Earlier that morning, 9:09 AM. Canterlot.
Takumi was hung over the steering wheel of his 86, thinking about what he was supposed to do. Truth be told, he had only done one more downhill run before clocking out for the night and parking in Canterlot. He had parked in a small parking lot of a restaurant that was no more than half a mile from Canterlot's Castle.
"I could probably just... I don't know... get some gas and head back to Twilight's Castle." Takumi thought out loud, remembering how low the fuel gauge had been when he parked last night.
Suddenly, his stomach rumbled, causing him to groan. He around the parking lot. Though it had been empty before, there were now a few cars in it. Most of the models he barely recognized. One was a model from the states, a 1950s Cadillac maybe. The only other one he could fully recognize was a silver Mercedes Benz... E-Class W210... with circular headlights......
He scowled as a flashback streaked through his mind. He was still in his 86, and he watched in a smaller parking lot as a high school girl and an older man got in the Benz and drove off.
Shaking the thought out of his head, Takumi sighed and started the engine. The 4A-GE purred to life, climbing in revs before slowly dropping down to idle. It was a sound he had heard hundreds, if not thousands of times before. He glanced over at the Mercedes again and had a thought.
Even if It's not the same car, I might as well do it. He thought as he got out.
Not many people were around as he slowly walked over to the Benz. Soon enough, he was right next to it on the driver's side. He studied the interior. It's exactly what you'd expect out of a 90s luxury car. Silver leather seats, ease of access to basically everything, the automatic shifter sat in the middle of the driver and passenger seats. What through Takumi for a loop was that the car was left-hand drive, something he was not used to.
Glancing around one more time to make sure nobody was watching, Takumi put his front two hooves on the front left fender, raised his left hoof, and swung.
CRACK!
The windshield cracked heavily with a gaping hole on one side appearing beneath his hoof.
He dropped off the fender, backing up and smiling at the car. Again, it wasn't the same car that had caused him to blow his engine out of anger judging by the license plate, but It still gave him a calming sense of revenge. And no, that wasn't a phrase. He literally blew his 86's engine several months back in a race. A race against a black Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III.
"What the heck are you doing?" a male voice suddenly asked from a few feet away, causing Takumi to look over in a panic.
A yellow stallion with orange hair stood a few feet away, staring at him. A picture of a traffic cone was on his flank, and he was a Pegasus. He even had orange eyes.
"Uh..." Takumi didn't know what to say.
"Why are you in that form?" the stallion asked, confusing Takumi.
"Huh?"
The stallion groaned. "Follow me," he said, walking away. Takumi sighed as he started following.
They walked across the parking lot and into a small dead-end alley. Takumi tensed. He had seen enough movies to know where this was going. Suddenly, the pony stopped and turned to face him.
"What the heck are you doing in that form?" he asked in a rather military-like tone.
"Uh... what form?" Takumi asked.
"AND YOU'RE A STALLI-" The pony groaned. "Listen, I appreciate the creativity, but you do realize that there aren't any MALE Alicorns, right? There aren't any Alicorns that are your size except for Princess Twilight. In fact, the only WHITE Alicorn is Celestia. So what the hell are you doing in that form?" The pony's voice was very demanding, and he struggled to keep it down.
Takumi was beyond confused. What did this pony mean by form? Was this a human he was seeing as a pony?
"Hello? Care to answer me?" the pony asked.
"I-I-... Uh..." Takumi couldn't find the words.
The pony seemed to grow increasingly mad. "MAYBE I didn't make myself clear enough," he said, taking a step towards Takumi, which caused the young Alicorn to back up. "There are NO. MALE. ALICORNS. What is your name drone?!"
Takumi was beginning to hate this idiot. "Takumi!" he quickly said. What the hell does he mean by drone? he wondered.
"Takumi? Never heard of anyling called Takumi. Anyways 'Takumi', the next time I see you, you'd better be a normal pony. Lose the horn at least." The pony walked past him and stopped just outside the alley. He looked back at him. "The queen will be sure to hear of your idiotic shenanigans." He said with a sickening tone. The pony stretched out Its wings, and with a quick flap downwards, the Pegasus took to the skies.
Takumi just stood there. The anger was still present, but now he was more confused than anything. He looked down at the ground.
"What the heck just happened..." He asked nobody in particular. He looked back up and began walking back towards his 86. It had been a few minutes, so it was probably warmed up by now. It felt like it was maybe seventy to eighty degrees. Which was rather impressive considering how close the sun seemed to this planet.
"Any-ling?" Takumi asked. "I can understand 'anypony' since that refers to ponies, but any-'ling'? What creature does that stand for? Agh, I'll need to ask Luna or something. Also, what was he even talking about with there being no Male Alicorns? I guess nobody knows about me or Itsuki but did he have to be so mad about it? He sounded like he wanted me to change my form. Is that something I can do?"
He got in the 86, shutting the door and using his magic to pull the harness around him and buckle himself in. The process was much easier than doing it manually with two arms and hands, that was for sure. He put the clutch in and shifted into reverse, backing up out of the space before smoothly stopping and shifting to first gear.
As he pulled out onto a divided 4 lane Avenue, Takumi could tell how out of place he seemed. Almost every other car was very fancy and luxurious which blended well with the fancy and luxurious buildings that Canterlot had. He recognized some 80s and 90s sedans, along with some 1950s American cars, but some he simply couldn't pin down.
He could see some ponies on the sidewalks with very fancy and overdone outfits staring at his car. Some didn't give any expression as they talked to whoever they were talking two, while others almost looked disgusted.
Takumi pressed the throttle, accelerating a little. The massive castle of Canterlot lay just ahead of him. Car's ceased to be anything but luxurious, which further made his car more of an eyesore to any high and mighty aristocrats that probably lived around here.
The castle was absolutely massive. It looked twice as tall as a Yamato-Class Battleship was long, and several spires were drawn together by beautifully constructed bridges. He began feeling sorry for any staff members that wasn't a winged creature. Traversing the place must take hours.
Canterlot was stupid big for being on a mountain. Almost the sheer side of the mountain. And most of it seemed to be overhanging the edge. How this place got built in the first place he wasn't sure he'd like to know.
Most of the city was perched upon a large sphere of brick. It was interesting to wonder if the sphere had just sewers or perhaps miles upon miles of halls and rooms and bunkers. Perhaps some ponies worked below as slaves, working generators and-...
"Where did that thought come from?" Takumi asked himself as he pressed lightly on the brake, slowing to a stop in front of a chain-link fence gate surrounded by an arch. Beyond the gate was a small parking lot surrounded by concrete brick walls. Said parking lot had just a few cars in it. A dark blue Nissan Skyline R33 on the opposite side next to a wall, a yellow DeLorean close by on the left, and next to the Skyline was a purple sports car.
Tap Tap Tap
Something tapped on the window which caused him to look left. He yelped in surprise as a white stallion with bright yellow armor stood next to his car, staring at him with a rather flat look. The stallion chuckled a bit before lifting his front left hoof and shaking it up and down. Takumi was a little confused.
"Window," the stallion said, his voice muffled.
"Oh." Takumi let out as he pushed his hoof into the switch that controlled his window, rolling the window down. "Sorry." He apologized.
"It's alright," the stallion replied. "Are you Takumi?"
Takumi was a little surprised. How did this pony know his name? He noticed that the stallion had blue hair protruding from the armor, and he had wings.
"Ahem."
"Oh. Sorry. Yeah. I'm Takumi. How did you know?" For a second, Takumi thought this pony understood the writing on his car. Wait no, that didn't make sense. It only contained his last name, not his first name.
"Princess Luna told me to keep an eye out for a black and white Corolla with retractable headlights being driven by a white pony named Takumi," the pony explained. "I thought she was having me on since I've never even heard of the word Takumi, but here we are. Anyways, you can head in. Luna is expecting you."
The guard flew upwards and a second later was on the other side of the gate. He pulled down on what Takumi could only assume was a switch, and the single gate opened inwards towards the right. The pony motioned for him to pull in.
I didn't even mean to end up here. I just wanted to get some gas, Takumi thought. The pony began to look confused when he saw that Takumi wasn't pulling in, which made him sigh. Whatever. He thought as he put the 86 into first gear and pulled through. The pony put his front left arm up to his forehead which made it look like he was... saluting Takumi?
"Either that's something he just does, or Luna has already told ponies to respect me like royalty," Takumi mumbled to himself.
The gate closed behind him once he was through, and he decided to play it safe and pull left into a parking spot in the middle of the lot. It was next to the wall still, and he was away from other cars. Even the DeLorean was four spaces away. Sighing again, he killed the ignition and got out, shutting the door and looking around.
He could see some other ponies that were very similar to the Pegasus that had just let him in. In terms of the armor at least, as it was all yellow. It then clicked in his head that these were guards. Of course they were. This was a castle after all. Their coats were somewhat similar. Some were white, some were grey, a few were light yellow or blue, and they all varied from what kind of pony they were. Some were normal ponies, some were Pegasi, and some were Unicorns.
Takumi began feeling intimidated when he noticed some staring at him. Some were talking to others and would turn away when looked at, while others flat out continued to stare. Granted, they were guards, and it was probably rather strange that somebody with a car like his casually pulled in and parked in what seemed like a parking lot meant for royals, but still.
Is this how intimidating Project D is when we pull up to a battle? Takumi wondered as he looked at a pair of fancy double doors that were just past some steps. He hurriedly trotted over and up the steps and pushed through the doors, shutting them behind. He exhaled. He hated being intimidated like that.
He looked down the hall he was now in. It had a three-way section up ahead that he began walking towards, noting two guards next to the section that were simply talking to each other. The halls were pretty much like what he'd seen in pictures. Red stained carpet down the middle with shiny white walls, accented by golden paint. Takumi assumed it was painted gold because there was no way in hell that someone could accent an entire castle with real gold.
Looking to either side, the halls curved so that he couldn't see around him. And both looked generally the same. Takumi groaned. He knew that Luna apparently wanted to see him, but how the heck was he supposed to find her in a castle this big? The only thing going for him was that Luna seemed pretty unique. Her dark blue coat, mist-like hair, and her size were good indicators. But still.
"This is gonna be fun."
45 Minutes later.
Takumi silently walked through the halls. He still hadn't found Luna, at all, and he was only getting higher in the castle. Admittedly, the views he could see outside were phenomenal. It was the stuff of fantasy. And sometimes he'd end up on the opposite side and see the city of Canterlot. Its general layout was very circular, which was a given considering what it was perched on, and it gave off a very 'City of Tomorrow' feel.
Finally, Takumi stopped and groaned. "This is stupid. At this point, I might as well find a balcony and fly back down to my car. I never wanted to come here in the first place. I was getting gas!"
He looked at the door next to him. His eyes focused on a symbol that had been painted on. It was a pink six-point star surrounded by smaller white six-point stars. It was rather simple. He sighed and raised his hoof to the door.
Knock knock knock
I might as well ask SOMEONE where I can find Luna, Takumi thought.
Suddenly, he heard a very annoyed sounding groan come from inside, along with some rather heavy footsteps. He wondered if he had just woken someone up on accident-
"I SWEAR TO CELESTIA!" a female voice suddenly yelled as the door was slammed open, revealing a purple unicorn mare with dark purple hair, pretty much his size. The pony stared at him, clearly angry. "I have been BURIED under work these past few days, I don't need you coming up here and getting me early in the morning!" the mare angrily said. She began pacing back and forth.
"I already have to deal with enough trying to keep these requests and orders in check. I'm not Celestia!" she snapped, glancing at Takumi. "I'm not used to this amount of work like she is! It doesn't come up often! You think I can just perform one spell and poof! Everything is fixed and ready? NO! LET ME DO CRAP ON MY OWN TIME!"
Takumi didn't know what to think. While the mare had paced, he noticed that she also had wings. So she was an Alicorn. How interesting.
"I... didn't even say anything," Takumi slowly said.
The Alicorn stared at him, confused, but gasped. "Oh! Oh..." Her face reddened as she realized her mistake. "Uh... sorry about that! I thought you were somepony else."
"Seemed so," Takumi replied. "Sorry for waking you up."
"You didn't. I just got finished fixing up my hair when you knocked. I'm just in a bitter mood. Now uh, why did you want me?" She asked, looking at Takumi.
"I was wondering if you could tell me where Luna is. Princess Luna."
The pony seemed confused. "Why?"
"Because I've been walking around this place for like 40 minutes now and I haven't seen any sign of her. She wants to see me." He explained, stretching out his wings a little before putting them back to his sides. It felt nice.
"Oh. Well, I could give you a map-" The pony's eyes widened suddenly, and she stood with her jaw open, looking back and forth between his forehead and his back. Takumi grew confused.
"What?"
The pony lifted her front left hoof and seemed to point at his back. "Wings."
Takumi glanced back at his wings, slightly moving them. "Yes," he replied, looking back.
She pointed at his forehead. "Horn."
"Yes," Takumi replied.
"Wings..." she said, pointing back at his wings.
"Yes."
"Horn..." She pointed back at his horn.
"Yes?" What is this girl getting at? he wondered.
She stopped pointing but kept her hoof off the ground. "Alicorn."
"Apparently."
"You're an Alicorn."
"Apparently. Let me guess, Twilight Sparkle?"
"Yes. A-And you?" Twilight asked.
"Fujiwara Ta- wait, no. Takumi Fujiwara."
Twilight put her hoof back on the ground. She looked like she was barely able to formulate words. "You're a male Alicorn."
"Yes. I'm an Alicorn. Me and Itsuki are male Alicorn's. I don't know what you want me to say."
She just stared as her horn lit up in a pretty magenta color. Soon, a paper and quill came out of her room and were hovering next to each other.
"What's that for?" Takumi asked.
"I'm... writing a message," Twilight tittered. "You wouldn't happen to know where Itsuki is, would you?"
Probably still at your castle with Starlight and Spike."
"Perfect. One moment please." Twilight's excitement seemed to be growing at an extremely alarming rate as she looked at the paper and began writing on it.
One minute later, Twilight's castle.
Starlight sat back down at the table, holding the message out in front of her. She breathed in and began reading aloud.
Dear Spike and Starlight,
Get the girls, get Itsuki, and get your rumps up here. I'm so sorry for not believing you before, but I've just met Takumi and we're on our way to see Luna and Celestia. I don't care how you get up here, be it by train, car, or just flying, but just get up here as quick as you can. I can't wait to see you all here, especially Itsuki.
- Twilight
"Well, that was quick and concise," Starlight remarked as she looked up at Itsuki, who was slightly blushing.
"Why does she especially want to see me?" Itsuki asked, still blushing. Starlight couldn't help but giggle.
"Itsuki, I doubt she wants to see you for whatever you're thinking about. She wants to see you because you're an Alicorn, and she wants to do some research. She LOVES to research."
"She does?"
"Dude, you would not believe how much she reads," Spike intervened. "I remember seeing her reading the day after I was born!"
Itsuki was rather surprised. "Wait, seriously? Dang. What an Egghead."
Starlight burst out laughing. "I-... I-... hoo. You and-" She glanced at Spike, remembering that he wasn't supposed to hear. "You and you-know-who are gonna go perfectly together. You both even share the same definitions for Twilight."
"Who shares the same definitions as Twilight? You mean Rainbow Dash?" Spike asked. Starlight instantly remembered that Spike had at least a two-year head start on knowledge of the Element Bearers. Of course he'd know how Dash defines Twilight.
"How did you know?!" Itsuki blurted.
"I've known them for three years. What did you expect?" Spike turned around and began walking out, feeling smug. "We should probably get going."
Itsuki groaned as he and Starlight began following, Starlight levitating whatever trash was left into a nearby garbage can and putting what wasn't garbage on a different table.
"Of course you'd know then," Itsuki said, annoyed. "Let me guess. You have a crush on Rarity or something?"
Spike stopped dead in his tracks and slowly turned around, staring with his jaw open. Itsuki was a little confused before smiling in realization.
"No way... Did-, Did I actually guess it right?" he asked, a goofy smile appearing on his face.
"How did you know?!" Spike yelled, causing Starlight to laugh. Itsuki walked past Spike.
"I mean hey if you don't tell I don't tell," Itsuki said, still grinning like an idiot. "Now let's go get the others. I-... heh, I assume when she said 'girls' she means the girls at the tables last night?"
"Yep. Pinkie Pie, Apple Jack and Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Rarity."
"Huh. That rhymed." Itsuki remarked as the trio made their way towards the front doors.
"Yeah. I guess we'll just take the train and-" Starlight was cut off as Itsuki opened the right door to find Trixie there.
"Oh! Hello Trixie!" Itsuki greeted.
"Oh hey! Ha! Some timing." Trixie greeted back. "I was coming over to see if you guys were gonna do anything."
"We're going to Canterlot!" Starlight cheerfully explained, stopping next to Itsuki. "Guess who FINALLY realized that we weren't lying?!"
Trixie laughed. "Great. For a mare who has a panic attack whenever she's late for anything, she sure took her sweet time realizing the most insane discovery Equestria's ever had."
"Pffft. Yeah. Anyways, we're gonna go get her other friends. Wanna come?"
Trixie's face lit up. "Yes please!"
"Yay! We're gonna go find the others, then we'll hop on the train."
"Can't I just give you a lift up there?" Trixie asked, confusing Starlight.
"You... have a car?" Starlight asked.
"Yeah. I've had one for over a year now."
"You never told me!"
Itsuki tilted his head. "Wait... how?"
"I thought I did!" Trixie defended.
"No, you didn't!" Starlight replied.
"Waitwaitwaitwaitwait hold on..." Itsuki interrupted. "Not ONCE did you ever ask Trixie if she could give you a ride somewhere? Or she never showed up with the dang thing?"
"No. Not really," Starlight replied. "I always asked Twilight for a lift. But why did you get a car?"
"Starlight, you really think I'd be able to travel Equestria by pulling my wagon myself? Fat chance. Which is why I saved up for a car. It's a bit old, but It's still perfect for anything that isn't a muddy road."
"Huh. What is it?"
Trixie backed out of the way and pointed to a car parked next to Itsuki's Levin. A small-ish Burnt Yellow Station Wagon.
"Oh. Nice. I like it." Starlight smiled.
"What is it? Looks Japanese," Itsuki remarked.
"Japanese?" Trixie looked at Itsuki, confused.
"Japanese? As in Japan? Wait, oh. Right. This world doesn't HAVE a place called Japan..."
"So It's a 'your world' thing. Huh. Well, It's a Pessima."
Now Itsuki was confused. "Pessima?" He asked as the three ponies plus dragon walked down the steps towards the cars.
"Yes? Ibishu Pessima LX. Have you never heard of it?"
Itsuki inhaled. "Welllll looks like our worlds don't have all the same cars and companies. I've never heard of the company called Ibishu, nor a car called Pessima. Which..." Itsuki's face suddenly lit up. "Means that I get to see cars I've never seen before!"
Starlight just rolled her eyes and smirked at Itsuki's cheerfulness.
"So are we gonna get everyone and then head to the station?" Spike asked as they all stopped in front of Itsuki's Levin and Starlight's Pessima.
"Well, maybe. Trixie, did you say you could take us?" Starlight asked, looking at Trixie.
"Of course. I can take seven. Spike can ride way in the back," Trixie replied.
"You can take... seven?" Itsuki was confused. He stared at the Pessima's black late-80s looking interior and only saw two front seats and a rear passenger bench seat.
"There's a seat in the rear that can come up," Trixie clarified.
"Oh! That's what happens."
"Mhm. Now let's go get the others," Trixie began walking towards Ponyville. Starlight and Spike followed.
"Want me to go get Fluttershy and Apple Jack?" Starlight asked.
"Sure. I'll get Rarity." Trixie replied.
Spike's eyes widened. "Uh- hey, how about I go get Rarity, and you can get Rainbow Dash?" Spike asked. Both mares rolled their eyes.
"Alright fine," Trixie said. "Itsuki, do you want to-"
kerr chunkachunkachunka vrooOOOOoooommmmmm
An engine suddenly started behind them, causing the three to jump. Looking in the direction of the sound, they saw Itsuki's Levin accelerate slowly and turn towards them.
"What is he doing?" Starlight asked as the red Corolla slowed to a stop next to them, Its window rolled down.
"Now while you guys are gonna walk and find whoever you're gonna find, I'm gonna drive around and find Rainbow Dash. That cool with you?" Itsuki asked, staring at them.
Starlight blinked. "You're gonna drive and find her?"
"Duh. It's faster to pick her up right there than to having to fly back here."
"True... Alright. Well, stick to the outskirts. You don't know Ponyville's laws on driving through town, so just play it safe and stick to the outskirts. And also drive slow. Ponies around here aren't too fond of wannabe rally drivers."
"Got it. See you guys at Canterlot!" Itsuki pressed on the gas and rather harshly sped off, limiting himself to 10MPH.
Starlight, Trixie, and Spike began walking again. Starlight grew a bit concerned.
"You think we should have told him to wait until we got the others? So we could follow him? Does he even know where Canterlot is?"
"I'm sure he'll be fine," Trixie assured. "Even if he doesn't know, Rainbow Dash will."
"Mm."
Itsuki cruised along the outskirts of Ponyville like Starlight said. He drove on the right side of a dirt road, remembering that people here drove on the right and not the left, and avoided ponies when they appeared. He grimaced.
"Ugh, I fricken hate dirt," he complained. "Get's all over the tires and paintwork, you get less grip, dammit. There better be a hose at Canterlot I can use to spray my car down. Wait..." Itsuki realized something and smiled. "If what Starlight says is true, about me and Takumi pretty much being royalty, I could just ask for a full-blown polish when I get there!" He inadvertently took his hooves off the wheel in celebration. "This life is awesome! I'm Royalty! I can do basically whatever I want! Of course, Celestia or whatever her name was is probably gonna dictate what I can and can't do, but I'll still get all sorts of perks! YES!"
BEEEEEEP!
A car blared Its horn causing Itsuki to look back at the road, and he saw that he was about to hit a silver Honda Civic CRX. He yelled in surprise as he quickly put his hooves back on the wheel and jerked the Levin to the right, missing the Civic by inches.
"Stay in your lane ya lunatic!" the driver of the CRX yelled, the voice quickly fading.
"SORRY!" Itsuki yelled back through his window that was still open. He looked back forward. "Sheesh. I really need to stop doing that."
Five minutes later, Itsuki was glancing at what looked to be a small schoolhouse he was passing by. As he continued and looked at a tree nearby, he suddenly slowed to a stop. He saw her.
Rainbow Dash was flying through the air, doing tricks and all sorts of crazy things as a small orange filly cheered for her. She would have looked awesome doing it had she not suddenly turned into a rainbow blur. A second later she landed straight in front of the filly who just cheered. Itsuki smiled.
"My god she's awesome..." Itsuki quietly said, placing his hoof in the middle of the wheel.
BEEP BEEEEEEP!
Rainbow Dash had just landed when both she and the filly in front of her, who's name was Scootaloo, heard a car horn nearby. Both of them looked to the nearby road and saw a red and black hatchback on it, parked and waiting.
"Who's that?" Scootaloo asked, standing up.
"Uh..." Rainbow didn't know for a second, and that's when it clicked. "Oh! I know who it is. Be right back!" She smiled and quickly flew over to the car. Once she got to the right side, her face lit up.
"Itsuki!" She exclaimed as she saw the Red Alicorn in it.
"Hey Rainbow! What's up?" Itsuki asked, smiling.
"Nothin'. Whatcha doing?"
"Long story short, me and the others are heading to Canterlot. I ca-... Tri- er- Starlight told me to come pick you up." Itsuki explained, nearly having a seizure while doing so.
Rainbow Dash grew worried. "Wait... we're going to Canterlot?"
"Yep. Twilight- er, Twilight? Yeah. Twilight asked us to. She found Takumi and wants us up there right now."
"RIGHT NOW?!"
Itsuki winced. "Yes right now!"
"Oh for the love of- I'm trying to-" Rainbow groaned. "I'm playing with Scootaloo!"
Itsuki blinked twice before smirking. "Scootaloo?"
"Yeah. That orange filly over there." Rainbow pointed to Scootaloo who was just waiting.
"Oh. She looks cute." Itsuki admitted. "What's wrong, can't she just come with us?"
"No she ca-" Rainbow cut herself off as she processed the sentence further. Bringing Scootaloo along actually wasn't a half-bad idea. "On second thought... hey Scootaloo!" She yelled.
"Yeah?!" Scootaloo yelled back.
"Wanna come to Canterlot with me?"
The little filly's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "YES!" she screamed without the slightest hint of hesitation. She ran to the nearby tree and grabbed a pair of saddlebags, putting them on her back before running over as fast as she could.
"You're not kidding, right?" Scootaloo giddily asked as she ran around the front.
"Nope!" Rainbow Dash replied. "Twilight has apparently asked me and my friends to head up there, and Itsuki is gonna drive us there.
Scootaloo looked at Itsuki.
"Oh. Hello." She greeted.
"Hey," Itsuki replied. "Anyways, hop on in you two. Scootaloo can sit in the back."
"You got it!" The two pegasi replied as they went around to the other side of the car. Itsuki was ecstatic.
Ohhh this is gonna be so sweeeet! He thought. I get to hang out with Rainbow Dash on the way to Canterlot!
He looked left to see Rainbow Dash putting the left seat forward to allow Scootaloo to hop in the back. After Scootaloo was in the back, she put the seat back and got in, shutting the door and buckling up.
"Alright, let's go," Rainbow said, prompting Itsuki to accelerate.
A few minutes later, they got on the highway and accelerated to a bit above the speed limit.
"This is so exciting!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "I'm actually on my way to Canterlot!"
"Yeah, we are," Rainbow replied nonchalantly. "You excited Itsuki?"
"Judging by the fact that from here it looks like the biggest castle ever, hell yeah I'm excited!" He replied.
"Hey! There is a filly in here you know." Rainbow snapped.
"Shut up Rainbow you swear around me all the time!" Scootaloo said. Itsuki's and Rainbow's eyes went wide as they looked at each other. Itsuki was surprised.
Rainbow put on an innocent face and laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head.
"Alright then." Itsuki looked back at the road. Man she's the cutest. He thought.
"So uh... what do you like to do?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Takumi and Twilight were walking through the castle halls. Twilight was, as expected, bombarding Takumi with plenty of questions about how he got there, his world, and basically whatever else a bookhorse would ask someone who was from another world.
Takumi wasn't too bothered by the questions. It gave him something to do while they walked to the throne room, which was supposedly where Twilight was leading him. And they were supposedly getting close.
"You're gonna be able to remember all of this, right?" Takumi asked as they walked down a hall.
"Of course. I've trained myself to remember many things at once." Twilight replied.
Takumi was unconvinced. "Are you sure? Because I think I've answered over fifty questions now."
"I'll be fine."
Takumi rolled his eyes and kept walking past a set of double doors.
"Ahem." Twilight cleared her throat, making Takumi stop and glance back.
"What?"
"This is the throne room." She said, referring to the double doors. "Also, what the hay is your cutie mark?"
Takumi glanced at his rear, noting the Japanese symbols on it. "That's how you spell my last name in Japanese. Fujiwara." He explained, looking back at her.
"Oh. Is Itsuki's cutie mark the same?"
"Yeah. Takeuchi in Japanese." Takumi walked back and stopped next to her. They were to the right of the doors.
"Alright then. Anyways. I'll quickly head in and notify the two. Be right back." Twilight, without warning, walked through the doors and closed them behind her, whatever greeting she just gave to the princesses muffled. Takumi assumed it was Luna and... Celestia? Celestia. That was the second one's name.
He looked across the hall at a white pillar. Nothing interesting, just a white pillar supporting the ceiling. He looked down.
Why did it have to be me and Itsuki? He thought. Why couldn't it have been anyone else? It could have been any other person. Some kid living a horrid life, a high-ranking diplomat, heck, even my father would do fine in this situation. If he was an Alicorn and was considered royal, at least he'd know what to do considering his place in congress. But no, it had to me and Itsuki. Just two nineteen-year-olds living normal lives whisked away from their friends and family to this place. Whisked away from Project D... My legend...
"Anyways. Nopony else is in the room except the princesses so- oh." Twilight the look on Takumi's face. "What's wrong?"
Takumi blinked. "Nothing. Just thinking about some stuff."
"Oh. Alright then. Uh... let's go." Twilight opened the right door and led Takumi through.
The throne room was... well, a throne room. Bright red carpet down the middle, perfectly symmetrical walls, all that. At the other end were two ponies, one of which Takumi instantly recognized Luna, who was sitting on a throne next to a white pony that looked twice as tall as him. As soon as Luna noticed Takumi, she opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shut it and bit her lip. Excitement was clearly growing inside her.
"Ah. So this is the stallion you said you were bringing in." The white pony said. Takumi noticed how regal she sounded. Suddenly, his jaw slightly opened as he looked at the white unicorn- no, Alicorn. She wore golden attire, her mane and tail somehow flowed like it was in the wind, and she just looked... beautifully regal.
I guess if you're a princess, you do have to look the part. Takumi thought.
"Yep," Twilight replied. "This is him."
"And what is your name, my little pony?"
"Fujiwa-... Takumi Fujiwara," Takumi replied.
"What a... unique name. And why did you want us to meet Twilight?"
Takumi noticed Luna's excitement. Did she never tell Celestia about me or something? he wondered.
"Wellll... he's not really a unicorn." Twilight looked over at Takumi. "Takumi?"
"What?" he asked, looking at her as they stopped several feet before the steps leading up to the thrones.
"Mind uh..." She unfurled her wings and tilted her head back to them, stretching them out wide.
After a second of computing, Takumi did the same with his wings. This will always feel weird, he thought.
Celestia's brain short-circuited upon seeing that she was staring directly at not just another Alicorn, but a male Alicorn. Her jaw hung open a little as she tried to find the words.
Luna, on the other hand, couldn't contain herself any longer. "That is right sister. We have another Alicorn. Two Alicorns in fact."
"You say that like you knew about him," Twilight noted.
"Because I did. We met last night."
Both Celestia and Twilight looked at Luna. "How?" they asked in unison.
Luna's face heated up as she realized how awkward it would be to come up with a lie on why she was on the Canterlot Turnpike instead of going through dreams.
Wait... going through dreams! she thought. "We met while I was searching through dreams. I asked him to come up here."
Takumi almost said they didn't meet that way.
"And you didn't tell us?!" Celestia snapped.
"I wanted to surprise you two!"
Twilight just groaned. "So... Wanna head to someplace a bit more private?"
"Yes. I'd rather keep this quiet for the time being," Celestia agreed as she stood up and walked down the steps. Luna followed. A piece of paper appeared next to her, along with a quill, and she began writing once she stopped a few feet in front of Takumi.
"What are you doing?" Takumi asked.
"Just writing a message to let the Royal Guard know that Luna and I will be unavailable at this time," Celestia replied.
As she wrote on the list, Takumi couldn't help but notice how freaking majestic she looked. Sure, if you were a princess, you'd probably want to look the part of a princess, but she looked amazing!
The way her hair flowed through the air in a way that should have been impossible, her golden regalia, her very-light-shade-of-pink coat, her wings even... just... wow. She was unlike anything he had ever seen.
Realizing that he was staring, Takumi looked around the throne room, noting the stained glass windows lining the room. They all looked neat.
"Anyways," Celestia said as the message next to her whisked away. "Let's go."
The three princesses began walking towards the exit. Takumi didn't notice as he was too focused on looking around him.
"Ahem." Twilight cleared her throat.
"What?" Takumi looked over to see the three looking at him. "Oh. Sorry," he apologized before following.
"So. Takumi," Celestia began as they walked out of the room and down a hall. "How long have you been around?"
"Me and Itsuki? A couple of days now," Takumi replied.
"Hm... Wait, Itsuki?" She looked at him. "Who's Itsuki?"
"I did say we had two new Alicorns you know." Luna reminded.
"I... wow. I cannot believe it. We have not just one, but two new Alicorns. Male ones at that."
Luna giggled. "And why are you specifically surprised about them being male?"
"DO NOT take that the wrong way sister," Celestia angrily snapped. "You know we've never had male Alicorns before. This is much bigger than whatever you think I was thinking about."
Luna grimaced. "I jest."
Takumi was surprised. "Wait... those two are sisters?" he whispered to Twilight who was walking right next to him. Celestia and Luna were ahead.
"Yeah. They are," Twilight whispered back.
"Huh," was all Takumi had to say as Twilight increased her pace to start walking next to the apparent sisters. That actually kind of makes sense.
"Out of curiosity, Takumi," Celestia began again. "What does Itsuki look like?"
"Bright red coat and black hair," he replied.
"That... that's it?"
"Yeah. He matches his Levin."
"...Levin?
"An old Toyota Corolla. An 86."
"Oh. How simple."
Twilight piped up with something that started a conversation between the three. Takumi looked around the halls and thought about how the heck he was to get out of answering the same questions again. The same questions that Twilight had asked him. He wasn't against answering questions since it kept a bit of normalcy in his life, but he wanted to have some time to himself.
Suddenly, he had a thought. When was the last time I showered? he wondered. Like, a week ago?
"Do any of you know where a shower is?" he asked. The three princesses stopped in surprise, which nearly caused Takumi to run into Twilight.
"Why?" Celestia asked.
"Because It's been a week or so since I last showered," Takumi explained.
"How? You look just fine. And you smell fine," Twilight said, taking in a small breath.
"I do? Well... still. Now that I know how long I've spent without a shower I feel uncomfortable."
"Oh. Well uh..." Twilight thought. She knew that Celestia wanted to keep Takumi a... 'secret' for the time being, or at least not have too many ponies find out about him, so she couldn't just let him use any shower.
"You can just tell Celestia and Luna what I told you," Takumi said.
"I could... well, you could just use my shower," Twilight suggested.
Takumi noticed Luna roll her eyes. "You mean up in your room?"
"Yeah."
"You want me to walk all the way back over there?"
"Want a private shower? Then there you go. And before you ask, yes, we have other rooms with their own private bathrooms. But it would take too long to find an open one."
Takumi sighed. "Fine. You three can talk about me and I'll take a shower."
With that, he began walking in the opposite direction, somewhat confusing the princesses.
"Well, he doesn't seem the most sociable," Celestia noted.
"Yes... he does seem that way..." Luna replied.
30 Minutes Later
Itsuki, Rainbow Dash, and Scootaloo were now off the highway and on their way towards the Canterlot Turnpike. They all got well together, being lovers of speed and all that.
Both Rainbow and Scootaloo were seriously interested in Itsuki's street racing shenanigans. So much so that Scootaloo began complaining about not being older and having a license.
"Oh yeah well, It sucked for me as well," Itsuki said. "Waiting to get my license. I wanted it right then and there since I pretty much knew how to drive, but of course the law says no."
"Mmmm..." Scootaloo groaned.
"Anyways, this 'Ryosuke Takahashi' or whatever you call him," Rainbow began. "He was the first person to come close to beating Takumi?"
"Yeah! He was!" Itsuki replied cheerfully. "You shoulda seen it. Ryosuke was right on Takumi's bumper pretty much the whole time and he got passed somewhere in the course. But towards the end, Takumi pushed through and passed him right back!"
"Sheesh. I might need to meet Takumi. He sounds fast as heck."
"Ohhh hohoh. Fast as heck is a total understatement. He's seriously improved since then. Nobody has been able to beat him."
Rainbow laughed. "Nobody? Please. Everypony has suffered at least one loss. Even me."
"One, he's not a pony. Two, he really hasn't. Oh! Here comes the Turnpike! Who wants to see how a street racer tackles the uphill?" Itsuki suddenly asked.
Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash quickly realized what he meant. "Wait, are you gonna-" Scootaloo began.
"Yep!" Itsuki interrupted. Suddenly, he floored it.
Initial D Fourth Stage Sound Files vol.1 - Attack I starts playing.
"Woah!" Both pegasi yelped as the 86 launched forward, all 124 horses being put to use as they approached a large right hairpin.
"Itsuki are you serious?!" Rainbow yelled. "There's gonna be traffic!"
"Says who?!" Itsuki swerved left, then right, flooring it and powersliding the car around the hairpin. Both pegasi yelled in surprise as they came inches from hitting the inside guardrail. Exiting, Itsuki upshifted and gripped through a left hairpin. Itsuki went to the inside, in opposite lanes mind you, to gain the best line around the corner before exiting.
"Sweet Celestia!" Scootaloo yelled as they accelerated past a van, which promptly blared Its horn at them. They gripped around another wide right hairpin and exited swiftly.
"Don't sweat it!" Itsuki yelled. "If I were on the downhill on good tires that haven't been already mutilated, I would be decimating these corners!"
vrrooooOOOm- vrroooooo
The engine rumbled from under the hood as the Levin sped uphill, quickly gripping around a left curve, then a right curve, passing a sedan. Scootaloo was having the time of her life as Itsuki upshifted and sped around a right curve before braking and breaking the car into a drift. He floored it and countersteered around a left corner at high speed, hitting the apex perfectly and exiting an inch from the guardrail.
All Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash could do was pull their seatbelts as tight as she could and hold on as they sped down a straight, fast approaching a left hairpin. Rainbow Dash was horrified.
"Itsuki? Mind slowing down?!" she yelled.
"I know I know!" Itsuki yelled as he slammed hard on the brakes, throwing the three forward in their seats. Itsuki accelerated again and swerved right, then left.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
The tires squealed as Itsuki powerslid through the hairpin's inside edge. He bit his lower lip as they exited towards the outside, barely missing another car. He only just made out that it was a small pickup truck. He put the pedal to the floor and accelerated towards another car that was heading uphill. It looked like a red 90s sports car.
Switching to the left lane, Itsuki blasted by the sports car that revealed itself to be an early 90s Camaro, which swerved away in surprise. Scootaloo couldn't help but smile at how the car felt when under full load. Same went for Rainbow Dash. Both were used to normal driving. Nothing like this.
This feeling... Rainbow Dash thought as she watched Itsuki drive. It's amazing. Hearing the engine rev higher and higher is... is... It's awesome! Why do I love it!? This is breaking the law is it not?!
Itsuki pressed on the brake and swerved to the right, letting off and flooring it through the inside and exiting towards the outside.
"You two ready for more?" He asked as he upshifted.
"Yes!" Scootaloo yelled.
Rainbow was speechless. She couldn't bring herself to say anything. As she watched Itsuki accelerate, she couldn't help but think about how much she loved this.
Itsuki... She began. I might need to take you and your Corolla out tonight on this pass. Because you just showed me my new favorite hobby.
Music Ends.