FanOfManyShows

@Blitz Boom Sapphire looked around at the artifacts in the room around them as they walked. "Ten years isn't so bad, I mean, I have been trapped inside this sapphire gem for longer than that." She pointed to her eye as looked to Void. ."But we should still avoid touching anything either way." She winked at Void with a giggle. Astral looked to Sapphire strangely. "You never did puns." She said, looking as the door was opened. Sapphire looked to Astral for a while. Her gem letting off sparks, but she seemed to not make an attempt to cover the fact. "It's time we tried a more cheerful environment." She said as she looked away with a smile. =================================== Warlock smirked as she walked of, but then it faded from his face. Too long without an element. His senses returning a little, no way was just that going to get him out of this cell. Walking back was the guard from a while ago. He stood in front of Warlock's cell. "Why do you return?" "Oh I never left, I just stood next to the cell. Out of view." He closed the cell door. "Needed to make sure you had more than just one magic negating pony around." "You're not cursed with it." He looked over to Null. "Is that what's with her?" He looked to his armor as the glow of the anti magic placed on it returned. "No wonder my suit didn't work for a while there." Warlock grinned a little, a chance to get out of here. The fact that the suit's enchantment wasn't permanent, looking around himself he wondered if the cell had a similar situation. "Oh well, doesn't matter in the long run."

@Blitz Boom Sapphire followed Tidal Wave, following close by was Astral who then walked ahead to walk with Tidal Wave. Sapphire cast a simple spell in her hoof, checking if Emerald was near, and if she was, it'd turn green, if she wasn't, it'd be grey. "So where are we headed?" Astral asked. ==================================== Warlock's eyes scanned her. "Of course you aren't." He said with a bit of a smirk. "I wasn't either. Just a pony who lost everything. And saw magic as a way to get it all back." He narrowed his eyes at her. "Only difference in between us, is that I will do just about anything to achieve that goal."

@Blitz Boom General Wing looked to Void. "Is there a way we can test if that is the gem? Just to be sure" He said, looking to the others. Sapphire looked to Iron Wing and shook her head. "It gives ponies the need to use it no matter what. And Warlock is drawn to it's magic, It's power needs to be negated." She sighed a bit. "In fact, we'll have to give any element to her, they all force you to act like the element they represent, as soon as we get the element of deceit we'd start acting deceitful." His ears perked up a bit as she talked. "Well then." He looked to Void. "Would you be willing to hold the element until we can get it to safety? Assuming we can stop Zhu." "It should be easy, Zhu can't be that powerful if all he can do is wind magic, even with the element." Astral said, probably going to regret it later, or really soon. ==================================================== Warlock smirked at them as they argued. "You remind me of myself, when I was a guard here." He said with a chuckle as Null stepped closer. "So violent and unstable. Willing to hurt others, just to help yourself." His eyes glowed with just a hint of magic escaping them as she got closer. "You even collect magical objects! We're so alike." He stated, making it clear he used that magic, just to read her mind. But on his face there was a hint of him bracing for a hit, knowing well she'd hurt him for saying all that.

@Blitz Boom Astral's eyes glanced around the room rapidly, looking to Null and Void. "I'm not a very good expert with the Elements of Disharmony." She said. "But I do know where one of the elements are." She said while raising her hoof, then pointing it to Null and Void. "They should have the Element of Greed." Sapphire looked to Astral. "Well that depends if they haven't given it away to be protected, but from what I can recall she did give it away to you two." She said as she looked over to Null and Void. She then looked to Iron Wing. "Oh, and just in case, we all need a way to determine if any of us aren't an illusion, if we're going to work together." She looked to Tidal Wave as she spoke. "Like a secret code?" "Yes, because you can make an illusion, but only out of stuff that you are knowledgeable of, but of course this makes Zhu more dangerous since he is able to see alternate futures, it's possible he even saw this future." She said, looking down at the floor. "Sapphire, as far as I could tell, Zhu was very vague with his tells of the future, I'm unsure if he can actually see the future that well." He glanced at the other generals as he spoke, hoping they might say if he could or not. ========================================== Warlock let out a chuckle. "Down at Ponyville, taken by a mare named Astral, but she gave it away to another, But I forgot their name." He glanced to the side. "They travel with another wherever they go though, and both can prevent magic from being used around them. But of course I do not know their current location"

@Blitz Boom Sapphire looked at them both. "My gem turns colors to the magic it detects, in case that's what you mean." She said, pointing to it. "And my sister was a previous owner of the gem, but she had lost it, and it was hidden away away by the time we dueled. Now that it's back out there, she has the chance of stealing it back." She said, putting her hoof down. "I don't know much besides the extent of its power, which is beyond any illusion magic you've ever seen." She looked around at them. "It was powerful enough to outmatch even the illusions made by King Sombra." Iron Wing looked a little skeptical at her, yet his eyes expressed surprise. "It's a little bold to make such a claim." "Sombra required you to be entranced to be deceived, this element doesn't, it can create the illusion so anypony around you can see it too." She said, gesturing around herself. "Well then we're screwed." Sapphire looked to Astral, with a bit of a smirk. "The element can't deceive any other wielders of the Elements of Disharmony, so we can use one to see through any illusions Zhu tries to make." "Well we should track down Zhu's location, while also finding any Elements of Disharmony we can." "The problem is that they are scattered across Equestria, and there are no records of their location. Just some riddles, as far as I could tell." ============================================ Warlock looked up at them with a look of frustration. "Witch is a term set aside for ponies of weak power, I am not." He said, looking around, at his chains and what he could see. "The element of Greed has fallen out of my possession. Quite literally I might add, fell right out of me." He chuckled a little at himself. "Some pony took it midway through a battle when the element rejected me, maybe find who they are."

@Blitz Boom His eyes fluttered open as he looked around, now contained in a cell, he sighed, working with others wasn't a strong suit for him. This was his end point, he looked to his chains; iron cast. With a test spell he found that the cell was anti magic as well, and brute strength wouldn't break iron chains easily. "So, you're awake." Warlock looked up at the guard. "Hey there, want to rub in my face the situation I am in?" "No, just needed to make sure you were awake. The general would probably want to hear." He said, walking away. ============================================= Iron Wing smiled slightly at the complements. "First thing we can do is collect as many dark magic artifacts as possible, including the Elements of Disharmony." The situation here was odd, Sapphire looked at the discussion with a smile, but the termole in the gem that she had, the magic of the glass still affecting her. "Element of Deceit..." Her eye widened a bit, a quick realization popping into her head. The sapphire turning to the exact same color of the element of deceit, covering it with her hoof, she shook her head a bit as the color of the sapphire returned to a blue color. "We must find the Element soon, it's possible Zu might find somepony else who can wield it." Astral looked at Sapphire, looking at the gem. "He could disguise it right? He might not even appear to wield it at all." Sapphire looked to Astral with a grin. "True, but Zu might not know that." "Did we ever mention his name?" Iron Wing asked, looking to the others.

@Blitz Boom Iron Wing looked up, head straight. "We never banned Unicorn magic when it was being used for evil. It's beyond me to think that any form of magic that earth ponies should be banned instead." He said as he turned to look at Sapphire and Astral. "Have we never considered why it was banned specifically, instead of all of magic being banned all together?" His eyes shifted over to the generals as he turned his head to them. "I believe these two should help at least, to clear the air of the negative fallacy of this magic they use, no matter the reason for it's ban." He gestured a hoof to them as he spoke. Sapphire nodded. "When I was alive, I never heard of either of the princesses banning it either, so it's quite odd that it's banned now."

@Blitz Boom Sapphire narrowed her eye, the crystal she had for an eye swirled with smoke. "You took that surprisingly well, but I will be fine with occasional checkups." Astral smiled sly and looked away. "I agree to the conditions as well, and defeating him is something I wanted to do anyway to make up for releasing him accidentally." =========================== Nectar smiled a bit. "Ah, thanks for telling me." She said with a bright smile, walking out of the room, past the pony, heading to the throne room.

@Blitz Boom They looked to each other, Astra's ears meeting the sides of her head as they folded back. "Well..." She took a deep breath. "Sapphire here is my mother, I was following her path by learning magic she did, to defend myself. But then, and I know she's alive now, but then she died." She paused for a moment. Astral sighed a little. "I tried to bring her back with magic, of course I failed, but before I could commit any crimes with it." Sapphire looked at them. "And I was trying to prevent my sisters death with magic. Only to discover she can pass from body to body upon death." She glanced at Astral for a moment. "It's my fault this all started, if I let her pass on normally she wouldn't be blaming me for this all." Astral looked away as Sapphire spoke. "I unintentionally freed Warlock, so I'm sure in some way we both need a punishment." Iron Wing nodded. "Well, we should decide if you do. You have been a help after all." ============================= Nectar heard a knock, turning around, and while she hadn't gotten many injuries from the fight earlier, she decided to submit herself into the hospital anyway just in case. "Yes?" She asked, opening the door with her magic as she walked over.

@Blitz Boom The runes only caught her eye, Sapphire letting out a sigh. "Well then, that works as proof." She looks up to Scorn. "Clearly that creature wants something more than Balance." She jumped back when the door opened, looking to the pony. Backing away as she listened to their ensuing conversation. Iron Wings let out a bit of a chuckle at her. "We'll see." Sapphire rolled her eye. "Well that witch is probably me, or my sister." She said, looking to Tidal Wave. Astral waved her hoof. "I am here too." "Right" Sapphire said, looking at her briefly. "I am also unsure what we are discussing, since we were supposed to be interrogated."

@Blitz Boom Sapphire looked to to them with a surprised look at the casing, the gem that was her eye glowed red slightly. "Element of Deceit huh?" She asked walking to them. "The Element of Deceit produces illusionary spells more powerful than anything I have seen." She said, now standing by them. "How do we know that somepony else didn't just make it look like they stole it instead?" Iron Wing looked at her a bit dumbfounded. "You couldn't do that until you had the element to begin with." "Exactly, steal the element, and make it look like somepony else stole it while there are witnesses, so how do we know that this wasn't done?" She asked, raising her head a bit. "I'd suggest to think, if any of you saw them do it, or heard of a pony who saw them do it, ask if they acted different, if somepony else took it the spell couldn't copy them perfectly if the pony didn't know them well enough." "We should take this with skepticism, she is our prisoner currently I believe." He said as he looked to Sapphire, who just rolled her eyes.

@Blitz Boom Iron Wing looked to the door of the throne room as they walked in, walking over to them. "Did something happen?" Sapphire held her hoof to her gem, thinking over Null and Void's ability. "Better keep this safe" She said to herself under her breath, turning around and walking further away from them all, but not too far before she turned to face them again. "Whatever it is, couldn't be worse than Warlock."

@Blitz Boom The general smirked at them. "Well you would've been quite useful earlier when we fought Warlock." He looked at Null for a moment, seeing a tinge of the jealousy she looked at him with. "If there's anything you need I'll try to ensure you're provided with it." He looked to Screecher when she spoke. "Well then we should make our way to the meeting hall, Will they be following us?" He asked, pointing to Astral and Sapphire with his hoof.

@Blitz Boom Astral stood there in the room, looking around a little, Iron wing didn't seem very phased by Null's comment, in fact he grinned a little. Astral turned to look to Benny, almost about to call out to the dragon, before deciding not to. "So, we're all gathered here again." Iron Wing walked forward to Null and Void. "The only new ones here are you three." He said, looking to Null, Void, and Dandy as he took another step towards Null and Void, and the paused as he saw some of his metal feathers slide out of formation, and onto the floor. He looked to them as the enchantments on them let loose some green magic out of the etched in markings, which flowed into the air and dissipated. "Interesting." He looked to Null, looking across their bodies. "You don't seem to be possessing any antimagic objects, how did you do that?" "They cancel out magic." Astral said, Sapphire looking to her with a raised eyebrow. "I have no idea where they got it from either." "Care to explain in detail?" He asked, pulling his feathers back with his hoof, finding that the enchantments worked again as he stepped back, sliding the feathers back into position. "Wait sec, are you Null and Void? I believe I heard from somepony about you two." He said, pointing a hoof at them.

@Blitz Boom "Very well." Sapphire and Iron Wing said together, then the general looked to her, as he said the same as her. He didn't acknowledge the coincidence for long, before turning away. "Let's just head to the throne room now." He said before urging them forward with the gesture of his hoof, two blades from his wings separating. "This is only a precaution." The blades floated to Astral's neck, and Sapphire's. Astral looked at him nervously as she walked forward, Sapphire more calmly as she noted how far the blade was from their necks. Too far to harm them immediately, with visible lack of intent to even harm them at all, but only Sapphire noticed this, Astral had not. "Who enchanted the metal of your wings?" She noted as she looked to the feather. "I have seen it before, Warlock had the enchantment in his metal legs before." Iron Wing paused his walking. "Well, I know some twins in the castle enchanted the metal, or at least fixed the enchantment, and even if Warlock used it before, I am using it for a just purpose." "Interesting, I will make sure to remember that." She said with a bit of a smirk on her face as they resumed walking.

@Blitz Boom "I have no idea who Zhu is." "Well if he was in custody here, then it is unfortunate that he escaped, I hope he isn't as dangerous as Warlock." Sapphire looked behind them, then back to Hailstorm. "Where will you be questioning us exactly?"

@Blitz Boom "Seer?" Astral asked, looking to Sapphire. "Would that be my father?" "Unlikely, I saw him before I came here." Sapphire said, looking to hailstorm. "This might not end well for us though, since Warlock will be placed here too." Fitting enough, Warlock started shifting around, groaning a little, clearly gaining consciousness. "Better hit him again, Before he can do anything." Sapphire said while pointing to Warlock.

@Blitz Boom Sapphire looked to Hailstorm. "She was using dark magic at the time. Even Warlock's crimes wouldn't compare to what she was doing." She let out a sigh. "I wasn't sure if it was the right thing at the time. I only did it though after I uncovered that she could travel from body to body, if she couldn't I would've killed her. Although while I was hoping she'd change her mind after, but alas, she didn't." Astral looked at Sapphire with a bit of a questioning look. "Well killing her is still a big deal." Sapphire sighed, looking down. "If you still desire to arrest me as well, I could see why." She said, raising her head to look at Hailstorm.

@Blitz Boom Sapphire lowered her head. "Yes he did have an accomplice. She can pass from body to body at will, so I do not know of her current location, but I last met her at the Castle in the Everfree forest." She pointed into the distance, towards the Everfree Forest. "But just know, she is my sister, so I'd like her to stay alive." Astral started to slow down her pace, treading behind them. "Well if it's really needed we might need to kill her." Sapphire stopped walking, turning her around to look to Astral. "I've already done that once, and then she found herself trapped in a statue. I'd rather not do it again." She said, turning around and continuing to walk, Astral following suite.

Beet

@Blitz Boom Sapphire let out a little bit of a chuckle. "Well, a talking to is nothing compared to what we've went through over the past few days. So It'll be fine for me." She said, following the guards who carried Warlock away as ordered. Astral sighed as she followed suite. "Yeah, I just hope the others are okay." Iron Wing followed more closely to Warlock than the other two, looking at him. "What did lead you down such a path of darkness?" He thought to himself. "Whatever it is, I hope nopony else has gone down a darker path prior. I'd hate to face another like you." =========================== Things were wrapping up nicely, too nicely. Maybe things were approaching an end for once, instead of a scenario that'd be escaped from by Warlock instantaneously. But whatever it was, it was making Iron Star uneasy even from the distance in between him and Warlock. He looked to Misty, who looked at the ground with a slightly confused look. "What is it?" "Do you think they can take down Warlock on their own?" She asked, looking to him. "Oh, they already did. Surprisingly enough a changeling did it." "Oh! That was, quick." Iron Star shrugged. "Well, I hope they come back to get us soon then."

@Blitz Boom Iron Wing nodded "There are elements in Canterlot, and enemies of his, chances are he'll go there." He extended his wings and flew upwards. Nectar turned around to her army. "Alright, seems we're heading to Canterlot then." She ran ahead of wing before she jumped up, starting to fly to Canterlot as the others followed her. ================================================================ Warlock didn't get far up before Leo grabbed his hoof as he hit against the library outer wall, making bookshelves shake as the wall dented inwards. Sapphire looking to ahead to a bookshelf as books fell off it. "Strange." She said, continuing to read the book. "So he stole the element of greed, only to fall to its influence." Another thud against the wall as Warlock struggled to shake the changeling off. Sapphire looked to the wall again, narrowing her eyes at it. "Yeah that's not normal." Her shield went up, and then Warlock teleported in, Sapphire gently placing the books on the ground. Sapphire flew forward into Warlock, who moved out of the way as he materialized his sword. "Let's not ruin archived documents Chariot." She flew forwards into him again and teleported with him, sending the two outside. "Gah!" Warlock was hit by a magic blast, knocking him into a wall. "No!" He said, realizing his magic was faltering as he felt his bruising cheek. "You know, it's embarrassing seeing your defeat approach so quickly isn't it?" Warlock narrowed his eyes at her. "I am not de-" Another magic blast struck him, created by Sapphire. "You talk boastfully." In her hoof she created a magical construct, and swung it at Warlock, cutting into his cheek. "No defenses, talking to buy yourself time." She lifted her sword and pointed it to him. "My sister won't save you this time." She rose her sword up. "WAIT!" Sapphire paused her swing, turning around to the pony, gasping softly. "Astral?" Astral was trembling in fear, shaking as her hoof rose up. "I doubt he can trade bodies if he dies. So don't go killing him." A sword materialized in her hoof. "So you'd kill your mother? Just like she did with Emerald?!" Warlock yelled out, before his head was struck by Sapphire's hoof, knocking him unconscious. "Enough of your babbling!" She turned to Astral. Astral tossed her sword over. "I doubt this paints a good image of our magic mom." Sapphire was breathing heavily from the exhaustion. Lowering her head as she sighed. "You aren't happy to see me?" "I was, but seeing you only prove his point doesn't help that." She said as she pointed to Warlock. She looked to the guards around them. Leo's horn glowed as he let out a sigh. "How'd you find her?" "I can sense magic, and Warlock gives off a lot of magic." She turned around to look to him. "And I figured if he was here then she would be as well." Sapphire jumped at Astral, hugging her tight as Iron Wing landed in. "I hope we're not interrupting anything." Astral giggled a little. "Well, we should chain up Warlock before he awakes." She said, looking at Warlock, who wore a relaxed look for the first time since this began. "I will make sure of that." He looked to the guards. "Arrest the pony there." He said, pointing to the unconscious pony. "Make sure he can not cast any further spells." "Best I help with him then bud." While he had taken forever to get here, he had his reasons, having to find some source to indicate where Iron Wing was, and luckily this appearance of Warlock in Canterlot made it much easier. "I can take him directly to the dungeons." "Very well, make sure he doesn't escape." With a nod he stood near Warlock. "Now, can we bring a prison car here for their transfer to the dungeon?"

@Blitz Boom Warlock flew into a wall, at a high speed, unsure what just happened. Whilst those back at the battle field would notice somepony was missing. A particular changeling who flew right into Warlock before he teleported, the velocity carrying over. Warlock stood up and growled at them. "You aren't-" The changeling general stood up and glared at Warlock as he stood above him. "I know." He pointed his spear to Warlock as his horn glowed, the magic being sucked to Warlock. "Don't think you can call them to my location." Leo threw his spear forward, Warlock hitting it away from him, the spear inbedding into a wall. "Not like I need only her to know." Warlock looked around, they were in the middle of a town in Canterlot. "Ho- I wasn't going to teleport here!" "I did." He extended out his wings and went to grab onto Warlock. Flying him upwards at high speeds as Warlock pushed out of his grip, then falling down. "Idiot." Behind Warlock sprouted two wings, made of fire, and burning feathers, extending them outwards, instantly stopping his fall only a few feet above the ground. Ponies screaming in a panic as they thought he was going to die. "Surrender now!" A guard yelled, pointing a spear to Warlock. He looked to them with a glare. "I've been told that before." He lifted a hoof to the guard and pulled all the magic out of him, the guard collapsing. Leo landed hard behind him, cracking the ground, flying forward and impacting Warlock, sending him flying across the town. Letting him go, causing Warlock to tumble about. "Magic usage by earth ponies is banned, you know that. Using it only attracts gu-" "Stop talking!" Warlock flew forward at high speeds, but then stopped, about to hit the changeling's face. "Sapphire..." He looked away, and then to the library, with a smile. The changeling knocked away by an unseen force. "Begone, I have other things to deal with." He flew upwards to the library, many ponies calling guards to the situation. Possibly making this Warlock deal more public than before. ====================================== Sapphire looked to the books, giggling a little as she took hold of them. "I do know some rumors of these books, but not much about hearing things, I will be sure to read with caution." She started reading one of the books, sifting through the pages slowly, to make sure she wouldn't graze over the pony she was looking for. "Although that disharmony one will be interesting to read." ====================================== Iron Wing looked up to the sphinx. "Tracking magic is not our specialties." Nectar stepped forward. "Discord could track magic." "Too much trouble to get him. Currently we need to rely on one of us to do it. Can you?" He looked to Nectar. "Being a changeling, I can only track love magic. Or the lack of it." She said, looking down. "But not very effectively over a distance."

@Blitz Boom Warlock almost poured out magic, which was partly torn away when Nectar was. A flash of red across his body as a warding spell activated, and right behind him was a spear wielding Changeling, throwing his spear at Warlock's back. With a loud crack it frackered as Warlock turned around, forming a sword to run at the changeling, as this brief bit of ignorance towards Enzo passed, he'd be hit by the tree, smacking him into the ground. Warlock teleporting next to the tree, looking to Enzo. "GAH!" Another spear hit his body, cracking and deflecting, soon followed by the numerous spears thrown by the other changelings, starting to deflect off his warding shield, breaking and sending splinters everywhere. Warlock lifting up a hoof and forming a shield to defend against them as the warding spell started flickering. Wing flew behind Warlock, and threw several feathers to him, Warlock looking to him as more magic poured into him. "You'll weaken eventually." Warlock narrowed his eyes and wing and charged at him, lowering the shield behind himself as he prepared to strike, a single spear slicing through his ear right as the warding spell flickered off, Warlock looking at the spearhead as it flew past his view, lifting a hoof to his ear while the spear embedded itself into the ground. He looked to Iron Wing, wincing in pain as the blood flowed down. Looking down at the small pool of blood forming on the ground, panting from exhaustion. "I-" He paused for a moment, almost thinking over if he should surrender. "No!" He stomped his hoof down in anger, stumbling onto the ground. "Y-you won't, defeat me!" "I believe we have." Wing said with narrowed eyes. Warlock growled as he drew upon all the magic he could, charging a blast of magic as he put his hooves together. The changelings flying at him as he lifted a hoof up to them to draw their magic, Iron Wing knocking the back of his head. "GAH!" Warlock fell forward onto the ground, the ball of magic dissipating into the air safely as Warlock felt the back of his head. "You relied so heavily on an element that you are easily defeated in battle, yet you still believe you can win without it?" He said as he prepared to hit Warlock again. Warlock looked at him, his the wound on his ear healing as he narrowed his eyes. "I don't need to win, I only need to survive long enough. Fire burned around Warlock as he prepared to teleport while he spoke, the time he takes during this would be enough for an opening, whether for attack, or grabbing onto him. "Coward!" Francis cried out, Warlock pausing his preparation, grinning at the changeling as he resumed the teleportation. ================================================= Sapphire followed the pony to the location, looking around the place as they spoke. "I will be careful, I am with any book. And I am looking for the category that refers to ancient earth pony magic. With hopes of uncovering something about that dreadful pony, as you put it."