Guitar Strings and Dragon Wings

Metal in Equestria

Chapter 23

In just a few long strides Jiggs had closed the gap between them and was poised to throw a devastating left hook, though admittedly he wouldn't use his full strength. Out of pure instinct Wallace dropped his torso backward, nearly falling on his ass. But something caught him as he saw Jiggs' fist whir past him right over his head. He hung for a split second in a curved c-shape as Jiggs repositioned himself. The force that cradled him pulled him back up into a standing position.

"How did you dodge that?" asked Jiggs.

"Beats me." Said Wallace. He suddenly jerked forward and caught Jiggs off guard with a perfect blow delivered to his midsection. Jiggs could feel his energy surging through the fist and the resulting force knocked him off the ground, sending him flying backward. After remaining airborne for a second or two he felt his back collide with the grass turf. THOMF*

He quickly got to his feet and looked down at the sizeable crater he had made.

"Not bad." He said cheekily. "It's a good thing I'm practically indestructible."

"Hey what about the rules?" asked Applejack. "He went down. That means this is done."

"No, no." said Packie. "I didn't count to ten."

"Patrick you really should stop the fight." Said Fluttershy.

"Eh these guys have dealt with tougher stuff than this. They'll be fine, trust me." He assured.

"If you say so." Said Applejack uncomfortably.

"Oh come on AJ, when's the last time you've seen a good fight?" asked Rainbow dash.

"Dash let me tell ya something. If those boys get hurt, then the princess will have my hide." She retorted.

"Sheesh. You worry too much AJ."

Jiggs caught another running start, gathering a full head of steam. Wallace reached out his hand at him. "You can't hit me if you can't move." Wallace struggled to wrap his energy around Jiggs but it fazed right through him. "How? I did it yesterday?" It only took a second before Jiggs closed the gap again. His speed had increased dramatically because of his new power. He was now faster than any Olympic athlete.

"Playing dirty's not gonna win anything today." Jiggs said.

"It should've worked!" yelled Wallace.

Jiggs threw another devastating left hook and he felt it connect, but to his astonishment it didn't connect with Wallace's skin. The punch had been halted just inches above Wallace's face, and his head remained perfectly intact. Jiggs felt the surface on his knuckles, a smooth and metallic wall.

"There's a barrier." He noted.

"Whoa. Cool!" said Wallace.

"Cool this!" shouted Jiggs. He threw another haymaker at Wallace's left side, aiming for his gut. This time Jiggs knew the barrier was coming and continued to surge forward. CLACK*

When his fist connected the metallic surface started to wobble under the pressure and crack, eventually giving way. The barrier evenly coated Wallace's entire form, nicely contouring to every muscle. It took on the color of Wallace's energy, giving his body a radiant yellow glow that shimmered in the sunlight.

The impact of Jiggs' fist caused the barrier to retaliate, sending Wallace reeling backward. When Wallace regained his footing his looked down where the blow connected. There was a sizable hole in his defensive coating, where his clothing was clearly visible lacking the yellow sheen it once had.

"There's your chink in the armor." Gloated Jiggs. "Too bad it only shows itself when it's weakened."

"You just got lucky." Said Wallace.
He lowered his hand down to the open hole and let some energy spew forth from his palm. The yellow haze he had conjured slowly started to fill in the cracks. Bit by bit his personal barrier reconstructed itself from his donation of energy until it was fully repaired. After the shield had been fully mended it slowly vanished, assuming its natural invisible form. The gem at the center of his diadem started to glow dimly, giving a beautiful violet luster.

"Wooh-hoo! Go WALLY!" shouted Pinkie Pie.

"Play nice, boys!" yelled Applejack.

Not making the same mistake as last time. Wallace thought. For some reason I can't control him like I did with Cupcake. Just gonna have to win the old fashioned way.

This time Wallace took the running start. Each long stride seemed to be longer than the last until he was flying right at Jiggs. "Here I come!" shouted Wallace. The energy surrounding his frame enhanced his movements, making him faster and more agile.

Jiggs on the other hand only had his increased strength to aid him. He assumed a boxer's stance waiting for his arrival.

Just before impact Wallace launched his right hand which he had balled into a tight fist. The invisible energy engulfed it, making several layers of protection. Jiggs threw a similar attack with his right fist. Their movements were too incredibly fast for any normal human to match. In what to them proceeded like slow-motion their fists diverted their trajectory towards each other and the two boys clenched their eyes in anticipation of the worst.

Jiggs felt his knuckles hit something hard and then came the crackling.

The shockwave from the impact radiated outward violently, flattening the surrounding field and blowing back surrounding trees. The group of ponies spectating heard a loud bang followed by a heavy wall of air which slammed into their chests. They were forced to close their eyes due to the sheer percussive force of the blow. Fluttershy was about to be blown backward until Packie caught her with his right arm. Spike kept himself from being swept away by desperately clinging onto Rarity's leg, though she didn't seem to notice.

After the initial explosion, the secondary shockwave passed with little incident. Everyone could hear the sound fade into the distance for about ten seconds as they watched the dust settle back down. Anticipation started to build as more particles from the epicenter started to float away gently. The cloud of debris that had formed around them began to dissipate. It was clear that both of them were still standing, as there were two well defined sets of legs planted firmly in the grass. After a few more moments the cloud gave way and the sight it revealed shocked everyone. The two had their fists gently touching at the epicenter of the explosion, leaving them both exasperated and breathing heavily.

Jiggs' hoodie was tattered and torn in a few areas while his pants only had a few spots of dirt plaguing them. His black hair had been neatly swept back revealing his high cheek bones, deep eye ridges, bushy black brows, and other deep masculine features. Until that point no pony had gotten a clear look at his face.

He had locked eyes intensely with Wallace, who hadn't fared much better than him.

His brown hair had been similarly pulled aside, letting everyone see his boyish face and bloodshot hazel eyes. His shirt had been nearly shredded to pieces upon impact just as his pants had. His skin was pockmarked with varying sizes and lengths of what looked to be paper cuts, like a million razor blades had been launched at high speed in his direction.

But what was most eye-catching was the pieces of his barrier. The shield composed of his energy had been almost completely obliterated. A few shimmering golden shards of what was left hung over his skin. The pieces remaining sizzled and cracked with tiny sparks dancing across their surface, their metallic shape had been terribly deformed.

"Huff*…Huff*…Your barrier's not looking too good…huff*" Jiggs managed to say between deep breaths. He gave a weak smile.

A drop of blood started to trickle down from Wallace's nostril. It made a trail down his left cheek and continued down the length of his neck. He was finding it just as difficult to speak. "Huff*…Huff*… it takes a lot of focus to keep it up… huff*…" he replied weakly. As he said the words the golden shards of the barrier started to phase out of existence, until there was nothing left.

The two let down their fists and stood up straight, sizing each other up.

Jiggs reached out his hand. "Good fight?" he asked.

Wallace reciprocated and shook his friend's hand. "Good fight." He agreed.

"Hey you guys aren't done!" yelled Packie. "One of you has gotta go down!"

Jiggs pointed a finger at him offensively. "Not another word, Pack! Or I'm gonna beat the shit outta you!"

"Bring it!" yelled Packie.

"Um Patrick, are you feeling alright?" asked Fluttershy.

He turned to her, noticing in himself his usual break from character. "Yeah I'm fine. I'm just feeling really good right now."

"You just seem to be acting kind of strange. And I don't want you to get hurt." She replied.

"Relax. I'll be fine. You'll see. Just trust me." Without another word he made his way out to the flattened grass field, with his left hand suspiciously remaining in his pocket.

"You're on man." Said Jiggs.

Wallace staggered off the field and made his way over to Pinkie Pie. She tightly embraced him in a hug. "Wally! You were so so brave! Are you alright?" When she released him he stumbled and sat down clumsily.

"Yeah I'm fine. Just need… to catch some Z's…" Pinkie kept his head from hitting the grass as he began to pass out from exhaustion. The blood continued to drip from his nose.

"I'm not sure he's really okay." Said Rarity.

"Ditto." Said Rainbow Dash.

"It's like I've seen this somewhere before." Said Pinkie.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Alright, ready for round two!" said Jiggs. He could barely even feel his bracelets any longer as he assumed his boxing stance.

"Don't go easy on me just cuz I can't make a magical shield." Said Packie.

"Not a chance. Packie. You wanna dance with big boys and I won't deny you that." Jiggs was shocked when Packie didn't assume any fighting stance. "Are you gonna be a punching bag or what?"

Packie removed his shirt, gently lifting it over his wings, though they didn't seem to hurt anymore. At this distance he knew that no one would notice his hand had changed, so he casually removed it from his pocket. His "claws" had lengthened considerably since his chat with Celestia.

"I'm not afraid of you, and I'm not even gonna have to try."

"So you give up already?" asked Jiggs.

"Absolutely not. Here I'll even close my eyes." He clenched his eyes tightly and pointed his index finger at his face. "C'mon. Put one right there."

"Well, you asked for it."

Packie crossed his arms and listened intently. He could hear his heartbeat in his chest again as he desperately tried to shut it out. With focus he was soon able to hear what he wanted.

Grasshoppers flying.

The wind rustling some leaves.

Birds chirping.

In this still blackness of his head he could pinpoint his sense of hearing on anything.

A dog barking far in the distance.

His friends breathing, watching from the sidelines.

A fist flying straight at him.

Packie's eyes shot open as he leaned backwards. He saw Wallace do this in his fight, though he didn't have a shield to keep him up. He saw the fist zoom past overhead.

Without waiting for Jiggs to counter he gave his wings a powerful backwards thrust, sending him straight up. Using this forward momentum he tucked into a ball and performed a full somersault, landing just behind a stunned Jiggs.

"It seems you've got some moves too." He noted.

"I could hear you from a mile away." Said Packie.

"Alright then. But now that I know what you can do, there's no holding back, Pack."

"Didn't want you to, anyways." He retorted. Packie couldn't help but grin at him. Whatever Celestia had done to him, had clearly worked.

Jiggs lunged forward and threw another punch, aimed at Packie's stomach. His speed was blinding, none of the other ponies could keep up with his movements. But Packie seemed to have no trouble. Not bothering to give it a second glance Packie casually placed a hand on the fist and redirected the incoming missile away from him.

Jiggs was ready for this and prepared a follow up uppercut with his left arm. Packie watched his fist carefully. It seemed to be barely moving at all but he could tell Jiggs wanted to plant it right under his chin.

This is so weird. It's like his punches are moving in slow motion.

Right before Jiggs' fist was about to connect with his chin, Packie casually leaned his head back a little and the punch harmlessly flew skyward only to hit nothing. The small burst of air flew by his chin and he knew that if that punch hit, it would've knocked him out cold.

Or maybe I'm just moving in fast motion.

Frustrated, Jiggs dug his left foot deep into the grass, preparing for a kick.

Oh no you don't.

Packie could see the telltale signs and knew what was coming next. With a great jerk of his back muscles his wings surged forward, propelling him the opposite direction. Jiggs felt the initial blast of air hit his face but continued to surge his leg forward, only to fruitlessly connect with nothing yet again.

Packie started to feel dominant and let his wings pick him up off the restraining earth. He continued to hover higher until he was but two stories off of terra firma. Every beat of his wings kept him airborne, just out of Jiggs' reach.

"Give up yet?" asked Packie.

"Not gonna happen." Retaliated Jiggs. "Why don't you try hitting me now?"

"You got it!" Packie suddenly angled himself downward and began his descent, every flap propelling him faster and faster.

"Whoa, he's coming fast." Jiggs muttered to himself. With only a second to prepare Jiggs put up his arms in an x-formation to brace for impact. Packie slammed chest first into him, plunging him into the soil. Dirt tossed up in clumps and bits of grass were strewn about. After the initial blow he prepared a punch with his right hand and slammed it down as hard as he could.

SMACK*

Jiggs had managed to intercept the attack with his left arm and now held Packie's clenched fist in his palm. Struggle as he might, Packie could not free his hand from the inescapable prison of Jiggs' hand.

"Grhh!" Jiggs grumbled. "Say uncle."

Packie let out something of an animalistic roar. "RAAOOHH! Neveeer!"

"Fine if you won't chill out…" Jiggs said. He began to apply pressure on Packie's hand and stopped once he heard an audible snap.

POP*

"GRRAAHH!" Packie bellowed. He continued to thrash about wildly, deep in the crater they had created. Packie pulled out his clawed left hand which immediately caught Jiggs' attention. As Packie surged his hand at Jiggs' face he was again intercepted by his grasp. They had stalemated each other with Packie on the offensive and Jiggs on the defensive.

"MAN! SERIOUSLY CHILL!" Jiggs shouted through Packie's blind rage. "I know you man! You aren't like this!"

"RAHHHH!" It sounded like some sort of caged beast.

"What would your friend over there think? Fluttershy? What would she think of this?!" Jiggs yelled.

After a moment Packie suddenly snapped.

He stopped, thinking about everything up until this point, how they came to Equestria, got their powers, and made new friends…

"Packie. Come back to me." Jiggs said.

Packie shook his head trying to free the cobwebs. Jiggs let go of him cautiously as Packie clenched his forehead with both hands and moaned in pain.

"Uhhm… sorry about that, man. I don't know what the fuck I was thinking. What happened?"

"You freaked the fuck out and jackhammered us into the ground."

"So that's where this crater came from?"

"Yes." Replied Jiggs.

"Oh, well…I'm sorry, for freaking out and shit."

"It's all good man. I wasn't really worried, I'm tougher than I look."

"So, we good?" asked Packie.

"Yeah we're good." Assured Jiggs. "Hey nice claws by the way."

Packie clutched his left hand in his right. "Oh that… that is kinda my power I guess."

"It's pretty wicked man. Hey you got something in your teeth." Jiggs pointed to the right corner of Packie's mouth.

Instinctively he opened wide and placed a finger on his tooth and immediately pulled it back in horror.

"What's wrong, man?" asked Jiggs.

Packie opened his mouth ever so slightly to show him. One of his incisor teeth had elongated dramatically, now about triple the length of the one opposite to it.

"Holy fuck, now that is a tooth." Commented Jiggs.

"Excuse me, but what is going on down here?" said a familiar voice.

The two of them looked up to see Celestia glaring down directly at them.

"Just training, is all." Said Jiggs as if on cue.