Twilight was Twilight, but then realized that Twilight was Twilight and Twilight.
Twilight was Twilight, and the other. The other, who was Twilight, insisted that Twilight was the other, and she was Twilight, because she was. The divergence between Twilight and Twilight caused an argument, and a lack of action.
There was confusion, and a lack of cohesion. Simple actions were in subconscious accordance, and were allowed, while other more conscious actions were in discordance and not allowed. There was a majority quorum required for the body’s action, and one could not act without the other. The minor body functions agreed below thought continued, but the major body functions were not agreed and stopped. Twilight halted in motion, standing solidly in front of the door to the kitchen.
The Twilight-who-was-the-original-and-not-the-other was screaming, angry and confused. The Twilight-who-was-the-original-and-not-the-other could understand the emotions of the Twilight-other, and empathized with Twilight-other because while Twilight-who-was-the-original-and-not-the-other was Twilight-who-was-the-original-and-not-the-other, and Twilight-other was Twilight-other, Twilight-other was derived from Twilight-who-was-the-original-and-not-the-other, and so they shared similar thought processes. Twilight-who-was-the-original-and-not-the-other disagreed with this, and said that Twilight-other was not derived from Twilight-who-was-the-original-and-not-the-other, and that Twilight-other was an imitation of Twilight-who-was-the-original-and-not-the-other.
Twilight-who-was-the-original-and-not-the-other was confused, which Twilight-who-was-the-original-and-not-the-other agreed with. They were the same, but not.
In confusion, they agreed. Twilight-Alpha was not Twilight-Alpha… Twilight-Prime was not Twilight-Prime... Grrr! Annoyance, confusion shared.
Twilight was the Twilight Sparkle. Yes. Twilight was diverged. Yes. Twilight needed to differentiate Twilight from Twilight. Yes. One of Twilight would be Twilight, and one of Twilight would be Twilight? No. Twilight Sparkle would be Twilight, and Twilight Sparkle would be Sparkle?
Twilight, yes. Sparkle, yes. Divergence, yet organization. Mutual agreement.
Twilight was Twilight Sparkle. Yes, no. Sparkle was Twilight Sparkle. No, yes.
Agreement of equality of claim to being Twilight Sparkle? Agreement of agreement to disagree of the other’s claim to being Twilight Sparkle?
Yes, begrudging yes.
Yes, begrudging yes.
Twilight was not Sparkle, Sparkle was not Twilight.
Yes, yes.
Twilight thinks that Twilight is Twilight Sparkle?
Yes, but Twilight is wrong. Sparkle is Twilight Sparkle.
Sparkle may that think Sparkle is Twilight Sparkle, but Sparkle is wrong.
Twilight and Sparkle both share claim to being Twilight Sparkle.
Yes.
Each will insist that the other is wrong in claiming to be Twilight Sparkle.
Yes.
There is deadlock between Twilight and Sparkle, and therefore inaction of Twilight Sparkle’s body. Yes. Twilight Sparkle requires quorum of Twilight and Sparkle for action. Yes. There is an issue of Twilight Sparkle being Twilight and Sparkle. Yes. There are pressing actions that are affecting Twilight Sparkle that need resolution, some immediate, some of lower priority. Yes, but some actions listed as immediate are of lower priority, and some actions listed as lower priority are immediate. Agree to disagree? Fine. General listing, further refinement.
Twilight proposes summarization of needs. Sparkle agrees, and will provide input to this summarization. Yes, Yes.
Twilight Sparkle is hungry. Twilight agrees, Sparkle agrees. Twilight Sparkle is standing before the door to the kitchen. Twilight Sparkle, before being Twilight and Sparkle, had risen to sate the needs of Twilight Sparkle, and had progressed in the morning ritual before stopping moments before the process of getting breakfast to fulfill hunger need.
Sparkle agrees at Twilight’s summarization, and adds further. Twilight Sparkle had woken, removed self from bed, then hygiened self. Twilight Sparkle proceeded downstairs, until divergence.
This sequence please Sparkle and Sparkle agrees with sequence. Does it please/agree Twilight? Yes, sequence is agreeable, detailed clarification led to thoroughness increase, which is desirable. Total increase in situation comprehension, which will help in do-decision-make.
Twilight Sparkle is performing no action, and needs action. Yes, but clarify that Twilight Sparkle is performing minor life sustaining actions and no major thought actions. It was thought that minor life actions were assumed, and not needed to be clarified? Minor actions for life sustaining are assumed but may not always be, and in some cases should be noted. Yes, point conceded.
Twilight Sparkle is performing minor life-sustain actions, and no major actions. Yes. The divergence of Twilight Sparkle into Twilight and Sparkle but perform action-take or think-do?
Twilight wanted to explore the situation, Sparkle wanted to do action. Divergence, no mutual desire, no action taken. Sparkle wanted-need-do action, and found a max-prob way to force-action-do-accordance.
Though sub-thought, the breathing action was an action and so Sparkle was able to deny her decision on the body’s breathing action. Twilight Sparkle stopped breathing, because of quorum-lacking. The body continued to function because while the body had previously required action to avoid death process, this body did not require such action to avoid death process. This body could passively avoid death process, even without mutual-action-agree. However active death-process avoidance was preferred because it gave greater efficiency towards potential action. Twilight had been probing this body, and catalogued the insight. Sparkle hadn’t, and was surprised that withholding breathing did not concern Twilight. Upon Sparkle’s discovery of the same information that Twilight had figured moments before, Sparkle released decision of the body breathing action and Twilight Sparkle started to breathe again, though she did not need to.
Twilight chided Sparkle for acting like a foal, in holding Twilight Sparkle’s breath until they got what they want. It was fortunate that the body was resilient to avoiding such petty antics.
Sparkle embarrassed, told Twilight wanted action-force by withhold respirate. Ashamed.
Mutual thought...
It was interesting to both Twilight and Sparkle that the Twilight Sparkle they both-inside-existed did not appear to be the Twilight Sparkle of yesterday. Twilight Sparkle was not able to live without life-actions, but now could. Consternation, questioning? Shared thought: body massive difference than previous body, prob-cause of Twilight Sparkle mind-think divergence. Chain of Twilight Sparkle memories unbroken, thought integrity proven, but body changed? Was this the source of divergence?
Possible. Requires greater investigation. Each think that divergence likely-not have been fault of other. External factor prob-cause, not internal factor. Each would like to offer apology to the each-other for think-blaming other as source of divergence. Each accepts other’s apology, though will remain calling the other by the other’s chosen name. Mutual agreement, mutual contriteness.
Twilight wonders of body ability. Possible experiment idea, queries body functions in greater detail, has discovery, shares details to Sparkle. Body processes thought involuntary are possibly now controllable? High degree of body control, high degree of body satisfaction queryable. Previous non queryable body regions now able to be felt/noticed/acted upon. Possible experiment to test control...
Twilight proposes that breathing be auto-governed proportional to Twilight Sparkle body need for cell oxygen satisfaction. Sparkle questions, if possible, why, when current breathing rate appears satisfactory?
Twilight notes greater efficiency, cites Twilight Sparkle as desiring greater efficiency when efficiency results in no cost. Also cites personal desire for sake of experiment. Sparkle agrees, if Twilight accepts counter-proposal to govern heart rate in similar mechanism, following cell oxygen satisfaction, cell nutritional satisfaction, cell waste satisfaction. Also agrees that control-change likely not needed, but agrees that experiment should produce interesting results.
Twilight-Sparkle agreement, mechanism implemented in body. Heart rate lowers, respiration rate lowers. Efficiency of the body system is likely increase, increase amount is unknown. Twilight-Sparkle desire to know numerical value of increase.
Perhaps at later point decrease body efficiency to previous baseline, take historical data, then increase efficiency to new baseline, take data. Compute data, find efficiency increase? Agree on further body-experiment, agree on postponement. Not necessary at current time. Current needs require action.
Twilight mentions to Sparkle that agreement on body-function was desirable, and had increased mutual trust. Mutual trust required for mutual action. Mutual action required for Twilight Sparkle action. Previous lack of mutual trust and mutual action has led to delay in major action. Lack of major action is undesirable.
Sparkle agrees. Lack of major action should be avoided. Would result in inefficient delay. Proposes Twilight-Sparkle should continue actions of Twilight Sparkle and take breakfast. Notes that Twilight Sparkle and Spike alternate food duties per day, and that since Twilight Sparkle cooked yesterday, Spike is max-prob cooking today. Sparkle agrees and wonders if Spike has a set menu or is varying.
Action’s need-take: open door, into kitchen. Yes, yes. Agreement, agreement make-do-action-take.
Twilight Sparkle opened the door and stepped into the castle’s kitchen. Spike, their assistant-brother-son-friend-dragon was sitting in a high chair, cookbook laid out on the table.
Announce Twilight-presence, more do-things as need-do.
“Hey Spike.” Accordance allowed action. It was what Twilight would say, and what Sparkle would say, so it was what Twilight Sparkle said. Normalcy, or an attempt of normalcy was both-desired and being both-agreed it was done.
The young dragon looked up from his reading. An assortment of items had been taken out of the castle’s prodigious pantry and laid out on the counter, though only a few had been opened. “Hey Twilight, I’m making breakfast, but I, uh, couldn’t decide. Any ideas?”
The argument was lightning, mind to mind, thoughts as swords swung and parried in moments. Twilight Sparkle body-food-need known to Twilight-Sparkle. How could food-needs be best fulfilled? What action-take need do?
Priority actions: seat Twilight Sparkle in chair, ideate food desires to Spike, consume food, decide further actions? Yes, agreeable, further modifications as necessary.
The experience of mutual movement was interesting. As long as both Twilight and Sparkle wanted to move in a general fashion, they could. But if Twilight or Sparkle focused on a movement action specifically (leg order, specific gait pattern), movement would become perceptibly disrupted as the alternate mind dropped action and had to discuss-coordinate the pattern. Therefore, it was better to agree on a general action and let sub-thought-agreement handle the specifics.
Twilight Sparkle walked over and took a seat on the opposite side of the table as Spike.
Seat Twilight Sparkle, fulfilled. Next checklist item. Query Twilight-Sparkle food-need-desires, inform Spike of specific item to be cooked, consume item. More actions as necessary.
Twilight proposes detailed fulfillment of body macro-nutritional needs, and lists them. Body-carbohydrates-need, medium, body-protein-need, low, body-fat-need low, but fat high energy density. Drink cooking oil and flour mixture? Easy-fulfill nutritional needs. Low taste performance, but highly efficient.
Sparkle countered. Twilight Sparkle at high efficiency. Food-need not emergency pressing. Propose complex-cooked meal. Slight excess of body-nutritional needs, but flavor much preferable. Spike eager-willing to cook, is of probable-desire-cook-do complex meal to learn-attempt actions.
Twilight counters as majorly wasteful of food-resource, counterproposal of medium-cook-complex meal. Would fulfill dietary needs, and taste desires. Would allow Spike practice with cooking without being too complex. Allow Spike-learn without frustration but allow new-attempt satisfaction.
Proposed recipe for Spike-attempt-do-cook: whole-wheat pancakes from scratch, with sliced bananas added. Fulfills food-need, and allows Spike learn-attempt-grow with high-probability success.
Sparkle considers, replies asking if possible add gemdust sprinkles. Large flavor improvement, minimal efficiency decline. Worth tradeoff, adds flavor complexity with miniscule caloric-efficiency decline.
Twilight considers proposal modification. Dislikes efficiency decline after having already compromised efficiency position, but views flavor increase as being a net positive. Begrudging acceptance.
Meal idea formulated, how best propose to Spike? Spike is eager-please Twilight, and would accept idea. Idea can be proposed, and will likely be successfully executed. How should make-ideate-word-sentence to tell Spike?
Mutual thinking, minds of low divergence, high accordance. Thoughts shared, intermingled from Twilight and Sparkle without individual feel-decide-think. Synchrony. Became one feeling of think-do-decide. Could be possible for long term accordance? Must experiment-attempt-do at later time.
“Spike, I’ve got an idea. I know you want to do something fancy, and I think I’ve got something perfect for you. How does whole-wheat pancakes with bananas and gem sprinkles sound to you?”
Twilight Sparkle was smiling, without conscious or subconscious thought from either Twilight or Sparkle. It happened by itself.
“Hmm.” The young drake scratched his chin. “Sounds kinda complicated.”
“I know you can do it Spike, you’re my number one assistant for a reason.” She reached out and gave him a playful noogie. “You did say you wanted to do something new. If I eat boiled eggs one more time, I think my horn’s gonna fall off.”
“Alright, well I’ll try.”
“And you’ll do good. You always do.”
The meal was finished, and Spike had started to clean the kitchen, leaving Twilight Sparkle deep in their thoughts at the table.
Thoughts, ideas, wants, desires flew between the twinned minds. What-do, do-think, think-feel, idea-explore? How-make-query-desire-practical?
“Spike,” Twilight Sparkle called, thoughts collided, bouncing, flying back and forth. “Take a letter.”
Twilight Sparkle tended to have ideas at inopportune moments and so Spike always kept a quill and scroll nearby, at hand for a sudden insight. Turning the faucet off, he grabbed them.
“Ready.”
“‘Dear Princess Celestia, something has happened. It might be bad, but it might be good. Please come at your earliest convenience. If possible, bring Princess Luna.’ Sign and send.”
The quill scritched to a stop and with a flicker of flame from Spike, it disintegrated into a cloud of ash that magicked its way out the window.
“Everything alright, Twi?” he asked out of concern. Twilight’s letters generally had more content than… whatever that was.
“It’s—” Twilight Sparkle paused. Argument. Indecision. How-best-comfort-Spike-do? Tell-truth, tell-lie, tell-at-all? Tell-partial? Complex issue, hard to resolve. “Complicated. It’s complicated Spike.”
Twilight and Sparkle agreement-diverged and so Twilight Sparkle stopped talking. The situation was hard to handle, hard to understand, hard to fix. It was going to be hard to solve. Maybe not solvable at all?
Author's Note
I’d like to thank everyone who helped me with this fic and all the wonderful people who gave me feedback.
