Dinky leads a double life. In the real world she is an average pony in her final year of school, slightly timid, bored with everything around her. In the Dream-Web she is a hacker who wants to make a name for herself.
One evening she stumbles on something that has both her lives merge in one, as she seeks to find whether the Web really is run by deities, or is this just a trick by the Starswirl Conglomerate.
Marked AU because of season 5 episode 18 - Crusaders of the Lost Mark.
Written for the F*** this prompt 6 competition
Special thanks to Malefactory and Elric of Melnipony for advice, editing and proofreading.
Chapters (12)
Isn't this like... pony Lain?
@_@
Ok, This is really cool.
I would have liked to have seen the multi-run itself, but I do understand why it was missing. ...Dont know where else you could go with it. I would like to point out though that this last chapter feels more like an outline, rather than a chapter. You took most of the loose ends, tied them all together, ignored (deliberately or otherwise) any and all actual details, and told us the ending.
Still an excellent story. I like it.
6519864 Wow, I wish.
Lain (and the Big O , by the same author) is only of the masterpieces that changed my perception on everything.
This is just a ponyfied cyberpunk, for the **** this prompt contest. (Which I forgot to add in the desc :(( )
Many thanks for the comparison, though :)))
6520024 sorry, sorry...
This was for one of the two contests I mentioned.
Since I can't do edits until the competition is over (including in description) will have to stay this way... :(
Competition is **** this prompt 6 (by RR)
6520034 Thanks :) Glad you enjoyed.
This was supposed to be longer, but was done for a time sensitive contest. (Thus also the unedited marker).
I might rewrite and add chapters once the contest is over :)
Cool stuff. Very cool stuff indeed. It could use a bit more background information earlier in the story, like when this is and what Web gear actually looks like. And it's downright tragic that we don't get to see the multi-run as it happens. But aside from that, a very fun bit of cyberpunk. Thank you for it.
Though I have to admit, I was hoping that Dinky would become Princess of the Dream Net.
6531202 :) Thank you :D Very glad you enjoyed :)
Thanks for pointing those out. Will add more detail as I get on fixing/polishing this :) A few quick answers in the mean time:
Time wise is supposed to take place 3-5 years after Season 5 Episode 13, when the CMC (and others) are graduating high school.
The Web gear is a VR headset (a mix between google glass and oculus rift) that allows the wearer to enter a non-sleep dream state.
The multi run will appear :) (as well as an additional epilogue)
Only Harpy and not DD? DD did all the work :P Seriously, though, there might be a compromise there :)
Ohh Scootaloo, looking for stallions on the web...
6561704 Only the ones she likes :)
And you have to admit it's difficult when she is that skilled in life :D
You ended that well!
Excellent Story.
6655412 Thank you :)
Very glad you enjoyed :)
Ooooooh, the plot thickens.
6655673 :D
Knowing the people we hang out with, is only natural ;)
That moment when I realize that I would probably be a Lifer...
omg Scoots, lol XD
6661153 it gets better :P
Oh man
Oh man oh man
O.o
DD what
i dont
O.o
o.o
Holy cucumbers the world-building in this is off the friggin shizzo and your exposition is so naturally delivered wtf
Wtf your world building has already coalesced into a unique edge-of-seat mystery teasing the cast and audience with tantalizing hints of an answer WTF
6662910 :) Each post seems to have less words :D
Be strong! It's almost guaranteed to work out fine... Somehow... For someone O:)
6664337 :))) I still can't believe you are commenting on this :D
Thank you, thank you! :) Means so much, especially since you are one of the main forces who inspired this.
Hope you enjoy :)
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
/dead
6667935 Err... Oops? O:)
One chapter down. Looking good so far.
6688945 Thankee, Hobbess :)
I promise there won't be too many tears in this one :D
I'm enjoying SS as a big bad body guard. DT as a human being is interesting too. What age do you have them at in this fic? If you said it before i must have missed it.
6689104 only implied. I imagine them high school seniors, thus around 18-ish
Silver Spoon for president :)
I was starting to wonder if you had split up the Crusaders. Now i have my answer. Do they all live in the clubhouse?
6689218 it was written literally during the episode :(
Did not split the, up exactly... You'll see soon :)
This is a fantastic story. Why did I not read this earlier?
6717694 :) Thank you. Very glad you enjoyed it :D
This story is starting out amazing already. It's like the most adorable session of Shadowrun I've ever seen. I wonder what they use in place of cyberdecks.
6739202 :) Glad you enjoy :)
I wouldn't want to spoilt... But they use Crystal tech :) well, sort of :D Their Web gear has a more oculus feel, than pure jacking. :D
Also - keep an eye on DD.
6739269
Will do.
And yeah, I'm thoroughly enjoying this. The best part are all the little references that I half-recognize and I'm not sure how intentional they are. Fairlight. Razor. Were you around for Myth, when they still existed?
6739292 Some of the references are intentional :) Mostly influenced my Gibson, Tron, System Shock, Shadowrun and a bit of Lain :)
In short - the cyberpunk I would have liked, but with ponies :))
By Myth do you mean an expansion of sorts or a novel? At this point, it doesn't wring a bell :(
6739323
I approve of your sources, though. You can really see the Neuromancer in this. I suppose that doesn't make them intentional in the sense I meant it, though. Shame, I would've loved to reminisce a bit, haha.
No, Fairlight, Razor1911 and Myth are actual real-life cracker groups. They mostly do circumvention of software and game copy protections, but there's a lot of people connected to their distribution and supply networks. Myth was taken down by Interpol a number of years ago. I'm told they hit hundreds of people for that all over Europe and the States. Literal metric tons of hardware confiscated, stuff like that. I was an IRCer for a while, but I never really got involved with the supply side of things.
6739334 Ah :) Well there might be something taken from Hackers and Hackers 2, though that's it :)
Used to chat in mIRC a bit a long time ago, though. Only things I remember are "Alt-F4 for op" and "Socks or Teardrop" :) and a lot of midnight giggles :D
6739354
Haha, ok, different crowd, then. I used to be a commercial programmer before I went back to college, so I was a bit more into the esoteric and shady side of things.
I'm already sad this story is so short, by the way. This is some of the most fun and unique stuff I've read here yet. You really could make something epic out of that.
6739375 Well, hopefully will turn it into a verse with several stories. Already working on a sidequel (no idea what its length would be), as well as plans a direct sequel :)
6739393
I'll be looking very much forward to that, then.
6667928
I agree
Sooooo glad you recommended this Lise! An amazing story! I hope you continue in this 'verse as it's phenomenal!!!
6798954 :)) Many thanks, Neon :) That's the plan :D
Glad you enjoyed :)
Wow! What a ride!
6807926 :D Very glad you enjoyed it :) There will be more by the end of the month.
Wow Dinky. You are really on edge.