The Eight-Six Duo

by Fujimi200SX

Act 2: Fear

A few hours later, Takumi was walking around the castle. Trixie was following while Starlight was checking on Spike and Itsuki.

"Quick question," Trixie piped up.

"What?" Takumi asked.

"Well, a couple of questions actually. One, where did you two get your hooves on those Corollas?"

"Why?"

"I dunno. Just because."

"Well, the Trueno was my dad's. He bought it new over a decade ago and used it to run deliveries and race on Akina. He made me start the deliveries about six years ago, one thing went to another, and it became mine after he got his own car. Itsuki got the Red Levin a few days ago when we-... got the money for him to so."

"You've been driving for six years?"

"Yeah."

Trixie looked at him. "You... look a bit young though. How old are you?"

"Nineteen."

Trixie stopped walking. "Hold on..." she trailed, making Takumi stop and turn to look at her. He noticed Starlight trotting towards them from down the hall.

"What?" Takumi asked.

"You're nineteen?"

"Yes?"

"And if you've been driving for six years... wait. Wait! That means you've been driving since you were thirteen?!"

"What are we talking about?" Starlight asked, stopping next to Trixie.

"Takumi's been driving since the seventh grade!" Trixie exclaimed.

Starlight's eyes widened as she stared at Takumi. "I'm sorry?!"

Takumi sighed. "Yes. It was illegal. I know. But he made me run the tofu deliveries and I couldn't exactly refuse." he turned around and began walking down the hall.

"Well... huh. Wait, who made you run tofu deliveries?" Starlight asked, her and Trixie following.

"My dad. Now do either of you know where I can sleep? I know It's only three, but I'd like to know since I want to explore... Ponyville."

Starlight and Trixie looked at each other for a second and back at Takumi. "Why?" Starlight asked.

"Because I'm bored. I feel like I'm gonna be stuck here for a while, so I might as well get used to the place. Starting with that town," Takumi explained, looking around the hall.

"You're oddly cheerful about being stuck in a world that isn't even yours," Trixie remarked.

"I'm trying to remain sane. It's better than freaking out."

Takumi stopped suddenly in front of two double doors. The front doors of the castle.

"So you're gonna explore a town you don't even know?" Starlight asked.

"If I can see this castle from over a dozen miles away, then I'll be able to see it from the other side of town." Takumi sighed as he pushed the door open and walked outside. Starlight's eyes widened as she ran after him.

"Wait! Hold on! You're going now?" she asked, slowing and trotting next to him.

"Yeah. Tell Itsuki I'll be back in a few."

"Where exactly are you going?"

"I dunno. I'll just check out the place, maybe I'll chat with some people and see what It's like."

Takumi stopped in front of his white Trueno, staring at it. He put his hoof on the carbon fiber hood, rubbing it a little.

Don't worry girl. We'll be home soon. At least, I hope we get home soon.

"Anyways. Mind setting a room up for me?" Takumi asked, looking at Starlight.

"Uh... sure. Just... promise me that you won't leave the town or anything." Starlight looked at Takumi with almost worried eyes.

To Takumi, she looked cuuuute. In a way, she looked like a pony from that one My Little Pony show he had heard of from overseas. How could he say no to a face like that? He looked away and sighed. "I won't go far."

"Ok. Thanks. I'll prepare a room for you. We have plenty." Starlight slowly turned around, but still had her head turned at Takumi.

"I'd assume so since It's a castle that seems way bigger on the inside than the outside." Takumi glanced at Starlight, who giggled.

"Yeah, it does that. When can I expect you back?"

"Before sundown." Takumi turned away and began walking towards Ponyville. Starlight reluctantly trotted back to the Castle.

After half a minute of slowly walking, Takumi looked back at the castle and saw that Starlight was nowhere to be seen. He bit his lower lip as he looked towards Ponyville, a small medieval-like house not too far from him. "I'll be fine... I'll be fine..." He repeated as he walked past the house and into Ponyville.

He felt so introverted as he watched the townsfolk go about their business. Only a couple of cars rolled through the dirt roads, none of them from what he was used to aside from an 80s hatchback unlike his own. Everything else was pretty American. Like a 1970s pickup truck and what he could only assume was a Ford Mustang. A weird sports-car version. This town was clearly not meant for cars as there were no traffic lights, road markings, or even stop signs for that matter. All the ponies were walking through and made sure to avoid the few cars that drove through.

Ponyville, to Takumi, was very medieval. At first, he had thought it just was a Scottish town, but no. This was totally medieval. Ponies pulled carts, tended to market stands, some even had saddlebags on them. Seeing ponies wearing saddlebags made him look at his wings.

"I could've grabbed some bags. I could have then brought some money. Er, did she say bits?" Takumi wondered as he looked around at the medieval buildings. They all followed a fairly similar style which made him wonder if this place had been frozen in time until recently considering that all the buildings were just so outdated in design compared to the cars.

All buildings... except for one.

He stopped as he saw a building a few hundred feet ahead different from literally every other building. It was bright, had several shiny parts ranging from baby blue on the walls to light pink on the roof. It was rather circular, different from the other building's square shapes except for one he had assumed was a town hall of sorts, considering it was by itself in the middle of the town.

Towards the top, he could see a couple of pony... 'mannequins' if he could call them that. They were black and flat and made the thing resemble a Merry-Go-Round in a way.

"Is that the town hall?" Takumi wondered as he began walking towards the place. He dodged a big red stallion pulling a large cart of apples as he made his way to the place, and couldn't help but look back and smirk. The cart was about the size of a Subaru Impreza and was filled past the brim with apples. It had to weigh at least one and a half tons, yet the stallion seemed like he was pulling it with minimal effort. "Man you gotta admire the strength some ponies can have," Takumi admitted as he looked back at the building. "Even if these ponies are different from my world's ponies, they are still pretty strong."

He stopped in front of the front door and looked around for a sign that said what the place was. However, he saw none. He grimaced. Way to advertise what the place is called... He thought, looking at the front door. Finally, he sighed and slowly pushed it open, slowly walking in.

The door shut behind him as he looked around. And if he could mark down the entire feel, look, and design of this interior to one word, he had the perfect one.

Overdone

He could see the appeal, but man. The reflections and glossiness of the whole thing was giving car dealerships a run for their money. It was all crystally and shiny and... sheesh.

Examining the place some more, he realized that this had to be a clothing shop of sorts. There were pony mannequins with dresses that were definitely not his style, but they made him look at the white sweater he was wearing and made him feel a little bit out of place.

Then again, this whole building was out of place. It contrasted so harshly against the rest of the town and was a huge attention seeker. Even with it being a business, sometimes enough is enough.

Takumi walked up to a small receptionist's desk and could hear two ponies talking in the back, along with the whir of a couple of machines. Judging by where he was, the machines were probably sewing machines.

"Ahem," Someone cleared their throat right behind him, causing him to look around. He found himself face-to-face with a light blue stallion that had dark blue hair, who seemed to be wearing spectacles and a black suit and tie. He was a little bigger than him and was a unicorn.

"Mind moving, please? I have an outfit that is due." He said in almost a rude tone. Takumi didn't say anything as he backed up from the counter. The pony walked up and put his hoof on a small countertop bell, ringing it.

"Be out in a second!" A female pony yelled. Two seconds later, a white mare with purple hair peeked out from a doorway to the right of the desk. "Ah yes! Give us one more minute!" She said, quickly ducking back through the doorway.

A minute later, the same pony came out with a folded black suit that was levitating in front of her. To Takumi, it looked like the exact same outfit the stallion was wearing. The Stallion's horn lit up and the folded suit was enveloped with a light blue glow and was now levitating next to his head.

"And here's your payment." The Stallion said as some gold coins were levitated from the suit that he was wearing, dropping them on the counter.

"Thank you. It has been a pleasure doing business with you." The mare said with a very transatlantic accent. The Stallion nodded before turning around and heading out the door. Takumi watched the mare turn around and begin heading back to the doorway to the back. She glanced behind and her eyes met his own, causing her to gasp.

"Oh my goodness! I almost didn't see you there!" She exclaimed as she turned around and trotted back to the counter. "Sorry about that. What do you need?"

"Um, well, I wanted to know what this place Is called," Takumi explained swiftly.

"Oh why, this is the Carousel Boutique! Haven't you heard of it?" The pony asked. Takumi was a little irked by the accent, but forgave it. It wasn't too bad.

"No, I haven't. I'm kind of uh... new around here."

"Oh. Well, in case you haven't noticed, this is a dress shop. One of the finest in the land and run by me. Rarity!" The pony or 'Rarity' swished her hair back a bit, as if to really emphasize that she was the one who ran the place.

A fashion pony huh? Takumi thought.

"You can either pick an outfit from off the shelf or you could order a custom one. However..." Rarity trailed off as she stared at him. She grimaced. "You might want to order something custom. This shop is a bit uh..."

She couldn't find the words. Takumi glanced around at the dresses and knew what she was trying to say. He looked at her. "Female Biased?"

"Yes! It is. I don't have many male outfits besides suits."

"Huh. Well, I'm not really here for an outfit. I just wanted to know the name is all." Takumi turned to head out.

"Oh! But surely you are wanting to have something that gives you a bit more flair? Something more than that... outfit..." Rarity trailed off again, making Takumi look at his sweater, then at her.

"What?" He asked. "Is there something wrong with my sweater?"

"It's... uh... simple! Yes, that's what it is. Simple."

"This is my favorite sweater so shut up. I like it." Takumi slightly regretted saying that. Technically his favorite sweater was not this one, but one meant for humans. A generic white sweater. But this one did fit him perfectly, so it was somewhat the same. Or maybe it was the same sweater, just modified.

"Oh my, I didn't realize. Sorry."

"Rarity, what is taking you so long?" Another female voice asked as a light blue Unicorn with orange hair that was bigger than the white mare by at least a foot and a half came through the doorway. She was wearing a black outfit of sorts. Not quite a suit, but... something.

"Sorry, I was merely seeing what that pony wants." Rarity replied, glancing at Takumi. "Apparently he simply wanted to know what my establishment was called.

"Pretty much. I'm gonna get going now." Takumi said, walking out the front door.

"Uh-feel free to come back should you change your mind!" Rarity exclaimed just as the door shut. Takumi chuckled.

That reminds me of working at Yuichi's gas station, he thought to himself. I never realized how cheerful that sounded when you were on the receiving end.

Inside, Rarity and the light blue pony walked to the back area. The blue pony chuckled.

"What?" Rarity asked.

"Sorry, It's just that if I didn't know any better, I would have thought that he was an Alicorn." The pony remarked. "I could have sworn he had a horn and wings."

Rarity laughed. "Oh Sassy, I got a pretty good look at him. I only saw wings. And..." Rarity trailed off and stopped, looking confused. "And..."

"What?" Sassy asked, stopping and looking at her.

Rarity looked back at the doorway. "Did... he have a horn?"

Takumi was now a decent distance away from the boutique now, walking around and once again growing mesmerized by the medieval buildings. These are much different than any of the buildings in Shibukawa. He thought. Did Japan ever have buildings like these even back in medieval times?

About ten minutes later, Takumi stopped in front of yet another building that stood out like crazy from the rest. It looked like something Hansel and Gretel would happen across. There were tables outside with ponies and filly's sitting at each. Takumi smirked.

I take it this is a candy shop of sorts? he internally asked before pushing the front... doors open? He was rather surprised to find that the front door was actually two half-doors. One directly on top of the other like what you'd see on a really old farmhouse. "Huh," was all he had to say as he walked in.

He was greeted with a line of four ponies. Nothing much to note. All of them were adults with one filly in between the two in front. So technically five ponies. At the counter talking to the ponies in front was a bright blue mare a bit older looking than the ones he'd seen so far, who had magenta hair that looked like literal icing. It was kind of appetizing if he was being honest. Looking around, the shop was very candy-themed. Sweets lined the shelves on the walls. It almost made Takumi's mouth water.

Knowing he wasn't gonna buy anything, he proceeded to walk to a wall and look at some of the sweets. But no sooner did he start looking at the shelves...

"Hello! Are you new here?" a slightly high-pitched voice exclaimed right next to him, startling him. his eyes were slightly widened as he looked to his left and found a pink pony with deeper pink hair that looked like cotton candy next to him, staring at him with a smile. It was kind of creepy.

"Uh, yeah?" he replied.

"YES! I love meeting new ponies! Where are you from? Oh wait no! Let me guess! Are you from a faraway city?"

"Um... sure," Takumi replied, already annoyed. Technically he was from a faraway city. Shibukawa was a city in Japan, which was where he was from. How far away he was he didn't know. It was either several lightyears away or an entire universe away.

"YES! What's your name? Oh! Oh! Is it-"

"Takumi. Takumi Fujiwara," Takumi interrupted, wanting to get the conversation over with.

"Sorry about her!" the blue pony manning the counter called over. "She just really likes meeting new ponies."

Takumi looked at her. "Alright... well if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna check out the selection," he looked back at the sweets, hoping for a bit of peace and quiet.

"Oh, but I have just a million questions for you!" the pony continued, making Takumi frown. He was growing more annoyed with this idiot. "Like, why are you named that? Because I have never heard of a name like that before in my life!"

Takumi internally groaned as he turned away from the wall and began walking to the front door. The pony continued blabbering on. He stopped and looked at her.

"Listen, if you'll excuse me, I'd rather not talk to a complete stranger unless I want to."

"Come on Pinkie," the blue pony said. "Leave him be. Give him a little time to settle in if he's new."

Takumi nodded to the blue pony before walking out the front door. He was hoping that the pony would listen and stop, but for some godforsaken reason, the pony was still behind him.

"Lady I'm not kidding," Takumi said, anger building up inside of him.

"Oh but-" Pinkie stopped for a split second as Takumi looked at her. She seemed to be focused on his forehead. Takumi glanced up, but only saw the tip of his horn. He looked back. "What?"

Pinkie's eyes continued staring at, Takumi assumed his horn, then snapped to his back. Probably his wings. He rolled his eyes before noticing a small sign on the front wall. He walked over to read it.

Sugarcube Corner

"Huh."

Suddenly, he heard what had to be the record for the longest gasp ever.

"YOU'RE AN ALICORN!" Pinkie screamed suddenly. "OhMyGoshOhMyGoshOhMyGoshOhMyGOSH! I have like a billion questions now! No, I have a GAZILLION questions! Where are you from?! How are you an Alicorn?!? Are you-"

CRACK!

Initial D First Stage Sound Files vol.1 - Anger starts playing

Every pony in the area stopped cold as the sound of cracking wood was heard. They all looked at Takumi who had slammed his hoof into the sign, putting a serious dent in both it and the wall.

"If you don't shut your mouth right now, I'll do it for you," he growled, giving Pinkie the death stare. All ponies at the tables left tips on the tables leaving uneaten foods and drinks.

"Oh come on silly! Why the angwy fa-"

BANG!

Pinkie's face suddenly became quickly acquainted by Takumi's front right hoof. He had punched her square in the jaw, knocking her out cold. He had told her several times to shut the hell up, yet she wouldn't listen. She brought it upon herself.

He scoffed as he walked away, leaving Pinkie on the ground. If there's one thing I now hate, It's people who get all up in your business for no reason, Takumi thought as he walked.

Two hours later, Takumi was walking along the outskirts of town. He looked to his left and saw a very early 20th century American Farm about half a mile away. It had a candy red barn, a well, white fences, a chicken coupe, fields that surrounded the place, pretty much what you'd expect from a farm.

"Huh. I wonder what they grow." He looked up at the sun and noticed that it was pretty late in the day. "I should probably head back to that castle. Starlight or whatever her name was is probably worrying about me."

He began walking back through the town, expecting a half-hour walk, but then stopped. He looked behind and down at his wings and smirked. "I think now is a good of a time as any to put these things to use," he said, unfurling them.

He thought he looked really cool as he slowly moved them up and down, getting into a rhythm. Then, with a hard flap of his wings, he took off into the air. He yelped slightly as he slowed his flapping. It took him a second to find the correct speed, but he was soon hovering.

"Perfect," Takumi said before flapping his wings and pushing himself forward towards the Crystal Castle across town.

He looked down as he flew, watching the townsfolk go about their day. It seemed so normal to him for some reason. Just some townsfolk doing whatever. Running a business, eating at a restaurant, delivering crops or farm equipment, normal things you'd expect from a pseudo-medieval town.

As he cruised through the sky, he suddenly found the bright town of Ponyville disappearing, and it was instead replaced by darkness.

But just as soon as the daylight was replaced by darkness, the darkness was replaced by the interior of a car. His car. He was speeding down a mountain road.

Ahead of him was a bright yellow 1993 Mazda RX-7 FD3S that had been modified with a large rear wing. It was a very stylish 1990s Sports Car with curvaceous lines, a Rotary Engine, overall an amazing car. He followed the FD closely, riding almost on Its rear bumper. The FD braked, making him do the same.

EEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Tires squealed as the two cars rocketed around a right 180-degree turn, also known as a hairpin turn. Takumi noticed that his AE86 did not have a carbon fiber hood and that he was a human now. He didn't mind, knowing this was merely a flashback. The two cars exited the hairpin and sped down a straight, the FD trying to escape but Takumi stayed right on Its tail through a high-speed right curve. They entered another left hairpin, parallel drifting.

Takumi noticed a sticker on the side of the FD as they exited the hairpin.

RedSuns

He knew this FD. He knew it quite well. He watched as the FD slowed for a right corner, and instinctively swerved into the right lane. He began drifting around the corner at high speed, coming mere centimeters from the guardrail. A sudden sharp left corner appeared, making him flick the steering wheel left and snap the 86 in the other direction into the corner.

As soon as he did that, the hallucination was shattered. He found himself looking down at a field, still flying. He sighed.

Oh Keisuke, I still can't believe that on that night, I was just trying to get home while you were trying to outright beat me, Takumi thought, remembering the night. He looked up, and his smirk disappeared as he noticed a bright blue Pegasus with Rainbow hair looking straight at him upside down. "Uh... hi?"

"You know It's not a good idea to fly while distracted, right?" the Pegasus asked with a female voice.

"What would I be able to hit? I'm pretty high up."

"Uh, the castle?" the Pegasus said, flipping herself upright and revealing that Takumi was hovering a few feet away from a purple crystal wall that was part of the castle.

"I didn't hit it though,"

"Well no duh, I stopped you from hitting it," the Pegasus clarified.

"You did? I must have been pretty deep in my daydream then. I didn't even notice."

She giggled. "Yeah, you must've been."

"Mm. Well uh, thanks."

"You bet. See ya!" The Pegasus raced off with a single flap of her wings, quickly accelerating to what had to be over 150MPH. This left Takumi impressed.

Okay, I thought being able to get to a hundred was good, but wow she is much faster. She must have to work pretty hard to do that, Takumi noted.

He slowed his wing-flapping pace and allowed himself to lower down on the front steps. He walked up the steps and opened the front doors, walking through and letting the doors shut behind him.

He silently walked through the halls, watching his reflection stare back at him from the crystalline walls. He looked forward again and saw Itsuki walking ahead, talking with Spike. They looked at him, and Itsuki's face lit up.

"Takumi!" ge yelled suddenly, running towards Takumi.

"Hey Itsuki," Takumi replied, happy to hear a familiar voice.

Itsuki stopped in front of him, Spike stopping next to Itsuki. "Dude, Spike's racetrack is fricken awesome! We had an amazing race against each other! There were jumps, hairpins, even banked turns!"

"Oh nice. Sounds like fun."

"It always is," Spike said. "Hey, we were wondering if you'd like to join us! Could be fun to have a fourth opponent."

"Fourth?"

"Trixie's been hanging out with us. She isn't half bad," Itsuki explained.

"Oh. So you just... left her there alone?"

"No. She went to talk with Starlight. Said we should go wait for you at the front."

"Well, I'm here now."

"Mhm. So! Wanna race?"

Takumi sighed. "No, I think I just want some peace and quiet. I've been thinking about some things and I wanted to ask Starlight a few questions."

"Oh come on!" Spike pouted.

"Sorry. See you two later," he said, walking past the two. They both groaned.

"What a buzzkill..." he heard Spike say. He grimaced.

I wanna race, but I want to ask Starlight some things, he thought.

Several minutes later, Takumi walked up to the second floor and saw Starlight and Trixie talking to each other as they emerged from a door. He could already hear what they were talking about. As Starlight closed the door behind her, and the two just sat there talking.

"I'm sure he'll come around," he heard Trixie say. "No way he's stupid enough to poke around a world he doesn't know."

"Still. I just don't get why It's been several hours since he left," Starlight replied. "What if somepony saw that he was an Alicorn and took him? Where could he be?"

"Uh-" Trixie locked eyes with Takumi, and suddenly smiled. "Right there!" she exclaimed, making Starlight look over at him.

"Oh! Ha!" Starlight laughed. "Didn't see you there! How long have you been back?"

"A few minutes," Takumi said, smiling. These two looked so cute.

"Oh well, in that case, I just cleared out this room. It's next to the stairs and there's a bathroom just across from it." She pointed to a door across from her.

"Sweet. Could I see it?" Takumi asked.

"Sure!" Starlight cheerfully replied as she used her magic to open the door back up. She and Trixie walked inside, Takumi in tow. He looked around at the room, taking in Its rather glamorous design. It was a pretty stark contrast compared to his old room, but at least it wasn't overdone like the Carousel Boutique. It was what he'd expect from a castle like this.

"No windows," Takumi noted.

"Did you want one?" Starlight asked, stopping and looking at him.

"No, it's fine,"

"Huh. Well uh, here it is. If you want me to make any changes, by all means, let me know."

"Nah, I like it like this. Different from my old room, but It's not overdone."

Trixie rolled her eyes. "Did you see the Carousel Boutique?"

"Yeah. I didn't get anything, but the pony who ran it was nice."

"She is. Her name's Rarity," Starlight said. "Very good at her work. But now I'm curious, what exactly did you do in Ponyville?"

Takumi jumped onto the queen-sized bed, feeling the silky linens. It was so different from his old bed. He loved it. He laid down on his stomach, resting his head on a white pillow. He almost completely forgot that two mares were watching him.

When he looked up at the two, he could instantly tell that Trixie was blushing. "What?"

"Never been on a silk bed before?" Starlight asked.

"Nope," Takumi replied, sitting up.

"Great. Now uh, what did you do? In Ponyville?"

"I mostly just looked around. I didn't really talk to anyone aside from uh... Rarity. I visited the Boutique or whatever it is, and also a place called Sugarcube Corner."

"Ah, so you must've met Pinkie Pie?"

Takumi was a little confused. "You mean the pink pony?"

"Yeah."

He winced. "Uh... yeah. I met her. She was annoying."

"She sometimes is. But knowing her, I'm surprised she isn't running around Ponyville at Mach Three telling everypony that you're an Alicorn. Surely she would have noticed. That or she would have already been throwing a party."

"Mach Three... great... yeah, she didn't make any remarks about me being an Alicorn. In fact, she seemed a little..." He quickly thought of the correct words. "Busy."

"Ah. Maybe that's why."

"Maybe. Oh hey, Starlight, I wanted to ask some things about Alicorns."

Starlight sat down on the bed across from him. "Really? Like what?"

"Well... I dunno. Just some things to note. Since, you know, apparently, Alicorns are really important."

"Well uh, where to begin... I guess I can start with how Alicorns are able to hold a considerable amount of magic within them. Much more than your average Unicorn. A Unicorn could hold as much if he or she trained hard enough, but It would take a long time to be able to master the kind of power an Alicorn could have, let alone safely hold it."

"Okay."

"What else... uh, I know that Princess Luna can enter the dream realm. She can go into ponies' dreams and manipulate them to her will. I dunno if the other Princesses can do that but... wait... actually that's a good question. Can the other Alicorns go into dreams?" Starlight looked at Trixie, who shrugged.

"How should I know? Ask them yourself," Trixie replied.

Starlight rolled her eyes. "I mean Celestia is over a thousand years old. Surely she has the ability to do that sort of thing."

They looked back at Takumi, who just stared at Starlight with wide eyes. Starlight grew confused.

"What?" she asked.

"Come again?" Takumi asked back.

"For... what? That Celestia might be able to also interact with dreams?"

"You said Celestia is how old?" Takumi asked, sounding worried.

"Over a thousand years. Why?"

"How is she that old?" Takumi asked.

"That's... just how old Alicorns can be. There is no set and stone thing on exactly how old one can live as we've never seen one die from old age... so at the moment, we might be looking at fifteen hundred plus. Since Celestia still looks pretty young."

"So let me get this straight..." Takumi processed the words. "You mean to tell me... that me and Itsuki... are going to live to be over a thousand years old?" His tone was shaky.

"If you don't get killed by other means, then... yeah."

Takumi looked down at the bed. "So you mean to tell me that... I'm going to outlive all my friends from my world?"

It took a second for Starlight and Trixie to process what Takumi said, but as soon as they did, their hearts sank.

"Oh... oh no..." Starlight slowly said.

"How am I gonna break this to Itsuki..." Takumi slowly said, staring at the blanket he was sitting on.

"Um... we could?" Trixie offered.

"No, no. I'm gonna have to do it. I think it would be better. But... damn... over a thousand years is such a long time..." His breathing became quicker. More shaky, too.

Starlight just sat there, hating seeing Takumi like this. "Do you want us to... um..."

"Leave?" Takumi suggested. "Yeah, you should. I'm gonna need some time to think about this..."

Trixie and Starlight looked at each other, and without a word, they both got up and walked out of the room.

"I'll check on you in a few hours, alright?" Starlight said. When she got no response, she slowly closed the door.

Takumi was left by himself, alone with his thoughts. He couldn't believe it. He was going to live a thousand years.

What's going to happen? He thought. My father, Keisuke, Ryosuke, Akio, all of Project D, all of Japan even, I'm gonna lose them all. Not by crashing on a mountain or anything, but by just outliving them. And a thousand years is such a long time. Japan could be a figment of the past a thousand years from now. I can't lose my birthplace! And my Eight Six... what's gonna happen to my 86 even a hundred years from now? I don't want it to wreck or decay.

Thoughts swirled around his head as he laid on the bed.

I don't want to live a thousand years, he continued thinking. I don't want to lose all my friends. I guess I'll always have Itsuki, but what about everyone else? I don't want to lose them... not like this...

He looked around. "This place isn't exactly bad. Everyone does seem nice, all the ponies look pretty cute... and the cars are the same as the ones from my world. I can deal with living here. But a thousand years of... possibly not being able to go back? My memories of being human would be so far back that I don't think I'd even know whether I became a legend or not..."

He took a deep breath in, held it, then let it out.

"My father trained me to become a legend, but now I'm just gone. All the work he did to train me to drive faster than anyone, put to waste. Same for Ryosuke. He refined my skills. Project D happened so he could find and train extraordinary drivers such as myself. He created the team to be unbeatable. And then of course... we attacked the Wonderbolts. And we were beaten. God... dammit..."

He took another breath in.

"Okay. No. I can pull through. I can wait. I can wait and see if I can get back. I haven't see how crazy magic gets, so... mm..."

He sighed as he pulled the covers over himself, laying on his sighed. He closed his eyes and, within minutes, went into a dreamless sleep.