As Equestria awoke to a new day with Celestia rising the sun and Luna lowering the moon giving the needed light for the EPR staff who started to organise themselves for the day ahead. “Grey, I could use the help yes, but you staring up will not be any help at all, I'll manage” Hex argued at Grey, causing the entire coach to be woken up by his raising voice. “What in the hay is going on out here?” Applejack asked from the bunk with Rainbow Dash “Huh, what? its morning?” Rainbow Dash just rolled over again “Hex can’t pull the coach on his own and me, Vinyl and Oats need our rest” Grey replied from outside the coach “Say, girls are you up to the challenge? Just to help us out to get you girls home” “Sure Grey, you’re helping us out, we’re return the favour” Apple Jack thumps Rainbow Dash “Won’t we Rainbow Dash, unless you accept I’m the better pony” with this Apple Jack giggles causing the pale blue pegasus to push the orange pony out of the bunk and screamed. “YOU BET! LETS DO THIS!!” and shot out of the coach into Vinyl and Oatmeal as they made breakfast for everypony “Tad keen are we?” Oatmeal said as he saved the food for the group. It took EPR a good while before being able to set off again, by which time the day had hit full swing with Apple Jack leading Rainbow Dash and Hex taking most of the grunt and they seemed to be a having a good time about it. Back in the coach Vinyl and Oatmeal slept while Grey talked to the mares and baby dragon some more. “This coach is a funny old thing” Grey proudly told the group, ‘EPR’s own Hex, made it from an old train car, a few old pegasus carts, I'll say, about the only thing that Hex hasn’t changed is just the body, as he put our beds in here, again made from Cloudsdale Tree wood, similar to pegasus carts” “Cloudsdale trees!? I’m sorry, when we were there, there were no trees!” Rarity said in disbelieve. “Well, it is because, they are clouds, well.....Twilight?” Grey looked at the purple pony for help “They grow within clouds, Rarity and they share pegasus magic like being about to interact with clouds” Twilight help explained to the white unicorn “Yes, you see, if you get a Pegasus to pull a normal earth wood cart, when the pegasus takes off to fly, the cart hangs and causes problems, often dangerous problems as Hex can tell you” There was a snort from the front of the cart that Grey guessed was Hex “Its how he killed the last cart before building this one, as an airborne pegasus is a lot faster then an earth pony so Hex would fly pulling it, often with the front axle off the ground” Grey took a breather as he collected his words and thoughts “Where as a cart made from Cloudsdale wood will follow an airborne pegasus onto the MPR to--” “MPR!?” Pinkie Pie asked from the upper rear bunk with Fluttershy who answered the question put forth by the pink earth pony “Magic Pegasus Road” Her soft voice replied “Thank you Fluttershy. Yes Pinkie, the MPR is just a road that a pegasus runs on and the cart picks up, but only Cloudsdale carts do it not earth ones” “So......why has Hex used Cloudsdale wood if this cart won’t fly?” Twilight randomly threw into the conversation. “BECAUSE! THE EARTH WOOD IS LESS THEN THE CLOUDSDALE WOOD SO...GAH” The coach jolted as Hex pulled at it “MOVE IT, YOU TWO! SO IN THEORY, IT SHOULD FLY AS THE MAGIC SHOULD LEAK INTO THE EARTH WOOD!” They could just hear him from the inside of the cart as he yelled at them “That true?” Twilight questioned Grey “Theory yes, in truth no, the magic hasn’t come out and nor did Hex work with the earth wood in the cart itself, he just added to it, if he had worked the earth wood, often enough pegasus magic will transfer to earth wood” Grey looked back to the off white pegasus who was forever in last place against the small blue pegasus and orange earth pony “Or a massive jolt of power to drive the magic into the wood” “Like making the cart go at a higher speed then required for the MPR, so the pegasus magic is all fired up and leaks into the earth wood and can hold itself while it makes its MPR for the pulling pegasus’ and cart to ride along?” All reminded quiet, so quiet that Fluttershy’s words made their way to Hex and sunk deep into his mind and boiled away. “Maybe” Grey thought about this, hoping Hex hadn’t heard it “But enough of this, maybe a story to pass the time, about how we got the cart maybe?” The Cart become full of approvals of this idea allowing Grey to settle down in his own bunk after helping the others into the varied bunks and began to tell the story of EPR cart as Hex, Rainbow Dash and Apple Jack ran at a good speed to make a good time back to Ponyville. “It started just after we made it back to Ponyville after a long trip and met up with some friends and old DJ’s for EPR” Grey started. **** The old bar sat just of the main street, with standing the test of time as other buildings came and went, The Black Lighting Bar stood as an ironic building of where things never changed and the past could be looked on and the good times, the bad times and any times between could be remembered and to look to the future over any form of poison. The bar had long since shut and the locals that stay after the lock in had long gone home as the dirty white Pegasus rolled up outside pulling the large cart in its wake, the grey unicorn along side it who knocked at the door. "We're SHUT!" A few voices called from the other side "Go home" "Yea! Go-" A voice called up from above "Oh, Raindrop open the door and get the usual out on the bar" it said as it came closer "YOU WHAT!?" the door swung open to a White pegasus with disbelieve on its face "Hey Grey, what brings you back here?" another white pegasus that had flown above said "Flash, nice to see you, and Raindrop, fancy giving us a place to stay for the night "Always Grey, hey Hex" The dirty white pegasus made a noise back, a sort of hello as he kicked the cart to release himself from it, and tell the others to get out of the cart "Always the talker, hey Hex" said another pink pegasus as Grey followed Raindrop in to the bar "Where is Vinyl and Oatmeal? and that little Fill-" a sudden brown flash went past Raindrop and went to a table where it started to bounce "- Seralth?" "Get off there you silly thing!" Foxytail tried to cue the small pony off the table as Hex entered with Oatmeal and Vinyl behind. Hex just pushed Foxytail out the way as he grabbed Seralth by the tail and dragged him off to a corner bench "SLEEP" He ordered as the two stared into each others eyes, Seralth thought of pulling the normal routine till he saw the tiredness in Hex's eyes and settled down to sleep All the meeting the greeting carried on between bar staff and EPR's DJ as the great dirty white pegasus trotted out to the cart. *CREAK! BANG!* Hex followed the cart wheel back into the bar with a bag of stuff on his back. "Back axles gone again Grey" he said as he went to cover the sleeping foal with a blanket and then walked over to a spare table which he chucked the bag onto and started to route through it. Foxy flew over to close the door and to see what had happened outside and, true to Hex's words, the cart back end laid on the floor as its back axle gave out, the cart looked more more worn out then the bar did. "Grey" Foxy attracted his attention "You been pushing Hex too hard again?" she asked as she went to find Hex's most favorite drink from the bar "No" It was the brownish pony known as Oatmeal that replied to Foxy "He has been pushing himself again, gotta remember that hes out to prove something to his grandad since not getting in the guards" "And with Unicorn Parents and siblings as well" Add Vinyl "Guess your right" Foxy routed for Hex's drink, she thought she might as well get a whole case of it for him, he looked like he needed them "We try to tell him to take it easy, but with that axle going 3 times already, his pride has not improved at the least" Grey said, sticking the pint of ale to his lips. Foxy guessed he was right as she lifted off the ground with the case and flew over to Hex's table were he routed for a pencil as he had laid the paper flat and other bits of paper over the table. Hex was a strange one she agreed, it must be hard to grow up a Pegasus in a Unicorn Family, probably explains his drink taste. She carried the case of cider over to him, remembering he had been though all the ciders the bar had to offer, he rejected the popular ones, the rare favorite was his common, but on a bad day he loved a bottle of this stuff, from the local farm near the bar, it didn't sell that well unless Hex was near, mainly because he drank it like water when he was having bad days, which was often so she hoped they have plenty behind the bar. "Hey Dimond Sweetie" She called, just remembering to late "Grrr" He didn't make eye contact, just stared at the paper and the notes he had made at some point "Sorry Hex, got you a bottle of Ponyville's finest" Hex looked at the bottle like an old friend "Thanks" he muttered as he made eye contact with Foxy, and took the bottle, placing it on the floor, she placed the case near by them as well and sat quietly next to him as he muttered and draw out something, making notes and looking at the photos of a train cart and that of the Pegasus Guards Carts. She, herself was a writer, a creator who is able to pull nothing out of air, watched as Hex did the same but with drawing, well, rather designing, as Hex was no artist. "Come on, come over to the bar and let us all catch up, Hex" Foxy asked as he looked in his bag for other stuff, showing off a good amount of bits. "Later, I've got to get this out of my head and onto paper Foxy, thanks for the drinks" saying before he took another swig of the rare cider. The group burst into laughter, and as Foxy went to see what was so funny, Hex called out. "Where did the ‘Quote: Work, the cruse of the drinking class’ come from?" "Urm, tell you later?" she replied as a bigger laugh came from the bar "Ok, sure" She left the off white pegasus with his designs for a cart and slowly the ponies turned in for the night leaving the pegasus to work into the morning. Morning came and Raindrop opened up although his allowed opening times went for a few more hours but carried on with his normal checks to find the table Hex was sat at, empty apart from a letter. Dear Grey and Everypony Radio I have gone back to Canderlot to sort somethings out for Everypony Radio, meet me at me train station workshops when you get there in about 12 days time Bring the cart, I've fixed it, but take it easy. Hex Diamond Hoof In Cloudsdale Zephyr Wind was not having a good time, taking from his new home in Ponyville to watch his fathers shop while he recovered was not fun, least it ran itself. Orders would come in, go out and any problems his father’s aid Scared Love took care of it which was good and made things easy. ‘Wander if Scared Love wants to go out after work into the clubs of Cloudsdales?’ Zephyr thought as he made his way though another boring day ‘Man, its been a while since I’ve gone out with--’ “SCARED LOVE!? THAT YOU!?” a deep voice called out “GAH!” Zephyr heard Scared Love scream. Looking down to the part of the shop Scared was, Zephyr could see a larger stallion pegasus, off white in colour ‘hugging’ Scared, who didn’t look to happy about this happening to her. Zephyr looked at the stallion and saw its cutie mark, three claw marks showing a single gear and thought to himself ‘Nice knowing you Scared Love’ Before hiding below the counter to hear what the stallion and Scared had to talk about. “Nice to” Scared gasps for air “meet you again” more gasping “Hex” Zephyr’s mind became full of images of a little fillie pegasus with too a large wings for himself he used to know “Scared, how you been?” Hex asked “Still not left Cloudsdale I see” “Yea, do you know how much it costs to move to Fillydelphia? Alot! so still working, where you been anyhow? After the issue with the guards, I heard you disappeared” “Not disappeared, went on the road, and yes Fillydelphia is expensive” Zephyr shook as memories came to mind, of a dark shadow rising over him and it screaming ‘STALLION HUG’ then the pain from bones being crushed and large winds hiding any daylight and hopes for help from the torture “ZEPHYR!?” Zephyr was broken from his day-mare of the fillie he once knew known as Hex back to his fathers shop to hear Scared calling him “Eeep” he tucked himself deeper underneath the counter “There you are” Scared stared from over the counter into Zephyr’s eyes, smiling at him, making the world feel better “Wait, Zephyr Wind?” The world became a blur has the off white stallion flew over the counter and pulled out Zephyr “STALLION HUG!” “Gaps.....heeellllppp....mee....Scared!” Zephyr called out as the world turned black as Hex hugged him. “Zephyr, I knew your father owned this place, but I thought you left after that pink and yellow mare that you never could talk to” Hex let go of the blue pegasus and allowed him to catch his breath “Father is” deep breath “ill, he asked me” another deep breath “to look after the shop” “What pink and yellow mare Zephyr?” Scared asked “No idea what Hex is talking about Scared” Zephyr said after regaining his breath again Hex pulled a face to which Scared read as lier but felt she should change the subject “How do you know Zephyr Hex?” “Likewise with Scared” Zephyr asked as he found the floor again with all four of his legs “Well, while training to be a guard, I stayed in Cloudsdale near Scared, both went to the same places to ‘study’ didn’t we” Hex winks at Scared who pulled a face of ‘shut-up-before-I-hurt-you’ “Zephyr’s mother used to pick me up and take me school in Cloudsdale, as I lived on the ground with my unicorn family” “Yea, thank you mother” Zephyr rolled his green eyes “you were not fun to be at school with, you know that!?” he accused Hex of. “Wait, Hex, you’re from Unicorn family? Thought you came from Iron Hoofs family?” Scared asked after been shown a past to an ‘old’ friend she never knew “Yea, a unicorn branch of the family...” Hex went quiet for a while, lost in deep thought almost at the memory of his family “...somehow me and this large wing span appeared” “Sounds like you Hex, or ‘Unbreakable cruse’ should I say” Zephyr giggled to himself “What you say Zephyr?” Scared shot him a questioning look “Hex Diamond Scared” Hex pointed out “Can you order this stuff and get it to Canderlot station? in say the next few days?” handing Scared a list. “Sure Hex, we can have that done, payment when we deliver?” “Indeed, see you then, thanks for the help. Bye” Hex said his goodbyes carried his way on to Canterlot. “So ‘studied’ together did we?” Zephyr questioned Scared. “Oh please” Scared rolled her eyes “We would just play pranks, that all. Its a wonder how Hex got through Flight School. So who is this yellow mane and pink coat mare Hex mentioned?” Scared fluttered her eye lashes at Zephyr “Pink mane and yellow coat” Zephyr corrected to only realise and stare at Scared in horror “Oh...” Scared smiled sultry at Zephyr “Hheeerrr” almost purring as she smiled and taunted Zephyr Money Bags stared at the coach, once his pride of his fleet, now ruined due to some buffalo. He had hoped to sell it, but who to when you are the only rival to yourself? Some stallion pegasus had shown a lot of interest, but trotted away talking to himself about a week ago. “Looks like you are firewood my old girl” Money Bags patted the coach “You’ve done me well.” A voice from behind started talking. “Can it do me well instead of being firewood?” Looking behind him, money saw the same stallion pegasus he saw about a week ago, this time in a worn out leather jacket and with two saddle bags “As long as I can use one of your workshops for two weeks? I’ll pay rent” ‘Horse alive’ Money thought, as he rolled his cigar from one side of his mouth to the other ‘He’s come back and wants to save it’ “Okay kid” Money said, ignoring how the larger stallion towered over his own earth pony body “Tell you what, pay the asking price, you can have the workshop outside my office, no-one uses it. Mister?” Money offered his hoof. “Hoof” Hex shook Money’s hoof “Hex Diamond Hoof” “Cor’blimey, a Hoof, of the guards captain maybe? Defiantly with a body and wingspan like that” Money thought “nice to meet you Hex Diamond Hoof, I’m Money Bags” Money got some of his workforce to move the coach to the workshop while him and Hex sorted out the payment. Over the next week money got to see some sights from his office door just being out near the workshops. One day even, while walking along with his PA Colt reading over the orders and out goings, he stopped in shock causing Money to walk right into clip board she was holding for him, after little shock he saw why Colt had stopped, the wheels off the coach came rolling out of the workshop, further investigation lead them to the workshop door to see the coach up on blocks and two beefy pegasus cart axles being fitted into place at the rear and a more smaller one at the front. Few days later, two pegasus’ arrived from Cloudsdale with a cart full of Cloudsdale wood for Hex who he hugged and greeted then paid them for the wood, then set back to work on the coach. Money had also asked Hex to help out around the yard as well, which seemed to work for Money, things were repaired to a beyond new state and able to pull just as much as the strongest earth pony and then use his massive wings just to give that edge helped the station work more smoother then it had for ages, but any job offers were refused as Hex walked back to the workshop and carried on his work. About under 2 weeks of Hex’s arrival to the station, a batted old coach pulled near Money’s office with 2 unicorns, an earth pony who was pulling the coach and a filly asking for the location of a certain large off white large pegasus. One of the stations earth ponies pointed the coach of ponies to the workshop. When at the door, the grey unicorn used his power to open it to reveal a large coach sitting on golden pegasus wheels and axles, its body a fine red pinned striped with gold, and reading down the side ‘EVERYPONY RADIO’. The inside housed 5 beds, each detailed to who they homed and space for all the radio gear that, Hex wasn’t found far away sleeping under a bench with a kettle near by coming to the boil. After some explaining between the grey unicorn and the off white pegasus, the new coach was loaded with all the gear and a new jounry set for EPR “We thought you have left us this time Hex” Seralth said form Hex’s back “Na, I haven’t got anywhere else to go” **** “Seems EPR has itself some history Grey” Twilight said as it became clear the story had finished “Yea, never know whats going to happen and when it does, we always find the good in it” Grey looked at Seralth and reached out his hoof and touched the little fillie’s nose causing the little filly to go cross eyed “BOOP” Grey simply said “Yea, even getting Everypony Radio off the ground was bad enough, I when I had first left Celestia’s School for Talented Unicorns” Grey carried on, now in the story mode “Fresh for the new world that waited me!” *BANG! GRANCE!* *BROF! BROF! BROF! BROF! BROF!* Grey stopped telling the story as a strange noise got louder in the cart. End of Chapter 2 The Past Stories of a Coach
