Guitar Strings and Dragon Wings

Metal in Equestria:

Chapter 21

Packie shut the door behind him and took his seat across from Celestia. She was just placing the last piece into the broken table when he sat down. The new table was perfectly reconstructed just like the original, though there were noticeable cracks on the surface.

"I bet you're good at jigsaw puzzles too." He said cheekily.

"Well when you've lived as long as I have, you learn how everything fits together." The princess replied.

"So how are you doing today?"

The princess was shocked at his sudden politeness. She had been expecting much different. "I'm doing… well. But perhaps it is I who should be asking that. What happened to you?" she asked.

"I… uh… fell." It wasn't necessarily a lie, but it wasn't the full truth either.

"Fell onto what? Explosives?" Celestia asked. "I've been in a few crashes myself when I was younger, and I know that was no typical accident. For instance, I know that if it were a typical crash that most of your torso would be injured as well. But I can plainly see that only your wings are injured so why don't you just tell me."

"Okay, okay. I didn't know what to do. I was coming at the ground hot and I panicked and slammed my wings together to stop. Is that what you wanted to hear?" he started to sound like he was being backed into a corner.

"That's all?" she asked.

"That's all? You aren't mad?"

"Why would I be mad? You are the one who is hurt." She pointed out.

"Well… I don't know, I thought you'd be upset that I got injured so soon after getting my wings."

"That's ridiculous. You learned your lesson haven't you?"

Packie shrugged his shoulders. "I guess."

"Then why would I be angry? I highly doubt you'll let it happen again. Am I right to assume that?" she asked.

"Oh most definitely." He assured. "I'm done with all that shit. I know I'll get it right next time, well whenever next time is." Packie slouched in his chair, making sure to not let his bandaged wings touch anything.

"I think I might be able to help with that." She smiled at him. "Please take off your shoes and lie face down on the table."

"Whoa whoa, that sounds a little weird to me."

"Do you want me to help or not?" Celestia asked.

Packie let out a lengthy sigh, gave a glance at his injured wings, and removed his shoes. "Fine." He muttered.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Downstairs Jiggs had started to make conversation with Twilight, while Fluttershy and Spike were having a discussion of their own.

"So what do they do exactly?" asked Twilight.

"Oh nothing." Said Jiggs. "They're just heavy as shit."

"I see." She said. "Why don't you just take them off?"

"Can't, there's a secret password or something." With his right hand he fiddled with the bracelet on his left wrist, trying to prod it open but to no avail. "It just won't budge."

"Why didn't she tell you the password?" Twilight asked.

"She said she needed me to be stronger, so I didn't push the subject too much. She said she would tell Applejack the password and let her decide when to let me off the hook."

Jiggs found an empty chair and sat in it, twirling the bright silver bracelets around his wrists. He had to admit it was becoming easier to deal with them the longer he had them on, but every movement still required very subtle adjustments to make sure he didn't totally destroy something. "Gotta say, that's going to be pretty aggravating after a while." He said to no one in particular.

"Should I go get Applejack then?" said Twilight.

"Couldn't hurt." He noted.

"Fine then," she said, "I'll go get her, bring her here and then we'll be next to talk to Princess Celestia."

At that moment Wallace stuck his head out of the bathroom. He hid his lower body behind the door as he was obviously naked underneath. His head was wrapped in a white towel to hide his new magical headdress. A trail of steam started to trickle out of the bathroom and float up towards the ceiling.

"Hey Highlight!" Wallace called.

"Yeah?" replied Twilight.

"Can you—

"GWAAHHHHHH!" Wallace was suddenly cut off by a loud yelp of pain that seemed to come from upstairs.

Fluttershy panicked. "Oh no! Patrick!" she frantically ran up the stairs after him.

"So anyways, Twilight," said Wallace, "can you get Cupcake too? She's got to learn my secret password thingy too for my headband." He waited a few moments for her to respond.

"Umm… sure." She finally said.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Fluttershy burst the door open in a great hurry. "Patrick!" she yelled. But she stopped for a moment to look at what was unfolding before her. It wasn't the sight of him being tortured as she had assumed, but rather something much odder.

Packie was lying face down on the table with his great white wings unfurled in the air. Innocently enough, Celestia had one of his wings in her magical grasp, meticulously working every muscle and bone. Without any hesitation she through one of his joints to the side, bending it into an odd shape.

SNAP*

"AHHHHHHHOOOOHHH… oohh man, does that feel good!" Packie announced. He turned his head to see his best friend standing in the doorway. "Oh hey Shy! Sorry, was I too loud?"

"B-b-but… I thought… you were hurt…" Fluttershy's words trailed off.

"What do you think of my technique, Fluttershy?" asked the princess. She turned her head to see Fluttershy's reaction.

"Umm, it's a bit…oh what's the word… traditional?" she said.

"All I'm doing is realigning some joints, cartilage, and other things of the sort. Then Patrick will be good as new." Celestia assured.

"I'm so sorry Princess. I didn't mean to intrude, I'll be going now." Fluttershy started to turn and leave, when she heard Patrick.

"Hey I'll be down in a second, alright?" he said.

She flashed a smile at him. "Alright." She acknowledged. With a quick wave of her hoof she pulled the door shut behind her and went down the staircase.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" came another muffled scream.

"Fluttershy, is he okay?" Twilight asked.

"Oh he's fine." She said cheerfully. "He said so himself."

"Well I'm going to go get everyone else, do you want to come with?"

"Um, who do you mean?" asked Fluttershy.

"You know, our friends, the elements of harmony, and saviors of Equestria? I'm sure the princess would like to speak with us all next." Twilight chimed. "Besides when's the last time we had everyone here together, at the library. It seems like forever ago."

She leaned in close to Fluttershy to whisper in her ear. "And I think I'd be more comfortable with all these guards around if my friends were here with me."

"Oh good point." Said Fluttershy. "Alright let's go get them, and quickly please. I don't want to leave Patrick by himself here for too long."

"Eh he has his friends and the princess here. I'm sure he'll be fine. Now let's go!"

They made their way out the door and past the guards, who let them pass with no hesitation. "We're bringing back some friends." Twilight told Nova.

"Very well." he responded sternly.

"Let's get Applejack first." Twilight said.

"Oh, alright." Said Fluttershy.

Without a second thought Twilight started running for Sweet Apple Acres with Fluttershy flying behind her in hot pursuit.

Back in the treehouse, Jiggs and Spike hadn't yet noticed the two leave.

"Have you tried asking her out yet?" asked Jiggs.

"Don't be ridiculous. She just sees me as a cute little baby dragon, not as a guy she'd ever date. I'll probably never have a chance with her." Spike said.

"Not with that attitude." Said Jiggs.

"Ha, yeah. I don't think at this point attitude's got anything to do with it."

"Man do I know that feeling." He admitted.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"And hold still… just one last thing." Said Celestia.

Crack*

"Hmm, that one wasn't as bad." Noted Packie.

"That should be it. Now give me one big stretch." She asked.

With a quick flex of his back and shoulder muscles his wings flew outward. The gust he created made some of the books on the shelf fly open, while some were thrown about wildly. The window flexed into a concave shape from the airburst, but snapped back into place. Celestia could feel her mane thrown behind her as the cool air rushed past her head. The room slowly returned to still calmness.

"Excellent. Feel any better?" she asked.

"Loads." He added. He slowly slid back off the table and returned to his seat. The last bandage fell off showing bruised but healed skin underneath some feathers. His wings had returned to their familiar shape before the accident occurred.

"Wow you're a miracle worker!"

"It wasn't my first time, to be quite honest. And the bruising should go away by tonight." She said

"Fantastic." He said.

"Yes, and now that we've gotten that out of the way I want to ask you something."

"Sure. Anything." He replied.

"Have you been able to change yet?"

"Into… what?" he asked.

"Anything. Have you changed your form at all?"

"I guess I haven't really been trying to, seeing as I've been totally screwed for a full day now. But Fluttershy's been helping me feel way better." He added.

"That's great." She said. "I'm glad you're getting along… but frankly I'm shocked you haven't been able to change yet. It seems you have the opposite problem of your friends."

"Which is what?" he asked.

"They seem to be able to access their abilities far easier than you can. I gave Wallace an item to suppress his power and I gave Anthony weighted bracelets to increase his strength. But for you…hmm… what could I do with you?" she asked smugly.

"What exactly was my ability again?"

"Oh… well you can take the shape and ability of your spirit's form."

"That sounds like a load of crap." He admitted.

"What if I explained it like this? If you think aggressive thoughts then you'll turn into an aggressive beast, if you feel frightened then you'll change into something that can run away from what frightens you, and if you are at peace-"

"Then I'll stay the same." He interrupted.

"Well you do have a fantastic form, if I do say so myself." She said somewhat annoyed.

"I guess you're right. Flying around is pretty awesome… it's just that," he paused and took a deep breath, "I feel so useless compared to the other guys. They can probably do so much more stuff than me. They could probably help people, or ponies using their powers. And then there's me, all I can do is fly. That's it. What a useless pile of shit I am."

He paused and let out a lengthy sigh.

"Maybe for you to change form you have to get inside the animal's head, so to speak." Celestia said.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, perplexed.

"There is one last thing I can give you. I can enhance your senses."

"My senses? Like so I can hear a pin drop from a mile away? I bet that'll do a load of good." he said slyly.

"Not exactly, maybe enhance your 'instincts' would be a better word. Although that could be dangerous, maybe I shouldn't…"

"No please! I'll take anything, really. For the dragons? There are dragons right?"

"Who told you that? Was it the other boys?"

"No, I just kinda guessed it myself. Fluttershy and I saw a big orange glow on top of one of the mountains."

"What did you say?" Celestia hissed. "An orange glow?... No… I thought I had more time than this."

"What's the matter?" asked Packie. "Why is that such a big deal?"

"That's so close." She muttered, "They're practically here already." Celestia lowered her gaze to the table's surface and stared as if in a trance. Her bottom jaw dangled open lazily as she entered a state of deep thought.

SNAP*

Packie snapped his fingers in front of her face to break her fogged mind. For a second she looked around the room, coming back to her senses. "Earth to Princess." The voice caught her attention.

"Look if we're fighting dragons here then I need whatever help you're willing to give me, because frankly I have no plans of going home. I'm staying here, and if I need to fight off some stupid dragons to earn the right to stay, then damn it I will." His voice was stern and serious, forcing Celestia to return the same.

"I'm sorry. Yes I'll help. I don't know what came over me."

"Well let's get on with it. If it's that much of an issue then we have no time to waste." He responded.

"You're right. Okay but before I apply this spell, just be warned that it might take some getting used to. You have to work into it slowly. It will bring out your most basic primal instincts so please maintain control of yourself. Do I make myself clear?" The princess glared at him, so he would realize the seriousness of the situation.

"I… I understand princess. I'll behave." He smiled confidently.

"Good." She used her magical power to raise her crown off of her head. The golden item floated down to the table and planted itself firmly in the center.

"Do I put it on?" he asked.

"Don't be silly. My crown has certain 'properties' which make it a valuable tool to keep on me at all times. Now, place one hand on the crown and repeat after me."

Packie placed his right hand on the corresponding crook of the crown. He could've sworn he felt it vibrating or perhaps had a weak current flowing through it.

"Alright, now what?" he asked.

"Repeat." She paused. "To a higher individual, I do confide"

"To a higher individual, I do confide." He said verbatim.

"To a higher living, never to hide." She said.

"To a higher living, never to hide." Sounds like a stoner's club initiation speech. He thought.

"To higher understanding, end my stride." Celestia said.

"To higher understanding, end my stride." He repeated.

"To a higher individual, release my animal inside." She said.

"To a higher individual, release my animal inside— gack*"

Packie felt a great surge of energy rush through his right hand, up his shoulder and neck, and then right to his brain. The crown had practically shocked him off the table, but he remained in his seat. Celestia could see a flickering twinkle in his eye, like a star burning out. He zoned out for a few seconds, staring blankly at the ceiling, not quite sure where he was for a second.

CLOP*

Celestia planted a hoof on table, making a loud clacking noise. "Patrick, snap out of it." Said Celestia.

Patrick gripped the sides of the chair with his hand and shook his head wildly, as if trying to get a bad song out of it. "Sorry. I don't really remember what just happened. My brain's a little fucked right now." He stopped shaking his head long enough to glance around the room. The colors in the room seemed more vivid, and the light coming through the window which hadn't bothered him before, was now unbearably bright and as such had to squint his eyes.

"That should be a natural reaction. At least for the time being, but it will wear off." The princess said.

Packie was watching her lips move tentatively. He could've sworn she was talking in slow motion. He looked at his hand and flexed it open and then closed. Were his eyes playing tricks on him? He seemed to be moving at a normal pace but Celestia was still moving slower than usual.

"This is weird." He said.

"What are you experiencing?" she asked slowly.

"Everything." He could hear his heart beating in his chest. It was going so fast, he was sure he would die if it went any faster. "It's like everything suddenly became more focused." He stood up and walked over toward the window, placing a hand over his forehead to protect his eyes from the morning sun.

"Are you feeling alright?" Celestia asked. "You're moving awfully fast."

"What do you mean?" he asked. "I walk just like I normally do."

"If you say so." Said Celestia.

He gazed out across Ponyville, watching everypony move so slowly. He placed his left hand on the glass pane of the window and something caught his attention. With fear in his eyes he withdrew his hand into a clenched fist.

"So how do I come back to this form?" he asked nervously.

"You mean your normal state?" she asked.

"Uh… yes."

"All you have to do is calm down, and find your inner peace." She said.

"That's it?"

"That's it." She confirmed.

"Alright Princess. I'll help you fight these dragons. As long as I can stay here for good." He smiled happily.

"You got it." She said.

"So are we done here?"

"I believe we are. Let us go back downstairs. I think we all need a little break."

"Amen to that, sister." Said Packie. He casually strolled over to the door and opened it, with Celestia following him. It was somewhat obvious that Packie was trying to conceal something in his left hand but the princess had yet to notice.

He let the princess go down first and he brought up the rear, looking down at his left hand. He could see the skin holding his fingernails in place starting to peel back slightly, letting his nails lengthen considerably and curtail in a sharp downward hook shape. They looked considerably more like claws now.

It's okay. He thought. This is supposed to happen right? I just gotta find my happy place… before this gets out of hand. Or else… I'm fucked!

"Princess Celestia!" The small crowd had gathered at the foot of the staircase. Twilight and Fluttershy had taken the time to round up all of her friends, while Celestia was busy chatting with Patrick.

"Hello everyone!" she replied. "Wow you got everyone back here so fast Twilight. I have to ask, how did you do it?"

"Oh oh! ME! ME! ME!" shouted Pinkie Pie as she waved her hoof around.

"Well as it turns out," interrupted Twilight, "Pinkie here was gathering everyone and had a huge search party going around town looking for Patrick and Fluttershy—"

"And then I made everyone run run run all the way back here!" blurted Pinkie.

Patrick clenched his left hand even tighter at the sight of everyone, and then Fluttershy caught his eye, as she was looking right back at him.

I take it back. I'm fucked now! He screamed in his head.