Les yeux de Len s'élargissaient à la vue de l'ancien texte, lié en cuir et avec ses pages jaunes et son encre noire. Même à la vitesse que Scapel traversait les pages, l'Érudit pouvait lire assez pour savoir que c'était le livre qu'ils cherchaient. Il a même inclus les dessins et les équations manquant dans les éditions ultérieures, avec beaucoup de matériel expansé par les sabots plus tard. Il lui a fallu tout pour ne pas toucher.
-- Oui, oui, c'est certainement le livre du vieux Maple's Lot, dit-elle. Elle s'est assise dans la chaise dans une position plutôt maladroite, son dos à la chaise et les jambes trainant dehors. Elle respirait profondément pour se calmer, pour ramener la façade de glace. "Je pourrais passer des heures à étudier vos contre-mesures intrusives - je n'ai jamais vu une telle art, un tel soin dans les arts magiques. Et je dis que cela a été l'assistant du professeur Prancer Žemaitukas."
"Mais l'autre tome... laisse-moi réfléchir," son esprit a passé en revue les listes mentales des différentes failles gardées par la bourse. Ses yeux s'ennuyèrent, et se mirent à regarder dans l'espace. Rapidement, elle a passé en revue la liste des Greenfields, espérant que la Prophétie du Soleil Noir n'était pas parmi les œuvres perdues. Lorsqu'elle était certaine qu'il n'y en avait pas, elle s'est rendue à ses Vaults du directeur. Elle a réduit la vaste collection jusqu'à la collection spéciale. C'était une collection conservée dans un endroit caché, protégée par des sorts et des serrures, et seulement quelques-uns seulement de l'ordre avaient accès. Et au cas où, ces livres enchaînés à l'alcôve.
Dans la mémoire de Len, elle a vu assis entre les Fragments de Starfire et les Visions Étranges était le tome recherché par le Docteur. Puis elle se souvient des détails du catalogue. "Oui, nous avons le livre - The Black Sun Prophesies, First Edition. Originaire de la collection Longhoof, elle a été récupérée avant que l'Inquestion ne puisse la voler.
Elle a hurlé. "Il semble que nous ayons des besoins similaires pour la connaissance ancienne - des mystiques du passé nous pouvons faire avancer l'avenir. Nous pouvons procéder à l'échange immédiatement, sans délai, par vos conditions. Vous pouvez, bien sûr, vérifier le tome pour vous assurer que c'est le bon avant qu'on finisse.
Ses yeux revenaient à la vie, son esprit revenait de la transe. "Quant à vos questions, Noxferus... Est-ce que j'utilise ça correctement? Je m'excuse si je ne le suis pas." Elle a commencé à rougir, embarrassé. « Nous commencerons par les bases - l'IRM n'est que l'avant visible de ma commande. Peut-être avez-vous entendu des rumeurs sur nous - nous nous appelons les chercheurs..." Elle a fourni les détails - leur but, leurs origines dans la pré-division Université Canterlot, et leur mission principale. « Nous sommes dirigés par les professeurs de l'Université qui ont survécu au Sack. Le directeur dont je parle est le Prancer Žemaitukas, la licorne polymathe qui possède l'IRM et beaucoup d'autres laboratoires.
« Bien sûr, les chercheurs ne sont pas un tout uniforme », a-t-elle dit. Il y avait un clin d'œil dans l'œil. « La plupart de l'ordre veut se concentrer sur essayer de préserver le passé. Mais pas Zemaitukas... il s'intéresse plus à la recherche. La recherche est libre de... préoccupations éthiques. Si vous vous joignez à nous, vous ne travaillerez pas pour tout l'ordre, juste pour le directeur. Vous verrez qu'il a beaucoup plus de ressources que ses pairs - les brevets qu'il a gardés très riches. Et les Vaults fournissent une vaste base de données à partir de laquelle travailler. "
La jument s'arrêta bientôt, et semblait l'éclaircir la gorge. Mais elle était confuse - pourquoi ce Noxferus voudrait-il savoir s'ils étaient affiliés aux alicornes? Elle a décidé d'éviter la question si elle le pouvait pour le moment. "Nous offrons beaucoup en retour, mais qu'en est-il de vos intérêts? Sur quels sujets aimez-vous travailler?"
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Quand Charter était de retour sur le navire, il a décidé qu'il devait faire un mouvement. Après s'être assuré que la chambre était sécurisée, il a dit "Maître Grimwing, je dois retourner sur le continent. Capitaine Crashing... J'ai besoin de lui parler, cela pourrait très bien l'aider à gagner cette guerre."
Name: Astral Spectrum
Species: Unicorn
Gender: Male
Appearance: Cyan fur and pitch black mane and tail. Mane has streaks of grey through them, showing his age. Eyes are cobalt blue. Cutie mark is a magic circle that once held the colors of the rainbow but is now a faded grey. Center of the magic circle resembles a cat-like eye. Body has runes burned into it marking his dabbling in dark magic. Forelegs also covered in scars from his foalhood. Usually wears a dark brown cloak when not in his priest robes to cover his marks and scars.
Talent: His talent is his ability to scry, a rare form of magic which allows someone to see into the Aether. His magical sight is by far the best in MaS second only to Archmagister Twilight Sparkle’s. As well he is blessed with insight that has more than once brought him good fortune including his position.
Personality: Spectrum believes that if you want anything in this world you must work for it. He has little to no patience for those that waste his time. He despises laziness and pomposity and will put someone in their place when he deems it necessary. His brutal honesty puts him at odds with Head Inquisitor Lulamoon more often than not. Ironically there is a grueling respect between the two because they both came from humble beginnings as opposed to the rest of the Ruling ponies of Moon and Stars. Despite his high rank in MaS he doesn’t believe that unicorns are the superior race. His own apprentice is an earth pony that has shown herself extremely clever having broken out of the domes more than once. He rewards those who show tenacity, ambition, and most of all will to survive. In crisis he is calm cool and collected.
Spellbook:
Spectrum has mastered quite a few spells in his time. He has knowledge of Elemental magic and knows ice magic due to his position as High Priest of the Moon Guild. Umbramancy is one of is most skilled powers but his best spells reside in his Divination.
Breathe of the Windego: Surrounds large area in a bone chilling mist. Expelled from caster’s mouth. (Incanted)
Shadow Tendrils: Shadows rise around the caster into inky black tendrils. Once formed they can be either warm or chillingly cold. As well when the caster focuses the tendrils will send a shock of pain through the captured target.
Shade Warp: Caster teleports silently from shadow to shadow.
Other spells include basic levitation, an ice needle spell and a cold light spell.
Background: Spectrum was born in a small fishing village in the small broken Freelands across the Sea of Harmony. His mother was once a noble mare but upon his birth she was cast out for infidelity. From there she was forced to become a prostitute to survive. When Spectrum was born she blamed him for her misfortune and even went so far as to name him Jadno which in the Mother Tongue means ‘Pathetic‘. His life as a foal was that of pain. He scrimped for food and whenever his mother was lucid enough she beat him mercilessly.
After his thirteenth birthday and one particularly bad beating he went to the docks with the idea to drown himself and end his suffering. Instead Spectrum found himself stowing away on a vessel bound for Equestria. Sure enough he was found out and the captain wanted to throw him overboard but a scholar by the name of Dusty Tome saved his life. On the way to Equestria he taught Spectrum to read and even gave him his name.
Dusty found the young colt had a gift for languages and spells and had promised to take him to Canterlot and see him through school. A week before they made port though they were hit by a fierce storm. Sadly Dusty Tome was killed by one of the falling masts and when they came to port Spectrum was forced to escape lest the captain kill him. With nothing else to do and the scholar’s books in tow he set off toward Canterlot intent on making something of himself.
Along the way he taught himself to wield magic from the books. Soon enough he also found his talent along the way. Unfortunately it resembled his mother’s, much to his dismay. Upon coming to Canterlot he found a job as an apprentice to a lawyer named Valid Point. The old earth stallion saw a sly intelligence in the colt and on a hunch hired him. Within a year Spectrum had enough to enroll in the Celestial Magic Academy, with the help of a scholarship and no small thanks to Valid of course.
Here he met Silver Scalpel, a rival and lifelong friend. He looked up to Silver for his ambition and skill in the medical field and more than once had to really ‘step up his game‘ when it came to academic scores. Silver was the only one he trusted with his past, a sore subject for him. Within a decade Spectrum graduated with full honors and a Doctorate in Magical Theory. Even after that he continued to expand his knowledge of the magical field until he came into possession of hints of a powerful field of magic.
With his future secure when the House of Moon and Star Rose up he worked diligently to perfect spells within the Moon Guild and much of his Umbramancy he mastered under the Thestrals. he holds a high regard for their stealthy nature and has learned to fight magically from them. They respect him and within a few short years became High Presit of the Moon Guild, they became fiercely loyal to him.
Goals: Spectrum wishes to see Equestria return to its age of prosperity but wishes to see it done through the hooves of its people and not some God. Unfortunately his time his short as a debilitating disease threatens to end him before he can see Equestria united and prosperous. He is now in a race against time to seek his old friend whom he believes is the key to unlocking pony kind’s potential.