Ladies, gentlemen, and nonbinary friends, the time has finally come for the announcement you've all been waiting for. After a month of deliberation, the judges and I have decided on the three stories that we felt best embodied the goals of this contest, as well as picks for our own favorites that came up just a little short.

Before we begin I want to thank each and every one of you for taking the time to write for this contest! I hope you all had fun writing about these under-utilized characters and maybe even got inspired by some of the other entries! I would also like to thank Quills and Sofas Speedwriting for letting me host the Speedwriting portion of this contest, Zontan, Krazy, and Wish for judging and helping out with contest logistics, and once more to all of you for making this contest happen!

With that done, let's get to the results.

The Red Parade:

It is honestly baffling to me that a writer of Mushroom's caliber has gone as unnoticed as they have. Each work they produce is breathtaking and beautiful in its own unique way, taking concepts and ideas and infusing them with brilliant, vibrant characters in a well-decorated and picturesque world, working with connections that I would've never seen in a thousand years and connecting dots that in hindsight just seem so obvious. This piece is no exception. Not only was this the only fic to use Mistmane as its Pillar, but it also has some of the most unique personalization and characterization in the entire contest. The story went places that I never thought it could with these two voices, but after reading it it all just seems so obvious in hindsight. This is a story that deserves so much more love than it has, and it absolutely deserves a placing in this contest. The relationship between Discord and Mistmane is incredibly thought out, with a dynamic that is both balanced and believable. Go check it out!

Wishcometrue:

There are a lot of underrated authors on Fimfic, but Mushroom is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated. They consistently write stories that I absolutely lose myself in, showing facets of characters that I had never even considered, and this one is no exception. Mistmane and Discord, on the face of it, sounds like a ridiculous pairing, and yet Mushroom has completely sold it here by creating a relationship between them that feels genuine and real. This is a great story, and it's criminal to me that (at the time of writing this) it only has 16 likes.

Zontan:

This is not a pairing anyone expected, and I admit to being skeptical going in. It's a testament to how good this story is that it sold me on it anyway. Both characters here have very unique perspectives on the world, and they're written in a way that makes their outlooks make sense to the reader, and more importantly, complement each other. This story draws you in to the heads of two characters who have good reason to be enigmatic for one reason or another, and then really explores how those experiences would change them. It's a deep, thoughtful piece that asks questions you probably didn't think of, and leads you down a winding path in delivering those answers. The fact that it sells a pairing of Mistmane and Discord is just a bonus, but it really does justify it as two semi-immortals bonding over the ways that they're different, both from everyone else and each other.

EEye of the Beholder

• MLP: FiM
• Romance
• Slice of Life

Discord and Mistmane share their thoughts on perception over tea.

• Discord
• Mistmane

mushroompone · 4.3k words  ·  39  1 · 621 views

The Red Parade:

Lightning Dust is an incredibly difficult character to get right. I absolutely love her but I also know how hard it is to work with her. Stories about her after the Washouts episode have been even rarer as of late, but I was extremly happy to see her turn up in this contest! Lightning really shines here, and the author hit her abrasive, reckless personality right on the head. Not only that, but Flash Magnus is created as the perfect foil to her, resulting in a dynamic that is fun, fantastic, and probably unhealthy for both of them in the long run, but hey! This piece really impressed me with how the author effortlessly handled both characters and weaved them together in this way, bouncing one off the other and telling a great tale on how one drove the other insane. This was a very solid piece and absolutely fun to read!

Wishcometrue:

Lightning Dust is, in my opinion, a very underrated character. Not only is it hard to find stories that prominently feature her, but even rarer are stories where she is written well. She is definitely written well here, though. Flash Magnus and Lightning Dust have incredible chemistry, and whether they're at each other's throats or flirting, every bit of dialogue between them is fantastic. I would very gladly read several thousand more words of these two.

Zontan:

This story is just pure fun. The characters are lively and energetic and it is a joy to read about them. Lightning Dust is hotheaded and arrogant without being annoying, and Flash Magnus is competent and sensible without being boring. They really complement each other well here, and the evolution of their relationship feels very real and natural. I'm a sucker for good characterization, and this story has it in spades. It manages to produce a believable conflict between its main characters without falling into the trap of giving one the Idiot Ball, which lets you relate to both their perspectives.

TA Flash of Lightning

• MLP: FiM
• Romance
• Drama
• Slice of Life

A chance meeting at the bar blossoms into a fiery love/hate relationship between Lightning Dust and the only pony in Equestria brave enough to handle her.

• Profanity
• Sex
• Lightning Dust
• Flash Magnus

Summer Knight · 6.7k words  ·  37  1 · 614 views

The Red Parade:

It seems so obvious in hindsight, I mean they literally have the same name. Flashbang was a surprise for us on so many fronts. The pairing, the charecterwork, the plot, even the structure of the narrative are so deftly crafted and well done. This piece, despite being rated mature, managed to touch on a ton of bases: humorous banter, missed cues from two doofuses, vulgar Twilight, a history of language and words, and even the tragic nature that is losing everyone you love after a thousand years. This had it all, and it was worth every single word. So it's no surprise that all of us unanimously picked this to be our first. Go read it, it's an absolute delight!

Wishcometrue:

Speaking of underrated characters getting shipped with Flash Magnus: Flash Sentry! He's just such a lovable doofus, and this story really captured that energy. Flash Magnus is great as well. His constant use of slang is endearing, and the banter he has with Sentry is hilarious. This story is really something special, and I wish I could read it for the first time again.

Zontan:

This story is so good. It's got Flash Sentry being a doofus, it's got Flash Magnus seamlessly switching between 1950's slang and waxing poetic about greco-roman pegasi, and then it's got the two of them bouncing off each other delightfully. Both characters feel three-dimensional and real, and the story takes the time to sell us a friendship before it ever tries to sell us a relationship, which works really well. The structure is unique and very clever, and gives us a look into Flash Magnus's head and his past in a way that always ties into the events of the chapter itself, while also being hilarious anecdotes about ridiculous (and apparently real) slang phrases. And then, despite masquerading as a friendshipping comedy for most of its length, it punches you right in the gut with feels at the end. This one was flawlessly executed, and I'm very happy to give it first place.

TFlashbang

• MLP: FiM
• Romance
• Comedy

Flash Magnus and Flash Sentry compete against each other to win Twilight Sparkle's affections.

• Sex
• Profanity
• Twilight
• Flash Sentry
• Flash Magnus

daOtterGuy · 15k words  ·  56  11 · 744 views

Congratulations to our placing fics! We will reach out to you shortly so we can award you your prize money! And now, on to the judge's personal picks!

Red Parade:

Why I Loved Him is such a unique story, in more ways than one. Perhaps most directly it is the only story to center itself around two different ships: one for each era. A central theme to many of the stories here is how the passage of time has affected the Pillars. Why I Loved Him explores this tragic concept to its fullest potential, touching on the pain of having lost a loved one in this manner: to have them one second and then blink, only for a thousand years to have passed and for any memory of them to be long, long gone. But it doesn't stop there. This fic presents a hopeful ending: one that shows that understanding why we love someone is just as important as loving them. And when combined together, the two halves of this piece added up to a touching and memorable story that tugged at my heart the entire time. Great work!

EWhy I loved him

• MLP: FiM
• Romance
• Sad

The island of Rockhoof's birth was desolate and barren. Life clung on by a thread to those wind-tossed shores. Summers were hard and winters harder, but he found love there, and someday, he hopes he will find it again.

• Rockhoof

Shaslan · 2.3k words  ·  38  2 · 579 views

Wish:

What is a home? The simple answer is where you live, and it is a technically correct answer. However, the deeper answer is that a home is where you feel safe, loved; where you feel like you belong. It is that second answer that Crossroads to You explores, and it explores it well. This story is the only one in the contest to feature Equestria Girls, and the use of that universe and its characters makes sense, and is used to great effect. Speaking of characters, the character writing and dialogue is very solid, which is something I always appreciate. That solid character writing really helped sell Meadowbrook finding her home with Sunset and Wallflower, as well as their eventual polyamorous relationship (which, as a poly person myself, I was really happy to see). I hope to see a continuation of this in the future!

TCrossroads to You

• MLP: FiM
• Equestria Girls
• Romance
• Drama
• Slice of Life

A part of her felt a sense of emptiness inside, like a key part of her died between those thousands of years. Despite the fact that her home was as busy as ever, she still felt useless, she could be doing more, she should be doing more. But what?

• Sex
• Violence
• Suicide / Self Harm
• Alt. Universe
• Sunset Shimmer
• Main 7 (EqG)
• Meadowbrook
• Wallflower Blush

The Lone Doctor · 15k words  ·  17  4 · 439 views

Zontan:

This story takes an unusual pairing and sells it brilliantly. By the time you're halfway through this, the parallels it draws between the Pony of Shadows and Nightmare Moon seem so obvious that you wonder why you didn't think of them yourself. The characters work really well together, and Luna and Stygian bonding over their respective falls from grace is fantastic. The story suffers a little from pacing issues, and could do with some cuts here and there, which kept it out of the top spots, but the framework of the story is really well done. A bit of editing is all that's needed to bring this story from good to great, and it's worth checking out regardless. Like all the best entries, it bridges the gap between the Pillar's pasts and their futures, and it does so in a way that feels organic, because it understands how Luna and Stygian feel about their failures, and the things they feel they need to do to make up for them.

TIn Lunar Shadows

• MLP: FiM
• Romance
• Drama

Stygian struggles to cope follwing his rescue from the Pony of Shadows.

• Luna
• Stygian

Blade Star · 11k words  ·  33  3 · 1k views

And with that, the Pillars Shipping Contest draws to a close. Once again, thank you to everyone who participated and thank you to all the judges for taking the time to help judge this! I encourage all the participants to check out the entries and leave their thoughts, as you all deserve that much. If you placed we will reach out to you for your prize so please check your DM's for that.

Thank you very much, and see you next time!

Winners: Expect a DM from Krazy tomorrow for details on collecting your prize!

A big congrats to the various winners! There was some great stuff in this contest - it was all great reading.

Oh geeze, was not expecting to actually win or anything. I just enjoyed the excuse to write the two goofballs. I'm very glad you all liked the story!

7560421

Congratulations, a very well deserved victory! You wrote a fantastic story that all of us enjoyed!

Congratulations to all of the winners, and thank you to all of the judges for their hard work running and judging the contest!

Congrats to all the winners, and all the honorable mentions. Wasn't expecting to be a choice for one of the judges, but I am humbled nevertheless. It’s rather heartening to know that there were people who enjoyed my work, and it has inspired me to double down and work harder to make the fic better then it was when I submitted it. I thank everyone for taking the time and effort to read all the entries and run a wonderful contest.

I honestly just did this for a bit of fun. I didn't expect to even get a mention on here, never mind get a judge's pick. It was great to get some real feedback on my writing style too. My entry was originally planned as a multi-part story, and I might end up actually writing it now, based on the feedback I've had. I'm still surprised at the lack of Stygian/Luna shipping on here though. They always struck me as an obvious pair, given their respective pasts. Glad you enjoyed the story, Zontan.

7560399
Wow congratulations everyone!! I'm honored to have won third, especially alongside such wonderful works of pony fic ^^ I'm beyond excited to read flashbang - it sounds fantastic!

Prizes have been awarded, so this one is officially in the books! One last THANK YOU to the volunteers and participants!