//------------------------------//
// VIII - The Mad 
// Story: The Artificer Comes 
// by Tower of 0 
//------------------------------//

The air in forest has a silent intensity to it. Final preparations are being made to the decoy gate by Anneto himself. Twilight is standing by watching the work he's doing. In reality he's setting a timer for the gate to overload and trigger the desired effects. The unicorn standing behind him is watching with a lot of interest, more so at the inner workings of his machine rather than what he's doing.

"This is amazing.." She mutters more to herself than him.

"It should be, you helped with the designs." He answers as he finishes up.

"I know, but I didn't think I'd see in something like this." Twilight comments as she continues to gawk at the gate.

"Don't go drooling just yet, I still have to show you the working gate when we catch Weylan." He turns to her, his armor shifting against the change in posture. "Everyone else is ready, you should go get in position."

"You sure you're going to be okay out here?" She asks.

"I'll be fine, Twilight. I can take care of myself." He chuckles at her concern, knowing she means well. "Besides, I won't be alone when we do this, I'm just part of the bait."

Twilight nods and gives him a quick hug before darting off towards the bushes to hide away with her friends. Anneto closes his eyes and brings his goggles down over his eyes. Steeling his own resolve when he turns around, readying himself to power the gate up. Once he turns it on, he expects Weylan to come. A simple flip of the switch and the beacon has been lit. All there is left to do is wait.

Anneto is staring at the iridescent pool of colors before him, almost in a trance but he keeps himself aware of his surroundings. An almost sixth sense of his keeps his knowledge of knowing where four presences of magic lay in wait. The a fifth appears a ways away from him. He already knows who it is, but doesn't bother to turn around. Instead he peers beyond the gate where two pairs of eyes are watching from afar, a large smile starting to appear on his face.

"Move it, runt." An all too familiar voice speaks to him in a common dialect they both spoke. "I'm getting out of here."

"Oh Weylan." Anneto simply speaks while turning to face the traitor. "I'm afraid it isn't going to be that easy. I'm not letting you escape, not this time."

To the ponies that are within earshot can't quite make out what either of them are saying. Simply jotting it down to them speaking their native tongues to eachother. The talk is quickly devolving on one side. The one they assumed is Weylan is steadily getting more angry the longer Anneto talks in an calm manner with an unnaturally large grin. A slow shiver went up their spines as they watched the argument unfold. Weylan suddenly readies his claws with some of his own magic. Anneto, however, is ready to go as he inexplicably starts to fly. Apparently with good timing too as the portal behind him starts to falter.

Weylan surges forward in an attempt to make a rush for the device as Anneto moves out of the way of incoming blasts from the opposing caster. As if on cue, sparks blast out of the machine and a split-second later it blows up in a rather admittedly more violent fashion than is intended. Taking their hint, Twilight signals to the girls to use their Elements to contain Weylan. Charging up quick and ribbons of rainbow energy going forth. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Five? There should be six. The smoke begins to dissipate from the surrounding area, revealing noone to be held in the grasp of the Elements.

His wits sharpen, Anneto begins to carefully search the area for their missing fugitive. His eyes widen when he spots Weylan holding the white unicorn in a spell, his teeth bared, ashes covering his form. He almost snarls at the goblin, ready to act when he does. Anneto's insane grin feels asinine to the caster the longer he stares at it. Soon his own smirk breaks across his lips.

"I'll admit, Yeeticus." Weylan spits after saying the goblin's first name. "That was clever, took me by surprise but I think you forget who you're dealing with."

"No, you forget who you're dealing with." Anneto replies back in the same tongue, his grin growing wider. "I'm not that meek goblin my master found in the gutters anymore. I always have a plan."

A scream breaks through the air that sounded much like an ox but with a metallic tinge to it. Weylan's eye go wide just before something large comes thundering out from behind him, crashing its weight against his back while grabbing his captive. The spell breaks as the caster is knocked clean off his feet and to the ground. The spell that covered the battering ram of a steamjack falls while maniacal goblin laughter fills the air. Ox had been invisible this entire time, watching under orders of Anneto, waiting to strike just in case his original plan failed. Its master floating down to his feet while holding his gut in uncontrolled chuckling.

This only serves to anger Weylan further, he roars out as he pushes himself up off the ground and slings a ball of fire towards his small, green adversary. Anneto seems to just blink out of reality a second before the explosive spell could make contact. Baffling the caster as he starts to frantically look around. Turning around once he hears the goblin's voice calling out something in a different language from atop his steamjack while it moves towards the bush with the captive in hands. He only had a moment to recognize the sight before spells start to clash against his form from two sides. Concentrated beams of magic put the pressure on Weylan while he struggles to move against the opposing forces just to get a protection spell up. Now clashing against shields of arcane power, the caster merely pushes them back towards their sources and causes pained yells from his assailants.

"The games end here, Yeeticus." Weylan calls out to where he last seen the goblin disappear to. Only he didn't see any remains or clues.

"I think the games are just beginning." Anneto's voice calls out from everywhere, yet nowhere. The tone almost ethereal, yet it feels like a simple parlor trick to Weylan. "After all, you are trying to hurt one of their friends, you hurt my friends and I hurt you."

That last word is said with such venom, filled with malice that it sends a chill down Weylan's spine, but he won't let it show out of pride. The caster won't let it show that the goblin is getting the best of him. He simply can't let it show, it would be beneath him. Something moves just out of the corner of his eye, immediately responding in kind by means of a thunderbolt spell. The spell itself pings off something metallic. Dread fills him as the invisibility on the steamjack just fades from its body. Cold steel eyes staring him down while the bushes and trees do a rather poor job of hiding it. Weyla has to fight the urge to run for his life out of fear of it running him down. Yet, it doesn't, it just stands there and stare.

Anneto hands over the pony he's come to find out is named 'Rarity' over to the care of her friends. Setting the white coated mare down on the grass near her friends just outside the Everfree. He looks her over, thankfully she only fainted after being freed from Weylan's grasp.

"Take her and head back to Ponyville. Make sure she's safe." Anneto looks at Twilight as he speaks. "I'm going back in to check on the Princesses."

"Anneto-"

He cuts her off. "Yeeticus will do fine, I trust you enough to call me that at least."

Twilight nods. "Just stay safe, Yeeticus."

He only grins before turning around and delving back in to the forest, disappearing behind brush and tee trunks as he leaves the six to their own devices.

Anneto makes it back to the clearing with excellent timing as Ox is engaged with keeping Weylan away from the brush, tanking spell after spell like the great defender it is. The goblin goes to find Celestia first as a metal fist collides with dirt beside its target, missing entirely on purpose as a distraction. Once he reaches the cream-colored alicorn, he lifts her head into his lap after kneeling down beside.

"Hey." He light slaps her cheek until she starts the shift and groan. "Time to wake up, Tia."

The feedback must've been intense. It takes her a little bit to blink up at him.

A gentle smile breaks across his face as he sees that she's okay for the most part. "Stay here and recover, I'm going to check on your sister."

Celestia just gives him a weak nod before moving her head back to the grass.

"He will pay." Is the last words she hears from him before he's gone in a blink of an eye.

Luna isn't faring any better, her horn much in the same state of her sister's, marked black at the tip which most likely what caused the feedback. Some powerful stuff to be reflected back onto the two sisters. He's just thankful they'll recover, as for now, he has someone else to tend to either bringing in or tearing down. Anneto reaches for his belt, pulling off one of his trusted tools.

Ox stops a punch heading straight for the face on its target just centimeters away from his face. The target has to restrain himself from outright fainting at the sheer accuracy of such a machine, even if its looks aren't as advanced. Soon standing at attention, taking a few steps back, then stepping off to the side to reveal its master in all his grinning glory. Wrench in hand as he just stares at the target.

Weylan only stares back as the goblin tilts his head off to the side without so much as changing his expression, then seems to just blink out of existence. The caster readies some of his own spells, watching this little green creature phase in and out of reality as he closes in. Then nothing. No appearance. That is until a pain shoots up from the back of his knee. It's so great that it does force him to kneel down on it. Big mistake as the wrench comes crashing across his face, finally knocking him to the ground. Something wraps around his ankle then he's flung over and slams face first against the ground. Feet plant themselves in the middle of his back followed by the sound of something. Slowly turning his head to see what's finally happening, he sees Yeeticus grinning down at him with his pistol drawn, aimed right at his head. He sighs, knowing that he's back into a corner and is now being held at gunpoint.

"I yield." Weylan mutters as more sounds around him signal more visitors.

Anneto just scoffs. "You really think it's going to be that easy? You give up and expect me to just let you walk? No. You're going to pay for your crimes."

Weylan flicks his eyes around to see tow of the strange creatures he's found himself among. The terror clear in their eyes as they watch what's unfolding. "Execute me then, let them see the real monster that you are. Let them see the real Yeeticus."

A finger is squeezing the trigger. Voices call out to him but he almost seems to ignore them. "You hear that, Weylan? They're begging for me to spare you."

Weylan just closes his eyes and awaits for his sentence.

Then a sound louder than thunder echoes throughout the forest, disturbing much of the wildlife around the area. "They're right to do so. Since you will be serving your time here." Are the next words com reach deafened ears before Anneto just binds him.

Celestia is just staring at the hole in the ground next to Weylan's head, before her eyes flick to her friend. "Was that really neccesary?"

"Nope." Anneto simply replies. "It proves my point. I won't hesitate next time."

"At least to make sure nopony else sees it then." She tells him.

"Sure.. sure... what're you going to do with him?" He asks, holstering his gun back to his chest.

"Lock him in the deepest pit of Tartarus, make sure he can't use his magic, and away from anything he could talk into letting him free."

"I could help with the anti-magic stuff."

"I was hoping you would."