Equine Sovereigns: Imposing Sovereigns IV Results · 4:26pm Dec 18th, 2023
Hello, one and all. This was a very close field, but we’ve come to our decisions. But before we reveal the winners, I’ll let the other judges introduce themselves:
Hello, everypony! I‘ve written a couple of stories and assisted a few writers with pre reading/story ideas. I do read more pony stories than I should, but they’re just so good!
Hi, TCC here. Dedicated shortfic author, Sunset Shimmer enthusiast, and frequent reaction gif poster. You probably know me either from my fairly large body of stories or from my #recommendsday blog series.
Good afternoon, I’m Venerable Ro, one of many local curmudgeons and perennial advocate for deeper character development. Nothing happens for no reason, everypony is the main character of their own story.
And now, on to the honorable mentions:
FoME’s Pick
From the moment Twilight got that wedding invitation, Shining Armor has been equal parts frustrating and fascinating. The sudden inclusion of an older brother in the backstory of The Lonely Little Unicorn Who Had No Friends threw everything we thought we knew for a loop just as much as the sudden presence of a third alicorn. Seeing just what Shining was doing before his captaincy makes for a great opportunity to expand Equestria. His efforts to balance keeping the country safe and the political fallout of doing so make for a tone I’ve rarely seen in pony fiction, and provide brilliant insight both into his tactical acumen and how he’ll carry the experience forward in his career. Plus there are a bunch of fun fight scenes and great characterization all around. Always a plus.
OldenBronie’s Pick
Seeing Rarity as a princess is a study in how a compassionate and caring leader conducts herself and treats her subjects. She immediately stepped into the role as if she had never left. She was quick witted and daring in the face of a challenge, quelling any question as to her authority and strength. Rarity quickly realized the situation and knew exactly how to handle everyone and everything. I liked when she was explaining to Sweetie Belle that they were indeed princesses and how Sweetie thought it was a game. Her realization was priceless! But seeing Rarity assume the role of leader so calmly and firmly was a real treasure.
TCC56’s Pick
The Piper at the Gated Lawn subverts the contest in a lot of ways. Imposing Sovereigns strongly trends towards large, bombastic stories of grand leadership and deep tragedy. This is the rare entry that doesn't. Those low stakes make it interesting, as does the unusual choice of Snips as the narrator. Despite that oddness, it still comes together in a tale of the Snail King that's equal parts funny and poignant. (Well, as poignant as Snips and Snails can be.) It got me to care about those two doofuses while still making me smile through the whole read.
Venerable Ro’s Pick
The thing about responsibility is how it can sneak up on a person, wholly unexpected, and quite unwanted in the bargain. You’re just going along, minding your business, quite content to ignore and be ignored, and then the next thing you know people are relying on you. Sugarcoat is not the natural pick for responsibility, in fact she’d be the first to tell you that she’s the unnatural pick. Whatever the exact opposite of “Chūnibyō” is, Sugarcoat embodies that cynical concept. And then responsibility happens anyway, because sometimes we just don’t get a choice but have to deal with whatever consequences may come. Ultimately this is a story about self-reflection and picking up after other people, both things Sugarcoat wishes she didn’t have to do.
We now move to the medalists and… Well, remember what I said about a close field? Yeah, we have a tie for bronze.
Third Place
FoME: Writing a story about day-to-day adminstrivia rather than a looming crisis requires a careful touch. Fortunately, when the administrator is the same Queen Chrysalis who looked at a budding space race and decided this was her perfect chance to usurp the power of the moon, it’s bound to be fun. The blend of Changeling Space Program-style minion fumbling, Chrysalis’s own grudging care for her subjects, and the building mystery combine for a compelling story, and the conclusion forcing Chryssy to once more grow beyond her selfish horizons is a delight to see.
Olden Bronie:I really enjoyed seeing Chrysalis trying to make sense of dealing with a new system and trying not to show she cares about her subjects was an interesting contrast. Though she was partially convinced that there was either a conspiracy or a blunder, she was determined to discover the truth. The truth was more complicated and surprising than she expected. In that journey she learned more about herself and her subjects, showing how much she cared despite her dismissive attitude. This was a great read.
TCC56: Normally being a side story to another, much larger story is a detriment but it's pulled off well here: Counting Noses actually is a great capsule pitch for the larger Changeling Space Program story, which is a huge plus in my book. It's got the same humor, the same wacky-yet-understandable changelings, the same Chrysalis that's a mixture of evil overlord and harried administrator - the full suite. Throw in a bit of lower stakes mystery on top of a proven comedy, and you've got gold. (Well, bronze but you get my drift.)
Venerable Ro: Now the thing you have to understand about Changelings, is that Changelings are really dumb.Even the smart ones. Especially the smart ones. This is a truth Chrysalis has long since internalized, that even if she didn’t want to be in full and total control of everything and everyone, she’d have to do so anyway out of sheer self-preservation. Therefore novelty is something to be wary of, because something new means that “clever” changelings have an opportunity to produce new and innovative blunders in new and innovative ways. When political and bureaucratic necessities uncover a previously obscured irregularity, Chrysalis is forced to go on an investigative adventure to discover precisely which of her minions has done something “clever” this time.
FoME: Apparently third place was the “villain protagonist” slot. This goes for a fascinatingly brutal-but-fair (by his definition of fair) take on Sombra as the teacher Sunset never knew she wanted, chronicling the first days of her tutelage under him as he leads a conquest of Equestria in one of Starlight’s doomed timelines. It’s honestly hard to tell whether I should fear the student or the master more in the long run. Either way, it’s an engrossing story with some excellent OC work.
Olden Bronie:I do enjoy seeing Sunset as the villain but her character here really showed her ruthless nature and willingness to do whatever it takes to gain power. I very much appreciated the backstory about Sombra having been Celestia’s teacher. I also liked this portrayal of him as more of a thinker than simply a rogue. It was actually frightening to consider how powerful and dominating Sunset was aiming to become. A very powerful story with well done character development.
TCC56: This story jumped out at me immediately and dug the hooks in deep. I love me some Sunset Shimmer and this is an absolutely powerful take on an alt-u that's still her essential self. I'd never thought to pair her with Sombra before, but pre-reform Sunset and him have a lot of common threads. It's a great fit, and the story does an excellent dive in the depravity and corruption that results. Plus it's always thrilling to see a new author put out an awesome story like this. As I've said elsewhere: when my biggest complaint is that I want more, the story's a success.
Venerable Ro: Might may not make right, but right doesn’t make might either. What might does make however, is agency; the ability to make choices, the ability to effect consequence. When you get right down to it, agency and power were what Sunset always wanted from Celestia, alongside a healthy dose of recognition. Well if Celestia won’t give her what she wants, Sombra certainly will, and only time can tell what price will come of Sunset’s agency. This story is a great portrayal of Sombra as a thinking monster, and Sunset’s gradual (or not so gradual) adoption of his knife-edged logic.
Second Place
FoME: This one’s a heartbreaker. Believably sympathetic Bluebloods are always a delight to find, and this is one of the best I’ve found, crushed under the burden of duty and tradition with the memory of a doomed, youthful romance constantly looming over him (to say nothing of his ex lingering like a phantom.) The building futility and catharsis make this an incredible emotional journey that has more than earned the silver.
Olden Bronie:This one pulled deeply at me as I very well understand how one’s sense of duty and loyalty can set the tone for every choice. It becomes a way of life to believe, as Blueblood did, that duty comes before self. The backstory was superb and carried through the tale as much as the emotions of the characters. In the end, he learned that your first duty is to be honest with yourself.
TCC56: For me, this story strikes the perfect balance between two difficult sides. On one hand, it gives us some excellent world building. The why behind Blueblood and his family threads the needle: it makes complete sense, adds depth to the setting and the characters, and manages to not overturn any of the established aspects of the world. On the other side, we've got a long tragi-romance. It's damn difficult to strike a balance where you've got potent pathos without it becoming overwhelming - too little and there's no weight, too much and the reader stops caring. The brighter end helps that, but the whole tone throughout manages to give just enough hope to keep things right. Plus, y'know, they're damn cute when they have their moments.
Venerable Ro: You can choose who you want to spend your life with, but you can’t choose your family. Neither can you choose your filial responsibilities, especially when the fate of the nation seems to rest on your ability to keep up appearances. Blueblood is stuck in between the proverbial rock and hard place, the commitments he wants to make and the commitments his family says he has to make, satisfying neither. A succinct piece to tragic pathos that really isn’t anyone’s fault, and a lesson on why people really ought to talk to each other.
First Place
FoME: This was a unanimous decision, and for good reason. Patchwork put their established gift for bridging the gap between generations of My Little Pony to devastating effect in exploring how Twilight’s golden age gave way to the low-key post-apocalypse of G5, all while painting a vivid portrait of a mare treading water as the political storm surges ever higher. And that’s not even getting into Cozy. Outstanding work.
Olden Bronie:If there was going to be a theory about how Twilight Sparkle’s reign collapsed, this would be the story. She tries so desperately to understand and see both sides, to get every creature to cooperate. She still does a skillful job at getting Cozy to see that she does have some empathy towards others, even when she doesn’t act as if she cares. But the story carries the air that Twilight knows there will be more conflict in the future. It paints a picture of days to come even as she does her best to hold back the darkness. Well done!
TCC56: We were really spoiled for quality this year, with most of the contest being A-listers and even those that weren't giving stunning performances. That this story pulled ahead of everyone else says quite a lot. It's a top notch political thriller and one of the best utilizations of an older Cozy Glow I've seen. Twilight, too, is spot on and a big part of why the story works so well: reading along, I was caught up in her position and felt a similar frustration as Cozy boxed her in. There were solutions to the problem, yes, but all of them betrayed who Twilight is. It makes the G4-G5 transition make sense and have depth - which is something G5 desperately needs.
Venerable Ro: The saying goes: “That which may be destroyed by the truth, should be.”
Equestria is on the brink it seems, and Princess Twilight meets with an ambivalently antagonistic Cozy to settle a matter of intertribal tension. This was a fascinating look at the twilight (pun intended) era of Equestria as everything ever so slowly falls apart despite the best efforts and wishes of its singular princess. Cozy is here as a passive antagonist, but the threat she embodies is most tellingly her simple existence. The stoning, the escape thereof, and her partial recovery is all left unsaid or implied, but the consequences haunt Twilight and the entire dialogue. A gorgeous contest between two leaders, and one well worth reading and considering. I’d love to see more.
Thanks again to everyone who participated. As with all Imposing Sovereigns contests, the Second-Born folder is always open for those still inspired by the prompts.
Congratulations to all the winners, and I'm glad to see several of my favorites on the list
With how pun-filled Equestria is there was no way her rule was going to last, was there?
This was a pleasure to judge, even if it was extremely difficult. The sheer amount of quality entries meant the top level of stories were extremely close, and we had to do a lot of hair-splitting to pare it down to the current slate. A lot of amazing stories didn't get recognition simply because there wasn't room, but that makes them no less excellent.
Thank you all for participating, and thank you to FoME for having me.
I can't even begin to say how honored I am, this was a contest of really hard hitters. Sovereigns tends to being out the best of the site, and this was no exception. This was a hell of a competition.
Also, I am really pleased to see Shadow Of The Sun place so high! It was one of my favorites, easily, with a really unique take on Bluebood.
I can understand the difficulties in judging; this contest, once again, brought out some really superb horsewords.
That said, I can understand why Twilight Sparkle & The Martyr Of Zephyr Mountain was an unanimous pick for the winner. It is a superb story.
And yes, congrats to the other winners and placers, and thank you to the judges and to everyone who participated! As always, we the readers are the biggest winners.
Another FoME contest, another hefty pool of high quality entries jostling for placements, and another entry that swept the lot to win first place by a landslide.
I kid, but many of these stories, and others that didn't place, look mighty impressive. These Imposing Sovereigns contests always seem to bring out the true auteur in folks, don't they?
While it's a pity miscommunication resulted in my volunteering to being a judge for this getting missed, I'm look forward to reading a select handful of these in the future. 
Thanks, folks!
And congrats to all the winners. Glad to see some Mollusk Love here!
Mike
5759591
Thank you so much, I really appreciate that!
And thanks to all the judges and contest runners, imposing sovereigns is a pillar of the site and I'm so pleased to place.
I lost, but I'm still glad I participated. Thanks for all the effort, judges and participants.
Ahhh, I could smell the winners a mile away. Perhaps even closer than a mile away. It was most definitely a good idea to make my story a pseudo-entry -- certainly would not have compared to these masterpieces from big-name authors.
Congrats to them all nonetheless.
Congrats to all the winners!
Huh, what was the pre-*ipps version of that splashy first art? I like it.
It was a fine time to be sure, thanks for having me!
Wasn't really expecting Counting Noses to place, but thanks to the judges for the honor! My main regret is that I wasn't able to think of a way to include Thorax or Ocellus in it...
nice :D
Well this was fun! Congrats to the other winners.
I enjoyed writing for this, and I am incredibly happy to hear that everyone liked it. I am definitely going to give some of these other winners a read, too!
5759661
After a couple tries searching the official card database, I found it's Court of Vantress.
Right.
I should probably actually reply to people.
5759591
Congrats again. Inspiring you and the site's other heavy hitters is one of the most rewarding parts of organizing these contests, along with bringing lesser-known authors to light.
5759622
This has had me grinning from ear to ear all week. Thank you so much.
5759666
I assume Thorax is the Crystal Empire's problem now. Ocellus may have found a new passion in all the forms and organization.
5759873
For what it's worth, Cry, Wolf was immediately under Don't Let Them Eat Cake on my slate, and Till Death Do Us Party was on the top five of several other judges.
5760040 Thorax is a Crystal Empire citizen at this point in the CSPverse, yes.
Ocellus is a nymph on the point of graduating Hive school as of Counting Noses. The story's set in late winter 1008; that fall she'll be meeting several other misfits at Twilight's school. She's fascinated by the census and really has no idea why the older lings have trouble with it, but is too timid to offer help.
5760040
Well, if you do host another contest in 2025, I suppose I can always roll up my sleeves and try again.
Until then, I'll be a better sport and say, "Congratulations to the winners." It was a good event, and I enjoyed taking part, so thanks for making it happen. 👍
Thanks for the honorable mention, OB! I'd checked back on a lark to see how some of the authors I like had done. I didn't think my story stood alone well enough to entertain the possibility of sneaking into a prize.
Happy to see what got gold.
congrats to all the winners, and thank you to the judges for another great contest!