Dear Princess Celestia [Celestia@solmail.gov],
Attached are the individual reports by myself and my friends regarding the events around the Blackout. As you suggested, I allowed them to speak for themselves and haven’t altered their words (except for Pinkie Pie’s, whose report was sent in a font that brought to mind screaming graphic design students - I altered her stylistic choices but not the message).
I did read over them, with their permission, to give myself a greater understanding of the events of that tragic day. My thoughts are appended as footnotes to each of the reports, where I attempted to correct them where they were mistaken and explain terms of slang and technical detail which a casual reader may be unaware of.
Of course, I’m not sure a casual reader will ever be allowed to view this archive, so in the end, the contents will almost certainly remain state secrets.
Twilight Sparkle
Personal Student of Princess Celestia
“Veritas nomine est equuis.”
[TSparkle@solmail.gov]
A cyberpunk story in the vein of Ghost in the Shell, Blade Runner, or Shadowrun.
Thanks to all my Patreons, Subscribers, and Fans!
Contains mild violence, thinking machines, unthinking ponies, old grudges, new forgiveness, and ponies too caught up in the middle of things to find the truth.
I wont lie, reading this story's description tells me very little of what this story is about, while making it sound like there was a story that came before it.
Ahhhhhhh YYYIIIIIIISSSS
New MagnetBolt.
Today is a good day to be alive!
Ah, nice, a new fic! I've been on a cyberpunk kick myself lately; I'm re-watching the original Psycho-Pass.
Saw this at the end of lunch, but instantly being added to faves.
--Spade
A nice and interesting story, pinkie here is just very much pinkie in all the right ways.
Cyber
punkponk ponies? Yes please!Interesting ... at a guess, I'd say this is the equivalent of Nightmare Moon's return.
So, Applejack has bad augments, Fluttershy lives outside the city and refurbishes old, discarded tech, and Blueblood is still a steaming pile of drek.
And just why did Fluttershy get that sudden exemption? As this is a cyberpunk setting, the kindest possibility is that Celestia randomly gives out exemptions and Fluttershy just got lucky. The more likely one is that Celestia has plans for Fluttershy, and the exemption is part of a set-up to put Flutter's in her debt. That ever so convenient Crown Fund that paid for multiple set of cyberlimbs and dozens of surgeries for Rarity makes it even more likely that Celestia is manipulating the future Mane6.
Pinkie ... is a rogue A.I. ....
And the terrorists data-bombed the entire city ... I wonder how many of the "poor and downtrodden" they claimed to be fighting for just died because of them
The world you're building here is excellent, and showcases the same Rarity in a new light. Everypony has fallen into an appropriate niche for the new setting. I'm deeply curious to see where you'll take this.
I think this chapter might be one of the best things you've ever written. Pinkie as an AI that gained self-awareness works perfectly on every layer.
Damn dude, you just don't miss. This rocks!
Goodness, I can't remember the last time I read a Pinkie I adored this much.
Major Ghost in the Shell vibes with this chapter. Also Megalo Box vibes, given Applejack's occupation, just with a disappointing lack of silly arm pistons. She's all stubbornness and grit in this AU, which, again, fits like a glove.
Huh. Used and abused, broken down.
But what iron and steel powered behind chrome and will.
The body breaks long before the spirit ever does.
Luna is GLaDOS.
I approve.
10206291 I don't think Somni is Luna (or Nightmare Moon) ....
Maybe a cultist? Or a self-righteous terrorist who happens to have really bad timing?
YEEEEAAAAH
This continues to be some of your best work. Somehow both heavy and hype, with some great humor to cut the tension of the former.
Ooof. A rough choice, and danged if that wouldnt hit at the worst spot.
Umm ... was it Cloud Chaser or Cloud Kicker sharing the table? The story flip-flops between the two ....
Young Scootaloo is adorable
What?! No!
Scoots got taken in (or was it taken by?) the terrorists and put into an adult full-conversion body ... how much of what she's doing is because she's willing, how much is because she's being manipulated (she's only twelve, after all) and how much is because she's being body-jacked like Applejack was?
I am really, really liking your story, specially your Celestia.
Stories like this where Equestria is not exactly a great place tend show Celestia as a much more malicious entity, being the malicious source of the ills in its society as its ruler. But your Celestia looks like the character we see in the show, she has her plans and manipulations, but she is definitely looking out for her little ponies.
I also found a little mistake.
That should be Rarity's floor.
10208633
Way too much power for a random cultist.
Somni is someone with knowledge about ancient tech, capable of incredibly advanced programming abilities (being able to divide herself like that and optimize so much other systems is not normal for the setting, there is a reason why Pinkie had so many people scared last chapter), a really big grudge towards Celestia and her alias is related to sleep.
That is a lot of signs that point towards Somni being Luna.
10234431 Oh, definitely not a random cultist, but maybe a high priest?
I know this level of assholeism is very possible for NMM, but my personal fondness for Luna makes it hard for me to accept her doing this kind of crap.
10234644
Well, at this point of the story it would definitely be NMM and while Luna has many virtues, NMM doesn't exactly share them.
Every chapter of this fic continues to be a home run. I especially appreciate the detail that Fluttershy wasn't affected as badly by the hallucinations on virtue of her being already accustomed to a nigh-constant state of anxiety.
Ow, just ow on the nature of how this chapter ended.
And I appreciate the care and compassion here.
Aw man... Can I give Fluttershy a hug? That's just... That was really, really well written. (And I'm an absolute sucker for Luna so yeah, there's that too.)
Okay ... Celestia and Luna are both uploaded minds ... the Dream Valley war was probably between Celestia and NMM ... and Celesta (excuse me, "Flare") has been keeping an eye on Fluttershy, which plays back into my earlier suspicion that Celestia has been manipulating the Mane6 for her own reasons for a long time.
Ohh, this is a really interesting take of Luna redemption. Not a cleansing, but a backup.
I found the contrast between Fluttershy real life and online personalities hilarious, and I am quite intrigued by her little pets. They are showing much more personality than something expected to be easily replaceable, but the reasons why are they showing that is still a mystery.
She doesn't seem to be tinkering with the programming of the bots, yet we have not seen a single case of the bots around Fluttershy not obtaining at least some level of sentience.
It could be a quirk of the base AI programming used on all bots, and it showing up for Fluttershy because she keeps them going long after their usual shelf life, but the fact that the same is happening to more industrial equipment, one that would be used for much, much longer, makes it improbable. A quirk like that would have been noticed if it was THAT prevalent, and made the relevant alerts pop up (Pinkie shows that this Equestria IS aware of the dangers of having sentient AI on something that ponies would look as a unfeeling tool).
That makes me think that it could be something about Fluttershy in particular, and that would explain why Celestia is keeping an eye on her.
As an aside, the description and the start of chapter 2 mentions Twilight footnotes, but they are not present in any of the chapters. Will they be added later? Commented on the inevitable Chapter Twilight? Or it is just some flavor text and we won't have some fun reading professor Twilight attempting to explain what other ponies say like if it was part of the curriculum?
i, yi, yiiii.
Seeing things with a different light, but holy heck is celestia in this a hecking bad arse.
Also like the "I am robot" line of sorts.
And so, the stage and its players are all set in position. Now the stories of the six come together at last, a shared fight for their city. Can Racer X and her cohorts be stopped? Can Philomena be fixed? Will Twilight actually be able to stop being adorkable long enough to confess her feelings to Rarity? I can't wait to find out.
And with that amazing chapter, you get a favorite.
Element Bearers as Gibson Mares? Kewl concept: https://www.behance.net/gallery/30688399/William-Gibsons-Neuromancer-Concept-Art
Liked and tracking.
Apple Bloom is just more susceptible? Or being deliberately targeted? And if it is deliberate, is it to punish AJ for resisting? Or leave her with no pony to turn too besides the terrorists?
10260848 Twilight stop being adorkable? Never.
I feel super nerdy for being able to instantly recognize Al Bhed. (And yet somehow not nerdy enough that I had to use a translation tool.)
Though it is interesting - albeit certainly coincidental - that Al Bhed translates Luna to Core.
I am truly in love with this story! I am so looking forward towards seeing more. Great work!
Rarity as a cybernetics designer? A perfect fit for her in a AU like this!
I wonder if Twilight is a full-body replacement, or even an actual android? Ponydroid?
Woah. PinkAI Pie!
Clearly, my guess about Twilight being a ponydroid was wrong.
Damn. That part with Scootaloo... I did not expect it! Nor the final race, either. Luckily Dash lives up to her awesomeness!
MothFlutter is awesome. And so's Fluttershy, though for quite different reasons.
Woah. Cybernetic RariTwi! And high-stakes drama across Canterlot and SolNet as Nightmare Moon and CelestAI clash in the realm of information!
I wonder if that Luna backup is going to save the day?
Oh, this is exquisite. Especially how it all comes together at the end to lead to a wider-scope problem. Thank you for one heck of a trip. Here's hoping this isn't our only visit to this Equestria.
10244661
If she really was, Applejack wouldn't have ended like this.
This book is... Very good.
Shockingly so.
It's written incredibly smooth, although in unconventional way.
Like, having new character for new chapter tell the story.
It's also very good at story building.
I had no troubles recreating the whole thing in my mind.
No mistakes in logic were noticed.
Nothing infuriated me.
Although i got quite impatient, rereading the one day over and over without ever getting to know what was actually going on.
Anyway. Awesome work. Can't wait for the continuation.
am not going to lie if there is a junkyard like that in real life i would be her living off the left overs and living off the grid
hell if anything this version of fluttershy and her way of thinking of repairing old stuff and not see them useless is something i enjoy seeing.
but sadly some tech would never get the parts they need to stay alive like the CRT tv sooner or later there be no more parts to repair them
just got done reading and i have to say this, it was great!
but also love Fluttershy the most, I feel like she feels like the group of the retro movement the one that is taking great care of modding and fixing and making new code for old gaming hardware and CRT tv.
10245909
even if she not messing with the code, she is messing with the hardware a little, and adding new things to it.
think about the drones for a min how many of those cheap drones have parts where they say "we could put 10 more cents on this part to make it better but they will cut into our profits" it happens all the time if you ask hardware modders when they replace just the caps of the system of a crt or game system of old its night and day with it how much battery it turns out.
most likely what really happens is that the base AI is just growing because she unlocks the software locks on them to repair them.
is like she say the computer power on them is dog and cat lvl of AI now and in real life we only done, dumb fish, rat, and bugs right now.
This is my favorite version of Pinkie Pie.
If anything happened to this Pinkie, i will kill everyone who caused it and then myself
