At long last, the results for Choices: A Species Change Contest are here!

Echoes of Harmony is the most unique take on the "opening two-parter re-telling" plot I've ever seen — assembling the Mane 6 is a journey in and of itself, they're introduced in a different order, and they demonstrate their qualities long before they reach the Everfree Forest. It also has a lot of nice worldbuilding, such as changelings having their own language and the griffon lords being corrupt. Extra marks for referencing Convocation of the Creatures, one of my favourite comic arcs. It only loses points for originality because I've seen changeling-Twilight and griffon-Rainbow before.

The Queen of Everfree is a borderline canon-compliant far-past prequel to MLP. The prose is good, the story interesting, the world building is imaginative, but does not interrupt the pace. Sadly, the canon characters' species swap seems extremely tacked on to the point of being immersion breaking. It is therefore my belief that the story would be much better without that aspect, and with some polishing could stand shoulder to shoulder with the three winners of the contest.

Reflection
Indisputably the best mood piece of this year’s batch of entries. Though told in a complex nonlinear way, at its core this is an exploration of the strained friendship between a skittish Rarity (still a unicorn) and a boorish savage Twilight (reimagined as an immigrant Diamond Dog). This is neither a comfortable fic nor feelgood fic, instead harshly spotlighting the aggressive instincts and violent habits a feral beastgirl must manage to live amid her chosen friends. Twilight is a brutish thug in a frumpy dress, but she clings to that dress with all the lucidity her monster mind can manage. Reflection is heavy on heartache, light on closure, and carried terrifically by Rarity's refusal to give up on a very troubled friend.

I may be a little biased because I was a fan of this AU beforehand, but Call of the Mountain is an excellent addition that also works as a standalone. Without spoiling too much, it's not just one character who has to make a choice, but two, and they both have arcs where their choices come into conflict with each other.

This one is an interesting, almost explorative adventure story that really stands on its characters. The direction of the story is dictated naturally by their strengths and flaws in equal manner. This means the swap idea is used almost perfectly; as a shorthand for deeper characterization which would take too much time to introduce otherwise.
There are issues to the story, of course - it could use tightening of the plot, and finding better ways to go through it without bursts of extreme convenience at critical points.
Overall, Call of the Mountain is a fairly gripping character-driven story which is certainly worth a read.

It’s always an uphill battle when a preexisting AU must express itself through a spinoff fic. Its a testament to this story stands on its own without any knowledge needed of the Noodleverse. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie are recast as griffons, preserving their personalities but placing them in a vastly different life circumstance. This is the longest entry to make the top cut, taking time to thoroughly explore griffon capacity for stubbornness, action, and naysaying. Traits that can hurt or hinder, depending on how they are used. As a dedicated deep dive into FiM’s scrappiest species, Call of the Mountain nabs third third place.

This one had a unique take on the prompt. Instead of being about a specific character making a specific choice, it's more about the concept of choices in general. While it's common for people to pair Pinkie Pie with Discord, their dynamic here is adorable and their characterisations are on-point; pony-Discord may seem like a distant jerk, but he'd do anything to protect the one being he loves, in this case changeling-Pinkie.

Sprinboarding from a well-tested foundation (pairing-wise, and partially species-swap-wise), this story plunges deeper into philosophical take on concepts of choices, chaos, change, and expectations. Far from being a stuffy think piece, this payload is delivered in a short little adventure full of heart, salt, and creative speculation.
There is once again a slight reliance on convenience and irrationality from otherwise level-headed characters, mostly to get characters where they ought to be. As a result, it comes off as a story that'd been boiled down into a form too dense for its own good - some corners had been cut that should have stayed sharp. All in all, it really needs more space to breathe.
Despite these slight issues, Utter Order was one of the stories that got my highest marks. It really is an "old guard" kind of story - they just don't write them like this any more.

When assembling a story, a solid premise is important. Utter Order runs an airtight ship using FiM’s most popular lore and most reliable characters. A ponified Discord and draconequus Twilight naturally support a plot exploring the balance between Harmony and Chaos. Pinkie Pie is present so the ponderous plot can have levity, and her own species swap allows for a satisfying bridge between the magical forces at work in the central conflict. This is an incredibly cohesive story that knits its AU and altered characters into a quickfic that is both familiar and new. A standout entry that has earned it a spot in the top 3.

I was obsessed with mermaids as a kid, so I'm a sucker for any fiction about them. The underwater world is fleshed-out with concepts such as using magic pearls to store information, and the seaponies' city being made of scavenged, sunken objects is a great concept. Some of the descriptions are nothing short of breathtaking, such as the last two sentences in chapter 3. On the downside, I thought the pacing was rushed, but the other judges disagreed.

An extremely well executed coming of age story, especially considering its relative shortness. Choices of characters and their growth are instrumental to the story, as is the species swap. This is -the- story purpose-written for the contest, and executed with great skill.
While coming of age is nothing new, the story layers multiple issues associated with looming independence and starting a new part of one's life, while not forgetting the past that made us who we are. As a result, the story is intricate and layered, and heavily dialogue-based.
By the end, The Siren Call of Sunset manages to both make one thoughtful, and warm the cockles of their heart. The characters grow and learn by their choices, and leave with a satisfying sense of accomplishment. It is a well-deserved first place.

These protagonists are wet behind the ears, but the author certainly isn’t. Hope is a veteran of last year’s Roleswap Contest, back now with a well-earned first place entry. The siren call of Sunset is a masterclass of Dramatic Irony. Twilight is inquisitively fretful while Sunset is embittered from experience. Each of them chip away at the same conflict from opposite angles, creating an overwhelming sense of inevitability. Their species swaps also match their respective journeys, with Twilight as an adaptive creature of two worlds and Sunset an alien no matter where she goes. The reader is an all-knowing bystander in a plot full of tension, only allowed relief at the endearing anticlimax. Truly astounding work, and the unsurprising winner of the contest.

Congratulations one and all!

7796303
Thank you so very much! I'm honored to have won, and I look forward to expanding the story for everyone to enjoy!

Honorable mention! Nice, I'll take it.

Congrats to the winners!

7796335 I liked Echoes of Harmony a lot more than the other judges did.

7796348
Eh, it's okay, I have a couple of spots in the tale I think could've been stronger too, and in the face of the other competition, I sort of figured it wasn't going to formally place anyway, so getting an honorable mention feels like an adequate compromise.

Besides, seeing I placed in the last two contests I submitted stories too, I probably needed the ego-humbling anyway.

I'm delighted to have made the cut, and I offer a most hearty congratulations to everyone else who did as well

Congratulations, everyone!

Congrats to the winners and thanks to the judges for organizing this. I got a very fun AU out of it, so I can't complain.

Ah! Thank you so much for the second place! I'm honored that you all enjoyed it so much and I'm flattered by the reviews