//------------------------------// // Act 9: First "Date" // Story: The Eight-Six Duo // by Fujimi200SX //------------------------------// EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Tires echoed through the night sky as a Panda Trueno ricocheted through corners. Left, right, left, right, the Trueno flicked between the two directions with almost unmatched efficiency. The engine revved high and hard, and the front tires barely steered left or right except to change the 86's direction. Takumi shifted gears perfectly, said gears being perfectly tuned to his home course. Mount Akina. He was focused only on driving his hardest, training to become the fastest driver the world has ever seen. "Takumi." A female voice echoed through the Alicorn's head. He didn't listen. The engine echoed in his ears, gears locked into place, air was sucked into the engine and compressed, then shot out the exhaust pipe. Takumi was at home here. "Takumi?" The same voice echoed. Warmth began to envelop his body, and he felt rather soft and fuzzy. He relaxed, allowing himself to drive even faster through the corners. He always drove at his best when relaxed and content. Well, at his best if you don't count him getting pissed off because a red civic spun him out. "I am going to take you to my chamber if you don't speak~..." The voice purred, in a playfully lustful tone. This confused Takumi a little. He felt something breathing on his left ear. As he turned to check, the mountain pass was gone, as was the interior of the 86, and he was met with a certain Dark Blue Alicorn hugging him from behind with her forehooves. "What are you doing?" "So he speaks! Finally." Luna stopped hugging. "It has been some time since you last spoke. What have you been doing?" "Just thinking. You know. About driving down Akina." "Hm. Well, if this starts becoming a problem, maybe I'll give these two guardsmares another thing to do besides standing around." Luna looked at the Dream Twins. Their cheeks had reddened and they stared at each other before staring at Luna. "Like what?" The twins and Takumi asked in unison. "I would have to think about it." The Princess sneered. Takumi scoffed. "I think I'm gonna take a walk around. To be honest, as nice as Day Court has been, I want to do something to pass the time." "That is perfect actually. Day Court is over." Takumi looked at her. "It is?" "Yes. It is. Why do you think I was so persistent to gain your attention?" "Makes sense." Takumi looked at a clock on the wall. 7:52PM "Oh. Huh. Time really flew by me." "Mm. Would you like to join me as I raise the moon? Perhaps even join my sister as she lowers the sun?" "I mean... yeah. Why not. Sounds interesti-" Takumi short-circuited. Luna grew alarmed at Takumi's bewildered face. "Is something wrong?" She asked. "Did you just say... that Celestia was going to lower the sun... and you were going to raise the moon?" Luna's sense of alarm disappeared. She smiled and nodded. "... You two lower and raise the sun and moon?" "Mhm." Takumi could not believe what he was hearing. "Don't we orbit the sun?" Luna just laughed. "No silly. The sun and moon travel around us. They are small. Though because they are so close, they are tidally locked. So we must move them ourselves." "But... uh..." "I would not delve too deep into it. Would you like to see my sister lower her sun?" Takumi was too bewildered to say anything, so he simply nodded. As the two walked down the steps and towards the doors, Takumi stared at the doors ahead. "I wonder how Itsuki is taking to that. If he's been told yet." "WHAAAAT!? YOU CAN DO FREAKING WHAT?!" Celestia laughed. "I can Raise and Lower the Sun and Moon. My sister can do the same. Of course, I stick to the Sun while she sticks to the Moon." "That's freaking awesome! Holy crap! I need to see you do it. You HAVE to let me see." Itsuki demanded. "Well, I'll be doing it in five minutes. If you want to follow me, I can show you." "I wanna see!" Scootaloo squeed. "So does Rainbow Dash!" "I never said I wanted to see it!" Rainbow Dash was hovering next to Cadance. "Who cares! Come on! Let's go!" Itsuki hurriedly began walking down a hallway, getting Celestia, Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Cadance to follow. Celestia sighed. "I never thought I'd find a male Alicorn this adorable." She quietly said. "Yeah." Twilight agreed. "I always thought a male Alicorn would be all snooty and such. But with Itsuki and Takumi? I'd take them over a pompous prick any day." "Twilight! There's a filly here!" Cadance said. "Scootaloo is all the way over there with Itsuki!" Twilight pointed ahead at Scootaloo, who was happily pacing and chatting with Itsuki. "She won't hear me." "Eh, true. But yeah, I will say that we are lucky we got stuck with a couple of teenagers and not... you know." "Somepony like Blueblood?" "Eeyup." Celestia chuckled. "I wonder what he'll say when he realized that two teenagers got to become the first Male Alicorns Equestria has ever seen and not himself." "I personally don't think he should know until the public knows," Twilight said. "He'll probably tell all his dumb rich friends." "Actually, I think him knowing would be a great idea." Cadance disagreed. "As long as he only sees Takumi and Itsuki once, he'll tell all his friends. With no evidence to back up his claim, he'll be laughed at." Everyone except Itsuki and Scootaloo thought about it for a few seconds before nodding their heads in agreement. "Itsuki, over here," Celestia called out, stopping in front of two doors that lead to a balcony. Itsuki and Scootaloo stopped and ran back, both super excited. Scootaloo hitched a ride on Itsuki's back just to keep up. They looked pretty cute together. "Oh this is gonna be awesome," Scootaloo said. "I wonder where my sister and Takumi could be. Anyways." Celestia opened the doors and walked out onto the balcony, the others following her. "Such a shame they aren't here." "Why are we even setting it at eight?" Twilight asked. "I thought it was supposed to only set at Eight when It's winter." "Because I wrote the schedule this way. To give my little ponies some extra sleep for tonight." Twilight couldn't argue with that. As Celestia stood next to the railing, she looked at Itsuki and motioned for him to stand next to her. With Scootaloo on his back, he excitedly walked over and stopped. He was shaking a little from excitement. "Ready?" Celestia asked. Itsuki and Scootaloo nodded. The excitement that had built up in them was unreal. Celestia pointed her horn towards the sun and stretched out her wings. "And three, two, one..." Her horn lit up, and the sun began to slowly fall. Itsuki and Scootaloo were astonished at the sight. To Itsuki, something about seeing someone lower the sun themselves was just... just... it was amazing. Sun Rays appeared from every nook and cranny, shadows grew longer and longer, it was like a timelapse. Only this time it wasn't in a 720p video. It was real. Itsuki felt his heart rate quickening. As the sun set below the Horizon, Celestia sighed and looked at Itsuki. Both he and Scootaloo were dumbstruck. Itsuki was totally locked. "Itsuki?" Celestia asked, furling her wings. Scootaloo snapped out of her trance and leaned down next to Itsuki's ear. His .exe had stopped working. "Itsuki?" Scootaloo asked. "Woah..." Itsuki finally said. Scootaloo quietly rubbed Itsuki's right ear with her forehoof, causing the Alicorn to blush. "Alright, alright. Stop." Itsuki pleaded, using a wing to flick Scootaloo's hoof away. Celestia sighed. "I wonder where Takumi and Luna could be." As she looked around the nearby balconies, her eyes fell on the two Alicorns she'd just mentioned. Nearby, further below, and at least two hundred feet away. She felt her eyes narrow and her muzzle scrunch up a little. "Wow..." Takumi let out. "I hope Itsuki got to saw that sunset." "I am sure he did. Shame we could not make it to my sister and him in time." Luna looked around to see if she could spot her sister. She did see her. A bit higher up, at least two hundred feet away, with Itsuki, Twilight, and Cadance next to her. She smiled and waved. "What are you-, oh. Look. There they are." Takumi said as he saw Celestia politely waving back. "Well, that answers that." "What do we do now?" "Now I do my part." Luna unfurled her wings and stretched them wide as her horn lit up. Within seconds, the moon rose over the distant horizon and glowed brightly. It was just as if not more beautiful then when Celestia set the sun. Something about seeing the moon rise up like that was so... so calming. It was weird to be honest, the fact that Luna's Moon was more than twice the size of Earth's Moon. Though in a way, it felt right. For this world at least. How did I end up in this world... Takumi wondered as Luna finished, and the Moon began moving at a much more gradual pace. In what's apparently the best form one could end up as... Luna looked back at him, smiling. "What doth thou think?" "It was... heh, beautiful. It was like a timelapse." "Hm. Well, I do it every evening. So you'll get to see it as much as you want." "Mm..." Takumi yawned. "Man, I need to sleep. This whole day has been just..." "Shall I escort you to your chamber?" "... Sure." Takumi began following Luna, dazed as usual. The Night Princess looked at him, seeing if he was doing anything, and smirked. Don't worry Takumi. We will let you have plenty of sleep. But do not think I am not going to wake you up after midnight. We are gonna have some fun. She looked forward as a thought crossed her mind. Would it be bad for me to appear in his dream on the first night? One Hour Later... Itsuki stopped in front of a door. He stared at it, examined Its features. He took a breath in and closed his eyes. "Alright." He whispered. "Come on Itsuki. You can't screw this up. I won't let another girl get away from me. I mean... heh, third time's a charm after all." He took another breath in and raised his hoof. Knock Knock Knock He waited for a few seconds, hearing footsteps, or in this case hoofsteps. Suddenly, the door opened with a tired Electric Blue Pegasus on the other side. She yawned. "Yeah?" Rainbow Dash's eyes widened upon realizing who was at the door. "Oh! Itsuki! I... hi?" Itsuki's cheeks became redder than usual. "Hey Rainbow Dash. I was... uh, wondering if you'd want to head out for a drive?" Rainbow Dash blinked. "What do you mean by a... drive?" "Just, you know. Hang out. I was thinking we'd head to Akina- er, the Canterlot Turnpike." "You wanna go to the Canterlot Turnpike?" "Yeah. You, me, my 86, you know." Rainbow Dash just stared at him, blinking only once. "I mean..." Rainbow Dash looked back at her room, hesitant. She realized suddenly that Itsuki didn't want to try and do that with her, but rather, he wanted to take her on the downhill. She looked back, smirking. "Actually, sure. Why not." "Yes!" Itsuki blurted out, a bit too loudly. "Let's uh, let's go then." Luna sat on a balcony overlooking Canterlot, her head supported by her hoof. She was in a rather pensive mood. Takumi Takumi Takumi... She thought. How in Equestria did you, at your age, become the driver you showed me you were last night? The best-seasoned racers I have heard of could only dream about being as good as you seemed at your age. And you are not even used to driving in your body yet! Who knows what you can do once you get used to it! She sighed and smiled. I cannot wait to take you out on the Turnpike so you can show me what you can do. "Look at the detail!" She heard a young voice call from far below. Her gaze shot to the parking lot where her Skyline was parked, and could just barely make out a Red Alicorn and Electric Blue Pegasus standing next to a Red and Black AE86 Levin. "Who the heck cleaned my car this well? Holy crap they put brand new tires on!" "They look pretty high performance too." A female voice called out. Luna tilted her head as Itsuki opened the right door, and even more as she heard the engine start. "Let's go," Itsuki said as Rainbow Dash got in. As the 86 pulled out of the lot, Luna smirked. "I wonder where these two are going..." She unfurled her wings and jumped off the balcony. vroooooOOOOOm- vrooooo The AE86 traveled under a white archway and onto a mountain road known as the Canterlot Turnpike. Itsuki was in the driver's seat of the Right Hand Drive Corolla, a smile on his face as he admired the spotless interior. It was perfectly polished and restored to almost factory condition. It was amazing. Alright Itsuki! He thought. You've gotten this far already! All you need to do is just not blow it. If I can start taking her out here every night, maybe I can actually get with her! I'm not the idiot I was with Saori and Kazumi. I WILL make us work! "So..." Itsuki began. "You uh, you come out here often?" Rainbow Dash looked around. "Not much. Last time I came here was with Twilight. She took me up here because my wing was broken and the train tracks were having maintenance. Except I don't remember it being as fun on the drive up. She drove so safe compared to you." "Yeah, my driving is pretty good." "Mm. Oh! Hey, pull over here. I never got to see how cool the view looked." A small parking area had come into view when Rainbow Dash said that. Itsuki nodded and pulled into the lot, without putting his blinker on, and stopped next to the guardrail. Rainbow Dash unbuckled and got out, then ran over to the guardrail, admiring the view. Itsuki just sat in the car staring at the pegasus, watching her as she stared out. Her look was perfect. The way her Electric Blue Coat matched her Rainbow Hair, her Magenta Eyes, she was the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen. Rainbow Dash was in a bit of a pensive state. She was already liking this Street Racing stuff, but the issue was that, well, she was a Wonderbolt. To her knowledge, none of the other Wonderbolts street raced. Heck, most of the recruits such as Silver Lining and Blaze didn't even have their own cars. To her knowledge at least. Spitfire had by far the best car in terms of performance, at least for mountain racing. An 'LS1 Deep Fuschia' Purple Nissan Silvia S14 Autech Version K's MF-T with the 'Cold Weather' package and SR20VET Engine. Soarin and Thunderlane had good cars too. So, sure. MAYBE if she showed up in a brand-spankin' new sports car, none of the Wonderbolts would think she was interested in street racing. Spitfire would probably like having a fellow 'bolt with a sports car. But if the Wonderbolts were to find out about her shenanigans... what would they think? Would they cast her out and make fun of her for it? Being nicknamed 'Rainbow Crash' was bad enough. But what would they do if they found out about that? What would Spitfire do? Rainbow Dash shook her head. Pull yourself together. You're hanging out with Itsuki right now. She let out a sigh. "I'll admit it. Sometimes, admiring a view like this without hovering in the air or sitting on a cloud, is pretty sweet." She looked at Itsuki and was a bit surprised at how the Alicorn was staring at her, who had gotten out of the car. Itsuki blinked and shook his head. "Uh, yeah. It is." "Heh. So uh, about that one girl. Kazumi." She blushed. "What was she like?" Itsuki walked over to the guardrail next to her and stared out, sighing. "Kazumi Akiyama... She was the best. A bit older than me, I think twenty. But we both got along well enough. Sure, the way we met was odd, but I helped her pay for some food. I don't even know why I did it, to be honest. She was such a jerk to me before." "Hm. How'd ya meet?" "Well at first I happened to spot her older brother's car. An 86 Levin like mine, just white with no carbon fiber hood and different wheels. She thought I was trying to screw with it since she was from a different prefecture and yelled at me. I stormed off and met her the next day, while she was having trouble with paying for food, so I helped. We kind of hit it off after that." "Prefecture?" "Region, Territory, you know." "Ah." "But yeah. We both loved 86's, she actually gave me some good pointers on my driving and helped me improve a lot. Seriously, it was really helpful. She was probably the reason I got as good as I am now!" "Hm. So uh... what happened?" The way Itsuki's face changed from cheerful to total disappointed sadness was almost heartbreaking. Itsuki went silent. His eyes fell to the cliff's edge, and his body seemed to grow weaker. Rainbow Dash took a breath in. She wasn't good in these situations. Fluttershy or heck, even Pinkie Pie would do way better with this kind of thing. "Not something we should talk about?" Itsuki sniffed. "No, no. It's alright." He took a breath in and sighed. "Four weeks ago, her old boyfriend had shown up. Apparently, she'd been dating this older guy before she broke up with him, and the idiot came back to apologize. Apparently, they'd been out to hotels with each other more than a few times. Well, more than several times actually." "What do you mean by that?" "As in, you know..." Rainbow Dash was a bit confused by his wording. But after thinking about it a little more, she realized what he meant. When a Mare and Stallion went to a hotel together, well... "Oh..." Dash trailed, shifting uncomfortably. "I wouldn't have even cared. Well, ok. I would have cared a little as us guys do, but I probably would have forgotten about it. But... yeah. She chose him. Over me. What the... FUCK!" Itsuki's sudden F-Bomb startled Rainbow Dash. He really hates thinking about that... ugh. Great. I actually feel sorry for him. They sat in silence for a few minutes, the only light coming from Luna's Moon and a few street lamps that had been placed in the corners of the lot. Itsuki mentally kicked himself. He was acting like such an idiot in front of Rainbow Dash. How was he supposed to get with her if she thought of him as nothing more than just some idiot overreactive teenager? What was he even supposed to say now? He probably ruined the entire evening with her. vroooooooOOOOOOm- vrooooooo The sound of two engines was heard in the distance, both approaching quickly. The sounds of tires sliding along the well-maintained tarmac grew before swiftly disappearing, both engines revving. Itsuki smiled, knowing this was the way he could distract Rainbow Dash from his deplorable behavior. "You ever get street racers up here that often?" He tried to act all cool, but the sorrow in his voice was still present. Two beams of light slowly appeared from down the road, and within seconds, two cars flew into the lot, braking hard and stopping on the other side of the road. One car was a silver Mazda Miata NB with silver Enkei RPF1 rims with a 326 Power Wing, while the other car was a blue Nissan S14 Silvia Q's with black OZ Superturismo's and APR Performance GTC-300 Adjustable Wing. Itsuki whistled upon seeing the cars. Their drivers got out, neither seeming to notice either him or Rainbow Dash. The Mazda's driver was a Royal Blue Earth Pony with black hair. The Nissan's driver was a Turquoise Unicorn with Teal Hair. Both ponies seemed to be in their early 20s. "See? I told you this turbo would help." The Mazda Driver said, his voice a little high-pitched. "Now I can actually keep up with you going uphill." "Yeah yeah yeah, it helps." The Unicorn replied, his voice normal for a 20-21 year old. "That BP-4W is pretty good at boost. It actually allows you to keep up with me now." "Yeah, I'll bet I'm a demon on the downhill too." "We'll see about that. Check out this wing though." The Unicorn jumped up and put his left forehoof on the trunk of his S14 and his right forehoof on the APR Wing. "This baby will make Pegasi Pussies wet." "No, it won't..." Rainbow Dash quietly grimaced. "Mm. Yeah, I saw how much less squirrelly the back end look when going around those hairpins. Maybe I'll get my own." "Heh, maybe. But this ain't cheap. 500 Bits is a lot." "Dammit, of course. You think a GTC-200 is good?" "Mm, 450 Bits. Depends." The Unicorn looked around his S14, admiring it. As he got to the right side, he looked up at Itsuki and Rainbow Dash. He seemed a bit surprised. "Woah. Dude, looks like we're not the only ones up here." The Earth Pony looked at them. "Nope. Ha, look at that. An AE86. Who the hell even uses that?" "I dunno. Let's go talk to them." Itsuki and Rainbow Dash stood there as the ponies walked over. Itsuki smiled a little. Well this'll be nice. I get to talk with some other street racers. He thought. "So. What brings you two up here?" The Unicorn asked. "We're just out for a drive is all," Itsuki replied. "Admiring the view." "Yeah, a 'drive'. Totally." The Earth Pony teased. "A Corolla? Really? Where'd you even get the parts for this old clunker?" The pony examined the Corolla, noting the Silver Work Ewing Rims, TRD Carbon Fiber Hood, and TRD N2 Ducktail. "Come on dude." The Unicorn said. "You know the ponies at Toyota Racing Division are too stubborn to give up on their old outdated models." Itsuki grimaced. "Who do you guys think you are? This car is the best for the downhill. My friend uses an 86 Trueno and is fricken unbeatable." The ponies simultaneously rolled their eyes. "Yeah, totally. Sorry buddy, but an AE86 compared to my car is just sad." The Mazda driver sneered. "No it's not! I've beaten a Lamborghini Miura AND an R33 GT-R with this baby! And it only makes 122HP!" The Unicorn laughed, the Earth Pony following suit. "122HP? Ha! First off, the Lamborghini Miura is a vintage piece of crap by today's standards. Sure, 350HP is a lot, but on a mountain pass, that thing's body flex is horrendous. And an R33 GT-R is heavy and softly sprung. The drivers were probably pretty crap." "We did it right on this mountain two nights ago!" "Oh shut up." The Earth Pony put in. "We were on this road two nights ago. We saw nothing that even looked like your car or a Skyline." Nearby, a pair of Cyan Eyes narrowed in anger. "Not in my worl-!" "Lay off you two." Rainbow Dash inserted herself into the argument. "Me and him are out here trying to spend some time together. We don't need you idiots annoying us." The ponies looked at Rainbow Dash. Their eyes had narrowed, but suddenly widened as they realized exactly who just insulted him. "R-R-... Rainbow Dash?" The Earth Pony stammered. "Yeah. Both of you get the heck outta here." Rainbow Dash was tempted to unfurl her wings but resisted. "Rainbow Dash of the Wonderbolts." The Unicorn sneered. "I didn't think you'd hang out with a Unicorn like this." "I'm an Ali-" Itsuki tried to clarify. "Dude, come on." The Earth Pony cut Itsuki off. "You think Rainbow Dash would seriously hang out with some teenager with a battered old Corolla? Please. She was probably paid to do it." That almost sent Rainbow Dash flying off the handle. The Unicorn looked at the Earth Pony, eyes wide, before looking back at Rainbow Dash. His face wore a disappointed look. "So the amazing Rainbow Dash is secretly a whore. Tsk Tsk Tsk. Such a shame it had to happen to such a... such a fine mare." He turned around and began walking back to his car. The Earth Pony snickered and began to turn around. "Hey, my Mazda may be a little cramped, but I bet I could still show you a good time in it. A really good time." The two stallions, if you could call them that, laughed as they walked back across the road. Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to respond but sighed instead as the ponies got in their cars and turned around to accelerate downhill. "Those idiots... who in Tartarus do they think they are?!" She looked at Itsuki, who was scowling just as much as her. "That's enough." Itsuki angrily exclaimed. "I'm gonna make those jerks pay!" "Wait what?" Rainbow Dash was confused. "Itsuki?" A female voice said, her Cyan Eyes staring from the shadows. Itsuki ran to the driverside of the 86. "Jump in the passenger seat!" Dr. Money - That's All Right starts playing. "Wha-" "We don't have time to argue! Hurry up and get in! Come on!" Rainbow Dash ran to the passenger side. "Wait are we gonna chase them?!" She got in, sitting on the passenger seat. "We're actually chasing them. Sweet moth of Luna we are going to chase them!" She buckled up as Itsuki keyed the ignition, the 4A-GE roaring to life. "Itsuki, you don't have to- woah!" Itsuki put the car in reverse gear and accelerated hard. The revs climbed up. "Itsuki-" "Here we GO!" [EUROBEAT INTENSIFIES] The 86 slammed into a 180 Degree J-Turn as Itsuki steered hard, causing Rainbow Dash to scream. Itsuki put the pedal to the medal, shooting gasoline into the engine and increasing revs. He shot out of the parking lot, steering onto the road and shifting up a gear. Rainbow Dash felt unphased by the G-Forces considering she'd experienced much harder ones, but the way Itsuki accelerated worried her. "These jerkwads are going to see what It's like to insult something they don't know jack about!" Itsuki yelled. "Well holy crap I guess we're doing this!" Rainbow Dash looked over at Itsuki and grew confused as she saw Itsuki's look. He was angry and focused, his hooves pressed against the steering wheel. "Hey, Itsuki?" Rainbow Dash asked as the first left corner approached. Fast. Really fast! "Itsuki?! The corner?!" Still nothing. The speed chime rang as they exceeded 100kmph. "ITSUKI HIT THE FREAKING BRAAAKES!!!" EEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Itsuki braked and threw the 86 sideways into the turn, lightly braking through the inside before accelerating hard out. Rainbow Dash held on tight as the car accelerated down a straightaway in the left lane. Braking and steering, Itsuki guided the 86 through a right corner and accelerated. Rainbow Dash realized she wasn't dead. The initial shock of the sheer speed Itsuki took the corners was mostly gone, now she was just along for the ride. "Come on! Where are these sorry excuses for street racers? Huh!?" Itsuki yelled. "Here we go! Hairpin in second gear!" Rainbow Dash bit her lower lip as Itsuki braked hard and steered into the hairpin, using the front tires to slide around the inside before using the back tires to accelerate hard out of the hairpin. As they rounded a left curve, they both saw the taillights of their opponents. "Oh hell yeah! Already catching up!" "Wooh! This is actually REALLY fun!" Rainbow Dash laughed. Ahead, the Miata and S14 entered a left-right chicane, the ponies pulling their handbrakes to initiate their drifts. Their tires spun as they switched right, doing a basic form of parallel drifting. The Miata Driver, who was behind the S14, noticed the headlights in his rearview. "Hm." Barely believing it, he punched the throttle and listened to the turbo as it whirred, sticking to the S14's bumper. They drifted at a somewhat wide angle into a left hairpin, both drivers laughing as they missed the apex and fishtailed on the exit. They didn't care. To them, they ruled this pass. What they didn't notice was the red streak of lightning diving into the same three corners they cleared, much faster, and way more efficiently. The Miata's driver was surprised as the same headlights tore around the corner behind, instantly catching up to him. "Woah! Hey, isn't that the greaseball Corolla we just met? How'd it catch up to my Miata?!" He yelled. Itsuki smiled and focused on the Miata. "Here we go! Welcome to street racing Rainbow Dash!" EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Itsuki did a full-blown tandem drift close to the Miata through a quick left corner. It took everything in him to not crash into the slower car. The Miata's technique was that bad. Actually, neither the S14 nor Miata had any technique. Speeding down a straightaway, the Miata driver grew angry. "Urgh, this guy is really pissing me off! How the hell is a shitbox Corolla keeping up with my Turbo?!" He beeped the horn a couple of times and honked his horn at the S14. The S14 driver looked back and smiled. "I see it. Must be that Corolla loser." The unicorn calmly stated. "You picked the wrong ponies to mess with tonight!" The three cars flew into a quick right turn. Itsuki steered for the inside and accelerated as the Miata skidded towards the outside. Itsuki nailed the throttle and accelerated next to the Miata, driving side by side. "Come the fuck on turbo!" The earth pony pressed hard on the throttle, causing the turbo to kick in. The rear tires couldn't handle the sudden power, causing them to spin. Itsuki and Rainbow Dash bit their lips as the 86 accelerated next to the Miata. The Miata Driver grunted as he tried to hold his ground. "God damn you just- FUCK OFF!" The Miata accelerated away from the 86 down a left curve. Itsuki rolled his eyes as he saw how squarely the car was. A laggy turbo. Itsuki thought as they approached a right hairpin. The S14 began to drift. Laggy turbo's suck ass on the mountain pass. Natural Aspiration reigns supreme on the downhill! "NOW GET OUTTA THE WAY YOU TURBOCHARGED PRICK!" Itsuki yelled as he braked and steered into the inside. The Miata braked way too early and allowed Itsuki to swing into the inside line, passing the Miata with superior cornering technique and tires. "What!?! No way! How?!" The Miata Driver yelled. "I have the newer car with good tires! How was he able to pass me so easily?!" As they exited and chased after the S14, Rainbow Dash squeed with delight. She was enjoying this. A lot. The feeling of the engine revving up to redline as they shot through the corner was nothing short of exhilarating. She had gotten used to crazy, daring, and manic flying, but this was nothing like it! "This was awesome!" Rainbow Dash squeed. "Hell yeah it is! Now let's catch this Silvia!" Itsuki shifted gears and accelerated after the S14, sticking to its bumper. The S14 driver looked at the rearview, disappointed in his friend's inability to block a pitily old Corolla. "Try whatever you like, kid. Just because you've got a hot chick in the passenger seat and a weird as hell license plate, you ain't passing me!" "Rainbow Dash, I'm gonna show you a trick I learned from Takumi! It might be a little crazy!" Itsuki said as they approached a left turn. "I'm okay with crazy!" Rainbow Dash smiled. "What kind of trick?" "I haven't even shown this to Takumi!" Rainbow Dash looked ahead and grew horrified at the speed they were approaching the hairpin. It was WAY too fast! "Woah! Itsuki! Uh, BRAKES?!" "Here we go! DITCH RUN BABY!" BANG! BANG! "What in Tartarus!?!" The S14 driver yelled in surprise as headlights lit up the left of his car. Before he could attempt anything, the 86 had passed him and rocketed out of the hairpin like a slingshot. "What in Tartarus just happened!?" The S14 driver yelled. "How did he do that?!" Rainbow Dash and Itsuki cheered as the 86 accelerated away and down a straight. Itsuki beeped the horn twice. "Alright, credit where it's due." The S14 driver began. "That isn't your normal AE86. It's a damn well-tuned AE86. To think it can turn like the without a wing for Celestia's sake!" He didn't know that the AE86's suspension was basically stock, only slightly tuned to understeer. The three cars rocketed past a small viewing deck. Itsuki blocked every one of the S14's overtaking attempts. "But... this acceleration!" The S14 driver was surprised. "It's so slow! If he wasn't blocking me, I'd obliterate him on the straightaways! So he's only fast in the corners! The hell!?" They approached a left curve at high speed, three engines echoing through the night. Itsuki smiled. "Check this out! I'm gonna leave these guys in the dust!" He yelled, pressing on the brake and steering. Rainbow Dash yelped as the car was thrown sideways into the left corner, the rear end kicking out a little while the front tires pulled the 86 around the corner. "Oh for fu- If a Corolla can do it, I can do it too!" The S14 sped into the turn and drifted into the corner at high speed, catching up to Itsuki. Suddenly, the 86 disappeared from view. The curve tightened into a corner, horrifying the S14 driver. "No! It won't turn! SHIIIT!" BANG! The car screeched against the guardrail before entering a viewing deck. All the wheels were locked as it came to a sudden stop, mere inches from the guardrail. The right side was scraped through hell and back. The Miata skidded to a stop as Itsuki guided the AE86 around a corner, Its 4A-GE echoing through the night. Music Ends. "So you want some coffee?" Itsuki offered. He had pulled off the road next to a small restroom building, one that had a vending machine outside. "Sure." Rainbow Dash replied, sitting on the curb. Itsuki grabbed a coffee cup from the vending machine after paying before walking over and sitting next to Rainbow Dash. She took her cup and put a straw in it. "So that was fun." Itsuki smiled before sipping his coffee, awkwardly holding it between his hooves. "Mmm-" Rainbow finished sipping. "Yeah. It was. I take back everything I said about how racing cars couldn't compare very well against racing planes or just other pegasi. It's just as good. Heck, better!" "Mhm!" Itsuki watched Rainbow Dash continue to drink hers. "Yeah, it is. I can't wait to do more in this world." Soon, they finished their cups of coffee and got up. "So do you wanna do some more runs or?" Itsuki offered. "Mm, well-" Rainbow Dash began. vroooOOOOOOOM! VROOOOOOOOOOO Their eyes shot to the road as two cars careened towards the corner at high speed. The car behind was a white Mitsubishi 3000GT-VR4, while the car in front was a modified Competition Yellow 1993 Mazda RX-7 FD3S. The RX-7's nose dropped as it braked and skidded into the corner at high speed, the 3000GT drifting behind it. Both cars flew by, whipping both ponies' hair around before exiting and driving uphill. They soon disappeared around another corner. "Woah..." Itsuki was a bit confused. "Why do I feel like I know that FD?" He wondered. "Itsuki." Rainbow Dash suddenly said. She turned her head around to look at him and stared him dead in the eyes, smiling. Itsuki blushed as they stared, wondering what she wanted. Nearby, in the air, a pair of eyes stared at the two winged ponies. The creature they belonged to smiled, knowing what Rainbow Dash was going to say. "Teach me how to be a Street Racer." (YES I KNOW THAT WAS A SUPRA IN THE GIF! SHUSH!) Sometime later, Mount Akina Pass. A modified Competition Yellow 1993 Mazda RX-7 FD3S Spirit R sat parked at the top of the pass in the parking lot. A man sat on the tailgate. He had blond spiky hair, a dark red shirt, and black jeans with white shoes. He held a late 90s flip phone to his ear. "I'm up here bro. Battled this guy in a Z11A on the way up." The man said. "Wasn't too bad if I'm being honest. It looked rear while drive judging by how it turned and drifted with me." "What happened?" A man on the phone asked. "The guy put his hazards on and pulled over. I think he wanted me to stop, but I'm not up here for him." "Mm. Still no sign of Takumi?" "Sorry, nothin'. I think I saw a red 86 while on the way up, it was parked, but I was too busy with the race. I still can't believe how well my car handles now. I feel unstoppable." "Don't get too cocky. The race with Purple Shadow is in a few short days. We're heading to Ibaraki tomorrow." "Mm. Yeah, about that. What are we gonna do about the downhill? I'll win the uphill, but without Takumi, who the hell's gonna battle Joshima?" The man on the other end sighed as he sat in a garage. "Takumi being missing will cause issues. However, I have a plan. I won't put it into full effect until the race, just in case Takumi shows, but I'm already preparing." "Well, what is it?" The man, one in his mid-twenties with dark blue hair, wore a calm-yet-determined look on his face as he stared at the Crystal White Machine in front of him. "You'll see." Takumi silently woke up and laid on his side. His room was only illuminated by the moonlight coming through the window. That was a dream, but it wasn't. Great. They're still doing the race. He thought before sighing. "Why was it me..." He slowly and tiredly asked, noting the time on a digital clock sitting on the nightstand. 1:29AM "It just had to be me... whisked away from Project D..." A tear welled up in his eye. "I was a legend. I still am in my world, but now I really am just a legend. There will be people in Ibaraki and... all of Japan that will only have heard of me, but they'll question whether or not an 86 really raced for the D..." knock knock knock Takumi quickly wiped the tear in his eye as the door opened, revealing the regal Alicorn behind. "Oh... hey Luna." Takumi greeted, sitting up. "Takumi. I... did not know you would be awake." Luna slowly walked in and closed the door behind her. "I just..." Takumi yawned. "I just woke up." Luna sat down next to the bed. "Oh." "What do you want?" Luna's eyes widened as she realized how out of the blue her arrival in Takumi's room must have been for the teen. "Well... mm..." She sighed. "I want you... to take me on the downhill. Canterlot Turnpike." Takumi was actually a bit surprised. "You... what?" "To put it simply, I want to learn from you. How you drive, how you tackle those corners, I want to know how to take on the Canterlo-... I want to learn how to attack the Akina Downhill." She smiled. Takumi returned the smile, touched by how she said the name of his home course. "Well... sure I guess. I'm pretty awake now." Luna once again fought the temptation to squee. As Takumi got off the bed, she noticed something peculiar about the pillow his head had been on. It was wet with some water. "Takumi? What is with your pillow?" She asked, pointing at it. Takumi looked at the pillow and blushed, looking away. "I um... spilled water on it. A bit after you left." Luna looked back at the stains before getting off the bed and following Takumi out, now feeling sorry for the Alicorn. She knew it wasn't 'just water'. As she lead him in a few hours prior, she could tell he was a bit sad. He was probably thinking about his friends back home, and that put him in a sad mood. She didn't ask about it then, respecting Takumi's choice to sleep, but now, it was obvious to her. Takumi was depressed. He didn't ask to be taken to his room just so he could sleep. He wanted to be away from ponies, beings, everyone, so that no one saw him cry. Typical shy teenager stuff, but happening to a not-shy teenager. As she followed Takumi out of his room, her feeling sorry for him drowned out her excitement of him taking her on the downhill. Despite the fact he had become the best thing anyone could become in this world, despite him gaining the ability to fly and use magic and all that, he still wanted to be with his friends back home. Now that was something Luna liked. A pony who was altruistic and cared about others, not caring about what offers they may get, even if the offers would set them up for a somewhat easy and great life. Someone who wanted to do what they wanted to do, regardless of what offers they got that drove them away from their friends and family. "You know... Takumi..." She looked at the white Alicorn. His head was low, and he wore a repressed look on his face. She sighed. "If you need somepo- someone to talk to, you can always come to me and your fellow Alicorns." Takumi raised his head and looked at her. "What do you mean?" "I am just saying. If you ever feel sad, lonely, me, my sister, Cadance, and Twilight will always be happy to help." Takumi lowered his head again. "What would you girls want with a teenager who isn't from your world?" Luna felt a pain in her heart. "Takumi, you and Itsuki are Alicorns. We are very rare. The only beings rarer than us are Golden Zebras. When one of us is feeling down, It's up to the rest to bring them back up." Takumi said nothing, continuing to keep his head low. "Takumi, we are here for you. And Itsuki." She nuzzled him gently, causing him to blush. "Hey, hehe..." Takumi sighed. "I know you are. I just wish I was back with my team..." "Hm. Each of us are good at helping others out. Cadance, being the Princess of Love, is amazing at relationships. Speaking of which, here's her room right here." They grinned as they passed a door bearing Cadance's Cutie Mark on it. "Anyways," Luna continued. "Princess Twilight is good at anything friendship-related and tries her best at whatever is wrong between friends. I will admit, she can be a bit odd and even annoying with how she tries to help ponies, but just know that she is doing her best." "Hm." "My sister is over a thousand years old, so she has the experience. I am sure that in my time away, she's talked with many, many ponies who are dealing with grievances." "Makes sense. I take it the same goes for you? You have experience?" Luna nodded. "Every night when I dreamwalk, I help fillies and ponies deal with nightmares, fears, and sadness. I indeed have experience." Takumi didn't even try to wonder what the heck she meant by 'Dreamwalking'. "And um... if you ever need someone to cuddle with..." Luna blushed. "Both me and my sister will be more than happy to oblige." Takumi snickered and looked away, also blushing. "Of course. Do you have a national cuddle day or something?" "Not 'National' per se, but every Tuesday, my sister hugs everypony she meets in the castle." Takumi rolled his eyes and smirked. "Sounds interesting. And I thought you were the eccentric one." "She does it to break up the routine a little." Luna smiled. "Hm. Do you help? With the... cuddling, I mean." "Mm, rarely. I like doing it alone with just one pony. It makes it more fun. Though, it's extremely rare that I do so." She looked over at Takumi, hopeful, but was disappointed when he didn't so much as blink at what she'd just said. She looked forward as they rounded a bend. "Hm. Well..." Takumi sighed. "I guess let's head out to Akina. Er, the Turnpike." "Alright. I already followed Itsuki and Rainbow Dash out there by the way. They've been attacking that course for several hours now." Takumi looked at her, surprised. "Itsuki and Rainbow Dash?" Luna happily nodded. "Itsuki has been showing her how to race. These two ponies in an MX-5 and an S14 watched them for a bit before heading home two hours ago. They had raced, but Itsuki beat them. It was fun to watch. It's been even more fun to see Rainbow Dash try to drive. She pales in comparison to Itsuki. But, at least she's still faster than the S14 and Miata." Takumi looked forward and blinked. "Huh. Rainbow Dash is that blue pegasus, right?" "Mhm." "...Wow. I didn't think he'd be into her. I know we already talked about them liking each other and all, but still." "As I said before, they do have similar personalities." "Hm." Ohhhh I feel like a filly! Luna thought, grinning. I am going to learn how to properly attack the mountain pass!