Today’s story is a classic from early 2012, making it one of the fandom’s longest goodbyes.

Shutdown
[Sad] • 2,783 words

“Would you tell anypony if you knew the world was going to end, Twilight Sparkle?”

FROM THE CURATORS: Shutdown is one of the earliest fanfics about Equestria as a virtual world, but it has withstood the test of time.  “It’s an intriguing premise,” JohnPerry said, and Horizon looked at the bigger picture: “It uses worldbuilding and fragments of dialogue very effectively to feel like a tiny piece of a much larger story.”  Chris agreed. “Shutdown succeeds in hinting at the broader setting of the piece without resorting to mood-breaking infodumps,” he said, “and that sense of reserve is welcome in a story like this.”

That sense of reserve extended to the piece’s emotional impact. “It would have been easy to make this scenario overwrought, and I’m glad it doesn’t do that,” JohnPerry said.  We found that quiet-yet-effective presentation to be one of the story’s strongest features. “Instead of trying to drown us in the emotions of the characters, it’s characterized by the lack of resolution that accompanies real tragedy, and draws its feelings from that sense of powerlessness in the grander sweep of things,” Horizon said.

Beyond that, Shutdown follows the finest traditions of speculative fiction: “It raises a lot of questions that stick in your craw,” Horizon said, and Present Perfect added: “This explores well a number of diverse topics — the nature of reality, fandoms, online communities and their eventual cessation, how we relate to fictional characters, the powerlessness of fans to protect their favorite properties from the creators’ whims, copyright law, letting go… Geez, it doesn’t stop giving you things to think about.”

Read on for our author interview, in which Cupcakes discusses rebootenings, Dunesteefs, and Twilightosity.
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