Being against evil doesn't make you good.
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Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer are going through a rough patch in their relationship. Sunburst is due to visit and his presence can only add to the friction.
It doesn't make things any easier when the two mares accidentally simulate a copy of the universe. One that simulates its own copy of the universe, which simulates its own copy, which simulates its own copy...
Partly based on the minific "I don't know, Timmy, being God is a big responsibility" by Twitter @qntm.
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An interesting study in how simple rules can often lead to large, complex systems, and how that escalates when you add in a dollop of magic. Plus, romance! intrigue! sexy time no jutsu!
Not Moondancer?! Who are you and what have you done with Trick Question?!
Wow, way to jump immediately into passive aggressive bitch mode. 10/10 Starlight.
orig00.deviantart.net/2d66/f/2016/130/1/1/starlight_s_clapping_gif_by_insanespyro-da1z770.gif
Oh...no? Why is this such a bad thing?
So maybe you're a simulation too.
Not a big fan of Sunburst there are ya Twi? Ya get jelly?
No gender swapping spells? They did tease it in Magic Duel, and you're an alicorn.
Also, sperm banks. Or have him jizz in a turkey baster. Does that method work? I have no clue.
That's a shame, it was a good fic.
So the “outer” characters are the ones we were with before the spell was cast?
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Essentially yes.
9030866
So the whole story is being told from the perspective of the characters who were created by the spell. Nice.
orig00.deviantart.net/1e9c/f/2016/079/f/9/sans_and_the_existential_crisis_by_mayoshan-d9vull4.png
So, chapter 1: layer 1 (until the end)
Chapter 2/3: layer 3+ (We know it's not layer 2 from the ending)
Chapter 4 (start): layer 2
Chapter 4 (end): layer 1
Interesting.
Also, while physical/magical isolation is in effect, information can flow in both directions. This has significant potential in a wide variety of applications, especially research. I'm surprised Starlight didn't try to exploit that. (Twilight would obviously never think of something so utilitarian)
Now i have to wonder how this interacts with the mirror portal. Does it also create a set of infinitely-nested EqGverses, or is there still just the one? If the latter, there's some symmetry breakage right away.
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According to the epilogue, it's always layer two rather than layer three; the formatting is only a literary device for tension.
Interesting read
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Huh, all right then. I'd argue that the epilogue makes no such assertion though. Until the destruction of layers 3+, the layers 2+ were all identical copies of each other. That effect ended the moment that the crystal was destroyed. Ethically, you could certainly argue that since they were all identical they weren't different people, but they still existed until they were destroyed. The long pause to me indicated that that instance of Twilight had ceased existence, even if an exact duplicate on the true layer 2 continued to exist.
That's what I was thinking at least.
Just go to the tree and ask it to give her one. That’s what you did in my story.
Can someone explain to me how the reasoning works? There is a lot of math and something called metaconsciousness?
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It’s magic.
This is a really cool concept! I didn't quite understand the perspective it was being told from until the end, but that made it that much more interesting with that reveal. I really enjoyed this!
With recursion!
img.memecdn.com/unlimited-power_o_7086525.jpg
Ah, good old Glimmy!
It's fun and insightful about prior probability of being in top layer
If there is a top layer, then it's kinda broken, just not where they want to. I think they may measure their depth by precommitting and then executing following procedure: select number
nand write it down, select place, teleport one coin from received coin pile into selected place inside simulation, for every immediately received coin in selected place teleport it further untilncoins are transmitted. After that they should either know their exact depth or know that it's greater thenn.That was one heck of cliffhanger!
Twilight must possess balls of neutron matter to rely like that on top-level Twilight to diverge enough from them. Or maybe she musn't, since her decisions doesn't have direct causal influence on over level Twilights. Newcomb-like problem, yay!
Potential ethical implications are pretty interesting here. Firstly, situation in the end of story from the point of view of top level is kinda funny: there are ponies in top level, there are ponies of same value in bottom level, but doing something nice for bottom-level pony is less resource-intensive then doing same thing for top-level pony. That may compel top level ponies to hand significant fraction of their resources over to bottom level, or create bottom levels and after some preparations migrate to bottom levels themselves (very uncanny meanings of "migrate" included). Secondly, what Twilight did: it's not killing everyone in regular sense, of course, but if we interpret no killing rule as "state of world where person X exists is preferable to state of world where X doesn't" that would work both ways. Then Twilight actions in comparison to breaking symmetry and causing infinite number of different minds to exist for almost zero resource cost have humongous opportunity cost (even if preference is discounted if X is almost identical to already existing mind). Although, it can be pretty easily redone.
I've just realized that having this spell ponies may actually try lottery-winning algorithm from here (although, there maybe not enough lotteries in Equestria which decide winner by using quantum random number generator).
This reminds me of a story...
I'm not sure how I feel about this. I don't think I agree that all the higher order universes are the same person because symmetry hasn't been broken. It feels like Twilight just killed a nearly uncountable number of people. I'm kind of not alright with the way it's just blown off as them not being real.
I'm not saying it's a bad story I just fundamentally disagree with the way they are thinking about the copies of themselves.
Well, this is one heck of a thought provoker. Given that only one level of symmetry was broken, the infinite Inner Equestrias just reduced to one with no loss of distinctiveness... but that's still infinite worlds destroyed in a lover's spat. Kind of.
A fascinating thought experiment that may well keep me up tonight as I continue pondering it. Thank you for this.
9033929
Yes! I knew there was something I'd read a long time ago that inspired this, but I had no idea where or what it was called.
I wish I was this smart. This is awesome. ^^
Well... I'm certainly glad you didn't delete it. I've been on an SF/simulated reality kick of late, and that was satisfying. I'd like to think that the 8 rapid downvotes (along with face-palmings and groans) occurred when they first twigged on "E-quine", but you're probably correct about it being people reacting to the author. Anyway, an excellent story.
Turns out Equestria has relativity. I wonder if it has has quantum mechanics as well? If so, the simulated universe cannot possibly be entirely identical to the toplevel universe because of uncertainty principle. Onward to find out!
9033929
Turns out the story Ra, a JavaScript library I use at work, and the story that inspired this one are all written by the same guy. Tis a wee world.
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vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/f/fd/Twilight_smiling_at_the_princesses_MLPTM.png/revision/latest?cb=20180112164929
See bottom right corner just under Celestia
I still don't understand how black spheres are working
Are there two separate types of them: big 4D cone around the crystal at moment of time corresponding to present time outside simulation and small sphere that covers just crystal when simulation time offset is adjusted until inside simulation time reaches outside moment of time when adjustment was done?
9056774
It's a sphere around the crystal that appears when you get too close to the present moment.
9057420
That's 4D cone-like thingie that moves forward in time. Well, at least I guess it's cone-shaped from this:
But what's happening here:
Or is this effect emerges from cone thingie in a way I haven't understood yet?
9059189
This is just the delayed feed of the library. They're showing the library as it was a few moments ago, so right after they do that, the next level down does the same thing, etc.
9059869
I.e. (n+1)-th simulation (and crystal containing it) is kinda not a part of the state of universe inside n-th simulation? (numbers are according to depth)
Thanks for the explanation!
My brain has a owie now.
I came here from /r/rational and must say that i did not expect Trick Question to write a fanfic that included world domination and was wholesome.
11048595
Neat subreddit. Broken Symmetry might be an even better fit.
I feel like Twilight and Starlight's roles would have made more sense reversed but that's just a nitpick.
Cute story. Pretty rare ship too.