Equestria Girls: Racers

by Gapeagle

Chapter 3: Grease

"This coffee, I like it."

"I thought you would."

"It's so refined. Brewed to delicate perfection and delightful warmness. The creamy texture..."

"It's just coffee, Twi. Not the gods' ambrosia. Well, some may disagree with that."

"But it makes me feel so alive! Does it have magical properties?"

"What? Yeah...Yeah it does. Caffeine is a magical herb that gives you energy. Humans couldn't leave without it."

"Fascinating. I didn't read about that in the library at CHS."

"That's because it's so natural and built into humans' brains that it doesn't need to be there. You know, like you wouldn't find a "how to trot" book in an Equestrian library."

"That makes sense."

Sunset and Twilight sipped their hot coffee from their mugs while they sat on Billy's old couch. The ancient springs moaned with their weight. The cushions themselves were of no use since most of the stuffing had fallen out through the large holes in their fabric. They were glad that Billy slept on the couch and not them. It would have been a long night then. The girls slept on his bed. It was surprisingly small for such a big man and so they fought for pillows and sheets. This ended with Twilight on the floor and an apology from Sunset. After that, they tried to even the bed out until sunrise.

Spike was still asleep. Billy had a dog bed that he kept around for any stray dogs that came into his garage. So Spike spent the short night on that without a complaint. His little whimpers and snores could be heard from the other room. Billy was walking around, looking for stuff the girls did not know. He would stop and mumble and then continue on his search. The girls watched him with quiet curiosity.

"You have lots of trophies. You seem to be good at what you do." Twilight said as she inspected the numerous shelves of small gold and silver trophies.

"What?" Billy looked at her. "Oh yeah. I've made many winning cars, but none stayed that way. So I got these trophies now, but they're pretty useless. Past success is well, in the past. It won't help ya in the present. God knows I need help now."

"You've been in these situations before right?" Sunset asked.

"Yeah. This is my fourth time to be exact. It's rough being a mechanic. The racers' names are the ones that get famous and the mechanics go unknown. Since ya got no fame, ya got nothing to work with. It's hard to get going again."

"Talking about famous racers." Twilight began. "Is there anyway we could meet Rainbow Dash? She's our friend."

Billy blinked at them in confusion. "You? You a friend of Rainbow Dash? Bwahaha!" He started chuckling out of control. "Ya can't be serious. That girl will never be seen with the likes of you. No offense, but did really ya think I'll fall for that?"

"Why can't we be her friends?" Twilight persisted.

"You from some other dimension? Of course ya cant' be her friends. She's a Wonderbolt, a top racer. Only top racers can hang out with her. You being her friends wouldn't be right. Ya can't jump the social ladder, as they say. To be her friend, ya gotta earn it."

"Let me guess, to earn her respect, we gotta get money and trophies." Sunset sighed.

"Yup. If you wanna be RD's friend, or even speak to her, ya gotta win and win big. There ain't no other way. Unless ya wanna gamble and gamble until you're a millionaire or be a business owner. Otherwise, ya stuck in the Dirt League like me."

"There's no way for you to get her attention?" Twilight questioned while rubbing her chin.

"Not without a racer. I got no car and no driver. Racing is a team sport. Ya can't win while being undermanned."

The three fell silent. Twilight was thinking of ways to bypass the social system while Sunset was thinking of what they must do. There had been nothing in the world except racing. The likelihood for them to find a way out of racing was next to zero with their knowledge of the place. And we don't even know about the other four, she thought.

"Where will you find a car?" Sunset asked after the short silence.

"The junkyard. I was gonna bring my semi over there in a little bit and hunt for a car. Worst thing is that I only find parts. It's what I always do. When I leave, ya two can head out the back. It..."

"We'll go with you." Sunset interrupted him.

he hesitated. "Alright. I could use some more eyes I guess. Wait, you two are young, don't ya have a home of your own?"

"Not really." Twilight said. "No home for us."

"Hmph." Billy grunted. "That better be true. I don't need some chumps staying with me and taki....Never mind. If you stay, ya gotta help got it?"

The girls nodded. He then walked away and began putting some tools into his backpack. Spike came yawning out of the back room. Billy passed him without a word and through the backdoor. He then lazily walked over to the girls.

"So, what's the plan?" He asked.

"We're going to go with Billy to the junkyard. And you're coming with." Twilight told him.

"Why? Sounds boring."

"I'm not going to leave you here. The guy may be friendly, but that doesn't mean his neighbors are. We should just keep close alright?"

He sighed. "Fine."

Billy walked back inside. His backpack was gone. He placed his thick hands on his hips and faced the girls, giving them a long somber look. He then shrugged and gestured for them to follow.

"Come on gals. Let's go find ourselves a racer."

---

It took them about 30 minutes to reach the junkyard. Billy's massive semi truck moaned as they went along. Billy had taken them through parts of the massive city. It was much different in the day time. The neon signs were all off and the TV's advertisements were less intense and wild. The only one that was similar to the night was a commercial with Iron Will yelling an advertisement of boom boxes for ones car. The people seemed more laid back as well. Though plenty were snoozing on the sidewalks, they mostly seemed a quiet and tame crowd, hustling and bustling from one destination to another. Billy took no notice of the people as he drove out of the city and to the country.

The junkyard was on a hill that overlooked the city. It was a drastic and sudden change from skyscrapers to grass. Even looking back at the city was strange. The buildings simply ended with no indication. Like an invisible wall prevented the grand city from advancing anymore.

"We're here." Billy grumbled.

The junkyard was just as impressive as the city. Heaps of metal stretching hundreds of feet in the air gave the place its own skyline. Cranes loomed over the yard, carrying, pulling, withdrawing, and ordering the piles of junk. Billy drove by some workers with a wave which they happily returned. Some even called out his name when he passed. He eventually stopped his truck in a back area and exited without a word.

The girls and Spike followed him out. The place where he stopped had several cars jumbled about in disarray. Some were on on top of others and others were in such disrepair that their original color could not be told. Billy rubbed his hands and gestured at the poor vehicles.

"This is the Graveyard. These cars have raced and either been crashed or just plain forgotten. This ain't just shopping though. Since this place is open to the public, anyone can just take anything. Most of these cars don't even got an engine under their hoods. I need a car that is functional now. I got parts to improve, but not to fix or replace. But, anything here is treasure. Don't worry about picking up nothing. A good mechanic knows how to use things. Find anything interestin' just holler."

With that, he walked away with a whistle. Twilight ans Sunset looked at each other before deciding which way to go first. Spike barked and went off on his own to explore the seemingly endless place of junk and metal. The girls walked over to a rusty car in mild disappointment.

"You know what to look for?" Twilight asked the other hopefully.

"Pfft. Not really. I mean, I know some things about cars, but not a lot." She paused. "You know we're gonna have to race to get RD's attention right?"

"No we don't. There has to be some other way than getting involved in..." Twilight tapped the rusty car's hood. "In this."

"Until you find it, it's the only way. With RD being a racer, the others gotta be too. Or something with racing. Spike was right. Rarity's going to be some great racer that drives a Bugatti or something along those lines. Racing here is like magic back in Equestria. Everyone wants to be in it. Heck, it even took you the "magic of friendship" to find your friends there. It's gonna be the same here."

"I see your point. I guess I'll become a racer." She concluded reluctantly.

"You?" Sunset glared at Twilight incredulously. "You don't even know how to drive. If anyone is the racer, it'll be me. I know how to drive and be a jerk. Jerks get attention. Especially famous ones. I can get RD's attention. I made a high school make me their prom queen every year. I know how to get what I want. It's a trait you don't have." She grinned mischievously. "You nerd."

"Hey! Don't get personal. Fine, you can be a racer. So I guess we'll look for a car like yours back at CHS?"

"No. My car wasn't the best. I mean, it was nice, but it won't compete with those cars you saw last night. We need something smaller, faster, and stronger."

"You mean like human Pinkie's car?"

"NO! She has a minivan! Unless you find one of those with rockets on the back, I wouldn't even touch it. Ugh. Just go find something shiny."

"I'm trying, Sunset. Give me a break."

Sunset calmed down. "I know, I know. Sorry. We really need to find a computer for you and do some research." She paused. "You can follow me. I'm going to search over here."

The two started to look about the place randomly. Billy was still gone and so they were left to their own judgement on what was valuable and what wasn't. Twilight sorted through pipes and small tankards. If only I knew what a car is comprised of, she thought. I could reverse engineer it. Making something be able to move can't be that hard.

Sunset threw off a sheet of metal from a large pile. To her surprise, there was something bright red underneath it. It was not shiny in the slightest, but she could tell it was a part of something much larger. She grabbed another scrap of metal and yanked it off forcibly. More of the red metal was revealed.

"There's a car under this." She thought aloud.

A strong hope gripped her instantly. This could be what they were looking for. A car hidden so well that it still contained its vitals. She called Twilight over. Together they tore the rusty and sharp parts off the car, revealing more and more of its dirty frame. It was a small and stubby car as far as they could tell. It had been repainted several times as scratches in the red paint showed different colors below it. Blue, green, silver, and white could be seen.

They heaved on a large pile of junk wrapped in a tarp off from the top of the car. The pile smashed into the ground with a violent crack and a dust cloud emitted from the landing. The girls gagged from the thick dust and waited for it to settle before inspecting what they had uncovered. The car was two-passenger, long in the front and short in the back. It used to have a spoil, but it was long gone. The windows and windshield were severely cracked or broken. The side mirrors had fallen off and the tires were slashed. The rims were missing on each wheel. A large dent was in the center of its hood, seemingly put there by a hammer and not a wreck.

"Does it work?" Twilight asked.

"Probably not. Check the inside. I'll check the front."

Twilight did as Sunset said. She looked through the broken window on the driver's side. The steering wheel was there in one piece. The passenger seat had been removed and replaced by what looked like a makeshift roll-cage. Steel bars looped around the inside and around the driver's seat. The gear lever possessed a grinning skull on its head. Twilight was uncomfortable with its unpolished deathly smile. She took her head out of the car and looked over at Sunset, who was crouched in front of the car.

"It's a Mazda." Sunset stated.

"It's a what?"

"That's the company who made it. How does it look in there?" She nodded her head at the windshield.

"Good, I guess? It's got everything that I saw in Pinkie's car. Except a passenger seat and it has a skull..."

Sunset pumped a fist. "Yes! That means this had to be a racer. Nobody would just remove a chair for no reason. A skull? I like this guy's style."

"Should we tell Billy?"

"Yeah. You go on. I'll check what's under the hood."

Twilight gave a short salute and ran off. Sunset placed her hands on the edge of the hood and tried to lift it up. The hood would not budge an inch for her. She tried again with similar results. It has a button, duh. She walked over to the side and leaned in over the driver's seat. She inspected each button on the car door before finding the right one. She then clicked it and heard nothing in response. My car makes a click noise when I do it. Is it broke? She pressed the button again and returned to the front of the car. The hood had not popped up at all. She ran her fingers along it but found no place to grip. In her building frustration, she took a metal pole that was on the ground and began to pry the hood open with it. However, the pole was no crowbar and only made dents in the dark red metal.

"Woah! What are ya doin' Sunny?" She heard Billy call out to her.

"Trying to get this open." She answered and jabbed the pole into the hood again.

"That's only gonna make it worse. If it's stuck, we'll need something more powerful."

Sunset paused. "What ya got in mind?"

Billy smiled. "Heh, a truck."

---

"Isn't this a little much?" Twilight asked as she watched Billy.

"Nope. I've done things like this with cranes. That was fun." He laughed.

Billy hammered a thick hook into the hood. A chain connected the hook to his semi, which was facing the opposite way as the small Mazda. He placed another hook a foot away from the other. Satisfied with his work, Billy dusted his hands off with a confident smirk. He then gave a thumbs up in the general direction of the semi.

"Remember to take it easy Sunny. Don't wanna damage what's inside."

The semi began to crawl slowly away from the car. The chains rattled as they became taunt. Spike and Twilight watched with anxious anticipation. The semi did not stop once the chains were taunt. The hooks dug into the hood and it began to slowly peel back. Billy signaled for Sunset to stop and he then walked over to the car.

"Woah Nelly." He exclaimed.

"The hood looks ruined, Billy. I think you..."

"I can replace the hood, Twi. You can find those anywhere here. What I can't replace is this." He pointed at the engine.

Twilight looked over his shoulder at the engine. She blinked in confusion. Was it different? Was it powerful? She had never seen a car engine before. However, the grin on Billy's face told her that he was loving what he was seeing.

"This is a gold find. That there is a pretty nice and strong engine. Solid amount of horsepower ya know? It makes it a good contender, I'll say. But pretty fast and a hard car to be your first car. Hmph, I'll make it work though."

"Horsepower? I'll have to ask Sunset about that..." Twilight made a mental note.

"Does it run? We haven't tried it." Twilight said.

"I'm sure she does. Probably sound like a grandma after sleeping so long. I'll test her right now."

Billy opened the door and bent down. Twilight peeked over the side to see what he was doing. she knew cars were started by keys, but she did not remember seeing one in there. She could only hear Billy hitting something and then whistling.

"There we go." He mumbled. "One...Two...Three!"

The engine roared into action with black smoke coming from seemingly everywhere. It stuttered a couple of times before steadying itself. Twilight jumped back as all the parts under the hood started to move about. Billy stood up and lifted his pants.

"We're gonna have to clean her up. Inside and out. She's a keeper though. No doubt about that."

"It needs a paint job, that's for sure." Twilight said.

"Yup. You girls can do that. Women always have the better art side anyway."

"Now all you need is a driver right?" Sunset asked as she walked to them from the truck.

"Heck yeah. That'll take a while though. Hardest part in my eyes."

"Well..." Sunset began,not making eye contact. "I could be a driver..."

Billy paused. "You? Have you even raced before?"

"No..."

He crossed his arms. "Have ya gone over 80?"

"No....I do have three speeding tickets though." Sunset said proudly. Which I still need to pay...

"Yeah no. I'm tired of losing. You can help, but you ain't driving. Not everyone can just get behind a wheel and be successful."

"Come on! I mean...I'm a young gun, right? Racers gotta start somewhere. I could be a champ and not even realize it."

"This is because of RD isn't it?" Billy muttered.

"Well...Yes." Twilight and Sunset said in unison.

"I...Let's just wait. If no racers turn up, I'll train ya. But only then. C'mon, let's get this baby to my garage."

Billy walked over to the Mazda and began to push it to the semi's trailer. The girls joined him and they all pushed the car. It was not easy as the tires were out. Once they brought it in motion, they made it eventually. Billy closed the trailer's door and silently went over to the semi. Sunset and Twilight panted as they recovered from the exhausting chore.

"Do you think we can convince him?" Twilight asked.

Sunsets shrugged. "Sure. There was a movie like this that I watched. The mentor came around and taught the student. But only after being harassed through the first quarter. Billy will see that we can win."

"And if we lose?"

"That's what I'm counting on you to do Twi. You know how to get out of tight situations. You took on Tirek remember? This is cake compared to him."

Sunset patted Twilight on the shoulder before following the mechanic. The princess watched her go before sighing.

"But I had magic then. Oh I feel so useless right now." She muttered sadly before following her friend.

(~~~*~~~)

Author's Note:

-Cheers for That!

Comments

[MrDenim]

Would it be alright with you if I recreated the cars I picked? I could easily do it cause I have Need for Speed Carbon on my comp.

[Gapeagle]

5733947 Until the cars are mentioned specifically, they are not set in stone. The cars in which they drive is not THAT important in the story (save for some...). So the choices you have listed are not in yet, save for the Mazda RX-7 (which is the car they found). So you can mess with your other choices all you like.

[Ms QIB]

and the mechanics go unknown.

pbs.twimg.com/media/CtIL80oUsAE7i8k.jpg

Literally every conversation I have ends with '' Deb You NEED to check out (MECHANIC NAME), he/she will fix your Foxbody right up''

pretty nice and strong engine. Solid amount of horsepower ya know? It makes it a good contender, I'll say. But pretty fast and a hard car to be your first car.

pretty nice and strong engine.

Rotary wankels are know for being sketchy and unreliable and only have 276 BHP (implying its a FD), and the GT86 has 200 HP and the GT86 is known for being slow. The RX7 has 76 more horse power than a car known for being slow and the RX7 weights more than a Toyota Corolla e160. I wouldn't say the RX7 is a good contender for being the best race car out there.

(this is coming from a girl who loves the RX7 FD and has had a friend who owned a first generation RX7 (SA22C/FB))