I was tired last month, and if anything I'm even tireder this month. Maybe this is the start of a new FF150 tradition in which Logan is barely able to keep his eyes open long enough to write these intros! Anyway, since I'm a day late putting this post up, I'll add an extra day on to the deadline. I give absolutely no guarantees that I will be awake then either, but we'll see.

Here are the full rules.
Please use this word counter.

You'll note that Rule 6 accommodates G5 entries. Since this means that an active generation is permitted, please bear in mind Rule 9 on spoilers. As always, comments are welcome in the relevant thread.

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. If I'm really tired and have fallen asleep on the keyboard then you may end up being listed as "Zhkuhkerb" or something. But the thought will be there! Somewhere.

Prompt: "They're Revolting!" (selected by EileenSaysHi)
Rating: E or T
Word limit: 150
Closing date: Sunday 22nd October 2023, 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!

7886799
Perhaps it's because I just turned 34, but...

Pipp bursts in and slams the doors. Frantically searching, she starts barricading the doors with whatever she can find in the lighthouse. The pedestal, the table, Sunny Starscout, the couch.

"Pipp, what's wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing, Sunny." she gives an exhausted, forced smile after pushing in the bed.

*Boom!*

The lighthouse's doors rattle, getting Pipp to push against the blockade, "I might've angered a few ponies with a comment."

*Boom!*

"...a lot of ponies."

"How'd you manage that?"

"A miswording. You know I love Maretime Bay, right? But home is also something special to me. Well I said, 'Maretime Bay isn't as great as Zephyr Heights.' it resulted with a riot of snowflakes."

"Wha... for something like that?"

*Boom!*

"I'll talk to them."

"No! That's suicide! Snowflakes may be pushovers alone, but together, their coldhearted hatred will bury you alive, frozen!"

*Boom!*

"CAN'T ALL OF YOU TURN TO GOTH MUSIC?"

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Twilight Sparkle jolted awake as a chorus of angry shouts pierced the air.

She looked through the window and saw an angry mob in front of the castle.

To get a better view, the Princess of Friendship raised the sun.

The ponies outside held many signs:
‘Down with the Princess!’
‘Stop with oppression!’
‘We want democracy!’
...

What surprised her the most was that over half of the signs stated:
‘Twilight Sparkle for Princess!’

She flew down to them and addressed them with a calm voice, “My dear subjects, don’t you already have what you want?”

Chancellor Neighsay stepped forward and spat at her hooves. “It’s not about the result; it’s about the process!” He turned to the crowd and yelled, “Twilight Sparkle for Princess!”

All the ponies angrily pointed their hooves at their benevolent leader and kept on screaming at her, “Twilight Sparkle for Princess! Twilight Sparkle for Princess!...”

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Heyo, been a bit since I've participated but felt like getting back into it a bit!

“Princess, we must talk about the Elements of Harmony.”

Twilight looked up from her paperwork, scrutinizing her assistant. “You mean my friends? What for?”

“Well, they’ve begun to unnerve the staff. Honestly, they’re revolting.”

Twilight looked aghast. “How could you speak like that about my dear, dear friends!”

“No, they’re quite literally decomposing.” The mare gestured around the room to where Twilight’s friends, all in various stages of decomposition, were shambling about aimlessly.

“I don’t see the problem,” Twilight said as Applejack gnawed on her desk.

“Princess, we all appreciate how much you value your friends, however, Fluttershy tried to eat a maid yesterday. The situation is untenable.”

“But I need my friends! I’m literally the Princess of Friendship!”

“Well, have you considered making new friends?”

Twilight pondered her question. “Well, I have been meaning to improve on my sewing.”

The mare sighed. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

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Eclipse Of Heart

"Move, and she dies.”

Chrysalis’s icy tongue spat.

Sunset Shimmer yawned.

“And then?”

“What?”

Her grip on the blade, wielded against an unconscious Starlight, slightly wavered.

“I've found your weakness at last.”.

“And what is that?”

There’s no way she-

A red aura casually opened the door.

Fear rippled through the queen’ s eyes.

There stood the entirety of her hive, lined up outside, in Ponyville’s streets.

Literally.

She sensed every single one.

They possessed thick sticks and mean looks.

Chrysalis dropped the blade, crumbling to her knees. Sunset took the weapon and casting a binding spell.

“How…..”

“How what?” Sunset earnestly asked, already writing her friendship report.

“In one day, they’ve betrayed me!” Chrysalis wailed.

“Oh, that? Easy.”

Chrysalis simply froze, eyes twitching. As the changelings began to drag her away, Sunset answered the unspoken question.

“Turns out low taxes and brothel love are effective, intertwined incentives for rebellion.”

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Octavia and Vinyl shared the breakfast table with the scent of coffee and the haunting memory of whiskey that made their heads ache. Both stared in silence at the CD between them, ominously labelled with the word 'KARAOKE' and the previous day's date.

Reluctantly, Octavia braced herself, put the CD into the player and started it.

YO I'LL TELL YOU WHAT I WANT WHAT I REALLY REALLY WANT

She cringed at her own voice. The Vinyl's broke in.

SO TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT WHAT YOU REALLY REALLY WANT

She slammed the NEXT button before it got worse.

What followed was no better. It was all there. Solos and duets, pop ballads and tween hits. Both of them. For two hours.

Octavia hit stop and they sat in silence for several more minutes.

"No one must ever know."

"Agreed."

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"They're Revolting!"

You know the first joke that came into my head.

“Now what did she say?” asked Applejack.

The hens waved badly-spelled placards. Leading the protest, one folded her wings sternly and clucked.

Fluttershy translated. “Homeroost says the horse-geoisie of ponydom rely on non-consensual protein sacrifices from the poultry-tariat, and that this constitutes interspecies enslavement and chicken rights violations.” She shrugged helplessly. “Sorry, those aren’t my words.”

“Chicken rights!? What, they want a trade union!?”

“Yyyeeeaaahhh…?”

“Sakes! Tell #1984 –”

“Homeroost,” insisted Fluttershy.

“Tell Homeroost – Look, Ah’ll consider it. This ‘emancipation’ stuff better not get outta hoof.”

“Wh-what’s the worst that can happen?”

---

One week later, Sweet Apple Pony Labor Camp met its first chickenfeed quota. Hens supervised grimly. In chains, Applejack glared at Fluttershy.

“Um, it is kinda poetic.”

“They enslaved us back!”

“I volunteered,” Fluttershy cheerfully admitted.

“Sakes. When’s our ‘family debt’ repaid, exactly?”

“Um… either next century or until one of us learns how to lay eggs.”

7886799

What Do You Think About Me
by Mockingbirb

Sitting with her friends in the CHS cafeteria, Sunset said, "I've been thinking about how the Anon-A-
Miss hoax made you girls think I was a terrible person, and almost destroyed our friendship. That really hurt."

Rainbow stood up. "We said we were sorry!"

"But at least I've learned a valuable lesson. To make friendship work, just being a good friend isn't enough. I need to learn how to manage what people think of me. So that's why I'm transferring to a different school." Sunset held out a brochure.

Rainbow Dash started reading. "'Crystal Academy Degree Program for Reputation Management and Public Relations.'" Her jaw dropped in shock. "This is...this is just Crystal Prep! How can you leave us for Crystal Prep?"

"I know it seems a bit drastic," Sunset admitted. "But if our friendship is real, we won't let my going to a different school get in the way."

7886799

"It is countless in redundancy," bemoaned young Celestia, "I have seen all the important constellations, and the five planets, and their twinkling. Can we not give this up already?"

Starswirl and his star-born pupil were now into the third month of astrological studies, and it seemed she was enjoying revolting against the entire concept of astronomy. Starswirl sighed, "Keep gazing, Celestia... Tonight can be the last we study."

"Finally!" But, glancing at Starswirl's Crestfallen face, Celestia decided at least try to find what it was that was so important about the magical points. She began as usual, listing constellations when... A jittering star flared in the sky. "Starswirl?"

"Celestia," Starswirl whispered, "are you taking note? Fascinating!"

The star danced away, discordant with all conventions Celestia knew.

Starswirl stared, stroking his beard, "How was that for twinkling?"

"I must see it again!" Celestia exclaimed.

7886799

Here is my October contribution. I had the choice between robots, an army of Sweetie Bots, revolting and Noi, our resident zombie fan, resurrecting a zombie army. Because it's the Dark Season and because I love Noi and her undead ambitions, I went with the latter.
Enjoy a flashfic about Noi doing what she loves most:
.

"I doubt this was a good idea....." Berry Pinch cast a furtive glance at the zombie army in the peripherals of her vision. She didn't dare do more than that.
Next to her stood Noi, swinging a wand and clad in the traditional attire of a necromancer apprentice. The wand was a lathy, gnarly piece of wood, twisted in its shape and having fallen from a tree a long, long time ago. Runes were carved into its bark, still emitting a faint, red glow that became weaker by the second.
"I told you it will work!" Noi countered the other filly. "See? I am ready for it!"
Berry Pinch's fearful expression put the lie to the claim. "W-What's happening?!" She pointed at the zombies, hoof shaking.
Noi turned at her army and saw them march without command. She gulped and bit her lower lip, pupils shrinking. "I think they're revolting!"

.
And this month, it worked with writing a 150 words flashfic straight away! No editing, no shortening, it were 150 in one go! That's the first time I wrote a flashfic without having to shorten it, huzzah!

Three days remaining to enter!

A reminder that this month entries close on the 22nd, ie Sunday.

7886799
Hm, third month in a row the prompt didn't spark (heh... you'll see) anything in me, but I'll slap something together anyway.

Current Fashion

Sweetie Belle held her breath and anticipated sparks.

“Battery life is worse than the human world’s, according to Twilight,” Rarity remarked, straightening Fluttershy’s dress.

She flicked a switch, and rows of lights illuminated, lining Fluttershy’s hem and sleeves. “Oh my,” Fluttershy said with a wince.

The other girls exchanged wary glances as the lights dimmed then went out ten seconds later. “That won’t do!” Rarity fussed. “It needs to last all evening.”

Sweetie Belle found the cord and plugged it into a strange humming box Twilight had brought. “Hang on. It’s revolting.”

At Rarity’s glare, Twilight waved her hooves. “No, she misspoke—we studied electricity during Twilight Time. She means it’s recovering voltage: recharging.”

“Yeah, that dress is ‘recharging,’” Applejack chuckled.

Applejack stood in the street and sighed as the lock clicked, light streaming from Carousel Boutique once more. She turned to Sweetie Belle. “C’mon, kid. I’ll buy you a hayburger.”

One day to go, folks!

7886799
I keep forgetting to participate in these contests, and nearly forgot to enter this month's as well, but I couldn't pass up such a suitable prompt. I struggled to fit this small scene in the word limit.

Applejack lay on her front porch sunning, nearly asleep. Were she red like her brother, her twin pregnancy would’ve resembled a ripe apple but, with her orange coat, it could only be mistaken for a huge orange resting between her legs. It was further accentuated by her hat resting on it.

Apple Bloom had been in Ponyville all day, but now was running back home excitedly. “Sis, look at what I’ve got for ya!”

Applejack yawned to a weird yellow fruit held in front of her. “We’re kin to Oranges, but they’re ain’t any Bananas in our big ol’ family tree, sugarcube.”

After some pouting, Applejack relented and ate it. Then her hat was kicked, for a start; she grimaced. “Oh sweet nelly, they’re revolting!”

After some arguing, Apple Bloom relented and went to get her an apple. “This ain’t gonna happen to me when I have foals, is it?”

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All right, time's up, everyone! As always, thank you to everyone who had a go. A decent number of entries for this one.

I hope you'll bear with me as I'm currently recovering from Covid, but I will still be able to give the results in time. I suspect they too will be a day later than usual, ie the 29th, but fortunately it's a 31-day month!

Okay, feedback is open.

7895164

Okay, feedback is open.

My feedback is, I hope your case of covid turns out to be mild and recovery goes well. (Covid-19 is notorious in some severe cases for having a 'false recovering + whipsaw AAAAAAAUUUGGH!' effect, so I don't take anything for granted here.)

7886802

Okay, I don't understand the last sentence, how goth music is relating to all this. And who is saying it? Is it Pipp? Sunny? Or even one of the angry ponies outside? That doesn't come out clear. But the rest of the story is satirical perfection. A jab at snowflakes is exactly the kind of humor we need in today's times and Pipp describes them perfectly.

7886803

I can't point my hoof at it, but, this flashfic also feels somehow very accurate for today's time. Ponies demanding something that they already have, it reminds me of a certain kind of people, and I may or may not have talked about them in my feedback for Amereep.....
I'm getting a feeling this month will be satirical gold.

7887838

Favourite entry of this month! What a creative idea! The combinatiion of the lesser-known meaning of "revolting", Twilight outliving her friends and zombies, this entry just strikes for me! You delivered all the punch lines perfectly! Also, a grimmer, and equally funnier, version of the idea behind "Twilight's Dollhouse". I love it!

7887968

For this flashfic, however, I can write feedback. The presence of Sunset Shimmer alone does not indicate any ties to EQG and there are no implications here that this is the same Sunset Shimmer. And when reading a flashfic by Impossible Numbers earlier this year, I realized that I can enjoy a story with Sunset Shimmer if there's no connection to EQG.
This flashfic was funny, Chrysalis being defeated the political way is certainly something different. And the inappropriate brothel joke at the end is what really makes it. This month is full of excellent, humorous entries, as predicted.

7888851

I find this idea a little weird. Unlike what I said about the earlier flashfics, I can't really see the punch line here. Being musician ponies, I'm sure that Octavia and Vinyl Scratch can sing very well. Perhaps they were too drunk for that. But the joke here doesn't really do it for me. It diverts too much from what I know about them.

7890488

This story feels so complete. Like, it's only a 150 word flashfic, but it feels like a long story, only condensed into 150 words, and still just as effective. I can't imagine that it's possible to write a flashfic better than that. You really got the craft down. Very funny idea, too. I sense a subtle joke about militant vegan activists. There are a lot of entries this month that make fun of the "modern times".

7892253

Hmm, is this a story about how Discord came to Equestria? A little less elegant incorporation of the prompt compared to the other entries, but I like this moment of Starswirl and Celestia being surprised by Discord's sudden arrival. I guess that gives a new meaning to Celestia's study of the stars. Maybe this will make her more interested.
By the way, "astrological" and "astronomy" aren't the same things. The latter is stargazing and scientific studies of stars, while the former is a (superstitious?) belief that the stars and constellations can predict the future.

7895152

Late surprise entry! Usually I am the one who gets an entry in 25 minutes before the deadline. I hope you'll enjoy your "Cutting it Fine" award.

Oh, damn, they don't like bananas! They'll probably remember this traumatic pre-birth event for their entire life and swear vengeance on all bananas, not resting before bananas are outlawed in Equestria.
Not the most creative idea, but a very clean punchline and build-up to the joke. This flashfic flows cozily until the end.

7895195
I try to keep an 'every other paragraph' structure when it comes to who's talking (unless specifically addressed). It's not the perfect structure, but I find it more engaging than constantly reminding the speaker's name to the reader. It feels like I'm dumbing it down and mocking the reader's intelligent through that method.

Since Pipp spoke in the third to last paragraph, the last line was her yelling it at the snowflakes and tries to address a similarity between them and goths. To me, they're both very emotional groups that feel out of place with society and handle those emotions in opposite ways. Goths tend to be reserved, keeping their views to themselves and accepting that the world doesn't understand them, so they turn to the arts to express and/or experience heavy elements that are relatable to them. Snowflakes are the aggressive ones, promoting their views to be the correct way the world should work, anyone different are viewed to be the problems that's weakening the structure of everyday living, they're not afraid to fix the problem themselves through aggressive means if needed.

It's almost like they're Ying and Yang that were same in colors, but opposite in actions, so I thought addressing the comparison to be the punchline and possibility be something to reflect on by the reader.

7895220

Of course, Pipp is a popstar..... That's how it all makes sense. I knew being sick made me overlook something.....

I never think much about goths, even though I heard that they are chill and calm people, so I didn't spot the hidden meaning there. You made me realize an interesting divergence. Goths feel like they would be very aggressive people, but then the opposite is true and they are very calm and peaceful. Snowflakes appear to be fragile, but when you meet them, it turns out they're very aggressive and vicious. It's weird how both groups are the opposite of what they seem to be..... You helped me more with this flashfic than you think. This realization will prove useful.

7895195 Ponies (and people Umans) like to form angry mobs just for the herding's sake.

7895283

This should be "ponies (and humans)". Ponies ARE people. Personhood is not exclusive to humans.

7895616 Fixed.

7895667

Great job.

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Results time! A big thank you to everyone who entered, as always. As usual, very hard to judge and several non-scoring entries were right up there in my mind until I really had to make a decision. One honourable mention and one winner this month:

Hon mensh: Impossible Numbers -- Oh my, Equestrian dystopian fiction in 150-word form! A nice touch of social commentary, and a surprising amount of stuff in such a short fic without it feeling rushed.
Winner: hamster wizard -- Deliciously dark and ghoulish humour in the month of Nightmare Night? What could be better?! Twilight tries so hard, she really does, but sometimes she's still just a little bit awkward at engaging with the world.

Congrats to both, and hamster wizard... I can't remember whether you've won a Flashfic 150 before, but just in case you haven't: please think up next month's prompt (it's fine to take a day or so to think about it if you don't have one ready to go) and then post it here so I can give it approval.

Thank you again to everyone! Carry on with feedback if you want.

7898068

My favourite entry won!

7898068
7898074
First time ever winning actually! Glad yall liked my entry! Also sorry I haven't been too active in this thread, been a bit busy irl lately.

As for a November theme, I'm gonna go with "Just the Two of Us"

7898231

As for a November theme, I'm gonna go with "Just the Two of Us"

Perfect! I have just the right idea for that.....
.

7898243

Perfect! I have just the right idea for that.....

That makes two of us.

7898231
7898243
7898248

As for a November theme, I'm gonna go with "Just the Two of Us"

Perfect! I have just the right idea for that.....

That makes two of us.

7898231
Okay, sounds good! I'm out at the moment, but I'll update the front page even I'm on the computer again.

7898248

And maybe, we two will be the last ones of us, too.

7895195
7898068

Good grief, everyone's all like, "Impossible Numbers, you sly social commentator, you..." and I'm just sitting here like, "Dude, it's a Chicken Run joke! I made it up on the spot! What even is this!?"

Besides, realistically Twilight would solve everything in about twenty minutes.

7898248

That makes two of us.

And that makes three of - Wait... no... Damn it!

7898859

And that makes three of - Wait... no... Damn it!

Three is a good number. Never reject the three. Embrace it.
.

.
(Why is there no screencap of Dinky, Liza and Berry Pinch together? *grumbles* Just look at the back and imagine Liza standing further to the left for another holy trio.)

7886802
Pipp is royally screwed. I hope she narrowly lives and learns a lesson. I like how Sunny is kinda unfazed, letting it happen. Also, Sunny is part of the barricade itself? So much going on, it's a delight.

7886803
Brilliant idea and use of the need for revolution. Push Sparkle to implement democracy... to elect Sparkle. Nighsayer being the leader chanter was a good choice. Fits right in.

7887838
Disturbingly hilarious! Twilight is immortal, and it's notoriously difficult to find Element of Harmony wielders. Solution? Stiched together rotting zombie 'friends', of course!

7888851
Yet it'll be their guilty pleasure to listen to come two years later. Such a shame, they really could have started a mare power movement or something.

7890488
A most eggcellent turnaround. I hope Fluttershy gets the top bunk in the slave shacks. I find the time span of just one week adds significantly to the humor.

7892163
Sadly, this is one of the more realistic outcomes of such a scenario. Good job keeping the focus on the hurt she's been though, and the guilt the others will feel.

7892253
Interesting premise on how astronomy in Equestria started. It took a wizard and a miracle to interest Celestia in it. The quickness of it is, well, a bit
quick, but smooth.
7893473
The description of the suit rather cuts into the time allotted to this piece's humor. It still brings a smile nonetheless.

7894197
Punderful masterpiece! Nothing more need be said.

7895152
Using fruits as basis for description is very apt. Fits the theme well.

7899383

A most eggcellent turnaround.

Stop cracking yolks - I mean, jokes!

7899383

The description of the suit rather cuts into the time allotted to this piece's humor. It still brings a smile nonetheless.

I have to say, I find myself a little surprised that you interpreted my flashfic as a humorous entry, because it's not meant like that at all. What about the story is it that gave you that impression? I presume you mean the last sentence, because of the double meaning that "revolting" holds. Maybe you came to see it that way because there are so many humorous entries for this prompt, but I was actually writing about a serious moment here.
"Revolting" is used by Noi in the way that was implied before; she cannot control the zombie army she summoned, despite her confidence that she is ready and has come far enough in her studies, and so they revolt against her and attack.
That the "suit" (I also presume you meant to say "wand", because the mention of the necromancer apprentice attire is very short) is described in such detail and implies a good amount of necromancer lore from this universe is exactly because of that; it's a serious, dangerous situation Noi and Berry Pinch find themselves in, hence there is a focus on the magic used to summon the zombies and also their fearful reactions. It feels like it's clashing with the last sentence only if a humorous interpretation is applied to it, but with the more common meaning of "revolting" in mind, it should fit together nicely and have a consistent, dark tone. At least, as much as it is possible to bring that mood across when working with the constraints of 150 words.
There is also a certain characterization of Noi here that is important to understand the last sentence correctly. Not many know Noi (sadly!), so many also don't know that she is a fan of the undead and zombies and therefore would never find them "revolting". But even without sufficient knowledge about who Noi is, one can look at the fact that she is a necromancer apprentice here, a path in life she wouldn't have chosen if she felt appalled and disgusted by zombies. Even more so in this universe, "revolting" is not a word Noi would use to describe zombies.

Edit: Or maybe I did make a mistake here, as a non-native english speaker, because a look into a dictionary just showed me that "revolting" (= the trait of being revolting, a strong tendeny to revolt) cannot be used like an adjective in this context and that it must be "revolt" to express that the zombie army is starting a revolt. So Noi's dialogue should have been "I think they revolt!" to get the correct meaning across.
I still think the rest of the flashfic, the tone therein and the mentioned necromancer apprenticeship should make clear enough what Noi meant, but since there is a flashfic here that used exactly this joke, in combination with the grammatical error I made, I suppose it was easy to misunderstand it.
Then again, I am very sure that I heard the phrase "They are revolting!" somewhere in the past when it was used to say that people have started a revolt. Huh, now I'm actually confused if "They are revolting!" or "They revolt!" is correct.....

7900107
I totally misread your piece, indeed. Given the humor of most entries, I wrongly assumed revolting was being in both definitions at the same time in a pun like manner.
"They are revolting!" is indeed a proper English phrase that can be used to refer a group of people rejecting a system of some sort.
I believe my mistake may have been not properly reading into the meat of your story enough. Phrases such as "fearful expression " really should have tipped me off. I do apologize
Re-reading it now, the chilling imagery of the zombies approaching their necromancer, failing in power and ability to hold them back, is truly scary to think about.

7900182

"They are revolting!" is indeed a proper English phrase that can be used to refer a group of people rejecting a system of some sort.

Phew..... So I did write it the right way. It's good to have this confirmed. After writing my comment yesterday, I was really worried that I screwed this up without noticing it all this time.
.

Re-reading it now, the chilling imagery of the zombies approaching their necromancer, failing in power and ability to hold them back, is truly scary to think about.

I am relieved to hear this too. After doing some more thinking, it came to me that I was, even before your feedback, not sure if the scene I wrote really feels as serious, dark and dangerous as that moment and situation is for Noi and Berry Pinch. Not because of my writing skill, but once more because of the word constraints. I'm glad that the atmosphere of the situation somehow still got through.