//------------------------------// // So That's What Happened // Story: Metal Ringing // by 1000Fights //------------------------------// Twisted Horns inspected the fine edge of the blade with an intense, scrutinizing eye. He made sure that even the smallest measurement had every bit of detail put into the dagger. Especially the edge. He slid the blade back into the sheathe with a small snap of his wrist. The black leather and the dark bronze designs on the handle and sheathe made it seem like it was all one piece. A design of a diving eagle on the sheathe and the cascading wind design on the hilt completed the picture. Ignatius took the weapon from the man beast. As his hand touch the bronze eagle he though his vision shot to an image of a silver helmet with gold lining. He didn't pay any head to it. He was tired from his work on the armor he now wore and it didn't help that he was in a dimly lit room. 'A flash of insanity' he thought to himself. The Marine Gave a stiff bow to the forge master and said, "Thank you, Twisted Horns. This is a beautiful blade and I am grateful that you would take the time to make this for me." "It was a labor that comes at no price. It was an honor to carry out the wishes of Princess Celestia." The old blacksmith puffed out his chest in pride at the statement. "Horns?" Ignatius beckoned as he placed the knife on his right side with a belt he had made to fit it and a sword upon his hip. The minotaur half-breed nodded. "Yes, my good man?" Ignatius hesitated for a moment. He felt that his next words may bring some discomfort to the old bull-satyr. However, he also felt the question he had must be answered. When I first arrived outside your door, Princess Celestia would not come in here. She was so willing to speak with Sparkle Charmer, yet when we came here, she was hesitant to step near the door. Why?" Ignatius' worst fear had come true. Not only had the question had brought about discomfort to the metal worker, but it had also taken away his smile. The steady and vibrant orange eyes that looked so full of life, grew cold and distant as a corpse that had been dead for a decade. The minotaur heaved a heavy sigh and sat down in his massive chair. Ignatius took his spot on the floor, feeling that he was in for a long explanation. "Have you ever loved someone, Ignatius?" Twisted horns opened with a question. "Not for very long." Ignatius said truthfully. "My relationships don't particularly go well after a certain time." "So you know the pain of saying goodbye." he asked. Ignatius nodded. "Well, about fifty or so years ago, Celestia's steward at the time was pegasus blessed man by the name of Silver Streak, and he had a rather unique trait." "His wings folded onto his back and turned to tattoos." The leather armored man said in a I-just-figured-it-out tone. Twisted Horn's eyebrows perked. "On the way here, Princess Celestia told me about three, or rather two, pegasi blessed individuals, but the third one she was going to speak of, she cut herself off. She obviously was pained by something the memory brought up, and your question in the beginning speaks volumes about the next part of the story." Twisted Horns' gave a wry smile. "You're a real buzz kill, you know that?" "Kill the liar that said I wasn't." "Well, anyway." The minotaur restarted. "The princess was always rather close to her stewards, but this one was different though. His working knowledge of the political system had earned him her admiration, and over time, his compassion and understand had earned him her love. They were so close to each other all the time that a tight bond began to tangle and they grew as one. I would go so far as to say she would have married him if he had only asked." Horns took a deep breath and then continued. "However, it was not meant to be. One night, almost two in the morning, the princess snuck into her stewards room for a reason I'm sure you can figure out, and she laid down next to him. He never stirred even with all her . . . antics. She grew concerned and lit a candle to see what was the matter, and what she found there had left her scarred." The master blacksmith took another long breath. "She found him dead. His blood had run cold and his skin had paled. He had been dead for several hours. Her steward had died when his head had hit his pillow just five hours before." "Did they find the cause of death?" Ignatius was thinking more behind it. An assassination, or possibly suicide. "The morticians looked him over and used every available text they had, but came up with the same answer. He just passed away. His body just gave up his soul. Just like that." The large horned man-beast sighed heavily and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Princess Celestia gave me a summons to meet in her in the court room. I seemed to be the only person she could confide in. She and I where the only people that knew him well. This forge was his favorite place to be when he wasn't dealing with the inane prattle of the politicians. He always said the warm glow and working the metal with me was what made his day's end worth every bit of headache he suffered in the throne room." This story had been kept inside for so long that he thought that it would be easy to finally let it out, but he was just as broken as he was when it all happened. Even with a poker face that could beat that of every champion in the World Series of Poker, Ignatius picked up on Twisted Horn's internal battle rather easily. Call it a sixth sense, but Ignatius always had a knack for knowing when someone was in distress. It was earned him the thanks of potential suicide victims. This time was no different. He walked up to Twisted Horns and put a hand on his shoulder. The mound of muscle and fur seemed to relax under the pressure of the Sergeant's resting hand. "Thank you for the blade." he said. "and the insight. I think with it, I can better understand my host." Twisted Horns placed his monstrous hand on the warrior's shoulders and smiled for once in what seemed like an eternity. Only half his palm was able to fit on Ignatius' sizable deltoid, and the weight of the appendage was almost enough to make his side droop. "I hope that the blade will serve you well, and that the armor holds up to whatever punishment that is dealt to it." "I do as well, my friend. I will see you in the morrow." With that, Ignatius turned and left. The metal hinges whined in protest of being slid against one another to open the portal. Twisted Horns blew a loud, bovine sigh to the empty room and let his tears run free. The waterfalls steamed off of his body and went over to the forge. When he had enough strength to open his eyes again, he watched the wisps of the evaporated water travel to the forge, and if he didn't know any better, he could have sworn that he saw the face of a familiar pegasus blessed steward smiling at him. ______________________________________________________________________________ Ignatius tried to remember what hallways that he and Celestia took to get to the forge, but it just felt that he was going in circles. This castle wasn't exactly the back country where landmarks and natural trails could lead you to where you wanted to go. No, it was much more complicated in this type of environment. The busts all looked the same, and stained glass windows were just about as much help. Corner after corridor and he couldn't find a single guard. What the fuck is with the security around here? Ignatius thought to himself. As he lulled over in his frustration, he started to hear voices. Voices that he knew couldn't be coming from his head because of the fact they grew louder as he approached a corner. He could hear their conversation, and from what he was gathering, it wasn't good. ______________________________________________________________________________ "I think I should get the first turn at the whore." said a man in gilded armor. The gold lining on the outside gleamed from the new polish on it, but underneath his helmet, he was unshaven and his hair could be seen at the bottom of his helmet where it met the base of the neck. The rest of his company had similar looks to his. The man's hands grabbed another set of golden plating, this one belonging to a female. Her eyes were wide with fear. She didn't know what to do. Her brain had shut off and couldn't make sense of the situation she was in. One moment she was walking on her guard route, and the next she hallway she was patrolling was occupied by six guardsman. All of them male, and all of them looking at her with hungry eyes. It seemed as if they were waiting for her. It seemed that assumption was correct when they grabbed her and pulled her into the crowd. Now she was faced with eight crazy men all about to do Celestia knows what to her. Oh fuck it, she knew exactly what they were going to do to her, and she couldn't find the will to do anything about it. She wanted to scream, but her vocal chords remained silent, and she couldn't fight back. Even with all her training. She was helpless. Utterly helpless. "I say we have at least two at a time go." Another guard had stepped up to the female. "We don't have long till guard change and she looks like she can handle at least three, but we can't have her tiring in the middle of us all having our fun." The guard's hand rubbed his victim's face with the back of his knuckles and gave a chuckle. At the end of his chuckle, his unshaven face went from lusting, to questioning. Something tapped the back of his helmet twice. When he turned around, he saw a man taller than he, and wearing leather armor with a dagger on his hip. "Hey buddy." Ignatius aid in a demanding voice. "Da fucks going on here?" The guard gave a quizzical look, but regained himself long to reach for his sword and draw it halfway out of its scabbard before Ignatius' hand stopped him and held him firm. "Hey, stop . . ." he was cut short by the adjacent arm as it swung through the air. It only caught air, as the seasoned Marine dodged the lazy attack. While still maintaining control of the sword arm. "HEY, I JUST . . ." the free arm came back in a back hand and once again, made no contact. FUCK THIS!!! Ignatius though an as he came back from his dodge he brought his knife back up with him. He unsheathed the blade with his right hand and held the blade backwards. As the spring that was his spine snapped straight, the armed hand came up and buried the blade in the guards skull. The dagger slid so easily through the helmet that it felt to Ignatius that he was cutting through tofu. The guard's lifeless body slowly slumped to the ground in a heap of flesh and metal. When he got to about hip level on Ignatius, the blade stayed in the warrior's tight grip and slid out of the thin cavity in the man's head. The Sergeant looked at his weapon with a discerning eye and then looked to the lifeless corpse and said "You got blood on my blade. You dick." Ignatius didn't have time anymore to sit and poke fun because as soon as he looked back up two more men came charging in with their blades poised to swing. Ignatius was too fast for those two though, and put his knife up between the blades and was able to dash between the parted weapons, and made a quick step to his right and faced the backslash from the guard on the same side and met his blade with his own. When the steel met, the experienced Marine used his open hand to grab guard's arm and raise the weapon arm and stabbed the attacker in the ribs a couple times and then slammed the sword arm down on the other guard's blade as he came in with an ill formed stabbed. The edge scratched the ground as Ignatius' blade came down into the guard's helmet. The tip just penetrated far enough to poke out of the top of the mouth. The blade slid out finely and was snapped in a backhand block to stop the next deadly edged weapon. The hit sent the long blade flying inward on the gilded warrior, and Ignatius wasted no time in sending a punch to the warrior face. The momentum was enough to send Ignatius into a quick spin and the blade he held into the side of the guard. With his body in position, Ignatius was able to twist rapidly and slice into the throat of his opponent as his body came around to face the next attacker in the hallway after the wicked edge of the blade made a new gash in the neck of the now dead opponent. Though his predecessors were not very good at using the blades they had on their hips, this next opponent did. This one had come up with a uppercut swing and nearly clipped Ignatius' chin, but the swift, battle-born man was too quick to get hit by it. He came at Ignatius while rotating his blade and came in with a flurry of upper slashing maneuvers. The Sergeant backed up a few steps from this and positioned his feet and dagger just so. As another swing came up to him, Ignatius came forward and positioned his body and dagger just so and was able to deflect the blow and send his forehead into the nose of his attacker. The blood splashed out and the corrupted guard stepped back a foot before being dealt an uppercut to the chin and his throat sliced open by the red stained blade. The pressure from the sliced jugular spurted out hot plasma in a fountain of warm, red water. Covering Ignatius in hot sticky liquid. The guard's lifeless body slumped to the floor and crashed his metal armor to the now red pooled floor. The guard that was holding the girl stood in complete horror at the sight of his comrades being massacred right in front of him. The whole bout took less than thirty seconds. Though he could have let go and run, his hand clasped so tightly around the woman's arms, that they might as well have been glued to them. The female herself was only still standing because of her would be rapist's grip. Her eyes have never seen such prowess with a blade and such ferocity that only one man could have. Ignatius, however, wasn't feeling to generous that day and instead of letting the man cower, he threw his knife and embedded it in the man's skull with expert precision. As the guard twitched as he fell, the female followed suit and drifted into darkness from sheer fright and shock. Ignatius blew a sigh at the mess he had made and walked over to retrieve his dagger. With the blade in hand, Ignatius was about to leave, but when he turned around he saw a familiar face with a shocked expression on it. Then again, he thought, anyone would be shocked to see a man with a bloody knife and covered in the same substance as what was spilling out of the guards at that moment. Many things ran through Ignatius' head as he saw his brother stand in front of him in complete horror. How was he going to tell him what happened? What was Aquinas thinking? What would Celestia think? What were the repercussions for such actions? With all these things that ran through his head, the only thing that his vocal chords could let out was, "Um. I can explain." ______________________________________________________________________________ Tap-tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap. Princess Celestia's fingers tapped uncomfortably on the armrest of her throne. The other hand was used to prop her head as she lazed it as she starred at Ignatius with a deadpan face. The latter was chained from head to toe and stood between two heavily armed and armored guards. He wasn't panicky or anything like that, but that doesn't mean that he was a little worried about his current situation. "What am I going to do with you?" the white dressed monarch said in a rhetorical manner. Ignatius only silently gulped in response. Those kind of questions were never good. Alvi, stood present in the room and tried to offer a solution. "Perhaps, you can . . ." "Did I ask you directly?" asked the angelic female in a subtle tone. Her fingers at the opposite end of her hand now slightly clenched in front of her mouth. "No." Alvi said in a very shaky tone. "Then, shut your mouth!" she snapped without turning her gaze from the leather clad warrior. He fingers tapping more furiously on the armrest. Alvi retreated back a few steps and turned away from the angry princess. Celestia's fingers stopped abruptly and clenched the end of the chair with a force that was enough to put a few small dents in the golden throne. She shot up from her seat and stalked over to Ignatius, who just starred with all his discipline and military bearing past her, and looked deep into the man's eyes. "You know," she cooed. "The penalty for killing a royal guard is death in my country. It used to be banishment from the lands, but what with the growing hostilities here in Canterlot, I have had to give a little more incentive to my subjects as to why they should not commit such a crime. So, my question is, how will I dispose of you?" Ignatius stored every word away in his head. Especially, the part about the hostilities. "On second thought, as I look at you, I am reminded that your brother is a very helpful and trustworthy person, and to do away with you, would only make things complicated between him and I, and would like more friends than enemies. So you will be spared your life." The white dressed monarch walked around Ignatius and pondered deeply about what she was going to do with her newest prisoner. Ignatius wasn't particularly pleased with Aquinas being confined to the room. He would enjoy his brother's know how in legal matters and politics in a situation such as this. Ignatius only knew one way at how to deal with these situations. Kill. Escape. Kill some more. Aquinas, however, would have drawn out a large complicated statement and presented relevant precedent to achieve a greater standing over his opponent and take the moral high ground when the situation presented itself. The judge would then, in turn, take the side of the brothers. One could tell that this has happened before. Aquinas had spoken at both of Ignatius' court hearings and had gotten him out of hot water, due to his steady head in political matters. That's what made him such a good officer. Princess Celestia came back from her journey around Ignatius and gave him a look that made him pause for thought. Her soft eyes had become as cold and steely as Ignatius' when they first met. Her face was as expressionless as a stone statue and her lips were pursed shut. Her breathing shallow and calm. If this had not been such a serious situation, the Marine Sergeant would have found this experience sexually arousing. He liked it when he found a woman who could show him the same kind of attitude he had given all his victims back in the desert. Except, she didn't have the tiniest smile that came with his, but that, he guessed, was up to personal preference. Princess Celestia would have given his a thunderbolt to the heart if she could read the man's mind. Since she couldn't, the powerful Alicorn blessed woman just starred hard at him. She tried to see any sort of weakness come from the man, but came up short. In fact, she came up with less than what she started. Seeing as how he was as steady as he was a day prior. The ruler went back to her chair and blew a sigh. "Just toss him in the dungeon and give me the key." she said to the guards that flanked the chained captive. "And make sure he stays alive. I don't want to have to waste wood for a pyre." With that, the guards did an about face and picked Ignatius up by the arms and hauled him out of the court room. "Wait, what?!" Ignatius cried. "I don't get to tell my side or say my peace?" "Mmm . . .No." the princess said flatly as the doors swung shut behind the departing party. She then rested her head on her hand and beckoned for Alvi to give her the rundown of the evening. Minus the current fiasco. "My lady." Alvi said in a sweet tone. "I know that a man like Ignatius is not the easiest to deal with. However, as per your law, due process is in order and it would be unjust if this were to be the end of it." Princess Celestia gave Alvi a cross look. "Are you trying to say that I am unjust?" her question holding a guillotine above the steward's head. Though her tone masked it so well, one would think that the question was legitimately based on her inquiry of other people's opinion, rather than a trap that could be sent off by the weight of a hair stand. Alvi's eyes went wide with fear. She wouldn't want to offend her friend by saying such things. She had completely missed the mask of the question. "No, Your Majesty. I would never say such things. However, the way that you handled that situation was, as anyone would put it, one-sided." Alvi watched Celestia blink. "I mean, you didn't even give Ignatius, a chance to defend himself." The princess went back to her resting position and pondered this. She returned with this. "Call, Aquinas. If there is anyone that I can tolerate long enough to hear a legal analysis from, it would be him." Alvi's face screwed up at that. "Princess, there are many lawyers that have over fifty or so years under their belt at our disposal. They must be better equipped than Aquinas to handle this task. Plus, you have only known him for less than forty-eight hours." "That is why my statement stands. Bring him to me." Alvi bowed low and started off to Aquinas' room.