“Okay, Twilight. It’s just like we practised last time, okay?”

---

Twilight was aware of how utterly shambolic her attempt to seem calm was.

All the feigned composure in the world couldn’t compensate for a mare who was visibly sweating, and was compulsively fidgeting with the teacup and saucer that Celestia had kindly provided for her. The beverage it had once held was long drained, but Twilight refused to set it down. Anything to keep her forehooves occupied, as she was justifiably concerned that they'd start to shake.

Celestia didn't acknowledge any of this, of course. She just kept reading the parchment and taking periodic sips of her own tea, as if nothing of note was happening.

Once, a few years back, Twilight had been given the chance to observe as the princess conducted oral examinations with a younger filly student. A student who, as it turned out, had displayed the same obvious nerves Twilight always did. She'd asked the princess afterwards why she never verbally reassured the child, and it had been incredibly easy to see through. She cringed now to think of how the cadence of her voice became a whine as she tried to disguise personal investment as academic curiosity.

Of course, the princess almost certainly knew that Twilight was asking about herself more than the student. The princess knew everything. However, she still offered her measured reply of 'The students have nothing to be nervous of in here, Twilight, but I've taught enough throughout the years to know that simply telling them that has little to no effect. They all come around, in time.'

By this point in their relationship, Twilight was very much aware there was no need to be so scared. Celestia was not going to release her as a student if she turned up one bad research idea, the very notion was absurd.

And yet…

Suffice to say, Twilight wished she could come around in time, too.

"Alright," Celestia began, setting the parchment down, and Twilight felt her stomach drop in anticipation.

"It's brilliant. Utterly brilliant, my faithful student. A spell like this, if it could ever be formulated, would be paradigm shifting. We must be ready to present this at the University. This week if you are able."

The relief was wonderful, but nowhere near as wonderful as the look of pride in Celestia's eyes. It shocked Twilight how tangible her mentor's warmth was. Like the aura of kindness was something she could swim in. Twilight blushed at the unabashed praise. The warm, reassuring embrace of her mentor’s approval temporarily banished the self doubt, and the contrast was intoxicating.

"Absolutely princess, I'll just need time to readjust my notes. Clearly I've not conveyed my message as well as I should." Twilight replied, and allowed herself a little smile when Celestia looked at her quizzically.

"I've already formulated it."

---

---

"Esteemed fellows, colleagues, friends," Twilight began. Scanning the sea of faces, she managed to make out Rarity, smiling encouragingly. Twilight was grateful she’d been able to make the trip up from Ponyville, "I am here today to present a new development in my research into new avenues in Thaumaturgy."

The room was filled with academics from all over Equestria. When she gave her first talk here, Twilight had been stunned by how many had assembled. This was until she found out later than many of these scholars were at the end of their research career and more concerned with soaking up as much of the current literature as possible as opposed to producing new ideas. They'd already done more than their fair share of that.

They would have all been here the second they heard there was a talk being conducted, regardless of the subject. And, considering there was at least one talk every week, Twilight wondered whether any of them ever got back to their respective departments.

"There have long existed spells to search through the literature. Indeed, how else would we ever find relevant references without them? Can you imagine going into the Canterlot Royal Library without actually knowing the paper you seek beforehand? You'd never leave!" Twilight exclaimed, prompting a murmur of laughter in the audience. For this crowd, that was effectively a standing ovation.

"There have also long existed spells with which to magically analyse material. What I am displaying today, is a marriage and refinement of both. Using a merged, multi-base enchantment, we can now combine analysis of material with an instinctive literature search, describing a material intuitively and allowing for suggestion of expected properties based on existing research."
This got an outright round of applause. Merging together existing spells was notoriously difficult work, especially ones as fundamental as these two. But Twilight wasn't done yet, not by a long shot.

"But we still have a problem with magical analyses, they require the establishment of an active field around the target. As we all know, unicorn magic has its limits. We cannot establish fields so big as to analyse large geological phenomena. Nor can we establish fields so small and controlled as to manipulate bacteria or less. So, as you may have remembered, this is a multi-base enchantment, not a dibasic one. There is a third element, which removes the need for the use of fields altogether."

They were on the edge of their seats. Literally, in many cases. She had them eating out of her hooves. It was time to bring it all home. She trotted up to the stand she had set up beforehand and removed the blanket covering it. It revealed a glittering, onyx piece of mineral.

"As you are all aware, Dr Sunspire who has kindly joined us today, recently discovered a new material which, if the excitement is anything to go by, is one of the year's most remarkable discoveries." She nodded to Celestia, who left the front row on cue and joined her on the stage.

"Earlier today," the princess began, "With the informed and active consent of Twilight Sparkle, I performed a piece of mind magic for the intent of research only. As you know, while most mind magic is expressly forbade under law, licences can be granted for the purposes of research. And it's quite easy for a pony in my position to obtain such a licence."

The crowd chuckled again, and Twilight allowed herself some awe at how effortlessly Celestia could command the attention of an entire room.

"I can confirm through the usage of a veracity confirmation spell, more commonly called a 'lie detection spell', that everything she is about to say is something that is knowingly true to her."
With that she turned to head back to her seat, but not before shooting Twilight a very quick smile of reassurance.

"My enchantment performs analysis not on the objects themselves, rather it gets all its necessary information from the picture your brain creates. All data is collected in the eyes of the caster. Instead of the establishment of an active field, we can now analyse whatever we can see. Added to this it can intuit properties totally unknown and unprecedented by inference based on existing research."

"Dr Sunspire has not published his research on this material yet, as such it wouldn't come up in any literature searching spell. I have also avoided any talks or preliminary information about this mineral. As confirmed by Princess Celestia, I know nothing about this material... but I can see it, and if I perform the simple bypassing spell to link output to a quill and parchment."

Twilight stared at the mineral, took a steadying breath, and cast the most important spell of her career. For a second nothing happened, until the quill gently rose. In a manner that reminded Twilight of a young deer taking its first, uncertain steps, the quill wavered. Until, quite suddenly, it began to write out a brief passage.

Twilight disconnected her spell, and walked over to the parchment. The crowd watched with baited breath as Twilight scanned the information that had been written down. For a second, she appeared completely neutral, until she broke out in a smile and turned to the audience.

"Dr Sunspire, on the basis of sight alone, my spell determines your material is the highest temperature superconductor found yet," she announced, particular attention on a gobsmacked Sunspire. The stallion was only eight years older than Twilight, and was quite the hot commodity in academia at the moment. A professor in full at only the age of thirty-two. And for all his acclaim, he stared at Twilight in unreserved amazement.

"It is... yes, fully and reliably resistance free conduction at two degrees below the melting point of water," he spluttered.

"My spell cannot tell you everything and is limited by what we know in the literature. These claims would still require stringent experimental experimentation, but by linking to our existing knowledge base and removing the need for field establishment the ability for us to magically analyse has been dramatically expanded. I thank you for your time and hope you will all read the soon to be released paper on this work."

The second she departed the stage, headed for the widely grinning forms of Rarity and Celestia, the crowd began to talk amongst themselves excitedly. Twilight allowed herself to bask in it, especially when her friends began to tell her how proud they were.

Celestia was right. This would change everything.

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