and I was forced to watch 7 in a Let's Play. And all of this very long ago, it was many years before the Age of Pony that I touched a FF game the last time. But I can do research if needed.
If something stirs regarding a FF ponification collab project, I'll send you a message.