Always the tidy and fastidious one, Rarity cleaned up all of the crumbs and dirt on the dining floor, and then washed the dishes.
“It is proper etiquette of a true regal pony to clean up after one’s self and make sure that the appeal is proper, neat, and clean-looking,” she complimented. “Rainbow dear, would it hurt so much as to put the sweet bun packaging in the trash can?”
“Um, no Rarity, it wouldn’t,” Rainbow Dash replied, quickly grabbing the packaging on the floor and shoving it into the trash bin.”
With the kitchen and the family room clean, Rarity headed to the door, while Fluttershy went to check out the guest bedroom that Justin had prepared for them. There was a large queen-sized bed, complete with a dog bed for Spike and a little box for Angel Bunny. He had also laid out a nice pink chest of drawers and a storage bin for them as well. In the corner was a cardboard box with a label that said FOR FLUTTERSHY.
Walking over, Fluttershy opened the box and pulled out the contents. She could barely believe her eyes. Inside were an assortment of items – a racing helmet for her, a flameproof racing suit in the blue-and-yellow style of the Wonderbolts, and the clothes that Lorraine had made for her. On top of the chest of drawers lay a stack of banknotes, the Supra’s registration papers, and an invitation letter complete with a ticket.
“You ready yet?” Starlight Glimmer called out from the hall.
“Ah! Sorry, Starlight, you scared me a little there,” Fluttershy replied. “Just a moment please.” She closed the door and slipped on the clothes, wearing her flowery panties, casual pants, and a T-shirt. Then she took her ID card, license card, and license papers and placed them on the chest of drawers before exiting the room.
“Everypony ready?” she asked kindly, opening the back door.
“Ready,” Rainbow Dash replied instantly, obviously the most eager.
They all filed out of the house, with Angel Buny staying in the family room, content with a nice nap.
Fluttershy led them around the deck towards the driveway, where they all gazed out to the breathtaking scenery that laid before them. The clear blue waters of the Californian bay could clearly be seen, due to the fact that Justin’s mansion was technically on a hill.
“Down here,” Fluttershy ushered, pointing to the white steel gates at the end of the driveway, which sloped down towards the angled road. There was a digital keypad on the other side, but thankfully, Fluttershy knew the code. She flew over the gates to the other side and typed in the code using her nose. The gates’ bolts clicked, and she swung them open, allowing her friends to walk onto the road.
“Watch for cars,” she warned, pushing the gates closed and retyping in the code.
With the house secure, Fluttershy and her seven friends set off, Pinkie Pie and Starlight Glimmer bringing up the rear as usual. They set off down the road to the main highway, where they could walk on the grassy hillside close to the road and enjoy the oceanic views. It was hard to hold a discussion because the cars and trucks that passed by at high speed were so noisy.
“What was that?” Rarity asked as they continued ever further from home, trying to pick up what Twilight was telling her about the coastline’s shape and structure.
Fluttershy was a little disappointed, as she wasn’t too familiar with the area either. In a bid to keep her friends entertained, she encouraged them to go up the hill, where there would be less wind and less traffic noise.
Much better, Applejack thought, as they settled down at the top of a steep hill to relax in the sun’s rays.
“We should have eaten our food out here,” Starlight Glimmer suggested. “I mean, no offense to Justin, but being up here seems so much better than in that dining room.”
Rarity nodded sadly. “At least we have the sunlight and the lapping waves. Fluttershy, you were right. I guess the earth really is a beautiful place if you view it from the right angle.”
Fluttershy nodded proudly. “Shall we go now?”
“I still got some steam,” Applejack said proudly, as they reached the bottom of the hill.
“I am just out!” Rarity said, huffing. “That was quite a climb and descent! But, the scene was totally worth it.”
Back at the house, Fluttershy closed the gates but didn’t lock them.
“Shall I show you the one thing you’ve all been waiting for?” she said excitedly, almost pacing.
“Yes please!” Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash said at the same time.
“Ok, just a moment please,” Fluttershy replied, and flew around to the back of the house. Angel Bunny had woken up from his nap and was resting in the grass near the pool, beside the deck. Opening the patio doors and dashing inside, Fluttershy headed into her room, pulled off her clothes, and slid into the suit. It wasn’t loose but there was enough room for her to bend and flex freely. Then she took her license card, license papers, the Supra’s registration papers, and stuffed it all into her saddle bag. Loosely strapping it on, she headed for the door to the garage and opened it.
There, in all its beauty and glory, was her beloved car. Or was it? Though still a Supra, it looked a lot different. Taped to the wall just below the key hook was a note. She pulled it off and read it.
I have given your car a few upgrades. I have upgraded the turbocharger parts, upgraded the brakes and brake fluid system, changed the seats, put in some new safety racing harnesses, changed the steering wheel, installed a roll cage, exchanged the boost controller pod for a simple adjustment knob, changed the exhaust, changed the rims, and gave the car a shiny black paint finish.
Hope you like it,
Justin Davis
Fluttershy sighed and smiled. She was happy with the upgrades, but felt it would have been better if he’d asked her about them first before doing so.
Grasping the key in her mouth, she waked over to the garage door behind the car, grabbed a handle, and shoved the door upwards.
Her friends were just lost for words. Even Rainbow Dash had her mouth agape in utter shock.
Fluttershy smiled proudly. “By the way, this suit was given to me by Justin. I didn’t have it before, so it looks like he made it as a welcoming return gift. And yes, the car has been modified a little from the last time I drove it.” She pushed the key into the hole in the door and unlocked the door. Opening the door, she noticed that the roll cage made it a lot harder to get in. She had to lean forward to be able to step into the driver’s seat.
“Well, it’s been quite a while, but here goes nothing,” she whispered to herself, pressing the clutch down. Then, with a deep breath, she pushed the key into the ignition, and turned it. The 2JZ engine roared to life, scaring her just as it had the first time she started the car. Letting the car idle for a few minutes, she took out her license card, papers, and documents, and slid them into the glovebox. Then she tossed the saddle bag into the footwell on the passenger side, before clambering back out of the car.
“So…”
“This is just the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen!” Twilight Sparkle exclaimed.
“Just fabulous, darling!” Rarity complimented. “I love the smooth lines and graceful curves of the bodywork! And don’t get me started on that gleaming, lustrous black paint…”
“Can I drive?” Pinkie asked quickly.
Fluttershy smiled and shook her head. “Oh no no Pinkie, this is no toy. Tens of thousands of bits have been invested in this machine.”
“Sweet Celestia!” Rarity exclaimed.
“What the hay?!” Applejack burst out. “How do you spend so much bits on such a thing?”
“The best quality comes at a price,” Fluttershy replied. “Rarity sure knows that from visiting Canterlot. Now, who’d like to go for a drive?”
Every single one of them put their hooves up. Pinkie Pie even made a puppy face.
Fluttershy smiled and sighed sadly. “Well, let’s see. Because of the roll cage – that’s that black metal frame you see inside – I can’t risk you hitting your heads. And there are only two rear seat belts. As such, only three at a time. Okay?”
The six friends nodded. “All right.”
Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle elected to go first, along with Spike, who would sit on Twilight’s lap and grasp her chest for protection. Rainbow Dash and Rarity sat in the back, getting in via the trunk, while Twilight Sparkle and Spike sat in the front. Starlight Glimmer and the others headed back inside the house for some more chill-out.
Fluttershy shut the trunk, climbed back in, and shut the doors. She then showed Twilight Sparkle how to buckle the 5-point safety harness. Rainbow Dash and Rarity in the back buckled up too. Finally, everyone was ready.
“This car has one large turbo putting out about 40 psi at full power, along with a six-speed manual transmission. The roll cage prevents us from getting crushed should the car roll over in an accident,” Fluttershy explained as she shifted into reverse and rolled out of the garage. Shutting the garage door and the gates behind her, she gently drove out onto the main highway.
“Okay, so this car has many features as you can tell,” Fluttershy began, cruising at a modest 60 km/h, which still felt a little fast for Rarity.
“Down here it has a touch screen head unit, and two gauges monitoring a few bits of information about the car, such as the air-fuel ratio and the boost level.”
“How do the levels change?” Twilight Sparkle asked, eager to learn more about the mechanics of the car.
“They change…” Fluttershy glanced in the rearview mirror for a final check, then changed lanes, remembering to flip on the indicator light. “…That gesture you just saw was to inform other road users that I’m changing lanes so they can adjust their speed to avoid any collisions. It’s called indicating, and is performed by simply flipping a switch on and off. Now, the gauge levels change according to how the engine and the parts it interacts with are behaving. So let’s start at a low boost setting of 20 psi, hit it, and see how it goes.”
“No, wait, I—” Twilight began.
Fluttershy pressed the gas hard, spooling up the turbo and sending the car flying forward at mind-blowing speed, knocking her friends back in their seats rather painfully. She struggled to hold tightly onto the steering wheel and keep it straight as the speedometer needle shot up from 60 km/h to 180 km/h in few mere seconds. She shifted into third and then fourth as the speed increased rapidly.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Rarity screamed, almost outdoing the turbo itself for the loudest sound heard.
“Sweet Celestia!” Rainbow Dash yelped.
“T-t-this is cr-crazy fast!” Twilight Sparkle exclaimed in a rather creaky voice, held in by her racing harness. Spike dug his claws into her fur, trying not to be thrown about.
The car felt like it rocked backwards a bit as Fluttershy threw it into neutral and let off the gas to let the engine slow down a little.
“Oh, how it still is a shocker after all these months,” Fluttershy said with a grin.
Rarity was speechless, huffing and gasping with relief. She almost looked dead from Fluttershy’s viewpoint in the rearview mirror.
“That was crazy!” Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, a hint of anger in her voice. “You could have gotten killed!”
Fluttershy shook her head and shifted back into second gear. “Oh no, Twilight, I’ve driven this car even faster. It has been a while though since I did so.”
“That was…AWESOME!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, jumping up and down in her seat. “Whoooooooooooo-weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”
Fluttershy beamed. “And that’s only low boost!”
“What?!” Rarity and Twilight exclaimed at the same time. “You mean, the Supra can go even faster?!”
Fluttershy nodded proudly. “Remember I said that it was around 40 psi? That pull was at just 20 psi.”
Twilight’s mouth dropped open as Fluttershy drove them further down the highway at a modest 90 km/h. It was her first time performing a pull in her Supra in five months, and the first time a few of her friends got to have the same experience.