//------------------------------// // The Expedition: Road to Silverstone // Story: The Horizon Adventures // by GT3RS //------------------------------// Friday - 7:00am Twilight fluttered her eyes open as she sat up from her bed and checked her phone. Seven o'clock. A million different thoughts of what to do went through her head, but she settled on just one for the time being... She needed a shower. Faintly shutting the bedroom door behind her, Twilight crept through the mansion only to find a lone coffee cup on the kitchen counter. She expected Luke was already gone. Festival Director things, probably. The house she tip-toed through was so big it had two bathrooms. One on the upstairs floor, next to the room the girls were staying in. The second was all the way on the other side of the house, on the first floor. Twilight chose the second one as to not wake any of the girls, they needed the extra sleep. After a quick wash, she got ready for the day ahead of her. She'd go and see Rainbow Dash, still at the Festival, then find wherever Luke was and set some concrete plans down for the Silverstone trip. Finally, she'd go and drive like a maniac some more. Going south of Broadway sounded like a nice idea... But Twilight knew she'd probably find herself in London before the day was out. Ooh, I can't wait! Silverstone is going to be amazing! But first I need to go and visit Rainbow Dash. She grabbed a purple sweater and the Apollo keys, walking past a door leading to the garage. She couldn't resist opening it as it was unlocked, excited to see what other cars Luke had in his possession. Flipping the light on illuminated four cars which were parked in a two by two grid, covered by black fabric coverings. Twilight knew the two closest to the garage doors were the Koenigsegg Gemeras, one of which was unofficially 'hers'. The other two were a little harder to recognise. After closer inspection, she found the car closest to where she stood was a Ford Focus MK2. A sporty hatchback making a reasonable 300 horsepower from a five-cylinder engine. "My only question is why a Ford Focus, when you have two hypercars and access to almost anything else?" Twilight mused to herself. She was about to walk around to the car in the farthest corner to grab a look, but the swift noises of a moving door made Twilight run back out and silently shut the door behind her. She didn't want to get caught snooping around, even if it was the garage. Luckily, she could see from the staircase up to the second floor it was just Sunset Shimmer. "Hey Twi, you good?" Twilight nodded, "Ahehe, yeah, just fine! Just going to check on Rainbow at the Festival. I woke up early." Sunset quickly hopped down the stairs, "Oh cool, can I come with? I just want to say hi and make sure she's fine." "Yep, not a problem! Let me know when you're ready," Twilight replied. Sunset nodded an affirmative and made her way to get prepared for the day. Once they were both ready, they set out through the front door. Twilight grabbed the key off of the table and locked the door from the outside, then pushed it through the letterbox when she was done. "Haven't you just locked us out?" Sunset asked. Twilight nodded and said, "Well, yes, but it's better than the door being locked and us having the only available key, right?" "Hmm, true." Twilight unlocked her Apollo Intensa Emozione and grabbed the handle of the gullwing door, "Careful with this one by the way, it goes up, not out." Sunset let out a snort and looked at the door. "Why? It's so impractical." As they both got settled into the carbon bucket seats of the car, Sunset took a few seconds to grab her door handle from the inside to pull it down. "See what I mean? Impractical." Sunset heard shuffling next to her and looked over, one look at Twilight's wide, almost manic eyes clued her in that she was going to regret saying that. Twilight delved into a five minute lecture about how, "the car industry is becoming all the same," and that, "its cool that people still make gullwing doors," because it's, "actually more practical as you don't have to worry about the car next to you, only the space above you." At the end of it Sunset just nodded and said, "If you say so." Twilight hit the 'Start' button without hesitation and the V12 situated directly behind them flicked into life. Sunset grimaced, knowing that the others would surely be awake now. "So much for letting them have a little extra sleep," Twilight chuckled. "And why it needs to be that loud, I'll never know, but please no more rants." Twilight made a slight pouty face at the rejection of her rants, which soon turned into a big grin, "Fine. But I will just say that I'm not going slow this time." "Oh hell no, you aren't going to get us both killed Twilight!" Sunset yelled. "Relax! Just let me do the driving and don't worry about it." Twilight backed the car up, almost to the wall, then shot it down the narrow dirt path that lead to the outside roads, exceeding 50mph. (80kmh) "Sweet Celestia you're actually crazy!!" Sunset shouted as she gripped onto the door handle for dear life. She wasn't paying attention to what Twilight responded with, all she heard was something about All-Wheel-Drive and, "trust me I'm not a wallrider." 8:30am The two girls arrived at the Festival, half an hour before regular visitors were permitted entry at nine o'clock. Having the Festival Director's blessing to have access to pretty much anything had its perks. Twilight maneuvered through the main road of the Festival site, however no music or cheering crowds were waiting for her. The only things she got were Horizon staff turning around to look at the speeding car. She hopped out of the Apollo as did a shaky and trembling Sunset. They were just in time to spot Luke walking out of the front doors of the main building, a woman next to him. He called them both over. "Hey! Nice to see you two over here so early. I'd like both of you to meet Haley. We're currently going through plans for future locations of the Festival." Haley gave the two a small smile, she had dark brown skin and had her hair tied up into two buns, one on top and one at the back. She sported comfortable jeans, a t-shirt and a leather jacket with an artsy mural on the back, a big difference to the blue suit that Luke was currently wearing. "Nice to meet you!" Twilight and Sunset said. "Nice to meet you too," Haley replied, exchanging polite handshakes. Luke finished writing down notes on his clipboard and looked up at Haley, "These are our current reigning champions at the Festival, they've definitely spiced up the races to say the least." "Oh yeah, Luke's been telling me all about you. Flying cars and new records, right?" Haley asked. Twilight laughed and said, "Yep, that's us! It's the Horizon spirit that brings it out." Luke once again looked up from jotting down notes, "I still need to get onto the guys over at Quartz Qustoms about that Regalia. They said it was a prototype, not an airplane! Haley, could you get onto that for me?" "Sure thing, I'll do that now. Hopefully see you two around!" She gave a wave to Twilight and Sunset as she walked off. "Soooo...." "So?" Luke asked. Twilight gave it a few seconds before almost exploding with glee, "A NEW LOCATION? You absolutely have to tell me, where are you planning, tell me, tell me, tell me!!!!" "Mexico, why? We're only considering it, nothing is finalised yet." Twilight stopped dead in her tracks. "Oh..... Huh." She expected something like Japan, not Mexico. "If we do go through with it, it'll be better than the idea you're probably thinking of. We usually spend a few months in the location to get a feel for it, and I was going to be the one travelling this time, but you guys showed up and I had to put that on hold," Luke explained. Twilight nodded, "That's fair enough, I suppose... I only wanted to know because if I go back to my world and tell everyone the next game is in Mexico and I'm right, they'll think I'm a psychic or something, which would be hilarious!" All that Luke and Sunset could do was shake their heads. Twilight and Sunset sat with Rainbow in her appointed room. Rainbow managed to pass most of her time by reading the Daring Do book she was currently clutching in her hands, Sunset was quick to notice it. "You have a Daring Do book? How is that possible?" Sunset asked after noticing it on the table. "Well when we originally went up to the city with Twilight and we all checked our cars, I found it in there! Pretty cool right?" Rainbow explained. Twilight plucked the book away and gave it an extensive look, "While it is very cool, don't leave it here. Or let anyone else see it. The rules of this world are throwing me for a loop! No cops, seemingly minor damage, the world extends beyond the border of what the game actually was, it's all very fascinating." "Egghead," Rainbow retorted. Twilight shot back with, "Who's reading the Daring Do book that I got them into, again?" "Good point, actually," Sunset said. Rainbow chuckled, "Alright you win this one, but sure, I won't leave it behind." Twilight set the book back down, "Thank you. Now, there's one more thing I need to ask. How would you feel about an expedition down to a really famous race track in a few days, once you're better of course?" "Sounds like a fun time, if everyone else is going that is," Rainbow said. "I hope to get everyone on-board with it, because it would be a nice trip before the final race," Twilight replied. She flipped through her phone calendar and confirmed The Goliath was still over a week away. "Yeah, count me in, what about you Sunset?" Rainbow asked. Sunset looked up, going over the plan in her head. "I don't see why not, it would be a good way to chill out before we need to worry about any races here. We've got time, so you can count me in too." Twilight let out a gleeful laugh as she stood up to go. "Great! Four out of six to go. Let's see if we can get the rest on board. You'll be back in no time Rainbow!" "Hehe, you know it." 11:00am "Its only eleven o'clock, its a Friday, Luke is busy, what can we do?" Twilight asked the rest of the girls. They had all regrouped back at the house and were going over plans on what to do for the day. "I'd... I'd like to try and do some drifting today if that's alright," Fluttershy said. Twilight grabbed Fluttershy and hurried out of the front door, "You absolutely can! Let's go find Maverick, this will be so fun!" The girls followed the two back out to their cars and made their way back over to the Festival, hoping to find the Horizon PR Team Director this time. Pulling back up at the Festival, Twilight caught sight of Maverick helping move some Drift Zone banners into the back of a Ford Ranger. She walked up and said, "Hey Maverick! Got something I need help with." He finished loading the banners into the truck and turned to the group, "Hey everyone, what's up?" Fluttershy stepped forward, "I-I think I'd like to try and l-learn how to drift, if that's alright with you." Maverick gave her a questioning look, "I didn't take drifting to be something that you'd like, but if you want to, sure!" Excited at the good news, Fluttershy brightened up a little, "Oh yes! When I was racing in the last race, I went sideways through one of the turns, and it just felt absolutely amazing!" Maverick smiled at the beaming girl and grabbed one of the flyers they gave out to regular visitors. It included general information about the Festival, events, music, shows, but the most important part was the map of the surrounding areas. He marked down a road that was a two minute drive south of the Festival. "Okay, if you all make your way over there, I'll get the car and some cameras ready. See you soon!" Everyone found themselves parked on the side of the road Maverick had marked. It was on a slight hill, winding down in the shape of an S. It was perfect for learning how to get the rear end of a car out. They had gathered at the apex of the corner, to catch the best view. As they waited, Twilight was talking to Fluttershy about the basics of drifting; push the clutch, drop to second gear, heel-and-toe, oversteer, countersteer, throttle control. The pink haired girl nodded along, taking all of the information in. She looked rather confident, but still anxious. "You'll be fine, okay? They've closed off the road so no one but us can see it, and I feel like you'll really enjoy it. I never took drifting to be your niche, but I can understand why," Twilight assured her. "Mhm, it's going to be so fun!" Fluttershy replied, excited to finally get behind the wheel of something she could throw around. Just as they were done talking, a thunderous roar of an engine could be heard through the trees. The girls all looked to where it was coming from just in time to see Maverick return with a cherry red 1990 Mazda RX7 Savanna. "That looks mighty fine!" Applejack said as he handed the keys to Fluttershy. Maverick acknowledged the compliment of the car, "Oh yeah, can't go wrong with this. Full Bomex widebody kit, huge wing for downforce, Rotiform CBUs, drift focused tyres; two-seventy-five in the rear with two-sixty-fives in front, upgraded brakes, custom exhaust, lowered two inches... All in all its a pretty good starting car pushing out three hundred horsepower." Twilight walked around the car and gave an approving look. "Very nice build! I love the Rotiforms. Did Drift Club let you borrow it for a while?" Maverick nodded, "Yep, those guys can work their magic on almost anything. Alright, let's get started!" Various cameras at different sections of the road had been set up to record the runs Fluttershy did, and to attribute a points score. She felt rather confident at the wheel of the RX7, a strange feeling for a girl known for her shyness. Her friends all cheered and waved when the rotary under the hood started up. She could even see that Rarity had started a video call with Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy U-turned in the opposite direction and gave them all a wave as she passed, making her way up to the top of the road, where the Drift Zone banners started. "Can I get a radio check?" a voice asked as it came through the door speaker. "Oh! Hello, who's this?" Fluttershy responded. Maverick's voice came through the speaker again, "It's just me, making sure the radios are working. If you need any help or pointers just press the button labelled Radio on the center console." "Alright, thank you!" Pulling another U-Turn, she stopped infront of where the banners started. Giving it a second thought, she reversed to give a better run up to the corner. It's just like Twilight said, clutch, oversteer, countersteer. That should work. Fluttershy aligned the wheels with the road and shifted back down to neutral. Giving the gas a small jab sent small crackles out of the exhaust. Let's do this! She put the car in first and eased onto the throttle. Second gear... Upshifting to second, Fluttershy saw that the Zone was about twenty meters ahead. Okay, into third. The camera flashed as she hit third, Fluttershy was now in the Drift Zone. The first turn laid another thirty meters ahead. She pumped the clutch and dropped the car down into second gear, the turn almost right in front of her. She could feel the back end starting to swing out. Oversteer, Remembering what Twilight told her, Fluttershy swung a left, initiating the drift. The weight of the car shifted as she was glided through the turn. and then countersteer! Pulling the wheel back to the right proved no match for the forces already set in motion. The car continued sliding left as she lost sight of the road, everything becoming a greenish blur. The Mazda skidded to a sudden halt, skewed across both lanes of the road. Fluttershy was very glad she had a helmet on. "You alright there? Need any help?" Maverick asked through the radio. "N-no, I'm fine. Just too much to the left is all," Fluttershy said hoarsely. "I saw, you were also coming in very fast. If you come in slower, the turn won't be as sudden, okay?" "Got it," she replied. Alright, let's try this again... Fluttershy thought to herself. She couldn't be too displeased though, nothing ever goes right the first time. Back up at the top of the road, she stopped closer to the Zone but still gave enough room for a decent run up. The car accelerated, this time Fluttershy only got it to second before hitting the zone. She pushed the clutch in and let off, sending a power surge to the rear wheels as the RPMs started to bounce and the Mazda let out a high pitched wail. The back end slid out again and she embraced it, pulling a softer angle to the left before pulling the wheel back to the right. Woohoo! I did it! The road before her continued on straight, so Fluttershy countersteered her countersteer, fishtailing the car through until it reached the next turn, a sweeping right. Another clutch pump sent her into the turn earlier than anticipated. She pulled right, then forced it left. The sudden loss of grip and steering angle sent Fluttershy near the edge of the asphalt. Looking out of the passenger window, she could see she was only half on the road. The rear wheels kicked up dirt and flung it every which way, including at the group of girls watching. Within her immense focus on steering the car through the corner, Fluttershy forgot to keep her foot on the gas. Oh..... Time felt like it slowed to a crawl as adrenaline coursed through her body, she slammed the pedal to the floor and let out a panicked scream, "Aaaaaaaahhh!!!!!!" In mere seconds, the car swung back onto the road and she steered it through the last of the Zone banners, heart pounding and breath heavy. Fluttershy released her vice grip from the wheel, looked down at her feet, then back up at the road laid out ahead. She let out a triumphant, "I DID IT!!" before checking her rearview mirror. She was pretty mortified to see five of her friends, and a phone, caked in dirt already making their way over. Pinkie opened the door and gave Fluttershy a hug while the others gathered around, "That was super duper!" Fluttershy let out a nervous laugh as she wiped some of the dirt off of her arm, "Hehe, yeah..." Twilight was next to congratulate her on the newfound passion, "That really was awesome, you were so close to sliding right off the road, I can't believe you pulled it off!" "I, um, can't really believe it either," the meek girl replied. Rarity held her phone out, mud covering the bottom half. Rainbow Dash called out through the speakers, "That was so freakin cool! I recorded the call and I think I got it, you'll have to check it out!" "Thanks Rainbow," Fluttershy said with a smile. The girls stepped back from the Mazda as she drove back up to the top for another run. They made sure to stay much farther away this time. 4:00pm After much more drifting and Fluttershy setting a new record for A-Class Drift Cars completely on accident, the group made their way back to Luke's mansion. They had only just gotten through the door when a voice called out, "Hey guys, guess who's here!" Six voices all shouted, "Rainbow!" She rounded the corner and embraced them in a group hug, "Yep! Got allowed to leave Medical about an hour ago, so I came back here. I feel a lot better." "That's great to hear, how's everyone doing?" Luke said, walking into the foyer. He was carrying a large roll of black vinyl wrap with a cutting knife in the other hand. "We're doing great! What are you doing with that?" Twilight asked. Luke looked at the roll clutched under his arm, "Oh, this? I was just about to go and put a sunstrip on one of my cars." "Ooh! What one?" she asked. Luke started walking towards the garage door, "Come have a look." Twilight followed, curious as to what the car she didn't see earlier was. The rest of the group soon followed. Luke flicked the light switch on to reveal that the two Gemeras and Focus RS were gone. Various car parts and tools laid scattered around the floor. The only car in the garage... Was something Twilight didn't recognise at all. "What is that?" she said, pointing to the car in the middle of the garage. Luke walked up to it and said, "Oh, this? You're gonna love this. It's a..." He breathed in, then spoke. "Ford Fiesta Mark-Six Zetec S Celebration Edition Number Four-Six-Two." Twilight just looked at him with a blank look on her face, "It's a what?" Luke let out a chuckle before explaining, "It's a Ford Fiesta. A really bright, and rare, Ford Fiesta." The car currently being scrutinised was a small hatchback, finished in a bright eye-catching green. It sported a sizeable, yet simple, black spoiler on the back. Various aftermarket external mods had been applied, such as mud flaps, side skirts and a front splitter. Covering the entire roof was a vinyl decal of a white and black checkered pattern. "Do forgive me for this, but... Why?" Rarity asked. Luke looked lovingly at the car next to him, then at Rarity. "It was a limited run of just four hundred in this colour, each individually numbered. Ford never kept a record, but I'd estimate there's only two hundred still driving around. As for me? It was my first car. I've had it for almost five years now and I don't plan on selling it. I've made it my own." Twilight looked it up and down, "It's bold, to say the least. Have you done anything to the internals?" "The original engine only pushed out a hundred horses. I've engine swapped it with one from a Fiesta ST, the trim above, that pushed out about a hundred and fifty horsepower. It's getting almost five hundred currently." Twilight smiled in approval and turned around to face her friends, "I just remembered to ask. Now that we're all able to get back behind the wheel, what about... We go on an expedition down to Silverstone? It's Friday today, we could do it over the weekend!" Applejack clicked her finger and nodded. "Doesn't sound like a bad idea sugarcube. More racing Ah take it?" Luke set down the vinyl he was holding and said, "Sort of. The thing is, on Sunday there's a huge event being held called FordFair. I was hoping to go this year. We'd leave on Saturday, stay the night in a nearby hotel, then have the whole day for it." "So it's going to be a huge Ford meet?" Twilight asked. "Pretty much. We can just walk around, check out the cars, I'm obviously going out on track and any of you are welcome to join me for it, so are you in?" Luke said. Sunset spoke up first, "You already know me and R.D. are both in." "I don't see why not, it sounds like fun!" Fluttershy replied. Applejack also liked the idea, "If there's gonna be some big trucks there Ah'm all in." Pinkie Pie just replied with, "Okie dokie lokie!" Rarity gave her answer a few seconds of thought before coming to the conclusion, "Absolutely! Would we be passing through more forests? The landscape is absolutely divine, I must go and see more of it." Twilight beamed and gleefully exclaimed, "Great! I'll go and start sorting out what I'm going to take with me. It might be best if we take the things from in our original cars..." She paused and thought for a second, before turning around to face Luke again. "Wait. What are we going to be driving? None of us have Fords." Luke nonchalantly waved a hand, "Don't worry about it, I've got it covered." Saturday - 9:00am Warmth carried by a flittering wind danced throughout the thick forests and vast fields of Britain as another summers morning started. It was only nine o'clock, but the sun was already up and shining. As was Luke. He was just making his way out of the front door. Twilight noticed as she was walking by and said, "Hey! Where are you off to?" "Just gotta sort some stuff out regarding our weekend plans, Maverick and Haley will basically be in charge while we're gone, won't take a minute." "Okay cool, I'm coming with!" she said, closing the door behind her. "Okay, if you insist..." At the Festival, Luke had flagged down Maverick and Haley. Twilight was beside them, listening attentively. Luke passed a piece of paper with a list of cars written down over to Maverick, "Just wondering, do you think that you'd be able to get all of these... Say, I don't know... In the next four hours?" Maverick read up and down the list silently muttering to himself before looking back up, "Mate, I know you're spontaneous, but that's gonna be tight. I'll see what I can do though." "Cheers. It'll make the drive so much more fun," Luke said. He turned to face Haley. "I've got a question, how would you like to join us on the Silverstone trip?" Haley looked taken aback, "I'd love to! But who's going to be running the Festival while we're gone? I can't just up and leave the place on its own." "I've got some of the senior staff doing the important stuff. Other than that, this place runs itself. So, what do you say?" Haley smiled and said, "Go on then, why not! It'll be a blast." Twilight found herself deep in thought again, not paying attention to the conversation around her. She did, however, jerk her head back up when she thought she heard Maverick saying, "Eleven hundred horsepower." "What was that?" she inquired. Maverick and Luke sheepishly brushed it off, "Nothing!" 1:00pm Twilight, her friends, Luke and Haley all found themselves in one of the Festival's loading bays. This one was emptier than most, being blocked off by barriers for an imminent delivery of goods. "We're meant ta be leavin' soon, why have ya brought us out here for?" Applejack asked. "Patience," Twilight replied. "But..." Twilight held a finger to her mouth, "Patience..." Luke pointed in the direction of the goods in question, "Here it is! Here it is!" Two semi-trucks made their way through the Festival and rolled to a stop besides the group. Behind them, a smaller van parked up directly next to Luke and Maverick stepped out. "What do you lot think of the new van?" he asked triumphantly. The front section of the van was bright orange, which faded into a pink along the first quarter. The pink lead into a darker purple, and finally a smooth white along the rear half of the vehicle. The letters 'HORIZON RACING TEAM' were sprawled out on the sides of the loading doors. Various brand logos and sponsors were dotted in strategic places to show them off. Upon closer inspection, Twilight recognised it as a Ford Supervan 3. "No way!" she exclaimed, "You have a racing team?!" Luke let out a small laugh, "We didn't up until our Silverstone trip was decided. I got all of this together in only two days, thanks to everyone's help." All around the group, people were loading up various items related to motorsports; tires, pressure guages, spare parts, power tools. An unnamed staff member handed Luke a large box, "Thanks Josh," he replied. Josh nodded and hurried off to help unload more things, while Luke gathered everyone's attention. "Alright guys! Firstly, I can't thank all of you enough for helping me literally form our own racing team in two days, especially Maverick!" — the two shared a quick fistbump — "He sourced us the seven cars that will be travelling with us to Silverstone, within the last four hours. Him, Haley, and our current reigning Superstars will all be going. This is going to be awesome, let's get those cars down and start our journey!" The newly formed Horizon Racing Team shared a moment of celebration, before turning to look at their new rides. The first truck began to release its contents. A 1970 Ford GT70 with a stunning bright blue paintjob was unloaded. It looked like the older GT40s that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans multiple times. The next car off was a 2017 Ford GT with a Heritage Edition livery. The excessive use of carbon fibre and precise aerodynamics would give it a great advantage over other cars on the track. The third car, a dark red 2018 Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5 was backed out onto the road. Fluttershy took a particular interest, expecting to have some more drift shenanigans around the Silverstone circuit. As the first truck set off, the larger second trailer was also unloaded. A snow white 1977 Ford #5 Escort RS1800 Mk2 was first to be revealed. It sported a racing livery consisting of red and blue accents, shaped to look like parts of the UK's Union Jack flag. Various sponsors were also present around the car. Among the lineup was a 1999 Ford Racing Puma in a dark blue with white stripes across the sides and top sections. Attached to the rear was a large wing to give it the racing look. After the Puma came an unexpected car, a 2014 Ford Fiesta ST in bright pink metal flake. The HRE C109s it sat on were also bright metal flake, although purple. It had completely blacked out windows, along with mirror caps and a spoiler decorated in black paint. Twilight had to hold in her laughter at the sight of the thing, however her laughter stopped once she saw the next car roll out. A black Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 was the last car to be unloaded, it had the full Track Package of carbon fibre wheels and a large wing for extra downforce. Two red stripes stretched across the length of the car, over the bonnet, roof and trunk. A striking contrast to the stealthy black that adorned the rest of the car. Twilight looked around until she found Luke, engaged in a conversation with Haley. She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away. "Yeah so about tha- whoa!" "What's that." Twilight deadpanned face to face with Luke, pointing at the Mustang. "It's a Shelby GT500, newest one, we only got it last week," he said. "Okay cool, I think I've picked what I'll be driving," "Well I was thinki—" "Nope, I'm driving that one," Twilight reaffirmed. Luke just shrugged, "Okay, suit yourself." As the two trucks made their exit, so did the rest of the commotion. All of the equipment needed for the cars was in the Supervan, which Maverick found himself at the wheel of. Haley found herself in Luke's Fiesta, while he drove the Mk2 Focus RS. Rolling down his window, he called out to the girls, "Seven of you, seven cars! Pick whatever ones you want. Just one thing, check in the glovebox if there's a pass to get into Silverstone, you'll need it." They all nodded and huddled together, deciding who would take what car. "So, who wants to go first?" Pinkie asked. "Ah think Ah know what you'll be takin, Pinks," Applejack said. "Absodutelylutely! Pink car it is!" she said as she zipped over to the bright pink Fiesta ST and climbed in. Applejack took one look at the array of cars and settled on her pick, "Ah've got it," she said, breaking away from the group towards the #5 Escort RS1800 Mk2. Rainbow Dash was up next, "Anyone know how powerful that blue one is?" she asked, eyeing the Ford GT70. "About two hundred horsepower," Twilight answered. "Great! I'll take that one then. Something low power is just what I need right now," Rainbow said, sitting in the GT70 and starting it up. The rest of the girls looked to Fluttershy, already in the RTR Spec 5. "Sorry girls, I've gotta have this one!" Rarity pondered which car to pick. Three were left, the GT500, GT and Racing Puma. She eventually decided on the Puma, the blue with white stripes beckoning the fashionista over. "That just leaves you and me, Twi. I want that GT500," Sunset said, crossing her arms. Twilight nodded, "So it does... And I'm willing to bet there won't be any others at Ford Fair either. Pick a number between one and five, if you get it right you can take the GT500. Sound good?" "I'll take you up on that, Sparky! On the count of three, ready?" "One," "Two," "Three!" "Three!" "Four!" "Dammit!" Sunset begrudgingly said. She hopped into the GT Heritage while Twilight swaggered over to the Shelby. Starting it up elicited a roar from the 5.2 Litre Predator V8. The cars already had radios connected in a style reminiscent of old Top Gear. Twilight's voice came in through the low static. "You know I had to do it to em." Sunset got on the radio and replied, "Oh ha, ha, very funny. I'm actually not complaining, this is quite nice." Luke joined in, "Apart from the fact that you just scared the hell out of me, has everyone got their passes, and their maps set?" He got responses of confirmation from the nine other people in the convoy. "Great, then let's set off!" The group slowly made their way through the exit of the loading bay, Twilight taking lead. The time was 01:30pm. A few sneaky photographers who had noticed the lineup were waiting by the exit, snapping photographs and taking videos. As they pulled out onto the main road, Twilight noticed the crowds of fans lining both sides, held back by barriers. They were pointing and smiling, happy to see such a diverse range of cars rolling through the Festival. She gave them a wave and a rather large rev to boot, getting some cheers out of the people watching. Once everyone was out of the Festival gates, they stuck close together. They initially detoured up to Edinburgh, skirting around the city centre to avoid the copious amounts of traffic and coming out on the east side. Although this was the fastest route to Silverstone, it served another purpose. 3:00pm Twilight pulled right into the Bamburgh Castle car park, the convoy slowly rolling through the entrance. It sat opposite the castle, overlooking the vast blue sea many feet below the rocky cliff edge. Everyone parked in the corner closest to the Castle and made their way over. "So why're we at a castle?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Photoshoot opportunity, couldn't pass it up!" Twilight enthusiastically said, hopping in place. "Good thing I brought the gear," Maverick said, holding an expensive camera rig. A light breeze blew over the clifftop, making Twilight huddle slightly in the purple sweater she made sure to pack. She wandered over to a railing, looking out at the expanse of ocean as she just... thought. Not about science, or magic, or even cars, just diving head first into the depths of her inner mind. She noticed how odd it was being inside a real castle! Not many of those existed back home, especially in Canterlot City. Twilight looked out at the blue that held most of her vision, if she remembered correctly, directly ahead would be Norway. I'd love to visit mainland Europe some day... "Twiii, hey Twi!" Rainbow called. Twilight jerked her body around, startled at the sudden calling behind her. She pushed her glasses upwards, "Um, yes?" "Come on, let's get back on the road! It'll be dark by the time we get to this track." Twilight checked her phone and found the time was only ten past three in the afternoon, however she obliged and started walking back down to the car park. Maverick and Luke were crouched down taking multiple pictures of the car lineup, if the sound of rapid clicks was anything to go by. "Gotta get those angles bro," Luke said. Maverick continued taking more photos, "You know it! These are gonna come out sweet." 4:30pm Before long everyone was back on track for Silverstone and was heading southbound on the A1 motorway. After another hour of driving, they decided to pull in at a service station to refill the cars and grab some snacks. Sunset Shimmer made her way out of the Greggs with a Sausage Roll, "Have you girls tried these? They're amazing!" By five o'clock the convoy was once again driving. However, instead of taking lead like she had previously, Twilight opted to relax at the rear for a while. It didn't take long for the traffic to thin out around the group, as a long straight laid itself out and cut through the aisles of trees on either side of the motorway. Without warning she swung the Shelby left and blasted by everyone else, the acceleration pushing her into the carbon bucket seat. By the time she had let off the gas, the speedometer read 130mph. (209kmh) Definitely the right choice picking the GT500, she thought to herself. Quickly glancing to her drivers-side mirror, Twilight was about to indicate back into the fast lane when she noticed another car speeding to catch up. Luke's Focus shot past the Shelby in a blue blur. Twilight trailed it with her eyes for a second before planting her foot down in an effort to catch up. To her surprise, it was rather difficult. The two were eventually side by side, cruising along at a slower and steadier speed. Twilight flicked her radio on, "How about a race?" "Sure, you want to do the honors?" Luke replied. Both of them turned to face eachother, despite the distance, waiting for the signal to go. Twilight held three fingers up. She lowered one finger, then the second, and finally the last. Both cars shot forward, green trees and silver railings going from somewhat recognisable to a blend of different colours. The force of the acceleration pushed the Shelby's front end up and made Twilight's eyes feel like they were going to roll back into her head, she had to wrestle with the steering wheel just to keep the car straight! She glanced to the side mirror, expecting to have passed Luke. However, looking forward showed his Focus blazing ahead once again. It was an odd feeling, this brand new ultimate Mustang getting thrashed by a kind-of sporty hatchback. Nevertheless, Twilight flicked her radio back on and congratulated Luke on his win. The pair continued to play catch-up with eachother until they were seemingly so far ahead, it would take the rest of the group a while to join them. 6:00pm Twilight eased her car off of the motorway and parked up at another petrol station. Was this the fourth or fifth one? She had lost track by that point. Luke followed closely behind, his tank running low. Twilight pondered the oddity that she had filled her Shelby up at the last fuel stop, while Luke hadn't. Such is the cost of having such a gas guzzling V8, but it's worth it just for the noise alone, she thought. Once they were done, Luke and Twilight made their way inside the building, paying for the petrol and grabbing a few snacks to recharge before getting back out on the road. They moved the cars to fill up some empty parking spaces, as not to inconvenience other drivers. Twilight stood next to her car admiring it, appreciating the fact that it was still warm outside despite the evening beginning to set in. "You know, I expected there to be more rain, but I haven't even seen it once!" she said. Luke slowly looked up from playing a game on his phone. "Oh, Britain gets a bad rep for being so dull and grey, but it's really not like that. In the summer anyway." Twilight turned away. She leaned on the rear wing and let out a sigh, "Yeah..." Luke looked up again. With a hint of softness to his voice he said, "Hey, you okay?" "I'm fine! It's just..." she gestured to the surrounding trees and cars passing by, "this, I guess. I've never really been on a trip like this, so it's all new." "Yeah, I get that, but don't worry abou– Whoa!" Twilight leant forward and wrapped her arms around Luke for a split second in a hugging embrace before quickly pulling back, her face a shade of deep crimson. Luke looked back at Twilight, shocked, it was the last thing he had expected, "What was that for?" Twilight looked up, face still red, "Just... Thank you. For everything you've done for us." "You're welcome Twilight, it's been a blast having you at the Festival." 8:30pm Just as the sun was beginning to dip beyond the thick trees and tall buildings, the Horizon Racing Team finally arrived at the Silverstone Circuit, parking outside of the luxurious Hilton Garden Inn. The building was more long than it was tall, reaching only six stories high, but stretched the entire length of the car park which was packed with other Fords. It was finished in a smooth modern white and had parallelogram shaped windows, giving a sense the building was moving at speed like cars on the track behind it. Everyone gathered up the things that they'd need for the night and made their way into the front lobby. Luke was the first to enter, noting the theme of motorsport throughout the room. Coffee tables were expertly crafted from engine blocks, with portraits of famous drivers lining the walls. There was even a Formula 1 car hanging from the ceiling. The decor got a few oohs and aahs out of the group as they checked in and soon split off to go to their respective rooms. Luckily enough, all of the girls got their own room together. Twilight opened the door and couldn't believe her eyes as she walked in, the description of 'room' was an understatement, it was more like an entire third of the top floor. Plush grey carpet sprawled out from end to end, with seven beds arranged around the perimeter. More racing memorabilia was hung up on the walls and dotted about, just like the hotel lobby with everything being a shade of white or black. The curtains were even chequered! Rainbow Dash flopped down onto one of the massive beds nearer the door, "This is sweet! So bouncy." Pinkie followed soon after, "I know right! We could totally stay up all night and we could play games and watch movies and eat popcorn and–" The girls looked over to see her fast asleep like nothing had ever happened. Rarity let out a small yawn, "I don't know about you girls but I think she might have a point, goodnight darlings." That sounded like a pretty neat idea. Twilight made her way over to the fluffy bed by the large diagonal window, which still gave an impressive outlook over the dormant racetrack below. A few stray spotlights illuminated bits here and there, surely spots the girls would be dominating the next day. It didn't take long for the fluffy embrace of the duvet to slowly pull her towards sleep. A resistance of excited thoughts tried to keep her awake, but Twilight forced them down. She'd need all the energy possible for tomorrow. This is gonna be so.. much... fun.