The Eight-Six Duo

by Fujimi200SX

Act 12: Learn to Drive

Luna watched as a Thestral the same color as the RX-7, Competition Yellow Mica, stamped his hoof. The Thestral had Brown Eyes and Crimson Red Hair. He looked to be in his early-to-mid-twenties.

"Goddammit. No matter what I do, I just can't beat him. What the hell is WRONG WITH ME?!" The Thestral angrily kicked a rock across the road, sending it off the cliff.

Luna watched the Thestral turn and stare at the RX-7. She was very intrigued by his appearance, as Thestral's generally tended to have a darker and intimidating color pallet. This Thestral could easily be mistaken for a pony if it weren't for his wings and ears.

"Even with these upgrades, I still can't beat a twenty-year-old Ferrari. What will my brother say? How would he react when I tell him I can't beat a godforsaken INTRODUCTORY Ferrari?" The Thestral sat down and leaned back against his car. "I guess this is a dream... It's not like it's real. Maybe I can't beat Isekai here because It's some sick lucid nightmare that physically will not let me beat him."

Luna sighed and gently landed behind the RX-7. "Ahem."

The Thestral looked over, eyes widening. "What the-? Who the hell are you?"

"Fear not, for I am Princess Luna. I watched your battle with that Ferrari."

The Thestral scoffed. "Great. Are you some kind of spirit or something? Here to 'eviscerate my nightmares'? Cause you did a pretty bad job of that just now."

Luna slowly walked over and sat next to the Thestral, who grew a little uncomfortable. "I apologize. I have never been in a dream like this, and your fear was unlike anything I have seen before. I was ready to eviscerate should something bad have happened."

"Yeah. Sure. So, Princess Luna? Was it? Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Luna was surprised. What Thestral didn't know about her? "I was floating through the dream realm and happened upon your dream. It intrigued me, as I thought the dream was without a host."

"Hm. So what, you just go through this 'dream realm' and help people?"

Luna nodded.

The Thestral grew silent. Luna, before she spoke again, looked at the RX-7 behind her.

It was very modified, sporting an RE Amemiya GT-AD aero kit with carbon fiber canards, an RE Amemiya GT II Wing, and bronze SSR type C rims, to name a few. It didn't even have Retractable Headlights. It was by far the most modified car she had ever had the pleasure of being this close to.

"Do you street race?" she curiously asked.

"Yeah. I do," the Thestral arrogantly replied.

"Hm. What is thy name?"

The Thestral looked at her. "Thy name? What's with that kind of talk?"

Luna chuckled. "A mere slip of the tongue."

"Hm." He looked back at the ground.

Luna tilted her head, wondering what was wrong with this Thestral. After a moment, she sighed and looked around at the night sky, admiring the stars and listening to the idle of the RX-7. She had to admit, this Thestral had crafted quite the detailed landscape. Usually, the dreams would 'cut off' after a mile or so. Faded into fog or mist. While there was some fog, she could still see very far into the distance. It felt like she was still in the real world.

"Keisuke."

She looked at the Thestral. "Pardon?"

"My name is Keisuke Takahashi."

"Oh. How unique." She easily drew a comparison between this Thestral's name and Takumi and Itsuki's names. "May I ask, is this how you look? All... yellow?"

Keisuke looked at her. "This is... how I look I guess."

"How interesting. I have never met a Thestral with your... exotic appearance."

Keisuke deadpanned. "I don't know if that's a compliment or an insult."

"A compliment." Luna sighed. "Why do you fear the Ferrari?"

"Oh great, you're a therapist now."

Luna scowled. There is a reason why I don't tend to adults as much as I do foals. "I am trying to help you. Why do you fear the Ferrari?"

Keisuke sighed. "Because it beat me in a race half a month ago. That's why. It's the second racer to ever beat me in a race besides my brother. Even with my FD, even with all the upgrades Ryosuke has given my car, even with Competition-Spec Turbos, I still can't accelerate faster than the Ferrari. I guess that's just Natural Aspiration for you, but for fucks sakes you'd think a sequential twin-turbo system would be somewhat on par."

"So, this Ferrari. How long have you known them? Are they a friend?"

Keisuke scoffed. "I wouldn't say friends. We're racers, so we're on common ground there. But I wouldn't say we're friends."

"Is the driver good?"

"Skill-wise? Yeah. Throttle Control is stupid good, he has TWELVE GODDAMN CYLINDERS, and his car is lighter than mine with a mid-engined layout. My FD is the best cornering car on the domestic market yet it can't beat a damn import."

"You keep mentioning throttle control."

Keisuke scoffed. "Because that's what I'm good at. Ryosuke always says that Throttle Control is key. When you drive a 450HP car like I do, yeah. It's pretty important. What car do you drive?"

"Mazda Cosmo," Luna accidentally blurted out. NO! I was not meant to say that!

Keisuke looked at her, seeming surprised. "A Mazda Cosmo? A Luxury Car? I mean, I respect the rotary but why a Cosmo?"

Luna sighed. Considering this particular Thestral seemed to not know her, it couldn't hurt to tell him. "It is designed to attack corners as fast as equinely possible. I believe it weighs as much as your FD."

"Really? Never heard of a Mazda Cosmo. I thought it was only Eunos that made it."

"It is a rather rare car. One of a mere 600 built."

"Hm. Sounds like my brother's car. How much power does it make?"

"300 horsepower. Now, how important exactly is Throttle Control?" She tilted her head in curiosity. "You seem to mention it a lot."

"300? Well, you've got it easy then." He sighed. "Throttle Control dictates how fast you can exit a corner. Superior control can mean the difference between a win and a loss. In my opinion, Throttle Control and the ability to exit corners perfectly is the best thing to master on the mountain pass."

Luna smirked. "Intriguing. Perhaps I should learn it."

"You should focus on it if you haven't mastered it already."

"Hm, yes. I have driven an all wheel drive car, an R33 Skyline, for most of my driving career, so I am lacking in that area of expertise. Truth be told, I only became interested in racing two weeks ago."

Realizing she was digressing from the problem at hand, she took a quick breath. "Sorry for the quick change of subject, but we seem to have digressed. Let us continue with the Ferrari."

Keisuke rolled his eyes. "Racing curiosity got the best of you?"

Luna smirked and nodded. "Now. Have you tried to overcome your fear of the Ferrari?"

Keisuke sighed. "This is stupid. You don't have my racing experience. How can you help me?"

"I may not have racing experience, but I am sure there are some practices you can use with racing."

Keisuke looked at her with a confused look. "Ugh. Fine." He looked at the road. "I've tried everything I can think of. I've switched my lines, tried different throttle techniques, hell I've even tried different tire compounds. Nothing I do gets me faster than that godforsaken Ferrari. I can keep ahead further and further, but god help me if I try to stay ahead the whole time. It's just a sick nightmare."

"You keep mentioning a god. Is this a Thestral custom I am not aware of?"

"Uh... sure? Sorry, I'm just not doing well these past few days. I've got a big race in two days and It's just... damn."

Luna looked at the Thestral. He seems to be hiding something from us. Should we inquire we do not know, but we should calm him first. A thought suddenly crossed her mind. "Wait, why are you sleeping at this time?"

"I don't know to be honest. I should be practicing and I TRY to get myself awake, but I just can't. Big Brother is gonna be pissed."

"You talk a lot about your brother."

"He's the one who got me into racing."

"Hm. Well, perhaps you should talk to him about it. Talking to others can relieve a lot of stress."

Keisuke scoffed. "I know, I just don't want him to think low of me. I don't want him to think I'm not ready to race."

This was something Luna had dealt with many times before. It was usually a filly or colt not wanting to tell their parents of a fear they had, or something along those lines. But a fully grown stallion or mare feeling the same was rare.

"Well, you should tell him. I am sure he will understand your troubles."

"But what if he postpones the race?" Keisuke sounded more flustered. "I don't want to screw over the team because I can't keep my head straight."

"Are you racing the Ferrari?"

Keisuke sighed. "No. I'm racing this old geezer in an R34 in a few days. A GT-R V-Spec no less. He's literally called 'God Foot' with how fast he is."

"Then you should stop thinking about the Ferrari. Think about the R34. I have heard many a tale about that car, and if it is the V-Spec, you will need a clear mind. Normally I would say an FD couldn't outperform an R34 GT-R, but judging by how modified yours seems-" Luna smiled as she noticed the roll cage sitting inside the FD. "-you have taken the necessary precautions to make sure you have a fighting chance."

"Hm. More like my brother has taken the precautions. He's the one who goes through the modifications. I don't know how he knows exactly which part to use, but it works. My car is running faster than it's ever ran."

"Your brother sounds like a knowledgable person."

"Hm."

Luna winced as she felt something happen around them. It was a feeling she knew well.

"It feels like somepony is trying to wake you up." She said calmly.

"How the hell do you know that?" Keisuke asked.

"I just do. Remember, clear your mind of the Ferrari. Think about the R34. It will help you tremendously."

Keisuke sighed. "Alright. If you say so. So what, am I about to wake up?"

Luna nodded before lighting up her horn. With a flash of light, she allowed the dream to end, and was sent back to her room.

"I hope Keisuke wins that race."

---

Later, a Midnight Blue Mazda Cosmo JC slowly pulled out onto the Canterlot Turnpike, its 20B-REW Rotary humming as it slowly accelerated. Luna, once again in her juvenile form so she could fit in the seat, used her forehoof to shift gears.

"In my opinion, Throttle Control and the ability to exit corners perfectly is the best thing to master on the mountain pass."

Keisuke's words echoed through her mind. She had read online that good throttle control was, well, good, but depending on the car, could it really be important enough to decide a race?

She sighed. "Takumi was right the other day. When I exit a corner, I am not very good at it. Such a shame that I bought an all wheel drive car back then. It has spoiled my throttle control." She smiled and rubbed the steering wheel. "But with this car, it should hone our skills over time. No traction control, no stability control, and no all wheel drive. Unlike our Skyline, this is a proper racers car."

The JC passed through the parking lot. Before long, the first left corner approached. Luna, feeling confident, accelerated and steered right, then flicked left to throw the car into a drift. She bit her lip as she steered and pressed on the gas, sliding the rear tires before letting off and exiting the corner. As she pressed on the gas, the rear skidded left and right, forcing her to countersteer.

Luna stabilized the JC, letting off the throttle again. "Just like that, my control is not the best. I rely too heavily on the tires' ability to grip the road. Though, at least I can enter a corner without the parking brake. I already feel much faster."

Accelerating towards the next right corner, Luna shifted gears and swerved from the outside to the inside line, pressing on the throttle and countersteering. The tires squealed as she skidded outwards. This time, she let off the throttle completely and focused on getting straightened out as soon as possible.

The difference was instantly noticeable. She was able to immediately stabilize the Cosmo, and despite not accelerating, she knew she was faster than her runs the other night. The runs she had performed early in the morning right after Takumi had gone.

The 20B hummed smoothly as it revved up to 9000RPM down a straightaway, the pitch lowering as Luna shifted into third gear. She braked and steered right, trying to kick the rear out, but had to nail the throttle to kick the rear out. She knew it cost her time.

Ignoring it, she guided the car through the inside a few feet from the inner curb before applying light amounts of throttle on exit. Her eyes widened.

I can go faster by applying less throttle? she thought as the JC stabilized. Wow... Keisuke was right!

She smiled as she increased throttle. Tonight was going to be fun.

---

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

The JC screeched around a hairpin. Luna applied minimal throttle and countersteered, and easily stabilized the JC as it exited the corner. A grin was spread across her face as she eyed the small digital clock that sat on the dashboard. 3:22AM.

We have never practiced this hard for this long. She happily thought. Our muscle memory is improving, as is our times. Thank you Keisuke. You have already helped us to become a much better driver. We are not as fast as Takumi, but we are much faster than Rainbow Dash or those two ponies from the other night. And it feels amazing.

The 20B pierced through her night as she powerslid around a right corner going uphill, decreasing in pitch as the JC stabilized. It grew louder as Luna pressed harder on the throttle.

The brakes squealed a little as she pressed on the brake, steering into the parking lot and turning around. The JC stopped short of the road.

"I wonder where Takumi is. I want him to see that I have improved. Wait..." She stopped herself and narrowed her eyes a little. "Why am I so attached to Takumi? Why am I so eager to impress him all of a sudden? He is just a teenager. He is just... he does not seem to be interested in anything I do. What is wrong with me? Am I simply excited?"

vroooooooOOOOm- vroooooooo

She could dwell on the matter no longer as she heard an engine to her left, coming from Canterlot.

All the princess could do was sigh. "Well, sounds like Takumi is coming. Though I wonder how he got up here without me seeing him. Perhaps he took the main highway?"

Ace - Drivin' Crazy starts playing.

She could hear an Inline 4 in the distance and noted the headlights slowly approaching. Though it sounded off. It wasn't quite as loud, and she could hear the unmistakable sound of a supercharger.

Still confused, Luna pulled out into the road and accelerated, letting the car behind catch up. The headlights did not look retractable. They looked fixed. They were small and rectangular.

She immediately ruled out the notion that it was Itsuki. The headlights looked too different from a Levin.

The mystery car slowed and began tailgating her, sticking several feet from her rear bumper.

Suddenly, it flashed Its lights.

Luna could only smile. "Alright. If thou would like to battle downhill with us, then battle downhill we shall!"

The 20B hummed loudly as she pressed hard on the throttle, easily accelerating away from the hatchback. She heard the supercharger begin to whir as she shifted gears, quickly approaching the left corner ahead.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

She steered right, then swerved left into the corner. The JC shook and shuddered as she guided it through the inside, countersteering before letting off the throttle to stabilize it on exit. She continued to smile as she accelerated, eyeing the rearview.

"Exactly how fast are you?" she wondered.

Headlights flashed around the corner, accelerating towards her. Luna smiled.

She pressed hard on the throttle, the 20B-REW whirring loudly as the JC accelerated down the straight and towards the next right corner. The JC once again shook as she guided it through the inside. The hatchback caught up as she exited the corner and applied throttle, fishtailing a little.

The Alicorn was nothing short of impressed that the hatchback could catch up so quickly. She understood that whoever the driver was, they likely had more experience than her. She refused to let the pressure get to her so soon in the race.

Instinctively steering into the left lane to use the racing line, Luna braked and readied herself to steer in. She focused on maintaining her line through the inside, wanting to put down the fastest time.

That same focus was instantly shattered as the hatchback appeared on the inside of the turn.

"AH!" She yelped as she steered for the outside, barely managing to keep the JC stable and not smack the wall on the outside.

Letting off the throttle as they exited the corner, Luna saw the red hatchback that had taken her position. It was a Third Generation Honda Civic Si.

She shook her head as she accelerated. We do not know who thou are, but we must admit that thou hast more experience.

Despite her attempts to overtake around the left curve and subsequent straightaway, the supercharger whirring and allowing the Civic to instantly accelerate after each shift.

Luna found herself at the top of second gear before she slowed for the left-right chicane. The Civic braked much sooner, swerving into the left corner.

"What the-!?" Luna yelped as the Civic's rear end skidded outwards, coming inches from the outer guardrail of the right turn.

The Civic's supercharger whirred as the rear was brought back into line due to FWD acceleration. Luna took a quick breath in as she watched it brake and swerved into a left hairpin, doing her best to follow through.

Despite her best efforts, the Civic tremendously outclassed her in the turn. She lightly pressed on the throttle upon exiting the corner before planting the throttle, releasing the 20B's power to the wheels to instantly catch back up to the Civic. She dare not tailgate it, fearing a brake check.

Through a quick left corner they went, speeds increasing down a small straightaway. A quick right corner approached. Normally, Luna would have slowed down. But seeing as the Civic didn't do that, she kept the throttle planted and followed the Civic through the corner.

"Yes!" she shouted with glee. "That felt amazing! I have never gone through such a corner so fast!"

Luna once again tried to pass the Civic but failed. The Civic's maneuverability was too great for her to make a move. Nevertheless, she kept her hoof level on the throttle and tailed the Civic through a right corner, only braking a little. She was moving much faster than any previous run in her Cosmo. It felt great.

Speeds increased through a gentle left curve towards a right hairpin. Luna found herself hitting the top of third gear again before braking and shifting into second gear, this time swerving only a little to try and get the rear to skid. This time, it actually worked! The rear end slid outwards, forcing Luna to countersteer and guide the JC through the inside of the hairpin.

She squeed as both cars exited the hairpin. The sense of accomplishment felt amazing. She was becoming a faster driver, both in the corners and the straightaways.

Calming herself, Luna shifted gears and tailed the Civic. The driver was good, and the choice of a Supercharger was perfect. It didn't slip its front tires, something Luna always expected would happen with any FWD, and its lines were good. But something felt off.

Her Battle Instincts kicked in as she watched it, trying to find a weakness in the driving. It lacked power in the straightaways but was excellent in the corners.

All ponies have a weakness, she thought. Whether it be a real battle or a race, they have weaknesses. And in this sort of battle, the choice of the car presents extra weaknesses.

As they braked for a left hairpin, Luna saw something about the Civic's braking and line.

The Civic braked and stuck to the inside, sure, but it wasn't going nearly as far inside as Takumi. And it was holding back. Not because it was toying with Luna, but because of another factor.

You are hesitating. Her eyes widened as she drifted behind the Civic. You are hesitating! You do not know the course as well as I! That is your weakness!

Knowing there was a long straightaway after this, Luna let off and let the Civic gain some distance. Once she was two seconds or so behind, she floored it.

After this straightaway is a set of curves that will undoubtedly allow you to break away. But if I come at you at this speed, no way you would try to block, right? Let us see just how brave you are!

Approaching the Civic at high speed, adrenaline rushed through her as she instantly caught up. The Civic sat in the middle of the road, seeming ready to block again, until it suddenly moved into the right lane.

Luna smiled. Huzzah! I knew you would break off!

The JC zoomed past the Civic in the left lane, totally dusting it down the straightaway. She let off the throttle and braked well before a left curve, steering and trying to get the rear out. It didn't work, so she once again nailed the throttle to break the rear tires' grip.

The resulting corner was decent, but it left much to be desired in terms of her line. She ballooned heavily towards the outside, coming inches from the guardrail before the corner ended.

Music Ends.

Her eyes glanced at the rearview, finding that the Civic was pulling off to park in a viewing deck. She smirked.

Not even a skilled Civic can surpass me now! This feels amazing! I want to do more! Thank you Keisuke Takahashi! You have improved my driving drastically!

VRROOOOOOooooooommmmmmm

The JC flew down the road and into the night, the 20B humming and tires squealing. Tonight was an amazing night.

---

Ponyville, 2:40PM.

Itsuki, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash walked through Ponyville, watching the autumn leaves flow through the air. The other ponies went about their day, paying none of them any heed as they walked.

"You know, sometimes it's nice to just walk through town." Rainbow Dash admitted. "It's so peaceful. I like it."

"Mhm. It is." Itsuki agreed. "I second the peaceful part. Hey, thanks for coming with me. I've been wanting to explore this place since Takumi did."

"It's nothin'. Anything for the guy that got me into-... you know."

Twilight silently rolled her eyes.

They continued walking, admiring the architecture and surrounding scenery. Itsuki smiled as he saw a cute candy red schoolhouse on a hill, surrounded by a white fence with a slight yellow tint.

"That's cute."

Dash looked at him. "What?"

"That building. Looks like a school."

"Oh that? Yeah. It is."

"It's the Ponyville Schoolhouse," Twilight clarified. "The first and only school in Ponyville."

"You don't have highschool around here?" Itsuki asked.

"Nope."

Itsuki tilted his head in confusion. "Huh."

"Hey wait a minute..." Dash trailed as she stared at the school.

"What?" Twilight asked.

"Look over at the school. Is that who I think it is?"

They all looked at the school, noticing a certain Black and White Liftback sitting out front.

"Wait a se- Is that Takumi's car?" Twilight asked. "What's he doing at the school?"

"Well, let's go see!" Itsuki unfurled his wings and flapped to get himself in the air.

Only to flip forward and fall flat on his face not two seconds afterwards.

"Hey, you're still learning!" Dash playfully sneered as she and Twilight helped Itsuki up.

"Oh shut up. Let's just walk there." Itsuki pouted.

Twilight giggled. "You remind me of when I first got my wings."

Itsuki blushed.

After half a minute, the three trotted up to Takumi's 86. They found the white Alicorn resting in front of the 86, eyes closed.

Twilight cleared her throat. "Ahem."

Takumi opened his eyes and looked over at them. "Oh. Hey."

"Hey dude. Whatcha doin'?" Itsuki asked.

"Yeah. What are you doing in front of the school?"

Takumi sighed. "Fluttershy Shanghaied me into babysitting Rumble."

Dash and Twilight tilted their heads.

"Say what now?"

"Shanghaied?"

"Ugh. Nevermind. Long story short, I've been babysitting- or I guess FOALsitting Rumble since yesterday. Now I'm waiting for school to get out so I can take him home."

"Huh. Odd. I didn't think Fluttershy would ever skip out on foalsitting Rumble." Twilight remembered the number of times Fluttershy had foalsitted the bluish-gray pegasus.

"She has a broken leg. What do you want from her?"

"Fair enough. How has it been going?"

"It's been alright. Rumble's nice. He showed me his computer. Showed me this game called Team Fortress 2. Technology here is pretty insane if I'm being honest."

"I didn't know Rumble played TF2!" Dash cheerfully said. "I might need to ask him if he'd like to play with me sometime."

"What's Team Fortress 2?" Itsuki asked.

"First Person Shooter. Graphics are great and its easy to learn." Takumi boredly replied.

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIiIIIIIIING!

Takumi looked over at the school as over a dozen fillies and colts began to pile out the front door, happily running for the playground or leaving the school grounds. Takumi noticed how there was absolutely nopony else waiting to pick their kids up. They just walked by and paid no mind to him or his car, or Twilight.

"So uh, how have you been?" Itsuki asked.

"Fine." Takumi replied. "I've been thinking about some things. Theres this one place I wanna head out to tonight. Last night I went to it with Rumble."

"Oh nice. Where?"

Takumi looked at Itsuki for a split second before eyeing Twilight. He preferred to not say where, or why he and Rumble went out to it last night, in front of Twilight.

He looked away. "Nowhere special."

A now-confused Twilight tilted her head.

"Now where the hell is Rumble?" Takumi stood up and looked over the picket fence, scanning for the elusive bluish-gray colt.

Twilight stood next to Takumi, looking him up and down. "I just noticed, you look a lot like Rumble."

"Tell me about it."

"Heh, yeah. You even have the same muzzles as fillies. Well, mares in your case."

Takumi rolled his eyes. "So. Itsuki. How have you been?"

"Fine. I learned how to fly yesterday."

"Cool."

"Plus I took Rainbow Dash down the-" Itsuki was cut off by Dash putting a hoof over his mouth.

"He drove me to the Academy!" Dash quickly said. "Then I taught him how to fly. Fleetfoot also helped."

"Cool."

"Oh, Takumi, I should probably let you know. Celestia, Luna, and Cadance put together a plan for you two," Twilight said.

"Cool."

"Um..." Twilight took a breath. "Basically, they're gonna give you two a few months or maybe a year to get used to our world. After that, me and Cadance will teach Itsuki about being princes while Celestia and Luna will do the same for you."

"Cool."

"Are you even listening?"

"Cool. I mean- yeah. Of course I am. Me and Itsuki are gonna get some time to get used to this world."

"And after that, we're going to teach you how to be princes."

Takumi shot Twilight a cold look.

Twilight took an involuntary step back. "Uh, what?"

Takumi just sighed and walked to the pathway that lead to the front door. "I'm gonna head in and look for him. I'm getting sick of standing here."

Without saying anything else, he walked down the path and towards the schoolhouse.

Twilight sighed. "He'll be fun for Celestia and Luna to teach. Same for me and Cadance to you, Itsuki."

She looked back at Itsuki, who said nothing for a moment.

"So uh, should we keep walking or wait here for Takumi?" Itsuki asked.

"Let's keep walking," Dash replied.

"Well alright then." Itsuki and Dash began walking away, back towards town.

"You two go ahead. I'll wait for Takumi."

"Alright. See ya Twilight!"

"Bye you two!"

Twilight sat down next to the 86, watching Takumi walk into the school. She sighed.

"To think I'm gonna be teaching an Alicorn. Right alongside-" She stopped, slightly narrowing her eyes. "Wait... I already have a student! Starlight! Hold on second- how does Celestia expect me to teach both Starlight AND Itsuki at the same time? And better yet, how are both me and Cadance supposed to teach Itsuki when we live however many miles away from each other?"

"Hm..." A paper and quill popped out of thin air next to her. "Dear Princess Celestia..."

---

Takumi was right to not expect anything much out of the schoolhouse's interior. It was one classroom, two bathrooms, and what he assumed was the teacher's office. Whoever the teacher was.

"Oh hello! May I help you?" A female voice cheerfully asked.

Takumi looked at the teachers desk to find a magenta earth pony mare with light pink hair sitting down at it. She had lime green eyes and three flowers for a cutie mark.

"Oh. Hi. I'm looking for someone called Rumble." Takumi boredly replied.

"He's just outside in the playground. He tends to do that after school. Why? Are you a friend?"

"I was Shanghaied into foalsitting him by Fluttershy. I'm here to pick him up."

The pony tilted her head. "Shanghaied?"

"UGH. Nevermind. You said he's in the playground?"

The pony nodded.

"Alright. Thanks."

With that, he turned around and began walking out.

"Uh- hold on!"

He glanced behind him to find the pony trotting up next to him.

"Because I prefer to know the names of whoever is foalsitting one of my students, mind telling me your name?"

Takumi rolled his eyes in slight annoyance. But, she was a teacher. It was understandable she'd want her students safe.

"Takumi." He deadpanned.

"Takumi?"

Takumi nodded. "What about your name?"

"You can call me Cheerilee."

He smirked at the name. "Hm. Alright then."

He turned back around and walked out the front door, turning left and walking to the playground. He noticed Twilight sitting next to his 86, looking at it.

I wonder what she's doing.

Looking back at the playground, he remained mostly emotionless as he watched all the fillies and colts playing. They were on swings, playing with some weird pole that had two red balls on it. They were punching the balls around.

And of course there was a slide, a merry-go-round, typical stuff.

"I'm not kidding! He is STUPID fast!"

Takumi looked to the large playset and saw the small bluish-gray pegasus glaring at two earth pony fillies. One was light pink with light purple hair, who wore a small crown and had the cutie mark of a... crown. That was in the exact same design as the one the filly was wearing.

The other filly had a gray coat with lighter gray hair, with cyan glasses and a spoon for a cutie mark.

Takumi sighed and walked over to the three, both fillies taking notice of him while Rumble was facing away.

"Rumble, I've been waiting outside for fifteen minutes. I'm not waiting longer."

Rumble turned around and smiled. "Ha! See? Told you he's an Alicorn!" He cheerfully said, pointing at Takumi.

"You weren't kidding..." Both fillies said in unison.

"Hi." Takumi plainly greeted. "So, Rumble. What are you doing?"

"Just uh, you know. Talking." Rumble replied.

"Rumble you are... you are lucky." The bewildered pink filly slowly said. "I think you're the luckiest colt in school. How did you get an ALICORN as your foalsitter?"

"Because Fluttershy asked me to foalsit him. Her arm was broken yesterday so I felt sorry for her. Plus It's just something for me to do."

"Oh, how sad. OH! Uh, I'm Diamond Tiara. And this is my friend Silver Spoon, uh, your highness." The pink filly or 'Diamond Tiara' bowed, along with Silver Spoon.

"Uh, no. I'm not a prince. Just call me Takumi."

Diamond looked up. "Your not?"

"No."

Diamond and Silver looked at each other before standing up straight.

"So... you've been foalsitting Rumble since yesterday?" Diamond asked.

"Yeah."

"Can... you foalsit me maybe?"

Takumi groaned. "No. I'm not gonna foalsit anyone else."

Diamond and Silver looked both saddened and jealous. Rumble simply beamed.

"So. Rumble. Are we going? Or are we just gonna stand around?"

"Uh, well, um, hm... I don't know..."

"Are you able to kill anything you want? Like Timberwolves?" Silver Spoon asked.

"What the heck are Timberwolves?" Takumi asked back.

"A wolf, but big and scary and mean and made out of wood. They live in the Everfree Forest."

"That... so are they wooden robots or something?"

"Robots? No. They are big wooden creatures."

"Wait so they are living beings, made of wood?"

The two fillies and colt nodded.

"That... doesn't sound physically possible." How much magic is in this world? He wondered.

"That's the Everfree Forest for you. They only come from there." Diamond clarified.

"Everfree Forest?"

"The Forest south of here. Right over there." Rumble turned and pointed at the forest that sat to the south.

Takumi shrugged. "Hm. Well, are we gonna go? I think Twilight's waiting."

"Wait, Twilight?" Diamond's eyes widened. "As in PRINCESS Twilight?"

"Yeah."

Diamond and Silver looked at each other, grinning like a couple of cute idiots. The biggest smile appeared on Rumble's face.

"Why didn't you say so?! Let's go!" Rumble yelled before suddenly taking off and flying towards his car.

Takumi was surprised at how fast Rumble flew. "Jesus!" Despite being tempted to fly after the colt, Takumi quickly trotted to his car.

He watched Rumble land next to Twilight and saw the Lavender Alicorn cheerfully greet him. Takumi continued to trot, not noticing Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon running after him.

"So how has being foalsitted by Takumi been?" Twilight asked as Takumi trotted over.

"Awesome! As much as I like Fluttershy, he's way cooler. He actually likes playing the games I like playing. Like TF2." Rumble cheerfully replied.

"He told me. Oh! Hey Takumi!"

Takumi stopped next to the 86. "Hi. What were you doing earlier? With my 86?"

"Oh nothing. It looks pretty modified so I decided to check out what parts you had."

"Hm. I didn't buy any of them. Well, I did help with buying them, but Ryosuke picked them out."

"Who's Ryosuke?" Rumble asked.

"A friend of mine."

"Hm."

"Anyways. Rumble, are we gonna head back to your place or what?"

"Well, were you gonna do anything with Twilight?"

"Not really. She just happened to show up. Actually-yeah why did you stay here?"

"Because I wanted to talk to you. About things. Mainly where you come from," was Twilight's reply.

"Hm."

"Wait, THIS is his car?" Diamond Tiara asked as she and Silver Spoon stopped and stared. "What kind of an Alicorn owns an almost thirty-year-old econobox?"

Takumi said nothing.

"Don't say that." Twilight defended. "It's his car, he likes it. It's his decision to drive it."

"But... why this?"

"I'm sure if Princess Celestia was into even a fifty-year-old econobox, she wouldn't have a problem being seen in one. Like the E10 Corolla."

"How would she even fit in a car?" Takumi asked.

"She knows a spell to fix that."

Takumi proceeded to make the mistake of imagining Celestia but the same size as Twilight. He quickly looked away to hide his redness as the wave of cuteness washed over him.

"What?" He heard Twilight ask.

"Nothing. I'm just... I'm gonna get in the car. Come on Rumble."

Without another word, Takumi walked around the back of the 86 to the right side, opening the door via magic and getting in.

Twilight and Rumble looked at each other.

"Has he always been like this?" Rumble asked. "I've been meaning to ask somepony that."

"Uh... yeah. He has been. Sort of." Twilight sheepishly replied.

krrrrr-chunka-chunka-vrroooooOOOOOOOOOOoooommmmmmmm

The 4A-GE slowly started as if the 86 was as bored as Takumi was. Twilight just sighed.

"Well, I guess let's get in."

Rumble, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon were very surprised. "Wait, you're going too?" Rumble asked.

"I've been wanting to talk with Takumi for a while. Since last night actually, so yeah. As long as he's alright with it."

Rumble couldn't contain his excitement as he and Twilight walked to the left side, more so as he noticed the jealous looks on Diamond and Silver's faces. Twilight opened the door and was ready to flip the passenger seat forward to let Rumble in back.

"Hm..." Twilight put a hoof to her chin as she realized that because of both seats being racing bucket seats, she couldn't flip the seat forward.

"I'm sure I could just squeeze in between the seats," Rumble suggested. He climbed up into the 86 and easily squeezed between the bucket seats.

Twilight shrugged as she got in herself, closing the door with a wing and buckling up.

"So. I was wondering, Takumi," Twilight began as Takumi accelerated. "Would you be alright with taking a trip somewhere? Maybe to the Crystal Empire?"

"The Crystal Empire?" Takumi asked.

"Yeah. Ancient City up north. Cadance rules over it."

Takumi said nothing for a moment, continuing to very slowly drive through Ponyville.

"Maybe." Was his answer.

"So are you two gonna just talk while I listen or what?" Rumble asked from the rear as he quickly remembered to buckle his seatbelt.

"Well... kinda?"

Takumi just sighed. "I'm just thinking about stuff is all. Actually, hey Twilight, what is the Everfree Forest?"

Twilight would be lying if she said she wasn't surprised. "Who told you about the Everfree Forest?"

"Me and Diamond Tiara mentioned it." Rumble clarified.

"Oh. Well um, what do you want to know about it?"

"Why do ponies fear it?" Takumi steered around a bend, patiently avoiding a parked pickup truck.

"Because it's one, creepy. Two, it has a variety of animals that can rip a pony to shreds, and the worst part- here's the worst part. Plants grow on their own, animals take care of themselves, and clouds move without pony intervention!"

Takumi suddenly stopped the 86 and stared at Twilight. "There is no way you just said that those three things are the worst parts about the forest."

Twilight nodded grimly.

"Wha-? Those are the most normal things ever. What, does Equestria's weather system physically require pegasuses to help?"

"Yes! Also, it's pegasi. Not pegasuses. Or pegasides if you prefer the classic definition like Luna."

Takumi groaned as he began driving again. "That is literally nature." he mumbled.

"You mean to tell me that in your world, the weather moves on its own?"

"In my world, yeah. We can't do much to change it. Whatever the weather does, it just does it."

"Wait, you're from a different WORLD!?" Rumble exclaimed. "Is that why you keep saying weird phrases and things like that?"

Takumi groaned. "Shush." He finally brought the 86 to a stop in front of a house. "Alright, Rumble, you head inside and I'll catch up. Alright?"

"What? But-... alright fine. Twilight, mind moving?" He asked as he unbuckled.

Twilight opened her door with a wing. "Just climb over my lap."

Rumble hesitated for a split second before shrugging and squeezing in between the seats and climbing over Twilight's lap, exiting the 86 and walking towards the house.

Twilight shut her door with a wing. "Anyways." She looked over at Takumi to find him resting his head on the steering wheel. He wore a downcast look. "Is... something wrong?"

There was silence for a few moments. Twilight grew worried.

"Takumi? What's wrong?"

"..."

"..."

"Do you even care about me?" Takumi asked.

Author's Note:

I'm gonna say it right now, I was not expecting to focus on Luna like this. Races between Takumi, Itsuki, and other teams were meant to start a WHILE ago. I don't know when or why I went for the slower buildup with a bit of racing instead of that, but It's probably better this way.

Also I HAD TO REWRITE HALF THIS CHAPTER BECAUSE APPARENTLY ME HITTING CTRL+S OBSESSIVEY ISN'T ENOUGH FOR WHEN MY COMPUTER FREEZES. YOU ARE WELCOME.