FimFiction Link - Short ID: 517572/there-is-no-mare-in-the-shadows
Published: May '22
There is no 1k horror one shot called "There is no Mare in the Shadows". There is no second person tag either, though it should.
The story deals with the legends formed around the lurking remnants of Nightmare Moon, and all the ways in which they inspire terror in people. This is told entirely by the narrator going "There are no [obvious signs of evil]" or "You are safe, there is nothing hiding under your bed" and so on.
The way it builds its entire narrative style on denial makes it build a sense of paranoia. As if you're trying really hard to convince yourself that nothing is lurking in the shadows, waiting to pounce on you.
The downside is the same as with all the 1k one-shots. It presents a solid idea, but it can't develop it to it's full potential due to the constraints. Then again, I can't imagine stretching this concept into a multi chaptered story that carried the same energy.
The best I can say is that it made me think about ways in which to create tension while writing. If you've got five minutes to spare, I wouldn't say this is a waste.