An Interesting Accident

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Matthew's head swirled as his vision blurred white. A massive light was shown in his eyes, which made the headache all the more painful. He called out to his brother, "Mark! Mark!"
"What?" Mark said in a whining tone with a hint of pain. His stomach nagged at him and twisted in funny ways.
"Did we smoke weed?" Matthew asked in a worried tone.
"Am I sixty yet?"
"No"
"There you go."
"Thank you." After the thanks, Mark put up a thumb up.
Matthew only had enough enthusiasm to roll over on his stomach and groan. Mark did the same, but positioned himself in the recovery position, anticipating the vomiting fit that usually plagued him after late night drinking parties with his brother. Mathew propped himself up on his forearms. As he did, he noticed two feet standing before him. He looked up with hazy eyes and could see someone dressed in white.
"Mark. I think we're dead." Matthew said. Mark groaned a 'what?' "An angel is standing right in front of me." The figure bent down to his level. When they did, he could see that it was a woman. "Correction, it's the Blessed Virgin." The figure outstretched her hand and touch Matthew's shoulder.
"Did the world end?" Mark asked with a sense of worry.
"If it didn't happen five years ago, it aint happening now." Matthew said in a less than graceful tone.
"I don't think you know where you are?" said the angelic woman.
"Where are we then, Mary?" asked Matthew.
"First of all," she began. "my name is not Mary. Secondly, you're not dead." She gave a hopeful smile to Matthew.
"Did you hear that, Mark?" Matthew said turning his head. "We're not dead."
As a symbol of his relief, Mark gave his signature noise. Which sounded like a happy, gargling, purr. The woman laughed a little.
"She laughs at your noise." Matthew said.
"No." Mark replied. "She laughs at the size of your dick."
Matthew grabbed the crown that the female was wearing. "Please, excuse me." He then threw it at his brother with a tiny grunt, and hit the back of his head.
"Ooowww!" Mark cried. "Ya jackass!"
The woman issued and angry stare to Matthew as the crown rolled back to them. She grabbed the headpiece and placed it back on her head. He only stared back and shrugged. Matthew stood up slowly and dusted off his black shirt and denim jeans.
"Sorry." Matthew said with sincerity. "What were you saying?"
The royal, what he thought her to be judging from the crown, adjusted the headpiece and cleared her throat. "You are not dead. You are just part of an unfortunate accident, perpetrated by my student's mistake."
Matthew, with his vision not so clouded anymore, looked around the room that he was in. It was a library, a large one at that. Books stacked on shelves in a neat and orderly fashion. After taking in the surroundings, Matthew noticed there were two women, not just one, standing in the room. The first, the one speaking, had a head of shimmering multicolored hair that cascaded and wisped softly even though not a breeze graced the room. She stood about an inch or two shorter than Matthew, but had a stance that could only come from royalty. Her garb also gave it away. Clothed in pure white silk, her dress had a flowing accent to it. The cuffs on her wrists were made of patterned lace, and her white strapped sandals almost looked like they were ivory. The most astonishing feature was what looked like two tattoos on her upper arms. They both shared the same forms. Suns. The second female shrunk quietly backwards. Her face was partially covered by her purple hair with a hot pink stripe running through her mane that was known to him as a skunk stripe. She was considerably shorter than Matt, but something about her said that her size really didn't mean anything, for if he learned anything, it was that size matters little. And she appeared to be a student of some sorts. She wore a simple purple dress and boots of the same color, along with a worried expression.
"I got to say," Matthew said after returning his attention to the shimmering haired lady. "This is one of the most interesting accidents I have been in."
Mark belched and got up from his recovery position, obviously feeling better. He got up and stretched a little, then recognized the two females in the room. He turned his gaze away from them for am moment and admired the architecture of the place. "Wow, Matt." he said. "This looks like the study back at your house." His gaze fell back to women in the room. His face went from confusion to a sense of overwhelming.
Matthew looked to his brother and then turned back to the royal, then said "Please, excuse me while I consult with my brother." Matthew turned on Mark and put an arm around his shoulders. "Mark." he whispered. "Do you know where we are?" Matthew was on the verge of sheer excitement.
Mark smiled stupidly and said "Are we at the Wonka Chocolate Factory?" His brother gave him a firm slap upside the head and shot him an angry glare.
Marks expression and tone quickly turned south. "Fuckin' lighten up, dude. We're in Equestria. Can't you turn off the seriousness for once and enjoy yourself?"
Matthew's expression turned confused. He had been up tight, even more than before actually, since he made it to the rank of Sergeant in the Marine Corps. He saw the logic in his brother's reasoning. Though his brother's claim was an assumption, it was not too unbelievable due to the fact that the woman dressed in white showed little to disprove that she was what was known to them as Princess Celestia. Her hair also gave it away. However, she did not seem to share the equine form that they have come to know and love. He let out a sigh and tried to unclench his muscles.
Matthew looked the woman. "There is a question that is nagging at me, ma'am. Is there a way back from this?"
"Of course." she said. "I can send you both back at the same time you came here." she said in a reassuring tone.
"At any time?"
The woman nodded.
"Let me consult with my brother again, please." Matthew took the same position and whispered to his brother. "Are you processing this information like I am?"
"Like this?" Mark began. "Staying here for as long as we can and have a fuck ton of fun and a life time of experience when we go back."
"Bingo."
"We need to remember the date and time though."
"Of course. I do remember looking at my watch last and it saying the 25th of July at 10 p.m. We can write it down and store it away for later."
"Cool."
Matthew turned his head back to the woman for a second and then went back to his brother. "My head is all over the place right now."
"Well." Mark replied. "Let's start with the basics."
"Your basics are different than my basics."
"Mannerisms and all that shit. Then we ask about why we're here and all the other corresponding questions."
"Okay. I will follow your lead because if you follow mine, someone is going to end up being interrogated."
"We will also need to acquire the certainty that we can return home."
"Given. We also need to establish the times we are in. The purple haired girl, obviously being Twilight Sparkle, has not yet left Canterlot; Princess Celestia's school; or puberty for that matter. She looks really young. We also need to keep in mind that we are in, what is considered, a hostile environment, solely on the lack of intel. So, we got all this?"
"I think so."
"I am so glad I'm with you on this and not some tard. I can't even think in tandem with our brother, Michael. Let alone some dumbass from my platoon."
"The feeling is mutual. These guys at the Naval Base are intelligent people, but they sometimes lack the intuition that should come with the position and training."
"As long as we keep our tandem thinking, we can make sense of this mess we are in."
The duo broke the small huddle and turned back towards the pair of females. Mark spoke first. "Please allow us to introduce ourselves. My name is Mark and this is my brother Matthew. And we are pleased to make your acquaintance.
The shimmering haired woman gave Mark a confused look and said. "Can you say your names again, please?"
"Of course." Mark cleared his throat. "I am Mark and this is Matthew, my brother."
The woman still gave him the confused look again. "I-I just can't hear the names. I see you mouth them, but no sound parts from your lips when you say them."
Mark gave an annoyed look.
"You need to consult with your brother again?" the woman asked as she read his expression.
Mark nodded and went back into a huddle with Matthew. "Got any ideas?"
Matthew nodded. "We can pick different names. Names that we can remember right off the bat."
"Like?"
"Our Confirmation saint names. My name would be Ignatius and yours would be Aquinas. Sound good?"
"Yes. Break."
The pair turned back to their female counterparts. Mark spoke again. "My name is now Aquinas and my brother is Ignatius. Did you hear that, madam?"
The lady still gave him a confused look. "I'm sorry, but no."
Mark put his palm on his forehead and let out a sigh of frustration.
The angelic female giggled. "I'm just joking. I did hear your names, Sir Aquinas."
At that the brothers exchanged concerned looks. "The plague." Matthew, Ignatius, said in a ghastly voice.
"Now that we have that out of the way." Mark said as he turned back to the women. "What are your names?" As if he didn't already know.
"I am Princess Celestia." said the woman dressed in white. "Ruler of Equestria. And this is my student, Twilight Sparkle."
"A pleasure to meet both of you." Ignatius said with a slight bow.
"We are sorry for this whole mess." said Celestia. "We were only trying to summon two pigs, when, well . . . I guess we succeeded!" The Princess laughed.
Matthew gave a snort of contempt. He didn't like to be made fun of.
Mark, on the other hand, laughed hysterically. It wasn't every day that one is able to be graced by, Trollestia herself. So whatever she would throw at them, Aquinas hoped that she would give it all she's got. He loved to laugh. "And you tried to summon these pigs from another plane of existence?" Mark's seriousness returned. "And you also said that you can send us back."
Celestia nodded in affirmation. "I can."
"Well that explains the who, what, when, where, why and how, but I can't rap my mind around one thing."
"What is that?"
Mark thought hard before he spoke. To reveal the true, or what was considered true, nature of Equestria and its inhabitance, would lead to more than a million questions, all directed towards the brothers. So instead, he said, "Equestria is mentioned in our plane of existence in legend, but parts of the stories are untold. I am wondering what period we have stepped into."
Matthew chimed in at this point. "How long has it been since your sister was banished to the moon?" His blunt question was rewarded with an icy stare from his brother. Matthew only locked his gaze to Celestia. "It would help to know this information."
It was Celestia's turn to ponder her answer, and the next question. "It would be 990 years to the beginning of next year's Summer Sun Celebration. How does this information help you?"
"It gives a base point of reference for the time period. Like my bother said. Some of the legend of Equestria is not spoken of, and this is one of those parts."
"So what you're saying is" Celestia inquired "that you know not of what happens now, but know what is to happen in the future?"
Ignatius shrugged. "Even that is uncertain at this point. However, because we have entered this so early, we have time to prepare for whatever twists and turns that the future may or may not take."
The four stood in the room in silence for a moment. Both sides digested the words the other spoke. Celestia wondered many things about these two men. Who were they really? Why these two men? And more importantly are they hiding something? The males wondered, in tandem, what was going on here. Why had they been brought here and not the pigs? Why can't their names be spoken? More so, why was Matthew picturing a bacon sundae in his head at a time like this? The silence lasted for a good minute, but it felt like an hour passed by. The silence was broken when a guard was heard bounding up the stairs. Matthew's ears recognized the pace. They were urgent and quickened steps. The guard had some important news. When he finally made it up the stairs, he leaned on his knees which were gilded plates of metal. He panted heavily. He muttered something indecipherable and tried to recuperate.
"Guardsman." Celestia said. "Calm yourself. Collect your thoughts, your breath, and then speak."
The guard took a few long breaths, and then stood up, presenting himself with a measure of dignity. "Your highness. Your steward is searching for you."
The Princess nodded. "I will see her shortly. Thank you, guardsman." The guard issued a salute and did a facing movement before leaving. "Royal duty calls. If you could, gentleman, I would like you to join me. On the way, we can talk more."
"And what of your student?" Ignatius asked.
"She has her studies to tend to, don't you Twilight?"
"Yes, princess." Twilight said. "Spike!" As she called, a biped lizard came into view from behind a case of books. He wore a white, cotton twill shirt under a purple vest that complimented his scales which shared the color. The dark green cotton pants went well with his emerald eyes. He stood no taller than waist height on Aquinas. His feet and hands were uncovered, as to freely use them for climbing. The most interesting feature though was the row of spines on his body. Some of them stuck out from his shirt from the holes cut in it. "Ignatius, Aquinas, I would like you to meet my assistant, Spike."
To the brothers, he looked like a young Argonian from the Elder Scrolls games that they used to play back home. But seeing as how this was Equestria, it was safe to assume that Spike was, as per the legend, a dragon. A baby at that. It was almost kind of weird to see him like this. Almost. It was more than a treat to see a real dragon.
"Hi. I'm Spike, and I'm a dragon." said the scaly biped with a sense of pride.
"I can see that." Aquinas said. "I understand that your kind possess special abilities." Mark's inquiry was met with a knowing smile from Matthew. They wanted to see him send a scroll to Celestia.
"That's right." he said with enthusiasm. "I can breathe fire, climb on walls, and see in the dark."
"Interesting."
"Spike." Twilight chimed in. The dragon babe shrugged embarrassingly as he turned on his superior. "I need you to get these two a book on Equestrian history."
"Also." Matthew said. "We will need something written down."
"What's that?" Spike asked.
"A date."
Spike pulled out a scroll from his pocket and ran to the other side of the library and grabbed quill and ink. "Ready."
"25. J.U.L. 17." Matthew said at length.
"25JUL17." Spike repeated. "What do you want me to do with this?"
"Put it in a book on Military History." Matthew answered. Mark gave him a thumbs up in approval for his easy choice for a keepsake spot.
Spike carried out the order for Ignatius and Twilight at the same time. It just so happened, both books sat next to the other. Spike put the note on a random page of the Military text book and grabbed the history tome. On returning, he handed the book to Ignatius.
"That book will help you if you plan on staying here." the young girl's intuition earned her some points in brothers' mental records. "Do bring it back in good condition."
"Sure." Matthew said. "I will have to take good care of it if I wish to know more about the land we are in. I thank you, Twilight Sparkle." Ignatius gave a slight bow and walked towards Celestia with his brother in tow.
"So." Celestia began the conversation. "I see you favor the military. Are you both combatants in your world?"
"Yes we are." Mark responded. "I am a Ensign in my country's Navy, and my brother is a Sergeant in the Marine Corps for the same. A former Airman . . ." Mark got a look from his brother. Mark was prepared though.
"Airman?" Celestia asked.
"Yes." Mark said. "Our air power is unmatched. The greatest flyers in the world."
"You have Angels in your world?" Celestia was intrigued by this. Angels. That word rung in both their ears. They both figured that reading the history book would give them the answers they seek.
"Yes." Mark said without lying, on the fact that he was referring to the Blue Angels. "We do."
"Fascinating."
"Ya." Matthew said. "We are the best." His charisma was almost as abundant as pineapples in the tundra.
"Did you fly well, Ignatius?"
"I didn't fly." he said with an even tone. "I was part of the force that didn't need flyers, but workers. I was an engineer. I built roads and airfields."
"Why the switch?"
"It's a long story that I would not like to tell, but if your curiosity is getting the better of you, the short version is, I wanted to see combat, so I joined the few and proud."
"Did you see combat?"
"Plenty. I joined the Marines after our war on terror ended in one of the foreign desert countries, but a new war began in the same region after active hate groups in a neighboring nation spilled over to their neighboring nation and a whole war ensued after our embassy was attacked. Under our president Romney, we were able to issue total war and it ended with us winning within three years. It was a bloody ass conflict."
"What is that like?"
"What's 'what' like?"
"To kill someone?"
Matthew was stunned. He didn't expect her to ask such a question. But he was happy to oblige her abundant curiosity. "Well." he said. "It's kind of like when you're holding an egg and that egg is someone's life. One twitch can break it. Holding it though gives you . . . kind of a rush. To decide if a man lives or dies. For me, it was like getting a taste of what it would be like to be a god."
Celestia recoiled a bit from the response. She wasn't expecting an answer so grim. To her, it was as if he enjoyed killing. Mark wasn't surprised by his brother's answer, and not just because he had already heard it, it was because he had an idea of what it was like. He had been in some scraps in bars, and he almost killed a man with his fists. Though that man lived, the twenty-six that Matt faced did not. It did give kind of a rush, but what Celestia didn't ask is what it is like after you kill them. The princess just shook her head quickly. Showing that she would like to change the subject.
"What is it like in your world, Aquinas?" asked the Princess hastily. She asked the latter because she feared what Ignatius would say.
"Our world" Aquinas said. "is very rich and beautiful. It is full of many wonders. Wonders and marvels that I hoped to experience while in the Navy."
"Aren't marines in the navy?"
"Yes. That's why they are a corps. Yet they operate as a separate branch of our military."
"So in retrospect, you are your brother's superior."
"True. But I know better than to lord something like that over my brother. Especially with the fact that Ignatius has plenty more military experience than I, let alone I have just gotten out of officer school not too long ago."
"Have you and your brother always been close?"
"Since my birth."
Princess Celestia looked to Ignatius who couldn't help but smile. She had felt a sense of distance from the man, even though he stood closer to her than Aquinas did. Yet, when she saw his petit smile, she felt a warm glow. She knew that Aquinas was going to be an easy feet to figure out. He was lively and appeared to have an exceptional amount of social skill. Whereas, Ignatius would probably prove to be the biggest puzzle of her life.
"What of you, princess?" Aquinas asked, snapping her attention back to him. "What of your family, and how is your life?"
"Well." she began. "You already seem to know that my sister had been banished to the moon. I can guess you already know the story behind that. But when I was young . . ." the princess trailed off. Her memories still stung, even though they happened so long ago. "My parents, died. They suffered under a tyrannical ruler named Discord. Famine and sickness took both of them, but my sister and I were able to bring harmony back to the land with the use of our combined magic. Together, using the Elements of Harmony, we were able to defeat Discord by turning him to stone. And as for my royal duties, they are as you can expect from what you have seen with rulers of your world."
"If that last part is the case then I'm going to snap your neck in three." Ignatius said rather grimly.
The princess obviously didn't take the open threat to kindly as she stopped dead in her tracks and gave him a look, then positioning herself in a stance. Her eyes shot daggers into his. Ignatius stood comfortably. His muscles were relaxed, ready to move in any way to defend himself and then attack. Aquinas jumped in between them and gave both concerned looks. He approached his brother first and took him back a few steps. "Matt." he whispered. "You have no idea what you're dealing with here. She has magic on her side. Your skill is strong, but still weak compared to the countless years of magical experience she has. And your blunt statements are getting us nowhere but in a hole, a hole filled with punji sticks. Please, dull your tongue around the princess." Ignatius issued a long snort and nodded. Mark turned away from his brother and took Celestia in the opposite direction with the same distance. With the same hushed tone he said "Princess, you will have to excuse my brother. His time on the battlefield has left him harsh and cruel. His tongue is sharp, so a lot of what he is going to say will be rather blunt."
"How can I excuse such a threat?"
"I don't ask you to dismiss that, I ask for you to understand. The rulers Ignatius has seen have been absolutely cruel and corrupt to the people under them. He had seen first-hand what those people have done to their subjects and to say that you are the same sets him over the edge."
Celestia sighed in submission. Though it stuck in her mind that now Ignatius was going to be twice as hard to deal with on account of his prejudice towards monarchs. Both sides gave the other expressionless looks and threw mental daggers at each other. It wasn't until a minute passed that they let down their gaze and continued walking. The silence lasted until the trio came to the throne room. When the guards opened the doors, they saw that a woman paced back and forth before the large gold and velvet chair. Her hair was a shade of brown and her cloths matched it with them being a woodland brown gown with tan edgings on the cuffs and bottom lining. The sleeves displaying a vine-like pattern with the same color. Her outfit spoke volumes about her personality to Ignatius. Her plain clothing and frantic pacing along with her indecipherable muttering gave him the thought that this woman had stick shoved pretty far up her butt, figuratively speaking of course. When the trio made it farther into the room, the woman turned on the white gowned matriarch.
"Where have you been?!" shouted the plainly clothed lady. Her tone and forwardness perked Ignatius' eyebrows and narrowed his brother's. Celestia took it as a friendly 'hello', on the account that she could not take it any other way.
"Ignatius, Aquinas, this is my steward, Alvi. Say hello, Alvi." The Princess' smile and light heartedness returned in full at this moment.
The steward just huffed. "My question, your highness." The lady crossed her arms and tapped her foot.
Celestia waved her hand in a circular pattern. "You know how things are since I took up Twilight Sparkle as my student."
"That's no excuse. I have had twelve letters come in today from the Canterlot elite. Banquets and parties. I need you to handle your schedule. I am already having enough problems with that Griffin King. His father was easy to deal with, but now, his son is a pain in my ass."
"I thought that was because of the stick." The princess laughed. Alvi did not take kindly to this. Her face screwed up as she saw the princess giggle.
"Oh." she said in a growl. "If it wasn't for the pay you give me, I would have left your court a decade ago."
Celestia knew this was an empty threat. She always loved to see her steward so riled up. It wasn't because she was sadistic or enjoyed people's misery, it was because her steward was choosing to be angry. She always got all stressed out over nothing. "Oh, alright." she gave in. "What seems to be the trouble?"
"The trouble is," Alvi said with a measure of calm. "that King Hansvilter is still complaining that we are mining on his land. That's the big issue. Not to mention that all these summer festivities are coming up. Then, after all that, we have our usual dealings with the mayors and their respective towns." The steward allowed herself a breath before letting this one out. "And not to mention that we have two men in here that I know nothing about." She walked around the royal and looked at Aquinas quizzically. He just stood there and smiled. His cheerful domineer was expressed fully. He figured, why not bring some relief? It was the wrong move as he soon learned. "What are you smiling at?" she quickly shot. Aquinas' expression turned from happy to insulted so fast, one would have thought a mask dropped off his face. Alvi's eyes shifted over to Ignatius who wore the same serious look he would wear for any occasion. A scowl and low set eye brows. With his eyes fixed like scopes on a sniper rifle. He bored into her with his gaze, analyzing her garb and posture. From what he saw, this woman had more to her than meets the eye. He got a taste when she said, "Combat veteran." He didn't know how she got it, but his question was soon answered. "I can tell by your stance. Your feet are at the eleven and four o'clock position. A universal sign to a fighter that you expect open confrontation." Her mood was a little less threatening. Maybe because she applauded a good fighter when she saw one, or maybe because she knew that if it came to blows, she would rather choose Aquinas over Ignatius as an opponent at this point. More than because she thought the former would be below her skill set. She would be right. Mark demonstrated his ferocity in bar scraps more than a couple of times. It was like watching a bear tear apart wolves. That was it though. Marks size and fighting style would not hold up to Matthew's, and on the same note, Alvi's. It would come down to form and discipline. Two things Mark lacked during a brawl. His size and hit strength seemed to make up for it in a fight with other undisciplined street thugs or non-combat hardened militants. However, Alvi was neither. She was about six or so inches shorter than Ignatius, and Aquinas outweighed her by about 100 pounds. To make up for her stature she would have to possess skill, and a lot of it to be able to stand up to a what the Navy football team nicknamed the Minotaur. But she also had enough sense to spot a lost fight when she saw one, and she saw her end in the eyes of Ignatius. Something about him threw off an aura that told her that this one was dangerous. She liked that. A lot. "So what is your name?" A gleeful smile followed her inquiry.
"Ignatius." he said with a slight bow. "And yours was Alvi, was it?" She did a curtsey in affirmation. Aquinas stood there dumb founded. He was rather insulted by this woman when he showed kindness, and was treated with hostility, yet she was completely polite to his brother.
"What kind of crap is this?" he spoke out loudly. His outburst was met with a threatening glare from the steward. He took that as his cue to advance on her position. Bad move. As if it were a lightning bolt striking him, Aquinas felt a stunning amount of pain in his abdomen. As if that weren't enough, he was then flopped on his back. He bounced a bit as he hit the marble floor. He groaned slightly echoed throughout the room.
"Mark?" Matthew questioned. "Are you going to be all right?" Mark's second grunt told him 'yes'. He turned his head back to Alvi who was comfortably standing a few feet from his fallen brother. "Was that really necessary?" She gave an innocent smile. To him that meant 'no, but it was fun'. He gave a cross smirk to her and went to help his brother up.
"What happened?" Mark asked in pure confusion, with a hint of shock.
"Long story short," Matthew explained. "You got your ass handed to you by the better fighter." His brother's expression still bore confusion. Matthew extended his hand, which Aquinas promptly grabbed and hoisted himself up from the ground. As Aquinas rose he gave Alvi a quizzical look. He looked over her petit size. This woman stood no more than 5'5" and was on the thin side. She didn't seem to be a threat. Just then, lightning struck twice. Mark mentally scorned himself for his incompetence. The lesson that he learned right off the bat from his brother when Ignatius had taught him combatives rang true in his head more than ever. Appearance means nothing. And this woman showed only a loud mouth and small stature, but was hiding the skill to rival her obnoxious voice. Mark just stood there, waiting for another onslaught, but if he did, he would be waiting there a while. With Ignatius standing next to him, Alvi would not try anything, as previously stated, she could see that Ignatius was beyond her skill set.
"Are we done with such pleasantries, Alvi?" the princess was tapping her foot anxiously. She never liked how Alvi dealt with personal annoyances. On top of that, she also didn't like how she added injury to insult. "Because if we are, I would like to handle the matters that you have placed before me."
Alvi gave a sigh. "Fair enough." she said as she turned back to the royal. "I have many letters that need replies and decrees that need updating. After the paper work we will discuss how we are going to deal with the Griffin King."
Celestia was about to speak but stopped herself. She looked to the two brothers. "Why don't you two find some rest, while I deal with this? I will have my guards show you to a room."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Aquinas said with a bow. Ignatius saluted and gave an about-face and followed the guard who volunteered to guide them. As they both left, Celestia let out a sigh. She was washed with a feeling, a unique feeling that their presence here was not by accident, but by some work of fate. She let it go after a second's passing, and began going over the day-to-day business of her royal duties.

Answers yet more enigmas

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Aquinas's vision blurred as he opened his eyes. A dimly lit chandelier over the room shined as brilliant as the sun to his still sleepy eyes. He snuggled himself under the warm silk blankets and sheets some more and turned on his side. When he did, another light was shining. A small candle on the only desk in the room. His brother was staring down the history book that Twilight had given them. "Are you still reading that book?" his question was met with a simple nod. It looked like Ignatius was really interested in it. "What have you been able to learn?"
"A lot." he said plainly. "It seems when the Princess mentioned 'angels', she was speaking about people with wings. They seemed to derive from the old times from the people blessed by the Pegasus spirit who gave them the gift of flight. They are sometimes referred to as angels but are more commonly known as Pegasus. Magic users derive from the Unicorn spirit and are referred to as Unicorns, big surprise. Both factions are also gifted with longevity."
"Where does that leave those not blessed with either?"
"They are referred to as ponies. Although, they lack the gifts the unicorns and pegasus possess, they still have a very distinct talent for being able to withstand pain, and have a knack for working themselves into the ground and still being able to take more. These people are blessed by the Earth pony spirit. These people are looked down upon by the more sophisticated people, i.e. unicorns and pegasus, but when it comes time for hard action, ponies are the ones they turn to for help. Their numbers are much greater than both the 'upper' factions combined. I gotta say, these ponies are a force to be reckoned with. All these battles and cities owe it all to them."
"Wow." One question lingered in Aquinas' head though. "Which one is, Princess Celestia?"
"She is in a whole other category." Ignatius went on. "She is what is known as an Alicorn. She also flies, and does magic. She got the whole package. Impressive."
"Indeed." Aquinas said, as he sat up in the bed. "I guess some things in this world aren't so flipped even though they don't completely correspond with what we know them as, but how do we find out which ones we are?"
"You're a unicorn." Ignatius said, bluntly. "You can tell from the gems on the back of each hand."
Aquinas jumped when he saw that his brother spoke true. Two stones, on each hand, poked out from underneath the skin of the backs of his hands. They seemed to be navy blue in color. 'A perfect match' he thought to himself. "And what about you?" he said, turning the conversation toward his brother. A flash of black feathers erupted out of Ignatius' back. A huge pair of wings graced the man's back. And as quickly as they came, they were gone, folding perfectly into his back and then disappearing.
"Normal pegasus folds them onto their backs in a neat kind of fashion that conforms to their bodies like a bird."
"What do you mean by 'normal'?" Aquinas asked, his curiosity peaking.
"I wear them like magic tattoos. Able to hide them from sight. And when I fly they fly silently, on account of the fact that the feathers are serrated, like an owl's."
"You flew!?" his excitement nearly was enough for him to jump out bed.
"No." Ignatius' answer put a damper on his brother's ecstatic mood. "But I analyzed the feathers, and from what I've seen, that is the result that I expect."
"Do you plan on taking them out for a test drive?"
"Later."
"What else have you learned?"
"Cutie Marks. They rest on the deltoid and can be seen through cloths, but not armor. Some cloth designs that I have seen with long sleeves have cut outs in them at that point to show them off. It seems you and I do not have them. Yet. I also learned why our names don't work."
"How did you deduce that?" Ignatius handed his brother a piece of paper, and was told to examine it. "There's nothing on here." he stated. Ignatius nodded.
"I was taking a break when I decided to draw a design for a firearm. My design turned into a flintlock pistol. When I finished, I was saw the design disappear before my eyes. I wrote my real name and it disappeared. I tried again for both about five or six times before I gave up. I then sketched a crossbow and a sword on this," he handed Aquinas the paper with the drawings on it. They were there. "It seems that anything from our world will not be crossed over into this world. This includes our names." Aquinas was still confused, and Ignatius saw it. "Our names that we have now are obviously being used, or were used. As for our weaponry, I can only imagine that not only are they incapable of being brought into this world, the materials and machinery to make them does not exist. Yet, it seems indoor plumbing is not a fantasy."
"I am very thankful for that." Mark said as he rose from his bed and darted for the door that looked to be the portal to the bathroom. He shut the door behind him, but Ignatius could still hear the moan of relief and the sound of water hitting water. He returned to his book and continued his studying. A minute or two later, the sound of running water foreshadowed his brother's return from the facility.
"Feel better?" Ignatius said in an uncharismatic tone.
"Yep." Aquinas said with a smile. He looked to his brother who was seemed to be enthralled by the tome that was in front of him. "I think you need a break, dude."
"I took a break five minutes before you woke up." Ignatius said quickly. His concentration was set on the book.
"I mean a vacation, Matt." Mark said using his real name. "You have always been such an up-tight person. Why don't you just relax for once. If not at home, or with friends, then at least here where there is no danger." Mark's view on the situation was one of genuine excitement and awe. Matthew and he loved My Little Pony, and now they were in the semi-same universe that they could only dream of being in. Mark knew his brother well, not too well, but well enough to know that underneath that cold iron exterior, was a heart that could be only rivaled by that of a Saint. That same heart is the one he looked with when watching the show and it was the same view that gave him a deeper understanding to things. So many people owe their happiness to him; even more owe him their lives. Mark could only remember five of the actual thirty plus times that Ignatius had spoken to people who were on the verge of committing suicide or murder. However, it was that same understanding, saintly heart that left him vulnerable to the cruelties of humanity. That same heart was so fragile that Matthew only found it necessary to open his heart at certain situations. When those situations were over and done with, he would put his heart back inside in the only place safe enough for something so delicate. Inside the wolf's den. A metaphorical cave that was guarded by the proverbial canine that Matthew presented himself as. It bothered Mark greatly that he knew both sides of his brother; the saint and the beast. It also pained him to know why he was the way he was. Aquinas' contemplation on his brother was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Enter." he said.
When the guard outside the door heard this, he opened the portal and stepped in. "The Princess wishes for you two to join her for dinner."
"Her wish is not our command." Ignatius spat as he snapped his head back far enough to make out the form of gilded armor in his peripheral vision.
Aquinas sighed and shook his head. "WE would be happy to have dinner with the princess." He turned to his brother. "Come on, dude. Let's get some food in us." Ignatius just sat there and read his book. Aquinas' mood turned to a dead seriousness. "Sergeant, as an officer of the United States Navy, I am ordering you to eat dinner with Princess."
Ignatius tore himself from the book and tore into his brother with his eyes, which have narrowed and became dangerous to look into. "Are you seriously going to play that card?" he asked in threatening tone.
"Yes." Aquinas said flatly. "I am issuing this order because I'm not going to have you in pain in the morning because your body is eating itself, for no better reason than because you were too stubborn to acquire sustenance. This is basic shit. I am telling you this for your own good." He knew that his brother was a stubborn man, and after his Marine training, his tolerance for pain was increased almost three fold, this along with his stubbornness. He soon saw his brother rise from his chair after marking the page that he was on. It was only this and one other time that he ever had to use his rank over his brother. The other time was to stop him from killing a man who made the mistake of following them for too long when they strolled down a street one night.
"Yes, sir." Ignatius said sharply. Snapping his teeth at his sibling, who didn't even flinch.
The guard took that as his cue to lead the pair to the royal dining room. As they walked, Ignatius took note of all the windows. All of them could be easily climbed and broken into. 'So much for security' he thought. The pillars and wall tapestries gave enough cover to be good hiding spots. This palace was just one big pussy, just waiting to get raped by an experienced assassin. Which would be the only type of assassin that would have the balls to try and break into a place like this. And if one was to come, the guards would be useless because of their pattern. 'One big fuck fest' Ignatius mentally scorned Celestia.
As Ignatius scanned for defensive flaws, Aquinas took note of the windows too. Not the way that his brother did, but in the way that they were supposed to be looked at. With awe and wonder, he took note of beautifully adorned stain glass art works that each pane had. Depictions of the royal sisters and people of great worth. 'It must have taken months just to draw the designs for such pieces.' he thought to himself. The architecture of the support pillars and the stone carving on them were a marvel within themselves. An ivory white statue graced the hallway every hundred feet or so. Their shape varied from sex and race. Most looked to be great scholars or mages. Only a few had helmets, signifying their military status. However, the latter seemed to be the oldest of the other depictions. Obviously because of the peace that has been a constant in Equestria for who knows how long.
The party made it to the dining room in a few minutes. Both brothers' nostrils were assaulted by the aroma of hot food. The smell was so powerful that it hit them before the doors were even open. When the portal swung, the two, make that three, were struck by the marvelous spread of different meats and fruits. Aquinas' and Ignatius' mouths were salivating at the sight. As they both stepped in, the Princess, and the other guests, took note of their arrival. The guard hadn't told them of the other guests that would be sharing the dinner table. To Aquinas, it was a deal of his appearance. He hadn't showered or shaved, and now he was in a room with what appeared to be higher ups. To Ignatius however, this was a safety issue. He was not expecting this. He was expecting a private audience. This set him on edge. Eating is one of the times ,among sleeping and bodily relief, that made him vulnerable. So, having these guests and not having the information before hand made things rather difficult.
The brothers took the open seats across from each other in the middle of the table. Aquinas sat next to two men dressed in blue turncoats. Ignatius sat next a man dressed in a green double-breasted gentleman's coat and a woman dressed in a peach colored summer dress with tiny roses weaved into the braids of her auburn mane.
As the pair took their seats, the ten or so other posh dressed individuals took note of them. They examined their garb and mannerisms. As soon as Aquinas sat, he placed a napkin in his lap and sat with his arms on the arms of the chair. His posture spoke volumes to the elite that sat around him. Ignatius however, did not care for such pleasantries. He sat down and positioned his feet in a way that would allow him to make quick movements if need be. He relaxed his arms on the chair and took note of the silverware placement. He didn't like that the sharpest of the knives, obviously for meat, was placed so far from him. He would have to correct that later. The brothers were examined in silence by the guests, until Princess Celestia broke the silence.
"Everyone, I would like to introduce my two newest guests. Sir Aquinas." he stood up and took a polite bow and took back his seat. "And, Sir Ignatius." he just sat there and nodded. "Both of which I am honored to have here." The congregation clapped softly, a welcoming gesture to the brothers. More welcome to Aquinas, than Ignatius.
One of the men in the blue spoke first. "Allow me to be the first to introduce myself." said the man. "Request denied." Aquinas said evenly. The man recoiled a bit, but was met with laughter when a smile betrayed the former. The party was amused by the joke, even the man whom the joke was geared towards. "I speak in jest my friend." Aquinas said while still laughing. "Please, continue." The posh man chuckled again and said. "I am Mister Penny Worth. Owner of Riches A Plenty, the most successful jewelry shop in Canterlot." The boast was met with a knowing smile from Aquinas, and an expressionless face from his brother. "Could anyone that sits here vouch for this man's claim?" His challenge was met with swiftly when about ten or so bobbles and trinkets were presented to him. All of them beautifully ornate and stylish. Not to mention the amount of detail and craftsmanship each displayed. Aquinas sat upright and said. "I consider my challenge met and won. Good show, my friend." The rich man reveled in the praise.
"I must say though." said a woman from about three chairs down. "What is it that you and your companion do, sir Aquinas?" "An excellent question, Mrs. Treasure." said Worth. "What is it that you two do?" Aquinas sat comfortably in his chair and said "First of all, we are not companions, we are brothers. Second, we are militants in our native country." No sense lying. Gasps and oh's sounded in the room. "How exciting!" said another person, this one was sitting closer to Celestia. "Princess." he said. "You did not tell us we would be in the presence of warriors." The Princess only shrugged. The woman who sat next to Ignatius looked his way. "Does your brother speak true?" she asked, her tone was melodic and seductive. Ignatius played over her voice in his head a few times to filter out her intentions. The process only took the same amount of time that it took for him to have a sip of the hard apple cider that the servers were now pouring into the gold decorated, crystalline glasses placed before the guests. After he put down the glass, he said, "We are former militants of our country after our contracts expired, so now we serve as Private Military Contractors. We were picked up by Princess Celestia who thought it necessary to have some experience in her guard units." His lie worked so well that even the Princess herself was getting praise for making such a wise decision. The woman sitting next to Ignatius threw him a sly wink and a tiny, yet inviting, smile. He didn't show any sign of noticing, but in fact, her saw it as clear as day. He also saw the flirtatious way her eyes kept fluttering at him as he took sips of his drink.
The congregation seemed to have waited long enough. With a word or two, the party dug into the food before them. Even though the party was enjoying their meal, they still found time to chat. Each guest told their tale of their latest economic triumph. Even the woman next to Ignatius, whose name was Imperial Tiara, told of her newest victory over a rival business, using shrewd tactics and underhanded deals that, in Ignatius' book, earned her a couple of points. 'She knows how to get what she wants' he thought to himself. And from the way she was looking at him, he knew what she wanted from him. What she didn't know is that she would have a better chance at trying to fit a camel through the eye of a needle. However, that didn't stop her from trying. Using her flirtatious mannerisms during the dinner made it almost obvious to everyone around them. Aquinas already picked it up and let it go. He knew that she had no shot, but at least he would have an interesting show during his meal. It wouldn't be the first time that a woman hit on his brother, and he scarcely believed that this would be the last. He just hoped that she would not end up like the woman they had the pleasure of meeting a month prior.
After the servers cleared the table of the now full and sleepy guests, Princess Celestia suggested that the congregation move to the parlor next door. The parlor was as one could expect. Warm, inviting, and very plush. However , it was rather small. The carpet was rose and that same color was mixed in with peach on the furniture. Those that stayed with the party instead of going back to their rooms took note and openly admired the room's decor. They also noticed that Imperial Tiara's outfit fit in perfectly with it all. Everyone but Ignatius took their seats. He preferred to stand over by the book case and pick out a couple of tomes. Ones that interested him where those on history, etiquette, architecture, and one that surprised him most of all to see in posh castle parlor, was one on blacksmithing.
Tiara took her chance to break from the group when she saw the opportunity. Penny Worth asked about a painting that the princess seemed to enjoy and insisted on the latter telling how she got it. A favorite story of hers, one could see. So, when everyone was distracted, she made her way to the opposite side of the room where Ignatius was standing. She swung her hips a little bit more to make it known she was approaching. Though the result she wanted could have been achieved by walking in the shadow that the fire was making as it lit the room from the cherry wood hearth. She closed the book on him. Strike one. Ignatius' temper flared up enough to make him let out a less than silent snort. Tiara ignored it, then placed the book on the stand aside from them and put her arms around his neck. She drew herself in closer. Strike two. Her cyan eyes gazed heavily into his. Her breath was like the warmth you would feel from a lover with whom you shared your bed with and cuddled next to as a display of affection. Ignatius seemed to have stopped breathing, or if he was, he was breathing so quietly and subtly that it could not be registered.
"Why don't you and I leave the party and go back to my room." as she spoke, she looked down for half a second to check his pants for a sign that he was agreeing with her proposal. When she looked back up though, she got the most threatening stare that she could receive from another human being. She didn't take it like that though. Her smile didn't fade. "You can stop that now. I'm not going to give up. So why don't you just give in now and save your energy for the fun we are going to have later." She kissed him lightly on the lips, then a second time. The third time was a little more forceful. Ignatius' lips remained stiff. She was taken aback and looked at Ignatius with annoyance. "Why do you resist? Lower that guard of yours already!" Strike three. Ignatius grabbed Imperial Tiara by the throat and hoisted her up with one arm. His forearm ran down her torso, which meant all the weight was on that one point and Ignatius was able to lift her like a workout dumbbell. Because of her smaller stature, she was able to put at eye level with Ignatius and still have her feet dangling in the air. She gasped loudly in protest, and then grunted in pain when she hit the book case on the other side of the room after Ignatius threw her over there. The party saw the display of raw aggression and power. One of the women fainted from the sight. Everyone, including Princess Celestia, took a couple of steps back from the man that now looked as though he would have enough strength and rage to rip the arms off of a bear. Ignatius walked back out of the room and went back to his without so much as a word.
When he left the parlor with eerily quiet steps, Aquinas took it as his cue to go and help Imperial Tiara off of the ground, who was now coughing to regain her breathing pattern. The fainted lady rose up after Penny Worth gave her a light tap on the cheek to wake her up. When he helped Tiara off the floor Aquinas asked, "What did you ask him?" Everyone and their mother knew what she asked him. Yet she was hesitant to answer. "I tried to," she thought about her next words carefully "give him a proposal." "You tried to sleep with him." Princess Celestia said rather bluntly. The group looked at her in surprise. "You all know," she looked to Aquinas. "most of you know, that Imperial Tiara is a known temptress. I am not going to be pretend to be surprised he caught onto your game and gave you what for."
Aquinas shook his head. "That's not enough to make my brother do what he did." His gaze fell on Tiara. "Did you happen to ask him a question along the lines of, 'Why don't you lower your guard?" She thought it over and said, "It was more a demand." "Oh." Mark said in a that-answers-my-question tone. "That's why you got thrown into the book case." It was more to himself and to Tiara than to the crowd.
"Why is your brother so angry?" asked the woman in the purple hat, also known as Czarina Crystal. "Does he have mental anxieties from being so far from home?" Her oddly specific question would have been met with quizzical looks if she wasn't a known psychology clinic owner.
Aquinas shook his head. "Anxiety doesn't begin to describe it." he began. "My brother is very complex. So, I would like to drop the conversation on him at this moment to avoid any confusion."
"I see." Penny Worth affirmed. "Well, if the excitement has died down now, I believe I will be taking my leave. Come along, my dear." He locked his arm with Crystal's and made his way to their suite. Imperial Tiara and the rest of the guests bowed low to the monarch and followed them out of the parlor. She rubbed her neck and coughed again as she did.
"You" Celestia spoke. "spoke those words like this was a common occurrence." Her tone was more accusing than quizzical.
"Yeah." Aquinas said rather comfortably. "I'm just glad she didn't end up like the woman in Norfolk."
"How did she end up?" she almost regretted asking the question.
"In the hospital."
"I can't believe he would do that to someone for something so minor as the inquiry of sexual intercourse or the asking for him to lower his guard."
"Just to be clear, she tried to get it out of him after he told her 'no' by flashing a knife his way. She ended up having the weapon stuck in her abdomen when it initially started out pointing at his. As for his guard, my brother rarely lowers it. I have never seem him off of it unless he was sleeping. However, I would never know if he was or was not on his guard during the cycle. this all reminds of what happen to the woman in Maryland."
Celestia put up and hand and shook her head. "Wait!" she exclaimed. "How many times has this happened?" He tone was very assertive at this point.
Aquinas rubbed his chin in thought and said "Four times with women, and once with a man. You can guess what turn that conversation took." The princess shook her head. More for not wanting to think about it than not knowing.
Celestia sat down on a chair and rubbed her temples as a splitting headache tortured her. Aquinas stepped behind her and put his hands on her shoulders and rubbed them gently. She grunted when her nerves relaxed at his touch. She sighed heavily. Then she grunted again when Aquinas' thumbs rubbed on opposing sides of the part of her spine that was a few inches below the base of her neck while the other fingers rested on the top of her silk shoulders. "Princess." Aquinas said. "As I have stated before, my brother is not going to be the easiest person to deal with. At the moment, you are going to see the side of him he presents because he would rather hurt other people than let them in and give them the chance to hurt him. One day you will see the side of my brother that I knew when I was younger. The side that I know as my brother instead of the Wolf."
"Hmm?" Celestia said. "Wolf?"
Aquinas shook his head. "That will be another story for another time."
Celestia took a deep breath and let it out. "I hope you know that your brother's supposed lie at the dinner table was actually a thought that had crossed my mind."
Aquinas thought about it for a second and then remembered the statement Ignatius had made at the dinner table. "About being military contractors?"
"That's right, a little more to the right, please, I would like to keep you both here at the castle. I would like to have experience in my ranks and it would help keep an eye on the both of you. Well," she corrected herself. "I don't think it would be necessary for you. So if you wanted to take up the job it would please me greatly, or if you and your brother have other talents . . ." She let the inquiry hang.
"I think I will have to talk it over with my brother." Aquinas looked over to the table across the room and looked at the title. As an idea popped into his head he squeezed the top of Celestia's shoulders and rubbed her trapezoids with the bottom of his palms.
"Where did you learn to do all this. You're quite good." Celestia's muscles cried out in joy as he worked his magic.
Aquinas chuckled a bit and said. "My brother taught me. He originally gave me the lessons as a gift for my ex-girlfriend." Aquinas winced and scolded himself mentally for bringing that up. He didn't need to. 'You and your fat mouth.'
"You had a lady?" she asked, her curiosity peaked.
He sighed and said "Well, I did. But when I went off to the Naval Academy, I was so far away from her that our relationship kind of drifted away. We were still good friends after we broke up, but I guess it just wasn't meant to be."
"Did you love her?" she asked, and her tone was rather odd while asking the question.
Aquinas seemed to ignore it. "I did. However, love is like a glass heart made from two halves, and it takes two people with each half to keep the other from breaking by holding the other up. Kind of like a support. If the two people holding the heart are not close enough to each other or one decides to leave the other half, that unsupported half will fall and break on the ground, leaving that lover to pick up and repair the broken piece. Or you can have what happened to me, that is if the two no longer wish to hold the other's heart up or are too distant to hold it, they can separate and the two can still have their piece in one peace, than having their peace in pieces."
"That was beautiful." Celestia said in an amazed tone. "It was so . . . deep."
"Ignatius told me that one. It's what kept our relationship going and it's what got me through the break up." Celestia turned to face Aquinas from her seat. Her face was stuck like her mind, in a state of heavy confusion. Aquinas smirked. "I told you that my brother has a good side to him." Celestia turned back around and rubbed her temples again. Her headache was now making her vision blur. She couldn't comprehend the complexity that is Ignatius.
Aquinas continued to rub the princess' shoulders. "You don't have to keep going." she stated.
"I want to." Aquinas said evenly. "Anything to give you a bit of comfort during this time. My brother is not going to be a cake walk. He is going to strain your brain on more than a dozen occasions by the time winter rolls around. I just want you to understand that before you go insane by trying to figure him out. My advice is to just be direct and blunt. My brother is that way and if you treat him that way, he operates better. He says it tells him that you don't want to waste time, and time for him is precious."
"Why?"
"I don't even know. All I can tell you is that it holds importance to him."
Celestia's headache disappeared when she let her thoughts drift away. She realized that even with more than two millenniums of experience and wisdom under her belt, she still could not figure out every single puzzle that Ignatius had to offer. She would just have to settle for the knowledge she has now and the information Aquinas could provide. Just more questions, not one answer. One thing that Celestia was thankful for though is that she only had to deal with one of the brother being so difficult. She appreciated the kindness that Aquinas was showing her. 'Maybe figuring out Ignatius would be a waste of time.' she mentally noted. 'Aquinas on the other hand, is well worth the effort. I can get used to having him around.'

A Word With Alvi

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Alvi briskly walked down the hall with an old song a bard taught her on her lips. Her step was rather lively and it made her auburn hair bounce and sway. Even though her brown dress had some restrictions to it, she still found room to do a slight dance routine after she checked that the guards were not looking. As she strolled she heard something that made her ears perk up. Mumbling. Faint, as if it was in the distance but as she rounded the curvature of the hallway she soon found where the noise came from. Ignatius silently walked towards him. The only sound she heard were when his blue jeans sometimes grinded against itself. His shoes and feet hit the ground without a sound. This sent shivers up and down her spine. His face was set like stone in the most menacing scowl, with narrow eyes that seemed to drill into her soul and beyond. His lips barely parted but she could still hear faint words. His arms were pulsing as he flexed them. She didn't know if it was an intimidation factor, or if it was a way to spot that he was experiencing a great amount of stress. Even though it intrigued her, she still did not want to know. His icy stare and his silent steps told her that if she stayed in the spot she was in for too long she would either be shoved to the side or killed as a way to relieve some of his stress. So she stepped aside from the obviously dangerous man, giving him a respectfully wide berth. Ignatius didn't even look her way when he passed her. He mumbled something indecipherable again. Alvi's instincts for survival told her to run. Run far and run fast, putting as much distance between herself and that man. However, she had another voice run through her head and into her heart. It told her that she should speak to him. Get him to talk about his problems. Alvi didn't usually, well actually never, talked to anyone about anything except for royal business, but she saw a hint of pain in the scowl at one point, and that is what made that voice speak that much louder. This voice eventually won out and she quickened her walking pace and eventually had to start jogging in order to catch up with Ignatius' enraged stride. His long legs covering the same distance Alvi would cover in two strides in just one. She eventually caught up to him and was almost at his side. She went to grab his arm gently, but when she almost made contact, her wrist was nearly ripped from the rest of the arm when Ignatius turned around held her in position that set the woman off her balance as she was forced to lean backwards. She let out a squeal when she gazed into the man's eyes. Her own soul slapped her more than a couple of times for not following her initial instincts. She felt so cold that she thought the man holding her was actually a lich. Alvi's heart nearly beat out of her chest when her brain registered that at this point in time she would most likely die.
Ignatius held her with an extreme amount of rage. His heart rate was climbing as it was, and when he heard her footsteps, that number jumped from 80 to about 100 beats per minute. When she was about to grab him, his warrior instincts kicked in. If he didn't have the discipline that he had, she would have already been dead. It pained more than a few muscles to not be used to strike a killing blow to her neck at this point. He fought off the urge however, and decided to interrogate her instead. "What the fuck do you want?" he said with a breath so cold that Alvi's own breath could be seen. She was so terrified, she couldn't speak.
Ignatius twisted her arm a bit more, which sent shock waves up Alvi's arm. She mustered enough concentration at the means of motivation to utter the words. "I was going to ask you what was the matter?" If Ignatius had let go at that moment, Alvi would still be in that awkward pose. The dangerous man's gaze locked her in place with a gaze that Medusa herself would be too afraid to look into. He eventually let her go after his mental playback of her words came up negative as he scanned for any signs of deceit. As stated, Alvi did keep the stance. Her eyes fixated on the blue orbs that were set in the stone face before her.
"Well." he said. "Ask." His tone was demanding and stern. Alvi recovered from her position and rubbed her wrist.
When she regained her composure she said. "What seems to be the problem?" she asked in a rather concerned tone. She stood timidly, not knowing if she would be assaulted again. She then took a couple of steps back when no answer came.
Ignatius soon answered. "If you ask 'what isn't the problem', you won't get a two day long explanation.
Alvi pondered the words carefully. She got a hint that something deeper was at work here. "What isn't the matter?" she asked with more than a hint of concern in her voice. She truly became concerned for this man. His demeanor and his character were almost impossible to decipher. All she got from him was anger. An emotion she herself let take over at certain moments. However, her anger stemmed from the frustration and stress of being Princess Celestia's steward. Ignatius' anger and rage, from Alvi's stand point, sourced from a deeper, more interior battle. This is what she wanted to find out. Where does the rage come from?
"Well" Ignatius began. "I'm fed, clothed, warm, and hydrated with a place to sleep alongside my brother who also has the essentials that I have." Ignatius' venomous words leaked out and made a small pool as he spoke the words. Alvi's eyes looked to the floor and then back up to Ignatius. She didn't know what it was, but she just wanted to know more about this man.
"Ignatius?" Alvi said. Her mind told her to back off and run, but her heart made her say the words. "I see that you are in a lot of pain. I don't know where it comes from, but I would like to know." Her thinking mind almost exploded! This is so unlike her. She never expressed any sort of care or interest in anyone. Even Princess Celestia found herself at the end of a cold shoulder or silent treatment in these matters. This man was different though. After her initial encounter with the brothers in the throne room earlier that day, she was absolutely entranced by Ignatius. She saw her death in his eyes, but she also saw a man in death's shadow. It was a conundrum that she was fully trapped by.
Ignatius was never one for speaking about feelings. Although, he did like conversations about understanding. If that is what she was getting at, then he would be happy to oblige. If her inquiry was towards the former she would have to learn to operate without pinky fingers. He didn't like letting anyone in. Letting people in was the one way that he knew he would be left open for attack. His motto always was 'Leave the door open too long and flies get in.' This little motto kept him out of regrettable situations, but also kept him from experiencing certain things that one should experience. To Ignatius, someone got gypt, and it wasn't him. The sacrifice of happiness was minor compared to the position he had elevated himself to.
Alvi centered herself and her thoughts. She knew that if she was going to get anything out of him, she would have to be both compassionate and calculating. She might as well try to spin plates on her nose and juggle while also computing complex equations. The latter being the easier task. The more she thought about it , the more it seemed like she would be way in over her head, but she at least had to try. "Would you like to have this conversation in your suite?" her tone was level, showing that her intentions were purely set on business. Ignatius only nodded, turned around and walked towards the room where he and his brother were staying. Alvi followed. The length of the walk made her feel like she was on death row. When the pair reached the suite Ignatius opened the door and invited Alvi inside. She kindly accepted his offer and stepped in. Alvi took a seat closest to the door. Ignatius saw that she did as a precaution in case she had to make a quick escape.
'People are just earning points like crazy today'
When Ignatius took his seat, Alvi positioned her legs so that they looked comfortably placed but in reality they were strategically placed so that she could move quickly.
Ignatius smirked at this. To any other onlooker, she could fool them, however he was not the ordinary onlooker. He looked for things like this when encountering people and found it rather amusing that she would try such things on him. He shook his head and said "You can relax, Alvi." He leaned back in his chair comfortably. He tried to make it seem like he was not a threat, but in fact it was the way he relaxed that was the threat. He could thrust his hips and arc his back in one swift move and be on his feet in a fighting stance in less than a second. Alvi didn't pick up on this, but she was surprised he picked up on her movements. She was always so subtle when it came to things like this. She sighed in defeat and relaxed. If she was going to die at the hands of her opposite, she would at least die without strained and tired muscles.
"So." Ignatius began the conversation. "What, specifically, do you want to discuss?"
Alvi chose each word carefully. "I would like to know what pains you so." her tone shook when she said pain. She thought that that word above all would best describe his feelings.
Ignatius internally sighed. "What do you mean by pain?" His question was to make her understand that she was have to be very precise in her questions or she would get very cryptic answers.
Alvi picked up on this rather quickly. "What has been done to you that makes you treat situations with a sense of dominant cruelty?" Better question.
"There are many things that have happened to me in the course of my life that could cause such a thing." Ignatius let her have a bit of string to play with. "Too many to name or blame."
Alvi digested the answer and came up with a question that she knew he couldn't defend against. "What is the latest event that was the metaphorical straw that broke the camel's back?"
Ignatius smirked again. He could see that he was getting his way. "When I was betrayed." The smirk broke into a serious expression.
Alvi knew that at this point she was treading on unstable ground. One wrong conjunction and she could end up dead. Her mind told her to duck and run now. There was no point in digging any deeper, but her heart wouldn't let her listen to that. 'What is it about this man that made you so interested? Do you want to lay with him? Do you want him to marry you? WHAT IS IT?' Her mind assaulted itself again and again with similar questions. She couldn't help herself.
"How so?" She said without thinking.
Ignatius was hesitant to speak at first. He analyzed Alvi's demeanor. She was sweating and he could see that she here breathing was labored. She was scared. Frightened even. That is what he saw on the outside, but what was running through her head? What could he not see? He could tell that her instincts told her to get the fuck out of there. Yet she stayed. This intrigued him greatly. Ignatius decided to reward her bravery.
"It was when I was still part of my country's Air Force." Ignatius began. As soon as he said that, Alvi's breath seemed to be instantly released. Her face seemed to relax and her muscles followed. He knew that doing this meant revealing something from his past she could use against him in the long run, but if he knew she had this information, he could at least counter whatever she was planning. So with that in mind, he continued. "We, as a force, were the dominant air power in the world. Considering that we were a young country, it said something about us. It said we are the best and everyone knew it. I was part of Civil Engineering portion. I built and maintained roads and airfields. I got pretty good after about a year and a half." his boasting earned him another ear from Alvi. She would have more questions for him later, he knew. "I took some leave to go hunting one November day. When I made it to my tree stand, I saw that I was not the first to arrive there. I saw a woman with a rope standing in my tree stand. I sauntered over there in curiosity. I asked her what she was doing, and she said she was going to hang herself. Her life was no longer worth living she said. She put her head in the noose after she secured the rope and was about to jump when she stopped and said to me, 'when I die, just leave my body for the wolves to eat. I don't want anyone to find me'. She hesitated again and said, 'but please put me farther away from the hunting grounds. I don't want to scare the deer from you hunters'. I laughed a little. I said, 'you're not going to do it'. She gave me a look and I said 'if you were going to do it with the amount of resolve a person in a situation with no way out would do, you would have done it already and not cared about where you were buried or found. She looked down and stared at it for about five painful minutes and stepped back from the edge after she removed her head from the noose and wept. I climbed the tree stand and sat on the edge. She sat in the seat and kept crying. I allowed her some time to let it out and asked her what was the matter. She told me her family disowned her and her boyfriend, who caused the problem in the first place, left her. She soon lost her job and her apartment. So her only choice, so she says, was to end her life." Ignatius smiled and laughed. Alvi joined, finally relaxed enough to do so. "I told her how stupid that was. I told her that she lost everything. I told her that her world ended." Alvi looked at him in confusion, but her answer was quickly given. "She had the chance to start all over. Become a whole new person. It was a chance that only about five or six people in a few decades get. I told her she was the luckiest girl in the world. She smiled and shook her head. I told her it was true, and I told her that I could show her. We ended up falling in love and dated for about six months, and I knew that she was the one for me. I gained up the courage to propose to her." Alvi's eyes lit up and her face beamed. It all disappeared when Ignatius said. "However, I went down to her workplace to do so and she wasn't there. I asked her boss if she was in today and he said she left. She transferred to another store. I thought he was just fucking with me, but he showed me the letter he got from the corporate office. It didn't specifically have her name on it, and I expressed that. He told me they were looking for volunteers to go and she was the first to do so. I learned from her co-workers that a month prior, she got into contact with her ex and their relationship rekindled. She left me without so much as a note."
Alvi's eyes widened in disbelief. "Was there something wrong with your relationship?"
Ignatius shook his head. "We were textbook. Never fought and if we had a disagreement on something, it was resolved as soon as it started. We were the perfect couple. She just decided that she wanted to be with the person who caused her all her pain instead of the person who took it away."
Alvi's eyes sunk to the floor and a lump in her throat formed. She never thought that anyone would betray someone like him like that. "What happened after that?"
"A week later, some people from the Department of Defense were looking for crossovers into other branches. I took the opportunity to become a Marine. Within five days after my advanced training, our country went to war again. We won."
Alvi was scared to ask this next question. "What was your job as a Marine?"
Ignatius smiled with dangerous eyes. "To kill. All Marines are killers, and as Infantry I am no exception. After our commander-in-chief issued total war, we were able to win in less than two years."
"Total war?"
"Combatants and civilians alike were fair game. Half of my kills are civilians. They hid well, but as anyone back in the Corps can tell you, you can't run or hide from the Wolf."
Alvi was intrigued by the last word, so much she took her eyes from the floor. "The Wolf?"
Ignatius shook his head. "That will be another story for another time."
Alvi nodded. "Well, I think that answered my question. I thank you for taking the time to speak with me and help me understand who Princess Celestia and I are dealing with." She got up and bowed slightly before going towards the door. When she reached for the knob her hand was grabbed by Ignatius' own. She couldn't believe how fast this man could move. Nonetheless how silently. He gave her a look that she knew would haunt her for the rest of her life. A stone face with intense eyes. They were not wide with anger, nor narrow with rage. They were just there. She also notice something in his eyes. The shade of blue they were before had almost paled. They looked as if his own soul had left his body, only leaving behind a hollow shell. His expressionless face made her blood feel like tundra water. He let her free of his grip and free of his gaze. He turned his entire body around and walking back to his desk with only a single tome and two sheets of paper on it. Even though he was no longer interested in her, she still stood there. Her body was twice if not thrice as frozen as it was back out in the hall. Alvi was finally able to free herself after what felt like hours to her. Ignatius ignored her completely and flipped another page in the history book he was reading. She exited the room in complete shock. Her face was still in horror at what she saw. When she made it to her room, she closed the door and locked it behind her. The only thing she remembered after that was the feeling of velvet carpeting slamming into her face.
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Ignatius coughed when he heard the door close as Alvi left. He looked around and found a bottle of wine in a bucket with half melted ice encasing it. He completely disregarded the glasses and pulled the cork off with his mouth. He spit it out and took a deep chug of the alcohol. He internally sighed and spoke to the room. "I don't think I will ever forget the taste of duct tape."
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Author's note-Please give criticism. I need feedback! I don't think I did as good as I thought I could on this one. I hope to do better later. If you favorited, please tell me why in the comments.
1000Fights

New Duds And A Door With Iron Studs

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Aquinas came back to the room an hour later. The sun had set and the moon risen by the time he did. When he opened the door, he did so as loud as he could. He knew that his brother did not like surprises, so entering loudly would give it away that he was here. Better to appease him in this agitated state. When Aquinas entered the room, he found that his brother was passed out on the bed. His shoes were thrown across the room and a bottle of alcohol lay a roll away from his arm that hung over the side of the bed. He shook his head in regret. He only did this for one reason. To escape a painful memory. It is just that the only memory that he bothered to trouble himself with, usually needed a catalyst to help him remember. "What could it have been this time?" He looked around and noticed something on the chair closest to the door. It had some hair on it. He looked at the long strand deduced that it belonged to Alvi. For she was the only woman with auburn hair that would bother to talk to Ignatius. He pondered what she could have been doing in here, but he then decided that doing so would be a waste of time. Ignatius could just tell him in the morning. Time for sleep.
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There are a couple of things that one should not do: take food from a bear; wrestle an elephant; play rock-paper-scissors with a great white shark. When dawn broke over Equestria to begin a new day, the sun's warm eyelashes graced the beautiful land with a welcoming glow. Princess Celestia herself was amazed at how magnificent she made it look. It foreshadowed a good day. Ignatius laid completely comfortably in his bed. The plush bedding and silk sheets made him feel like he was floating on air. That was until he was awoken from his slumber by the sound of a bugle. Reveille played loudly in his ears. Ignatius' eyes shot open in terror. He was never late to PT and he always ensured this by waking up half an hour before hand. And PT started at reveille. He jumped out of bed and scrambled to find his shoes. He grabbed a hold of the cherry wood dresser in front of him and pulled the drawer out to find nothing inside. He looked frantically around the room for his gear, but all he found was a multi-color haired woman with her locks waving in a breezeless room and a 250 pound bulk of a man in shorts and a shirt rolling around on the floor in hysterical laughter, with a bugle on the floor next to them. Princess Celestia was visibly crying from the amount of laughter she was putting out. Mark recovered on his hands and feet, but he still had trouble getting to his feet. Ignatius helped him. He grabbed Aquinas by his hair and pulled back hard. His brother grunted his pain away and laughed again. Still finding the whole situation funny. However, the more he laughed the more he remembered the amount of trouble he was in. He always outweighed and outmuscled his brother by a large margin, but Ignatius had something that Aquinas, thankfully, would never have.
Concentrated rage.

Ignatius did not like jokes, especially those that were turned on him. He clenched his fist increasingly until his brother was bending backwards on his knees. He looked into the face of his older brother and a bolt of fear struck through him. He was already agitated from last night and he was fighting off his most painful memory. This however, made a distraction for his anger and frustration. Which was Aquinas' plan all together. The Marine hoisted up his brother as much as he could. Ripping out a couple follicles of his blonde locks while doing so. Since he only moved about half an inch under his brother's strength, Aquinas brought his feet under him and stood up while still slightly leaning back. The Navy Officer let out a grunt of pain as Ignatius jerked his head backwards again.

Princess Celestia saw this and retaliated. Well, at least she was until Ignatius, without taking his eyes off his brother, said "You make a move and I will extend his suffering." He twisted his arm slightly to prove his point. She backed off a step. She didn't want to be the cause of someone else's pain. Especially Aquinas'.

The Seaman could have made a move to get himself out of the iron grip, but with the position he was in he might as well try to cook poison blowfish. Come to think of it, doing that would actually come out as a good meal, or a painless death. Whichever it was, he was better off there than in his brother hands while he was in this state.

Ignatius rage subsided as he looked into his brother's eyes. He knew Aquinas knew that he would not be hurt beyond a fair measure. However, Aquinas knew that doing this would bring this kind of retribution, and because of that, is the reason he was being so harsh. He knew his brother had more discipline and wisdom not to do something like this. So in doing so, this told Ignatius that his brother chose to be stupid, and for that he must be punished. He punched his brother in the gut and let him fall. One could add 'Play a prank on an angry Marine' to the list of things not to do above.

Aquinas coughed a bit, but made it up to his feet. Relatively speaking, he got his wrist slapped. "Well." he said while softly rubbing his stomach. "Shall we get breakfast?" His tone was even and soft. To Princess Celestia, it seemed as such. This made her heart clench and her instincts screamed for safety. She nearly fainted from the stare she got from Ignatius. As cold as any ice. She now knows why Alvi was so fear struck last night. She figured it had to be this, just on the fact she felt the same way Alvi looked when she saw her that morning.

Aquinas looked to the two others in the room and quizzically examined them. "Well?" he said with rumbling stomach.

"Will we have more unannounced guests?" Ignatius snapped at Celestia, who just innocently shrugged.

Aquinas motioned to speak. "Ignatius, those guests were unannounced, and uninvited. They showed up on an emergency and wanted the issue resolved quickly. It got taken care of, but in a larger time frame than what they expected. So, with the Princess being the kind and generous person she is, and it being so late, the guests were obliged to stay for dinner."
Ignatius snorted and said "Alright, I see that. What was the problem though?"

Celestia shook her head and waved a hand. "It was actually nothing" the Princess sighed. "but to the Canterlot elite, they viewed anything that has to deal with money major." That poker face of hers did nothing to ward off Ignatius prying ears. He heard a crack somewhere. That usually meant someone was hiding something. All Ignatius had to do now was get the truth out of her. He turned to his brother. "Breakfast sounds good. Maybe on the way, we can talk." His tone was as even as he could make it. He was anxious to interrogate that shimmering haired broad. It was his turn to pin her up against a wall.
The trio left the room after Ignatius put on his boots and straightened his winkled shirt.
"Ignatius?" Celestia began the conversation as the door to the suite was left behind. "Do you always wear the same thing for days on end?"
"No." Ignatius said. "I sometimes wear them for months on end. If not weeks. Why do you ask?"

"Because" Aquinas interjected. "Princess Celestia is once again opening her arms in generosity. She is hooking us up with some new clothing. Something a little more presentable than our garb that we were now."
"I wonder what else she opens up on a regular basis." Ignatius said uncharismatically. Which was met with an open 'humph'. She then quickened her pace to get ahead of the brothers.

"Matt!" Aquinas said in a hiss behind clenched teeth. He go up to his brother and stood in his path. "Just because we played a prank on you doesn't mean you can insult the Princess like that."
"I think it means I can do whatever the fuck I please." Ignatius spat. His rage showed no signs of subsiding.

"Just keep your tongue behind your fangs, Wolf. I don't want to hear another word out of you unless you have something important to say. And when I say important, I mean, IMPORTANT. Do you understand?" Aquinas' tone was sharp and threatening. It was the only way Ignatius would know that the person speaking to him was serious. The use of his Marine Corps nickname, more a title than a nickname, also showed his contempt. He always had this kind of trouble with his brother when things were going good. Ignatius tended to not enjoy himself because he knew that at any point, the fun would end abruptly. So, he figured that if he didn't have fun at all, his time would never be ruined. While do so though, he would ruin everyone else's time while they were having fun. Another nickname he got was Buzz Kill. However, the Wolf was the reason for it all so the latter name superseded the former.

Aquinas turned around and went after Celestia. He was only able to catch her before she slammed the door to the dining hall. He slipped in and looked at her welling eyes. The lining of her sockets were moist and her lower lip quivered. Aquinas opened his arms and pulled Celestia in. His large arms gave her a feeling of security and warmth. She returned the hug, squeezing him tightly. Aquinas had to admit, for such a small size, she did have some strength. A knock on the door broke their moment. Aquinas answered it, knowing full well who was there.

Ignatius stood there with an expressionless face. His brother looked at him with a mixture of distain and disgust. "You are one of the best people I know, and yet you act like this. Despicable." Ignatius just kept standing there with his expressionless, stone-cold face. "I'll send out a plate and some silverware for you."

When Aquinas came back out with a plate of food, Ignatius was sitting against the wall with his legs crisscross. Facial expression, still the same. He put the food and utensils on the floor and went back into the dining room.

Princess Celestia was spreading some jam over some toast as Aquinas took his seat. He took the lid off of the tray and dove into the eggs. They were fluffy and filled with cheese. He loved cheese.

"It bothers me." Celestia broke the silence that Aquinas feared would last all the way through the meal.

"I am sorry about my brother's comment. It was rather rude of him and . . ." Aquinas was stopped by Celestia's hand on his. His heart rate climbed rapidly at the act, but settled when he saw the expression on her soft face.

"I don't mean that." she said in a reassuring tone. "It's not what he said, it's what you said. You keep telling me that your brother is a good person and that he has this wonderful caring side to him that it seems has past its existence. What bothers me is thinking to myself, what happened to him that made him this way?"

Aquinas dug his fork into a sausage and ate it. When he swallowed, he had enough time to come up with an appropriate response. "Princess." he said as the last of the meat made its way down his throat. "I wish I fucking knew."

Celestia gave the man a quizzical look. "I don't understand. You are his brother, and his closest friend. How could you not know?"

Aquinas sighed. "One weekend" he began. "I contacted my brother, and he told me that he had sent in his paperwork. I asked him what the fuck did he mean by that. He said to join the Marine Corps. I didn't understand why he did that, but when I tried to all he said was, I will tell you when this wound has healed, right now, I'm still trying to sew it up." he hit the food again and finished his meal. "I didn't see him for about half a year, then when I did, over Skype . . ." The Princess' quizzical look came back, but Aquinas was able to counter his own betrayal. "Advanced military communications, lets you see the other person even though you are miles away. Anyway, when I saw him, it was like looking into the face of a complete stranger. I knew what he was, but not who he was. And when the war ended, that recognition was even harder, until I started spending more time with him again after my instructors at the Academy gave me some well deserved freedoms. However, I still felt so cold around him, until we found the legends of Equestria again. We heard them again, and" Aquinas smiled. "it never felt so good to be next to my brother again. I knew it was him because of one distinct feature, his eyes. You can always tell my brother from anyone else who looks like him, a clone, a changeling, a doppelganger, from his eyes. When he heard those legends again, it made a part of him come back from a dark place. It brought my brother back." Aquinas didn't notice before it was too late that his hand slipped over Celestia's. The pair blushed as each retreated and giggled slightly. When they came back outside after Celestia finished her meal, Ignatius was leaning on the opposite wall to the door and flipped a coin. A coin that looked rather familiar. Aquinas shook his head at this. There is no way it could be the same coin. Could it?

"Ignatius." Aquinas addressed his brother. "The Princess here would like to take us to her tailor and have some cloths made for us. We are going now."
"Ignatius crossed his arms and said, "What's wrong with the cloths I am wearing now?"

"They don't fit the place we are living in. Also, we need to get out of these things. I am starting to stink, and so are you."
Ignatius sniffed his armpits and shrugged. "Lead the way."
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Metal struck metal striking metal. The forge worker beat the heated steel into the desired shape on his anvil. He stopped his work on the piece when it grew cold. He put it back in the flame of the forge and pulled on a handled rope to give the flames a boost. He looked contently into the dancing tongues. He always loved the sight. Today was different though. The flames seemed to become more lively. The forge seemed 'younger'.

He knew what this meant, for the same thing happened just sixty years ago. "It is about that time again, old friend. You will have a new friend, while I have my rest. It is going to be hard to say good bye, but I feel as though your new friend will bring more than himself to see you flick your tongues and feel your heat. No, he will not be alone, or at least for long." With that, the metal was ready for another beating. The blacksmith adjusted his apron, picked up the steel with his tongs and went to work with his hammer. This was going to be the best armor he will ever make in his life. Come to think of it, it was the last set he would ever make.
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The trio made their way down more than a few hallways till they found one with a sign at the end of the hallway. It read 'THE SILVER BUTTON'.

"This is it." Celestia said proudly. "My personal tailor. He is one of the best in Equestria, and knows more about fashion than anyone I know."

"As I can well imagine" Aquinas said. "you know quite a lot of people."

"I do." she said, with a nod.

The tailor's boutique was as one could expect. Line from wall to wall in design patterns and fabrics. It would seem that the owner has almost every type imaginable. To Aquinas, it was like when he was getting fitted for his dress blues. He remembers the momentous occasion like it was yesterday. It wasn't the process, that was boring, but it was the way her felt in them that made him feel like a million bucks. However, as one could already guess, Ignatius found this place, not to well to his liking. It was lined with posh material, suitable for a Canterlot elite, or a military officer, but to a war fighter like himself, it was no place he would want to stay for very long, or even go inside for that matter.

When Aquinas opened the door for the rest of the party to step through, a bell over the door rang out. When it did, a voice rang out. "Coming!" the fruity voice sent Ignatius' ears in a frenzy. 'Fag' was what went through his head. He normally didn't have a problem with homosexuals, in fact two of his closest allies in the Corps were gay, but it was the way that a certain type acted is what he disagreed with. And he had a feeling that this guy was one of those people. Those suspicions were confirmed a moment later.

A man soon made his appearance with a ballerina twirl and dramatic pose from the back room. He wore a white long-sleeved t-shirt under a blue sparkle studded vest and white bell bottomed pants, sharing the same color as the undershirt. His bleached hair was styled in what was known to the brothers as the 'Beiber'. His cutie mark was a spool of red thread and a needle and his hands had gems embedded in them, signifying that he was a unicorn.
This is what Ignatius hated about over eccentric people. They were known as 'attention whores'. Always trying to make themselves known within a mile radius. The exact opposite of what Ignatius was. He was rather quiet and often avoided a scene where he was the focus of it all. Last night was one exception.

Aquinas stepped forward and addressed the man. "Good day to you, sir." he said in a polite and invigorating tone. "My brother and I are here to experience your art of fashion, which was highly recommended by Princess Celestia."

The eccentric man recovered from his pose and pressed he clenched hands against his cheeks in excitement. "She did?!" he said with a high pitched gasp.

Princess Celestia smiled and shrugged innocently. "I would be lying if I said you weren't one of the best, Charmer."

"OH!" Charmer scorned himself with knock on his noggin. "Where are my manners?" He turned his attention to the brothers. "My name is Sparkle Charmer. Princess Celestia's personal tailor. And you are?"
"Ensign Aquinas. United States Navy." he said with a sense of pride.

"Oh, what's a strong, handsome, foreign military officer doing in Equestria?" the man asked with obvious curiosity.

"When I figure that out, you will be the first I will notify." Aquinas shook the man's soft, spongy hand.

Charmer turned to Ignatius and smiled. "And you good sir?"

Ignatius took his hand firmly and almost broke it with the amount of strength he was putting into the gesture. "Sergeant Ignatius. United States Marine Corps. Brother to Aquinas."

Charmer pulled his hand away with a weak smile. One could see his hand throbbing from the amount of blood rushing back to it. He shook it off with a weak giggle and his smile weakened more. Charmer could already tell that this man wasn't going to be the easiest to deal with. So, he turned his attention to the opposite brother and said. "Well. How may I be of service to you, gentlemen?"

Princess Celestia spoke up. "We came here to see if you can give us some Vitamin C."

Charmer gave her a quizzical look. "Why do you think I can give that to you?"

"Because your such a fruit?" Celestia said with a hearty laugh.

Sparkle Charmer gave himself a face-palm and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He sighed and said "I swear, someone, someday, is going to make a joke about your constant comments."

"We already have." Ignatius said with a slight smile. "We call such acts in our homeland trolling."

"Trollestia!" Aquinas exclaimed.

The Princess gave him a shocked expression. "I thought you were on my side?" she said. Her tone and red face expressed that she did not like the title.

Aquinas put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Princess. It's all in good fun." Everyone nodded in affirmation with a laugh, which was accompanied by a smile, or just a smirk.

Celestia chuckled and said "The reason we are here" she addressed Charmer. "is the matter of fitting these two in with Canterlot society. Clothing wise for now."
"Oh joy!" Sparkle Charmer squealed. "Let's start with you, Sir Ignatius!"

"Excuse me, Charmer." Princess Celestia interjected. "Ignatius will not be fitted by you." Another confused look came to Sparkle's face. The same expression came from Ignatius. "Ignatius will be fitted by Twisted Horns."

"Who's Twisted Horns?" Ignatius asked in an interrogating tone.

"He's a minotaur." Princess Celestia clarified. "He works the forge here at the castle."

"Oh, why would you want him to be fitted by him?" Charmer said with whine. "I could do a much better job at giving him the best fashions."

Charmer's words fell on deaf ears. "Ignatius is one for functionality, not fashion. He's a war fighter, and should be dressed as such." Ignatius gave the royal woman a look of appreciation and admiration. He truly did not expect such a thing.

Princess Celestia gave a wave of her hand to signal that he should go about his business with Aquinas. Charmer gave a low bow and pranced over to Aquinas who went on to talk about his idea for his garb.
"Come with me, Ignatius." Celestia bid the Marine. "I will take you to see Twisted Horns." Ignatius merely nodded and followed the monarch.
As soon as the door to the tailor's office was in the distance, Princess Celestia spoke. "So, Ignatius, your brother told me some interesting things yesterday."

Ignatius turned his head to greet her with a quizzical stare. "Like what?"

"Like your explanation of what love is." she said with confidence.

"Oh" Ignatius said in a is-that-all tone. "So what?"

"Well" she said. "It was just so heartfelt and beautiful, it seemed almost alien to me that you would say such a thing."

"You better tread carefully, lest you want to know why they call me the Wolf." his tone was threatening and dark. However, this only led the princess to try harder to stand her ground.

"That is another thing that your brother told me. Even he doesn't know why you left your Air Force."

"And you want to know why?" he snapped.

"No." she said with confidence. "I want to know why he doesn't even know."

This put Ignatius back a step after a second of thought he said "He doesn't need to know such things. It doesn't concern him. Plus, he's just better off not knowing."

"Does he know this reason?"

"Yes, and he understands." he said flatly. "He also understands that he shouldn't pry into such things."

"I don't mean to pry, Ignatius." Princess Celestia said in a sincere tone. "I only wish to understand."

"Understand?" he snapped again. "I don't think you can understand what I've been through."

"I think your right." Celestia conceded. "I don't think I will be able fully understand what you may be feeling on the subject, but I want to know at least one thing."

"What would that be?"

"What does it take to turn a good man into someone like the man I see here?"

Ignatius stopped in his tracks for a moment. He wasn't expecting a question like that, and there was only one answer. "One too many stabs to the heart." he said. Ignatius stepped off again after letting out a breath. When he caught up to the monarch, the expression of pain and sadness that crossed his face was dropped like it was made of lead and replaced by his usual, angry scowl. When he caught up to Celestia, he gave a glare of contempt.

The princess saw this and finally knew why. It was just so simple that she would have spent years trying to analyze such a thing, but be so complicated in her reasoning that she would have missed something so basic. Ignatius wasn't angry because he was wounded. No. He was angry because he didn't want to deal with the sadness and the anguish. He wasn't fighting everyone else around him to deal with his internal struggle, he was trying to run from his pain. And from what she just saw, it wasn't far behind him. Princess Celestia was trying to think about this more, but quickly remembered what Aquinas said. So instead, she changed the subject. "Your brother seems to be a unicorn."

Ignatius face was still set like stone, but his expression seemed to have softened. 'It was his eyes.' "Yeah." he said. "He does have the crystals on his hands."
"And he told me that you have wings, but they are different."
"I wear them like tattoos."

"I only know of three pegasi in my life that have had that quality."

This peaked Ignatius interest. "What does it mean to have this ability?"

Princess Celestia's eyes left and went to the floor. Her hair covered her face. She didn't want to answer that question. It was all too painful for her to relive again, but she came to a revelation. If she was to tell her story, then she might be able to get something out of Ignatius that he wouldn't normally reveal to anyone. So with that in mind, she took a deep breath and began.
"It would have to have been nine centuries ago. The first that came with such an ability was captured by my guards for espionage. He escaped in the night and about one hundred years later, another came, but he was just a salesman trying to make his way in the world when he was discovered. He was questioned, but claimed that he thought he was the only one to have that happen to him. I didn't sense any deception, and my magic didn't pick anything up as well. So, he was set free." Celestia choked back her tears. The last part of the story was just too painful.

Ignatius' heart swelled and his throat became dry. He could feel the sadness resonating from the woman. He came in close to her and put a hand on her shoulder. She stopped walking and put back her hair to reveal her swollen orbs, but it also revealed Ignatius' face. He didn't express confusion, or have on the his usual face of interrogation. No, he expressed sympathy. Perhaps even empathy. Celestia looked into his eyes. They did not show the pale blue that she usually saw, but a glowing turquoise. He came in closer to her. "You don't need to go any further." he said in a sympathetic and understanding tone. "I know what it's like to have a memory you want to forget. A memory you wished someone would tell you that it was all just a bad dream." He put his other arm around her and held her close. She didn't know how to respond, but as if on instinct, she returned the embrace. Her tears retreated and so did the memory. 'Gosh, he's warm' Celestia thought to herself. She smiled slightly and hugged Ignatius harder. Ignatius held his expression that Celestia saw. He knew what she was feeling. It was the feeling he had had for years.

Ignatius let her free from his embrace and looked into her eyes of hot pink. Celestia's eyes became dry once more and she breathed a sigh of contentment. They continued to walk in silence. Celestia's heart was as heavy as the anvils in the forge where they were heading. From what she could gather, Ignatius was a high strung individual. He also had some anger issues. On top of that, he was also quite deadly, though she hoped she would never have to witness his prowess on the battlefield, one thing that she could not wrap her mind around though, was what had just transpired back there. Ignatius seemed sympathetic and also expressed empathy. The only thing that Celestia could think of is that he is going through the same pain and he wanted to extend his hand to her to tell her that she was not alone in her inner turmoil. Her curiosity was peaking, but soon declined when she wanted to know his story. She had gotten the gist of it from Alvi that morning, but there seemed to be more to it than that. A thought had crossed her mind, a thought that she mentally slapped herself for. There was no way a man like Ignatius would ever. Would he?

A sizable wooden door with iron studs on the outside of it came into view as the pair rounded a corner. Above the door was a sign with branded lettering that read Metal Ringing. The insignia behind the door looked to be that of an eagle.

"We are here." Celestia stated. "Go on inside and see Twisted Horns. He will be happy to see you."

"Why would he be happy to see me?" Ignatius asked.

"Horns is always happy to see a new face." Celestia answered. "Especially one who has already touched hot metal with a hammer. Remember to have fun." She started to walk away, but Ignatius stopped her. "You're not going inside?" Princess Celestia turned around and said. "No." and she walked away. Leaving him with the wooden door. It's presence seemed to have a foreboding feeling to it. Like if he entered, he was not coming back out the same. The same feeling hit him in the Leadership Room back during advanced combat training. This door however, had a greater intensity to it. Ignatius body just froze. He reminded himself that he didn't have much of a choice but to go in and see the forge master. He took small steps up to the door and grabbed the handle. The metal was rather warm, but it didn't burn. He opened it slowly and stepped in. The room was dimly lit by the forge, which emitted a rather healthy glow. At the anvil was a blue furred minotaur pounding away at the heated piece of metal he held with metal tongs. He looked to have a set of horns that twisted backwards and curled in about three or so loops. This obviously had to be Twisted Horns. The man beast placed the metal back into the forge and pulled a handle down that gave the flame more air. The wheezing from the bellows echoed throughout the room. "Come in. Come in." said the minotaur. "I have been expecting you." Ignatius took a cautious step in and closed the door behind him. "Princess Celestia told you of my coming?" he questioned. "No." Horns answered. "I knew you were coming because my forge told me so." A quizzical look crossed Ignatius' face. "How did it tell you that I was coming?" The minotaur smiled "No." he cackled. "But, that doesn't mean that your presence here is not appreciated. Come! We have much to discuss."
_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sorry if I offended anyone with the writing on Sparkle Charmer. I didn't mean to hurt any feelings. If, I did, my deepest apology to you.

1000Fights

I Like The New Look

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Aquinas looked in the mirror with a sense of esteem and pride. He always felt good in new formal attire, and this time was no exception. The royal blue frock coat was complimented by the waist coat that shared the same color. Both were trimmed with gold and the buttons were rather intricate in their design. A white silk ruffling protruded from the middle of the coat. His breeches were bleach-white and tight fitting. His built legs seemed to almost rip out of the thin fabric, but the material to make them was rather strong, even though it was so light. It not only managed to hold its form, but didn't rip when he moved his legs in different positions. Some of which being almost unnatural to any sort of movement that one would expect to be making while wearing such attire.

"I must say, Charmer." Aquinas said with enthusiasm. "This has got to be one of the best outfits I think I have worn. My dress blues are my favorite thing to wear, but this just might make the list of attire that I will want to wear to every occasion."

Charmer beamed at the statement. "You think so?" he squeaked. "I was afraid that you wouldn't like the style or the color. Though I take all that into consideration when designing clothing. Except yours was actually easier than most."

"Why is that?" Aquinas asked in humble curiosity.

"Well . . ." Sparkle Charmer's voice trailed off. He found the next words hard to say. "It's just that . . . I usually have designs that fit the princess', or anyone else's . . . cutie mark."

Aquinas chuckled at this. "In case you didn't know, Mister Charmer." he said. "I, along with my brother, are not natives to Equestria. We do not have or get cutie marks. At least as far as I know."

"Oh." Charmer said. "I just didn't want to offend you is all."

Aquinas chuckled again. "You have done no such thing, my friend."

Charmer beamed again. "I have made another friend!" he cried out with a crack in his voice. "Oh I can't wait to tell Winter White."

"Who's Winter White?" Aquinas asked as he creased his collar and fluffed up his jacket while looking in a mirror. "Are they one of your friends in fashion?"

"No." he said with enthusiasm. "She's my wife, silly."

Aquinas jolted when he heard that. He slowly turned around with an embarrassed expression on his face. "You have a wife?" he asked hesitantly. He failed to hide his tone that gave away his thoughts on the man.

"Yes." Charmer said without skipping a beat. "What, did you think I was gay?" his innocent smile told Aquinas that he missed the tone completely, or if he did he obviously didn't care.

Aquinas just laughed heartily. He knew that if he said anything it would land him in hot water, so instead, he just laughed it away. When Sparkle Charmer laughed with him, he knew he was off the hook. The sun was diving down into the horizon. He didn't notice how late it was until now. "Well, Charmer" Aquinas said. "it seems our work here is finished. I will be sure to come around again to see you and your wife." Aquinas outstretched his hand for a shake, but was met with a hug. He returned it in full.

Aquinas was about to leave when he spotted something near the door. A long black coat. He turned back around to the designer and said, "Hey, Charmer. Does this coat belong to anyone?"

Charmer's face screwed up and he gave a snort of contempt. "That ugly thing?" he cried. "One of the guard officers left that in here and never came back for it. That was about two weeks ago, so I would doubt that he is missing it. If you want, you can take that thing as far away from here as possible."

Aquinas chuckled slightly and said, "I will, thank you." he grabbed the coat and waved goodbye.

"Don't be a stranger now!" Charmer called out to him before he left.

This would be perfect for Ignatius.
______________________________________________________________________________

Twisted Horns continued to beat the hot steel on his anvil as Ignatius worked and sewed the last of the strips into the leather armor. Ignatius had chosen a simple leather cuirass with the same style as ballistic body armor. It had an opening on the side that allowed for easy access into the armor and the shoulders did not extend past his trapezoids. It wasn't elaborate or designed with fashion in mind, but it was functional. After an hour and a half bath in water, the leather had become hard to work, but Twisted Horns had told him that the armor would be as strong as steel. Only a small 1x1x1/16 piece taken from the hide was able to almost stop a knife coming down, point first. Ignatius was rather impressed by this, but when he was about to ask why this was so, he was cut short by the ringing of metal.

The minotaur worked the small piece of steel that Ignatius could see was meant to be a knife. It curved back somewhat and looked like a miniature scimitar. The man with tattooed wings looked upon the hulking man-beast with curiosity. From what he could gather from the rhythm and the precision of the blows, Twisted Horns was very experienced in his craft. From what he had gathered from the many fan-fics he had read in the past, minotaurs were masters at the forge, but that wasn't what was so interesting. He seemed happy. Extremely happy. He could never spot the hybrid being frowning or having a stoic, concentrated expression cross his face. Ignatius looked closer at Twisted Horns, and even though the light from the forge was barely enough to make out, he could see that the forge worker was very, very old. His beard was short, but his horns were large and curled out to twice the size of his head on either horn. This confirmed the Marine's suspicions about him. Yet here he was, lifting a heavy hammer and pounding away at the steel he held in the tongs with the same gusto and someone Ignatius' age.

Twisted Horns caught on to Ignatius' staring and put the flattened metal on the anvil and put the hammer back on the small rack next to the forge. He took a seat on a massive wooden chair and looked at the young man with an eye of understanding, all while still maintaining a genuine smile.

"You have many questions, don't you?" he asked.

Ignatius gave a nod. "I do."

Twisted horns gave a gesture for a seat on the floor. Ignatius took a seat a bit farther than he would sit in front of anyone else on the account of the fact he wouldn't have to strain his neck so much to look up at the towering man-beast.

"Ask away, young one." He seemed rather nonchalant, or maybe because of his supposed age he just really didn't give a shit.

"Well" Ignatius began. "I've noticed that you don't seem to share the bovine horns of your kind."

Horns chuckled at this. "Of course I do." Ignatius cocked his head slightly in confusion. This only brought another chuckle from the horned man. "I have the horns that my kind is supposed to have."

"But you're a minotaur." Ignatius said in a protesting tone.

"Only half minotaur, the other half is satyr. So, my kind is a complicated. The latter species came from my father." he laughed and said. "Oh yes, my father loved big women!" Ignatius joined in on the laughter. He even had a few girlfriends who where a bit on the heavy side.

After the laughter had subsided, Ignatius spoke again. "I have also noticed that you show a lot of life experience." He didn't want to offend him by calling him old. Then again, only a fool would try to piss off what looked like a humanoid apocalypse.

"Ah yes." Twisted Horns said with a sigh of acceptance. "I do have many years under my belt."

"Just how old are you?"

"I am about three hundred years of age. In fact, my birth date is in two weeks." he gave another sigh, similar to the one he gave earlier. "Minotaurs only seem to last about two hundred and seventy years, give or take five years, but that's what you get for becoming a blacksmith for a princess. You get treated rather nicely."

"How long have you been here at this forge?" Ignatius still had one more question after this one.

"Last Wednesday marked my sixtieth year."

Ignatius' last question was the event he had trouble understanding earlier. "What was with the leather? I mean, what was it about the bath that we gave it that made it so strong?"

Twisted Horns went around his back and produced from a pouch, a small mound of dust in his hand. "Do you know what this is?" he asked. Ignatius shook his head. "It is Canterlot rock salt. It cakes the entire inside of the caves beneath the city. Most people had forgotten such caves exist."

"Well, what does it do?"

"When the leather is heated by the water it expands slightly and opens the pours of the animal skin. The rock salt I put in there sticks inside the pours and stays within them when the leather starts to dry out while in the bath. The some of the heat that is generated from the forge goes through a set of pipes that heats the drying rack up and makes the leather harder because of the loss of moisture. However, the rock salt is what makes the leather almost strong enough to withstand even one of my blades. Steel works just the same, only the salt must be added during the folding process. Otherwise, it doesn't gang with the metal and leaves only a starchy white residue on the piece."

Ignatius just came up with another question as he looked at a blade that was racked over the minotaur's head. "I notice you use forge pattern welding?" He was going to say Damascus steel, but that would just confuse the man-beast.

"Yes." Twisted Horns said with a sense of excitement. "Forge pattern welding, or Heroes' Steel, is all that minotaurs make. It requires the most attention and the most skill to produce, plus it is the strongest metal there is."

"Why do you call it Heroes' Steel?" Ignatius asked.

"Because someone decided that because they wielded a blade of that nature that it should be called such." the monster shrugged his mountain of shoulder muscles. "It is what it is."

"Do you think that I can learn to make some?" Ignatius said with more than a little enthusiasm in his voice.

"Sure." Twisted Horns said. "Come back tomorrow, and I will show you how to wield a hammer like a true blacksmith. But first, let's finish this blade for you, shall we?"
______________________________________________________________________________

Aquinas made his way down the hallways and corridors of the majestic castle. It's stained glass windows and beautifully detailed sculptures were a sight to see. Even with the splendor of the artwork, there was one problem . . . he had no idea where he was. He didn't exactly know the palace that well, and the fact that the guards were nowhere to be found, made his quest to find the princess, turn into a sort of maze game. Though this truth was rather apparent, he knew better than to panic. He just kept walking at a leisurely pace until he came to a familiar staircase. He went up it and soon found an adorned wooden door. He opened it and found that it led to another room with a blue staircase going up it. He ascended the steps to find a the same library that he and his brother had found themselves in a day ago. Across the room where a wall of assorted books was carefully stacked. He quietly stepped up and was immediately flanked by a purple, bipedal lizard.

"How's it going, Spike?" said the naval officer as he gave the baby dragon daps.

"Not much, Aquinas. Yourself?" the little reptile's voice was rather nonchalant. Almost like Aquinas had been his friend for years.

"Doing good, I got some new cloths from Sparkle Charmer. He does really nice work." Aquinas wasn't the sort to take part in vanity, but he felt rather important in his new attire.

"Well, I see that Charmer spared no expense in making your wardrobe. He made this for me. I think it looks rather snazzy." the little lizard-person clutched the front of his shirt and puffed out his chest.

"I share the thought, my scaly friend." the officer said with a slight laugh. His smile stayed, but the subject took a serious turn. "There is something I need help with, Spike. Do you think you can assist me?"

"Sure." his green eyes lighting up with enthusiasm. "What do you need?"

Aquinas opened up his mouth to speak, but a loud rumble front his stomach answered faster than his vocal chords did. The militant just chuckled heartily with the bipedal reptile. "I think you can guess that I need some food, yet I know nothing of this castle, and I seemed to have lost my way. Can you help me get to the dining room?"

"Of course, Aquinas." Spike happily piped. "Twilight and I are about to go down there now, why don't you come with us?"

"Because, why would I want to hang around a bookworm and her smelly pet?" Aquinas was careful to change his tone to let the child know he was kidding.

"Yah." Spike said with a shrug. "I mean, we wouldn't want a mirror lover like you to get a bad rep for slumming it." Again with these points!

Aquinas laughed and said. "Where is Miss Sparkle, by the way?"

Spike's shoulders drooped and his eyes reluctantly made their way over to his left where a stack of books towered over the man's head. "She's inside her, "fortress of knowledge" over there. She hasn't come out since she went in there."

"When was this?"

"Since before breakfast."

"Twilight Sparkle!" Aquinas cried. "Get out of there and eat something. You're going to eat yourself alive if you keep doing that. I buried one of my fellow officers because he was so caught up in his work he forgot his most basic need."

A purple headed girl made her way into view from behind the book stack. Her eyes were wide with fear and she was visibly shaking. "D-Do you really mean that?" she said in a timid voice. Twilight looked like she hadn't eaten in a while, and the sudden revelation of death was not something that came across the youth often. She looked at her stick-like arms and her eyes started to tear. "I-I-I don't want to die." her voice shook.

Aquinas stepped over to her and wrapped her in a hug. His new cloths started to become stained with salty, eye water. The Ensign stroked her hair and patted her back. "Oh, I'm sorry, Twilight." he said in a sincere tone. "I didn't mean to scare you, I just was trying to make a point." He put her back a bit and picked up her chin with a hand. "I'm sorry."

She whipped the tears off her face and from her eyes then gave a weak smile. "It's okay. It's just that" she sniffled. "I was reading some books on death and dying, and the sudden shock that I was denying myself something as simple as food would ultimately lead to my doom, kind of got the better of me. All this because I was too busy to notice. I just want to please my teacher so badly, and . . ."

Aquinas put up a hand to stop her. "Twilight." Aquinas said. "You must understand that Princess Celestia, even though I've only known her for a day, I believe I can safely say that she would be proud to just have someone like you to teach, but you must also understand that she is a very benevolent woman, and wouldn't want her favorite student to starve herself for the sake of learning."

Twilight gave a stronger smile. "I guess not." she chuckled a bit. Aquinas removed his hand. She continued to stare at him even though his hand had returned to his side. He sparkling orbs were like glistening pools of intense light that the young naval officer would only think to find on someone with just as much wonder lust as a first time adventurer.

"How 'bout we go get something to eat?" he said with a slightly embarrassed sigh.

"Sure." she said in a dream struck breathe. "I'll take you the dining room where we can have a proper meal together." This time her voice came with a slight squeal at the end, but not before she turned to her companion and beckoned him to follow. She grabbed Aquinas' hand and led him down the stairs and down a couple of hallways. Her grip on the hand that wasn't holding the coat was only enough to lead him, even though she was squeezing his hand rather tightly.

It wasn't until about three or so more corridors that Spike spoke up. "Hey." He said while sniffing the air. "What's that smell?"

Twilight stopped her seemingly endless pace and also sniffed the air. "What smell?" she said, not being able to use her sent as keenly as the dragon infant.

Aquinas also sniffed the air. He didn't smell anything either, but if the smell was foreign to the child, he figured it would be worth investigating. "Spike." he beckoned. "Where is the smell coming from?"

Spike sniffed the air again and pointed to a hallway adjacent to the one that led to the dining room. "It's coming from that way."

The trio walked down the hallway with a bit of pace. As they drew near, Spike wouldn't travel any further. He shook his head and backed up from the direction of the smell's origin. "It's becoming too strong. Whatever it is, there must be a lot of it. I'm not going any further." The purple scaled reptile took more than a few more step back. He had to hold his nose from the irritation of the smell.

Twilight picked up the scent and crinkled her nose. "I don't know what that smell is, but whatever it is, I don't like it. It smells like . . . metallic. What do you think, Aquinas?"

The naval officer just stood motionless as he stared down the empty hallway. It looked as if he was replace by a statue. His breath seemed to become imprisoned in his lungs. Twilight looked at him with a quizzical and analyzing way. His eyes became detached and distant.

Aquinas knew the smell that they were smelling, and it frightened him greatly to smell this scent. Twilight had been right in her statement about it having a metallic character to it, but it also smelled rather peculiar in nature. It was unique. It actually was so unique that Aquinas would and could never forget a smell such as this. For it was the smell that he has had both coming from, and off of him.

Blood.

The memory of the smell was permanently burned into his mind. So mistaking it for anything else, was next to impossible. After what felt like an eternity and a half, he turned back to Twilight and gave her the most deadpan face that she had ever seen.

"Twilight." he said with a cold tone. "I want you and Spike to go take a hallway back and stay there, okay?"

"But, why?" she asked. The studious part of her brain working to find a solution to the silence-and-expressionless-face conundrum. "Is something wrong?"

"Just go." he said. Aquinas' eyes narrowed with intensity. The young girl took a step back and then fully turned to start off down the hall to collect her assistant.

Aquinas took a breath to steady himself, then put one foot in front of the other to go and investigate where the smell had come from. He made it to the corner where the smell of the blood was the strongest. He gentley placed the leather coat on the ground as to not make any noise. Aquinas put his back up against the wall and took another breath.

From the corner he used his elbow to pivot off of and rounded the corner. As he cleared into the hallway, he snapped himself into a fighting stance. What he saw shocked and horrified him. Bodies of royal guards laid dead with wounds ranging from cut open throats to stab wounds into the golden chest plates. The only body on the ground that didn't have any visible wounds was a female guard. Her long hair was stained by the pooling blood on the floor.

However, there was one sight that brought him some sort of comfort. Standing tall in a leather set of armor covered head to toe in blood and holding a curved dagger, this piece soaking in plasma, was Ignatius. Seeing him standing there with a weapon in his hand gave him a little bit of peace of mind that at least his brother was safe.

Ignatius looked at his brother in a sort of surprised face and, almost without thinking, he said. "Um. I can explain."

So That's What Happened

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Twisted Horns inspected the fine edge of the blade with an intense, scrutinizing eye. He made sure that even the smallest measurement had every bit of detail put into the dagger. Especially the edge. He slid the blade back into the sheathe with a small snap of his wrist. The black leather and the dark bronze designs on the handle and sheathe made it seem like it was all one piece. A design of a diving eagle on the sheathe and the cascading wind design on the hilt completed the picture.

Ignatius took the weapon from the man beast. As his hand touch the bronze eagle he though his vision shot to an image of a silver helmet with gold lining. He didn't pay any head to it. He was tired from his work on the armor he now wore and it didn't help that he was in a dimly lit room. 'A flash of insanity' he thought to himself. The Marine Gave a stiff bow to the forge master and said, "Thank you, Twisted Horns. This is a beautiful blade and I am grateful that you would take the time to make this for me."

"It was a labor that comes at no price. It was an honor to carry out the wishes of Princess Celestia." The old blacksmith puffed out his chest in pride at the statement.

"Horns?" Ignatius beckoned as he placed the knife on his right side with a belt he had made to fit it and a sword upon his hip.

The minotaur half-breed nodded. "Yes, my good man?"

Ignatius hesitated for a moment. He felt that his next words may bring some discomfort to the old bull-satyr. However, he also felt the question he had must be answered. When I first arrived outside your door, Princess Celestia would not come in here. She was so willing to speak with Sparkle Charmer, yet when we came here, she was hesitant to step near the door. Why?"

Ignatius' worst fear had come true. Not only had the question had brought about discomfort to the metal worker, but it had also taken away his smile. The steady and vibrant orange eyes that looked so full of life, grew cold and distant as a corpse that had been dead for a decade. The minotaur heaved a heavy sigh and sat down in his massive chair. Ignatius took his spot on the floor, feeling that he was in for a long explanation.

"Have you ever loved someone, Ignatius?" Twisted horns opened with a question.

"Not for very long." Ignatius said truthfully. "My relationships don't particularly go well after a certain time."

"So you know the pain of saying goodbye." he asked. Ignatius nodded. "Well, about fifty or so years ago, Celestia's steward at the time was pegasus blessed man by the name of Silver Streak, and he had a rather unique trait."

"His wings folded onto his back and turned to tattoos." The leather armored man said in a I-just-figured-it-out tone. Twisted Horn's eyebrows perked. "On the way here, Princess Celestia told me about three, or rather two, pegasi blessed individuals, but the third one she was going to speak of, she cut herself off. She obviously was pained by something the memory brought up, and your question in the beginning speaks volumes about the next part of the story."

Twisted Horns' gave a wry smile. "You're a real buzz kill, you know that?"

"Kill the liar that said I wasn't."

"Well, anyway." The minotaur restarted. "The princess was always rather close to her stewards, but this one was different though. His working knowledge of the political system had earned him her admiration, and over time, his compassion and understand had earned him her love. They were so close to each other all the time that a tight bond began to tangle and they grew as one. I would go so far as to say she would have married him if he had only asked." Horns took a deep breath and then continued. "However, it was not meant to be. One night, almost two in the morning, the princess snuck into her stewards room for a reason I'm sure you can figure out, and she laid down next to him. He never stirred even with all her . . . antics. She grew concerned and lit a candle to see what was the matter, and what she found there had left her scarred." The master blacksmith took another long breath. "She found him dead. His blood had run cold and his skin had paled. He had been dead for several hours. Her steward had died when his head had hit his pillow just five hours before."

"Did they find the cause of death?" Ignatius was thinking more behind it. An assassination, or possibly suicide.

"The morticians looked him over and used every available text they had, but came up with the same answer. He just passed away. His body just gave up his soul. Just like that." The large horned man-beast sighed heavily and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Princess Celestia gave me a summons to meet in her in the court room. I seemed to be the only person she could confide in. She and I where the only people that knew him well. This forge was his favorite place to be when he wasn't dealing with the inane prattle of the politicians. He always said the warm glow and working the metal with me was what made his day's end worth every bit of headache he suffered in the throne room." This story had been kept inside for so long that he thought that it would be easy to finally let it out, but he was just as broken as he was when it all happened.

Even with a poker face that could beat that of every champion in the World Series of Poker, Ignatius picked up on Twisted Horn's internal battle rather easily. Call it a sixth sense, but Ignatius always had a knack for knowing when someone was in distress. It was earned him the thanks of potential suicide victims. This time was no different. He walked up to Twisted Horns and put a hand on his shoulder. The mound of muscle and fur seemed to relax under the pressure of the Sergeant's resting hand. "Thank you for the blade." he said. "and the insight. I think with it, I can better understand my host."

Twisted Horns placed his monstrous hand on the warrior's shoulders and smiled for once in what seemed like an eternity. Only half his palm was able to fit on Ignatius' sizable deltoid, and the weight of the appendage was almost enough to make his side droop. "I hope that the blade will serve you well, and that the armor holds up to whatever punishment that is dealt to it."

"I do as well, my friend. I will see you in the morrow." With that, Ignatius turned and left. The metal hinges whined in protest of being slid against one another to open the portal.

Twisted Horns blew a loud, bovine sigh to the empty room and let his tears run free. The waterfalls steamed off of his body and went over to the forge. When he had enough strength to open his eyes again, he watched the wisps of the evaporated water travel to the forge, and if he didn't know any better, he could have sworn that he saw the face of a familiar pegasus blessed steward smiling at him.
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Ignatius tried to remember what hallways that he and Celestia took to get to the forge, but it just felt that he was going in circles. This castle wasn't exactly the back country where landmarks and natural trails could lead you to where you wanted to go. No, it was much more complicated in this type of environment. The busts all looked the same, and stained glass windows were just about as much help. Corner after corridor and he couldn't find a single guard.

What the fuck is with the security around here? Ignatius thought to himself. As he lulled over in his frustration, he started to hear voices. Voices that he knew couldn't be coming from his head because of the fact they grew louder as he approached a corner. He could hear their conversation, and from what he was gathering, it wasn't good.
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"I think I should get the first turn at the whore." said a man in gilded armor. The gold lining on the outside gleamed from the new polish on it, but underneath his helmet, he was unshaven and his hair could be seen at the bottom of his helmet where it met the base of the neck. The rest of his company had similar looks to his.

The man's hands grabbed another set of golden plating, this one belonging to a female. Her eyes were wide with fear. She didn't know what to do. Her brain had shut off and couldn't make sense of the situation she was in. One moment she was walking on her guard route, and the next she hallway she was patrolling was occupied by six guardsman. All of them male, and all of them looking at her with hungry eyes. It seemed as if they were waiting for her. It seemed that assumption was correct when they grabbed her and pulled her into the crowd. Now she was faced with eight crazy men all about to do Celestia knows what to her. Oh fuck it, she knew exactly what they were going to do to her, and she couldn't find the will to do anything about it. She wanted to scream, but her vocal chords remained silent, and she couldn't fight back. Even with all her training. She was helpless. Utterly helpless.

"I say we have at least two at a time go." Another guard had stepped up to the female. "We don't have long till guard change and she looks like she can handle at least three, but we can't have her tiring in the middle of us all having our fun." The guard's hand rubbed his victim's face with the back of his knuckles and gave a chuckle. At the end of his chuckle, his unshaven face went from lusting, to questioning. Something tapped the back of his helmet twice. When he turned around, he saw a man taller than he, and wearing leather armor with a dagger on his hip.

"Hey buddy." Ignatius aid in a demanding voice. "Da fucks going on here?" The guard gave a quizzical look, but regained himself long to reach for his sword and draw it halfway out of its scabbard before Ignatius' hand stopped him and held him firm. "Hey, stop . . ." he was cut short by the adjacent arm as it swung through the air. It only caught air, as the seasoned Marine dodged the lazy attack. While still maintaining control of the sword arm. "HEY, I JUST . . ." the free arm came back in a back hand and once again, made no contact. FUCK THIS!!! Ignatius though an as he came back from his dodge he brought his knife back up with him. He unsheathed the blade with his right hand and held the blade backwards. As the spring that was his spine snapped straight, the armed hand came up and buried the blade in the guards skull. The dagger slid so easily through the helmet that it felt to Ignatius that he was cutting through tofu. The guard's lifeless body slowly slumped to the ground in a heap of flesh and metal. When he got to about hip level on Ignatius, the blade stayed in the warrior's tight grip and slid out of the thin cavity in the man's head. The Sergeant looked at his weapon with a discerning eye and then looked to the lifeless corpse and said "You got blood on my blade. You dick."

Ignatius didn't have time anymore to sit and poke fun because as soon as he looked back up two more men came charging in with their blades poised to swing. Ignatius was too fast for those two though, and put his knife up between the blades and was able to dash between the parted weapons, and made a quick step to his right and faced the backslash from the guard on the same side and met his blade with his own. When the steel met, the experienced Marine used his open hand to grab guard's arm and raise the weapon arm and stabbed the attacker in the ribs a couple times and then slammed the sword arm down on the other guard's blade as he came in with an ill formed stabbed. The edge scratched the ground as Ignatius' blade came down into the guard's helmet. The tip just penetrated far enough to poke out of the top of the mouth. The blade slid out finely and was snapped in a backhand block to stop the next deadly edged weapon. The hit sent the long blade flying inward on the gilded warrior, and Ignatius wasted no time in sending a punch to the warrior face. The momentum was enough to send Ignatius into a quick spin and the blade he held into the side of the guard. With his body in position, Ignatius was able to twist rapidly and slice into the throat of his opponent as his body came around to face the next attacker in the hallway after the wicked edge of the blade made a new gash in the neck of the now dead opponent.

Though his predecessors were not very good at using the blades they had on their hips, this next opponent did. This one had come up with a uppercut swing and nearly clipped Ignatius' chin, but the swift, battle-born man was too quick to get hit by it. He came at Ignatius while rotating his blade and came in with a flurry of upper slashing maneuvers. The Sergeant backed up a few steps from this and positioned his feet and dagger just so. As another swing came up to him, Ignatius came forward and positioned his body and dagger just so and was able to deflect the blow and send his forehead into the nose of his attacker. The blood splashed out and the corrupted guard stepped back a foot before being dealt an uppercut to the chin and his throat sliced open by the red stained blade. The pressure from the sliced jugular spurted out hot plasma in a fountain of warm, red water. Covering Ignatius in hot sticky liquid. The guard's lifeless body slumped to the floor and crashed his metal armor to the now red pooled floor.

The guard that was holding the girl stood in complete horror at the sight of his comrades being massacred right in front of him. The whole bout took less than thirty seconds. Though he could have let go and run, his hand clasped so tightly around the woman's arms, that they might as well have been glued to them. The female herself was only still standing because of her would be rapist's grip. Her eyes have never seen such prowess with a blade and such ferocity that only one man could have.

Ignatius, however, wasn't feeling to generous that day and instead of letting the man cower, he threw his knife and embedded it in the man's skull with expert precision. As the guard twitched as he fell, the female followed suit and drifted into darkness from sheer fright and shock. Ignatius blew a sigh at the mess he had made and walked over to retrieve his dagger. With the blade in hand, Ignatius was about to leave, but when he turned around he saw a familiar face with a shocked expression on it. Then again, he thought, anyone would be shocked to see a man with a bloody knife and covered in the same substance as what was spilling out of the guards at that moment.

Many things ran through Ignatius' head as he saw his brother stand in front of him in complete horror. How was he going to tell him what happened? What was Aquinas thinking? What would Celestia think? What were the repercussions for such actions? With all these things that ran through his head, the only thing that his vocal chords could let out was,

"Um. I can explain."
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Tap-tap-tap-tap.

Princess Celestia's fingers tapped uncomfortably on the armrest of her throne. The other hand was used to prop her head as she lazed it as she starred at Ignatius with a deadpan face. The latter was chained from head to toe and stood between two heavily armed and armored guards. He wasn't panicky or anything like that, but that doesn't mean that he was a little worried about his current situation.

"What am I going to do with you?" the white dressed monarch said in a rhetorical manner.

Ignatius only silently gulped in response. Those kind of questions were never good.

Alvi, stood present in the room and tried to offer a solution. "Perhaps, you can . . ."

"Did I ask you directly?" asked the angelic female in a subtle tone. Her fingers at the opposite end of her hand now slightly clenched in front of her mouth.

"No." Alvi said in a very shaky tone.

"Then, shut your mouth!" she snapped without turning her gaze from the leather clad warrior. He fingers tapping more furiously on the armrest. Alvi retreated back a few steps and turned away from the angry princess.

Celestia's fingers stopped abruptly and clenched the end of the chair with a force that was enough to put a few small dents in the golden throne. She shot up from her seat and stalked over to Ignatius, who just starred with all his discipline and military bearing past her, and looked deep into the man's eyes.

"You know," she cooed. "The penalty for killing a royal guard is death in my country. It used to be banishment from the lands, but what with the growing hostilities here in Canterlot, I have had to give a little more incentive to my subjects as to why they should not commit such a crime. So, my question is, how will I dispose of you?"

Ignatius stored every word away in his head. Especially, the part about the hostilities.

"On second thought, as I look at you, I am reminded that your brother is a very helpful and trustworthy person, and to do away with you, would only make things complicated between him and I, and would like more friends than enemies. So you will be spared your life."

The white dressed monarch walked around Ignatius and pondered deeply about what she was going to do with her newest prisoner. Ignatius wasn't particularly pleased with Aquinas being confined to the room. He would enjoy his brother's know how in legal matters and politics in a situation such as this. Ignatius only knew one way at how to deal with these situations.

Kill. Escape. Kill some more.

Aquinas, however, would have drawn out a large complicated statement and presented relevant precedent to achieve a greater standing over his opponent and take the moral high ground when the situation presented itself. The judge would then, in turn, take the side of the brothers.

One could tell that this has happened before.

Aquinas had spoken at both of Ignatius' court hearings and had gotten him out of hot water, due to his steady head in political matters. That's what made him such a good officer.

Princess Celestia came back from her journey around Ignatius and gave him a look that made him pause for thought. Her soft eyes had become as cold and steely as Ignatius' when they first met. Her face was as expressionless as a stone statue and her lips were pursed shut. Her breathing shallow and calm.

If this had not been such a serious situation, the Marine Sergeant would have found this experience sexually arousing. He liked it when he found a woman who could show him the same kind of attitude he had given all his victims back in the desert. Except, she didn't have the tiniest smile that came with his, but that, he guessed, was up to personal preference.

Princess Celestia would have given his a thunderbolt to the heart if she could read the man's mind. Since she couldn't, the powerful Alicorn blessed woman just starred hard at him. She tried to see any sort of weakness come from the man, but came up short. In fact, she came up with less than what she started. Seeing as how he was as steady as he was a day prior.

The ruler went back to her chair and blew a sigh. "Just toss him in the dungeon and give me the key." she said to the guards that flanked the chained captive. "And make sure he stays alive. I don't want to have to waste wood for a pyre." With that, the guards did an about face and picked Ignatius up by the arms and hauled him out of the court room.

"Wait, what?!" Ignatius cried. "I don't get to tell my side or say my peace?"

"Mmm . . .No." the princess said flatly as the doors swung shut behind the departing party. She then rested her head on her hand and beckoned for Alvi to give her the rundown of the evening. Minus the current fiasco.

"My lady." Alvi said in a sweet tone. "I know that a man like Ignatius is not the easiest to deal with. However, as per your law, due process is in order and it would be unjust if this were to be the end of it."

Princess Celestia gave Alvi a cross look. "Are you trying to say that I am unjust?" her question holding a guillotine above the steward's head. Though her tone masked it so well, one would think that the question was legitimately based on her inquiry of other people's opinion, rather than a trap that could be sent off by the weight of a hair stand.

Alvi's eyes went wide with fear. She wouldn't want to offend her friend by saying such things. She had completely missed the mask of the question. "No, Your Majesty. I would never say such things. However, the way that you handled that situation was, as anyone would put it, one-sided." Alvi watched Celestia blink. "I mean, you didn't even give Ignatius, a chance to defend himself."

The princess went back to her resting position and pondered this. She returned with this. "Call, Aquinas. If there is anyone that I can tolerate long enough to hear a legal analysis from, it would be him."

Alvi's face screwed up at that. "Princess, there are many lawyers that have over fifty or so years under their belt at our disposal. They must be better equipped than Aquinas to handle this task. Plus, you have only known him for less than forty-eight hours."

"That is why my statement stands. Bring him to me."

Alvi bowed low and started off to Aquinas' room.

Lawyer Up

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The dungeons of Canterlot castle were one of the worst places to be sent. On the outside, the castle, as the city, was a shining white with gold rimming edges. High spires of ivory that seemed to dominate the sky and looked as if gods had made their residence there. Underneath it all however, deep in the bowels of the city, was the darkest and most depressing places to venture. The moss covered walls and the stink of human waste permeated off of that. Criminals were a rarity in this nation, but when they were caught, and tried for such things as rape and murder, the cells were the loneliest and most incredibly dehumanizing place to be thrown into.

There was only two or three guards on duty, but they were armed, and well trained. More than one individual was able to escape, and with each escape, came more and more security measures. Steel doors with enchanted runes on them to negate any magic that was used to open them or used inside the cell in general, along with window bars that would send a painful electrocution to the one who would dare try to pry the bars out. A Canterlot cell was near to inescapable. The only way out was a key. A key that was specially made for each hand crafted lock. No two locks were alike, and the keys themselves were complex and next to impossible to duplicate. Every angle and every shape of the teeth was unique, and no one, but the guards on post, were allowed to know what they looked like. They were also kept in a little box under the desk of the warden that could only be opened by a pass phrase that must be spoken by the warden's vocal chords, or it will not open. As stated, security was tight around there.

Ignatius knew nothing of any of this and was concerned when he saw the cells. Most were abandoned, or had what was left of the scum that was thrown in there. If a prisoner died, they would leave them chained to the wall and hoped they didn't have a zombie to deal with later. Skeletons weren't much of a menace, but zombies, zombies were scary.

The Marine Sergeant was hauled through the long corridor that was the cell block. The stink of death and feces was far too much to bare. Ignatius dry heaved whatever air he had in his stomach as his feet scraped the ground. The party reached the cell that was the farthest back away from the warden's post. One of the guards opened the door to the cell with the fabled key as the other tossed Ignatius inside. His head hit the ground with a thud as the door screeched closed. The tumblers clanged loudly and they set back in their grooves to lock the cell tight. The single window gave Ignatius enough light to see that his cell was empty, and relatively clean. A rusty bucket for waste stood up in the far corner, and a bed made of straw and a few animal pelts for blanketing and insulation was on the opposite corner. Ignatius' first thought wasn't to sit and think. His mind didn't work that way. He was a man of action and results. He left the thinking to the people like his brother. His first instinct was to grab the bars. The statement from before rang true. Ignatius' whole body was electrified and he hit the ground in a heap. He struggled to figure out what had just happened, and he found it difficult to think straight. After a minute or so in recovery on his stomach, he was able to stand up and run shoulder first into the door. The steel didn't even dent as Ignatius' strong deltoid hit it at full speed. He fell back to his original spot on the floor and went through the same recovery process. He looked around the cell for any weak spots, and found only things that would make his escape that much harder. The corners were reinforced with iron bands and parts of the floor were recently laid with fresh concrete. The cleanliness of the final product was too clean for it to be old.

Ignatius just sat on his bed and heaved a sigh. He just sat there thinking just what a load of bullshit that this all was. He had saved a woman from being raped. A guard woman. He had done the right thing. The GOOD thing to do would have been to alert other guards, but he figured that the guards he killed were the guards he would have to report the incident to, so that was useless. He could have just let her been raped and then told Princess Celestia later, but then that woman would have to live with, or commit suicide from, the memories that followed from such events. NO! He had done the right thing by taking action, and it wasn't like he was going to be violent. He gave the man two chances to stop, and he just came at him still. That man, and his cohorts, needed to be stopped, and if they had to die, Ignatius cared little. He did the right thing and that's what happened. If that bitch in white didn't approve, well then fuck her. Fuck her in every hole twice with a dick the size of Twisted Horn's horns.

Ignatius actually got a bit of erosion out of picturing the princess naked . . . screaming . . . bloody. He loved the idea of seeing all that and more done to the heartless witch. Within a play through of the atrocious acts he was fully erect. However, one thing came across his head that turned his stiff log into a limp lump. He had been rather rude, and in fact, downright hostile towards the princess ever since he arrived. She had opened up her castle to strangers and offered them clothing and armor. Even though he had been placed in a situation that was foreign, he could have acted a lot better than he did. This was Equestria after all. The land that, as an Airman, he had dreamt about and seen all the happy and well living ponies. What human being got the chance to come to a place like this. Keep in mind that it wasn't inhabited by the fabled equines, but it was still the same magical place that he fell in love with. Even as a Marine he thought back on it. After the war in Iran, he was brought back to a side of his humanity after finding the show again and re-learning everything he had forgotten after his experience that made him into the Wolf.

Ignatius sat on the cold hard ground and got to thinking. Maybe he did deserve to sit and rot in this cell. After everything he had done, he thought maybe the only fitting place to have him meet his end was in the land he secretly adored. And all because he was too stubborn and hard headed to see something as good as this for what it really was. Aquinas had read the situation like a book when they appeared here. They could be having the time of their lives, and here he was, sitting in a jail cell.

Ignatius blew out a long sigh, and steadied himself before rising to his feet and doing some light stretching. As he cracked his back and stretched his triceps, he heard someone talking. Not in a hushed tone, as to keep a secret meeting secret, but it was casual. As if the one talking was speaking to a friend. The Marine Sergeant's curiosity peaked and he made his way over to the solid steel door and put his ear next to the opened, sliding window. The voice grew a little louder.

"Oh yessss. They will pay. They will suffer." said the voice. "It aaallll will come together. The ones will beg for mercy. They will plead for forgiveness, but they will not receive. They will not be rested until revenge has been taken. They will know suffering! YES! SUFFERING! DEATH! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

"Hey, buddy." Ignatius shot. "What's with the crazy shit?" Ignatius' tone was rather interrogative.

The warrior was expecting a pale faced man with a long, grey, scraggly bearded man who looked malnourished. With eyes that looked like they would roll out at any time. Someone who was on the verge of death. However, that is not what he saw.

A man with not only a healthy complexion, but a healthy glow to his eyes. He was also clean, and shaven. His hair was still a solid black. Ignatius' curiosity peaked at this and moved a little closer to the window. Both individuals could see the other. The Marine gave his usual deadpan stare, while the other man gave an inviting smile.

"Can I help you?" the prisoner asked in a sincere tone.

"Yah." Ignatius said in a huffed tone. "Who are you talking to?"

"Is anyone else down here?" the man asked.

"I don't think so." Ignatius said as he looked to his right to see the cells that looked, from where he was standing, to be relatively empty.

"Then, I am talking to you." the man's smile was still inviting, but it loomed with a cloud of heavy danger. Ignatius, above all else, should know people like that. He was one of them. So to see it now, to be on the other side of the grin, was rather scary, and nothing scared the Sergeant. Now that was just because he was the most dangerous thing in the area at any given time. This man however, gave Ignatius a cold chill that he could only guess that his victims have felt when he looked upon them. This whole jail experience was getting to him.

"Who are you speaking about? Who are 'they'?" Ignatius' tone turned rather interrogative again. Though it was harsher this time around, the man in the other cell seemed to just completely ignore it. As if he could see through Ignatius' expressionless mask and see that he was rather afraid.

"You will come to know them." he said. His even vocalizations were just creepy. "One day I will speak to you again, and I will offer my hand, and you will take it. You will take it and you will be shown you a power that you can only dream of."

"Why don't you show me some of that power now?" Ignatius said with a huff. His curiosity was masked by his macho.

"No. Just remember that they will suffer. They will suffer." The man retreated back into the cell. His footsteps made no sound as he went back into the darkest portion of the holding container.

"Hey! Hey! Come back, I still got more questions!" Ignatius cried out for the man and he was met with silence. Dead silence. The Marine threw up a middle finger; went back into the cell; and just sat there on his bed. It had gotten rather cold during the small exchange. All he could do now was wait. Wait for his brother to save him.
Again.
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Aquinas stepped inside of the large and ornate throne room. Princess Celestia was rather pleased to see him. So much so, that she even expressed it. "Aquinas." she beamed. "So good to see you."

Aquinas' stomach churned as he looked around the room. A certain Marine was nowhere to be found. He looked back to the monarch who sat rather comfortably. "Um . . . it's good to see you as well, Princess." He bowed. "Um . . . where is my brother?" his inquiry was met with a steely gaze from the princess. Her expression turned sour, and her lips pursed.

"Your brother" The princess hissed. The Ensign winced at that. "is taking residence in the dungeons, and I have the key to his cell." She drew out the key and dangled it. "This is why I summoned you. I have locked your brother away, and it's up to you to get him out."

"You mean I have to try and get the key from you?" Aquinas asked with more than a load of curiosity.

"You will have to earn it." Celestia said with a straight face.

"And how will I earn it?" Aquinas' instinctual male brain kicked in and sent a flash through his head. Though he would love to entertain such ideas, his stomach told him that something more dense hung in the air.

"You will have to convince me that your brother should be set free. He has made open threats; insulted me; and killed my royal guards. I think that this is more than enough to constitute execution, but because of you, I will only hold him in the cell till his death naturally comes. However, I am willing to hear why I should set him loose." Celestia replaced the key back in her sleeve and sat comfortably in her seat. "I think that as a man of the law, I believe you are the best person available to defend your brother."

Aquinas was rather worried. Actually, worried would be as good a description as calling an elephant a small, furry kitten. He was downright terrified. He read no sense of joking in her tone, and he already knew that there was some tension between his brother and Celestia, and the fact that he now made himself an enemy to someone of great power did not make this easy. In fact, it made things ten times harder because he knew nothing of Equestrian law. He was a Naval defense attorney back in America, but that meant next to nothing here.

He had to buy time. He had to get a case ready. "Your Majesty." he said. "If I could request a day to prepare my case."

"I will allow this." the monarch replied coolly. "At this time tomorrow, you and your brother will be here in my throne room and you will have a chance to defend him."

"Did my brother say anything in his defense prior to my arrival?"

"No. I didn't give him the chance to speak. I chose to just have him tossed in the dungeon because I didn't want to hear any lies he would try to weave." Princess Celestia's word were drowning with venom.

Aquinas' face screwed up. "You just hauled him off to jail? Just like that?"

"Yes." The princess said easily. "Like I said. I didn't want to hear his lies."

Aquinas blew a heavy sigh. He knew the legends of Equestria, and believed that the Celestia told there was merciful, but what he saw now made him rather fearful at this point. The beloved ruler of Equestria was treating his brother like a traitor. Ignatius, he knew, was not the easiest person to deal with, but that didn't mean he deserved to be locked up. Aquinas spoke again. "I will be back tomorrow with my case. Good day to you, Princess."

Aquinas stepped past the closed doors to the throne room, and took in a deep breath, and let it out saying in a hushed tone, "Oh, shit."
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"Fuck off, asshole!" Ignatius said as the snickering in the adjacent cell continued. "I'm tired of your shit!"

"But it's all just so funny!" said the man in the cell. The laughter that started up again was more than annoying to the Sergeant than the initial banter.

"You know." Ignatius said. "If you really can show me so much power, why don't you display some for me? You know, give me some incentive to grasp your hand quicker when you offer it."

"Oh-ho-ho!" the man chuckled. "If I did, you would never believe me."

Ignatius' face screwed up. "What kind of fucked up logic is that?"

"If I really showed you, would you believe such a thing could exist, or would be looking at it as a mind game? A ploy to make me look that way, when all the while, I am really doing it."

"I don't know." Ignatius said truthfully. "I probably wouldn't."

"You see. I must retain my ability for now in order for you to understand later."

"Or maybe, you're just full of shit!" Ignatius accused.

"One day. Ha ha ha. One day." The man's voice trailed off and the only sound that was heard was that of a distant door being opened.

Heavy footsteps and metal sounded in the deep. A torch's light flickered in the rhythm of the cadenced footsteps. Ignatius got up from his seat and looked out the slot and saw the two guards that tossed him in flanking his brother.

"Fina-fucking-lly!" Ignatius cried out. "What the fuck took you so long?"

Aquinas went up to the door and kicked it with a heavy leg. The impact of his foot was enough to knock Ignatius form the door and land him on the seat of his pants. "You really fucked up this time!" Aquinas shouted. "You really fucking did! Not only have you made yourself an enemy of the state, you also are possibly dragging my ass into this too."

Ignatius went back up to the door from his sitting position and looked his brother in the face. "I know, and I'm sorry." he said humbly. "So what's going to happen? Am I being set free?"

"I have a day to come up with a case to prove that you are innocent, but I can't do that, unless you tell the honest truth. I want to know what happened in that hallway." Aquinas' tone was interrogative and stern.

Ignatius blew out a sigh and began his story from where he was wondering around the castle. He explained, with as much detail as possible, what was said and what he had done to the guards. Aquinas felt a spark of pride in the prowess that his brother had with a blade. His story also gave him a destination to go to. The deceased were already cleaned up, and on their way to the mortician, but the victim however, would be on her way to the doctors in order to receive treatment. That was where he would go next.

"Thank you, Ignatius." Aquinas said. "I will do everything in my ability for you. Just stay out of trouble."

"I will." Ignatius said defensively. "It's not like I'm going anywhere anyway."

Aquinas stepped off in a hurry with the armed guard to the exit. He didn't have time to waste.

"Hear that, jackass?!" Ignatius boasted. "My brother is a damn good lawyer and he's going to get me out of here. So, fuck you and your power display! HA!"

Aquinas was able to hear his brothers words as he stepped with the full metal guards. "Do you know who he is talking to?" one of the guards asked the Ensign.

"I would think that he is talking to the guy in the cell across from him." Aquinas said innocently.

"But, sir" the other guard interjected. "There is no one else down here except for him."

Aquinas shot the guard a look of confusion. "Are you sure?"

"We know everyone that comes down here. He is the only one in the cells."

Aquinas quickened his pace to a jogging. For the coldest of shivers exploded up and down his spine. He had to hurry if he going to get his brother out of there.
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Bright Flower woke up with a pain in her head like no other. Not to mention the fact that the a torch's light was staring into her eyes. That just made things worse. However, she was rather comfortable underneath the soft blankets and laying on an equally, if not more comfortable, bed. She tried to rise from her back, but was stopped by a large hand with a navy blue crystal embedded in it. She looked up to see a man dressed in a blue coat. He took a seat on her bed. Bright's eyes grew as wide as dinner plates and her breathing became labored. Not only was she weak from what had happened to her, but now she was face to face with a man that easily outweighed her, by her estimate, by ninety pounds.

"Be calm." the man said. "You are in no danger." His words were slightly comforting, though the girl was still rather frightened. "My name in Aquinas. I come here on behalf of Princess Celestia. I need to ask you some questions that pertain to what happened a few hours ago."

"I-I-I . . ." she stammered. She retreated slightly under the covers.

Aquinas put out a hand to calm her. "Take a breath and steady yourself. You only need to answer my questions to the best of your abilities."

Bright Flower came back from her meager hiding place and took that breath. "I will try." Her voice was shaky, and intimidated.

"Good." Aquinas said with a smile. "In your own words, can you tell me what happened?"

The woman took another deep breath and tried to calm herself down. "I was on patrol." she began. "I had taken the same corridors that I have been for the past three months that I was assigned." She took another breath. "I came around one of the corridors to find that there were six guards loitering in the hallway. I was about to inquire why they were there, but then one of them grabbed me. They started cracking jokes, and looking at me with hungry eyes. I was caught so off guard that, I couldn't scream, I couldn't fight, I just . . ." Two tears came streaking down her face. "I-I-I just felt so helpless." Bright Flower began to sob in her hands.

Aquinas put a hand on her outside shoulder. "It's okay. This isn't your fault. You are the victim here. Please, go on. I only need little bit more of the situation. The part where the guards ended up dead."

The female guard wiped her eyes and her nose with the back of her shaky hand. Some salty eye water and snot got on her maroon crystal. "I didn't do that." she said shakily.

"I know," Aquinas said. "but please, try to tell me what happened."

"All I remember is a man in leather armor being able to kill all six men. It all happened so fast, I fainted from fear."

"So, a man in leather armor killed those men?" Aquinas asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Yes. He wore a simple leather cuirass, and other pieces of armor of the same material."

"Could you tell me some distinguishing features?"

"Um . . . from what I can remember, he had short cut, dark, brown hair, he was rather tall, I'd say a little over six feet, and he was carrying a single dagger."

"Is that all?"

"No." Bright paused for a moment, some color had returned to her pale face when she went through the memory. "He had these eyes. Blue in color, but they seemed to have something behind them. Like a small light. It made it seem as if he saved me, not because he enjoyed battle, but because he knew I needed help." She gave a small smile. "If you find this man, can you tell him that he has my thanks for saving my life?"

"I will. Thank you for your help." Aquinas stood up from the bed and walked to the door. He gave one final look back. "Do get some rest." His comforting smile brought as much comfort as he intended to the woman. With seeing her smile grow just a bit, he left her.
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"Are you sure I'll need all this?" Aquinas' arms were complaining at the weight that a certain purple haired female was putting on them. Twilight stacked as many books as possible in the heavy man's hands as she possibly could.

"Absolutely." Twilight pressed. "You will need to read all these books if you are to help Ignatius."

Aquinas blew a long sigh and started off toward the reading table. His legs shook under the weight of the heavy mound of tomes. His muscles breathed a sigh of relief when they were relieved of the weight. However, the table creaked in protest as it tried its legs to take the pile. Aquinas sat down in a comfortable chair and opened the first book. Equestrian Law Book 1 of 23. Aquinas knew that trying to memorize every law pertaining to his cause would take too many hours, and he was running out of time. So instead, Aquinas devised a plan. He flipped through the pages until the cases and laws that he needed showed up. It would take him all night, and a good part of tomorrow, but he would have his case. He would win, and all in the most unorthodox of ways.

I'll See You In Court

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"I swear, I'm going to fucking kill you!" Ignatius' temper had flared again when the cackling of the black haired man resumed. It was about time to go to court and Ignatius was already agitated, on top of that, he was now dealing with an insane convict and his incessant laughter. It wasn't long before the cackling subsided and the sound of heavy footsteps and scrapping metal sounded in the corridor beyond. With torches in hand, Aquinas and the same two armed guards from yesterday came to collect the Marine. Ignatius blew a sigh of relief when his cell was open and he wasn't met with a spear tip and handcuffs. He made his way past the party and kicked the heavy door. Though a heavy pain shot through his leg, he still found enough satisfaction to smile. "Hear that, shit bag?" he howled. "I'm getting out of here!"

Aquinas came up to his brother and put a hand on his shoulder. "Ignatius?" he asked with more than a weight of worry in his voice. "Who are you talking to?"

"I'm talking to the asshole in that cell." Ignatius pointed to the cell door. "Because of his fucking laughter, I wasn't able to get any sleep last night." he examined his brother in the light of the torches. "It seems you haven't gotten any either. It shows you did a lot of work."

Aquinas nodded and yawned. "Don't worry about me, or the case. I got you covered."

Ignatius looked back to the cell. "See you later, fuck-wad!" He threw up his middle finger.

"Matt." Aquinas said. "Are you sure you are okay?"

"Yah." Ignatius read his brother's face well enough. "Why? Is there something that you're not telling me?"

"Well," Aquinas said nervously. "It's just that you . . . well, you're . . . "

"Spit it out." Ignatius pressed.

"You're yelling at an empty cell." Aquinas' face put an even more worried look.

Ignatius' face screwed up. "Are you fucking with me? You're fucking with me , right?"

One of the guards took the initiative and opened the cell. It was revealed to be empty. Ignatius went inside and looked at the walls and floor. Not a spot was cleaned of dust and there were no signs of anyone living in here for at least a decade. He looked to the guards who gave him a nod in affirmation that it was as he sees. Ignatius stepped out of the cell with a pale face and weak legs.

"Let's get the fuck out of here." he said as he rubbed his arms simultaneously while traveling out of the dungeon. As the party closed the door to the dungeons to leave the vile place behind, Ignatius heard once last group of soft cackling as the portal closed shut.
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The armed escort traveled down the hallways of the castle at a steady pace. Ignatius took to a marching pace with his brother following suite. Aquinas stayed perfectly a breast to his brother as they marched to their destination.

"So." Ignatius said to break the silence. "What's the plan?"

"Show up, shut up, and shine." Aquinas stated dryly. "I have the whole situation under control. Just don't talk."

"So just let you do all the talking." Ignatius stated. "Just like back in Delaware."

"Except I hope it doesn't end with you knocking out a streaking man after we exit the court room." Aquinas stated with a chuckle.

"I think that was the best part." Ignatius said with an equal chuckle. "I do so enjoy helping the community by putting a stop to those who would discredit it."

"By dropping your pants and 'tea bagging' them after you stopped them?" Aquinas said with a growing laugh.

"I think he would be better off knowing that because of his actions he was met with consequences that better suit his crime than just receiving community service." Ignatius threw up a wicked smile.

"You're so fucked up in the head."

"Kill the liar that said I wasn't."
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The simple farmer bowed low to the princess and walked off with his returned pigs. The animals snorted and oinked as they followed their master out the door and passed up the two men flanked by armed guards. Ordinarily, this would give the farmer pause for thought, but at this point, all he cared for was getting his pigs home to the farm.

As he passed away from the court room, he noticed another guard that escorted a woman to the large doors. She looked to be very frightened and she visibly shook. This actually surprised him more than the two men under armed guard. His mind tried to make a connection, but he dismissed it. It wasn't because he thought it to be unreasonable, but he never wanted to believe something he really knew nothing about. So instead of sitting there and contemplating, he just made his way down the hall with his pigs and went on his way home.
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Princess Celestia signed the last of the floating papers from the case that had just left when she turned her head back to the center of the throne room and spotted the newest case that served as the last for the day. She took a breath and let it out. She had been waiting this whole day for the chance to hear this case and finally be rid of Ignatius. She didn't really expect Aquinas to win, but it would be nice to hear what the man had to say after just a day on a case.

The party stopped just shy of twenty feet of the throne when the guards that flanked the brothers gave the equal distance between them and the case group.

Alvi was present and was the first to speak her well practiced lines. "Court will now come to order with her majesty, Princess Celestia, presiding over this case. The defendant is charged with the murder of Equestrian royal guards. The defendant will now be allowed to exchanged words with the princess." Alvi backed away a few steps.

Aquinas gave one last look to Ignatius, who gave nod, and approached the princess a few steps. The Ensign cleared his throat and began. "Princess Celestia, you have charged my client with the crime of murder. This however, is what can be stated as, by Equestrian Law; Book Nine; Page 1123; Section 4; as false accusation."

"Oh, then what do you call a man covered in blood, holding a dagger, and standing over a pile of dead bodies then?" Princess Celestia shot.

"His job, my lady." Aquinas' words earned him a couple stares. "Unbeknownst to by brother, you have placed both him and I under your employment as members of your personal guard. Upon further study of Equestrian Law, I had found that the Uniformed Code of Military Justice extends further than our realm. It has presence in this one as well. Under such a code, Ignatius is bound by honor and oath to support and defend the crown of Equestria against all enemies both foreign and domestic. As the laws state."

"I would like to know more about the incident." the princess said. "Do you have a credible witness that could shed some light on this whole incident?"

"I do, my lady." Aquinas said. "I would like to call forth, Private Bright Flower."

On cue, one of the doors to the throne room swung open and a petit woman dressed in formal military attire took dignified, but also cautious steps toward the throne. The female guard's legs were shaking and her breathe was rather labored. She had only seen the princess from a distance, but seeing her up close, and under the circumstances, she was truly frightened. She tried to fall back on her basic training to steady herself as she approached. It only helped slightly.

When the Private had made it to Aquinas' side, she issued a salute to the monarch. Princess Celestia issued a knowing smile to the obviously terrified girl and said, "There is no need for such formalities, Private. You are here to give testimony, not give a report. You can stand at as much ease at you pleasure."

The young girl took a deep breath and steadied herself. A little flash of excitement went through her as she was addressed by the princess. "Thank you, Your Majesty." she said as she folded her hands behind her back and spread her feat slightly to be at the position of ease.

Aquinas stepped in between the two women and turned toward the guard. "Private Bright Flower, will you, in your own words, describe for the court the events that had transpired just a night ago?"

Bright cleared her throat and answered. "Yes. Yes, I can." she cleared her throat again and began. "I was on my usual guard route when the next corner I rounded was filled with guards. I noticed that they were loitering on duty, and still in uniform, so I was going to ask why they were there. I was met with hungry stares, and that was when one of them grabbed me. He and his 'friends' were cracking jokes and making plans of how they would defile me." the Private's speech became cracked, and her eyes started to well.

"Take all the time you need to recover, and then answer." Aquinas said sympathetically.

Bright Flower took a couple breathes and continued. "When they handled me, I could only find enough courage to take breath. I felt a sense of helplessness at that moment. Then, a man in leather armor showed up. He tried to reason with the first of the guards, but he attacked him, and after the man dispatched him, the others rushed in. Only to be cut down. The last guard that held me met his end when the leather armored man threw his knife into the face of the last traitor. I say with shame that I passed out from fear."

"Could you identify the man in leather armor that saved you?" Aquinas said with a winning smile.

"Yes." Bright Flower said, her own smile growing. She turned and pointed to Ignatius and said, "He is the one that saved me. That man right there." The Marine Sergeant gave a nod to her in silent thanks.

"Ignatius." the Ensign lawyer called. "Do you affirm that the story that Private Flower has given is accurate."

"I would say so." Ignatius said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Though it's missing the impressive movements I made, it still sends a clear message."

"By receiving testimony from both individuals that still live from the incident, it has been made clear that the deceased had, by word of the same individuals, premeditated their actions and were about to act upon them when Ignatius had stopped them from committing the crime of rape. When Ignatius had confronted the guards he was met with open, physical hostility, he retaliated in the only way that ensured his safety, by defending himself from the blades of your guards, Your Majesty."

"Though the victim's story is less detailed, it still has the same foundational principals that Ignatius had told me back in his cell during my examination process. Therefore, I can state that, even though there was no formal pact, Ignatius' action were in direct line with Equestrian Law and the Uniformed Code of Military Justice in the same nation, and therefore innocent of the charge of murder. The defense rests." Aquinas took his place by his brother.

Princess Celestia's smile nearly took her ears. "Well," she said. "I am impressed. You have truly delivered today, Aquinas. I am making the decision to let Ignatius free on the grounds that he was doing the duty he was appointed." The princess folded her hands. "Court dismissed."

The two brothers clapped wrists together in victory. "Well, that was easier than the Maryland case."

Aquinas gave his brother a queer look. "But we never had a court case in Maryland."

"Um . . . " Ignatius said as his eyes trailed away.

"MATT!"

"I'm pleading the fifth!" Ignatius shot his hands up defensively.

Aquinas rubbed the bridge of his nose and issued a heavy sigh. As the naval officer internally scorned his brother, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over to see a woman with a content smile on her face.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," she said in a melodic tone. "but I think that a proper thank you is in order." She moved passed the lawyer and stepped up to Ignatius. Her face was that of a rosy color and her eyes sparkled like fire rubies with their red tone having a slight glistening with the sunlight coming in through the window and striking them perfectly. "Though your brother has probably already told you, I am very grateful that you have saved me from those brutes in guard's costumes. I thank you." She wrapped her arms around the Marine in a tight hug and buried her head in his leather chest.

Ignatius returned the hug with a gentle smile and said, "I was just doing my duty." a slight blush came to his face.

Bright Flower back off from the extended hug and said. "I am in your debt. If ever you need my assistance, do not hesitate to call upon me."

"I will keep you in mind, Private Bright Flower." Ignatius said.

"I await your command, Sir Ignatius." the young woman saluted the young man and walked off.

Aquinas came up to his brother and gave a slight punch to his shoulder. "You saw the way she looked at you?"

"Yah. It's the same way you look at bar men." Ignatius stabbed.

Aquinas did his best to imitate the troll face. Both brothers let out a jovial laugh. The mirth however, was stolen by a loud clearing of the throat. The pair turned their attention to the throne and saw that the monarch sitting there was not too pleased. Aquinas shrunk slightly at the sight of the displeased princess. Ignatius just deadpanned as usual.

Celestia got up from her chair and stalked over to the duo and stared into Ignatius. She was expecting to see nothing for this so that she was not disappointed. Her lips were still pursed and her eyes shot daggers after dagger into the Marine. True to form, Ignatius stared back even more intensely. He had no love for the ruler, and he would have no problem killing her where she stood.

It was a good five minutes of still silence until the princess spoke. "Just because your brother saved you this time, does not mean he will be able to save you again in the future. Even though you are innocent of the crime of murder, you are still held in contempt and will be punished for making me angry and uncomfortable in my own home. So, now I will have to find a suitable punishment for you."

Aquinas' brain was working quick and he was able to interject. "Your Majesty." he said in a respectful tone. As if it was a master calling his faithful dog, Celestia shot her head directly in the Ensign's direction. "If I may interject. I know that my brother isn't the easiest to deal with, however, instead of punishing the man for his deeds of the couple of days, maybe he can redeem himself."

"Oh?" the princess said with a bit of curiosity. "How?"

"If I am not mistaken, you had sent my brother to see a blacksmith to be fitted for the armor that he now wears, and to receive a weapon from the same. Well, it just so happens that my brother is an aspiring forge worker and would be an excellent student for the one behind the anvil that graces your castle."

"So what you are saying is, that instead of keeping your brother in a cell, or worse, I should give him a duty?" the princess was openly skeptical.

"It would be an outlet for his aggression and anger. All while providing a service to you. All that I ask is that you will provide clothing, food and bed. Other than that, I don't think that he will need any money. I actually think that Ignatius would agree to serving you to the fullest extent while behind the forge." Aquinas gave his brother an eye, and the latter gave a nod.

"So he kills my guards and he gets a job." the princess said dryly. "That is, I must say, the most unorthodox thing I have heard this year."

"Give it a couple weeks." Ignatius issued. "My brother and I will come up with something else that tops the crazy list."

"And what makes you think that this is a good idea, Aquinas?" Celestia's tone gave the impression that this idea was not readily welcome.

"Because it does more good to Equestria than it does to your hatred of the man." Aquinas said dryly.

The princess issued a sharp snort and turned back to Ignatius. "You are to assist Twisted Horns with his work at the forge. You are at his command. If you are told to roll over and play dead, you are to do so until it is no longer required of you. You are also at MY beckoning call. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yeah." Ignatius said sharply. "Just one question, though. Do I get my knife back?"

Princess Celestia's flashed an are-you-kidding-me look. "What makes you think that I would allow you to carry a weapon?"

Aquinas stepped over to the princess and ushered her over to her throne said "Guards. Attack Ignatius, but do not kill him." Aquinas looked to his brother and shook his head as a silent order to adhere to the same restrictions.

On cue the guard closest to the Marine pointed his spear at him. He was mere inches away. A mistake the guard wished that he had not made. Ignatius exploded into motion and grabbed the spear shaft and pulled himself and the vanguard in close to issue an uppercut and kick the guard in the groin as he tore the spear form the pegasi's hands and wiped it around and met the spear that the other guard presented. As the tip swung wide, the leather armored warrior reversed his grip on the weapon so the back of the spear was the attacking end and he came down on the guardsman's head will a force great enough to put a small dent in the helmet of the heavily armored unicorn. Ignatius turned his attention toward the recovering guard and offered the side of his foot into the helmet of the guard, which made the guard daze a little bit more. This gave Ignatius a little more time to deal with the rushing guard with the dented helm. Ignatius stepped out and gave a swift palm to the side of the helm and pushed the guard into his brother in arms. Both tumbled to the ground with one laying on top of each other. The Marine flipped a spear from the ground with his foot and caught it in mid air. As the guards came to their feet, the swift fighter swung the pole arm and caught one of the guards upside the head. The force form the impact sent the other, who was still trying to recover balance, back down to the ground. Before the bottom guard could get his now unconscious comrade off of him, Ignatius sunk the spear tip in the ground by the man's head. Needless to say, the guard just laid there in defeat. Ignatius turned back to the white dressed monarch and dusted off his hands.

When he returned, the princess expected to see at least some sign of heavy breathing, but found not one bead of sweat on his brow. Princess Celestia had just witnessed Ignatius' fighting prowess and she couldn't have been more embarrassed. Her best guards, literally, those guards were her finest warriors, and there they were, on the ground defeated, by a commoner. The smug smile on his face didn't help at all to deal with this defeat.

As Ignatius approached the throne, Alvi's instincts for survival kicked in and she positioned her feet to move into an opening stance to defend herself if need be. She didn't think that she would survive one minute against the man. Given the display, she doubted she would last thirty seconds, but she only had to survive as long as it took for the princess to use her magic to stop the man. She didn't like relying on anyone else to help her, but then again, this was no ordinary situation with an ordinary man. If there was any instance that she could remember when she had felt this kind of fear, it would have been when she was but six years old and dealing with her abusive mother. Other than that, she never felt to helpless against anyone. Even Celestia.

Ignatius did well to hide his breath. His heart rate had gone up slightly, but he was able to control it enough to where it was not too obvious that he was bothered by his actions. His brother gave him a slight nod. He hadn't killed the guards, and he had only knocked out one. The other just found more sense in accepting that he was outmatched.

The princess turned towards Aquinas and asked "What was that display supposed to prove?" Her tone rather sharp.

"To show you that my brother doesn't need a weapon to kill someone. He is a weapon in himself. It's just that with weapon in his hands, it makes it easier for him to better dispatch enemies. Enemies that might be better suited to fighting than your guards." Aquinas' point was sharper than Celestia's wit. Then again, her mind was clouded by the image that stood before her. "There is also the simple fact of his loyalty. Even though you two do not see eye to eye, he is still loyal to whatever side I am on. Which, because I am, includes your side."

She grit her teeth and snorted. "Fine!" she shot. "You may receive your dagger." a burst of sun yellow energy flashed before Ignatius, and his belted weapon appeared. He took the piece and strapped it on his waist.

"Thank you, Princess." he said sincerely. "I feel much better now that I have a blade back on my hip."

"So glad I can help." the sourness of her tone was enough to make a lime tell her to sweeten up. "Just collect whatever you need and go back to Metal Ringing."

Ignatius needed no other words. He simply turned around and left the throne room, but not without throwing his brother a smile and nod in thanks for pulling him out of another legal matter. He walked out the doors and beckoned for a guard to return him to the guest rooms, and lead him towards the forge.
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As soon as the doors closed, Princess Celestia let out a deafening roar and threw out a great light from her hands. The hot glow grew intensely and covered her as her rage and frustration came boiling over into a magical outburst. Aquinas took cover behind his arms, and Alvi hid behind the throne. The two defeated guards reacted with the man on top shielding his comrade from the blinding orb of energy as he ducked his head down under him as he closed his eyes tight to keep the light out.

The rage subsided as quickly as it came. The glowing orbs left nothing touched, but Celestia herself was covered in sweat. Her hair was a mangle mess and her white gown stuck to her like a second skin. To be truthful, it left only a small portion to the imagination. Her breath was labored and her legs shook violently. The monarch collapsed on her throne in a heap and shut her eyes. The land of sleep and rest welcomed her with opened arms, and a comforting smile. Alvi called for the royal carriers to come and retrieve the princess off of her throne. Aquinas picked up the sleeping politician's soaking wet body with ease and placed her on the silken sheets of the heavily adorned, and comfortable looking, stretcher. He made sure to be as ginger as possible as not to harm the delicate female. She looked so peaceful, even after that display of, what looked like, unlimited power. The female unicorns that served as the royal carriers hurried off to the princess' room.

The Naval Officer stood silently. Aquinas was anxious. With a show like that, he thought that even Ignatius would be on his guard so much that not even the wind could shift without him overreacting and attacking the general direction. Alvi stepped out from behind the throne and took one steady breath. She stood so comfortably, one would think that nothing major had happened. Aquinas internally inquired if this whole incident was in fact something that happened on a regular basis. Then he figured he might need an answer to his suspicions.

"Alvi?" the blue coated man asked. "What was that?"

Alvi threw him a smirk. "Oh, that?" she said coolly. "It was just Celestia throwing a hissy fit. There are a lot of things that she is dealing with right now, and the mound that it was is now turning into a second mountain. Your brother surely isn't helping with that. Our dear princess is trying to cope with the stress, and sometimes she has to let it out. What you saw was just a small measure of her power." Alvi motioned for the window. "Take a look outside." Aquinas looked behind him and saw that the sun had set and the moon had risen. "She did all that all while relieving her stress by making that white hot glow."

Aquinas was trying to let it all sink in. He had just witnessed something that only a god, or goddess , should be able to do. He didn't know whether to admire the princess for her ability, or to fear her greatly. He turned back to Alvi with an expression that said it all.

Alvi just chuckled slightly. She had the same expression when Celestia started having these episodes, but with this all happening on a regular basis, she had grown used to it. These days however, she had become increasingly more agitated. Perhaps, Aquinas could relieve some of that pressure. A naughty thought flashed through the steward's head and she kind of liked what she saw. Her lips gave a tug in a smile that Aquinas couldn't rightly read, but then again, his mind was elsewhere. If Celestia wanted to, she could have incinerated him with just a wave of her hand, and yet she gave him a chance to live, and, with no small amount of his help, got a job at the forge.

Aquinas said a faint good bye to Alvi and left for his room. He needed a good night's rest.

Meeting Your Mentor

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Ignatius gathered up the only possessions that he had in the room. The book Twilight had given them, and, he assumed it was his because his brother didn't like leather very much in his fashion, a long black coat. He put on the coat and went out the door. The guard led him to the doors of the forge and hurried off back to his post. Ignatius opened the doors and was greeted with a huge smile from the hybrid beast that sat on a large chair.

"How are you doing, killer?" Twisted Horns asked with a chuckle.

Ignatius gave a snort and a smirk. "So, you heard what had happened?"

"Six guards being killed by one man is not something that keeps to the shadows for very long." the blacksmith chided. "Especially when those six where the most nefarious guards out there."

Ignatius cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. "Educate me. What do you mean by 'nefarious'?"

Twisted Horns got up from his seat and stirred a mixture in the pot that the forge had sitting over it. The smell of meats and vegetables, with a hint of spice, filled the room. Ignatius' stomach grumbled. He hadn't eaten today, and the sight of the large pot was enough to set him over the edge and dive right in. Twisted Horns beckoned for the two bowls on the table across the room. The dimly lit forge room wasn't the most ornate or the most dazzling place in Canterlot, but it had all the necessities. A bed, a table, a forge, and two doors. One leading to what Ignatius thought to be a bathroom, the other to who-knows-where. The Marine swiped both bowls and silverware, and gave them one at a time to Twisted Horns, who promptly filled them with chili.

Ignatius gave the mino-satyr a look. "You're eating meat?"

"Yes." said the forge master. "Just because I am part bull, and part goat, doesn't mean that I am going to cater to those, and not the part man portion. Besides, I am my own species, so, I can eat minotaurs, and satyrs without consequence because I am neither species. As far as I know, cannibalism isn't possible for me."

Ignatius just took the steaming bowl and sat down on the floor. He let out one more question before he began to eat. "Did you expect me to come for dinner?"

Twisted Horns chuckled. "No. I just always have another bowl waiting for me when I finish the first one."

"Fat ass." Ignatius said with a playful smile.

Twisted Horns flexed his muscles to show off his physique. "(grunt) You were (grunt) saying?" Ignatius shook his head, smiled and ate. He knew that somewhere along the road, this hulking man beast was going to end up being one of the few friends he would have in this strange land.
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Aquinas' dream was that of pure comfort. On the beach, soaking up the sun, he had a Corona with three lime slices in it next to him. He almost didn't want to wake up. However, his body clock told him that it was fully charged, and needed to get up. The Ensign scratched to corners of his eyes to get the sand out of them, and yawned. When he opened his eyes, he found that he wasn't alone in his room. He saw a young purple haired girl standing over him with an ear splitting grin on her face.

"Well, I must say, Miss Sparkle." Aquinas said in a grunting tone as he sat up in his bed. "That's really creepy. You standing over me as I wake up."

"I'm sorry." Twilight beamed. "I just couldn't wait any longer, it's almost nine o'clock and I would really like to get started."

"Started on what?" Aquinas asked.

"Your schooling." said a familiar female voice. Aquinas saw the princess standing in the doorway and gave her a quizzical look. She was wearing a new white silk gown that revealed her smooth shoulders and strap sandals. "From what I was able to find out before the event that brought you here, your world does not have magic, and because you seem to be blessed by the unicorn, I see it necessary to instruct you on how to use it."

"So . . . what you're saying is, I will be how to use magic." Aquinas beamed. He was actually quite excited to learn how to use magic. "And I will be learning alongside Twilight."

"Learning from Twilight." the purple haired girl said as-a-matter-of-factly.

Aquinas' quizzical look came back on his face. The princess offered a nod in affirmation. "Why am I learning from magic from Twilight? No offense."

"None taken." said the young lady with her smile still splitting her face.

"You see, Aquinas." Celestia said as she closed the distance between the doorway and her student. "Twilight won't always be a student, and she must learn to pass on her knowledge of magic to others. So, with you needing the schooling in magic, I thought, why not kill two birds with one stone?"

"Huh." Aquinas pondered."I guess this will be kind of interesting."

"Then it is settled. You shall be Twilight's new pupil. Get dressed and I will have a meal waiting for you down in the dining hall. Do you remember where it is?" Aquinas nodded. "Then I will see you there. Come, Twilight." With that the princess and her student left Aquinas to get his clothes on, but not before Aquinas stopped them.

"Princess, if you could do me a small favor."

"Of course." the princess beamed.

"Will you check on my brother? I worry about him."

The princess' face turned sour, but she quickly regained her grin and said, "I will look into him. No doubt he may need flying lessons." With that, the pair departed. As the royal started away, Twilight hung for a split second to issue a fluttering finger wave to the officer with a sparkling eye. The Ensign just shrugged it off and proceeded.
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Ignatius beat the hot metal he held with a pair of tongs in a rythmatic fashion. Twisted Horns observed him with a sense of pride. Ignatius had some practice at the forge, but blacksmithing seemed to be his true talent, other that killing, of course. The tempo and the speed at which he worked told the minotaur what he needed to know about his skill. He enjoyed watching the man work, even more than Ignatius enjoying actually doing it. The door to the forge creaked in protest as it swung open. The natural light from outside shining brightly inward as a majestic figure stepped through. Princess Celestia closed the door behind her as she approached the hulking man-beast. She floated over to him and tried feebly to put her arms around him. Twisted Horns was able to rap her in his own just fine. He made sure to only apply enough pressure to give her a proper embrace, but not enough to stop her from breathing. Three tears graced her cheeks as she buried her head in the forge master's lower chest. She withdrew once her arms wouldn't take the strain anymore. She smiled and said. "How are you, my old friend?"

"It has been far too long, Tia." The minotaur replied. "I am well, and you seem to have finally put on some healthy weight."

"I have." the royal said humbly. Twisted Horns always did worry about her withering away because she didn't eat enough. Now she was worrying that she be eating too much, but she digressed. She turned to Ignatius with a none threatening smile. Ignatius' scowl and the hate he openly held behind his eyes told the princess it was unwelcome. "Come now, Ignatius." she pleaded. "Can't we let bygones be bygones?" she stepped forward slightly, but was met with a red hot piece of metal being shoved in front of her face.

"I told him about the guards that he dispatched." Twisted Horns interjected. "It seems your little imprisonment and trial didn't go over as well as one would have liked." The princess backed off slightly. Her smile now turned to a look of fright. She was starting to understand why Alvi constantly tells her that she doesn't like being around the man.

"You better learn to stop playing games with me and my brother. Those guards were already on death row as soon as you had solid evidence to convict them of their crimes against the people, and I saved a woman from becoming another victim of their spree of debotury, and instead of thanking me, or just giving me a simple nod in approval, you gave me the back of your hand. So, please excuse me if I would rather shove this hot metal spike into your twat than embrace you with a smile."

The princess backed off a step and cleared her throat. "Well, I came here not on my own interest, but that of your brother's." Her face maintained a smile, but her voice was strict. "He wanted to know that you were alright, and I would also have liked to extend my hand and offer flying lessons to you."

Ignatius digested every word that she spoke. He didn't doubt that his brother worried about him, but he didn't expect the second part. "So, flying lessons, huh?" Ignatius placed the metal back in the fire of the forge to heat back up to a hot enough temperature to work on it. "Who will I be receiving these lesson from?"

"I have yet to find you a suitable teacher, but when I do, you will be the first to know." the princess replied cool enough.

"Fine." Ignatius snorted. "Just make sure that my brother isn't doing anything too dangerous. "

"Don't worry." Celestia reassured. "I told Twilight to not teach him anything above the novice level."

"WAIT! HOLD THE FUCK UP!" Ignatius cried. "Did you just say that Twilight is teaching my brother magic?"

"Yes." the princess said easily. "Why?" her smile growing wider.

Ignatius knew what she was doing, and he didn't like it. She wanted to see how many buttons she could press before something 'fun' happened. She was just doing this because she knew she was in no real danger. Twisted Horns was closer to her than anyone in the castle, and he wouldn't let anything bad happen to her. So, he figured that she decided to have all the fun she wanted at Ignatius' expense. He knew he couldn't face the mino-satyr, but he really wanted to smash the princess' skull in with the hammer he held. "Just keep him safe." he sneered and he picked up the metal out of the forge with the tongs and continued to work.

The princess hugged Twisted Horns one more time, but while she did, she said, "Make sure he doesn't cause any trouble."

"Don't worry." he said. "I think that by the time Fall rolls around, you will see a whole new man."

"You really think so?" the princess' voice was more than hopeful.

"I know so."

With that, the princess departed with no intension of coming back unless she absolutely had to.
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Aquinas concentrated as hard as he could. He had to have complete silence at this point, for this was one of the most difficult the most difficult things he has done. When his mind could not take any more, he just quit. "Fuck!" he cursed through his gritted teeth. "Who knew picking up a ball of yarn would be so hard?" He had been at it for six hours, but he just simply couldn't make it do anything more than wobble. He stepped back on shaky legs. His breathing was labored and he was sweating through his sir coat.

Twilight made her way over to the blue coated man, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay, Aquinas? Do you need a break?"

Aquinas blew out a sigh. "No." he starred at the ball of yarn with distain. "I just need to figure out how to use my magic. How do you do it, Twilight?"

The purple haired girl's hand glowed with a magical aura that shared the same color as her hair. The ball also glowed the same color. "You see, Aquinas." the ball spun in mid air. "Magic is not having control over something. It is having an understanding of it. Magic is a force. Life creates it, and makes it grow. Magic surrounds and binds us. We, as Unicorn blessed people, students of magic, are luminous beings," she grabbed the ball of yarn, and grabbed his shoulder. "not this crude matter. You have to feel the magic flow through you. For it flows through all things. Through you, me, Spike, my flowers, the stones that make this castle, everywhere. If you are to master magic, it is imperative that you learn this." She floated the ball of yarn over to its rest. "Now lift the ball, and feel the magic."

Aquinas took a deep breath. He took in Twilight's words. How familiar they sounded. He had learned these words before, but not from a likely source. That's what he concentrated on. The words and the lesson. Not the action. Aquinas felt the magic in the crystals in his hands. He felt the magic around the ball of yarn. As he felt, he didn't think. He just trusted his abilities, and because he did. The ball of yarn, at first was across the library, but now in his hand. The Ensign looked at this in astonishment. He had felt the magic, just like Twilight had said. The young mage beamed with pride for the man, and the man beamed with gratitude for the young woman. "Thanks, Yoda." Aquinas said as he put his hand on Twilight's shoulder.

The girl gave Aquinas a confused look. "Who's Yoda?"

"Never mind." he said in a calming voice.
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Ignatius still worked on the same piece of metal he had been working on for the day. It was finally taking the shape he envisioned. It was a simple long sword. He tried to balance the weight as much as possible to add to the maneuverability of the blade. He cleared the sweat from his brow with his hammer arm, and replaced the steel back in the forge.

Twisted Horns watched from afar in the chair on the other side of the room. Even though the room was dimly lit, he could see that the blade was shaping up to be a work of art. He was rather impressed by Ignatius' handy work. A minotaur would be insulted if his blade was presented to them, but then again, Twisted Horns, like all minotaurs, are practically born with a smithy hammer in hand. Swords like Ignatius' would be good for an adolescent teenager, but seeing as how he himself was not an expert, he was still making a rather fine blade. The forge master looked at the coco clock on the wall over the human's head and saw it was time to make dinner. "Ignatius." he called. The Marine looked towards the monster. "it's time to get dinner started. Go wash up, and get some water, please." Ignatius removed the heated metal and put it on a metal rest to cool down, and replaced the hammer.

"Horns?" the minotaur turned to Ignatius from the carrots he was cutting. "What do you see through your eyes that makes you smile so much?"

The minotaur only smiled wider, and said. "I just smile because it makes me happy. I always look at things positively. Even in the worst situations, I still can find a reason to smile, and when you do, this dimly lit room, becomes brighter and more vibrant than Celestia's throne room. I learned to deal with the negativity that comes into every day life, and turn it over on itself, and because I am able to do that, it make me smile more."

"Huh." Ignatius pondered this, and when he did, he could find no argument. So, he just went into the back and washed up for dinner.
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"BEEEELCH!"

Ignatius just sat there dumbfounded. He never had seen someone move a table by belching at it. Then again, he had never seen a mino-satyr before either. "Good one." was all he could say.

Twisted Horns let out a belly laugh in response. A knock on the door quickly broke the joy. "Come on in, the door's open." the forge master cried.

The door swung open and a figure stepped beyond the portal. "Hey, Ignatius." Aquinas said with a bit of mirth. "What's going o . . ." Aquinas stopped in his tracks as he saw Twisted Horns. His eyes became as wide as dinner plates. "Dude." he said without thinking.

"Hi" Twisted horns said as he waved with a large smile.

Aquinas turned to his brother. "Dude, this guy looks awesome!"

"You haven't seen anything yet." Ignatius warned. "Watch this." He gave Twisted Horns the go ahead. The man beast sucked in some air to his stomach to build pressure, when he had enough, he let out a bigger belch than before. He was not only able to shake the table, but he made the plates bounce.

Aquinas gave an exaggerated, hurt look. "Aw, you guys are having all the fun!" He huffed a bit, but then, the serious button came back on. "Oh. The princess wanted me to tell you that you have a teacher for flying."

"Oh." Ignatius said dryly. "What shmuck did she stick me with?"

"My shmuck of a cousin." came a voice from beyond the portal. In stepped a woman dressed in gilded armor and armed with a spear and short sword. "Hello, Ignatius."

"Private Bright Flower." said the Marine. "How do you fair?"

"I am doing well, sir, and yourself?"

"Can't complain." Ignatius crossed his arms. "So, you said your cousin is going to give me flying lessons."

"That is correct." she said. "Spitfire's bit of a bitch to handle, but I'm sure a man of your standing will fair too easily under her wing."

Ignatius perked an eyebrow. "You said that, Spitfire was my flying instructor?"

"Yes." said the private. "You seem to have heard of her before."

Ignatius looked to his brother, and then back to the guard. "I may have heard her name mentioned once or twice."

Bright Flower gave a huff. "She always wanted to get her name out there. Anyway, she will be start your lessons in the morning in the courtyard. She will fill you in on the rest of the schedule." She gave a pause for a second, her eyes not being drawn away from the man in front of her. "I must take my leave now, but I will see you around, Ignatius." She gave a customary salute, and after the Sergeant gave his, she went off.

Aquinas elbowed his brother and said. "Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap . . . OW!" Ignatius gave his brother a slap on the back of the head.

"No." he said grimly.

Aquinas just chuckled.
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The courtyard in the morning was as one would not expect. At this time, and at the time of night, nothing came in or out of the courtyard, save for a group of scholars on their way to their classes. They made small jokes and laughed merrily with each other. As the trio ascended the staircase that led out of the courtyard and to , they passed up a man in a black trench coat. He had a very disgruntled look on his face and he was sporting a dagger under his garment. The students gave him a respectful pathway down the steps. For none of them wanted to tangle with a man like that.

Ignatius paid no heed to the trio of friends and made his way to the middle of the courtyard. He stood in the middle of a grassy lawn with not a whisper of wind gracing the grass. After about a minute of standing in there, waiting for Spitfire, he turned around with a growl in his throat and was about to leave when the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. This usually meant that there was danger around, and he was right , when he spun a 180 and ceased a fiery-orange haired woman with dirty-gold wings by the throat. She stood, if she was standing, at about five-foot eight. She wore a skin tight flight suit and custom athletic shoes sharing the design of a yellow thunderbolt over a sky-blue hue. Her wings flapped ungracefully as she tried to release herself from the Marine's iron grip. Ignatius just gave a deadpan face. It hid his amusement that the little woman was trying so hard. Her actions were obviously in vain, as he only squeezed tighter as she struggled more. Spitfire's wings nearly lost all of their strength as oxygen was leaving her system without any replenishment.

Before the woman passed out, the black coated male let her drop to the ground. Spitfire gave a cough as she sucked in precious air and massaged her throat. She opened up her tear welling eyes and looked up to find the same dead pan face staring back at her. She was frozen with fright as the dry, pale blue eyes of her offender locked her in place. "If you ever sneak up on me again,' he presented the wicked edge of the blade to the woman. "I will stab you with my dagger. I am not going to kill you, I'm just going to make you suffer the pain of the edge of my blade making a nice slit in your abdomen. Do I make myself clear?" Spitfire just nodded rapidly in fear.

The jumpsuited woman cleared her throat and perked up her wings again. She flapped them a couple times and made it back in the air to be now towering over Ignatius. She gave a weak smile as she extended her hand and said, "Well, my name, as my cousin may have said, is Spitfire." With the mention of her name, she gained a little confidence back. "And I am your teacher in the art of flying. However, I do not know your name. So, why don't you introduce yourself?"

Ignatius gave a long snort and said, "My name is Ignatius."

Spitfire extended her hand, which Ignatius promptly took. He gave a firm grasp as was customary, but he did not expect the young woman to give such an impressive grip herself. They both looked each other straight in the eye, and Spitfire smiled.

"That's too bad." Spitfire cooed. This set Ignatius back a bit.

"What do you mean?"

"That you are going to fail my lessons."

Ignatius made his wings erupt out of his back in a flurry of black feathers. They were just bigger than Spitfire's wings, but looked twice as powerful. "How about now?"

The woman openly chuckled. "It wouldn't matter if you had Princess Celestia's wings. You still would fail."

Ignatius deadly gaze set back on Spitfire. He growled loud enough to set a bear back on its heels. He definitely did not like being made fun of. "Explain to me how you know the future already. You know nothing of my limits, or my strength."

"I know you will fail," Spitfire explained. "because I know that you are too uptight. You are not a free spirit. You seem to like things all in line, planned out. When you are up there in the sky, there isn't a road. There isn't a set path that you can take to get to a destination. You must learn to just go with the flow, and learn to let go. You need to learn to relax. Otherwise, you aren't going to be able to fly a mile without having your wings all tensed up and unusable because you have an inability to just take things as they come. Flight is about becoming like the spirits. Limitless, happy, excited, death defying, and above all, free."

Ignatius thought Spitfire's words over, and tried to analyze every word. She gave him two sharp knocks on the head as he stood there. Ignatius snapped his teeth at her.

"You're doing it all wrong!"

"I haven't fucking done anything!"

"Exactly?! That's your problem. You have to stop trying to put everything under a microscope. Feel, don't think. Trust your instincts." With that Spitfire took off into the air and hovered at about forty feet up. "Get up here!" she called down.

Ignatius was skeptical. How did she expect him to get up there when he hadn't even taken his wings out for a test run. Still, she wasn't up that high. He took a deep breath and tried to get his wings to function. They started out slow, but soon grew to a steady pace. A pace that was enough to lift him up off the ground and up into the air. His breath became labored as he kept his concentration on the woman in the jumpsuit. He tried not to look down, because he knew that if he did, he would end up losing focus. He was visibly sweating, and he was swishing back and forth as his wing beats made him unstable. Nonetheless, he got up the required height, but because of his tension, he needed to go back down almost immediately.

Spitfire rolled her eyes, when she saw him panting. She went over to him, and took his hands, she placed the on her hips. If it wasn't for his labor, Ignatius' embarrassment would have been exposed through the red that his face was already colored by. Spitfire put hers on his shoulders. "Concentrate on me." she said softly. She drew herself in closer, her nose nearly touching his.

"Just what are you doing?" Ignatius asked in a shaky tone.

"Adding a feminine touch." she said coolly. "I know that guys have trouble sometimes with concentrating on their first flight. They need something to take their minds off their wing beats, and this did the trick with my pal Soarin when we were younger." Ignatius looked around to see that he was comfortably flapping his wings. "And it seems to me that it is doing the trick for you." She let him go and the Marine was still floating there with ease. "So, let's get over to the practice field." She slowly drifted backwards. "I'll go slow for ya, and remember, feel, don't think. Trust your instincts."

"Feel, don't think. Trust your instincts." Ignatius repeated. He kept telling himself that over and over again, as he slowly went forward. It wasn't long before he picked up a little speed. He gave himself a congratulatory smile, and went on. He did feel something though. A sense of weightlessness and happiness. He felt like nothing could touch him. He was starting to enjoy himself.

The pair made it to the practice field in the course of an hour, but that was just because they took a couple detours around the castle. The field itself was that of something that someone would expect. Certain obstacles floated high in the air and others were just a few feet off the ground. Ranging from loops and maneuvering rods, to colorful balls and platforms. "Alright." Spitfire said enthusiastically. "Let's get started."

"What would you have me do first?" Ignatius said with about as much enthusiasm as his teacher.

"Hit the track and take three laps, but let's see if you can move faster than three miles an hour, okay?" She took out a whistle out from under her jumpsuit. "Are you ready?"

Ignatius nodded.

"Then let's go!" She blew the whistle and Ignatius started off. He went a lot faster than what he had before, and even went faster as he took his second and third lap. He felt exhilarated and free, powerful and majestic. He felt the kiss of the air on his face, and whistle in his ears. He slowed down to a crawl as he approached Spitfire.

"See, I told you. Feel, don't think." the next words they said together. "Trust your instincts." The duo laughed together. Ignatius' smile, surprisingly, didn't recede. He just felt so good to have the ability to fly, that everything else, just seemed to melt away.

"See? Don't you feel better?"

"Yeah." he said in reply. "I guess I do. Thanks, Qui Gon."

Spitfire cocked her head in confusion. "Who's Qui Gon?"

"Don't worry about it."

Celestia's Fear

View Online

The halls of Canterlot Castle were far from silent at this time, and that worked out perfectly. So many people going about their everyday tasks would pay no heed to a frantic young lady running as fast as she could around every corner and down every hallway. Twilight Sparkle's heart beat so fast, she was sure that it would jump out of her chest, but even with that disturbing image in her head, she still ran on. It took her a while, but she finally made it to the Wonderbolt practice field.
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Speed, efficiency, grace, control. All these things described Ignatius in flight. His black wings pierced the blue sky at an alarming pace, but because of the serrated tips, he made no sound. He flapped his wings once more to give himself a burst of speed and curled up into a canon ball. He flew forward about twenty feet in a straight line before locking his body out in a plank with his head facing up. Ignatius, with this trick, was able to rocket himself at a complete 90 degree angle, and flew straight up at the same speed he went in at. The flying Marine was able to do this at any angle, even 180 degrees. Which is what he did. Once he got up to a sufficient altitude, Ignatius curled up again, and flipped downward, and flew straight down, he was gaining a tremendous amount of speed, until he noticed something at the entrance of the field. A tiny spec of purple running with purpose toward Spitfire's position. Ignatius turned slightly and decreased his speed to make the landing.

Twilight stopped just short from Spitfire and leaned on her knees. She was sweating all over and her breathes were labored. The pegasus came up next to the young girl and made her stand up. "Hey, hey, calm down. Breath deep." Twilight tried to steady herself, but found it hard to draw air. Ignatius flapped his wings to control his decent. The pair on his back faded into his skin as he stalked toward the duo.

"What's wrong with Twilight?" he asked. A bit of concern in his voice.

"Your (gasp) brother. (gasp)." Twilight said.

"What about him?"

"Your brother (gasp) is missing."

"WHAT?!" Ignatius' heart rate was already high, now it sky rocketed. "How did he go missing?" Ignatius nature kicked in and he was now inches from the girl's face. His eyes launching daggers into her purple hued orbs.

Twilight's breathing calmed down slightly enough, but it would remain at that rate because of her level of fright. She had never dealt with a man like Ignatius before, and to see him as angry as he is now, was rather terrifying. Though her level of fear was relevant, she managed to say, "I was going through some routine steps for a color changing spell, and the topic of teleportation came up. I told him not to, but he wouldn't listen."

"Let me guess." Ignatius said through clenched teeth. "He tried teleporting and now you have no idea where the fuck he is, right?"

Twilight squeaked in fear, and tried to hide behind her long hair and forearms.

Ignatius's hand instinctively slid over to his knife. He grabbed Twilight by the hair on the back of her head, and yanked it back. She howled in pain, but was silent with fear as she saw the Marine's wicked edge placed up against her face. "If my brother is harmed in any way, I am going to tie you up and hang you upside down as I cut off your face. Do you understand me?" The Sergeant's cold tone was enough freeze beer. Twilight's head only nodded violently as a response. "Good." he whispered softly, and withdrew his hand.

Ignatius replaced his blade and turned toward Spitfire. She herself stood rigid as a board after witnessing the event. "Fly around Canterlot and see if you can spot him from the air. He should be easy to spot. He is a tall, heavy set male wearing a blue military coat. While you're up there, we will be looking on the interior of the castle. Come find us when you're through scanning the area."

It took her a while, but Spitfire put together a mental image. She took off at full speed, and went around the spires, thinking that he would have been put in danger by such a spell. Thankfully, he was not.

She kept searching, even going as far as to check the mountain slopes that Canterlot was built on. Nothing there either. She then checked the streets of Canterlot. She spotted one man that looked like he fit the description. She flew down to him and asked, "Excuse me, Aquinas?"

The man in a blue coat gave her a look. "Who in the name of Celestia, is Aquinas?" the man huffed and took another bite of his jelly doughnut.

Spitfire gave an annoyed sigh and flew off again. It didn't take her long to find the pair that she had left behind. She saw them through the library windows. Spitfire hopped in through an open window. "Any luck?"

Ignatius flipped through a page in a spell book. "We won't need it soon." He threw the book across the room like a discus and hit his target. With it being Twilight's stomach, the girl gave an 'umph' as the tome hit her abdomen. "Page two ninety-eight." he yelled across the room.

Twilight sucked up the pain in her stomach and flipped through the pages until she found the correct one. "Got it!" she cried. The purple gem stones in her hands glowing as she concentrated. She closed her eyes and tried her hardest to finish the spell. When the spell was over, her eyes shot open, and a huge smile came across her face. "I know where he is."

Spitfire scratched her head. "What was that?"

"A locator spell." Twilight beamed. "I used it to find out where Aquinas had been placed."

"Well, let's not waist any more time." Ignatius shot. "Let's get moving and find my brother."

"Should we tell Twilight's teacher?" Spitfire asked. She thought that that would be the best course of action.

Twilight was about to protest, but was cut off by Ignatius. "No." he snapped. "I don't want her in on this. We find him on our own." The purple haired student blew a silent sigh of relief.

The trio made their way out of the library and went towards the where the teleportation spell had place Aquinas. The lower sections of the castle.
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The lower corridors of the castle were just as beautiful as the upper chambers. However, instead of having adorned stain glass windows with the rays of the sun shining through, the closed corridors where lit with aquamarine crystals for a ceiling. The stalactites that hung down looked like they twisted in on each other to form amazing patterns of stone. Spitfire had never seen the lower corridors of the castle before, but she had heard rumors about such wonders that graced the underbelly of the majestic fortress home. She was quite taken aback by such sights. Twilight had gotten to experience these wonders before, but with every visit, more excitement always found its way into her heart. Ignatius on the other hand, cared little for this. Although it was rather pleasing to the eyes, his main focus was on finding his brother. It had only been three weeks and Aquinas had already found some way to fuck something up. His rage boiled his blood, but the feeling in his heart was what was getting the most attention. Though his brother was capable, and now had training in the use of arcane powers, this whole castle was teaming with danger. If those were just the guards that Celestia knew about, what other underhanded dealings happened within the white walls of the castle. His brother's safety was Ignatius' main concern. He didn't want his brother hurt . . . or worse.

The trio made their way down a few more corridors. Twilight made her crystal adorned hands glow and made a purple path appear before the eyes of the band. "It isn't much further." she said. "Just about two more turns and we should be in the general area."

"Good." Ignatius said as he eyed the hallways. They became longer, and more narrow. Though they still had a wide path, it still became apparent that they were traveling deeper into the heart of the castle. The first of the two turns came up, but before the party made their way around, Ignatius put a hand up. The two female stopped dead in their tracks, and let the Marine whip himself around the corner. He came back with a woman's throat clasped in his hand.

Alvi shook as hard as she could to get the man's hand off her esophagus. She even tried changing her foot patterns to see if he could keep up with her quick movements, but with her rapidly depleting oxygen level, she moved slower and slower until the Sergeant just dropped her on the seat of her dress, and left her coughing while massaging her throat. Alvi enjoyed the next few breaths of fresh air, but then hated the next moments of life as Ignatius loomed over her. His shadow was something that only the truly cynical would call 'a proper stand over one's inferiors'. She gave a weak smile, and said, "Ignatius. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I heard another pair of footsteps stop stepping at the corner, and I became curious as to what would deter you from rounding it." Ignatius' tone was so cold it could make the Frozen North feel like it was Dodge City.

Alvi's smile became weaker. "I, I, was just walking round down here, and I heard footsteps and voices. I recognized yours and I just thought I might have a little fun and give you all a good scare, but that now seems like that would not have been a good idea." Alvi gave a slight chuckle. "Hindsight, and all that."

Ignatius gave a snort, and gave her a hand up off the ground. "We are trying to find my brother, and he seems to have a trail that leads down here. Have you seen him?"

Alvi rubbed her chin. "I think that I had heard some sort of voice from another corridor, but I don't remember where." She rubbed the sides of her head and blew a sigh. "And I don't remember which one."

"Don't worry about it." Ignatius said. "Twilight has the trail, so we will find him."

"Do you mind if I tag along?" asked the steward.

The leather clad man snorted and said, "Fine. Just don't get in the way."

With that, the now party of four went along the hallways.
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After the excitement with Alvi, Ignatius thought that he could get some more quiet. However, when Twilight Sparkle is in the room, you can expect the opposite. "Soooo, Ignatius?"

"What?" the Marine groaned.

"Ignatius, I was wondering. I was just curious, but does Aquinas have a girlfriend."

"No." Ignatius said flatly. He figured the least amount of words he used, the quicker that she would get the message that he didn't want to talk.

"Oh, so, he is single then?"

"Yeah."

"Do you think . . .I don't know . . . that maybe he likes me?" no one saw it, but Twilight's face flashed red.

Ignatius was about to answer with the sharpest part of his tongue, but something clicked in his head. A wide devious grin came over his face. He quickly changed it to that which would fit a character like his, and said "I think he does."

Twilight's eyes sparkled. "Really? Has he talked about me to you at all?"

Ignatius thought for a moment. "Well," he began. "Last Wednesday when I saw him, he was saying that when you have your eyes set on something, they seem to twinkle and shine. He also stated that you were very smart, and knew way too much about magic for you to be considered a student." Ignatius could feel the smile that was on Twilight's face. This is when he made his kill shot. "He also commented on how beautiful you where. Aquinas mentioned that you had a more than perfect physique and that when you where wearing that purple sweater vest, he nearly melted away." Ignatius had to control the amount of laughter that was building up in his gut. If he let just one chuckle out, it could ruin his plans.

Twilight propped herself up against the wall. Her breathing was just as labored as it was two hours ago when she was running. "Hey, you guys, I need a break." He eyes started to tear up from the amount of joy and happiness that was swelling inside of her.

The rest of the group stopped a few feet from the purple haired girl. Ignatius let out a couple of incredibly silent chuckles, but his laughter was cut short by a pair of angry yellow and orange eyes. The Marine looked at Spitfire quizzically. "What?"

"I know what you are doing!" The Wonderbolt shot. She hushed her tone to keep Twilight from hearing.

"I know what you're doing too." Alvi chimed in. "And I like it." He devious smile matched Ignatius'.

Fire erupted behind Spitfire's eyes. "How can you be so insensitive?" she silently barked. "Are you trying to hurt this poor girl?" She was deeply concerned about her. Though she had only just met the girl, she still felt a connection between each other. She felt for her.

"No." Ignatius replied. "I'm not trying to hurt Twilight. I'm just trying to embarrass the living shit out of my brother. I heard how she was talking and you see how she is after hearing my words." They trio turned to the studious girl and saw how she breathed deeply and had the largest smile on her face. Spitfire's throat had developed a lump. She had known that look all too well. She knew how happy Twilight must be feeling, and that is what made her so sad. If Ignatius' plan fell through, he may emotionally damage her. "See?"

"Oh, I see." Spitfire sneered. "I see a man who is so heartless and cruel that he would try and ruin a small girl's psyche for no better reason than because you think it a funny joke to play on your brother." The Wonderbolt stormed off to the other end of the hallway and leaned her back up against the wall. She turned her head away from the rest of the group with a huff.

"Alright, everyone." a voice came from behind the pair. Ignatius and Alvi turned to see Twilight standing right behind them. Her face looked like it had been kissed by Celestia's sun, and then some. She absolutely glowed. The magic student looked past them to see Spitfire. "What's wrong with her?" Her voice expressing her concern.

"Oh, don't worry about her." Alvi chimed. "Ignatius and I were having fun, and Spitfire didn't like it." Twilight's shoulders drooped in sadness. "Oh don't feel bad. She's just on her time of the month is all." This brought a chuckle from the girl. She knew how that felt.

Twilight took the lead to find Aquinas. She had a new spring in her step that didn't seem like it would give out easily. The rest followed suit, up until Spitfire joined the group. Her scowl and her silence echoed her distain for the leather clad Marine.
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"Fuck." Ignatius said as his shoulders drooped in defeat. The others in the group shared the feeling. The corridor that was supposed to be Aquinas' position was not what anyone expected. Every part of the hallway was covered in doors. "What the fuck is this?"

Alvi came up to speak. "These are Numinex doors. They are doors that lead can lead to anywhere. If Aquinas stepped through one of these, he could be on the other side of the world, and because this is a one way trip, there is no turning back once he closed the door. I'm sorry to say, but your brother could be anywhere. Really, anywhere."

Ignatius took in a breath and let it out slow. "Okay, here's what we'll do. Spitfire and me will take top side, and work our way down. Twilight, you and Alvi take the doors on the opposite side and work your way towards the middle. Everyone should meet in the center. Go."

Spitfire, with vigor, took off in the opposite direction as Ignatius, as Alvi did the same with Twilight. Door after door was opened, but not one blue coated man was found. Except for Spitfire, who opened another door to find the same man from the streets of Canterlot stare back at her as he put his feet up on his ottoman as he sat in his chair next to a fireplace. She quickly closed the door and continued to search. Twilight used her magic to open two doors at once to speed up the process. Each person went back and forth across the hall to get at each door a quickly as they could. Everyone met in the middle after an unsuccessful search. Each one was out of breath and the heaviness of guilt and failure weighed heavily on them. Until Twilight noticed something.

"Hey, did we check that door?" on the other side of the hallway there was a lone door hidden in shadow. It had dust caked on it, and the door knob's fittings looked like they would fall off any time. Ignatius and the gang went over to the door. It looked like someone had recently disturbed the door.

"Alvi?" Twilight said in a shaky tone. "What's behind that door?"

Alvi shrugged in reply.

Ignatius drew his dagger from its sheath and he brought his leg up to bare. The Marine gave a might kick to the door, and the portal flung open. Ignatius charged in blade first to meet any opposition. Time to get his brother back.

Ignatius went in with a battle cry piercing the air. "AAAAAHHHHHHHHH . . .what the fuck?" Ignatius stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the large form of his brother covered in grey furs.

"I AM KOALA MASTER!" the naval man cried as four of the marsupials climbed on top of his as he outstretched his arms like tree branches, which the koalas had mistaken them for.

Ignatius' vain at the front of his forehead was about to burst. He had thought that his brother was in some sort of danger, but here he was, playing with Australian wildlife. "Ugh!" he face palmed. "What are you doing here?" His annoyance was rather apparent.

"Well," Aquinas began. "Twilight told me that to teleport, you have to have a destination to think of, and I want to go to the places that koalas are. So, I teleported to a door, which looked like shit, and then when I opened it, and I found a koala sitting there. I went in and the door shut behind me. I have been here ever since." A koala had made its way up from the rock that the officer was sitting on and found a perch on his head. "It hurts so much, but they're so cute. I especially like this one." Aquinas pointed with his foot. "I named him Feels."

"Why did you name him Feels?" Ignatius said quizzically.

"Because he only has one ear." Aquinas said in a sad, yet understanding tone.

Ignatius looked down to see the koala did only have one ear. It was still rather small, so it had to be a young cub. It was possibly a birth defect. "Hm." was all he had to say.

Ignatius' let out a holler when a flash of purple ran past him and into Aquinas. Twilight had her arms around him in a split second. Then that's when the real assault came. "Are you hurt? Did the koalas attacked you? Did you feel any sort of sickness when you teleported? This heat is unbearable, have you had enough to drink?"

Aquinas couldn't follow any of that, so he just made a huge smile and made one his signature noises. "Ehng."

"He's fine." Ignatius spat. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

"Aw." Aquinas whined. "I want to play with the koalas some more."

"NOW!" Ignatius' tone and expression was all he need to realize that his brother was not in the mood.

So, Aquinas let his arms droop and the koalas took that as their cue to get off. The marsupials went along their way to other trees and climbed up in them to sleep the rest of the day. With his arms free, Twilight grabbed a free hand and held it tight. Aquinas, still distracted by the overload of joy, took as just a friendly gesture. He smiled with the young girl all the way out of the door, and back onto castle grounds. Once in their rightful places, Ignatius stepped through the door. Spitfire and Alvi waited for him. Alvi's expression was that of genuine satisfaction, while the former was completely irate. The Marine only saw it for a second until his head nearly spun around. Spitfire's hand had made its mark on Ignatius face. When he had recovered from the shock, and the very real pain of the hit, he turned to find the winged woman's face up to his.

"You" she stuck her finger in his leather cuirass. "can forget about me ever teaching you anything about flying ever again." With a turn and a flap of her wings, Spitfire took off at full speed.

Ignatius rubbed his cheek. He figured that it wouldn't leave more than a red mark on his face. No big deal. He shrugged and started off in the same direction as his brother with Alvi in tow.

The steward looked at his face. Set as hard as stone. The mark on his face would stay there for at least an hour or so. Nothing to worry about, though there was one thing that troubled her mind. "Hey, Ignatius." The Marine acknowledged her. "With Spitfire no longer being your flight instructor, how will you learn how to fly?"

"Who says I don't already know how to fly?" he said in reply. "Spitfire taught me the basics and that's all that I need. Learning all the tricks and shit are unnecessary. I just needed to know enough to get off the ground."

"So, I guess you don't need her anymore, huh?" Alvi tried to read any sort of expression on his face that would hint at any sort of displeasure. She found nothing.

"That's right." Ignatius said stoically. "I have all that I need to know in order to be a successful flyer. The basics."

Alvi gave a satisfied smile. She liked the way Ignatius thought.
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It was just about dinner time, and Princess Celestia was almost done with her paperwork. One more paper and she was done. The monarch dipped her quill in some ink as she reached her hand over to grab the paper. However, when her hand went over her paper, she grabbed what didn't feel like paper. Instead she felt something soft or fuzzy. It was rather small, she thought it may be a raccoon, but when she turned her head to see what she had grabbed, her face blanched. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head as she saw what was right next to her. The next thing she knew, she was screaming.
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Alvi, Aquinas, Ignatius, and Twilight ascended the stairs in a neat pack. They were on their way to collect the princess for dinner. Aquinas told his brother of how he played with the koalas and how he tried to sleep in a tree. "Yeah, it wasn't very comfortable."

"I would imagine so." Twilight said as she grabbed Aquinas' hand and held him close. "What you need is a soft bed for that strong body of yours." She stroked his shoulder and bicep. "Those muscles need to relax."

"You're so sweet, Twilight." Aquinas smiled back.

Ignatius and Alvi clenched their teeth and sucked their lips to their teeth so the sides of their mouths wouldn't curl into a smile. This was going to go better than expected. Ignatius knew that once his koala induced euphoria wore off, things would get really awkward between them. He did feel like a child for doing something this immature, but as the old saying goes, "Human males don't grow up, they get bigger." So, no matter how childish this may seem, it was still hilariously funny.

The mirth of the situation was grinded to a halt, when a scream was heard from up the stairs. This stair case only led to one place, and that was Princess Celestia's private study. The squad bounded up the stairs with purpose. The door to the study hall was slightly open, and it soon was fully open when Ignatius kicked his way in, with his blade drawn. What the Marine saw made that familiar vein bulge again. The princess was huddled into the corner of the room, and crouched on a table screaming. Below her was a small furry animal. An animal that Aquinas knew well.

"Feels, no!" Aquinas cried as he went over to the koala and picked him up. The little beast dug its claws into the Naval officer's coat to give him a hug. "Aw, I still love, Feels." Aquinas bent his head low enough to give the marsupial a nose rub on the top of its head. The koala perked its head up to do meet the large man's nose and gave the rub back. "Rehnngg!" Aquinas always made such a noise when he was happy.

"Aquinas!" What are you doing with that, that THING, in my castle?!" Celestia's tone made it evident that she was not pleased with having Feels around.

"Why are you freaking out?" Aquinas questioned. Feels when back to cuddling. "He's just a koala bear."

"They're scary!" the crowned woman cried.

"No they're not." Aquinas countered. "They're cute and cuddly and fluffy." he scratched Feels' back and the Koala closed his eyes, and flopped his one ear vigorously in pleasure.

Princess Celestia's arms came from her chest slightly, as they were pressed up against her chest before. She started to think of feeling okay with koala being there as she saw how friendly it was being with Aquinas. "Okay, now I know I'm afraid of those things, but that is just adorable." Her sourness towards the creatures quickly returned though. "Aquinas, I want that thing out of my castle, now."

Aquinas gave a saddened look, and his shoulders drooped. "Aw, come on." he begged. "Can't Feels stay?" The marsupial rubbed its head on the officer's coat in appreciation.

"Now, Aquinas!" the princess wasn't budging from this. She hated koalas and she wanted this one out of her study, and the rest of her life if possible. Aquinas gave a defeated whimper, but he complied. He made his way out of the study along with everyone else, and closed the door behind him.

Ignatius and Alvi couldn't hold it in any longer. They started to bend at their knees, and burst out laughing. "I, I," Ignatius gasped. "I can't believe she's afraid of koala bears!" A magic beam of gold burst through the door and nearly clipped the Marine as it hit the adjacent wall. "O, Oh, shit!" Ignatius stood back up and sprinted away from the door, with Alvi in tow. Both of them keeping pace with the other, all while laughing like hyenas the whole time.

Aquinas and Twilight gave each other defeated shrugs and moved on towards the halls below. It would take a while to get there, so Twilight started up on a lecture she had memorized thoroughly on the importance of Star Swirl the Bearded's theory on occult paradigm shifts. Aquinas blew a silent sigh, and whispered to the Feels, "I think this girl might actually talk my ear off." The koala covered his ear with his paw, even he knew that this was going to be a long trip.
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"I could have sworn you did."

"I thought Ignatius did."

"I was the first to leave."

"Well then, it must have been Ignatius or Alvi."

Twilight and Aquinas went back and forth on this matter, though it got them nowhere. The fact of the matter was still apparent. The door to Down Under was wide open, and all the koalas that were on the trees, were gone.

"Okay, maybe the koalas went to find better trees." Twilight commented hopefully.

Aquinas shook his head. "This is prime koala territory. There is no way that they would leave this oasis."

"Then, where are they?" Twilight cried in frustration.
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Princess Celestia stepped out of her shoes and placed them neatly under her bed and replaced her crown and jewellery on her head stand. She took off her flowing white dress, and used her magic to fold and place it into her cloths hamper. The servants would come and take care of that in the morning. The monarch was now just in her under garments. She didn't like sleeping with anything else on. She always felt so comfortable and free in them, and slept so well these days because she was allowed free movement. Celestia moved her covers with her magic and slipped into bed. She reached over to her blindfold and put it on. There was just one thing missing right now.

She opened her blindfold to let one of her eyes scan the room to make sure she was alone. She let the eye mask fall back in its respective place, and reached under her pillows. When she felt the softness, she knew she had found peace. She pulled out a stuffed bear. She had had it ever since she was little, and it always helped her sleep. She cuddled the thing after blowing out the candles and started to drift off into a peaceful rest when she felt something strange. Her bed was being scaled and walked on. It felt like whatever was walking on it, there was a lot of it. Celestia threw off her blind fold, and used her magic to light all the candles in the room. When she did, she was confronted with a sight that had invaded her nightmares ever since she was small. When she looked to what she was clutching so tightly, she let out a terrified shriek.
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Aquinas was about to round the corner with Twilight, when a terrified woman with wavy hair, came running around and crashed into his frame. If it hadn't been for the significant weight difference, he would have been knocked over. Princess Celestia was visibly quaking in fear, and she had eyes as big as dinner plates. She was panting so loudly that a guard down the hall behind her could hear her, and she was a good hundred feet from her. Aquinas held the woman close, and stroked her hair. Twilight's eyes burned with a fire as she witnessed this. "Hey, hey. Calm down. What's happened?" The princess stammered something indecipherable to him. "What?" She stammered again. "Princess I can't understand you."

"Aquinas." Twilight said. "I am pretty sure we know what it is."

The officer nodded his head once the gears were in full turning. He held Celestia out at arms length. "Don't worry, we'll get them all this time." Aquinas looked her over with a stone hardened face of red. He quickly unbuttoned his coat and put it on over Celestia's shoulders. The monarch's face turned the same colour as her opposite when she pulled the coat over her to shield her body from anyone else's eyes.

Aquinas beckoned for his teacher to follow him to the princess' room. She didn't quite know, but Celestia could have sworn Twilight gave her a look of utter distain as she passed by. She just shook it off, though. She was tired and was probably just imagining things. Little did she know, she was spot on.
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Aquinas counted the last koala roll of the last guard's arms. "Thanks for the help, Private."

"No problem, sir." Cedar Wood said with enthusiasm. "I don't know what these things are, but darn it they're cute." Aquinas gave a nod and patted the young man on the shoulder. Twilight came up to the guard and gave him a hug.

"Thanks, Shiny." she said as she squeezed her big brother tight.

"Come on, Twily." Shining Armor protested with a blush. "Not when I'm in uniform."

The purple haired girl looked over to him and said. "Oh, you're so cute when you're trying to act all soldiery." She fluttered her eyes at him Aquinas, as she said this.

The naval man put on a stupid smile and said, "Nope." he let out a yawn. "Alright, time for bed. The sun had already set there in Down Under and the koalas were playing happily with each other. Aquinas bent down and patted his one eared friend on the head and went out the door after the siblings. He closed the door tight, and went on his way. Twilight's room and his went in the same path until a fork came up and they had to separate. The young girl held his hand the whole way there, even after his subtle protests. She didn't seem to like being far away from him. It showed in her eyes when they had to separate. She went her way, and Aquinas was about to go his when Shining Armor stepped in front of him, and had the largest grin on his face.

"My sister has a HUGE crush on you." He snickered.

Aquinas' face screwed up. "What? No she doesn't. She's just a little overly friendly. I mean, you know her better than I do. This shouldn't be anything new."

"Yeah, I do know her." Shining countered. "So, I know what I'm talking about when I say that she is totally crushing on you."

"Prove it."

The young girl's head peaked back around the fork. "Oh, Aquinas. I almost forgot." she blew him a kiss off of her hand like she was lightly letting dandelion fluff flutter in the wind. "Good night." she sang in the sweetest voice.

Aquinas gave the best fake smile he could, and caught the kiss with an outstretched hand. When Twilight had left for good, Aquinas face still held the smile, but the upper half of his face showed his worry. "He he, shit."

Shining Armor snickered in delight. This was just too rich.

Awkward, Awkward, and More Awkward

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This had to be the most unbearable thing that Aquinas has ever had to do. Twilight's parents had always sent their daughter some spending money, but instead of spending it, she gives it to Spike for safe keeping. Why the information? Because sometimes, Twilight does spend that money, and this time she wanted to spend it on some new outfits. She usually went to Sparkle Charmer, which Aquinas would have preferred, but instead, Twilight wanted to go to the large strip mall complex in the middle of Canterlot. Low and behold, she wanted her crush to go with her. Aquinas hated shopping. Except if the destination was a gun store or a sports shop. However, since Equestria doesn't have fire arms, and the sporting goods store is on the other side of the shopping centers the Naval officer was stuck here.

Aquinas had protested and had come up with every possible excuse. He even famed having a head ache. It would have worked, had Twilight not used her puppy dog eyes on him and told him that she would take 'extra goo care of him'. He didn't want that, so he changed his answer. How she was able to sucker him into this was a mystery to him. In fact, the bigger mystery was how women even worked! So, instead of trying to figure it out, Aquinas sucked it up and went with Twilight. Things were going smoothly, until Twilight found a dress store that she heard other people talking about while studying outside on campus.

Twilight inspected herself in the mirror. True to form, she had chosen a light purple blouse with lavender accents. On the top, there were gold swirls around the collar, and similar patterns on the arms. The studious girl twirled once. "Hmm." she inspected what it looked like from the back. "What do you think, Aquinas?"

Aquinas rolled his eyes slyly and said, "Um . . . you look rather nice."

"I just always loved the color purple." Twilight beamed.

"Well, it is the color of your hair." Aquinas was bored out of his mind, so he figured idle conversation would help keep him awake.

"Hmm." Twilight inspected herself one last time. "You know what, I'll take it. I have some shoes back in my room that would fit this just perfectly."

Twilight changed her cloths and paid for her blouse. The duo went up the streets, and headed back to Canterlot Castle. Much to Aquinas' eternal pleasure, Twilight had spent the last of her bits and wanted to head back to the castle library. Aquinas was carrying all of bags as the young woman locked her elbows with his.

"Twilight." Aquinas half whined. "Could you, ya know, hold off on the canoodling?" Aquinas did a take. "Some people are staring." only about three people glanced at them, but those three people also visibly snickered as they passed. This was so embarrassing! Aquinas' face flushed red when he saw a pair of guys chuckle to each other and crack a silent joke as they looked their way. A hood on the back of his coat like Ignatius had on his would surely help right now.

Aquinas found some relief from the peoples' prying eyes when he spotted an alley. Like the rest of the city, it was fairly clean. "Hey, Twilight." the girl's head shot up to him. "This way should take us to the Castle faster." Aquinas motioned with his head towards the alley. With the position of the sun, it did provide some shade. The pair of one and a quarter love birds walked between the buildings. Twilight still cradled the Naval officer's arm in hers. A smile of pure joy on her face as she traveled next to her crush.

Twilight's mirth would have lasted all the way to the castle, had it not been for an unplanned occurrence. Out from the exiting corner of the building shot a figure in somewhat raggish clothing. His garb still looked as if someone in the working class would use it as their mining cloths. A classy thief if one ever saw one. He bore a knife in his hand and held it out straight in front of him. The young scholar yelped at the sight of the armed and dirty man. Aquinas stood still as a stone wall. He had dealt with these types of people before.

"Hold it right there!" the thief demanded in a raspy voice. He sounded like he was sick with a throat virus, or something of some such nature. He inched forward with the tip growing ever closer to his targets. Twilight and Aquinas backed up the same distance that the man advanced. Soon they were all in the middle of the alley. "Now, give me all your money, and any items on you that have any sort of worth. Watches, jewelry . . . you understand?" Twilight went for her coin purse, but Aquinas' hand stopped her. "What are you doing, fatty?" the criminal spat. "Give up the coin, or else!"

Aquinas gave Twilight the bags and unbuttoned his coat, which also made it to the girl's arms. His frame only supported a small portion of fat around his abdomen that could be seen through the navy blue and gold buttoned vest. The rest of his body was made of packed muscle. Aquinas weighed close to two hundred and forty pounds. With most of it being corded flesh, there was no question that this man did lift.

At this point, a plan formed in Aquinas' head. This was the kind of experience that he needed in order to shake Twilight off of him. All he needed to do is get messy. The naval officer inched forward up until the knife was about a foot away from him.

The thief held his ground and took a couple of warning slashes Aquinas' way. "Stay back!" he warned. "I'm not afraid to use this." The timid tone of his voice was enough to tell Aquinas that this man was bluffing. He did a take of the knife. He noticed it was just an old chef's knife with a crude handle. He used his large hand to swat his opponents and sent the knife the knife flying. The weapon shot into the adjacent wall and bounced off. The thief's hand was starting to throb with pain at the sudden hit. He turned away from Aquinas and began to run, but was stopped by the latter when he grabbed hold of the small cloak the man was wearing. Aquinas heaved the man in, and delivered a powerful punch to the back of the thief's head. The weak man tumbled to the ground in a heap. "Okay, okay! You win. Just leave me be." the thief begged. Aquinas wasn't done though. He picked the man up by the collar and the trouser and began to spin. On the third rotation, he let the man fly down the alley way the same way that he came in at. The man groaned in pain. He wasn't prepared for something like this. He also wasn't prepared to figure out why Aquinas was called the minotaur. His head shot up when the thief's bones rung like an earthquake as Aquinas came barreling towards him with his head bent low and his arms set out in front of it. The thief got to his feet as fast as he could, and tried to run, but even with his legs pumping with all their might, Aquinas was still able to catch him, and use his legs, back and arms to smash into the man and send him launching into the air as the Naval officer gave a mighty heave as he brought his "bull horns" up like a charging steer. The thief only got a second's reprieve when Aquinas' quick feet shuffled to change his direction in a full 180. He came in and charged the man again. Keeping low this time, the Ensign used his fore arms and elbows to plow the man over. As he was assaulted by charging man, the thief bounced on the ground a couple of times as the onslaught came. The pair got along long enough for Aquinas to stop just short of Twilight and have the man flop unconsciously at the young woman's feet. Scrapes, blood, and bruises littered the man's body. If the man could talk, he would describe the experience like losing a fight with an angry bulldozer.

Twilight just stood there in shock as she looked down at the limp man. He still groaned, so she knew he was alive. She turned her attention back to Aquinas, who had nothing but a scuff on his shiny, black shoes. The magic student stood there with her mouth agape for a few moments before Aquinas took back his coat and placed it back on his shoulders. He had just buttoned his last gold piece when his neck was ringed by a pair of skinny arms. His face also had a pair of lips on his cheek.

"Oh, thank you!" Twilight chirped. "If I had been all by myself, I would have surely died, but I didn't because you were here to protect me." she kissed him again and placed her head on his shoulder. She was standing on her tip toes and leaning on him, but Aquinas just stood there and took it.

'Well that backfired for the worse.' he thought to himself. 'It can't get anymore sour than this.'

Twilight's hug lasted for as long as her toes could hold her weight. Thankfully so, it wasn't that long. She looked to the limp body of the thief and then back to Aquinas. "What are we going to do about him?"

Aquinas rubbed his chin and thought on this. He then picked up the body in a fireman's carry and placed the thief on the other end of the alley way. He placed him on his side and put the man's arm under him so that he would appear sleeping. He wasn't out of sight, but he was well within the shade. Aquinas took out his bag of bits, which contained about thirty of the gold coins, and it put under the man's arm that his head was resting on so that any would be thief would not see the coins and take it for themselves. Aquinas didn't get a good look at him before, but now he could see the man's facial features. Aside from the new cuts and scrapes, his face was rather narrow, but he spotted a cropping of hair that was orange in color. He also had a cutie mark that was in the form of a pastry. Aquinas couldn't put his finger on the type, but he lost interest when he saw Twilight eyeing him quizzically.

"What are you doing?" she asked with genuine concern.

"I am giving him my coins so that he will, or at least I hope he will, get some medical attention after he wakes up." Aquinas scooped Twilight up by the arm not carrying the bags and went their way down the alley. The girl blushed at this and smiled, but what she didn't know was that Aquinas wanted to leave the man, and this dreaded pass, as fast as he could. Though, he couldn't deny that pretty much saving Twilight's life was a bit of a rush, but instead of having her respectable fear of his strength or his malice, he now had her undying thanks and admiration for his actions. Which only made things more complicated. He felt sick as he thought to himself about the reason for why he maimed a weak thief into unconsciousness. He could just tell Twilight that he didn't want a relationship with her, but he found no way to present it in a way that wouldn't just break her fragile heart. So, he endured it all on his way to the castle. At least the street they were on was residential and the time was well into the work day, so no one saw him. Except, one person. It was a regular sized, if you didn't count the large chest, woman with straight hair that was toned a rosy kind of pink. It kind of looked like a waterfall of frosting. Her light magenta hued eyes shot daggers into Aquinas. Her arms crossed under her large chest and she gave a snort of contempt his way. Twilight was so blissfully unaware that she just kept smiling the whole time. Aquinas did a take to make sure she wasn't disturbed by such an event, but when he looked back to the woman, she was gone. The house she was in front of was rather large, of course it had to be owned by a wealthy family, and she may have just slipped back inside or out of sight. Whichever it was, he finally knew what it was like to be ghosted by someone. That whole experience kind of creeped him out. Although, it made Aquinas smile when he thought of having that happen if a man in a certain black, caped costume had done that to him.
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As the afternoon sun started to begin it descent into the horizon after it had climbed to its peak at mid day, Princess Celestia walked calmly along the hallways with a certain sway in her step. Things had been so peaceful lately. No one had shown up to court today and the nobles had finally stopped their inane prattle about the current hostilities. Which, for the most part, had died down considerably. Alvi had seen to that and did a fantastic job. In fact, it was because of Alvi's harshness and cold demeanor that Celestia hired her in the first place. She knew how to handle deceitful people and shady royals. A good sized smile tugged at the monarchs lips, and it sent her whole body spinning in euphoria. It almost was enough to shut the world out, but that was far from the matter. For when she had caught a movement at the edge of her peripheral vision, she looked to see that her student Twilight was walking with Aquinas through the courtyard. Actually, walking wasn't the correct term. Twilight seemed to be floating off the ground, and Aquinas seemed to be sinking into it as the former held onto the latter's arm as if letting go meant giving up life itself. Aquinas also wore a mildly distressed expression, while Twilight seemed to glow more than the sun itself. The princess looked at this and knew exactly what was going on. She had been this way before as well. Twilight was going through a phase the wavy haired woman knew all too well. So she knew how embarrassing it was for Aquinas. This was going to be a fun evening.

"Well, well, well." Princess Celestia chirped as the pair drew nearer. Both took a respectful bow to the monarch. "It seems you two had a pleasant afternoon." She did her best to suppress a chuckle.

"Oh, we are, princess." Twilight beamed. "Aquinas here took me to the strip malls of Canterlot and I got some knew cloths. He was such a big help." she gave his arm another squeeze. "Not to mention the fact that he faced off against a bandit!"

"A bandit?" Celestia said in a state of confusion.

Aquinas blew out a sigh. "Yah, a bandit. It was just some petty thief with a kitchen knife and he threatened us. I put him in his place."

"Aquinas, don't be so modest. It was horrific!" Twilight broke out. "He held out his knife and was going to kill us if we didn't hand over our bits. Aquinas however, took a brave stand and beat him down. He protected both of us, and all without magic. He just used those strong arms of his and that thief got what he deserved." Twilight's exaggeration was enough to make every drop of blood rush to his head.

"Huh, and where is the thief now?" Princess Celestia said as she raised an eyebrow.

"Recovering from his wounds. I gave him some money so he could go get medical attention." Aquinas used his free hand to scratch the back of his head. "I kind of went overboard on him."

"I see." the monarch stated. "Well, if that is all, Ignatius was looking for you earlier and he wants to talk to you."

"Then I should go to him." Aquinas affirmed.

"WE should go to him." Twilight corrected. Squeezing his arm again.

"Actually, Twilight." Princess Celestia interjected. "I would like you to set up the last lesson for the day."

"Which one, princess?" Twilight asked in earnest.

"The side-by-side gene swapping spell."

"But" Twilight said. "that's a really difficult spell to perform. I don't think I can even do that?"

"Teleportation is much harder than that." the white dressed female stated. "Especially when you have no idea where to teleport to." She gave a sly wink the Naval officer's way.

Twilight let go Aquinas' arm, and as soon as she did, a large rush of plasma filled the man's arm. The girl had been holding him so tight that he lost feeling in it, and the blood flow was half cut off. He nearly fell over from the sensation.

"I will have to get started on it right away if we want to have it done before dinner." Twilight gave a bow, and was about to start off toward the library but spun around and gave Aquinas a hug around his neck. She then skipped happily away after she waved and said, "Don't take too long, Big Bear." With that, Twilight went to do her part for the spell.

Aquinas looked at Princess Celestia with a wince in his eyes. She just stood there and gave an emotionless expression. "Don't do it." said the Ensign. Celestia began to slightly shake and her lips couldn't be suppressed for long. "Don't do it!" Aquinas said a little more forcefully. "DON'T . . ." before Aquinas could finish his sentence it was too late. Princess Celestia was doubled over in laughter. Her face was red and she was gasping heavily between howls of laughter. Aquinas' face had turned the deepest shade of crimson and he covered his face with his hands.

"B-B-Big . . . Bear!" the monarch was enjoying every second of Aquinas' misery. She felt like a total jerk, but this was just too funny. "I-I'm sorry." she said with tears rolling down her face. "That's just too adorable."

Aquinas really wished he had some sort of way to shield his rosy head. "Come on, Princess." his voice was a shaking whine of pure embarrassment.

"I-I know." Celestia gasped a breath of air. "I know." she tried to stifle a laugh but she went into another round of laughing.

"This is just really shitty, ya know?" Aquinas said.

"Oh, come now, Aquinas." Celestia said while wiping her face of the salty tear stains. "Is it really so bad?"

"Yes." he sneered. "People were looking at us on the street and giving us smug looks. Twilight didn't seem to notice, but I saw them all. Especially this one woman." Aquinas shuddered. "She just had nothing but distain for me. I don't rightly know why though."

"Maybe she was jealous." the princess added.

"Yah, I guess . . . DAMN IT!" Aquinas growled in frustration.

Celestia howled in laughter again. Without another word, Aquinas made his way toward Metal Ringing. Leaving the princess to laugh some more.
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Ignatius' gloved hand removed the stones from the lid of the furnace. After making enough room for himself, he reached in with a pair of tongs he produced a white crucible. Te apprentice blacksmith took it over to the anvil by the forge and placed it on the face of the anvil. He then drew his hammer from his side and smashed the white crucible into chunks. Mortar and slag fell off of what was contained inside. A red glowing ingot sat happily on the steel working platform. Ignatius bathed in its glow long enough to admire his work, but that was short lived. He immediately went to work on the red cylinder in front of him and pounded the top and twisted it on its side until the sides of the rounded object started become flatter. During his work, he saw the door being swung open. In stepped his brother. An expression of pure annoyance and frustration was more than apparent on his face.

"Long time no see, brother." Ignatius said with a smile. "How do you fare?"

Aquinas narrowed his eyes. "I would be a lot better if it wasn't for your dumb ass." his harsh tone didn't even bring a wince to his brother's eyes.

"So, you finally figured it out." Ignatius chided. "I figured it would take you longer."

"I found out three days ago." Aquinas said through clenched teeth.

"Oh, double points." Ignatius piped.

"Fuck off!" Aquinas spat. "You are the one that fucked everything up!"

"I didn't fuck anything up." Ignatius countered. "I simply moved the process along at a faster pace than anyone, except Twilight, would like. She already had feelings for you, I just lied and made it sound like you had the same for her. Quite honestly, you were trapped in her heart from the start."

Aquinas opened his mouth to speak, but no words formed. The Ensign gave a grunt instead. He had noticed at the end of the first week of his studies in the school of magic that Twilight was acting friendlier every day, but he never received any inclination that he was being looked at not only as a student, but as a partner. He felt rather guilty for not picking up on it earlier, but then again, he was never able to pick up on such things easily. He had always been so sociable that anyone and their mother would act like he had been their friend for a year, yet he met them not but two hours before. So, in short, he was used to getting positive attention. However, this time, it blinded him from the true nature of the situation. Aquinas blew a heavy sigh, and calmed himself. Perhaps his brother, and all his skill in manipulation, could help in some way.

"Okay, so how do I get out of this?" Aquinas' voice made him seem passive, but really, he was being as humble as he could so he could stay calm enough to spot anything that his brother would say to make things worse.

Ignatius only chuckled. "You can't get out with my help." he stated flatly.

Aquinas cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Why not?"

"Well, you could, but in turn, you would be losing a dear friend in the process. My methods in these matters would easily sever the bond between you two, however, it would work too well, and Twilight would ever speak to you again."

"So, you are going to have to come up with a way to get yourself out of this, or you are going to have to wade it out until Twilight no longer likes you anymore." Ignatius chuckled. "Or until Stockholm Syndrome kicks in and you have the same fillings for Twilight that she has for you." Ignatius gave a wink and a devious smile.

Aquinas snorted contemptuously at that last one. "So," the officer narrowed his eyes further. "I'm going to have to get MYSELF out of the mess that you yourself got me in. Am I right?"

"I already told you. You were trapped from the start." Ignatius put on a shit eating grin. His brother threw him a middle finger to him and left. He wasn't going to be anyone's puppet. Not even Ignatius'.
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Aquinas stormed up the steps to the library. This needed to end now! He wasn't going to made a fool of by his brother anymore. Once this business with Twilight is over with, he was going to torture the living shit out of Ignatius. He stopped just short of the last set of steps and fixed his coat, and set his composure. He would need it to deal with this problem. Aquinas allowed himself one final breath before he walked the last few steps up the stairs and saw the young scholar shutting a lid on a glass box.

Aquinas stalked over to the girl with an expressionless face, and determined steps. He could hear her humming a soft tune, when he came close enough. The young woman saw a shadow in front of her when the light was blocked out by a large figure. She smiled widely when she turned around to find that the caster of said shadow was none other than Aquinas.

"Oh good, you're back." she chirped. "I have something to tells you."

"I was just about to say the same thing." Aquinas dead panned.

"Oh, by all means, go ahead." Twilight offered with a twinkle in her eyes.

"No, no. You go on. You're the lady." If Aquinas was going to put this heavy matter to rest the way he intended, he was damn sure that was going to be a gentleman about it.

Before Twilight said anything else, she wrapped her arms around Aquinas' neck and held him close. The Naval officer winced, but his instincts kicked in and he hugged her back. Twilight smiled and nearly choked when she said, "You have no idea what it means to me to have someone like you so close. You are the man that I always dreamed of. Strong, handsome, adept at magic. You are also loving and caring." A tear escaped Twilight's eye. "I couldn't ask for anything more than just to be next to you."

She couldn't see it, but Aquinas himself also shed a tear. 'What am doing?' he thought to himself. 'I can't just break this girl's heart when she said something like that to me.' Aquinas did the only thing he could think of. He held her tighter. He said not a word, but his actions spoke volumes. He couldn't bring himself to cause this young woman such heart ache. Especially when all it would do for him is relieve him of some embarrassment. There was no way that he could break Twilight's heart and look at himself with any sort of pride ever again. So, he just held her until his arms shot electrical signals up to his brain that sent the same message over and over again. HEY, THIS HURTS! Aquinas held the purple haired girl out with half cocked arms, and a wide smile. "Hey, it's getting late. Why don't we do the experiment in the morning?"

Twilight shook her head slowly. "Oh no, it won't take long." Her eagerness to make the spell happen was apparent.

"Are you sure?" the officer asked. "I know how you enjoy giving your lectures, and the hour grows late. So I won't be able to hear a full lesson if we start now."

"You don't have to worry." Twilight chirped. "I don't have to talk much. Most of the spell is still in theory, so I won't be able to say much on it."

"Alright." Aquinas chimed. "So let's get started."

"Wait." the girl stopped him. "Wasn't there something that you wanted to say to me?"

Aquinas choked, but with the help of a cough buying him time he was able to speak. "It seems I have forgotten. Though, if it was that important, I would have remembered."
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Aquinas looked at the glass box in front of him and then looked to Twilight Sparkle. The whole time, he wore a face of utter confusion.

"Sooooo," Aquinas hummed. "What's with the crab and cuddle fish?" He referred to the two aquatic animals that were in the glass box filled with water and sand.

"Those are our test subjects." Twilight beamed in a teacher-like voice. "You will be applying Erlenmeyer Flask's theory of gene swapping."

"Gene swapping?" the novice magic user cocked his head to one side in confusion.

"Allow me to explain." Twilight cleared her throat. "Flask's theory stated that by bypassing the genetic sector of the magic fields around an entity, he could change the genetic makeup of a creature, and later, if success followed, a person. Completely rearranging their genes with another body in order to turn them from their original state, into something completely different. Say for instance, if you had the spell placed upon you with say a buffalo, you would, if the spell was worked in such a way, gain the strength of that animal, and possibly some other characteristics as well. All of it dealing with splicing mechanics and rapid cell growth in order for the tissue to align while a field matrix is placed around the two bodies to combine them into one mass and then later separate them while leaving both exchanged in a state of genetic splice. Ultimately, the two subjects placed within the spell could come out with the opposite's characteristics and traits. Ranging anywhere from physically, to mentally."

"Cool story, sis." Was all that Aquinas could say while the rest of his brain tried to catch up. When he finally made it all make sense in his head he said, "Oh, okay. I get it now."

"Just remember that everything in this experiment happens on a cellular level." Twilight piped.

Aquinas positioned himself in front of the box with the crab, which was trying to escape, and the cuddle fish inside. He looked back to Twilight who gave him some space to work.

"Just concentrate on the smallest level possible." Twilight chimed one last time.

Aquinas went back to the box and took a breath. He gulped. Then he remembered something. This was just a crab and cuddle fish. If he royally screwed up, who cared. Not him, that's who. With that thought, the officer was able to relax and have a smile grow over his face.

Aquinas channeled the magic around him and the test subject. The crab visibly struggled in the air as a navy blue glow emitted around it. The cuddle fish, unable to express any sort of concern, was looked at if it just didn't give a shit. The two bodies started to spin passed each other and soon were enveloped in a white aura. They spun faster and faster, until they both melded together and disappeared in the bright white orb.

"You're doing it!" shouted Twilight. "You're doing it."

'Yah!' Aquinas thought to himself as he marveled at his work. 'This isn't rocket science. Rocket science. Space ships. Alien life? Futurama? Why am I thinking about that right now?'

"Uh, Aquinas!" Twilight's voice shook as she starred at the ball of light as it seemed to be spinning faster.

Aquinas was snapped out of his mental tangent, and had to hold back his eyes before they popped out of his head. The magic being put into the spell was too great. "Um, Twilight, what do I do?"

"Just stop! Cut off the magic." the young lady was frightened and didn't know what else to say or do.

"Okay." Aquinas affirmed, as the glow in the blue crystals in his hands snuffed out completely. However, the magic within the spell was too great. The ball of white kept growing larger and larger, almost touching the walls of the box. Aquinas back stepped, and then grabbed the purple dressed girl next to him and dropped to the ground. He laid on top of her in fear that the orb would explode. "Stay down!" he ordered. The ball of light spun over and over again at increasing speed until it finally erupted. Books, papers, and glass alike were thrown everywhere in a display of raw energy as the spell released its power.

A large cloud of smoke filled the library at the end of the explosion. Aquinas and Twilight both gasped and coughed as the smog trailed into their lungs. "A-Are (cough) you okay, Twilight?(cough)"

"Yah.(cough)" she said back as she looked up at Aquinas who had his head turned away as he choked out some black air. "I think I'm okay.(cough)"

The Naval officer and the school girl looked to the table. A thick cloud of smoke still permeated off of the blue painted wood. Aquinas helped Twilight up after most of the smoke in the air had cleared. They both looked to the table where a sizable red mass waited on top of it. It looked rather large and both of the magic users didn't want to go near it. Luckily for them they didn't have to. It started to wiggle a bit but soon a pair of two-toed feet appeared out from under it. A pair of crab claws followed suit, and then to complete it all, a head came out. The creature before the duo looked be a crustacean. A crustacean with cuddle fish appendages over its mouth.

Its eyes blinked a couple of times to get rid of the fogginess before vision became a possibility. The creature issued a groggy grunt before shaking the rest of his confusion out of head. It eyed the pair for some time before side stepping and snapping its pincers at them. Once it was far enough away, the bipedal crustacean raced down the stairs issuing a peculiar sound.

WOOB WOOBOOBOOBOOB WOOB WOOB

The creature opened the nearest window at the bottom of the stairs and ran out into the garden beyond without so much as a whisper.
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Twilight and Aquinas both stood there in complete shock. Neither was able to say anything until the purple dressed girl spoke up. "What was that thing?"

Aquinas darted his eyes nervously and visibly sweat. "Um . . . " he tried to buy time and think. "Uh, I think we should write a letter to Princess Celestia now, and worry about that thing later." Aquinas knew he was going to be in some deep shit once his brother found out.

"Are you sure?" Twilight said skeptically. "What if that thing hurts someone?"

Aquinas blew a sigh of relief once his memory of what he was dealing with came into focus. "Trust me on this. I know what that thing is, and no one is in any danger." he said with a small measure of confidence. "I just think it would be best to inform the princess of this and keep it between the three of us."

Twilight was going to press the issue of why he didn't want to involve his brother, but then she realized that Aquinas probably knew better and complied. She levitated some stray papers along with a quill and ink from a desk that had not been too disturbed. "What should I tell her?"

"Just tell her that one of our spells went wrong and that she should double her security on her food stores and medical wing." Aquinas started to gain more command with his words as a plan formulated in his head.

"Uh huh." Twilight said as she jotted everything down. "Anything else?"

"We will explain everything to her in the morning."

"Mm, hm." Twilight signed the paper and used her magic to send the letter. Ordinarily, she would have Spike do it, but he was summoned away to the forge for a special duty by Twisted Horns. Although it was more convenient to do it herself, she still didn't like the after effects of 'instant messaging' magic. She soon found her crystals lighting up and a letter with a gold seal on it appeared in her hand. All her fingers felt numb and useless when she held the scroll. She used her other hand to levitate and open the letter. She winced slightly at the text.

"What did she say?" Aquinas asked hesitantly.

"She says that she WILL have ALL her questions answered tomorrow morning." Twilight answered slowly.

"Anything else?"

"Actually, that's the only line on the paper." Twilight showed him.

Judging from his experiences with recruits in the Naval Academy getting similar letters, this was not going to end without a couple lashings. Lucky for him, he never got anything like this from an Academy administrator, but unfortunately, when he did receive a letter like this, he was not facing a fellow officer, but a rather irritated monarch.

The only thing that broke him out of his stupor was a large flash of blinding lights and sound with incredible colors. Depictions of mountain lions chasing prey shone among the dancing stars in a breath taking display. The show was beautiful, and both of the magic students seemed completely enveloped by the image of a predator at his hunt. So much so, Aquinas didn't even know that Twilight had grasped his hand. When he did notice, he couldn't find the strength to pull away.
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. . . five minutes ago

"This is going to be so totally fucking rad." Ignatius whispered as he dug into the soil of the garden.

"I know." Twisted Horns nearly squeaked in excitement. "I finally get a chance to light off one of these puppies." The man beast patted a large rocket that he cradled in his arms.

"Hell yeah." Ignatius said as he jumped out of the small hole. He fit the rocket's support bar into the ground and held it plum, as Twisted Horns filled the hole back in. "This will definitely make a big 'boom'."

"Especially since we have dragon's fire." the forge master added. "Spike!"

A long irritated sigh accompanied a baby dragon as he came out of the bushes he was sleeping in and rubbed his eyes. "I still don't see how I fit (yawn) into this."

"With the dragon's fire," the horned figure explained. "the magic within the coals will ignite in a fantastic fashion that mimics the appearance of the night time sky's constellation. On this night, we can see the Great Hunt. So, with your fire igniting the fuse, we can see a spectacular display as if we were witnessing it in person." Twisted Horns compacted the dirt around the post of the rocket. "It's ready. Light it up, Spike!"

Reluctantly, the purple drake blew a small bit of flame on the fuse and sauntered over to a bush where the forge workers were hiding. He went behind it and looked just in time as the missile launched into the air and exploded as soon as it reached the optimal altitude. The cascade of colors drew everyone within ear shot of the explosion to attention. The great hunt was in full swing by the time the image came into form. Even Spike's fatigue couldn't keep him from enjoying such a sight. Twisted Horns and Ignatius shared a high five at their handy work. They had built the rocket from scratch, and now, they were enjoying the fruits of their labor. The great starry mountain cat chased after the deer that it was entwined with until it devoured the antlered prey's neck in its powerful maw. Over and again the image danced with the same show. The next one better than the last. It was actually so spectacular that the sharp eyed Marine didn't spot the red crustacean running through the garden foliage not ten yards from him.

Pain So Much Pain

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"By your order." Ignatius said as he let his arms fall to his sides. He bid the princess follow as he went out the door.
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Celestia didn't say a word until they were a good twenty paces away from Metal Ringing. "So, Ignatius." her tone was soft and motherly. "How have you been?"

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

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

"About?" Ignatius' skepticism was apparent.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Marine put his mouth closer to her ear. "Not until I make one thing clear." he rubbed his rough face against her creamy cheek. "I will carry out your order. I will have them separated, and I will leave your name out of it all. I do not do this because it will bring me pleasure during the act, but I will do it because the after math of it all will. One day, when you have my brother in your arms . . . she will come. She will ask. You will answer. And at that moment, at that point in your life, you will not only lose her, but you will lose Aquinas. Your jealousy, and your greed, will consume your heart, and leave nothing there but an empty shell. This will come to pass, for it has already taken one before that I knew, and let's just say, he took a road that one takes when they see no other road in sight." Ignatius let the princess go slowly, but as he did, she dropped to her knees, and then onto her side. She slipped from consciousness and laid still on the floor. Fear, and anxiety had taken their toll on her, and she fell into darkness. Ignatius gave a chuckle of victory to the silent hallway, and stepped over the prone woman before him. He took a left down the next hallway. The way toward the library.
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Twilight held onto Aquinas' hand with gentle firmness as they ascended the stairs to the library. Aquinas squeezed back with just the right amount of pressure. He wasn't really comfortable with it, but he was getting used to the affection. It brought a smile to his face when he thought about the fact that he was the same way. He always showed his ex the same affection and care when he was around her, and now to receive all of that back from someone else, it made him feel happy. Happy to know he was doing right. That he would do right. If Twilight really did like him, why should he show her anything else? Why should she be the only one to do the loving around here? Aquinas answered his own internal questions when he brought the girl in close for a warm hug. She squealed in delight, and returned the hug. They stood there for a who knows how long before they felt compelled to look at each other. Aquinas' 6'2'' build was staring down at Twilight who was a whole head shorter than him. Her purple eyes staring back at his blue orbs. The two could have sworn they were floating as they locked their gazes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Twilight gulped. "How serious?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"How do you know?'

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Just like back in Baltimore?"

"No, more like Chicago."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Which is?" Aquinas asked.

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

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

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

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.

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

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

Ignatius' wolf smile came back. 'Here is comes.' Aquinas thought to himself.

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

Twilight nodded vigorously.

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

"Later down the line, yes."

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

"Do you love me?" Ignatius said simply.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Who is going to love someone like me?" Twilight said in a despairing tone.

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

Aquinas didn't see it, but then again, he didn't have to. He could feel her smile. He could hear and feel the anxiety melt away from within her. As if it was a connection that could never be broken, she felt it in him as well. With that in her heart, it made a world of difference to her. Even in a sad moment like this, it made her happy to know that someone like Aquinas was there with her. Not only to share the pain, but to ease it as well. That is the thought that made this whole catastrophe seem like a wave of the hand.
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The door to Metal Ringing swung open to allow access to the black coated gentleman. Ignatius stepped inside and shut the door behind him. The bolts to the door seemed to spring to life as they locked the door behind the Marine as the torches in the room dimmed to a low glow. The trained soldier spun and produced his curved dagger. He met nothing when he had finished. 'This isn't good.' he thought to himself. His instincts cried out that there was danger. Ignatius readied himself for the next strike, but when he spun, he did not meet flesh or steel, he met a cloud of purple dust. It got into his eyes, and it made them burn. The warrior cried out in pain at the searing burn that plagued his eyes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Birth of the Wolf-Part 1

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It took the course of two minutes, but during that time, everything was painful. Ignatius tried to fight it. He tried to free himself from the memory, but the more he struggled, the tighter the Chinese finger trap of a dream became. Soon, he was one with the memory. He would relive the birth of the Wolf.
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"Hey, Matthew!" shouted a voice over the roar of the loader engine. Ignatius, Matthew, looked over to the open door. "We need to haul some base course over to the far end of the road, can you do that?"

"Sure thing, Staff Sergeant." the NCO(non-commissioned officer) left and went about his business. Matthew drove over to the stock pile and parked the loader. He traded that piece of equipment for a dump truck full of base course. He started up the machine and went on to the end of the road. He pulled up by another Sergeant that was working the road.

"Hey, Technical Sergeant!" Matthew hollered.

The NCO turned on the Airman. "You got the base course?" he spat a brown bullet of spit onto the ground.

"10 tons of it." Matthew said back.

"You know how and where to spread the shit." the Sergeant called back. "Get to it, Matthew."

With nothing to answer back with but a smile, he was off to the end of the compacted level of base course that was already ahead of the rest of the crew that was laying down the asphalt for the road.
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Ignatius slapped another magazine into his M4 and continued to fire. During the road work, they had fallen under attack by local Taliban insurgents. They started with a mortar attack, but when the Flight had moved back to a more secure position, they started to come in. Twelve were already dead on their side, but with the mortars and the fire combined, ten were wounded and three were killed on the side of the US. Matthew was there giving covering fire for medics to transport the wounded.

"Move, I got you covered!" he shouted. A single shot left his rifle and the bullet landed in a man's chest. Thirteen. The Taliban advanced, but the Air Force Dirt Boys stood their ground. Toughened by their work, their hides had callused over to that of stiff leather. Their attitude and resolve mirrored such things. The Arabic forces kept on charging, but the Dirt Boys still stood and roared in defiance. Their strength and bond to their fellow shop mates only hardened under these circumstances. It wasn't until the battlefield wasn't but fifty yards long and five more dead on the other side that the Army came in to reinforce the Dirt Boys. They had a solid victory after the helicopters mowed down the remaining insurgents.
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The clanging of beer cans and the cheers of the men were in full force. Not only had they won their fight earlier that day, but they finally got the news that they were going home. Not just the ones cycling out, but every Airman, Soldier, and Naval man. Victory was America's. Every last Al Qaeda and Taliban leader was either captured or killed, and local support for the groups had come to grinding halt. Those who haven't gotten the message yet would be dealt with soon. As for the Dirt Boys and the rest of the Civil Engineers, they would have to stay behind for a while longer. Next week would begin deconstruction of the bases. This fact mattered little to them. It was a minuscule price to pay for know that they were on their way home.
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"Don't let him go, Matthew!" a Staff Sergeant howled in laughter.

In the bay of the Dirt Boy shop, one of the other Airman decided to get behind Matthew and put him in a head lock. It was mistake the other Airman, Gentry, was starting to regret. Matthew had twisted himself around and was able to bend down proper and pick Gentry up by his leg. He was able to ground his opponent and get him in a developing leg lock. Gentry was by no means a small guy, but since he had gotten back from deployment, he had been neglecting the gym, while Matthew was hitting it harder than ever. His build almost matched that of his opponent, but he still had about twenty pounds on Matthew. That weight mattered little when Gentry's stamina was diminished, and Matthew was still going strong. The mirth had only just begun, because just when Gentry had tapped out, Matthew was assaulted by Airman Jordan. This boy was bigger, and he had all his energy, but even with this, Jordan was still on the losing end. Because of the way that Jordan went after him, Mathew got under the hulk of an Airman, and was able to put him on his shoulders. Jordan was spun around in circles before Matthew called out,

"Say Uncle, dude. Say Uncle or I drop you on the concrete." he laughed hard and said. "That's six feet man, so make your decision now, cuz my shoulders are getting tired."

Jordan sighed heavily, but a smile still crept onto his face. "Fuck." he said in a cough. "Alright, Uncle."

Matthew lowered his fellow Airman to the ground with the grace of a floating balloon. He turned around and shook Jordan's hand and patted him on the shoulder. "Good try, man. Good try." Matthew didn't have a second before his arm was thrown up by a Staff Sergeant. "THE WINNER!" Matthew threw up the other arm, and shouted among the crowd. "THE VICTORY HAS BEEN DOUBLED!!!" More cheers resulted. Though they were cut short when a Master Sergeant walked in through the bay doors. His brown face was stern, yet his eyes told anyone who could see it, that he brought with him more than just a friendly hello.

"Dirt Boys." he said in a thick New Orleans accent. "Can anyone point me in the direction of Airman Matthew Petrauskas?"

"That's me, Sergeant." Matthew said as he raised his hand weakly.

"You have been asked to appear at a hearing at the squadron. It's rather serious." Matthew read the Master Sergeant's eyes and could tell that he wasn't in trouble, but that someone else was. He grabbed his top and went to his car. Whatever was going, Matthew felt it, and his heart clenched because of it. Something was very wrong, and it wasn't about anything small.
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When Matthew first entered the squadron building, also known as the head shed, he could feel a lightness in the air. He saw everyone smiling and everyone having a good day with all things considered. He even passed up one of the female Airman who had been hitting on him for quite some time now, and that made him smile. However, as he drew away from everyone else, and got into the heart of the squadron. The light seemed to mimic that of a tomb. It was bright, but it was only so because if even just one bulb was out, the whole room would be engulfed in darkness. Routine commander visits were a norm for young Airman. The commander himself, Lieutenant Colonel Hemming, was very active in keeping up the moral of the youth and made it a point to communicate with them on a regular basis. So, this time should be no different. The reality of it however, was enough to make a large cloud loom over the area. A heaviness overshadowed the usual light hearted norm.

Matthew stopped at the door with the Master Sergeant, and knocked. He went to the position of parade rest until a voice rang out. "Come in." The Airman opened the door to find that the commander, and the commander alone, was sitting in the office. Matthew went up to the commander's desk in the most direct route possible and then stood before the ranking officer. Before he said a word, the door shut behind him. He saluted while saying, "Sir, Airman Petrauskas, reports as ordered." The commander saluted and the Airman dropped his salute after the officer did. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

The officer motioned for the young man to grab a seat. When he did, the man behind the desk spoke. "Something has happened, Matthew." The Airman's eyes nearly shot out of his head. The commander never called him by his first name, and to do it now in that tone of voice nearly made him jump to his feet and grab the pistol that wasn't at his side since a month ago after he got back from his deployment. "We have had cases come in from your base back in Afghanistan about certain incidences." Matthew's first instinct was to think about how he put firecrackers in a couple hajji-mart stalls and scared the living piss out of them. However, the stagnant pool of murky water that was the voice of the commander rang of something heavier. "We have had cases where some civilian workers out in the D were violated . . . sexually . . . and on many occasions. This seemed to have gone on for quite some time and by that I mean ever since your deployment started. It also seemed to have ended when you left."

Matthew's heart clenched again. "Sir . . ." he said shakingly. "Am I a suspect in this?" his voice was full of fear and sadness. He had made such good relations with the locals that they even had warned the him about impending attacks a couple of times, but now with the prospect of being accused of rape was cutting too deep for him.

"NO!" the commander exclaimed with an outstretched hand. He knew that Petrauskas took things to heart and so he was going to be much more careful with what he was going to say. "No." he regained the small amount of composure he had lost. "The reason why that I called YOU in here is because you have told , and shown me, that you have a knack for gathering information. I need that sort of skill here."

"Sir." the Airman spoke. "I don't mean to be rude, but don't you think that getting someone from O.S.I. over here would be a better solution. Don't get me wrong, I would love to help, but what do you expect me to do? I'm just an Airman in the Dirt Boy shop."

"And THAT is exactly why I chose you." the officer smiled as he said. "It's no secret that the Dirt Boys are looked at as less intelligent than most, and that you being an Airman puts you at the lowest position. However, that is why you are the best person for the job. Putting the paperwork in for an O.S.I. troop and then having them integrated into the shops in the Flight would take too much time. You just got back from your first deployment, and people will be more willing to listen, and SHARE, their experiences with you because of that. Because they will do that, you can use your skills to get people to talk and then you can catch what they say. Hopefully, the conversations you have will steer you in the right direction of the perpetrators."

Matthew had to mull it over for a while. He had done similar things back in high school and busted a few students for pot dealing. However, this was on a completely different scale. He would need time to slip through a couple of cracks. Matthew thought it over for a moment, but then a thought popped into his head.

"Does anyone else know about these occurrences?" he asked.

"Only me and a few investigators. Why?" the commander was skeptic, but his heart nearly leapt when saw a smile cross Matthew's face.

"If we are the only ones that know, then we have the element of deception on our side. He have an angle that no one knows that we are working. If we can keep this quiet, and only between us, I may be able to get people to talk more openly about it because they don't have anything to fear."

"Are you sure this will work?" the commander asked with a bit of hope.

"I'm sure." Matthew assured. "I will find out who did this and report back to you as soon as I do."

The commander stood up, and the Airman followed. He outstretched his hand. "I have faith in you. I believe that whoever has done such a thing will be brought to justice."
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No.

Not them.

"Hmff!"

Anyone but them.

Another fist slammed its way into Matthew's stomach. His abs were toned, but the beating he was receiving was too much for his muscles to accept as just scratches and dings. Every punch was hate fueled and full of malice.

"You think you're pretty smart, don't ya?" the Master Sergeant said as he threw another fist into the boy. "Think you can just do your own little fucking thing?!" he struck again. "You think that you can try and bring us down?" Another fist cut across his face.

"Hit 'em harder, Brian!" a Staff Sergeant called out. The words coming from his lips cut into Matthew's heart the most. It wasn't what he said, it was because of who said it. That Staff Sergeant wasn't just another NCO. He was Matthew's supervisor. He was his mentor. He was his second father. Now, he was his assaulter. "The boy needs to learn his place."

The Master Sergeant put a heave into his next punch and cut a gash in Matthew's head. Beaten, bloody, bruised, and ugly, Matthew just hung his head low from his position. He wanted to fight back, but even if he wasn't duck taped to a road sign on a barely used road, he still would be fighting his own dizziness and screaming muscles before he even threw a punch. Not to mention the fact that six full grown and hearty Dirt Boys were all against him. It would be useless to fight back.

Matthew felt the same way he did when he was being bullied when he was back in grade school. Helpless. No help, no reinforcements . . . nothing. Nothing but hopelessness and helplessness. He swung his head around to meet the crowd. He looked at all of them, but instead of saying anything, he just let his head fall forward. That, more than anything else, spoke volumes. Laughs and chuckles from all six men rang out at their apparent victory.

"Come on, guys." the Master Sergeant said as he went towards his SUV. "Leave the little cunt here. Let him bake in the sun for a bit when it comes up, and think about what he's done."

"We're not going to leave him all weekend like that are we?" another Staff Sergeant piped.

"Nah, we'll get him tomorrow night. Let him soak up some rays and then recover on Sunday. That'll teach him." With that they drove off. Leaving him there in the dark.
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Matthew only felt one thing at this instance in his life.

Abandoned.

Truly, truly abandoned. He was without a brother. He was without a shop. He was without a soul. Matthew just stood there in the dark until he could see the first rays of the sun. But as the first fingers of the glowing orb gripped everything in the field of hills, he looked at it with bloodied, bloodshot eyes. He had started out his investigation with the same sight that Monday. It was now Friday, and he had found out everything he needed to know. However, they, the ones who had done it all, had found out as well. They had lured him out with a text from an Airman in Environmental with the promise of a party, but when he went to meet them at the BX for pick up under the new moon, he was cuffed, gagged, and bagged, then through into the back of an SUV. They took him out to a remote place where only a few choice people would travel. Those same choice people, were nowhere to be found. He stared at the glowing orb. His eyes burned and he breathed through his nose. The smell of dried blood and sweat traveled through his lungs. As it rose, so did his rage. He closed his eyes after they could take no more punishment, and then that is when it was heard. A shout, a cry, a battle call from the throat. He let out a burst from his vocal cords. This burst however, wasn't a cry for help; it wasn't a plea for relief; it wasn't a prayer for peace. No. It was just a shout of someone who has been stripped of everything they were, and nothing remained. Nothing but a hollow body.
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How can you see into my eyes, like open doors

Leading you down into my core where I’ve become so numb

Without a soul my spirit's sleeping somewhere cold

Until you find it there and lead it back home

Evanescence played over the radio as the red Navigator ran through the paved path. It was going faster than usual on this road, for one person out of the three in the vehicle spoke up when they had seen three vultures circling over a spot in the road. It had been over five minutes, but the song rang in their ears as if it was a calling. Worry and fear spread through their bodies. They knew that there was something amiss, but what it was, they didn't know. It was just seeing only three vultures flying overhead that worried them. Vultures were like pigeons out there and if only three found something like that, that meant that they weren't getting anything until whatever they were circling over was dead. They prayed that it was only a deer. They thought praying would help because it was Sunday afternoon and they had just gotten out of church.

They felt a fear like no other as they traveled, and that fear only turned to terror when they saw what it really was. A man was duct taped to a road sign, and by the looks of it, he was beaten and battered pretty bad. When all three hopped out of the vehicle and got a closer look, he was also badly sun burned, and on the verge of dying from dehydration. His skin was clammy and sickly. He was red all over his exposed flesh, and his head had maggots in the cuts.

"Charlotte!" called out one of the males. "Bring the car closer." the woman sped off and got the vehicle. "Nick, your KA-BAR!" a large knife was placed in the man's hands and his precision was so keen, that the tape was severed from the pool with ease. That came with a price though. As if on cue, the man's arm shot up from the tape and clasped the man's throat. It was clumsy and it did absolutely nothing to the man holding him up. The man's eyes were closed, and he looked like he was asleep. His hand however, never left the rescuer's neck.

"Drake." the female said as she opened up the back passenger door. "Drake, we need to get him to the hospital." all three of them carried and placed the taped man into the car.

Drake was on the end, so he ran around the car, and yelled, "Get in!" he buckled his seat belt and sped off when the last door was closed. Drake put the air conditioning on a medium setting as to not send the casualty into thermal shock. "Charlotte, check his pockets for I.D."

The girl did as she was told and got out the taped man's wallet. She unfolded the black leather and found his I.D. in the designated holder. "Airman First Class Matthew Petrauskas." she called out.

"Air Force, huh." Drake said. "Don't worry, blue friend. The Devil Dogs are here for you, man." he let out a shaky breath. "I just hope we're not too late."
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Matthew awoke with sudden jolt. He was assaulted with bright lights, and the accursed sun. He tried to shield his eyes, but it was useless. His arms were strapped down to his sides. "What kind of shit is this?" he struggled to rip the bonds off, but it was of no use.

"You're not getting out of those." a womanly voice was heard right next to the Airman. He looked up to find a nurse standing over him. "Those bonds are made to withstand a load greater than a ton of pressure, and the plastic that it is attached to is about three quarters of an inch thick of solid material. You're not getting out of there."

Matthew's throaty growl only grew louder as she spoke. Every syllable making his blood boil hotter. When he had enough, his rage burst forth. He started to thrash, and to snarl. His feet were also bound, so he could only howl in anger as he arched his back. A group of doctors and nurses' aides came in to hold the thrashing Airman down. With every man, the enraged man only flailed harder. He didn't give up his fight until he was pumped full of Propofol. Even though he stopped thrashing, he was still awake. Even after twenty minutes. Considering the dosage, he should have already been asleep half that time ago. They knew he was awake because he was blinking and growling. They feared that anymore of the stuff could cause death, so they left him alone. As they left the room, they saw him stalk them with his eyes. His head didn't rise from the pillow, but his pale blue orbs still followed them, even out the door. When they had left, and Matthew was alone he used every last bit of strength to let out a weakened howl. When the last note was played in his vocal chords, he fell into sleep.
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No one made a sound as the commander strolled through the squadron building. His head was hung low and his eyes were so distant that one would think that he was trying to spot a flea on the other side of the football field. The suspects were in custody, and the evidence of both occurrences of rape and assault was fool proof. The only thing missing was the one who collected all of it. However, when he found Matthew, he was a lot more worse for wear. He had been told to meet the commander in his office. That same heavy darkness loomed as the officer approached his own door. He turned the knob, and when he opened the door, he saw the boy there. He sat in the chair starring at the black leather chair. He never took his gaze off the seat when the door swung open. The officer walked around the Airman and sat down. When the young man tried to stand, the commander cut him short and so he sat back down.

"Commander." came a voice from the Airman. The stillness in his voice and the paleness of his eyes were enough to make the officer think that he was talking to a vampire.

"Matthew." he said back with a hint of fear in his voice. It took a few more moments of silence before he was able to speak again. "Matthew, I just want you to know that I never wanted any of that sort to happen to you. The fact that that did was just . . . it was almost too much for me to bear that it happened. Especially to someone like you . . . and for that reason"

"Though I appreciate your words, commander." Matthew said. "However, they are only just that. I came here, not because I wish for you to congratulate me, but for you to do something for me."

"And what would that be?" the officer asked with sincere curiosity.

"I want out." the Airman said in solemn. "I want out of the Air Force. I fought next to the men that betrayed me. I saved four of their lives at one point. For fuck sake, one has my blood running through his veins from my donation. So, when it comes time to pay for a crime, they try to kill someone for it. Even if that person was someone who would, and has, taken a bullet for them." The mounting anger in his voice was enough to make the commander rethink being in the same building as this boy. "I want you to give me an honorable discharge. I want to be out of this so called "brotherhood"." He flashed his teeth with that last word.

The commanding officer was struck by the words. He had never expected something like this to come out of this man's mouth. "Are you sure this is what you want?" the ranking man asked. "You shouldn't make this decision just because of six men out of the twenty four you have in the shop."

"It isn't the number, sir." Matthew countered. "It is who was in that number. Both my shop, and my immediate supervisor, two people whom I should be able to confide in, betrayed me. They left me to die. I am leaving the rest of them to their own fate. If those people did me harm, and they, above everyone else, were supposed to be the once protecting me, then what would all those others do? What kind of evil would they do upon me? I would much rather not know. I would much rather leave and never give them the chance to hurt me again."

The officer was trying to sift through the words and find anything that could tell him that Matthew was joking. He came up short though. He mulled over the words, but soon found that the best thing to do, was to let the man go. He could send him to another base, but then the actions that took place could spread to that shop and then mistrust between potential friends would ensue. No. Though he hated to admit it, this needed to happen.

"Alright." he said. "I will do what I need to do to get you out of here."

"Thank you, sir." A chill went up the commander's spine as he shook the soon to be former Dirt Boy's hand. "I very much appreciate it."

Birth of the Wolf-Part 2

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Matthew could still feel how cold it was in the dorm. It was brisk from the air conditioning being blasted by his roommate. It had to be at most 60 degrees, when the outside temperature was about a good 103. He was finishing packing up his entire life. He had come to these dorms with such hope and vigor. He had made tons of friends, and had good relations with the dorm chiefs and managers. However, when he looked around, he could see that there was nothing left for him here.

The only thing that Matthew was going to leave was his certificates, and his coins. Ten well documented and well deserved awards that shone brightly over his bed. Along the clear, white wall was a varnished shelf, and upon it sat a stand that fit nine Air Force coins. It originally had ten, but one had been removed.

Matthew was about to pick up his bags and walk out to his car when he heard a knock at the door. He didn't bother to open it, or answer. He didn't have to when a voice came through.

"Matthew?" a masculine voice called. "Matthew, I know you're in there. I watched you go in."

The former Airman gave a long winded sigh. "Come in." he said begrudgingly.

Ordinarily, the man at the door would have taken offense to such tone, but considering the circumstances, he waved it off. The sound of a door knob being turned resonated through the empty room. In stepped the commander. He looked around to find that the room was void of anything that one could say that someone lived here. Not counting the certificates and coins on the shelf.

"Commander." Matthew deadpanned.

"Listen, Matthew." he said in a fatherly tone. "I never wanted any of this to happen to you. In fact, I never thought that anything like this would happen to you. Please, believe me when I say that the men that betrayed you . . ."

"They were not men!" the former Airman snapped. "They were bipedal animals!"

"Whatever you call them," the officer said in a somber tone. "they will be tried and prosecuted."

"Then what will happen?" Matthew asked with a sneer.

"Well, then I would expect that they go to jail." the lieutenant colonel said with confidence. "I know that the justice system would not fail with such blatant disobedience to the law, and to the laws of human rights placed against the accused."

"No!" the young man exclaimed. "What will happen is that it will all continue! You will have them placed in jail, or have a heavy fine placed on them. But you will ultimately fail to treat the problem."

"Well, what do you think should happen?" the commander asked.

"You show them and everyone else that to do what they did will be met with cold justice." The young man's tone and the way his eyes were devoid of what some people call a 'soul', suggested more than the officer would have liked to know.

"So, you like cold justice, do you?" the ranking official said. "Well, it just so happens that one of my relatives, a commander at Camp Pendleton, told me that the Corps is looking for new recruits. The Marines, have a different style of doing things than the Air Force and I think they may just have a sense of your 'cold justice'."

"You think I should become a devil dog?" Matthew's tone was more quizzical then sarcastic.

"You have the grit and it seems that you can take a beating . . . or six. So, why not?"

The former Airman thought for a moment. He didn't show any sign of approval of the idea, but then again he didn't show signs of disapproval either. "I'll think about it."
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"Come on! Hit 'em with the left hook!"

"Quit being a bitch!"

"Sweep 'em! Sweep 'em!"

Similar shouts and others called out from around the Bull Pit. Private Kelso was fighting against Private "Pile" Prince. As part of the Bull Pit rules, both contestants had to be of similar height and weight. So naturally, they stuck the smallest guy and made him fight against the biggest guy. To everyone's surprise, Kelso was actually matching up, and even beating Pile. Seems a decade in Judo and Muay Thai separately gave him the upper hand. A couple of well placed shot to the head and stomach left Private Pile on the ground.

"Should have worn your Full Metal Jacket, Private Pile!" the Drill Sergeant said. "Someone scoop him up and get the next two in." the sergeant looked around the room and found his next two contestants. Private Ramirez and Private Paulauckas. "You two! Get in there."

Matthew stepped in after Ramirez took the ground. The 'Mexican Hulk' as they called him put his arms up and curled his fingers in to pump up the crowd. The room full of trainees all cheered for their 'hero'. Some weren't even making bets on who would win, but rather on how long Paulauckas was going to last. Past two minutes was never put up. Ramirez taunted the crowd some more by rolling his arms and putting his hand up to his ear.

Unfortunately, all the gloating was for nothing. For the Mexican Hulk forgot one of the rules of the pit. Once the fighters are in the ring the match starts. He soon remembered that when Matthew came up and slammed his fist into one of Ramirez' kidneys. As the Latino arched his back in pain, the former Airman threw him down to the ground and let his fist slam into his face hard. Matthew wasted no time in using both his fists to pummel Ramirez' face in. The latino tried to fight back, but the caramel skinned man stood no chance against his opponent's malice. It stopped being a fight and turned into a massacre when two of Ramirez' teeth flew out of his mouth and his nose nearly got ripped off his face by Matthew's fist.

It took three or four people to rip Paulauckas from his victim. A smile of victory spread across his face when he saw the now unconscious body of his prey being bragged away.
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Day three in specialty training

Camp Pendalton, California

2200 PST

Most of the trainees were blacked out from the march. The survival portion of the field training also did a number on a lot of the more hardened recruits. Private Paulauckas drew the short straw and was on fire watch. He carried his M16 training weapon at the low ready position as he circled around his comrades. After the fight with Ramirez, and the other unlucky recruits, back in basic, his fellow Marines all felt uneasy around the former Airman. One of them commented on him saying, 'If that's how the Air Force really is, then I'm glad I joined the Marine Corps.' So naturally, they borderline failed almost every challenge because every one of them involved teamwork, and they were all too scared of the man to try and help him. Even in one of the most heavily unified portions of the United States Military, Matthew still was totally alone.
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Fire watch for the former Airman was coming to a close. It would soon be time to wake up a recruit and have them pull the next shift. However, something as easy as guard change wouldn't be as fun without a little excitement. With whatever evil lurked around, Matthew had the strangest feeling to look over his shoulder. From the looks of it, it just looked like a shadow. When he put his light on it, it became something worse. Out from the trees sprang a large wolf. Its powerful legs vaulting him over the bushes and toward the watchman.

Matthew acted quickly and put his rifle out to block the massive jaws of the wolf. The fangs of the hellacious creature snapped down on the weapon with as much force it took to snap cow bone. The momentum of the pounce itself was enough to make Paulauckas fly back and put the beast's jaws, while still around the weapon, within breathing distance of the new Marine. As the former Airman struggled with the beast, the other Marine trainees along with the sergeant were woken up by the tussle and snapped their own weapons up to bear. The Sergeant drew his live-firing pistol and tried to aim down the sights, but with the conflict going on, he couldn't get a clear shot.

Matthew was rolling and tussling every which way and he ended up going down the side of the hill they made camp on. The recruits sprinted towards the large wolf with the intent to kill, but the other members of the canine's pack came charging in. This time, the Sergeant didn't have to wait. He was able to fire off enough rounds to scratch off two of the beasts while the three others were smacked down by the trainees' rifles. Matthew still had his weapon in the wolf's mouth when he was able to wrestle it onto its back. He put every bit of his body weight to pin the beast down. Matthew needed to kill the damn thing, but his K-BAR was too far from him to keep the beast pinned. So, he had to improvise. He put the rifle receiver on the roof of the wolf's mouth and exposed its throat. With how he was positioned, the only viable way to kill the thing was with the weapon that his opponent was using. Matthew roared and slammed his jaws around the large canine's throat. The wolf tried to wiggle away, but with the top of his jaw being compressed and his oxygen levels getting too low, he soon succumbed to the will of death.

The new Marine unlatched his now bloody maw and got up off of the beast. All of his comrades, along with the Sergeant, raced down the hill, but stopped dead in their in their tracks in astonishment at the bloody mouthed recruit. He breathed hard, but had the face of someone who was both physically, and mentally, exhausted. It took a while for anyone to speak, and when they did, it was just the sergeant who asked if he was okay, and to call in a med-evac. Before the helicopter took off, Matthew heard one of the recruits say, "We'll see you later, man! Thanks for saving our asses! We owe you one, Wolf."
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The Wolf. The Marine Corps had dubbed the newly indoctrinated Marine as The Wolf. The story spread throughout the training group, and then having the story spread throughout the ranks of the Corps. He became somewhat of celebrity from the story. Of course, as a celebrity, you have to perform constantly. So, with all this talk, there were some of those around that thought they might want to go Wolf hunting. It took about four 'hunts' for the rest of them to realize that going out and pissing off a fellow Marine wasn't such a good idea. Especially when every time a new challenger would come around, the Wolf had to get creative. Unfortunately for anyone who crossed him, it was too late to be told that Matthew was at his most dangerous when he had to be creative.

One of the hunters was a Gunnery Sergeant. With a whole sixteen years behind him and more than a few stripes on his sleeves, one would think that the sergeant would be the victor if he ever wanted to take a few jabs at the Wolf. That would have been the case if the Wolf hadn't overheard him talking about his bad back. That was the only time that anyone had ever heard a Gunnery Sergeant beg for mercy from a Private. What freaked a lot of people out wasn't the fact that he was able to beat them. No, that was not the case. If one had enough skill and will power, that person would be near to unstoppable. No, it was that smile of his. That ultra faint, yellow tinted smile. Along with his pale blue eyes, it was a nightmare just to imagine that face. Every time someone entered the ring with him, they only had enough will to make him submit. The Wolf, on the other hand, went into every fight willing to kill his opponent. It's what made him so dangerous. He didn't care who it was. If one were to challenge him, they would have to be willing to kill him, or be killed. More than a few had put in complaints about that, and even a few had gone so far up the chain of command that they spoke face to face with the Camp Commander about him. Every time was the same, though. They all were turned away and told to not worry about it. For none of them knew how valuable having someone like The Wolf around truly was.

At least not yet.

Birth of the Wolf-Part 3

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WARNING!-GORE IS USED!

The sound of a Howitzer is not something that will never be forgotten. The concussive force of the round being shot off and the explosion when the projectile hit the ground is only a sight that can be appreciated by few. Though, no one has ever appreciated such a sight like that more than the Wolf.

The Wolf stood just one hundred yards from the artillery pieces. His combat dress was newly cleaned and ready for another day. Next to him were his fellow Marines. All of them wearing the same uniform, except for one feature. 'The face of a warrior is important to see', so said the Wolf. Everyone else had their sunglasses and face masks on. The former however, chose to keep his face free from obstruction. He stated that it made it easier for him to catch his prey.

When the shelling ceased, the cavalry and infantry units came forth. The Wolf and his squad mates all huddled inside their MRAP. The roar of its engine bellowed alongside the others in a symphony of certain death. Of course, being what he was, the Wolf's squad, otherwise known as the Pack, led the charge through the city of Sananadaj. The northern portion was decimated from the bombardment After this, everyone knew it was time to clean up the mess in the rubble.
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The wilderness is where the Wolf made his home, but the city, however, was the bane of his entire existence. He hated the tall buildings and noisy cars. Not to mention it also made it harder for him to find his prey. He didn't like having to search room after room of buildings after building just to find a small number of whelps to kill. The Wolf would have to make do with this though.

The MRAP came to a halt when the vehicle made it into the heart of the burning rubble. Cars, bodies, and chunks of building were all cast aside and strewn about by the blast of the cannons. What remained after the shelling was nothing more than ruins and corpses of the Iranian people. Though most would think that this would be a place of silence, the Iranian Army found this as a perfect hiding spot for ambushes and guerilla attacks. Much to the displeasure of American military forces, but to the never ending excitement of the Wolf and his ceaseless hunger for blood. He thrived in this sort of dark and shadowed area of destruction.

The Wolf jumped out of the MRAP and brought his nose to the air. No one knew, but somehow, the man could smell the enemy around his area. Sure enough, with a couple deep whiffs he smelled his prey through the other horrid stenches that were wafting through the air. The Wolf had stated before, when the war in Iran first started, which was about five weeks ago, that the people of this land had a unique scent to them, one that was a mix of spice and fear. Most thought that he was just being a freak, but after a while, and after many demonstrations of finding combatants and civilians alike, the Marines, and even Army, all agreed that this was no mere joke.

With a stretch of the Wolf's legs, he was running off in the direction of the enemy with the rest of his squad in tow. Normally, the Marine officers would tell them to stick together, but having something as mobile and efficient as the Pack was invaluable to the mission. Not only did it allow easy movement, but it also took the liability off of the commanding officers. The Pack did their thing and eliminated the enemy without as much as a whisper at times. Other instances were met with minimal gun fire, but heavy amounts of screaming. No one in the Pack was ever hurt, save for the Wolf himself, but even if he was, some stitching and antibiotics gave him the treatment he needed to keep fighting. Everyone else in the group never had a scratch on them. At least not visibly.
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"Take the left side." called out an Iranian sergeant in Persian. The subordinate troops did as commanded and hid in the rubble. They were not two hundred yards from where the MRAPs were parked. This made it the perfect range for a fight like this. The range mixed with all the hiding spaces and cover made it easy for the troops to move around without much fear of gunfire.

"Stay low." said the sergeant. They were all on an elevated position from the American forces, so this would be a textbook shooting gallery. "When I give the signal, rain hell down upon them." The troops all were ready to jump up from their hiding spaces and attack. The sergeant was about to give the signal to fire, but someone called out.

"Wait." it was a private ranked troop who had spoken.

"What?!" the sergeant took the outburst as an affront to his authority. "What could a private possibly have to say?"

"The amount of troops and vehicles do not add up." the private stated. "There are nine squads, but ten MRAP's. They are missing a squad."

The Iranian sergeant looked over the situation and counted the enemy. He found that his subordinate spoke true. There were nine squads with ten MRAP's in the distance. "Then where is the missing squad?" he asked. The answer came in the form of a howl. Not one made by the wild dogs that inhabited their country, but a howl that could only be made by the practiced vocals of a human being. The sergeant's blood ran cold, and his hands shook. He had heard the tales but he never believed. Until now. "EVERYBODY RUN!" With that command, the troops scattered and ran. They used as much cover as they could to hide themselves as they retreated.

"Get back to base!" shouted another sergeant. Though once he did, he was made a target. Out from a crack in the rubble, a figure leapt out at him. The Iranian NCO landed hard on the ground as he felt a burning sting on both sides of his neck, and his blood running cold. For above him, was the smiling face of the Wolf.
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The triumphant Marine removed both of his KABARs and ran on. Other Iranian troops were taken down by gunfire from the rest of the Pack. The squad positioned themselves in nooks and spider holes in the rubble at elevated positions. For the Marines, it was like shooting fish in a barrel. For the enemy, it was a horror show. One of the Pack mates, saw as the Wolf ran along the Iranian soldiers and pounced on them and drove his knives into their traps. The next victim tried to shoot at him, but the beast was too good for such things. He dove forward into a roll and came up to the right of the combatant. A simple bound from his legs brought the Wolf up close and personal to the Iranian as the latter's gun fired harmlessly past him. Both blades found their way into the stomach of the poor fool. Blood gushed from the man's mouth as his pain grew larger. The Wolf pulled his weapons from the abdomen of his prey and ran on.
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"I got to get to base. I got to get to base. I got to get to base." the commanding sergeant panted to himself. He ducked from cover to cover, in an effort to avoid the American monster. The Iranian combatant heard the screams of one of his brothers in arms and cringed when he heard the unmistakable howl of the Wolf. That howl was too close, though. He needed to move if he was to survive.

The sergeant bolted for another place to hide. To his left was a tunnel. He couldn't see the exit, but he knew that if he didn't take the chance, he might not have another chance like it. The sergeant dove into the tunnel and low crawled through. He made sure to keep his rifle out of the dirt, and made double sure that he was silent. At the end of the tunnel, there was very little light, but the sergeant could still see that there was a fork. He was having trouble deciding which one to take, but then he heard the howl again. That was more than enough for him to just pick one and go. The tunnel's floor dipped under a large jagged chunk of building a ways down. It didn't offer much space, and the sergeant wasn't sure if he would fit through there. He had to at least try. Inch by inch, the Iranian went forward. But, almost as if Allah had other plans, he was snagged by his armor. The combatant struggled to pull forward, but his nylon covering was too strong and he didn't have enough leverage to tear it free. He tried backing up, but that didn't do anything. He figured that if he was going to be free, he would have to abandon his vest. All it took was a buckle and a Velcro strap and he was free. The armor stayed as the man slid forward on his stomach. After the sergeant made it out from under the rubble, the light of day came into view. The Iranian had to keep himself in check and not run head first out to the opening. He inched up to the opening and looked out. The noise of MRAPs filled his ears, and he slid back down into the tunnel. When the engines of the vehicles sounded in the distance, he made his way out.

The sergeant watched as the vehicles rode away from the end of the destroyed part of the city and into the other areas where they would cause more destruction. He couldn't let that happen to his people without him having something to say about it. The sergeant ran to his left towards his base, but also toward his death. The Iranian stood in disbelief as the smiling maw of the Wolf greeted him as the pair of KABARs he held slid farther into the brown gut of the once proud and determined combatant. All life, and the only chance his brothers and sisters had, drained from his eyes as the knives did their work. Death soon took him in the coldest of embraces.
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The Wolf howled in triumph at his kill. The rush of adrenaline and the satisfaction of another confirmed casualty was enough to make the Marine feel like a god. From behind the man rode the rest of his squad in the MRAP. The Wolf sheathed his weapons leapt onto the vehicle and hung onto the outside. Neither bump nor dust could break his iron grip. For in the distance was his prize. He had done his job in protecting the other squads as they made their way passed the rubble. Now, it was time to head off into the true battle.

A mortar shell came just inches within his face, but he only blinked with a smile before it exploded passed the transport. Other artillery pieces fired off into the wave of Army and Marine forces as they made their way toward the heart of the city. Where more than a few Iranian battalions were holding a strong defensive position. US tanks fired back with equal, if not greater ferocity against their Iranian counterparts.

The battle was just underway when the Pack rolled up to the commanding officer. The Wolf, being the leader, saluted the Captain and said, "Ambush forces are eliminated, sir."

"Good." the officer said. "Get back in the MRAP and see if you can get around this artillery. If they keep shelling us like this, we'll be stuck here until the jets can get some reprieve from the dog fighting."

The Marine Private saluted again, and said "The Pack will take care of it, sir." The gleaming teeth of the Wolf made the Captain cringe slightly as he saluted. He always hated dealing with the beast, but if it wasn't for him, the good officer would have been dead a long time ago.
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Sananadaj fell. It took longer than expected, but it still was accomplished in a relatively good time. However, the Iranian people had an old saying.

"If God gives you an easy victory for one battle, he will give you the greatest challenge of your life in another."

This rang true. For Hamadan was now the greatest challenge the First Marine Division was facing. Granted, no one else, had a better time, but this was even with the Wolf to help them. Even though the tide was turning to the US's favor, they still had spent over two years in the mountains, and now spending six months fighting this one city. The guerilla warfare and battle tactics were being implemented on both sides, so the tactics portion was a stalemate. They both had artillery, and air support, so no one had the bigger guns. It was only because of the US's deep pockets at the time that gave them the upper hand, but that seemed to matter little. Something would have to be done if the United States was going to get to Tehran any time soon.
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From the Wolf's perch on a rocky cliff, the Marine could see the mountain valleys that surrounded the city of Hamadan. The sun was about to set behind the peaks, and the moon was about to take its rightful place among the millions of stars. From behind the Wolf came a voice.

"Paulauckas." the voice whispered.

"What is it, Corporal?" the Wolf asked in a deadpan. His gaze never left the city. The rage he felt towards that one city was more than one whole country should be able to have at one time.

"We got a little bit of present for you." the smile in the corporal's voice told the Wolf something he wanted to hear.

"What did you all bring me?" the Wolf asked with a bit of intrigue.

"Colonel Kasra." the corporal stated. The Wolf only smiled as the light from the sun faded from view.
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Colonel Kasra was not, by any means, a weak willed man. He felt that no pain was too great, and he never lived with regrets. He was always willing to sacrifice in order to achieve the greatness that his people could be. However, the ambition he has sometimes puts him some positions that some would call unmanageable. Although those situations did arise every now and again, that still didn't stop him from coming out on top. He used his wit and his strategic mind to get himself and his men to safety, and victory.

Even with an intellect like that, Colonel Kasra was not without his vices. Easy victories and rich spoils always seemed to attract him. It was this same vice that led to those situations mentioned earlier. However, instead of facing terrorists or mercenaries, he now faced one of the most dangerous types of people on the face of the earth. Along with the most dangerous man of that same type.
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The light from the sun was now going across the rest of the world. As it crawled in, it was relieving itself from the horror that the rest of the Pack would soon witness.

The Wolf stalked forward with a pace that was slower than death. With the night taken hold, one would think that there would be no light except from the flashlights. Those same people would be wrong. The moon this night was full, and the light from the stars along with it gave enough illumination to make out specific details on the Wolf. Colonel Kasra greeted the Marine in his signature fashion.

"Well, well, well." he said. "What do we have here? The legendary Wolf." As the Iranian commander spoke, the Marine tied a rope to the feet of one of the two soldiers that accompanied Colonel and a large rock. "Tell me, Wolf. Do you like it, as you Americans say, doggy style? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" The Wolf only stayed silent as he tied a piece of string to the one Iranian's neck.

The Wolf, after a good second was taken to inspect his work, replied. "I actually don't have a favorite style." he cooed. With that, he kicked the soldier off of the cliff and let the sound of screaming fill the mountainside. When the line jerked, the Wolf pulled out a hand grenade and pulled the key. He quickly threaded the string through and let the explosive run down the line and hit the Iranian soldier in the chin. The pain in the man's jaw only lasted for a spell until the grenade exploded and took his head an part of his upper body clean off.

Colonel Kasra, witnessed in silence as his subordinate was drawn up without the upper portion of his torso and head. The Wolf, without so much as another word, stepped over to the other soldier with his KABAR and started cutting into the man's facial flesh just before the ear. The soldier howled in his native tongue as the blade did its nasty work. The tip of the knife dug in far as another inch or two of human flesh was cut from rest of the body. When the cut was made full circle, the Wolf dug his fingers into the face of the man and pulled hard. The man's facial flesh came flying off in display of blood and horror. One of the other Marine's had had enough and ended up throwing up. The screaming that ensued was enough to wake the rest of the darkened world up from its sleep. The Wolf only shrugged as tossed the man along with his face off the cliff and heard the crack of the skull on the rocks below. It sounded like the breaking of a tree trunk to the former.

The Wolf wiped his hands on his uniform to take off some of the blood as the Colonel was left speechless. He had seen many disturbing things, but he had never witnessed anything so horrific before. He was just without words. That is until, the Wolf's smile gleamed in the moon light.

"Y-Y-You can't do this!" the officer cried. "You are bound by law and you will be executed for these war crimes!" He yelped when the Wolf brought up one of his fangs and started to cut the man's face off. The Iranian howled in agony, until he found enough courage to say, "I'll talk! I'll tell you anything! Please! Just let me keep my face!"

The wolf pulled his knife from the flesh, and wiped the accumulated plasma off of the edge. "All you had to do is say so." The Marine stated as he wiped the blade's wicked edge on the man's cloths and sheathed the deadly weapon.
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The next week, Hamadan fell. Colonel Kasra had told everything he knew to the American Military Officers. It was an easy victory with the cowardly officer's help, and it was even more pleasurable for the Wolf to shred the man to pieces in front of all the higher ups and cut off his head. Three of the Majors ended up vomiting their stomach's out at the sight of the gore. One general in particular, Lieutenant Colonel Aaron of the United States Marine Corps, saw this act and knew only one of two things. One of the two things had nothing to do with the situation as it included the image of a foul ball going into left field. The other, was something he knew better than anyone else there in attendance. He looked upon the Wolf with the same eye that another Lieutenant Colonel looked at him with. Another full bird Colonel looked upon that one the same way. All the way back to God knows when. So, as a man of his duty, both in the military, and as part of this vicious and horrible cycle, he would speak to the Wolf tonight, and hopefully break this chain.
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The Wolf was cleaning his blades later than day. They had been stained, and scratched, but with some tender malice and cruelty, every blemish was gone from the steel, and the edge of the knife had never been sharper. From on the other side of the makeshift hang out, one of the other members of the Pack spoke up loud. "Officer on deck!" The entire Pack all stood up at once in the position of attention. Lieutenant Colonel Aaron took to the room, and bade them a good day.

And to leave.

This was nothing new to the Pack. They all knew what was going to happen next, so they all went back to their tents to pack for the arrival of the chopper that would take them to their next FOB or base. It almost was like clockwork. When the last of the squad were gone, the only person left in the room, besides the officer, was the Wolf.

"Have a seat, Wolf." Colonel Aaron's tone was soft, yet still had a heaviness to it. The Marine obliged to the request.

"Where do we get to go this time, sir?" the now ranking sergeant asked.

"Home." the silver starred man said.

The Wolf arced his eye brows. "Sir?" He thought he was going crazy. Did he just hear that they were going home?

"We were contacted by the Iranian president last night. When we told him that we have Hamadan he surrendered. So, the war is over."

It took a whole minute and a half before the Wolf spoke again. His brain still not able to fully process what it is he was being told. "So, we are all going home?"

"Well, you're not." the Lieutenant Colonel said flatly.

"I'm to be stationed for occupation?" questioned the sergeant.

"No." the ranking officer said. "You are going back home, or at least your body is, but you, as a whole person, will not leave the battlefield." The General leaned in close. "You're running, so you can never truly go back."

"I'm not running from anything." the Wolf said a little more forcefully than he would have liked.

"I saw the way you ripped apart that Colonel. You show the same malice and cruelty that I did when I was your age. The only difference being it was at the beginning of Desert Storm and I was a Second lieutenant at the time, and I was just out of my books. I craved blood, and I wanted to kill so badly. Why? Because I was sad. I was depressed. My girlfriend at the time took my money and ran off. She had been my only family for ten years. So, when she did that, I was all alone at that point."

"You know that feeling, don't you? The cold stiffness of the air. Your mind making you hear the voices of the ones who abandoned you. That's why you kill, don't you? For the same reason I did. Because I wanted to escape the pain. I did that by inflicting it on others. And now you do it too."

"I am not running from any sort of emotion I'm felling." the Wolf stated sharply.

"I know what happened to you back when you were in the Air Force. I know the look that you gave nurse as she left. I know the smile you had when you killed that wolf. You are running, and sooner or later you will find that you have been running for so long that you are no longer the one who was abandoned, but rather, the one who has done the abandoning."

"What do you mean?" the Wolf demanded. The light from the sun seemed to dim considerably. The air became stiff, and the Marine's heart raced to the point of completing a marathon in nine minutes. The Wolf had felt this before. "No. NO!" He looked down to his hands to see that they were shaking and covered in blood. He shut his eyes tight as he tried to fight back the overwhelming flood of hot, salty liquid.

"You felt abandoned so you abandoned everyone else." said the officer. "Your own family was shut out of your life. You left your siblings with a hollow shell of a man that was once their brother. You became a ghost! A walking dead man to those that mattered."

The Wolf put his hands to his ears and shook his head violently. Trying to block out the words, but to no avail. It only made the voice of the General louder.

"Remember Esfahan?" the Lieutenant Colonel asked with a maniacal and low chuckle. "You had found a family held up in a house. They were not hostile. In fact, they were pacifists. It didn't matter to you, though. You tore the infant from the mother's arms and cut the child's throat. You then tossed the body aside and killed rest of the children. The mother and father watched in abject horror as their children were ripped apart. You gave the parent's an even slower death. Cutting off their hands and feet. You let them bleed out and cry themselves into dehydration as they wailed in pain. Do you remember that?"

The Marine still felt the warmth of their blood and suffered the searing pain in his ears from the cries of more than just that family, but the terrible shrieks of the other families he had slaughtered alongside them. The blood he had spilt was now running down his face and caking himself in a mask of red. The smell and taste of metal, gunpowder and blood made it seem like his stomach was about to erupt from nausea. Even with his eyes closed, he saw every man, woman, and child whose lives he had taken.

"Every last one of them died not because it was your duty, not because it was for a cause, NO. It was because you wanted to flee. You replaced your feelings of sadness and abandonment with rage and anger. With malice and cruelty. You tried to stifle your own pain by making others feel worse torment. In the end, however, it would all come back. You spoke true when you said you killed twenty six soldiers, but you lie if you say you did not kill two hundred and eighty civilians along with them. One man, YOU, took the lives of so many innocent men and women with not bullet, bomb, or gas. Nah! You killed them with blade and hand."

"How do know all of this?!" the Wolf cried in a demanding tone.

His answer came in the form of a hand gingerly grasping his chin and lifting his face up. When the Wolf opened his eyes, he did not find Lieutenant Colonel Aaron, but himself. He saw that his own from was grasping his face. Terror is a word the joyous use to describe this sort of situation.

"Because no matter how fast you run." the Wolf said. "No matter how far you may go. No matter where you hide. You can't outrun the Wolf." The face of the Marine erupted into the face of the beast he had killed when he got his name, and felt the jaws of the monster grip his neck. The fangs dug themselves far into the Marine's neck and clenched down into his throat. The Wolf couldn't breathe. He couldn't scream. He could only feel the pain of hundreds of stings and shooting pains from knife wound after knife wound that racked his body. Every cut and stab he gave to his victims was only magnified by the helplessness he felt as his windpipe was being crushed by the pressure of the ever growing strength of the monster's jaw. He was sure that at this point he would die.

He tried to let out one more scream. One more effort to call for help. Almost as if it was a gift from God himself, he felt the pain of the Wolf's jaws no more. He felt like he was being pulled up. Not so much a floating, but like something was tugging at him. And that's when he heard it. He heard his name being called out. "Matthew!" It started off at a distance, but then grew louder and louder.

"MATTHEW!"
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Ignatius jumped from his laying position and hit something solid. A pile of flesh and bone. He reeled back from the impact and found that the pile of flesh and bone was actually his brother Aquinas. The Naval officer held him by the front of his coat with a grip that shamed even that of Twisted Horns. Who happened to be at the foot of the bed Ignatius was lay on.

"Matthew!" Aquinas called. The former was still hyperventilating and sweating. He was in a complete state of panic. That is, until the large hand of his brother cross his face, and made his eyes wobble slightly. "Matthew, calm down!" The Ensign's voice was more of worry than that of a superior giving an order.

Ignatius snapped back to the reality he was in and began to recollect his breathing. His breathing was still labored, but at least it was under control. Tears and mucus mixed with the cold sweat that drenched not only his face, but his whole body. His entire body still shook violently because of the cold stiffness his entire body was held prisoner by. He tried to form words, but his quivering lips would not allow it. Then again, nothing really needed to be said.

Aquinas let out a relieved sigh and set the Sergeant down to the pillow slowly. While his brother still looked up to him from this prone position, he said, "You have a lot of explaining to do." It was at this time that he saw Ignatius slip back into a state of rest. He knew that when he woke up, he would need the energy.

Epilogue

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Aquinas had to stand up just so he could sit down again after hearing something like that. He could not believe what he had just heard. His own brother was the unnamed Reaper of Iran, as the media called it. They played it off as an unrelated killer taking advantage of the war. So now, to hear that his own brother committed such atrocities was more than a huge shock. Aquinas was by no means a weak man. He had seen and heard more than a few things that a man of his age shouldn't while out on benders with Ignatius in the more objectionable parts of cities, but nothing like this.

"That's a lot of shit." Aquinas finally said after a good minute of silence.

"Now you see what plagued me for so long." Ignatius said. He did not face his brother, as his interest was focused on the blank, dark wall of stone that was before him. That seemed to hold more of his attention then the face of abject horror that his brother would more than likely have when he heard what he had done in Iran.

Aquinas sighed. "Yes." he said at length. Aquinas stroked his clean shave chin and thought for a while. It took a spell, but he mustered enough questions to ask his brother. "Why did you not just stay in the Air Force? Those men were gone. There would be no need to fear them, especially because they would be behind bars and away from your shop."

"The reason I didn't go back" Ignatius explained. "was because of my other shop mates. I didn't want to be looked at as if I was some double agent or something. Mistrust is easy to come by in those situations, and I wasn't going to face them knowing that they would just ultimately shun me."

"So, you left." Aquinas stated to clarify. "Why were they letting you out?"

"I requested it from my commander." said the Marine. "He was reluctant to oblige, but I warned him that it would just happen again if he tossed me back in."

"You could have gone to another shop." The officer reasoned.

"Not when words travels as fast as it does." Ignatius retorted.

Aquinas was silent for a moment. He tried to ask the right questions to get his answer, but there was nothing that came up.

Then it hit.

"Was the Colonel right?" Aquinas questioned. "Did the loneliness and the sadness creep back in?" That part was misconstrued by the horror scene at the end of the vision.

It took a while for Ignatius to answer, but in time, he spoke. "Yes."

He didn't know if he heard right, but Aquinas could have sworn he heard a soft choke in his brother's affirmation.

"Did the recounting of our favorite show do anything for you? I mean, spark something that was apparently lost?"

"Slightly."

"Then if you were feeling this way, why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you just come out and say what you did, instead of balling it up inside for this long?"

A stillness and enormous amount of gravity filled the room at that moment. Ignatius' head seemed to sink low into himself, and he was shaking slightly. It wasn't until a good moment passed, which felt like an entire afternoon to Aquinas, until his brother spoke. Though, he did not speak in his usual, calm, clear, and sometimes menacing, voice. No. This was a cracked and choking tone. One full of regret, sadness, and guilt. And though Ignatius himself felt these things, Aquinas was hit with half of it when the older brother said these words.

"Because I thought that if I told you this, you wouldn't love me anymore."

A train is too slow and too easily stopped for it to have a fraction of the force that that phase had when it hit Aquinas. He not only felt his own tears start to fall from his face, but he also heard his own brother's sobs. A sound he had not heard since who knows when.

Both brothers couldn't move for a second, but then the sound of foot falls was heard. Before Ignatius could even register what was happening, he felt the large, wool covered arms of his brother wrap around his. As Ignatius sat upon the bed facing the same direction as his brother, he could feel the embrace of his sibling. He turned around slow and returned it in full. The Marine slowly rose from the bed and on to his feet. Now showing his brother his tear stained face and his bloodshot, paling, blue eyes. Knowing he was not one for emotional instances such as this, Ignatius expected to see that his brother was stoic faced and void of any emotion. However, the opposite was true. Not only did Aquinas show emotion, but he showed one that one would not expect at a time like this. He showed happiness. Genuine, unprecedented, happiness.

"Matthew." he said softly as he hugged his brother again. "No matter what, I'll always love you. You're my brother. And no matter what you do, no matter what you say, I will never stop loving you."

I was now Ignatius' turn to embrace his brother. He not only returned the affection in full, but also smile. "The one person in the world that matters, is the one that still cares."

"In this world, and any other." Aquinas said. The Naval Officer outstretched his arms and held his brother's shoulders in his hands. He looked into his now shining blue eyes. The ones he knew at a different time. A better time. "After all this time, I got my brother back."

The sound of shuffling hooves sounded from across the room. Twisted Horns made his way towards the pair of brothers with a smile that shamed even himself. "I see that you two have patched things up."

"All thanks to you, Twisted Horns." Ignatius said. "Say. What was in that stuff in my eyes that made me see all my memories again, anyway?"

"Insight dust." Twisted Horns said. "It's a mix of different hallucinogens that makes you relive events in your life that you had blocked out. It seems the memories that you yourself had repressed were more traumatic than anyone would dare to ask about. I'm sorry I used it, but it seemed to me that you needed it." Of course, the forge master was there for the full story of the dream, though some part were cut out at times, he never knew why, but what he did hear made even the man beast flinch.

"Yeah." Ignatius conceded. "They were." His voice become heavier at the end of every syllable.

"I guess now we can say," Aquinas said as he looked to his brother and the mino-satyr. "that since those memories are behind us, we will have to make new ones."

The trio in the room all nodded in unison at the declaration. It was apparent to these three that this was the beginning to a new adventure for them. The start of something better.

"Hey," Ignatius said. "I'm kind of wondering. How was long was I out? A day or two? A week?"

"Three months, actually." the blacksmith said.

Ignatius was only able to blink until he could say. "Dafuq?!"