Twilight continued to stare down at the stranger mare clinging to her like a lifeline, the one that had just called her 'Mommy'. "Uhh..." she began again nervously, unsure how exactly to approach this situation.
"Starlight," a stallion's voice called, gently if a tad nervously, from the house. An orange stallion Starlight's age stepped out, with green-blue eyes, white socks, a white mark on his muzzle, and a flaming orange mane, tail, and goatee stepped out of the house wearing glasses and - of all things - a green and blue star speckled wizard cape patterned after Starswirl's, minus the bells. "You really should have held back."
"But Sunburst!" Starlight whimpered, turning towards him. "It's Mommy! She's back..."
"It hasn't already happened yet, Star," Sunburst pointed out calmly, comfortingly.
Starlight bit back a sob. "Oh...r-right..." She pulled back from Twilight, managing to get herself under control. "S-sorry. I'm sure that...caught you off guard-"
"Eh, it was her turn for one of these shocks by now," Rainbow pointed out calmly. "Besides, she's used to time travel shenanigans with her family."
"Not when it gives me kids I don't know about!" Twilight pointed out defensively.
"Why don't you let me handle this, Starlight?" Sunburst offered calmly. "You go inside and play with Sunstar."
Starlight nodded slowly. "That...that sounds like a good idea," she murmured, turning and making her way back into the house. Soon, there was the sound of a few bells jingling...and a foal laughing?
"G...Grandchildren, too?" Twilight whimpered softly. "But...how-"
"I can explain it," Sunburst spoke up. "At least...as you explained it to me. T-though you didn't have wings then, Your Highness..." He began to stammer as his nervousness kicked in.
"None of that," Twilight chided. "We're...apparently family, so don't go tripping over my title, alright?"
Sunburst nodded. "We...I suppose the simplest way I can explain this is with a picture...or, a graph really." Stepping back, he drew two solid lines on the ground, marking them in black as the borders of the graph. Labeling them Delta and Theta, he then drew a green line arcing along the graph, only for a pink line to curve backwards, be intercepted by a purple line that completed the circle, and then led into a gold line that looped on itself around the pink and purple lines before continuing on along a slightly different curve from the original green line...though the lines other than the graph were drawn thick as he drew them with his hoof, coloring them with magic.
"You see...what we have here is a closed corrected quantum loop," Sunburst explained.
Twilight's eyes went wide as she let out an understanding 'oh'. The others, however, just looked confused. "In Equish?" Rainbow asked bluntly.
"This green line is how time went normally," Sunburst explained. "The pink line is your first encounter here with Starlight in the original timeline...when she'd created a cult about eliminating Cutie Marks to create true Friendship." Noticing the disgusted looks, Sunburst nodded. "Yes, I know. You all arrived and soundly defeated her...but she escaped, now obsessed with taking revenge on all of you. Reworking one of Starswirl's time travel spells, she used it to usurp control of the Everywhen aspect of the doors in your castle, letting her travel through time at will, determined to prevent the six of you from becoming friends by stopping Rainbow Dash's first Sonic Rainboom."
"Wait...she reworked a time travel spell to control an artifact of that magnitude?" Twilight gasped in shock. "But the level of technical expertise it would take just to understand such an artifact, let alone take control with a spell to utilize it remotely..."
"Starlight's always been a prodigy," Sunburst explained proudly. "This purple line is your pursuit of her, eventually discovering her reason for behaving the way she did was because..." His voice trailed off. "Well, she grew up in an orphanage, and I was her only friend. But when I got my Cutie Mark in magic, I was sent off to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns and...everything was so exciting and new..." He lowered his head, guilt pouring off every feature.
"You forgot her," Twilight concluded, "which is what led to her blaming Cutie Marks."
"According to you, that's what happened in the original timeline," Sunburst explained. "Apparently, your solution on seeing Starlight as a filly so heartbroken...was to adopt her as your own, use a spell to send your alicorn potential to your comtemporary self, and then raise her through history as a unicorn. You even enrolled her in Celestia's school once your own tutelage brought her to the point she found her Cutie Mark."
"But..." Twilight shook her head. "Setting aside the how of severing my alicorn nature to send to my younger self, doing so would drastically accelerate my aging process, especially with so many forms of time travel involved-"
"Which is what happened originally," Sunburst explained. "As you lay dying from age, Starlight and I...put together a way to fix it. We couldn't keep you alive...but we did figure out a way you could survive next time around. I've always been the book smart one of us, while Starlight's more intuitive...and has a great deal more power. I figured out which spells we'd need to modify, she figured out how to put them together..." He took a drink to clear his throat. "So we collected your essence on the moment of your death, and recreated the Cutie Mark Cult to lead you to here at the same time and place. That time, like this time, Starlight got emotional, leaving it to me to give you these two spells." Reaching under his robes, he handed Twilight to furled scrolls.
Unrolling them, Twilight examined them quickly. "This one uses the Mirror Pool to create a unicorn duplicate of myself to send back, keeping my relatavistic alicorn potential constant, and the copy would decay at the same rate as me severing my alicorn nature...and this spell creates a stable quantum loop allowing me to send myself back and then reabsorb my future/past self, as long as the reabsorption - with all the memories and shared emotional bonds - happens after sending my unicorn self back. These are incredible!"
"And we create them on our own each time, without input from you beyond telling us we got it right," Sunburst explained, "negating the bootstrap paradox."
"I...I can hardly wait to see her discover her talent," Twilight murmured excitedly. Turning, she dashed towards where they'd all arrived. "Spike! I need to go to the mirror pool!"
Timey wim.. Oh forget it! *Pulls out a cast iron frying pan* Much better *Proceeds to beat time into sludge*
.... I understand the time travel explanation... and my head still hurts. It's all a big ball of wibbly-wobbly... timey-wimey... stuff now and I get what's happening but there's just so much time travel it's what's causing the headache. So what happens if Unicorn Twilight clone bumps into Filly Twilight????
*Grabs a barrel of hard cider and puts in a spigot to drink from it directly until head feels better*
wow the utter mindfuck in this chapter is on par with Serial Experiments Lain
Man you just created a whole new level of convoluted time travel paradox. I mean seriously!!!
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Simple.
Unicorn Twilight is very careful not to do that.
...well then
Well guess Twilight isn't the only one to make time their b =^).
I UNDERSTOOD EVERY SINGLE WORD OF THAT!!!
8003332 And it was good!
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Pffft. Once you've read through the Bob And George webcomic time travel shenanigans lose their intimidation factor.
Good job with the chapter though. Looking forward to that resolution.
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It's actually kinda basic Chronomancy. Consider that old chronomancers, which are rare but also extremely common, exist in an infinity of timelines at once, most only a single atom's movement different, and are fully aware of each one and act independently in each timeline, while only having a single consciousness to spread across these infinite timelines.
If just contemplating that doesn't give you a headache, you'd have what it takes to practice Chronomancy if this world had magic. Which there are an infinite versions that do, so you're possibly and probably a chronomancer currently acting independently within one of your lives.
8003330 And yet I still don't seem to understand
Qucik AJ I need some of your families hard apple cider I barely understand bootstrap paradoxes!
Here yah go
*CHUG CHUG CHUG*
actually it's far more complicated than that if you really really think about it most of this Twilight's life is actually made up of various curly cues
Timeline #1: Canon
Timeline #2 Diverges at the ascension ritual goes up to point where Twlight finds out about the cult Starlight declares revenge (this timeline is erased because of Twilight and Starlights actions
Time #3 Just got explained
Time #4 The current timeline
Time#5 Is about to be formed in which there are TWO twilights who will eventually merge and I suspect that it will become the current timeline causing the previous timeline collapse into the 4th timeline creating a singular non-contradictory timeline.
This of course might not take into account that the previous timelines will continue on as is creating a series concurrent parallel worlds....Oh GAWD I think I've figure out what the PWNY triggering event was! the SECOND TIMELINE! coupled with interactions with Pandora's box as it bounced around reality! Causing an extreme case of EFFECT BEFORE THE CAUSE!
*SLAMS MUG DOWN* Need MORE CIDER MY BRAIN HURTS!
...did you understand any of that?
If I said no, would it make you feel any better?
...okay: fair enough...but stop breaking the fourth wall, Pinkie!!
NEVER!!
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Yes and no, I am likely a Chronomancer in some realities but in this world I am just an absolute biology nerd who happens to be friends with a couple of physics ones, as well as extremely knowledgeable about magic and mythology as I am of the mindset that every myth and legend are real somewhere in this world, even if it is in a reality that is only slightly out of sinck with our own meaning that, although we can both see into each other's realities, we can only interact with each other in specific locations or at specific times of the year.
After reading this chapter, I can't wait to see Celestia's reaction to her student's ultimate time-travel shenanigans.
Although I can already predict Twilight Velvet's reaction.
Velvet: Goodness, Twilight! Not only you give me a grandfoal, you even get me a great-grandfoal! And I am not even hit fifties yet!
Shining: I cannot believe you already beat me in getting mom a grandfoal. (if not counting a great-grandfoal)
Cadance: We cannot fall behind Shining. Let's get back to our room.
welp, I am deeply confused.
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You all said everything i wanted to say before i even got here!
God damn time wimey shenanigans that i understand and don't understand at the same time
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8003420 i understand it perfectly fine without any pain:) /)
8003429 ditto on wanting the reactions
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Since most of the PWNY stories involve time-travel AND dimension-hopping to a degree ... let's hope AJ has plenty of cider to go around for most of us. As for me, I understand temporal manipulation to the point that if the Continuum tabletop RPG were real I'd be a Spanner (bonus points to any that get the reference, I only stumbled on the game recently)
I am trying to make sense out of this... it hurts...
So, Twilight is Princess of Time Lords, complete with a ginormous f-off STARDIS (Simultaneous Times And Relative Dimensions In Space).
Yeah let's not tell Celestia about this one. She will not take it well.
8003420 also Twilight has yet to mentally entangle herself with all her time line it's so I'm assuming they'll happen when olds Twilight meets back up with current time Twilight alicorn thing
YAY
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And I am once again wondering what the fuss is all about with this time travel 'confusion' people keep claiming.
Curse you Legacy of Kain for immunizing me against temporal manipulation shenanigans.
8003329 "Sir? Might i recommend the 1000 year vintage of the first Apple family hard cider? The stuff you have now won't work on temporal headaches."
I am so lost guy's someone help pizza
Being a Time Travel fanatic, I understood that perfectly. Of course, I did need that picture as reference to understand the scenario that Sunburst was referring to.
8003725 8003508 8003448 Long version: it's a Bootstrap Paradox (there's a good scene in Doctor who that explains the concept), except that they caught on to what it was and decided to keep it from becoming a bootstrap paradox by sending a Twilight clone to take the original Twilight's place.
Short version: To quote a Pokémon fanfiction, "If you don't have a headache, you probably don't understand time travel." (Ashes of the Past, Voice of the Forest 4)
Shining is going to be very jealous of Twilight after this.
8003750 Yes, visualizing a time paradox like this is slightly painful. It is best to think about the entire picture over just a single moment at a time to avoid logic reprocessing which sends your brain into a multiple correction scenario which is extremely similar to a time paradox except it is for your brain.
As for correcting the bootstrap paradox it is easily corrected by starting the time loop event before the correction or have the correction become clear after the start of the time loop so that the time loop takes place even though the correction from the loop has already taken place so that it continues to happen. Essentially, keep the paradox from looping on itself. Either way I congratulate Sunburst for thinking ahead for that.
Can someone get me some painkiller I am at half neural meltdown from that time logic process.
Nicely done, but wouldn't there still be a bootstrap paradox? After all, Twilight going to the past motivated them to create the spells she's going to use to ensure her survival, which in turn encourage her to go back in time. This set of events just ensured that her death will no longer truly be part of the loop.
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What is happening is a paradox similar to the one from Dragonball Z but in reverse. At the end of this, a overlapping timeline will take effect, this will be slightly different then any of the original timelines, and will cause ripple cause and effect (like when Trunks came back, changing the timeline)
8003711 I'm using the Zap Apple Reserve, it's got a smoother taste.
8003333 And she's raising a filly who can suddenly run off and bump into filly Twilight. Accidents do happen.
8003561 Which means it'll be all that much more fun and hilarious when she finally DOES learn about it.
0_0
( grabs a huge bag of bits & gives it to granny smith ) I'm gonna need all the hard sider you got at this point miss. this will cover it.
So crazy, yet so conclusive...
Grandpa Orvus would be so proud and annoyed at the same time
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My reaction: Huh... it must be Tuesday..
I... honestly don't understand what all the fuss is about. It's a simple recursive loop with each consecutive loop providing another of the necessary pieces to conclusively stabilize the timeline. Each loop happens, has happened and will happen, but due to the nature of the method of time travel involved the contemporaries of the "Now" only know what they know of the present causality. The Time"Line" in this segment of the multiverse will just look more like a Celtic Knot than a straight line until Twilight gets back from the final iteration.
8003333 Simplest way to do that would be to live somewhere other than Canterlot or Ponyville, and on the rare occasions where she couldn't avoid them (because I doubt she'd miss Starlight's graduation for any reason short of the impending Apocalypse), use a spell to disguise herself.
8003395 Cool. I always wanted to be able to manipulate time. Good to know I can somweherewhen out there.
8003427 Ain't the Multiverse Grand?
8003869 But obviously she didn't, otherwise she would have remembered bumping into either an older version of herself or Filly Starlight. Filly Twilight would have her nose burred too deep in a book to notice most of the time and Filly Starlight was probably educated enough on the dangers of Time Travel by her Mother to know not to approach her Mother's younger counterpart. Plus some subtle manipulation on Elder Twilight's part could easily enroll them in different classes entirely to lower the risks even more. That isn't to say that Twilight's Canterlot Friends wouldn't know Starlight, or know about Starlight being a fellow student. Starlight just wouldn't have been friends with Twilight. Not that she would necessarily want to. I imagine being "BFF"s with your mother who isn't your mother could be all kinds of awkward. Prime blackmail material potential or not...
8004229 It's trying to apply standard logic to a non-linear timeline that confuses people or in other cases causes a little headache. Just like trying to apply logic to Pinkie Pie. I haven't brushed up on my dynamic timeline modification manual in a while so just call me rusty on the topic. I just need to reevaluate my paradox repair manual and it'll come back to me.
... you need to stop making my head hurt.
8004282 Eh, Time logics just fine as long as you understand at least most of the basic principles of how it can work. I guess it's just kinda puzzling that so many people still don't get it after 225 chapters of timey whymey shenanigans, plus the comparatively tamer time shenaniganry in all of Tats' other stories... Especially Slaughter without Laughter from what I've heard of it...
8004229 thank you for putting it all in words
If i had tried to explain, it would have been more chaotic and undecipherable than the timey wimey itself
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Alternatively, enlist the help of someone who is used to manipulating ponies in order to protect important secrets.
Such as...the Principal of the school she enrolls Starlight in?
After all, seeing how much power and talent Starlight has, Celestia might want to take her on as a second personal student...and Twilight would have to explain without explaining why she shouldn't do that.
(Of course, that's assuming Starlight is the same age group as Twilight or younger, and not older. If she's older, Starlight might be tested for study alongside Sunset Shimmer instead. :P)
oh hey grandchildren and great grandchildren, won't Velvet be happy.