//------------------------------// // Interference, Part 2 // Story: Solstice // by Scorpius //------------------------------// ... and, greatest of all, is the relief above the columns on the Temple steps, depicting Starswirl posed in victory above the demon Discord, who is howling in agony[a], beneath which is carved the words Quaero Voluntatem Fons[b], as if to remind all who step through the Temple's doors of where they are, and what they are called to do. —from Pre-Classical Architecture of Canterlot: Thaumata, Arcana, Ecclesia On the Headmistress’ desk lay Maria’s telescope, now almost as transparent as glass, and shining brightly within it was a web of amethyst strands, each pulsing and flickering with raw magic. On one side of the desk sat Phyra Sol Fenglade, Headmistress of the Canterlot Arcana, her horn dancing with flame-like hornglow and her brows furrowed with concentration; across from her sat Maria, the first neophyte of Everfree, whose quill was running back and forth across the roll of parchment that spilled over the edge of the desk. “Is this…” “Maghurst’s Lock.” Maria didn’t look up from the telescope in front of them, and neither did the Headmistress. “I wanted to try—” “Yes, I can see.” The Headmistress was already plucking at another thread with her hornglow. “It’s not an elegant solution, but it works.” Maria smiled. She didn’t care so much for elegant solutions—not when it was so much more important to her that she could find a solution where her classmates couldn’t. It had taken quite a little while for the two of them to fall into what passed for a comfortable rhythm, and at first Maria had been terrified that she wouldn’t be able to keep up with the Headmistress or the Professor while they were working. To keep pace with one of the foremost researchers in Enchantments in the whole of Canterlot? She would have to be conceited to think she could manage that as a mere fourth-year. But the Headmistress was an educator first and foremost, and Maria had been surprised by how well she had explained the various tests that they would be applying. She was a far better teacher than Doctor Whitetail, whose nervous mannerisms and too-quiet voice often made Enchantment lessons either trying or boring. It wasn’t too long before Maria found herself envying the students who had studied under the Headmistress, in the years before she took on her role—she had learned more in the last hour than she had in the last year of lessons with Whitetail. “Ah!” The Headmistress’ shoulders relaxed, and Maria could see her physically slump in relief. “I think I found some interference. Do you see here, in the spiral?” Maria peered closely at the offending thread. It was vibrating rapidly, and a single pulse of white light bounced back and forth along it to a strange, exotic rhythm. “No…” she said, her voice trailing off as she tilted her head to get a better look. “I don’t think anything’s wrong there.” For a moment the Headmistress was silent. “Maria, it’s practically right at resonant frequency…” Maria nodded, looking up from the telescope to catch the Headmistress’ eye, and smiled. “That’s intentional. I’m using it to absorb excess energy from Westport’s Siphon.” “Oh.” For a moment there was silence, before the scratching of quill on parchment resumed. And then: “Was that your idea?” “A happy accident,” Maria admitted, sheepishly. “I came across the effect while trying to incorporate the recording charms, and I figured I could put it to good use.” The Headmistress nodded, and turned back to the telescope. Even after an hour, it felt strange to be working alongside the Headmistress. It wasn’t like the immense feeling of pride she’d felt in detention with the Deputy Headmaster, because her contributions didn’t feel so valuable—she was mostly running calculations, after all, to save time for the Headmistress. Rather, she felt like the Headmistress was offering her a rare chance to see an expert at work, and she couldn’t bear to let the Headmistress down by not doing her very best to help. And yet, she was nervous. The longer this took, the more intricate the mistake she must have made would have been—and, no doubt, the Headmistress would scold her for overstretching herself quite so much. Every thread that bent and shone with ruby hornglow was another chance that she would fall. It had been easier, strangely enough, with Professor Fenglade alongside them. She had been able to check the calculations far better and far more quickly than Maria had, and, though it had taken her a few minutes to warm up to the idea, she and Maria found it easy to bounce ideas off each other—far easier than Maria worked with the Headmistress, who often seemed to know what Maria would say before she had said it. But the Professor had lessons to teach, and when the bell had rung for classes she had risen with sincere apologies. "Seventeen," the Headmistress mumbled. Maria dragged her thoughts back to the telescope in front of her, and quickly looked over her calculations for the offending error. Soon enough, it was covered in a hasty cross-hatching of ink, and a new calculation written out more carefully above it. The Headmistress barely seemed to notice—already her hornglow was testing another thread, and Maria had yet another formula to write out, and another opportunity to be proven a fool. For Source's sake, I hope this is over soon. Maria stared at the tangled mess of charms that was her telescope in grim frustration. It was her own fault that this was taking so long—if she hadn't been so arrogant, if she hadn't been so determined to prove her worth, she'd have stuck to standard charms and none of this would even be happening. I'm not sure I can take much more of this. [a] "and still the demon writhed in pain, and cried out with a voice as cold as ice itself"Devotio 13:2. [b]Quaero Voluntatem Fons: literally, “seek the will of the Source”. The Temple of the Source establishes the priority of unicorns as the study of magic, and has a strong relationship with the Canterlot Arcana. The two buildings were built together for the purpose of educating the youth of Equestria academically and spiritually, and to guide them on the Source’s path.