The continuation of the story Metal Ringing. Ignatius and Aquinas now face the homefront challenge as they try to put Equestria back on track.
The story of Ignatius and Aquinas continues here. It has been a long three months since Ignatius has been gone, and during that time, things have went from bad to worse. Riots and protests in the streets of Canterlot. The Gryphon Empire's advances on Equestrian interests have become an increasing problem. Not to mention that there has been word of the Zebra Kingdom being engaged in a rebel uprising, and talk of a similar happening will occur on Equestrian soil. The future is not looking bright for Princess Celestia. Little does she know, the two brothers she has taken from another plain of existence have not only dealt with similar problems back home, but also poses the knowledge and skill to overcome them. Together, they can set this un-restful nation back on track.
Princess Celestia had just raised the sun when Ignatius and Aquinas emerged from the blacksmith's forge. The yellow locks of the sun's hair flowed gracefully over Equestria as the golden star rose happily into the sky. The door to Metal Ringing shut softly as Twisted Horns said good day to the pair and went off to finally get some sleep. The brothers on the other hand, were now both wide awake and walking in the corridors leading toward interior of the castle. The light was shining beautifully past the windows, and when the siblings got to the portion where the hallway became open to the air, the real magic was revealed. Ignatius and Aquinas were both met with the sight of the Canterlot garden. Fall had arrived. The leaves had already changed color, and almost all fallen off, but the beauty only intensified when all the brown and red hues of the season's bloom were revealed to them.
"Magnificent. Isn't it?" Aquinas asked his brother when the Marine halted in his tracks and looked upon the sight in awe. The officer himself smiled when he noticed the bushes he would sit by and read his magic tomes were now a heterogeneous mixture of every fall color.
Ignatius himself was entranced by the trees and how through the holes that were made when the leaves had fallen from made them all look like exploding stars when the light of the sun shone through them. "Yeah." was all he could say.
"A changing season, for a changed man." Aquinas chuckled as he spoke.
Ignatius only repeated the previous word. ______________________________________________________________________________
The brothers had taken in all they could stand from the Canterlot garden and now have moved on. As they walked, Ignatius couldn't help but strike up a conversation.
"Has a lot changed since I have been out?" he asked. "I would have thought something would have happened."
Aquinas' smile faded to a face of hard stone. He let out a deep sigh before speaking. "A lot of things have changed since you have been in that coma. King Hansvilter has become increasingly more hostile. He is sending troops to the outer reaches of the Equestrian provinces and certain precious materials, along with traded goods, have gone missing, though we have no evidence it was their doing. The Zebra Kingdom has fallen into a civil conflict with the government facing off against guerilla forces. And if that wasn't enough, things here on the home front are just as chaotic. Riots in the streets of Canterlot have broken out now to twice a week rather than just once. The icing on the cake however is the fact that the upper crust seems to make it a point to push the lower and middle class over the edge a little farther, which seems to be making things even more dangerous. Everything seems to be going to shit."
"What has Princess Celestia done to offset all this?" Ignatius asked.
"Next to nothing." Aquinas stated truthfully. "Then again, she can do next nothing. Everything that is going on is out of her control. She can't help anyone out of these holes. Even herself."
"Surely, you're just trying to hide her laziness." The older brother chided.
"I wish I was." Aquinas stated grimly. "It would make things easier. Economics, the main root of the problem, is out of her realm, both in law, and study. Shitty behavior is something that the Princess can seldom correct; and the Zebra Kingdom won't accept aid from us; plus we have no evidence to support the claim that Hansvilter is behind the missing goods. It seems that the Princess has acquired a problem that she herself can't fix."
Ignatius let the reality of the situation sink in. If all this was going on, and Princess Celestia could do nothing about it, then what were they to do about it? "If Princess Celestia can't help with any of this, who can?"
"No one, as of now." The officer stated. "As I have stated before, we have nothing concrete at the moment on Hansvilter. The Zebra Kingdom must survive on its own until the conflict involves outside help or civilian casualties. And the riots are insinuated because the workers are out of jobs. The rich have retreated to their wealth and left the lower and middle classes without pay."
"Then it seems that we will need to do two things." Ignatius said. "We need to get those workers working again, and we need to build up our forces enough to where we can seem like a threat."
"It's not like we have jobs readily available for people." Aquinas reasoned. "Not to mention the aristocrats don't want a full standing military force underneath Celestia."
"We can sway their judgment." Ignatius' smirked deviously.
"How?" Aquinas questioned. Though, upon seeing his brother's face, he grew a might concerned. "What are you planning?"
"I think we can do all these things in one foul swoop." Ignatius said. "All I need is some support."
"What kind of support?" Aquinas was being drawn in by his brother's mischievous smile.
"Military, political, and financial support." The Marine stated. "If I can gain the ear of a militant in standing, the voice of a politician, and the pocket of the aristocracy, then we should be able to create a way to restore some sort of balance."
"How do you intend to do all of this?" Aquinas' intrigue was through the roof now. What sort of plan was his brother planning?
"Elementary, my dear Aquinas." Ignatius stated. "We go partying!"
Aquinas' nose twitched. "Partying? PARTYING?!" The large naval officer was now in a fury. "That's your big plan?! GO PARTYING?!"
"Where else are we going to find rich snobs with tons of money and rich drink to loosen their grips on their purses?" Ignatius' questioned without skipping a beat.
Aquinas opened his mouth to answer, but after a second of it hanging there in the wind, he closed it. He withdrew for a moment before saying. "I don't really know." He honestly didn't.
"Benjamin Franklin" Ignatius went on. "was able to gain the support of the French upper class by using his knowledge of French custom to gain the favor of the aristocracy and then the aid of their military. He did this, not by sitting in board rooms and talking to politicians from dawn till dusk, but rather going to parlor parties at two in the morning and having drinks with them till all hours of the night."
"So, Aquinas, yes. We are going to go partying. Not to enjoy ourselves, though. No. Rather, to help everyone else enjoy themselves. With our faces and words, we will be able to gain their support."
"But what about the militant and politician?" Aquinas wanted to know.
"The militant will have to be someone of high standing." Ignatius explained. "Not too high as we will never reach their ear, but rather someone who has a position, as to be invited to the party, but still low enough so that we may speak and be heard."
"Got anyone in mind?" Aquinas asked.
"Not at the moment." Ignatius stated plainly. "However, I will find one in due time."
"What about the politician?" Aquinas asked. He looked to his brother for an answer, but when he did, he found him looking up at Canterlot Castle's tower outside the window. "It seems a little out of your reach." The officer stated.
"That is why we need the others first." Ignatius reasoned. "If we have the militant and the aristocracy, we have but to ask of the princess to be our voice."
"What if she refuses to help?" Aquinas asked. "You aren't exactly on good terms with her."
"Leave that to me." Ignatius stated.
Aquinas nodded in affirmation. If this plan worked, those mounting problems will subside and Equestria will be back on firm ground. "When do we get started?" The officer inquired.
"As soon as I take on things on the personal front." Ignatius stated. Aquinas turned his head just in time to see the castle courtyard where a certain purple haired scholar was sitting on a stone bench while reading a spell tome.
"You know it's going to take a lot in order for her to even begin thinking to consider forgiving you, right?" Aquinas' words had a bit of poison in them that he did not want there.
Ignatius nodded. "I understand that." he said. "I just want to at least attempt to make things right between us. I, at the very least, should apologize to her."
"You're going to have to do a lot for her if you want to get her back." Aquinas stated plainly.
Ignatius and Aquinas came to a stop at their vantage point above the court yard, and noticed three other Unicorn blessed students walking up to Twilight. The exchange of words was not heard, but from Twilight's expressions, they could both tell that they weren't friends. Especially when they all started laughing while the purple haired scholar's face and shoulders sunk.
"Does this happen often?" Ignatius asked.
"It does." the officer said with a nod. "She used to tell me about how she was bullied constantly. It subsided when she became my teacher. However, it seems that it has come back with a vengeance."
Ignatius growled lowly. He hated bullying. For most of his life, he was a victim. It all stopped when he had entered the Air Force. Then he became a sort when he was the Wolf. He wanted to fly down there and drive the wicked edge of his dagger into their eyes, but that would only bring more harm to him than help to Twilight Sparkle. He needed a way to rid Twilight of these problems. The answer to this, as most times before, came in a very unorthodox manner. Above the brothers was a blur of orange that seemed to be traveling at incredible speed. Ignatius smiled as his planning drew to an end.
"I think I know how we are going to do this." the Marine said.
The courtyard of Canterlot castle was one of the best places to be during the morning. It was quiet and was the perfect spot to sit as the sun rose high. The beams glistened off the morning dew and made the dying grass seem like it was the hair of one who was gracefully aging. Twilight Sparkle sat happily in the castle courtyard soaking up the Fall sun as she read a tome written by Snow Storm the White. Her smooth skin absorbed the kisses of the heavenly star as it puckered its lips and affectionately laid them on key points of the purple sweater-vested scholar which gave her the healthiest of glows. The autumn cycle tended to do such things to the gifted, Unicorn blessed girl.
However, as with all good things, it must come to an end. Instead of coming to a slow stop, though, it came to an abrupt halt. Such as one would experience running full speed into a brick wall. From the other end of the courtyard came the voices of three people that Twilight made a part-time carrier of avoiding. She cringed slightly when the first of them spoke.
"Well, well, well." said Sea Star. He was a Unicorn blessed youth with hair that shared a resemblance to sea, and had little specks of what could be described as twinkling stars. Standing no taller than two inches above Twilight, he pronounced himself in his stance and stride as someone of importance. As-a-matter-of-fact, he was the son of one of the largest shipping barons in Equestria. "Twilight Sparkle." he looked down with his aquamarine eyes and saw the signature cover of the author. "Going back a grade, I see." his chuckle was as haughty and pompous as his stuffed shirt that he wore. "I knew that Princess Celestia made the wrong choice in choosing you to be her personal student. You obviously aren't ready to move onto the more refined aspects of magic."
"No!" Twilight shot defensively. "We just skipped over parts of it because the princess decided that we should move on to other things. I just wanted to go back and see for myself what it was we were skipping." The purple haired girl thought that her truthful statement would be enough, however, that was but a pipe dream.
"Oh, please." Another Unicorn blessed scholar stepped forward as she tossed her red-velvet hair back. Scarlet Spear-Point. Born of upper class fighters in the College of the Battle Mages, this girl stood the same height as Twilight, but stood with the same command as someone close to a Lieutenant in the guard. Her slender frame made her agile and unpredictable. A clear resemblance to her sharp witted mind and even sharper tongue. "You couldn't master an apprentice level spell, so your 'teacher' knocked you down to a more suitable level."
"I'm surprised you still are in this school." said another masculine, yet heavy, voice. Lightning Rod. Heir to the Equestrian Energy company fortune. He was a rather fat, young man with an appetite that did not betray his girth. He was also the same height as Twilight, but outweighed her by about fifty pounds. His cheeky face made it seem like he would have a walrus as a blood relative. "This school is for the gifted Unicorn blessed, after all. And judging from the your lack of skill, you seem to be more accustomed to the menial tasks of a common housewife rather than a mage."
All three shared in a laugh. Every last exhale of noxious noise drove the daggers the words held deeper into Twilight's heart. The purple haired girl's eyes started to well with tears as she clutched her book tighter to her chest.
"Oh, look." Scarlet Spear-Point said as she chuckled softly. "She's about to cry. What are going to do Twilight Sparkle. Run to your parents? Those low born are even less equipped than you are." Her rich, green-brown eyes lazily hung their lids half way down and her thin lips puckering slightly.
"Her brother is of no help either." Sea Star shot. "He is supposed to be an even greater mage, but we all know he cheated his way through the Guard Academy."
"The only one left she could turn to is Princess Celestia." Lightning Rod jiggled as he laughed. "Is that what you will do, Sparkle? Run to her and use your position as Princess Celestia's personal student to dispatch us? How weak."
Twilight's eyes let a tear or two fall from each of them as she tried to fight each of them back. "Just leave me alone." she choked. The only response that the three could give was more laughter. Each howl damaging her already fragile self-esteem.
"I'd listen to her if I were you." the next player made it to the stage. The three scholars watched as a pair of men, both well older than they were, march towards them. The one in the long, black coat spoke again. "One could only take so much until it all becomes too great."
"And just who are you?" Sea Star demanded to know.
"I am the person you should be thanking." Ignatius stepped passed Twilight and moved between her and the trio. All while Aquinas hung back and spoke softly into Twilight's ear. "My dear Twilight has endured much already. Why don't you do yourselves a favor and run along and play somewhere else?"
"Why would we do that?" Scarlet Spear-Point interrogated. "And just who are you to tell us what to do?"
"Like I said, you should be thanking me." the Marine stepped closer to the trio. "I'm the one telling you to back off for your own good. For I am the only one here who can attest to Twilight Sparkle's true power."
"What do you mean by, 'true power'?" Lightning Rod asked.
"Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be something else?" Ignatius asked in a studious tone. "Have you ever wondered what it would be like to touch the clouds and be able to lay upon them? Have you ever wondered what it was like to dive with the speed of a falcon? Well, because of Twilight, I no longer wonder. I was but a simple Earth Pony blessed man until Twilight Sparkle here gave me the gift of the Pegasus and helped me to realize my dream of flying. At least for as long as she could stand."
"Are you trying to say," Sea Star asked cautiously. "that, Twilight Sparkle . . . changed your blessing?"
"Oh, yes." the Marine said. "She did."
"I wouldn't believe that unless I saw it with my own eyes!" Scarlet shot.
"Twilight? If you will." Ignatius signaled with his hands as he threw off his coat to show his armored back that was void of any aerial elements. As if the sun itself came from Twilight, she glowed with a miraculous light, and shone some of that light upon the back of the Marine who, with a blaze of black feathers, sprouted miraculous wings. He had, before the trio's very eyes, changed from an Earth Pony, to a Pegasus blessed man.
Ignatius took to the sky and silently swooped by every spire in sight of the courtyard with a speed that could only be met by someone truly blessed with an ability that can only be given by a Spirit. The black-feathered man disappeared for a bit from beyond the wall, but then returned with a small grey cloud. He stood above the trio of bullies and smiled wickedly as he looked down upon them as they looked up. Then he started to bounce. Heavy rainfall poured down onto the faces of Unicorn blessed scholars and they all howled in displeasure.
"Que no pare le fiesta, motherfuckers! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Ignatius laughed maniacally as he made rain waterfall down upon the Unicorn blessed youths. He continued to bounce happily as he heard the screams below.
"Stop this at once!" Sea Star exclaimed.
"Okay." Ignatius shrugged. He then grew a face splitting grin and then jumped heavily on the cloud, making a bolt of lightning crack down between the trio and giving them a good shock. The three jittered in pain until the electricity subsided and made them all sway in confusion until all three of their heads collided and they all fell back on their rumps.
The winged man kicked the cloud sharply and the white, airy fluff burst into thin air. "How do ya like that, you little jack offs?" he said as he slowly descended down to meet them.
Lightning Rod, now having a much greater appreciation for the device than before, was the first to speak. "You'll pay for this!" he said as he rose with his companions.
"Oh, I don't think so." the voice of Twilight Sparkle rang in a sing-song voice. The sweater-vested young lad stepped toward the three bullies with a bit of command in her step. "You just witnessed the power I hold." She brought her hand up and made the gem embedded there glow. "I can change blessings at will. So, unless you want to end up with another blessing and be kicked out of this school for not being gifted with the blessing of the Unicorn, I would suggest that you keep your mouths shut and leave good people alone."
"Y-You wouldn't dare." Scarlet Spear-Point object. She felt a tingling in her hand and looked to find a purple aura around her ruby crystal. She yelped loudly and pulled her hand close to her chest. "Please! Please, no!" she cried. The aura subsided and the tingling stopped. Scarlet sighed heavily in relief.
"I thought so." Twilight said sadistically. "Now all three of you, get out of my sight!"
The Unicorn blessed trio huffed in unison and stormed off in a muffled grumble. Each of them silently cursing her as their clothes and shoes sloshed from the rain water that drenched them all. ______________________________________________________________________________
Twilight watched in triumph as she saw her, now former, bullies walk off in defeat. She smiled happily as she picked up her spell tome and began reading it again.
Ignatius touched down on the earth and folded his wings onto his back and let them return to their tattoo form as he put his coat back on. He stepped toward the young scholar, but halted in his track when he heard her words.
"You can go now." Twilight's tone was sharp and decisive. When she looked up to find the wingless man was still there, she said. "Did you not hear me?"
"No," Ignatius spoke. "I heard you. It's just that I would also like for you to hear me."
"Fuck off." she said in an even tone as she slowly returned to her book.
Ignatius had to wince a little at that.
"A young lady, such as yourself, should not be using such language." Aquinas' words rang in the purple haired scholar's ear, but instead of being cross she have a resounding sigh. The Naval officer came around to Twilight's front and held up her chin. "Twilight, my brother has something he wants to say to you. The least you can do is hear him out. Especially after he just got those three bullies off your back."
The sweater-vested girl looked away for a second and blew a snort of contempt. Then a moment passed and she returned Aquinas' gaze. "Fine. Just make it quick."
Ignatius came to sit on the grass as to put Twilight up on the higher point. He took a deep breath and then said, "I just wanted to take the time and say that I'm sorry, Twilight. It was wrong of me to mislead you and tell you a that my brother had feelings for you. I chose to do wrong and have my own fun. In doing so, I hurt you deeply when everything came full circle. I could have just been an asshole and told you the truth that my brother had little to no more interest in you, other than being your friend." The Marine saw that his words only made the girl's face and heart turn more cold and iron-like. But then, Ignatius wasn't finished. "But then I saw something. I saw you two sitting together and enjoying each other's company. That's what I saw, but even though I was so far away, I could still feel the emotion. I could still feel how much you really cared about Aquinas. I can't lie to you and say that I saw your relationship lasting forever. In fact, I didn't see it going past the end of the year. But, that doesn't mean you wouldn't make him feel the happiest he has been since he was with his ex. And let me tell you, that's a lot of happiness that you're able to make someone feel." With every word he spoke, Ignatius saw as Twilight's eyes stared at him with icy daggers less and less, and then turn softer. "My trickery may have brought you together, but what kept you both together was your never-ceasing affection and care. Let me tell you this, even in a failing relationship, something like that can make it last long enough to give a chance to get better. I think you are going to find someone who you can make that happy. From what I saw, some lucky bastard is going to be able to brag about how good he has it with you. And perhaps that same person will be the same way towards you, so you may boast together about how good you two are for each other." Ignatius chuckled a bit, when he saw a small smile crack across Twilight's face. "I might just have to shove a sock in your mouth just to stifle the noise." The Marine received a laugh from both Aquinas and Twilight for that comment. Ignatius blew out a sight and said, "I'm not expecting that we will become friends. I'm not even expecting you to not be mad at me anymore. Come to think of it, I can't really expect anything really. I can only hope that you will forgive me."
Time seemed to have stopped. No one moved. No one spoke. It was just dead silent. The breeze itself seemed to be halted in its tracks. The sun only did enough to give its light, but could no longer kiss the area with its warmth. It wasn't an eerie stillness that one would find in a dark forest alone, but one that was much worse. Time had stopped for a brief moment to deliver judgment. The purple orbs of Twilight Sparkle meeting the blue heavy blue gaze of Ignatius. A pit was forming in the Marine's stomach, and a hole had replaced where his heart should have been. Every instinct was screaming out at him to leave, and the voices in his head spoke 'It was a bad idea, and you're stupid for thinking she would ever forgi . . .'
As if fate gave him a chance, Twilight closed her eyes and sighed, "I forgive you."
He didn't know what it was. Whether it was from the shock, or the intense amount of joy, but Ignatius shot up and hugged the young girl with a force that would give Aquinas a run for his money. "Thank you." he said, feeling his eyes well up with tears. "Thank you, Twilight."
"Yrrr rrrlccmme." Twilight said as she tried to speak through Ignatius' chest.
The Marine held the girl at arm's length and smiled as she tried to regain her breath. When she finally did, she smiled back. ______________________________________________________________________________
Aquinas and Ignatius both said goodbye to the sweater-vested scholar, and went on their way. The Naval officer only allowed them to get just far enough away before he gave Ignatius a hug. As he embraced his brother, he said, "I'm proud of you."
"Why proud?" Ignatius asked in confusion.
Aquinas held his brother out at arms lengths. "You actually cared enough to apologize to Twilight. Not only that, you also got those bullies off her back."
"You helped with that." The Marine stated.
"Yes, but it wasn't all my idea. Your quick thinking gave Twilight a leg up over those kids." Aquinas patted his brother on both shoulders. "You're starting to act like the man I once knew."
"Well, get used to it." Ignatius smiled. "If things are going to get better, we're going to have to build relationships on trust and kindness rather than deceit and harshness." He raised his eyebrows at that. "Speaking of relationships, it seems yours with Twilight is still rather well."
"Yes." Aquinas said. "Me and her have a solid friendship. Though, I should say that if it wasn't for her, I'd still be single."
Ignatius cocked his head slightly at that. "What do you mean? Did you two get back together?"
Aquinas chuckled and said. "No, but because of her I am in an incredible relationship."
"With who?"
"You're not going to believe this." Aquinas ear splitting grin made Ignatius develop a pit in his stomach. "Princess Celestia."
If it wasn't from happiness, which anyone could see it wasn't when they looked into the pale eyes of the Marine, it was from pure shock that he was smiling . . . and laughing. "Wow. I . . . I really wasn't expecting that."
"Dude, it was so perfect." Aquinas went on. "Twilight was hooking us up, and we both just kind of went along with it for a while, but after her last attempt we started to see something there. I swear, I never knew how much one girl could try."
The Marine was beside himself. He didn't know whether to go up to the monarch and strangle her to death in blind rage, or embrace his brother and feel joy that he was clearly happy. "I'm sorry for my speechlessness." Ignatius blurted. "But I-I don't know what to say."
"I don't either." The officer stated. "I mean, I always sort of fantasized about it, but I never thought that it would come true that I'd be with someone in a position like that."
"So, did you picture yourself with someone else in a different position? Maybe doggy, or cowgirl?" The brothers both laughed heartily at the dirty quip. 'That's it. Keep him laughing. Don't let him see your eyes.' Ignatius' internal thoughts were swirling around in his head like a cyclone. 'I need a distraction.'
"H-Hey." Ignatius got rid of the last of the chuckles. "I think I need to head back to the forge. Twisted Horns might be able to teach me a few more things."
"Go ahead, brother." Aquinas bade. "I'll catch you later."
"Later." Ignatius nodded and started off towards Metal Ringing.
Twisted Horns was hard at work beating the hot steel when he saw the door to his workshop fly open, and the angered face of a familiar apprentice came on through the portal.
"Well," the forge master said. "it seems that you found another reason to scowl. What is it this time?"
Ignatius went over to a chair and heavily sat down before saying. "It seems the mess I knew was going to happen has come to pass."
"Might you be a little more detailed?" the blacksmith inquired.
"I . . . uh . . ." the Marine tried to say, but only sighed heavily.
"Come on!" Twisted Horns bade. "Out with it." He was more curious than interrogative.
"Princess Celestia is in a relationship with my brother." the words left a very bad taste in his mouth.
"Oh, and why would that be a problem?"
"Because Princess Celestia hates me." Ignatius professed. "Not only that, but she also is in it with Twilight's blessing! I had broken my brother and her up by the princess' request and then I was just told by Aquinas that Twilight actually brought the two together."
Twisted Horns scratch his chin with hammer and pondered his words before saying, "Forgive my lack of understanding, but I can't grip how this pertains to you."
"It doesn't per say, but . . . it's just wrong!" Ignatius felt his heart clench in his chest. "Celestia betrayed her own student by sending me to break her up with Aquinas so she could get at him, and then with Twilight actually advocating them to be together makes it seem like everything fell right into her lap. She's guilty of betrayal and I can't get her on it!"
"But you said that this was a mess that you made." Twisted Horns stated. "You must have known that this would happen."
"I knew that Celestia would make a move, but I never thought that the one she betrayed would be the one who helped her."
Twisted Horns put down his work and walked over to the young man and put a hand on his shoulder. "Come with me." he bade. "There is something I want to discuss with you." Without a word, Ignatius rose and followed Twisted Horns to the other end of the workshop and watched as a heavy bolted door was opened before him. The room was completely dark, but the forge master still went inside. His apprentice soon followed. ______________________________________________________________________________
Twisted Horns led Ignatius down a set of stone steps. The stair case going down into a dark oblivion with no rails or walls on either side. The forge master traveled down them as if every step was as natural as if he was walking on flat land. Ignatius, however, was not fairing well. The only light helping him was what little shined through the door. It soon got to a point that he was almost falling down the steps and having to catch himself with every foot fall. It got to a point to where he could go no further.
"Twisted Horns!" he called out, for he only hear his faint hoof falls in the dark. "I can't see!"
"Neither can I!" Twisted Horns called back. "You just have to trust it."
"Trust it?!" the blacksmith said back. "I can't see anything. I can trust all I want, but how do I know if I'll be able to make it down there all the way?"
"You'll never know until you give it a chance." the horned one said.
Ignatius didn't like this one bit. He knew that one miss step would lead to his doom. So, at first he took it slow. He moved one foot to the outer edge and straddled the face of the step until his foot met firm ground. He did the same thing a couple more times until he started to judge the distances of each step and made his way down a little faster. He couldn't see his own hand in front of his face, but he still felt confident that each step brought him closer to the bottom of the case. It got to a point to where each foot fall gave him some much needed strength and confidence. He couldn't see where he was going, but that didn't matter. He just learned to trust it. ______________________________________________________________________________
Ignatius still climbed down the steps in silence, but as he did, he noticed the foot falls of his mentor could no longer be heard. He couldn't hear anything actually. He couldn't see or hear a damn thing. Even his foot falls were silent. It was as if he was nowhere. It took a little bit, but he soon came to a very heavy realization.
He was all alone.
No one was near him and no one, not even he, could hear himself stepping. He called out to Twisted Horns. As he did though, he couldn't even hear his own voice. He played his own voice over in his head, but he still could not produce the sound from his mouth. His words were lost in the darkness.
Ignatius was now halted. Though he was stopped, he might as well be doing a full body exercise because he was sweating and panting. He didn't know where he was or how to get out of the stair case. How far had he gone down? How did he know that he wasn't on a separate flight of stairs? How did he know he would get to the bottom? Was there a bottom? All these questions and more swirled in his head and he didn't know what to do!
He sat down on a higher step and curled up slightly. His breath was labored and the darkness became even darker around him. He was on the verge of panic. But then he heard something. A voice rung in his ears.
"Feel. Don't think. Trust your instincts."
The voice and words were familiar to him. Spitfire had said those words. And she told them to him when she was teaching him how to . . . All the panic seemed to subside as the realization came to him. The Pegasus Blessed man stood up and began formulating a plan. The black feathers of his wings sprang forth from his back and he flapped his wings to lift him from the stairs. He hovered over the step he was on ever so much as to not lose where he was. He felt the wind from his beating wings that came off the case. He would use his wings to move quickly down the steps and use the wind they generated to judge his distance from the stairs themselves. He sped down the step he was on, only to meet stone. His feet felt the firm ground under him. Ignatius stopped flapping for a second and felt the ground with his hands this time. He felt the cold stone all around him until he realized it.
He was at the bottom of the steps.
The blacksmith heard the loud thunder that only a pair of large, clapping hands could make. He found the source of the clapping as a torch came to life and a large tongue of flame danced happily at the end of a stick as it gave the winged man enough illumination to see the smiling face of a familiar mino-satyr.
"You did well, my friend." the goat headed man-beast said. "You just took your first steps down a path that few people can find."
Ignatius was dumbstruck. He had been at the bottom of the stairs this whole time, and as he saw more and more torches come to life, he saw that the case of stairs was no more than forty steps. He thought he had traveled so much longer while he was in the darkness.
"As you can see," Twisted Horns went on. "as you walked down the steps in darkness, the shadows around you took hold. You began to panic and time seemed to have slowed down to a crawl. It was when you didn't even know you were on the last step that you began to feel the full effect of the darkness. You panicked for a time, until you came to a realization. You have a gift. One that only certain people have, and even fewer use."
"Pegasus Blessed people are not rare." Ignatius said dryly. "Gryphons can also fly."
Twisted Horns shook his head and smiled. "You'll learn some day." The forge master turned around and walked away from the winged man and as he did more torches came to life. Revealing what could only be described as a blacksmith's dream. An entire hall with at least three levels of smithing stations was shown in the light of the flames. Unfortunately, the only available light came from the torches. For the forges themselves seemed to be cold, and even from a distance, showed signs of neglect.
Ignatius let his wings back into him, and dashed up to his master. "What is this place?"
"This is the Canterlot forge works. Otherwise known as Metal Ringing. It was because of the constant pounding of hammers against steel that gave the place its name. These forges used to be the powerhouse of Equestrian arms making. However, after the rise of the upper class to its current state two hundred years ago, these forges grew cold, for there was no need to make more armor when there was a set number of guards that could be standing at any giving time. The upper crust obviously didn't want to be left with nothing to stand on when facing a sun goddess with a growing army. So, they sanctioned for a law to be passed. Celestia didn't find anything wrong with it at the time. What use was a large guard force when the country was in a state of peace? Thus, the forges grew cold, and the blacksmiths that used to work them spread out over the rest of the country in search of work. Since then, dust collected on the anvils, and the handles on the hammers began to dry rot. Now all that's left is unburned coal and the stones that make the forge."
Ignatius looked upon all this in both amazement and sadness. So many forges and anvils being unused, and for no better reason than because the rich feared what they did not initially control. "So, why are you showing me this?"
"I know that you and your brother are trying to get Equestria back on track, and I'm showing you one of the tools you can use."
Ignatius cocked his head at that. "Wait, how did you know that we-"
"But of course," Twisted Horns said without skipping a beat. "to gain a reason to use all of this is the challenge you will have."
Ignatius' thoughts slipped from the previous comment to the latest one. He looked around and saw that there had to be dozens of forges. Each row specializing in one field of arms and armor making. He pondered what would make a good reason to use these forges again.
Then he remembered.
"Most of the middle class are out of work after the mining industry started to cut back on workers. I believe that because of that some blacksmiths might have to pay more for ore and that might have put them into some financial trouble. Though, I doubt we will be able to find as many blacksmiths as it would take to fill all these forges. And even if we did find a substantial amount, we would only end up with one blacksmith at each station at best, and most of them look like they need at least two. The smelters over on that side need workers and I have no idea who will sell us the ore to make the amount of ingots we need." All these problems piling up in his head made it hard for him think of a solution.
Twisted Horns put a large hand on his shoulder. "Do not focus on the minor problems like this one. Focus on the bigger ones. You still need to mend some knots that had accumulated before the time you had gone into your coma."
"Yeah, you're right." Ignatius admitted. "Where should I go next?"
"A large rat told me that a certain female Wonderbolt was in some hot water. I believe that your expertise could be put to good use." Twisted Horns gave Ignatius the creepiest wink that anyone could see. It wasn't naughty or suggestive. It's just really unsettling to see a goat wink. He dwelled on it for a moment, but eventually, Ignatius found enough concentration to plan his next move. Though, just the thought of facing the winged firebrand was just as uncomfortable a thought as Twisted Horns' winking.
The Wonderbolt practice field was a sight to behold. Next to the Canterlot Garden's, the lush green grass that made the training grounds was one of the most well maintained fields in Equestria. Mirroring those on the ground, the obstacles made from clouds hovering above at different levels gave each Wonderbolt a different challenge each time they went through. To say nothing of the Wonderbolts themselves, who tirelessly pulled off stunts and went through routines with such ease, one would think they were born doing it.. Each one was trained to hone their skills in flight and perform different tricks and maneuvers that made eyes grow wide as dinner plates, and mouths fall agape and touch the ground. Their routine practice sessions, let alone the performances themselves, could attract a multitude of spectators. If only they sold tickets.
However, Ignatius never got the chance to really enjoy the sight. For he was on an important mission. As he scanned the many flyers and stunt coaches, he couldn't find the Wonderbolt he was looking for. Until he looked down from his elevated position in the sky and saw Spitfire and a blue-haired man being verbally man handled by a female who no one could mistake as the Captain of the Wonderbolts. Ignatius silently flew down next a tall bush and eavesdropped on the conversation from his hiding place. ______________________________________________________________________________
"Both of you are going to get the boot for this!" The Captain screamed. Both underlings jolted back from the shouting. "One of MY Wonderbolts having SEX with a trainee!" the loud-mouthed woman spat on the lush grass in disgust.
"Captain, please!" Spitfire pleaded. "Me and Soarin did no such thing."
"LIARS!" the Captain shot. "I saw you go up to his room and I heard from beyond the door all the creaking and moaning I needed to. And because you continue to lie, I will make your transition from militants to civilians so painful that you'd prefer I'd just ram a tower of hot nails up both your asses!" ______________________________________________________________________________
"Ooo!" Ignatius cringed. "This isn't going well." The winged man didn't have much time. He would have to come up with a plan fast. He tried to read both of the two victims, and it seemed Spitfire was the only one who could speak. He thought back on the words that the Captain said. Fraternization was obviously the offense, but if that was the case, Ignatius knew the only way out. Though in doing so, he would be taking a huge, HUGE, shot to his dignity. Though, he knew that if he did this he would be doing it for a chance at redemption with the fire-headed flyer. Ignatius took a breath and took off his coat and leather cuirass. Exposing the black cotton shirt he wore underneath. He removed that to and cut it off at about where his diaphragm would be. He also cut his blue jeans at random point. His leather coat had the sleeves perfectly severed from them and cut off at the same height as his hips.
He got dressed and steadied himself for one of the most uncomfortable performances of his life. ______________________________________________________________________________
"You won't even be able to get a job at the local doughnut shop!" the Captain continued her rampage. "And just wait till I fuck you two up so much that you won't even know which way is up!"
"OOOO!" a call was heard from the Captain's flank. It was a singsong voice from the sound of it. "Sthounds like sthomebody's planning for a fun afternoon." The one speaking and approaching the party was what looked like a man with neat, short-cut hair with a leather vest, cut off shirt and tattered jeans. He had the biggest smile on him and had the bluest eyes. He skipped merrily over to trio.
He walked directly up to Soarin . . . and kissed him on the lips. Kissed him as he balanced on his toes like a ballerina. "Sthurpristhe, sthweety!" his sing song voice rang in the trainee's ears like loud school bells. If he wasn't already, Soarin was now standing as tense and erect as a flag pole. His muscles contracting and making him so stiff a whisper of wind could have blown him over.
The Captain, along with Spitfire, gave the newcomer a profound look of shock as silence gripped the entire area.
"What's the matter, sthweety? Kitty got your tongue? That big, juicthy tongue!" the man in the vest ran his finger across Soarin's mouth and kissed him on the cheek.
"I'm sorry," the Captain finally gained the courage to speak up. "but who might you be?"
"Oh!" the man cried. "How sthilly of me to forget my mannersth. I'm Riding Crop." he flew out his hand and let it fall down and hang at the end of his arm. "Sthoarin's boy toy."
It took a while to figure out where that hand might have been, but when she saw that it was "visibly" clean; she took out one of her gloves and shook Riding Crop's finger tips. "I'm Captain Gale Force. Captain of the Wonderbolts."
"Oh! Stho you're CGF! Oooo! You ARE a cutie! Thosthe legsth of yours look even better in person." He rolled his eyes and sighed as he patted his thighs. "If only I could get thesthe fattiesth to look like that." The Captain's face turned so red that she could pass for a tomato.
"Oh!" Riding Crop squealed. "Sthpitfire! I didn't see you there! Oh, I musth thank you for making my birthday stho sthpecial! When Sthoarin told me he had a sthurprise for me, I didn't expect him to bring sthomeone in to watch usth. I had that fantasthy for stho long that I thought that it would justh be that. Then you came along and made it all come true!" he skipped over to the fire headed woman and gave her a long hug. "Play along as best you can." he whispered softly through closed teeth.
Spitfire heard him clearly and proceeded to return the hug in equal measure and with a smile. "Don't mention it, RC. It felt good to help out my friends."
"Weelllllll!" the Captain piped. "I'm just going to go. I obviously had erred and I am sorry for that. Spitfire. Soarin. I will see you all at the banquet tonight and tomorrow bright and early for practice. Have a good day!" the Captain rocketed from where she stood and flew off towards the Wonderbolt Building and made it a goal to lock her office door behind her.
"Homophobic bitch." Ignatius spat.
"Yeah." Spitfire affirmed as she watched her Captain land. "She's not the most accepting person." She looked to the man in the flamboyant get up and gave a small smile. "You didn't have to do that, you know."
"I had to do something." Ignatius responded as he met the female's gaze. "I wasn't just going to let her abuse you two."
"But all that? It was more than anything we would have done." Spitfire's eyes softened as the stress of the situation subsided. "Listen; while I was going to go see my cousin yesterday, I saw what you did for Twilight. And I got to say, I was rather impressed by your actions. You really helped her out there, and now seeing you do the same for us, it makes me think that you might not be the same man that went into that castle with me that summer."
"And you'd be right to think that." Ignatius stated. "I am not the same type of person that you once knew. I had a while to reflect on who I was and what I saw wasn't something that I would want to put in a place with as much light as a pitch black room."
"If it's not your words that show it, it's your willingness to go the distance that shows how much you have changed." Spitfire put a soft hand on his shoulder. "And though, I appreciate your actions, it was unnecessary. You never did me any wrong. In fact you did me and Soarin a whole lot of right. We each owe you one for what you did."
"You kissed me." the blue-haired trainee squawked as he finally emerged out of his stupor.
"Well," Ignatius said as he rolled his eyes. "it seems we found the slow person in the group."
"Hey!" The Wonderbolt trainee cried in protest.
"Calm down, Soarin." Spitfire eased. "He's just making a joke."
"But still!" he protested.
"If it wasn't for him we would be getting punished by now and still be getting yelled at during the whole ordeal."
"Fraternization?" Ignatius questioned.
"Oh yeah." the firebrand rolled her eyes in annoyance. "And I don't even think it could be considered it seeing as how the banquet to welcome our newest members into the Wonderbolts is tonight and Soarin made the cut. With his first practice tomorrow morning, I can't see why the Captain would fly off the handle about us having a little fun."
"It goes back to the whole, 'until they receive the title, they ain't in' clause. Commanding officials and NCO's use it to keep the noobs from getting a big head or to stifle any early celebrations. Speaking of which, did you really fuck Soarin here?"
"Of course, I did." Spitfire stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Nice!" the oddly dressed man cried as he bumped his fist with the female Wonderbolt.
Soarin stepped closer to Ignatius with nervousness being an obvious feeling for him. "Hey, uh . . . thanks, Mr. . . " Soarin tried to get his name out but it was lost to him.
"Ignatius."
"Right. Ignatius. Well, Ignatius, I just would like to say thank you for helping us out. Even though your methods are a little odd you do good work."
"No problem, friend." Ignatius let his hand out and the Wonderbolt to be took it with a firm grip.
"And like Spitfire said, each of us owes you one."
"Perhaps there is something you can help me with." Ignatius stated. "I need to figure out how I'm going to get into an upcoming social event with a lot of rich and powerful people."
"I can help you with that." Soarin piped. "The next ritzy party being held in Canterlot where all the big wigs show up is the Fall Feast. Everyone who's anyone will be there. Unfortunately, those invitations are extremely limited. Not even all the Wonderbolts can go."
"Then how do you suggest I obtain an invitation?" Ignatius asked having absolutely no idea how to go about doing it.
"Well, someone like you isn't going to be able to get it, but if you had help you could get the ticket." Soarin pointed to a poster on the far wall of the stands. On the large parchment was a rendering of two Battle Mages in an arena facing off against each other. "Every year, the Equestrian College of Combatives Magic hosts a tournament. The prize is a ticket to the Fall Feast. Seeing as how you're not Unicorn Blessed though, I think you might need to find an alternate to stand in for you."
Ignatius' grin widened as he thought of the perfect stand in. "Thank you, Soarin. That was most helpful." He turned to Spitfire and said. "Now what do you have for me, Spitfire? Any good ideas?"
"Not a clue." Spitfire said honestly. "I've never been one for formal occasions. So, I'm not a lot of help when it comes to this sort of stuff."
"It's okay." Ignatius said. "You can pay off the favorite with a small monetary gain and a service."
"Like?" Spitfire inquired.
"How's fifty bits and a blow job sound?" Ignatius questioned with mischievous smile.
"How 'bout just a hundred bits?" Spitfire said with narrowing eyes.
"How 'bout just two blow jobs?" Ignatius' smile and laugh could have landed him a role as the Joker. Spitfire growled lowly at her counterpart's persistence. "I'm kidding! I'm kidding!" He put up his hands in defense. The Wonderbolt just rolled her eyes in annoyance as the former laughed like a hyena.
"Are you done?" the fiery headed woman asked with a bit of venom.
Ignatius let out a couple more chuckles before choking. "Yes. Yes, I'm done." He wiped his eyes from the tears and cleared his throat. "I'd love to stay and laugh some more, but I've got to get my clothing repaired and then go talk to my brother. I'll see you both around."
With that, Ignatius spread his wings and took off to retrieve his items and sped off to see Sparkle Charmer. Perhaps, the eccentric fashion designer could fix his gear. ______________________________________________________________________________
Sparkle Charmer happily hummed away as he worked on his latest piece. The piece that he will wear to the Fall Feast and draw every eye on him as he walks in through the doors. A white collared shirt with a brown vest with dazzling sparkles and tiny gems that made it all seem to be fully covered in expensive glitter. His pants were white bell bottoms with rind stones. covering the seams. Tiny, brass bells jingled happily at the pockets and around the hips. His low quarters were just a pair of leather dress shoes. However, they had a hidden surprise. Their enchantment allowed the leather to never be scuffed, and always had a shinny glow that reflected every bit of light. He slipped all of it on and checked himself in a mirror. He gasped and oo'd at himself in delight as his entire ensemble, excluding the hair, looked absolutely perfect. He couldn't wait for the festivities to begin. This would surely bring in potential customers to the royal tailor's office and give him new challenges.
Though, when the vanity fair shut down, Sparkle Charmer went to the door as he heard the bell ring. When he came into the front room, he was expecting the princess or maybe Aquinas, however he got the sight of man in a leather vest, cut off tee and a ragged pants and boots.
"Eww! Fag!" The fashion man recoiled back and cried.
The Pegasus Blessed man just stood there as the daggers of the flamboyant man dug into him. "Cast iron skillet calling the once used pot black." he uttered under his breath. ______________________________________________________________________________
Aquinas turned another page in his spell tome as he sipped away at his tea. He folded one leg over the other as he read on. His eyes scanned the contents of the book with intense scrutiny and with a steady pace he read every word carefully. This usually happened when he was reading such a good book, but now it was even more than just getting caught up in a good story. Aquinas' studious side was just as strong as Twilight's and he made sure to express it fully when he wanted to understand complex spells. This one in particular caught his eye. It wasn't too hard, but it had some challenge to it. The complications that came with the spell were pronounced once it was cast, but they seemed to be rather easy to stifle. Oh, what great power he would have if he could perform this spell!
Aquinas' fascinations were cut short when a rasp on the door caught his attention. He put a marker on one of the pages and opened the door to find his brother standing there. A mask of pure disdain plagued him. "What's up?" The officer asked. "You seem a bit angry."
"Oh, it's nothing." Ignatius waved him off. "I just had to sit through Sparkle Charmer and his ramblings. Speaking of which, did you know he has a smoking hot wife?!"
"Dat bitch got a bust, yo!" Aquinas said jokingly. Though the actual size of Mrs. Charmer's breasts were nothing to sneeze at.
"Damn right." Ignatius affirmed.
"I believe there's more to you being here than just talking about Mrs. Charmer's cans." Aquinas usually picked up on Ignatius' needs.
"I wanted to talk to you about the Fall Feast." Ignatius stated. "It seems that all the invitations were placed out months in advance and we need to get in there if we want to realize our goals."
"You mean, YOU need an invitation." Aquinas corrected. "I actually have one, but I don't think I could garner one without raising suspicion from Celestia. I spoke with her today and when I told her that you were awake, she wasn't overly excited."
"Could you possibly get me in as a plus one?" the blacksmith asked.
Aquinas shook his head. "Negative. These types of parties, so says Twilight, are not attended by just anyone. This party is invitation only. You'll have to find a way to procure one if you want to come with me."
"I think I may have found a way." Ignatius stated. He reached into his coat and produced a flier. On it was the symbol and title of the College of the Combatives Magic. One that Aquinas knew well on the account that he was attending the school. The younger brother read it and looked back to his older sibling. "I know it's a lot that I would be asking of you, so I won't. If you want to help me I'd be eternally grateful, but if you don't wish too I won't any think less of you."
Aquinas looked at the poster again, and then back to his brother. He smiled as he said, "I'll do it."
"You will?" Ignatius said in a half surprised tone.
"Yes." Aquinas said sternly. "Not only me participating gives me a chance to win you a ticket to Feast, but it also gives me a chance to settle my own rivalries. Those kids we scared off this morning have cousins that attend the Combatives College, and because arrogance runs in the family, I've been meaning to teach all three of them a harsh lesson. Unfortunately, I can't fight them on school grounds. Though, as fate would have it, they are also in the competition. So, if it means I can face off against those three shits and get you a ticket, then I'm in."
Ignatius put his hand out from his chest and his brother took it. They drew each other close and enveloped the other. "Make sure to break bone." Those same words lit a fire in Aquinas' eyes. For it was those same words he told him when he played his first down on the Navy football field.
Much to the joy of thousands, the week Ignatius had returned had come to a close. At the week's end, many people converged to the cities central hub outside of Canterlot Castle. Vendors were selling food and drinks. Local marketers shouted about their low prices and fair deals as they attempted to sell their memorabilia. The smell of excitement and anticipation filled the air. Oh, what a remarkable sight this day was! Well, that is how it was going for the Wonderbolts Stadium across from the College of Combatives Magic.
On the other side of the street, half the amount of one section of the Wonderbolts Stadium walked into the College's stadium. It was set up nicely enough. Bleachers that were made high and an enormous fighting pit below with a good stone floor emblazoned with the royal crest. The bleachers were made of stone with velvet padding on the seats. Each spectator had plenty of room to sit for barely anyone chose to come to this occasion.
Ignatius took his seat at the front row as was customary for family and, close friends if seating was available, to take. Twilight Sparkle, along with her brother, Shining Armor, sat next to the leather clad man.
"Kind of an empty house." Ignatius pointed out. He noticed that he and his companions were the only ones in about forty feet of anyone else in either direction.
"Yeah, this bout isn't exactly the most exciting thing to go to." Shining Armor admitted. "I have seen only one of these things and I have got to say, they get boring really fast."
"How fast?" Ignatius inquired.
"About as fast as a virgin on his first time." the royal guard whispered into the man's ear. The both of them shared a laugh at that as Twilight was left out of the fun and pouted slightly. She did not like being left out of stuff, though over time, the pain of such things seemed to be fading away.
"Aw, don't worry, little sis." Shining Armor said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "You'll be able to share in on the fun when you've done enough studying on the subject." the guardsman hoped that his sister wouldn't be complete with her 'studying' on the matter until he was good and ready to accept such things.
Ignatius took a mental note as he noticed the pair. 'Shining Armor is a good example of a big brother. Notice his every move and implement maneuvers to reach desired results.'
"Oh! Oh! It's starting!" Twilight beamed as she notice the arena light up as the illuminating crystals in the floors, and the torches high on the walls sprang to life. The other torches around the tops of the stands began to dim slightly as the one before shone brightly.
From the middle of the field, a ball of sky blue energy formed and from its dying radiance, an entire group of mages appeared. Each of them ranging in both height and weight. However, one navy blue clad individual stood out as the tallest, and probably the heaviest out of all on them.
A proctor from the middle of the group wore white robes that stretched down to the floor, along with his brilliant, grey beard and flowing mane. He used his magic to float above the contestants, and put up his hands to silence the crowd's chatter.
"Contestants!" he began. The proctor's voice was booming and steady. One that another would expect to have come from an old man, but shared the same volume as one that would come from a microphone "You have voluntarily chosen to participate in one of the oldest traditions in Equestrian history. You all come from great families that have supported you this far, and now, you show them what you have learned so far. This arena was built during the time following Nightmare Moon's banishment in order to train those such as yourselves to become Battle Mages, in case the need to repel such a threat had it arisen. Today, we honor the memory of those brave enough to push their limits in order to show their strength in magic and become protectors of Equestria. Today is your day. Today you shall rise above your comrades in a duel and bring honor and glory to your names. Contestants! Ready yourselves. For the tournament is about to begin!"
A soft roar of clapping and whistling came from the stands as parents and family members cheered on their children. Ignatius and his band hollered to Aquinas, who smiled widely at them as he saw them wave and cheer.
The proctor put his hands up again to silence the crowd. "The rules are as follows: The tournament will last six rounds. Each round with have one on one matches with the victors advancing to the next round. Each match will last three, five minute intervals, or until one of the opponents is defeated or the time runs out. Only magic is to be used to touch your opponent. No physical contact will be allowed until the use of weapons is allowed in round four. Each contestant during these first three of six rounds will use whatever magic they can to dispatch their opponent. If you cannot perform another spell to attack or defend, you will be eliminated from the match and the round will continue. If you fall unconscious, you are eliminated also. If both members of the match are still standing when the hourglass runs dry, then it will be up to the judges to decide the victor."
The proctor took in a breath and bellowed, "Steel yourselves, young ones! For today you rise as champions!"
The crowd hooped, hollered, and whistled. Their enthusiasm was high, but Shining Armor knew that with one hundred and nine contestants, it was going to be a long day.
"May the spirits watch over your battles!" ______________________________________________________________________________
The first round began with the ring of a large bell. Two contestants took their places across from each other and, on the command of the proctor, the two mages unleashed their fury. One's magic pushing against the other in a struggle for dominance. It was quite a sight to see. That is, until that was the only thing the mages did until the one of them ran out of steam. Most of the later matches went off in a similar fashion, and it was not until the fifth match that the fights started to get interesting. The use of burst magic like lightning bolts, fire balls and frost spikes along with shields made it all worth watching, until that in itself became a back and forth motion of attack and defense fighting. Ignatius ended up sleeping through most of the matches and found little interest in any of these fights. If one could consider them fights. Ignatius was used to the upfront confrontation that brought you to use your skills to parry and counter-attack your foe in a blaze of fury. But this, this was just boring.
That is, until Aquinas took his place in the arena. The warrior in leather was jolted awake when he heard his brother's name being called. He looked down to find that his brother was taking his place across from a peculiar mage. He was average height, but lacked muscle mass. He wore an ocean blue garment that had gold sticking on the front to make a family crest. His name was announced as Sea Wave. He shared a striking resemblance to one of the bullies that were harassing Twilight.
"That's Sea Wave." Shining Armor said. "He's a blood relative to the shipping baron that runs the most successful company to ever sail the seas. He's also one of the up and coming protégés of Equestria's better teachers in combatives magic."
"He's also cousin to Sea Star." Twilight sneered.
"Should Aquinas be worried?" Ignatius asked with more than a hint of concern.
Shining Armor nodded his head. "Yes, he should." The grimness in his voice solidified his claim. "If Aquinas isn't careful, Sea Wave can mop the floor with him."
Ignatius head told him to pull him out of there, but his heart said to have his brother stand and fight. He could not decide which one to listen to. His body was becoming uneasy as he thought of all the possibilities of how Aquinas could get hurt, but he also knew how much damage he could take. He looked down to his brother and knew that Aquinas would never back down from this. Ignatius had to believe that his brother would be okay. ______________________________________________________________________________
Aquinas' eyes narrowed as he stood silently across the arena from his opponent. His blood boiled as he remembered all the humiliation that he had suffered through the months at the college at this one's hands. The battle mage across from the Naval Officer smirked triumphantly, as if he already knew the outcome of the battle. He flipped his sea foam white hair, and his smile grew.
The ring of the bell released the tension and the battle began. Sea Wave lashed out with a quick magic bolt as soon as the metal was struck. Aquinas reacted quickly enough to put up a shield and deflect the blow. He then charged his own bolt of magic and hit Sea Wave's shield that he had put up. The match continued in this way for some time. Each side pitting their magic attack against the other in a display of power. Navy blue against sea blue. The first interval was about to end. Neither side showing any side of exhaustion. Aquinas took a breath of calm as he noticed the hourglass was about to run out, but as he looked back he noticed that his opponent was charging up both his hands and lifting them above his head. Aquinas acted quickly, and cast another bolt of energy, but when he did, Sea Wave slammed both his hands on the ground and a wave of blue came the officer's way. Aquinas' bolt was diminished as soon as it hit, and there was no way to dodge the monstrous wave. The heavyset man put up a shield with both hands and did his best to stop the wave. Alas, it was a futile effort. The energy from the spell broke Aquinas' shield and sent the man in blue flying backwards and tumbling to the ground. The round ended as Aquinas shakingly got to his feet. ______________________________________________________________________________
Ignatius saw his brother walked over to the chair that materialized on his side of the arena and sat down heavily in it. He only had three minutes to recover from the blow. The blacksmith flew down to his sibling while the rest of the cheering section teleported down to his side.
"What the fuck was that?" Aquinas bellowed.
"Sea Wave's signature spell." Shining Armor informed him. "Amply called the Wave, it takes a great deal of energy and magical strength to perform it, and even more to stop it."
"Is there any way to combat it?" Ignatius asked.
"You can concentrate your shields down to a smaller size." The guard went on. "Concentrating your shields and giving them more energy makes them stronger."
"But even with that, it would take a great amount of magic in your shield to stop that wave." Twilight said. "The speed at which that was going would take a lot of force to push that wave back."
Ignatius bent down to his brother's eyes and locked his blue gaze with his brother's hue of the same color.
"I don't think I can do this." The officer said. Ignatius heard his brother's fear in his voice. "With that kind of skill, I can't hope to beat him. He's been training with this stuff a hell of a ton more than I have."
"Those vanguards I took down had more skill than me, yet I still beat them." Ignatius reminded his brother. Aquinas thought back to that day in Celestia's court when his brother had made complete fools out of the elite royal guards. "But do you know how I beat them?" Aquinas shook his head. "I beat them because I used something against them that they couldn't defend against. I was lighter, faster, and I was already thinking of how to beat them while you were defending me against Celestia." Ignatius put his hands on Aquinas' shoulder. "Use something against him that he can't defend against." With that, the warning bell rang and the contestants and spectators took their places.
Time for the second interval. ______________________________________________________________________________
Aquinas took a stance as he put up his shield. Now a bit smaller, the naval man's power in his defense was greater. Sea Wave had his shield just as large as it was before, so Aquinas knew that he would have to use more power if he wanted to defeat his opponent's defense. Aquinas charged up his hands with a spell and let, not a bolt of magical energy, but lightning flew from his hands. The bolt cracked against Sea Wave's shield and actually looked to do a little bit of damage. However, Sea Wave let loose with hot fireballs that pelted Aquinas shields. The officer's brow became drenched with sweat as the heat of the flames danced on his shield. Aquinas renewed the strength in his defense and the flame disappeared. He then sent another crack of lightning the other man's way and hit him dead on. Aquinas was not finished though. He charged up another bolt and hit Sea Wave's shields again. The former was not about to let a third one strike. Sea Wave charged up his magic and let his fireball spell loose again. Aquinas saw the orbs of hell flame rocketing towards him and immediately put up both his hands to block them his defensive ward. As the flames died on the navy blue shield, so did Aquinas' confidence. For when the light of flame in front of his eyes disappeared, a wall of sea blue slammed into his shields and broke his defense once more. Aquinas' knees shook and tried to stand up after being tossed against the ground for a second time. This time, like last, he made it to his feet at the end of the interval. He took his spot on his seat and covered his face in shame. He saw that his brother and friends came to his side once more.
"I can't do it!" Aquinas said. "I'm not strong enough to face him."
"Yes, you are." Ignatius protested.
"I'm not even a good mage!" Aquinas bellowed back.
"Then don't fight like a mage!" Ignatius cried. "Fight like a Viking!" Ignatius took his brother by his shoulders. "Back in high school you had a name. A name that put fear in everyone that ever had the curse of walking on your field. That named changed when you made it the Naval Academy. And why?! To replace someone who you beat the living shit out of. The only reason they call you the Bull was because you took a man's title, but you already had a title. Your school's legacy lives on in you. The Vikings remember you. Time to show this asshole that the warriors your people get their name from deserve it. It's Viking time again. It's time for Odin to rise."
Aquinas' knees shook, and his head throbbed as he stood up. But as he did before, during all his games, he planted his feet and steeled his gaze. Ignatius knew this face well, and knew that this last interval would end epically. ______________________________________________________________________________
Aquinas took his stand with firm determination. However, even with that, his heart still sank when he saw Sea Wave already was launching his attack. Another wave came Aquinas' way and he tried to reacted, but even with all his might, he couldn't block the wave. He rolled three times and felt the taste of floor in his mouth. He heard his brother call out to him from the stands.
"Get up! Fight through the pain! Fight like a Viking!"
"Fight like a Viking!" Aquinas spat to himself. "By now a Viking would just use his . . ."
'Concentrating your shields and giving them more energy makes them stronger.'
'The speed at which that was going would take a lot of force to push that wave back.'
'Use something against him that he can't defend against.'
The voices of his friends and brother rang in his head and this gave him an idea. He stood up once more. He looked at his opponent as he celebrated his 'apparent' victory. However, Aquinas wouldn't let his pride go unwounded.
"Hey, pussy!" He shouted. Sea Wave's head snapped around. "Yeah, I'm talking to you fuck stick! Come and face me like a man, instead of like a short dick, little shit!"
"Why, you worm!" the proud mage said through clenched teeth. "I'll show you to insult me!" He charged up his hands even more this time. Wanting to exact revenge on his opponent for the barrage of insults.
Ignatius and the siblings all shared concerned looks. "What's he doing?" Twilight questioned.
"I think he's lost it." Shining Armor stated.
"He's got 'em right where he wants 'em." Ignatius said with a wicked grin.
The other two couldn't see it, but Ignatius knew his brother had a plan, and he had a good idea of what it was.
Sea Wave gathered up all his energy into this one attack. He would make it clear that no one, NO ONE, is to insult a man of the Sea family. He slammed his hands down to the stone floor and the wave he made was twice the size of the last one.
Undaunted by size, Aquinas stood firm until the spell was getting close, then he ran towards it. Everyone watched as he took strides towards it. Some thought he was going to try and run through it, but Ignatius saw it clear as day. He say the hip flex back and he saw the shoulder rise. And along with everyone else, he saw Aquinas' fist slam full speed into the wave of aqua. The spell violently jerked at the sudden impact, but almost as if it had to complete its intensions, the spell sped off at full speed in the other direction.
Sea Wave's eyes became as wide as dinner plates when he saw the display, and they nearly flew out of his head when his own spell turned on him. He put out his shield and tried to hold fast against his own magic, but try as he might, he still felt himself sliding against the ground and ended up succumbing to the effect of his spell and flew backwards and smacked into the wall behind him. Sea Wave tried to regain his feet, but as soon as he firmly planted both, a fist was firmly planted into his face.
Aquinas heaved his entire body into the next strike and made contact with the other side of his opponent's face. He made the next strike connect with Sea Wave's stomach. The latter spit up blood as his torso and head were ravaged by the savage warrior that kept coming at him with hit after hit, after hit, after hit. By the third minute's end, Sea Wave's face was beaten, bloody and ugly. Aquinas' arms started to get tired, but he decided that his arms would make one final act before the end of the round. Aquinas' arms glowed navy blue and he grabbed his opponent by the collar and the belt and lifted him over his head. Aquinas turned around from the wall and stepped into the center of the arena. He did a complete clockwise turn and paraded his prize. Everyone watched in abject horror as Aquinas squatted down and threw Sea Wave into the air above his head and as he came down, the warrior in navy blue slammed his fist into the former's face and the crowd watched as he tumbled on the floor before lying still on the ground. Aquinas threw up his arms and roared in triumph. He flexed his arms in praise in his abilities and his roar was released from his lungs in a thunder that would put a lion to shame. At the ring of the bell, the third interval was over. Aquinas had grabbed victory. ______________________________________________________________________________
The entire stadium was in shock. Never have they seen such a display. They were so content with seeing a fight going back and forth with only magic being used. For someone to use their own bodies, it was unheard of. So much so, that the silence that had taken the moment of shock was broken by the shouts and booing coming from the people above the arena. Aquinas stood proud and strong against the bellows of hate.
The head proctor teleported down to the triumphant warrior and put up his hands up to silence the crowd once more. He turned to the man in navy blue and stared into his eyes. The Officer didn't blink. The old man turned back to the crowd and proclaimed, "The winner is . . . Aquinas!"
The crowd reeled in horror at the statement. "How could he have won?!" A voice came from the arena. The voice's owner was Sea Wave's teacher. "He used physical contact! It's a strict rule and he broke it!" The educator pointed an accusatory finger his way. "He should be thrown out of the school for this outrage!"
"My brother did nothing wrong." Another voice stated. This one Aquinas knew. Ignatius folded his wings back in when he landed next to the proctor. "He used magic throughout the whole match." He turned to Aquinas. "Show 'em." The battle mage raised a fist and made it glow blue. It was faint, but it was there. "Aquinas hit Sea Wave with his shields the whole time, and since shields are magic, Aquinas was still following all the set rules."
"But, but, but . . ." The teacher stammered.
"No buts!" The proctor boomed. "The decision is final. Aquinas has proven his strength and will advance to the next round." The grey bearded man then turned to the rest of the crowd and with a loud voice said, "The round has ended! The next shall begin in one half hour. When the bell rings again, round two will begin and the bout will continue!"
The crowd babbled and cursed under their breath that someone like Aquinas was advancing through to the next round. However, no one was going to argue with a powerful mage like the Proctor. They all made their way out to the street for some fresh air, but because of the increase in oxygen, the hot air in the spectators' stuffy heads began to build pressure and their roaring voices garnered attention from the people who were leaving the Wonderbolts stadium. Some of them asked what was going on, and when they had heard of what had transpired, their adrenaline, already in a boil from the spectacular performance of the airborne daredevils, was now about to explode when they heard that a battle mage competition was getting this heated. At the end of the half hour, the stadium began to fill up again. However, the seats seemed to be a little less empty than before. More people had come to see what all the commotion was about, and others just wanted something that they thought was going to put them to sleep. What they didn't know, was that they were about to get the ride of their lives. ______________________________________________________________________________
The next battle mage match ended with more flair and flash than any other round in the college's history. The competition was traditionally watched by high-class citizens and family members. Now it seems that more people were flooding the doors with every match beginning and ending. This brought a flame to the competition that had not been seen since ever. Each contestant was now eager to prove themselves to the city of Canterlot that they were the best and brightest of their classes. By the middle of the second round, three quarters of the stadium was filled with people. Cheers and shouts from the spectators urged the robed gladiators on.
The next match was over in a matter of seconds when one mage wasn't quick enough to put up his shields up and was blown away by a raging fireball. Half the hair on his head was burned off by this, and his face was now a crisp black. The medical personnel were quick to respond and were able to save his mug. Though, it would take a while for the tender flesh to heal.
Every onlooker was enjoying the round, more than they thought they would, but what they wanted to see was the one who was using his fists. It was two rounds later, that they had their wish full filled.
Aquinas stepped out into the arena with a soft saunter. He was relaxed and ready for the challenge ahead. However, he wasn't expecting the crowd to go absolutely nuts when he did. As the door disappeared into the stone behind him, the crowd was shouting in his name and honor. This wasn't foreign to him, as he was pretty famous in a similar arena, though the previous one had more green.
Aquinas' challenger stepped through his door next. He had the same walk that Aquinas did, but instead of being well known, he was a relatively small person. He was a head shorter than Aquinas, but he stood with just as much confidence. No one would expect much from this young man, but Aquinas knew better. It was this one that had taught the Naval Officer a powerful lesson during their training. A lesson that he tried to always remember. That same lesson was the reason that Aquinas gave him a fitting nickname.
Loki.
Loki was more suited to the task of being a shrewd businessperson and robbing a man blind by making him sign a legal document than fighting on the battlefield. Even though Loki never had a head for open confrontation, he was still a formidable opponent. He had just as many tricks up his sleeve as Aquinas had pounds of muscle on his body. Loki was the type to skip class by placing a stand in for himself and then going into the street and conning people out of their money. Then again, there wasn't much that the teacher was lecturing about that Loki couldn't pick up on in an instant. He was a notoriously fast learner and he was more than capable of just making stuff up as he went along and able to give people the show they wished for by reading their eyes and body language. Aquinas couldn't help but feel that Loki was about to give him another harsh lesson that would stick with him till the day he died.
The bell rang and the match began. Aquinas threw up his arms in defense with his shielded hands ready to block. However, Loki only stood there. Stood there, and smiled. Those pearly white teeth flashed and he flicked back his long, dark-green hair. His locks touched his emerald, and gold trimmed shoulders as he let them waterfall from his hands. Over and over again, he combed his hair.
Silence gripped the entire stadium. They were waiting for something to happen, but it never did. A whole minute passed. Then another. Aquinas questioned Loki's motives, but then it hit him. He hadn't moved a bit. Accept for his hands, which shared the same color crystal as his hair.
Aquinas ducked and rolled at the realization. A magical double, created by Loki, had almost caught the hefty man in the back of the head with a flying kick as it materialized. Aquinas came up to face all three Loki's. He swung his fists and caught one in the chin and the other in the nose. Both shattering into dust when they were struck. The last Loki caught air as the battle mage ducked and dodged the double's fist. Aquinas rose as to bring his head into Loki's nose. As like the other ones, this Loki also shattered. Aquinas looked around the room and found that he was alone. The arena was empty. The other spectators also looked around to find the green robed battle mage, but it seems that he was nowhere to be found. Aquinas grew concerned. Then he felt it. That cold chill in his spine and that ach in his stomach. This only came when he was about to hear his most hated sound.
Loki's laugh.
That horrible cackle only meant that more was to come. Aquinas put up his guard and started to move about the arena. He tried to think of what happened to his opponent. Did he turn invisible, or did he teleport somewhere? Perhaps he changed his size and shrunk down to move to another spot without being seen. Loki was a trickster, and always had some ace up his sleeve.
Aquinas paced and surveyed the area. He had to be here somewhere. "Show yourself!" he shouted. "Come and face me like a man!"
"Oh," Loki's voice sounded. "but where would be the fun in that?"
A small tornado came from the other side of the arena and raged towards the battle mage. Aquinas threw up a shield and rode the direction of the tornado's twist to land in the center of the battleground. Aquinas looked around to find no sign of Loki anywhere.
"Where are you?!" Aquinas shouted.
"Here." whispered Loki.
Before Aquinas could react, he was blasted in the back with a pulse of magic. The Naval Officer hit the ground face first. He got back up with quickness and as he rose, he swung his blue tinted fists, only to catch air. He was about to look around when he was blasted again in the back with a magic burst. Aquinas reacted faster, only to have the same result happen again. He rose, then was shot down over and over again. Each time Loki hit him, it only did enough to stun Aquinas, but the more he was hit, the more enraged the large man would become. Loki giggled as he continued his game with Aquinas. Alas, as with all good things, it had to come to an end. The bell rang, and both parties had to go to their respective corners. Aquinas kicked his chair in rage, rendering it a pile of tinder. He breathed heavily as his rage boiled his blood.
"Should we go to him and calm him down?" Twilight asked Ignatius.
"No." the blacksmith said with a snort. "You don't calm my brother down. You wait out the storm until his body tires from exhaustion, or you win by beating him to a pulp. If you can do neither, he'll stop when 'you're' beaten to a bloody pulp."
"If he's to win," a voice said. "he'll have to learn to calm down." the voice's owner was none other than Loki himself. He twiddled his fingers to make the puppet in his corner drink a bit of water. The puppeteer gulped heavily as the liquid graced his throat.
The trio stared at the Unicorn Blessed man in astonishment.
"Shouldn't you be down there?" Shining Armor asked incredulously.
"Yes," Loki admitted. "but I need a break. I'll just let my clones to my work." The bell rang and the trickster cast a spell that made his puppet make more of himself.
The trio watched as Aquinas rushed head long into the fray and beat every copy into dust as he continued his determined pace forward at full speed. He caught one by his throat and tossed him at his cornered foe. Both shattered into dust. No Loki stood in the arena again. The blue-coated fighter's head was now visibly red from the stands due to his anger coming to a point. Loki, from the stands, made more of his clones pop up behind Aquinas and made the man dance the way he wanted his to.
"How long have you been sitting here?" Ignatius inquired.
"Oh, the whole time." Loki said. "I actually wasn't even in the arena when they were announcing the rules."
"What were you doing?" Shining Armor pressed.
"I was masturbating." Loki coyly chimed.
"Ewe!" the guard recoiled in horror.
"Oh, grow up!" the trickster shot.
Ignatius paid no heed to the conversation. Aquinas was being made a fool out of and now, the man that took down a prestigious family member, was now being toyed with by a prankster. The blacksmith knew not who this man was, but he knew what he was. And he didn't like it. Aquinas stood no chance against this one's kind. The conmen, the tricksters, and pranksters. Aquinas could only handle so much before his rage got in the way.
Loki's clones did not cease in the slightest. They just kept coming at him in a barrage from every direction. The puppet master had Aquinas where he wanted him. A squad of Loki's seized the battlemage's right with a coordinated attack. The weight of each man on him was too much for that one side to take. He used his left fist to clear them off of him, but with his energy diminishing and his anger not being able to sustain his drive, the mighty man fell as a wave of Loki's consumed him. Aquinas tried to grab hold of something as he slowly met the ground. He saw the last bit of light fade behind the smile of a Loki clone before the bell was rung. ______________________________________________________________________________
Ignatius, Twilight and Shining Armor saw Aquinas' fall. The young girl's heart began to throb as she saw her hero fall. The guard's eyes were locked in horror at the sight. The blacksmith however, was completely fine. He saw the outcome of the battle when he saw his brother become enraged and saw who he was dealing with. Aquinas was never good at dealing with people who play games like that.
At the sound of the bell, Loki let his clones fade away to dust, leaving the still, yet conscious, body of Aquinas alone in the arena. The Naval Officer looked up toward the high ceiling in the same way that he did when he had first met Alvi. He had thought that he knew his opponent well, only to find that he was dead wrong. He never thought that someone at Loki's level would know a duplication spell.
The head proctor teleported down to Aquinas' side and used his magic to levitate him to his feet. The once proud man now stood on weak legs and craned his neck in shame. He turned his head to the left where Loki walked down from the stands on foot-sized platforms with his hands folded behind the small of his back.
"For leaving the battlefield and making a mess out of my office in a very disgusting manner," the proctor clenched his teeth harder as he spoke. "I declare Aquinas the victor, and you, Silver Tongue, expelled from this school!"
"So be it." Loki said without any sign of regret. "I will collect my things and leave." He turned to the know dumbfounded Aquinas and said, "Good game." He left without uttering another word. ______________________________________________________________________________
Aquinas took in a relieved breath after he had sucked down another glass of chilling water. His muscles screamed for rest, but the Naval Officer ignored them and drank more water. He tried to stand as well as he could on his quaking legs. The other competing students hailed his victory and praised him for getting rid of Silver Tongue. For it was the trickster that had conned them many times out of precious items and substantial amounts of money.
The battlemage, hearing enough, decided to retreat to the restroom where it was quiet. He went over to the sink and splashed some water on his face. He reached for a towel, but instead of just grabbing cloth, he also grabbed a hand. Aquinas jolted and saw that the owner of the hand was his opponent.
"Doing well, I presume." The dark-green haired man chimed with a smile.
Aquinas snatched the towel from Loki's hand and rubbed his face that was now fuming. "The fuck do you want?" he shot from the muffle of the soft cloth.
"I came here to help." the businessman said. He levitated a vial towards his counterpart who grasped it. "Drink this." Aquinas only snorted in anger as he threw the towel aside and caught the vial. "It's a revitalizing potion."
The trickster made the vial vanish and said. "Listen." Loki spoke that word with a sort of command that gave the logical portion of Aquinas' brain a jolt. "Relatively speaking, you lost to me, and it wasn't because you lacked the skill, it was because when you got angry you let go. My illusions were able to make you do whatever I wanted you to because you fell apart when I started to humiliate you. Because you did not keep your composure, I won."
Loki's words sobered Aquinas up from his tantrum.
"I am only going to be able to tell you this once." Loki continued. "Put aside your feelings and use every logical part of your brain when you are confronted. If you don't remember this the next time you are in a situation like this, you will end up losing. Possibly a lot more than you can afford."
Aquinas breathed a heavy sigh. "I see." he said. "It seems you taught me another lesson Loki."
"Oh!" Loki beamed. "I am going to teach you a little more than that." The mage put out his finger and touched Aquinas head. When he connected a million stars flashed in Aquinas' eyes. The blinding light show stunned the battlemage and made him cry out.
"What did you do?" bellowed as he rubbed his eyes until he could see.
"Consider this one a favor." Loki said. "Concentrate on the event I just shared with you, and use it. I learned this technique from the high level section of the Star Swirl the Bearded wing."
Aquinas calmed his mind with a deep breath and did as he was commanded. When his mind started to form a picture, he saw what it was that those little bits were trying to create. A series of images that gave Aquinas a lesson on how to master a new spell.
"Use it wisely." Loki said before teleporting away.
Aquinas drank the contents of the glass bottle and instantly felt his muscular pains disappear. He even felt like he could run a 5k. The Naval Officer gave a smile to the room. "Thank you, Loki. I'll see what I can do about paying you back for this one." ______________________________________________________________________________
Ignatius popped a smile as he collected another ten bits from Shining Armor. The latter fumed in frustration as he saw his money being played with. The blacksmith had no intention of keeping more than a quarter of his winnings, but that was only because it was more than enough to see the young guard steam at the ears when he lost another bet.
Round three had gone off nicely after Aquinas and Silver Tongue's battle. The crowd was pleased to see that the magic users were now getting closer to each other and throwing off more dangerous attacks as they advanced on their opponent's position. Two of them decided to adopt Aquinas' tactic of cloaking their hands and having a fistfight of both might and magic. All of this commotion and labeled 'barbarism' was unheard of at the school. The bout was supposed to be a display of learned magic and fought as honorable people with the winner being the one who had learned at a higher level and applied their scholastic skills. However, it seemed that it was turning into a dual of strength and power. Where opponents, whether female or male, locked their magic at arm's length and heaved their weight into a punch or kick. One woman snapped a man's arm at the elbow with a stone covered fist and then commanded the ground to burst upward and hit the poor fellow in the abdomen and sent him flying into the stands without breath to scream. Most of the contestant's families and colleagues awed and gasped when they saw their dearest being beaten and battered. Sometimes the match ended with both of the contestants unconscious and the winner was the one that fell last. Some in the stands took to leaving as soon as their loved one was beaten, but those seats were quickly filled by spectators who had come to see the bout. Four seats were taken up by none other than the Wonderbolts who had taken up seats next to Ignatius. Going back to the blacksmith, Ignatius hailed Spitfire and her gang and even started to play the same game that he had with Shining Armor. Much to the afore mentioned performer's distaste, she lost the next two fights. However, even someone as hotheaded as Spitfire knew when it was time to quit, and that time was now. For who, in that cheering section, would bet against their own fighter? ______________________________________________________________________________
Out from the flash of navy blue, came the man in the coat of the sea. Aquinas stood proud as he heard his name being chanted through the stands by strangers who had only heard his name from friends who have seen him in action. The crowd cheered and demanded that he showed them what he was made of.
Aquinas looked to the stands where his friends and brother pumped their fists and roared. The Naval Officer threw his own fists up in the air and made them collide as he let out his own deafening call. The crowd's noise doubled, but it was Ignatius who know that his brother was reliving his glory days as a football player. He was crowned the fiercest of players and was both respected and feared for his strength.
Aquinas, having his fill of praise, turned back to find that his opponent's chair was not empty. He recognized the stout, bearded man that faced him.
Phoenix Right-Wing. The cousin to Lightning Rod and the second son of the largest coal mining industry in Equestria. Power was his play thing, and so was fire. Aquinas knew that he was going to be in for a fight this time around. Phoenix was not only a good cook, but he was skilled in making the hottest fires as well. The Naval Officer's challenge however, wasn't the flames. The flames could be extinguished. It was the battlemage's temper that he would have to contend with. Aquinas had his own, but it took a bit to get him to that point. Phoenix on the other hand, could go from loving his life to fuck-everything-with-fire mode in point eight seconds. He knew his opponent would use his flames, but what he would do with them was beyond his imagination.
The bell was about to ring, and after the chime had died; Aquinas' next battle would begin.
After the bell rung, Aquinas felt the large mass of a fist hit his face with the amount of heat that should only come from burning magnesium. In a partial daze, the naval officer shrugged off the pain and regained his lost footing. Even though his vision was clouded in the left eye, he still could make out that horrible smile on Phoenix Right-Wing's face. His smile made his bulb shaped nose crease and his auburn eyes light up. Right-Wing's toothy smile was made up of pearly white, sharpened teeth. They weren't to a point, but they were filed to an edge that gave his opponent's pause for thought.
Aquinas wasn't scared of him. Even if he had a mouthful of half inch long choppers, Aquinas would deal with him the same way that has dealt with all his other opponent's. By beating the living fuck out him! However, it wasn't going to be as easy as the other ones were. Phoenix had a temper not unlike Aquinas', yet it didn't come from annoyance or frustration, it came from years of mental torture by his parents and family. The right-Wings had taught him to be a ruthless killer, and he already nearly killed one contestant by giving them third degree burns on their chest.
Aquinas knew that if he was to win, he would have to use what he had learned from Loki and apply what he knew of his own anger. Again, Phoenix's temper was just like Aquinas', but his was not as controlled. So, using the same tactics that Loki had previously used should work. Annoying him should do the trick, and making him work harder should put a little more strain on him. And he had the best idea of how he was going to do that.
He wanted to try out a new spell, but never got the chance until now. He slammed one fist into his other palm, and when he did, white flakes flew from his hands on impact. He alternated hands until both his hands were white. He rubbed them together, and more fakes came falling from his hands. Phoenix just stared at him blankly, gauging what type of spell Aquinas was cooking up. He was about to charge a spell up himself to counter until the officer flicked his wrist and threw a white ball at his opponent and hit him in the eyes. Right-Wing howled in pain as he rubbed away the burn of not magic, but cold, icy snow. Snow as cold as the Frozen North. He burned off the frozen material only to be met with a cold blast from an icy fist in his left eye. Aquinas kept up his attack on Right Wing and slugged him once with his left and twice with his right. Aquinas didn't really know how to box, so faced up against someone who did, he could block as the now enraged mage gave the Naval officer a nasty uppercut with a bonfire in front of it.
Aquinas was back in a daze, but held himself firm against the barrage of flame that came his way. Jab after jab after hook came Right Wing's attack. The fire mage came at his opponent with no intention of slowing. He just kept stepping forward and pressing Aquinas towards the arena wall. The latter only held up his huge forearms encased in ice in a defensive posture.
Twilight and Shining Armor shouted from the stands.
"Come on, Aquinas. Hit him back!"
"You can't just keep blocking!"
"You're getting pulverized out there!"
"He's going to be fine." Ignatius said firmly.
The siblings looked at Ignatius, once again, in confusion. "What is it this time?"
"Do you see what it is that my brother is doing?" the black coated man asked.
After exchanging looks, the pair had the question answered for them. "Take a look at his feet." Upon saying so, Shining Armor and his sister looked at Aquinas' feet who was stepping back in the same rhythm as the punches Phoenix was punching at. "He's counting the movements." the soldier said.
"He's taking note of the rhythm at which Phoenix Right Wing is dishing out his punches." Ignatius further explained. "This fight has only just begun, but Aquinas seems to gaining the upper hand slowly. He'll be alright."
For now. ______________________________________________________________________________
Phoenix Right-Wing was not a stupid man. In fact, he was quite intelligent. When it came to tests, he struggled, but when it came to applied knowledge, it was like he was a born genius. One thing that he knew very well was combat. Being able to use his body and the flames that he produced to beat down opponents and destroy any sort of hope they had of defeating him. He would usually win by now, but this time was different. He was not facing some punk kid with as much magical knowledge has a school boy. He was facing off against someone with enough combative skill under his belt to rival Phoenix himself. This would not stand in his world. The Right-Wing family had no rivals. Only dead opposition. And this blue coated inferior will be made to see that. ______________________________________________________________________________
One jab came from high, but Aquinas blocked the attack with a rising block. Then another fist came below and using the same arm, Aquinas slammed his fist down onto Right-Wing's. A jab to the middle came but with a quick jerk of his shoulder Aquinas snapped his icy forearm in to block.
Phoenix broke off his attack by jumping back two steps. The fire mage stepped lightly around Aquinas, and the former copied. Each scanned the other's fighting stance. Aquinas and Right-Wing utilized the standard boxer's position and planted their feet in the eleven and five o'clock position and kept their left hands at eye level and their right fists at mouth level.
Neither had the advantage here it seemed. Both weighed about the same and had similar strength levels. So, what would be the deciding factor, it seemed, would be straight luck.
Aquinas' face grew a fine grin, while Phoenix's twisted into a bloodthirsty scowl.
"Just what are you smiling at?" Right-Wing demanded to know. His fiery hair seemed with flare up along with his red face.
Aquinas chuckled as he said. "I'm just thinking of how much of a little bitch you are."
"What?!" Phoenix Right-Wing cried in anger.
"Yeah!" Aquinas chuckled menacingly. "You're a little bitch."
Words were not spent. Only a roar of anger mixed with a dragon's mouth worth of fire was heard as the fire mage charged into the fight with his fists full of intense energy. Aquinas' own white, frosty hands grew ever colder and readied his forearms by giving them an extra half inch of ice.
Both goliaths met with fire and ice as Phoenix renewed his attack by giving Aquinas a jab with his left and then a hook with his right. Aquinas blocked with a rising block again and an outward block to cancel the hook. The fire mage repeated the attack over and over again, but each time becoming faster. Aquinas repeated his blocks with equal force, but when the attack's heat was high, Phoenix changed the game, and gave Aquinas an uppercut to the chin. The Naval Officer's head snapped back and was met with a fiery fist in the side of his face. Aquinas fell to the his side and would have received a nasty hammer fist, but the ending bell saved him.
The first interval had ended. Both took to their respective sides. Phoenix Right-Wing's crew greeted him with harsh criticism and scorn for being sloppy and untimely. He greeted each word as someone who was trained by the Right Wings should. With silence and acceptance.
Aquinas rose with little complication. He was a little rocked, but that wore off as soon as he got to his chair. Waiting for him there was his own growing cheering section. Each gave him words of encouragement and slight criticism. Well, Ignatius was being harsh, but that was to be expected from his brother. He sat on his seat and took a drink of water as he absorbed their words ranging from simple fighting tactics to the use of deception tactics that threw him off guard.
"Don't worry, guys." Aquinas said as he slugged down another helping of liquid. "I got him right where I want him!"
With a thank you to them all, and a middle finger to his brother, Aquinas rose from his seat. Every Wonderbolt, mage, and blacksmith but a hand to his shoulder. The Naval officer, with a silent smile looked to his opponent who was giving him the worst look he had ever gotten. Aquinas just smiled at him. For behind those blue-lit eyes, he saw not hate or scorn, but something else entirely.
The bell rang for the second interval to start, and put a hold on Aquinas' pondering. He would have to think on that look. For it told him everything he needed to know about who he was facing. ______________________________________________________________________________
Aquinas and Phoenix put up the dukes a second time. Aquinas decided to take the initiative and attack first, just to mix things up a little. He started with two left jabs and right straight punch. Each attack was easily blocked, but Aquinas didn't stop there. He kept coming in with a hook-uppercut-jab combo. The last jab connected with the side of Phoenix's face. The ice on Aquinas' hand steamed as it connect to Phoenix's hot skin.
The fire mage came with his own uppercut and jab combo. Both connected on Aquinas' torso and face, but as soon as another jab with the right came, Aquinas didn't block it, he side stepped it. Another punch came and he just kept dancing around the fiery man. Aquinas' smile grew as he tucked his thumbs into pant waist and started a line dance routine around Phoenix Right-Wing. The officer's silliness was coupled with laughter that only seemed to bring on more anger from the afore mentioned fire mage.
Phoenix was beside himself. He was a proud soldier from a prestigious family, and here he was, being mocked by this tramp from nowhere. How dare this inferior pest make a fool of him! The anger in the fire mage's blood boiled and he pressed his attack with the speed that should only belong to lightning. Right-Wing came with three consecutive left jabs and a right hook to boot. Each was either dodged or swatted away by Aquinas who gave small, high pitched grunt noises.
"Why won't you die?!" Phoenix Right-Wing said between punches. His level of rage was mounting. He started to slip into a blindness as he compacted his feelings with harsh discipline. But for all his training and torture, seeing this foolish, blue coated man dance with a smile and enjoy himself made it hard to remember that he was still human. Uppercut after uppercut, and hook after jab took the pair around the whole arena in a dance that seemed eternal. Well, at least until the bell rang for the end of the interval.
Curses and shouts of hate coupled with strikes to the head with large sticks were what Phoenix Right-Wing had waiting for him when he took his sit on a chair with broken glass on the seat. Not a single Right-Wing was without words to throw at the young man.
"Wow." Twilight Sparkle said in amazement. "Phoenix Right-Wing is getting a thrashing over there."
"I know." Aquinas said. "And that's why I'm afraid."
"Why?" Shining Armor asked. "You should have the upper hand. He's the one that's angry, and you're completely calm. You have nothing to worry about."
"I'm not the one that's in danger." Aquinas stated. "Everyone else is."
"How?" The guard asked.
"Because the human mind can only take so much." came a familiar voice from behind the soldier. Loki stepped into the crowd. "Aquinas' carefree attitude and his enjoyment of the battle are a complete contrast to what Phoenix Right-Wing was trained to believe. He had been brought up to think that only those possessed of great fury and power can survive in battle. So, you can see why he harbors a great resentment to Aquinas."
"And that resentment being compounded with his jealousy isn't helping." Ignatius put in. "All that rage being pent up for so long and now seeing his beliefs contradicted right in front of him is too much for him to bare. He'll snap at the end of this round if you don't put him down first."
Aquinas digested their words. Nothing they said was wrong. Phoenix Right-Wing was a loose cannon with an overstuffed breach, and if Aquinas continued to make him mad, it would be too much to control. Aquinas saw him first hand during his classes.
The boy was dangerous, that much was true. However, he took issue with their assessment to him. Phoenix was a monster, but all monsters are created, not born. There was always a shred of light in the tortured that can be the saving grace they would need in order to return to the good they used to be. Aquinas was determined to make the flame of his heart greater than the flame of his rage. But to do that, he would have to extinguish the first flame, in order for the other to grow. With the ring of the bell to start the third interval, Aquinas rose to that challenge. ______________________________________________________________________________
Fire and Ice circled the arena. Each measuring the other. Frost started to grip the ground and cover it in a thin layer of blue and white shine, while fire left tongues dancing where footprints should be.
Aquinas took the offensive first once more. He slammed his white fist into the ground and shot a line of jagged ice spikes toward Phoenix. The fire mage unleashed his fire and burned the ice away in a large cloud of steam. As the white smoke disappeared, a white fist appeared and struck Right-Wing in the side of the face. Aquinas kept up the attack and pressed forward with an uppercut and another jab. Each blow sent Phoenix back as many steps as there was hits. The fire mage put his arms in close to block the barrage of hits. Phoenix stood his ground and took two more hits before he threw his own jab Aquinas' way. The latter anticipated the attack and reeled back four steps. The fiery haired brawler took this opportunity and charged forward. He went in with a jab-hook-uppercut combo and got a strike in with the hook. Aquinas gave ground through the attack and settled into his blocking routine fitting the fighting combos. The Naval officer matched the speed of the attacks well enough, but blocking wasn't what he wanted to do. Phoenix Right-Wing pressed his attack faster and increased his speed until he got his chance to throw another uppercut. He saw how Aquinas settled into the attack and figured now would be the perfect time. With a swift jerk of his hip and shoulder, the fiery boxer threw his foot forward and slipped and fell on the seat of his pants.
The fire mage rose with swiftness, but was only thrown back down to the ground after he lost his balance due to the thin layer of slick ice underneath him. Phoenix growled in frustration and lit his hands ablaze. The steam from the evaporating water clouded his vision, but as it cleared, he was met with more obstructions to his vision. Those obstructions took the form of jagged ice pillars.
Phoenix Right-Wing's looked around him and tried to find where Aquinas would attack from. He stepped lightly around the structures and peaked around the cold spikes coming from them. The flame from his hands burned at the ready.
"It's a little disorientating, isn't it?" came Aquinas' voice. "Having something blocking your vision and obscuring your path." Phoenix shot a fireball at a structure where he thought the voice came from, only to see nothing beyond the hole the magical attack made. One of the structures near to him started to grow and shot icy spikes his way. Phoenix dodged away from the pillar, but then was ensnared by another. The cold ice gripped him and dug frozen needles into his flesh. The mage roared as he unleashed his fiery rage in a dome of flame. The structure melted under the inferno and made a great amount of steam. When his vision cleared once more from the white, a host of icy structures closed in on him. "Having no direction to go and using only your anger and mounting rage to solve you problem." They grew and presented their spikes to the battlemage, but the latter was quick to put his hands out and push out enough flame from them to give a dragon a run for its money. However, no matter the amount of flame he used, the stiff coldness of the ice was encroaching too quickly. He started to back pedal a bit until he was against the wall. And just like a cornered animal, Phoenix Right-Wing fought for his life. He poured out his rage, anger, and panic into his attack and used the flames from his fists to make the ice explode from the force of impact and thermal shock. Phoenix smashed through every structure that pressed him against the wall and when they seemed to have slowed their march, he pressed even harder.
Every last bit of emotion went into his attack. No thought, just feeling. He was so ensnared by his ferocious barrage that he didn't expect to feel an icy fist smash into his face. The fiery battlemage recoiled and put his arms up to block a wave of frozen strikes. Phoenix regained his footing and stood his ground enough to throw out a punch, but instead of hitting Aquinas, the latter had caught the former's wrist. Phoenix pulled his arm in and threw the second out to punch, but that was also caught. Aquinas held firm under the roaring struggle of Right-Wing. The Naval Officer gripped with the strength of a constrictor and used his magic to extend the frost from his hands into Right-Wing's wrists. The latter howled in pain and tried to combat the cold stiffness that was encroaching in his muscles and bones. However, by the time even the first sparks of a fire spell came to charge, Phoenix's arms bent in and he fell to his knees. The entire of both his arms were too cold to continue. His shoulders and neck felt the sting of ice as Aquinas spell reaped away all the warmth.
With chattering teeth and cooling breath, Phoenix gasped out the words, "No more! I yield!"
With the words spoken, Aquinas let Phoenix go, and heard the sweet sound of the bell. The fire mage, so full of anger and determination, was now nothing more than a shivering heap. The Naval Officer waved a hand to produce a spell. He cast a blue hue over his opponent. The hue brought with it warmth. Within seconds, the fire mage was warm again.
With shaking arms, Phoenix propped himself up of his elbows and started on the journey that would bring his hands and knees to bear the weight. But as he made that journey, he saw his family come towards him. Right-Wing felt a pit grow in his stomach. He knew that when they made it to him he would be punished for his failure. As they came so close that Phoenix could see the fire in their eyes, his view was blocked by the boots of Aquinas.
The officer wasted no time making it known that they would not touch him, by sending out a wall of needle sharp ice spikes. Caught off guard, the family recoiled. Aquinas turned his back to them, and his attention toward the fire mage. With hardened eyes, and an even stiffer tone, the battlemage spoke.
"You are mighty, Phoenix Right-Wing." He began. "I was expecting nothing less than a challenge from you. However, what I didn't expect was your family's treatment of you. You fought with the rage of a forest fire and your form was with little flaw. Yet, you are still scorned." As Aquinas spoke, Phoenix slowly rose to his feet. "I see your anger and frustration, and I know how powerful that can be, but using that alone will leave you blind. Blind to what you are doing. Let your fire not be of emotion, but instead be that of resolve. For the flames held by chaos will by extinguished, but the fire held by those of righteous might will burn for ages like a star."
It was either his fatigue, or the realization that this one man had given more wisdom than the forty or so people who have mentored him; whichever one, it made a stone hard face melt into a soft frown. The fire mage would not have believed it to be true if he had been told it, but after experiencing it, he knew that his most treasured weapon, rage, had not only failed him, but it also now made him feel weak.
Phoenix, the Mage of Angry Fire and most stubborn of who would never admit defeat, shed a single tear and bowed low.
"You have said more to me than anyone else ever has." Phoenix in his low, roaring voice. "For that, I call you, and no one else from this day forth, teacher."
Aquinas put his chilly hands on his counterpart's shoulders and said, "Grow your fire, Phoenix. Make it glow bright, and show others to do the same."
Without another word, Right-Wing turned and left, but not before having, for the first time in his life, a genuine smile grow across his face.
