FimFiction Link - Short ID: 432860/the-bird-feeder
Published: Feb '19
At 4200 words, The Bird Feeder is a horror one-shot telling the story of a lone pegasus scavenger happening upon the eponymous airship, drifting abandoned and forgotten on the evening winds. As a product of its length, it is a rather to-the-point story, leaving the hows and whys of this cursed vessel to the reader's imagination, and instead contenting itself to lean upon a slow ratcheting of foreboding tension. Horror is, of course, one of the most subjective genres of literature, but for me, at least, it managed to convey a strong sense of the uncanny, though it failed to really get into my head and send me into a dizzying realm of horrific implications. The true problem arises, however, when it comes time to pay off on the buildup, with things going wrong in a way that feels far too familiar to my creepypasta-infused brain coupled with an almost perfunctory brevity.
The Bird Feeder not a *bad* fic, but its distinct lack of payoff leaves the reader wanting more. If you're on a horror bender, it may be worth giving a peek.