Steel Hammer s'est détendu une fois le Docteur et le Chasseur de Bounty arrivés à un consensus. Il craignait pour Scarlet, mais c'était un meilleur taux de participation qu'il ne s'y attendait. Au moins, elle pourra sortir d'ici, pensa-t-il. Le poney de la Terre voulait lui parler, sachant que c'était peut-être sa dernière chance. "Désolé ma dame, mais je crains que nous n'ayons pas ce verre. Mais soyez bien sur vos voyages."  Hélas, le Noxferus lui a dit de ne pas parler, et n'était clairement pas d'humeur à désobéir. Ça, et parler avec Scarlet ne pouvait que lui causer des ennuis.
Donc, au lieu de cela, il a donné un court arc à Scarlet, un de respect et d'honneur. Buvez bien, pour nous deux. 
Il a attendu la prochaine action du Noxferus. Il s'est tenu et a attendu, sa position montrant qu'il était en partie préoccupé par Lens, et en partie impatient.  Je veux savoir ce qui s'est passé ce soir, et pourquoi. Il regarda les restes de Lightwing, son manteau avait été soufflé sur sa tête. Le sol était trempé.
Pauvre gosse... et qu'en est-il de Southy? Mort aussi? Au moins, ils ont été vengés. Mais plus vite le Noxferus pourra enquêter, plus vite je pourrai sortir Lens d'ici.  Il s'est arrêté pour tousser un peu.  Au moins, je peux la sauver.
Cette attente me rend dingue. 
----
La queue de neige a hurlé. « Merci, Maître, » a-t-elle ouvert ses ailes et a commencé à s'envoler vers le rivage où elle a trouvé Star. Jusqu'à présent, il ne semblait plus y avoir d'apparitions des minions de la Culte. Mais encore une fois, ils avaient tendance à se montrer et à donner une mauvaise surprise ou deux.
"J'aimerais pouvoir faire plus pour Star... mais je ne suis pas docteur. Je ne peux pas faire grand-chose pour ces yeux que ceux affectés par les sorts ou le feu de canon solaire... et prier pour que l'effet soit temporaire." Elle s'est mécontente de son incapacité à aider. "Au moins, il y a un autre poney que je peux faire."
En s'installant, le pegasus était près de la bûche qu'elle croyait avoir quitté Storm. Elle n'a vu aucun signe du soldat. Tail parlait de crier, mais s'arrêta. "Aw Drats, j'ai oublié de lui demander son nom," murmura-t-elle. "Mais je ne pense pas que nous ayons eu le temps de nous présenter." En plaçant ses sabots sur la bouche, Tail se mit à crier: "Hey G. I. Jane, vous par ici?"
Elle écoutait attentivement et espérait que le soldat était en vie.
----
Star était là, pas sûr de ce qu'il fallait faire de l'offre de Torrential. Pendant un moment, elle a voulu accepter l'étreinte de l'Alicorne et lui rendre son taquinage, laissant ses passions obtenir le meilleur d'eux deux. Le pégase oubliait même que c'était aveugle, son esprit formant l'image de Torrential dans son manteau et sa casquette. Des émotions sont venues, comme une inondation qui traversait un barrage, engloutissant son esprit. "Abandonner mon lien avec-?" Elle trembla et tomba sur le rivage.
Sweeper... ça semblait être pour toujours depuis que Star Dancer regardait l'alicorn sans crinière. Et tout comme son frère, la femme de chambre lui apparut aussi comme si ses yeux fonctionnaient. Son manteau gris brille comme un éclat, son sourire trahissant sa nature aérée mais bienveillante. C'est elle qui a accompli la Bourse. C'est elle qui a restauré l'espoir d'un bidonville au milieu de nulle part.
Et c'est Sweeper qui a sauvé la vie d'un nopony de poulain avait pris soin de, près d'un autre camp de réfugiés il n'y avait pas d'amour. C'est ce jour-là, il y a des mois, que Dancer a réalisé à quel point l'alicorne de la propreté était vraiment merveilleux. Et depuis, l'Érudit a aussi grandi pour connaître la Dame.
Maintenant, Dancer demandait de choisir la bénédiction de deux qu'elle s'occupait. Elle les aimait tous les deux, chacun à leur manière. Les larmes commençaient à couler des yeux d'Étoile, ses larmes tombaient sur le rivage.
"Je... je... ne sais pas, je ne sais pas..." dit-elle. "Thi-is est trop à prendre."
Après un silence de plusieurs instants, l'Érudit s'est faiblement levé du sol et a posé sa tête sur le corps de Torrential. " Je ne sais pas... ce que je peux faire maintenant. Que faire maintenant. Être avec toi est incroyable... mais ta sœur aussi... je ne sais pas... » Elle a reniflé, essayant de contrôler ses sanglots. "S'il vous plaît, pourrions-nous attendre ce dernier. Je suis trop fatiguée, craquée. Pour l'instant, peux-tu juste être mon professeur comme tu l'as toujours été? Comme quand on marchait il y a quelques jours? Je ne peux pas penser à l'avenir maintenant, pas maintenant."
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.