//------------------------------//
// Pain So Much Pain 
// Story: Metal Ringing 
// by 1000Fights 
//------------------------------//

	Ignatius' hammer gave the final strikes to the piece of steel that stuck out from the pommel of the sword that was trapped in a vice. He then took a file to grind down the residual material that did not obey the head of his hammer. After removing the sword from the vice, Ignatius polished the full length of sword. He gave the weapon a very scrutinizing inspection, before he grinded the length of the blade to a fine edge. Ignatius marveled in his work as he slid the sword he had made into the modest scabbard that he constructed. 

"Marvelous." Twisted Horns said as the sheathed weapon was placed on the counter. "You didn't lie when you said you had a talent for the craft."

"I never intend to lie to you, my friend." Ignatius said with a gentle smile. The two shared a handshake that quickly became a hug. The forge master had pulled the young smith in with great force and expressed his happiness through the affection. Ignatius, unable to shy away from him, gave back the hug to his fullest extent. 

The moment the two good friends were sharing was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in, come in." Twisted Horns bellowed.

The door swung open, and in strode the princess. Ignatius crossed his arms over his chest and deadpanned the monarch's approach. "Good to see you, Twisted Horns." the princess said as the large man-beast bowed. She did not give her gaze to him long, for her eyes wandered quickly to the man in the black, leather apron. "Ignatius."

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" his voice was rather sour. He didn't really want to lend his hand to the princess, but with the look she gave the man, he was sure that the matter for which she disturbed the two was rather important.

Princess Celestia gave him a sincere face of pain. "Ignatius. We need to talk."

"If you have something to say, be out with it." Ignatius' tone indicated that he didn't want to drag this out any longer than necessary. 

The princess moved her eyes to Twisted Horns, and then back to the Marine. "I would much rather have the conversation between us." she went to the horned man-beast. "No disrespect intended."

"None taken, my friend." the forge master said with a smile. "Ignatius," he chirped. "go with the princess and speak with her."

"By your order." Ignatius said as he let his arms fall to his sides. He bid the princess follow as he went out the door. 
______________________________________________________________________________

Celestia didn't say a word until they were a good twenty paces away from Metal Ringing. "So, Ignatius." her tone was soft and motherly. "How have you been?" 

"Spare me." the Marine shot. "I don't have time for your compassion games. In fact, I don't play that game at all. If you want to talk to me, be out with what you want to say, and leave." His eyes burned with intense fire as he looked at the white dressed monarch. 

The princess sighed deeply. "Fine." she said, not breaking her tone into anger. "Since you are so persistent, I will tell you what I need." She took a deep breath of air, and then let it out slow. "I need you to talk to Twilight."

"About?" Ignatius' skepticism was apparent. 

"About her relationship with your brother." she said with concern. 

Ignatius furrowed his brow. "Why would I need to talk to her about that?"

Celestia turned off into a narrow corridor and gave Ignatius the command to follow. He went in, and stopped just short of the princess as she did a take in each direction to make sure they were alone. She held out her hand, and her diamond crystals in her hands beamed brightly as a bright window appeared on the wall next to the pair. Before the blacksmith was the image of his brother, and his under aged "teacher", Twilight. They sat upon a bench in the gardens enjoying lunch. They seemed to be talking about magic. Ignatius inferred this when he saw how the purple haired book worm was speaking. She also used hand gestures that complimented her lip movements, he couldn't read her lips on what she was saying, however, he didn't have to look hard to read how his brother acted. He looked happy, sat happy, even ate happy. He was really enveloped in Twilight's speech and appeared to be absorbing her lesson. 

"Okay." Ignatius said a length. He perked his eyebrow. "What am I supposed to be looking at?" his confusion outweighed his curiosity. "They seem to be having a good time being in each other's company." 

"Can you not see?" the princess asked with a bit of shock. "The two are on a date!"

Ignatius looked at the princess with a face of questioning. "What do you mean by date?" he said as he turned back to the scrying window. "They are  . . . just . . ." his eyes grew wide when he saw that when Twilight snuggled up next to the man, he put his arm around her shoulder and gave a half smile. A smile broke out over Ignatius' face. Then he laughed so hard that a hyena would be put to shame. 

"What are you laughing at?" the princess said incredulously. "This is serious!" 

"I-I'm sorry." he choked on air and coughed loudly to steady himself. "But just about a week ago, he said that he was going to end it with Twilight, straight up. But he instead got roped into it more." he laughed again. "It's exactly the way that I thought this was going to go."

"Wait!" Celestia shouted. "You knew that this was going to happen?"

"Well, yeah." he said affirmatively. "You see, I know my brother inside and out. At the end of that night that he came to me, I knew that either one of two things would happen. A: he would end up fracturing her heart, but not completely break it and still be friends, although there would be tension between them. Or B: he wouldn't be able to go through with it and end up giving in to Stockholm Syndrome and develop feelings for the girl." Ignatius chuckled again. "I just didn't think that it would take this long for him to start to break down." he gave the magic window another look. He almost envied how happy his brother looked. Almost.

"You have to break them up." Celestia said. Her words brought the man out of his stupor. "Twilight is over due on her lesson in teaching and I need her back. Unfortunately, my teachings would be forgotten in the mess of emotions that she would be feeling if I just told her to get into class." the princess gave a sigh. "I know what I am asking of you isn't easy, but it needs to be done. I need Twilight Sparkle back on track with her studies in magic, ASAP."

Ignatius looked back at the couple and then back at the monarch. "So, you need me to play the role that you are too afraid to play." a haughty smirk crossed his face. "The all powerful and mighty sun goddess is too scared of her students disapproval to tell her that she must give up her heart's desire for the pursuit of magical ability." he used an exaggerated mocking tone to give his point. "And I, a humble blacksmith, must be charged with breaking the two up, because you have no back bone."

The princess gave a snort, but showed no sign of budging on the matter. "Like I said," she forced through gently clenched teeth. "I know this would be hard for you, but you must do this."

"And why me?" Ignatius asked. "Because it's okay if Twilight hates me, and the fact that Aquinas is my brother, and I have a duty to him to save him from the clutches of the purple haired witch?" 

Ignatius bullying earned him a cold shoulder from the monarch. She turned around and gave her back to him. She then heard faint laughter and saw the pair enjoying a laugh when Aquinas accidentally turning his feet hairy. As she looked upon it, Ignatius saw something. There was a glass contact over Celestia's eyes. Her face became tight, and her shoulders rose ever so slightly. The menacing gears in his head turning. A wicked and twisted face of triumph crossed over his face as the sudden realization took full form.

"Or?" he pressed a hand up on Celestia's shoulder and gently nudged her into a wall. The window ceased to exist and the princess was left in the dim hallway with Ignatius' sickeningly horrific smile clouding her vision. The latter placed the hand not already touching her on her hip. "Or, is there another reason?" he brushed his hand against her paler-than-usual face. Her eyes showed him that not only did he have her full attention, but that he had her fear. "Is the fair princess perhaps . . . jealous?"

"J-Jealous?" she stammered. "What do you mean?" she was on the verge of hyperventilating, she was so scared. No guards would be here to help her, and although she had the ability to cast powerful spells, she wouldn't be able to cast them with the deadly man so close. At this one point in her long life, she felt completely vulnerable. 

"Jealous." he bent his head down her ear and whispered the word, and continued to whisper in a cooing voice. "You need me to break them up and use me as a scape goat. Then, when neither of them wants the other, you will come in and take Aquinas for yourself." 

"No!" she exclaimed as she tried to get away from the man, but Ignatius acted quickly and snatched her by the arms. 

The blacksmith rubbed his nose up and down the length of her neck and took in the scent of her fear. Her let out a deep breath of satisfaction. "You know what's really fucked up?" he said in a soft voice. "For the first time since I've been here, I think this is the first time that I could stand being this close to you." 

The princess closed her eyes and as her body shook like an earthquake. Her body's instincts kicked in and she was trying to remove her mind from the situation. She couldn't cast a proper spell that wouldn't end up harming them both with a range like this. Not to mention the fact that her concentration was blocked by the body that forcibly pressed itself against her. 

Ignatius let out a sinister chuckle. "I can smell your fear." he said as he took a long whiff of her aroma. "And it smells . . ." he took another sniff. " . . . like cake." this made Ignatius confused, but only for as long as it let him.

"Please." Celestia said. "Please let me go."

The Marine put his mouth closer to her ear. "Not until I make one thing clear." he rubbed his rough face against her creamy cheek. "I will carry out your order. I will have them separated, and I will leave your name out of it all. I do not do this because it will bring me pleasure during the act, but I will do it because the after math of it all will. One day, when you have my brother in your arms . . . she will come. She will ask. You will answer. And at that moment, at that point in your life, you will not only lose her, but you will lose Aquinas. Your jealousy, and your greed, will consume your heart, and leave nothing there but an empty shell. This will come to pass, for it has already taken one before that I knew, and let's just say, he took a road that one takes when they see no other road in sight." Ignatius let the princess go slowly, but as he did, she dropped to her knees, and then onto her side. She slipped from consciousness and laid still on the floor. Fear, and anxiety had taken their toll on her, and she fell into darkness. Ignatius gave a chuckle of victory to the silent hallway, and stepped over the prone woman before him. He took a left down the next hallway. The way toward the library.
______________________________________________________________________________

Twilight held onto Aquinas' hand with gentle firmness as they ascended the stairs to the library. Aquinas squeezed back with just the right amount of pressure. He wasn't really comfortable with it, but he was getting used to the affection. It brought a smile to his face when he thought about the fact that he was the same way. He always showed his ex the same affection and care when he was around her, and now to receive all of that back from someone else, it made him feel happy. Happy to know he was doing right. That he would do right. If Twilight really did like him, why should he show her anything else? Why should she be the only one to do the loving around here? Aquinas answered his own internal questions when he brought the girl in close for a warm hug. She squealed in delight, and returned the hug. They stood there for a who knows how long before they felt compelled to look at each other. Aquinas' 6'2'' build was staring down at Twilight who was a whole head shorter than him. Her purple eyes staring back at his blue orbs. The two could have sworn they were floating as they locked their gazes.

Unfortunately, their starring wasn't enough for them. The young student leaned upwards, and Aquinas down. Both could feel the spark between them. A spark that would ignite a burning fire. That spark however, never made it to the driest of tinder. Up above them, leaning on the railing, was a certain black coated man. 

"My, my, my." Ignatius said as the two were about to lock the other's lips into their own. They both stopped and jerked their heads skyward. "Now this is a show." he chuckled. "I wish I had popcorn." 

Aquinas let out an irritated snort. "What do you want, Ignatius?" his voice revealing to nothing to his brother that he already didn't know. 

"I am here on business." he cooed. "Why don't you two come up here, and I'll explain everything." 

The couple looked back at each other. A pit formed in both their stomachs, and dread spread across their faces. Aquinas took the woman's hand and led her up stairs. A sense of fear crept into both of them, and a chill resonated down their spines in unison.

The pair took their seats on two nearby desk chairs, while Ignatius took a larger, more plush seat. "Comfortable?" the Marine asked.

"As much as one could be with that smile on your face." Aquinas commented on his brother's toothy grin. 

"Oh, it's just a mask." he said in a sickeningly sweet tone. "This is actually very serious."

Twilight gulped. "How serious?"

Ignatius folded his hands by overlapping his fingers between the joints and put to fingers out to rest over his mouth. He was still for a moment, but then he pointed out the two connected fingers. "Twilight?" Ignatius' smile never broke. "Do you have an interest with my brother?" His question was obvious, but he still wanted it answered.

The purple dressed girl took a deep gulp. She didn't like the way he was looking at her. After a moment, she answered him in a shaky voice. "Y-Yes."

"Hmm, I see." he said in a chuckle.

"What is the meaning of this?" Aquinas burst forth.

Ignatius chuckled to his brother. "Oh, hush now, Aquinas. You knew this was coming."

Aquinas opened his mouth to talk, but no words formed. His face plastered in the fashion one would have when they met Death. "No." he said. "No! Don't do this!"

"Aquinas, what's going on?" Twilight begged to ask.

The officer turned to the girl. "Twilight, please, leave. This is no place for you right now."

"No, no." Ignatius begged. "Stay, Twilight. This involves you just as much it involves Aquinas."

The Naval officer's eyes burned with fire. "Sergeant Ignatius, I order you to leave this library this instant."

Ignatius gave a hearty laugh. "This is a private affair, brother. So, your rank holds nothing here."

Aquinas knew he was caught, but he wasn't going to give up that easily. "Can I speak to you in private, brother?"

"Of course." said the Marine as he turned towards the student  . "Miss Sparkle, do stay here while me and my brother hammer some things out." The girl was too scared to hear him, let alone move. She was so paralyzed by that smile and his demeanor that she was unable to do anything more than just sit there.

The two departed past the purple haired book worm, leaving her in total shock.
______________________________________________________________________________

Aquinas led his brother to the most secluded portion of the library. It was farther away from Twilight than he would want to be, but he also wanted to make sure that he was far enough away so she wouldn't hear them. When he found a bookcase he liked, he turned on his brother.

"So, why?" he asked his brother. The perked eyebrow he got told him that his sibling wanted to play games. "Why are you breaking us up?"

"Why?" Ignatius said slyly. "I do it because it's necessary."

"There is nothing necessary about what you are about to do. You should just keep whatever words you have to yourself and just go back to the forge." Aquinas was about to scream at his brother for his despicable behavior, but he was struck cold by his brother's wide, joker-like grin. "What are you smiling at?"

"Me?" he said innocently. "Nothing. It's what you're doing that is just making this so much easier on me."

"What do you mean? How can breaking a couple up be enjoyable for you?" Aquinas' voice was cold. Cold, not because of his tone or his demeanor, but because the air, and the air was stiff enough to be cut with a butter knife. The lack of warmth in the room made Aquinas uneasy. "Tell me why you are doing this."

Ignatius picked on one of his nails. "Do you remember when I tried this before?"

Aquinas scanned his memory for the incident. "Yes. Yes, I remember." Aquinas said, gaining some measure of confidence. "You were trying to break me up with my previous girl friend because you had had it with her snotty attitude. You tried to reason with me, but I kept up the relationship. Thankfully so, I made it last a whole half year longer before I went off to the Academy and the separation started."

"Correct." Ignatius said. "But do you remember the way that you acted the whole time I tried, though?"

"Yeah, I was confident and I was sure that you wouldn't succeed . . ." Aquinas' heart skipped a beat when he saw the Wolf's smile on his brother's face. "But-but . . ." Ignatius just kept smiling and shaking his head. He honestly did look like a predator that was about to jump triumphantly on its prey.

"Oh, little brother." the smiling man said. "I do so love it when you prove me right."

"I didn't prove anything!" Aquinas snapped.

"Oh, really?" Ignatius said. He scanned his brother's body. He saw the muscles tightening slowly, and he knew that if he said the wrong thing that Aquinas would throw himself at him. "Well, then Miss Sparkle will have to show you that you two are not meant for each other."

"How are you going to do that?" Aquinas asked. Though he was sure that he would get about as much an answer as if he was talking to a block of wood. 

"I'm just going to use a couple of questions and then make her see the light." the Marine's smile was enough to freeze beer. 

Aquinas looked determinedly at his brother. He couldn't let him to this. He couldn't end it like this. he knew he had to take away his brother's power. "No." he said. "You're not." his voice rang with finality and stern footing. "I won't let you do this to her. If anyone is going to break this up, it will be me."

"No, it won't." Ignatius shot. "You won't go through with it."

"How do you know?'

"Are you really willing to do something so passion based in this condition that you will be able to leave but a scratch on the girl's heart?" Aquinas just blinked with a dumbfounded face. "My point exactly." Ignatius walked over to his brother. The smile disappeared on the way. "Brother, understand that even if you could get the message across without hurting her, I still wouldn't accept it. It must be me to do this."

"But, why?" Aquinas said sadly. "Why do this, and why you?"

"Because you don't see the bigger picture. Unfortunately though, you will never be able to. You're part of the picture itself, while I am on the outside looking in. This needs to be done by me."

"Are you the one looking at the painting, or are you the artist?" Aquinas' question would have staggered a normal man. Too bad Ignatius wasn't. 

"I am merely editing, that's all." he said with a firm squeeze of his hand. "Trust me, Mark. I do this not in pleasure, but with pleasure. Pleasure because I know that this can only end well for almost everyone involved. No matter what turn of events take place." 

Aquinas wanted to tell his brother off, he wanted to just ring his neck long enough to make him pass out, but if he did, then his brother would just have a reason to press the attack further. He knew Ignatius did nothing without having a plan C. He even had a plan F if he could help it. If this is what he thought was best, whether or not Aquinas liked it or not, then it probably was. Although, there was one piece of business that he needed to tend to.

"Why is it then that you have to be the one to break up the relationship?" Aquinas asked with more than a hint of curiosity. He needed to know that question badly.

"Because it's okay if she hates me." Ignatius said with a smile. 

Aquinas gave a defeated sigh. He felt like he was giving up too easily. He felt that he could fight this. However, the other feeling felt stronger. The feeling of sour revelation. The feeling that this was actually the right thing to do. However close the two were though, he couldn't help but know that the latter feeling as winning. 

"Just make sure it's clean." was all Aquinas was able to say.

"Don't worry, Mark." Ignatius put the other hand on his brother's opposite shoulder. "I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how this ends."

"Just like back in Baltimore?"

"No, more like Chicago."

"Wow."
______________________________________________________________________________

Twilight was starting to get worried. Those two had been gone a long time and she hadn't heard anything from beyond the bookcases to tell her anything. She was about to rise from her seat, but was stopped when she heard Aquinas' heavy footsteps. She turned around in her seat to find that both brothers were walking towards her.

"Aquinas!" Twilight said as she shot up and embraced him. "What happened? Is everything all right?" Her voice expressed deep concern.

The blue coated man put his arms around her. "Yes, everything is going to be alright." Even the man speaking couldn't tell if he was lying. His voice suggested it, but then his weaker-than-a-baby smile betrayed such a thought. The girl and her partner sat down as Ignatius walked past the officer and patted him on his shoulder as he passed. 

The Marine gave a grunt of pleasure as he sat down in the plush chair. "So," he began. "Miss Sparkle. How long have you been with my brother?"

Twilight eyed the obviously dangerous man. "I-I have been with him for about a month and some weeks with him." he voice was uneasy and full with fear. She wasn't liking the developing smile on Ignatius' face. 

"A bit of time, one would think." said the black coated man. "However, if you remember when my brother first came under your tutelage, the princess said that only one month would go by and then you should be returning back to your original study cycle, am I right?"

"Yes. That's correct." Twilight began to firmly root her feet. She needed to stay strong. Especially when dealing with someone like Ignatius. "But why is that important?"

"Because, my dear." Ignatius chuckled. "You're cycle is over. As you've stated, it has been well over a month and a half, and my brother seems to have gotten up to speed on the uses of magic. My brother however, cannot learn anything else from you. At least not anything in his respective field."

"Which is?" Aquinas asked.

"Combatives magic." The Marine chirped. "It would do my brother some good to go through the schooling, and it would also do you some good, Twilight Sparkle, if you would go back to Princess Celestia's teachings." 

"B-But . . ." Twilight stammered for a counter. "But I have still so much to teach him. He's not ready to go to combatives magic."

Ignatius gave a cold smile Twilight's way. "Miss Sparkle, why do you find it hard to let my brother leave?"

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.

"Well, what do you mean?" Ignatius spun back. 

"What I mean, is that you know that I am falling for your brother." Twilight gave Aquinas a set of glistening eyes. "I might even love him." she paused. "With some more time together, I think I could be just about ready to marry him."
Ignatius' wolf smile came back. 'Here is comes.' Aquinas thought to himself. 

"So." said the black coated man. "You say that you have an infatuation with my brother, yes?"

Twilight nodded vigorously.

"And would you say that you may not think twice if Aquinas was to take your hand in marriage?"

"Later down the line, yes."

That smile gave Aquinas the message that never be spoken. 'Kill shot.'

"Do you love me?" Ignatius said simply.

Twilight blinked at this. "W-What?" he brain was still trying to process what Ignatius just asked.

"Do you love me?" Ignatius said at length. This time drawing out the words to the point of excess. 

"Why would you be asking me this?" Twilight asked while looking to an equally confused Naval Officer.

"Well, as my brother may, or may not, have told you," Ignatius explained. "Me and my brother are a package. If you want one, you must have the other. At least when it comes to relationships. If my heart serves me well, I know my brother won't choose anybody that hates me, because I know that I would do the same for him. We are family, and we will choose to stick with each other before choosing to be with someone else. As the old saying goes, "Bro's before ho's." 

"Aquinas?" Twilight looked to the man in the blue coat. "Is what he's saying true?"

The Naval officer read her voice and he knew what Ignatius was about to do. 'Fuck, he really is doing something like Chicago.' He gave a stiff nod in return. Twilight rolled her head back to the Marine who's snout and fangs were salivating in triumph as he looked at his next meal. "I don't understand."

"Well," Ignatius said back. "let me make it easy for you." he cleared his throat. "You say that you may be falling in love with my brother, yes?" She nodded. "Well then. You must love me then, right?" 

Twilight flinched a little, but out came groaned, "No. No, I don't." She visibly shoot. "I-I can't even imagine anyone in their right mind loving you." Her voices' volume began to grow. "It just disgusts me. You're a horrible human being with no morals or any sort of grounding. Your comments and the jokes you make when you're around me, or my teacher, are putrid and unsavory. You act as though the world is yours and show no sense of remorse for your actions. You're not a human being! Y-You are just an asshole!" Every part of Twilight's words came from the hidden contempt for the Marine that she had done so well to hide, or so she thought. She took a few deep breaths to calm her frustration as she sat back down in her chair.

"Aquinas." Ignatius called to his brother who was not taking Twilight's impromptu speech very well. "I think we have an understanding of my earlier statement." The Ensign nodded slowly. His, along with Twilight's, vision made a decent into the floor. He knew what was coming, but it still hurt. "I'll leave you two alone for a while." As Ignatius went down the stairs, he gave one last take to the pair and headed off back down to the forge. His job here was finished. ______________________________________________________________________________

Aquinas and Twilight both felt the icy sting of Ignatius' edged words. They couldn't even look at each other. In just that half hour, their entire world was turned upside down and destroyed. Twilight's heart was broken, and Aquinas was suffering from the purple haired student's tongue lashing in the spite she had for his brother. 

Aquinas was the first to stir, and he turned his head to the young girl. He opened his mouth to say something, but when nothing came forth, he just closed his mouth when no words came and turned back to the floor. 

"I guess this is the end." Twilight said finally. A group of tears ran down her face, but they were shielded from sight by her long hair. Though the way her voice cracked was all one would need in order to know that she was crying.

Aquinas mustered enough of himself to speak. "I think it is." 

As if each word was a hammer strike, it hit the hot iron that was Aquinas' resolve. He shot up from his seat. "No. It's not." he said with finality. He grabbed Twilight's hands and hoisted her up to him. Her face was stained with salty water, and her eyes were red and swollen. Though her heart stood still, she still could see the passion in Aquinas' eyes. "It doesn't have to end like this. Twilight, I know that my brother is less than agreeable, and I know that you have a distain for him, but that only means that we can't be married. Our friendship however, is something that can endure. The time we spent together has brought us just as close together as we are to our respective siblings." Aquinas put his palm on Twilight's cheek. "A very lucky man is going to make you the happiest woman alive someday, but that man is just going to be me."
"Who is going to love someone like me?" Twilight said in a despairing tone. 

Aquinas bent down to her and placed his lips on her forehead. He then embraced her with a hug and whispered into her ear. "Someone who is wise enough to know what kind of diamond you are among the jagged stone that anyone could have, and one who is foolish enough to think he has a chance with someone like you. He may not be Unicorn blessed, he may not even be the smartest man, but he will be the one that will faithfully wake up next to you every morning and smile the widest smile, all because you are there with him." Aquinas squeezed tighter. "Even though I may not be able to see you for a long time, I still want you to know that you matter a lot to me, Twilight Sparkle."

Aquinas didn't see it, but then again, he didn't have to. He could feel her smile. He could hear and feel the anxiety melt away from within her. As if it was a connection that could never be broken, she felt it in him as well. With that in her heart, it made a world of difference to her. Even in a sad moment like this, it made her happy to know that someone like Aquinas was there with her. Not only to share the pain, but to ease it as well. That is the thought that made this whole catastrophe seem like a wave of the hand.
______________________________________________________________________________

The door to Metal Ringing swung open to allow access to the black coated gentleman. Ignatius stepped inside and shut the door behind him. The bolts to the door seemed to spring to life as they locked the door behind the Marine as the torches in the room dimmed to a low glow. The trained soldier spun and produced his curved dagger. He met nothing when he had finished. 'This isn't good.' he thought to himself. His instincts cried out that there was danger. Ignatius readied himself for the next strike, but when he spun, he did not meet flesh or steel, he met a cloud of purple dust. It got into his eyes, and it made them burn. The warrior cried out in pain at the searing burn that plagued his eyes. 

"You seemed to like to cause pain, Ignatius." came the familiar voice of the forge master. Twisted Horns came into the Marine's view. "However, you don't seem to have pain be brought into your life. At least not yet."

"You goat-horned, son of a bitch!" Ignatius cursed. "What have you done to my eyes?" his blue orbs hazed in and out, and it was hard to focus on the single image of the man-beast. 

"Oh, the pain in your eyes is temporary." the forge master chuckled. "The true pain will come soon. You see, I knew a man like you once, with similar problems, and I set him straight. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to use the same techniques, but you have forced my hand."

Ignatius charged Twisted Horns in anger. All that happened though, was that he crashed into the forge. He howled in pain, but was able to locate a hammer, and turned that pain into anger. He swung in wild patterns at the silhouettes his vision was creating.

"I will not use simple tricks like eye pain to harm you, but I will use another source that will forever hurt you. Your memories."

Ignatius' blood boiled in pure rage. "NOOOOO!" he shouted in defiance. He swung one last time before he tripped on his own feet. He turned the hammer over on its head and used it to prop and arm up, but he could not lift himself but a hair from the floor. His body was unresponsive. What was left were his other senses. He was almost in full darkness when he smelled and tasted something. Diesel fuel and sand. He heard a sound that was close and loud. It was a front end loader. He felt his hand grabbing a ball on a stick. It was the joystick to control the bucket. He finally got his sight back, but when he did, what he saw dropped his heart into the pit of his stomach. He couldn't believe this. He didn't want to believe this, but here he was. He was back in Afghanistan.