//------------------------------// // A Meeting Of Battered Minds // Story: Asphalt Cowboys: Pieced together Marvel // by bucking bronco 1968 //------------------------------// Mason sat on a bar stool at The Broken Back, Ponyville’s local watering hole, with his hoof wrapped around a half empty mug of cider. Though he had been sitting in the same spot for nearly three hours, he had the wherewithal to only be on his second mug. The bartender, a kind older stallion by the name of Aged Hops, trotted over to him “You doing alright Mason? You've been sitting there for hours now.” The glum bat-pony sighed “Just figuring some stuff out Hops. It's a long story, and I just gotta get my head back on straight. Thanks for looking out for me.” The other stallion smiled, “Any time good buddy.” he said with a half grin. Mason chuckled halfheartedly at the trucker pun before going back to staring at the countertop . It was about then that the door opened and another pony made their way into the half full bar. Hops looked up and caught sight of the pony that had walked in, smiling as he recognized him, before trotting away from the worn down thestrial. Mason sighed again before noticing a presence on the stool next to him. He didn’t really care, as ponies had been coming and going around him over the time he had spent sitting there. He did look up, however, when the pony spoke: “Hey Mason.” Mason turned to face the pony sitting to his left, and was surprised to find the purple eyes of a familiar changeling staring back at him. “Oh, hey Xenon. What's up?” Xenon smiled, “Nothing much. I was just looking for you back at HQ, when grandad told me you came into town a few hours ago. I figured this was the only place that wouldn’t have kicked you out by now; well, besides the parts store that is.” Mason chuckled lowly, the joke striking a hard cord in his heart. The two sat there for a few minutes in silence, before Xenon finally broke it, “Alright Mason, what is it? The last time you were this quiet was when I accidentally backed into Luna. Besides, there’s a difference between ‘don’t talk much’ quiet and ‘upset’ quiet; you know changelings can sense feelings, so start spilling.” Mason sighed again, before taking a quick swig from his cider. He replaced the mug on the bar before speaking, “I've just needed to figure some things out Xe. Nothing you need to worry too much about.” Xenon sighed, “I get it Mason. Kay’s had me under lock and key ever since we got back, without the key; she’s afraid if I go back out on the road again, I'm actually not going to come back this time.” Again, there was silence. Eventually, Xenon spoke again, “Hey, me and grandad are heading up to Canterlot tomorrow to pick up my new truck. You should come with us, see if you can't find something yourself.” ”I don't want a new rig. Mason grumbled. “10-1?” Mason grumbled again before finally speaking, “I said I don't want a new truck Xenon. I don't need a new truck. I want my truck, I want Luna.” Mason finished by taking a long swig from his mug, almost finishing off the remaining cider. Xenon sighed, “Is that what all of this is about? Mason, I know it hurts, I get it, but we’ve talked about this, Luna’s totalled, and no amount of grumbling or cider abuse is going to fix that. Seriously, you’re gonna beat Rainbow’s record at this rate.” “The thing is you don't get it Xenon!” Mason yelled, slamming his mug hard against the countertop, its remaining contents splashing all over the polished surface. Thankfully, his mug was one of the older wooden ones the bar used, meaning it was able to stand up to the abuse the thestrial threw at it. Once he realized his mistake, Mason looked at Hops shyly, the old pony only smiled, somewhat reassuringly. He then turned his attention back to Xenon, “Sorry Xe, I had no reason to yell at you.” Xenon smiled as he put a hoof around his partner in crime, “What, it’s not the first time you’ve yelled at me, and I’m sure it feels good to break the bottleneck.” Mason sighed again, “It’s just, it's just that I can’t just forget and give up on Luna. If I do, it feels like I’m giving up on family.” “I’ve always had this issue where I get emotionally attached to inanimate objects, but I thought it was just a changeling thing. I can tell there’s a deeper story here, and I aim to hear it.” Once again, Mason sighed, “Luna, Luna was grandad’s first truck. It was the truck that he used to build the company from the ground up. But, back then, he wasn’t as… well off as he is now, so he couldn’t maintain her like he wanted to. By the time I got out of the military and showed an interest in trucking, she was in pretty rough shape, and he was looking to get a new truck. But he didn’t want to sell her off, she held too many memories for him. So, he gave her to me. Told me that if I wanted to drive, that I needed to understand a truck. I needed to understand their capabilities, what made them run, stop, and crash, and understand what the responsibilities that came with driving a truck. So that’s what I did. Let me tell you, Luna was really bad when I got my hooves on her, it amazed me grandad had been able to drive her so long in the condition she was in. So, for about five months, I spent every spare moment I had over at HQ, underneath or inside some part of the truck, and over that time, I became attached. She was my project, my truck, my Luna. The day I started her up and took her for a drive for the first time, was one of the best of my life. After all of that, all I’ve been through with her, it just doesn’t seem right to let her go to waste now. Off of a stupid fluke no less. If it had been my fault that she had crashed, it still would have been hard for me to give her up, but at least I would know that it was on me. This, this just feels like the universe is laughing at me, again.” The two drivers sat there in silence, Mason, thinking about what Luna meant to him, while Xenon thought over what Mason had said. Eventually, Xenon spoke, “I guess that explains why grandad was so heart broken when he told you it would be a waste to buy a new frame for Luna.” Mason looked up, “What do you mean.” “Like I’ve said before, changelings can feel emotions. When grandad told you that Luna was a lost cause, I could feel the pain of the statement coming off of him. It was one of the hardest things he’s ever had to do by my guess.” “Yeah, I can imagine” Mason said with a sigh, returning his gaze to the counter. Xenon sighed and did the same, “I just wish we could use my truck and grandad’s to fix Luna. If only Luna’s frame lined up with Wheel Spin’s, but the frame rails are too skinny and cab mounts too close together. And if it wasn’t for the fact that the front of my frame got twisted in the accident, we could use mine. The only way we could use any of them would be if we hacked the three frames together.” Xenon jumped slightly when he heard Mason’s now empty cider jug clatter to the countertop, “Xenon, say that again.” “I said that I wish we could use our trucks frames but it wouldn’t work because.” “No, that part about hacking together the frames.” “Oh, yeah, I said that the only way we could make it work was if we could hack apart the frames and piece them together.” Mason smiled, “Xe, I think I got an idea. How good are your welding skills?” “I don’t see how that applies here.” “Just trust me.” “Well they’ve gotten better since I joined the crew, so I’d say I’m a decent welder at this point. Still, how does that apply here?” Mason cracked one of his famous smiles, “Cause you’ve given me an idea.- ‘you already said that’” ‘“shut up’ - Come on, let’s get back to HQ.” Mason stood, leaving a few bits on the bar to cover his many drinks, before making his way towards the door, his changeling friend in tow. “You want to do what?” Alex asked dumbfounded as his grandson explained his plan. “I want to use pieces from all three of our trucks frames to make one new one. Simple.” Alex and Xenon stared at the thestrial in awe. “Mason, I was joking in the bar, the best welder in the world would have a hard time pulling that off!” Xenon said, dumbstruck by his friend’s idea. “But it works perfectly. We don’t have to waste time and money searching for a new frame for Luna, and I get my truck back. It’s a win win!” The two other ponies still stared at him, until Xenon finally smiled, “You know what, buck it. I’m in! Also, it would be a win win win, cause I would get my partner back.” Mason smiled as he hoof bumped his friend. Alex couldn’t help but laugh, “Alright you two, knock yourselves out...Not literally!” And with that Alex turned and walked away. Mason turned back to his changeling buddy, “You ready for this?” “A chance to practice the welding spell I’m learning? Hell yeah!” Mason cracked a grin, “Then let’s do this. And you know what, I got a few ideas on how to make Luna better than ever.” Two weeks Later “Hey Xe! Do you think we have enough usable frame rail left to work with that I could extend my sleeper a bit? I’m tired of this old coffin one!” Mason yelled from his position under the aforementioned coffin sleeper where he was cutting away at what was left of the sleeper’s frame mounts. Xenon, who was in the process of cutting up the old back up rig, didn’t take long to respond, “Oh yeah, easily, we could put a legacy sleeper on there and still have enough frame rail left,probably. How big were you thinking?” “Oh just a bit bigger. I found a nice flat top sleeper off a 389 out in a junkyard that I wanted to use.” He yelled as he went back to work, thinking about what else he could use all that spare frame rail for, instead of letting it go to waste. Three weeks Later Xenon had just got back after running a few loads with the yard truck, an old Autocar that was just barely street legal, and decided to go check on Mason in Luna’s bay. As he walked in however, he noticed something that was missing, a rather larger something. “Mason!” He called as he walked toward the cut up frame of Mason’s truck. The thestrial appeared from behind Luna’s disembodied hood. “Oh hey Xenon, about time you made it back home.” Xenon rolled his eyes, “Well I’m sorry that one of us still has to run loads to keep the bills paid; speaking of, how’s Altivo coming?” “Dunno really, does it matter?” “Yes, that old Autocar is great and all, but it’s got like zero power, and I don’t like driving borrowed trucks in the first place.” “Fair enough, still don't know, I've been kinda busy.” “Yes, I can see that; where the heck did you’re cab and sleeper go?!?” When he had left, Luna’s cab and new sleeper had been sitting on what was left of the truck’s frame, waiting for new mounts to be made. He then noticed the hood was not on the shop floor, but rather strapped to a large flat wagon, “and where is the hood going?” “Over to Ratchet’s, along with the rest of the body.” Ratchet was Ponyville’s resident sheriff, part time grease monkey, and husband to Applejack. When he wasn’t in charge of the Ponyville Police Department, he was running his small time mechanic’s shop, which was built into the main warehouse that was the HQ of Steel Wheels Trucking. Ratchet and Alex split the bills so they could keep the massive building open for both of their small businesses, the arrangement worked quite well. “Wait, why would Luna’s body be over at Ratchet’s shop?” Mason smiled, “Well, you remember that 389 that I stole the sleeper off of?” “Vaguely.” “Well, it had a really nice dash in it that I got as well when I went and bought the sleeper, whoever owned it before had paid for it to come with a chrome finish. I took one look at it, and wanted it in Luna, but I knew that it just didn’t fit with the old cab’s upholstery. - ‘Woah woah woah, you’re getting rid of that classic vette dash for a 389 interior?’” ‘“Yes, stop interrupting’ - So anyway, I got to talking with Ratchet and he said that he’d redo the entire cab from top to bottom, in a really nice deep black, so I hooved over the body to him two days ago. He even said he’d repaint the exterior for me!” Xenon sighed, “Ah, so that explains the hood with wheels as well; but now we’ve gotta wait even longer to line up the cab mounts.” “Well that just means more time for finishing cutting up frames!” “Sure, I’ll cut frames, if you get on pulling that wrecked engine out of Altivo.” “How did I know you were gonna say that?” Two Days Later “Hey Mason, look at the size of my nose!” Mason turned to see Xenon with his muzzle against the cab end of Altivo’s still red hood. “Yea, that’s from all the times I’ve punched you in the face for making a stupid joke.” “I knew I should’ve painted the hood white before doing this” “What, so you could get wet paint all over your nose?” “Oh, so now you’re the funny one; no, so It would match” Xe said as he changed into his white pastel form. “Wow, now you look like an even bigger idiot. Now quit screwing around and get back to cutting up those frames if you want me to work on this engine.” “Fine, fine.” A Month and A Half Later “A third axle! Really Mason, you want to extend the frame so you can fit a third axle? What’s next, do you want to make it a high-rail too?” Xenon dead panned from where he sat on top of Luna’s cut up frame. The broken truck’s owner smiled, “Not only any third axle. I’m taking the one from Wheel Spin. It’s gonna be a steering and powered lift axle!” Xenon face hooved, “Good luck finding the proper diff for that, anything else you want me to add to the list? I’ve got the latest episode of ‘Trick My Truck’ recorded, in case you run out of ideas.” “Ha ha very funny Xe. No I don't plan on doing too much more in the realm of modifications.” “Says the thestrial who spends his off hours drooling over performance parts catalogs.”“Hmm Volvo’s website cough hack, hm sorry, something in my throat, anyways, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” One Month Later “Mason, we barely have the frame done, and now you want to waste time upgrading the engine?” “Says the one who made me spend a week and a half swapping their engine. || Besides, I got these things for a steal of a price, and the turbos I bought came off my old B-17, how could I pass that up? Oh, by the way, the parts are arriving at the end of the week.” “Of course they are.” Came the reply from a face hooving changeling. “What? Oh and also, I’m going for a quad turbo system.” “Of bucking course you are! Did you order a new hood with ‘Luna’ inscribed in it instead of ‘Peterbilt’ as well?” “Hmm, that's not a bad idea actually.” “Forget I said anything!” Two and A Half Months Later “Do you actually want your truck on the road? Cause if you keep this up, she’s doomed to never see the light of day again, not to mention the fact that I just ordered your new driveshafts! Now I gotta catch them before they ship and order different ones!” “But Xe, this is a twenty speed twin stick! I couldn’t just pass that up!” “The hell you couldn’t! You keep screwing up my plan every time I make one.” “Your plans? This is my truck! I'll change the plans whenever I want!” “Well maybe give me some advance warning first!” Xenon said as he stormed out of the garage bay. “Uh, Xe? Xenon where are you going?” “I need a damn cider! You know what? Buck cider, I’m getting a bucking beer!” Half a Month Later “Uh Xe, where did the bolts for the driveshaft transfer point go?” “Why would I know?” “Because you were the last one to be working with it.” “No I wasn’t!” “Yes you were! You just took it back off yesterday after measuring out the u-joints!” “DAMMIT! Buc- friccin’ Chryssie!” One Month Later “Uh, Xe? Can you come and give me a hoof, quickly.” “What, you wanna buck my plans up again?” “No, uh, my foreleg is kinda caught between the turbo I was trying to install and the frame.” “How in the changeling badlands did you manage that?” “I was mounting the high pressure turbo and it slipped off the plate I had been using to hold it in place and I tried to catch it.” “Well can’t you just move it yourself?” “Normally yes, but not this time.” “And Why is that?” “Because I think when I dropped the turbo, it broke my foreleg. Now could you come and help me already, this is getting really painful.” “Good job dumbass!” Two months later “Screw this Sombra’s ass of a steering linkage!” “Woah easy there Xe, go grab a cider out of the fridge and take a breather.” “Remind me again why I let you talk me into this damn job Mason? I’m about ready for my pension.” One Month Later “Done! Start‘er up Mason.” “Right” Mason turned the key in Luna’s cab, but nothing happened, the truck didn’t even try to turn over. “Let’s go Mason, I wanna hear this thing!.” “I’m trying! I’m getting nothing! Are you sure that the batteries are hooked up?” “Yes Mason, I made sure that the battery pack was hooked up.” “Wait, just one battery pack?” “Yeah, the one under the left side of the cab.” Mason faced hooved as he climbed out of the cab, “Xe, that’s my backup pack, you just hooked up the charging cables for it.” “Well how was I supposed to know! Altivo only has one battery pack, and it’s under the left side! All trucks have them on the left! Why would you change the side that your main batteries sit on!” Five Minutes later. “Alright, let me run down the list again real quick to make sure we didn’t miss anything this time. Brakes are bled, transmission fluid is topped off, radiator is refilled, oil’s in, and the batteries are hooked up properly this time. Alright partner, crank her up!” “You an Apple now?” “Very funny, we are partners, aren’t we?” “Fair enough. Alright, here goes nothing.” Chur-ru-ru-ru-ru-ru-ru-ru. Chur-ru-ru-ru-ru-ru-ru-ru-ru. Chur-ru-ru-ru-ru-ru-ru-ru. “Come on Luna, time to wake up.” Chur-ru-ru-ru-ru-ru-ru. Chur-ru-rur-ruru-rurururur-Vroom. Wub-wub-wub-wub-wub-wub-wub! “YES!” Mason cried as Luna roared back to life after ten long, grueling months of work. He climbed out of the cab as he let Luna sit and idle, working the stiffness out of her fresh parts. “We bucking did it Xe!” Mason yelled as he ran over and high hooved the changeling. Xenon laughed as he stared at the absolute beast himself and Mason had built with their own four hooves, four wings, and one horn. “You know, despite the multiple headaches, that was really fun to do.” He then turned to Mason with a smug grin on his face, “So, when do we do this to Altivo?” “Altivo, you mean your new truck that I just finished putting back together two months ago?” “Well I wasn’t referring to the Conquistador.” The look that crossed Mason’s face was priceless, leaving Xenon only to laugh as the thestrial dropped to the dirty ground of the maintenance bay with a groan.