A Century-Old "Offering"

by Fujimi200SX

Rating: everyone
Tags: Random, Princess Celestia, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Princess Luna
Length: 5562

While taking a nightly stroll through a Castle Garden, the Royal Sisters find a rather peculiar shipping container, with a most peculiar object hidden inside.

While taking a nightly stroll through the Castle Garden, the Royal Sisters find a rather peculiar shipping container, with a most peculiar object hidden inside.

I WAKE UP TO SEE THIS FEATURED ON 12/11/2021?! HOLY CRAP!

It is STILL FEATURED the next day on 12/12/2021. I am amazed.

Published 2021-12-10 21:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2021-12-10 21:30:01 UTC

The Better, Prettier, and much, MUCH more Powerful version of a Go-Kart.

The Royal Sisters, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, were taking a quiet stroll through one of Canterlot Castle's Gardens. At night.

A small breeze rustled a few leaves across the way, the moon hanging low in the sky providing full moonlight. Not many ponies were around here, but the distant sounds could be faintly heard. They could easily be tuned out. At night.

The sisters silently walked up a ramp, breathing in the fresh, almost tranquil air. They enjoyed silent nights like these. Ones where they could simply drop their duties and take in the scenery. At night!

The elder sister broke the silence. "I heard rumors that the train station will be receiving an extra track."

"Whatever for?" Luna asked. "Are four tracks no longer enough?"

"It is a dedicated track for the Crystal Zephyr. It is much quicker than most trains, so it often had to wait for other trains to move before it could offload."

"Hm. Understandable. Now that you bring the topic up, why is it that you have never asked for your own train?"

"Likely the same reason you haven't. I don't have much of an interest in trains."

"Once again, understandable."

Celestia let out a sigh. "I just love nights like these."

"You say that nearly every night we do this."

"I know, but it's just so peaceful. No beasts or villains attacking Equestria, no nation-threatening disaster, nothing but the scenery and slight breeze." She let out another sigh. "Though, I do wish sometimes there was another sound filling the air."

The sisters tuned in the distant sounds of the castle promenade and city.

"Besides that, you mean?" The younger asked.

"Of course." The elder replied.

They continued walking down a concrete path, taking in the fresh smells of flowers as they entered an especially colorful, thought not artificially lit, part of the garden. Celestia began humming a quiet tune out of habit. AT NIGHT! (Ok I'm done.)

It had not been long before she felt Luna tugging at her with a wing, bringing her to a stop.

"Sister?"

Celestia looked at Luna. "Yes?"

Luna pointed at something. "What is that? Surely it does not belong here."

Celestia looked at where she had pointed and was surprised to find something that did in fact not belong.

What was normally a clear patch of grass with a nearby tree, a place Celestia would often visit when she wanted a little time to herself, was now occupied by a most peculiar shipping container.

It was drab green in color and had a slight amount of dust around it with minor scratches. Typical wear and tear for any old metal shipping container. It was of normal height, same went for length, but it was noticeably wider than most containers. By about two feet. Also noticeable was the almost futuristic design.

The sisters instinctively looked around for any signs of a break-in but found nothing. No signs of somepony pushing it here, nor flying it here, and definitely no signs of construction that would have ever warranted the need for such a container. It was like it had been teleported and gently placed in the spot it was. The sisters looked at each other.

"Perhaps we should alert the guard?" Luna suggested.

Celestia lightly shook her head. "Let me perform some spells. If I feel anything out of the ordinary, we can let the guard know."

"We can both perform spells on it."

"Sounds fine to me. Let's not check what is inside first. I want to figure that mystery out together."

The sisters slowly approached the large container, stopping more than several feet away before lighting their horns. They each performed separate spells to analyze the container.

"Hm... how interesting..." Celestia remarked, rubbing her chin.

"It appears to be made out of highly refined Corten Steel," Luna noted. "It's strength and rigidity is well beyond Military Grade."

"How very intriguing."

"Perhaps a prototype of sorts? One that happened to be teleported here by a certain winged-bookhorse?"

Celestia rolled her eyes. "If Twilight had something like this in possession, I am sure she would have told me."

Luna smirked. "Hm. I jest. Though this may really be some kind of prototype."

"Perhaps. But the real question is, as with any container, what is inside?"

...

They stood in silence for a few seconds before Luna smiled.

"If it is not anything lethal inside, I think you should have the contents."

Celestia looked at the lunar princess with a smile. "Really?"

"You have had a rather grueling week."

"Hm. Well, thank you, sister."

Luna sweetly nuzzled Celestia, who nuzzled back.

"Now." Luna pulled away. "Let us see what secrets this Shipping Container Contains!"

Celestia lit up her horn and felt within the container, getting a gauge on its contents.

"Hm..." She wore a curious yet confused look.

"Something wrong, sister?"

"No no, nothing is wrong. It's just... it feels much emptier from what I was expecting."

"But there is something inside?"

"Yes... something... hmm... covered by a tarp. Something large."

"What is it made of?"

"Ah. Perfect idea. Let's see..." Celestia began feeling around the strange object. "It is certainly of an exotic design. Under the tarp, I can feel many curves. As for the materials... I feel..."

Celestia fell into silence. This slightly concerned Luna, who admittedly wanted to get on with it and see what was inside.

"Ahem." Luna cleared her throat.

"Oh, sorry. So. The main structure is made out of Aluminum. It has... glass windows, all of which are exotically curved. I can feel... Gasoline? And oil? And... hmm... that's odd."

"What is it?"

"It feels... old."

"Old?"

"100 years old. I can feel it in the material."

"100 years old? Hm. Odd that something that old is in a crate like this. Something that is 500 years old would better warrant the need for such a container. Speaking of which, what about the container itself? How old is it?

"The tarp is about 32 years old. The container is 34." She let out a small scoff. "How about we just open it? This is just going to ruin the fun."

"I was hoping you would say that."

Celestia smirked. "Well, let's see then."

With that, she grabbed the doors with her magic and tried to open them, but found they were incredibly secured. She eyed what appeared to be a locking mechanism in the center of the two doors.

"How interesting." She said, seeing its exotic design and feeling it with her magic.

"What an interesting lock," Luna remarked.

"It's a hydraulic lock. That means whatever this crate is, it is most likely of high importance."

"A hydraulic lock? Nothing you cannot handle, I presume?"

Celestia nodded. "Though it is extremely secure, it possesses no magical abilities, least of all magic-repelling abilities. All I need to do is simply remove the hydraulic pressure. Although, now that I look at it, it seems to possess a keyhole. And... examining it even further, there is a key inside of it!"

There was indeed a small key positioned inside the keyhole. It appeared to be slightly personalized, with a small golden police emblem depicting a slightly deformed-looking pony. In the top right and bottom left were red and black lines.

Wasting no time reading what the emblem said, and the yearning to see what was inside increasing, Celestia gently grabbed the key with her magic and turned. The quick sound of depressurizing air was heard as the lock disengaged.

The sisters looked at each other, each smiling.

"Shall we take a look?" Celestia asked.

"Yes please." Luna replied.

Celestia grabbed the key out of the keyhole with her magic, just in case, and walked up to the container. The excitement building inside her was unreal as she grabbed one door. Luna got the hint and grabbed the other, and the two pulled it open.

What they were not expecting, was the huge blast of stale, dry air that erupted from within the container. The blast was so sudden that the sister had to reel back to avoid breathing it in.

"Was this thing airtight?" Luna asked with a cough.

"Possibly," Celestia replied.

The sisters finally peered back in, smiles reaching their faces once more as they anticipated what was inside.

Those same smiles faded as they looked at what exactly lay inside.

"What the..." Celestia trailed.

Under the tarp sat what looked like a Canterlot Derby Go-Kart. The rubber tires gave that away immediately. The main difference, however, was that it was taller and definitely bigger than the karts. In fact, it seemed like it could seat two ponies side by side.

"A science experiment?" Luna suggested.

Celestia slowly stepped inside the container to get a better look. "It's... this is one hundred years old?"

"Are you certain of its age?"

"I'm positive."

"Only fools are positive."

Celestia smirked. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive." Luna's eyes widened with realization. She facehoofed. "I FELL for it! I should have known!"

The elder sister giggled. "Anyways. Time to uncover this century-old relic."

Celestia bent down and bit the tarp, feeling it crumple under the sudden pressure. She was certain it hadn't felt any pressure in a very long time. A few decades at least. She slowly pulled off the tarp and gasped as she stepped back.

While it looked like a kart, it was bigger, had a sleek, curved design, and sported two yellow headlights on the front. It had two doors, each with a mirror, and rubber tires. They could tell it was silver, but due to the lack of light, they couldn't quite make out the livery.

"This is a full century old?" Celestia asked. She looked at the rear of the machine and saw a 'Whale-Tail' rear deck spoiler. Such a design was only used for karts that wanted to be creative. Though from the looks of things, it was not purely aesthetic. It seemed fully functional.

"Perhaps we should bring it into the light?" Luna suggested.

Celestia rubbed her chin. "Hmm... yes, we should. Whatever this... vehicle, is, it would probably want to see something that isn't metal."

She stepped around to the back of it and rested a hoof on the rear. She noted the vents on the trunk as she began pushing. To her surprise, it wouldn't move.

Tilting her head in confusion, she rested her other hoof on the back and tried to push it again. As she pushed, she noticed the suspension begin to sink, creaking as it did so. The vehicle itself refused to move.

"Or maybe not?"

She gave up, knowing it would be a waste of breath. Before she walked around the front, she noticed a large rear red bar towards the bottom. On it was a single black word.

PORSCHE

"Porsche?" She said, pronouncing it as 'Por-shuh'.

"Pardon?" Luna asked.

"Porsche. That's what it says back here. It also says Samurai above that."

Above it, it did indeed sat SAMURAI in big white letters. Below the red taillight, something Celestia thought was only used by trains, was a white rectangle. Within it rested a black jumble of numbers and letters.

S - AM 77

Must be some form of identification. She mused.

"Porsche..." Luna repeated. "A word for Offering, if memory serves."

"This machine predates the term Porsche by well over sixty years."

"Really? How very odd."

Celestia walked to the front of the 'Porsche' and stared. "It doesn't seem to want to move."

"Can we not simply lift it off the ground?"

"No. I don't want to touch it with magic. Something tells me this thing doesn't like it."

"What? It is just a machine by the look of it."

"No. It has magical properties. Properties of which I have never seen or felt."

Luna was surprised. "This machine... has magical properties?"

Celestia said nothing. She merely looked down at the key she still had in her magical grasp. It was then that she noticed a word on it. Porsche. She curiously looked between the key and the vehicle.

Luna stared at the vehicle. Truth be told, it looked very Aesthetically pleasing. She cursed herself for letting Celestia have it.

"I wonder..." She heard Celestia murmur.

Luna looked over at her sister, opening her mouth to say something. Nothing came out however as she looked at the mare that had suddenly appeared. The mare was considerably smaller than Celestia, no more than a few inches taller than Twilight Sparkle. She was white and had flowing pink hair and a slightly less impressive version of Celestia's cutie mark.

"Sister?" Luna asked.

The mare smiled. "Well I've got to be able to fit, right?" She said. It was undoubtedly Celestia's voice, but slightly higher pitched.

Luna watched her now-juvenile sister walked up to the left side of the vehicle, key in mouth oddly enough, and insert the key into a keyhole resting on the door. Lil' Tia turned her head, which turned the key, and pulled the key out. She then reached up to the door's handle and pulled. It easily opened.

The sudden look on Tia's face as she peered inside told Luna that she needed to run over and see for herself. The problem was that Tia had opened the door all the way, so there were less than a few inches between it and the container wall. Luna could just fly over the door, but Tia stopped her.

"Hold on. I think I know what to do." She said, putting the key on the dashboard.

Luna watched Tia reach inside and push a button in the center, using her other hoof to push a lever down. Tia got back out and placed a hoof on the steering wheel then, with all her might, she began pushing.

Slowly but surely, the vehicle moved forward. The sisters could hear the sounds of bearings and bolts jittering and quietly creaking due to years of static disuse. After a few rotations, Tia found the vehicle much easier to push. Luna stepped out of the container as Tia continued pushing, and within seconds the vehicle was out and neatly showcased under a rather convenient street lamp.

"Woah..." The sisters said in unison as they took in the true form of the vehicle.

The 5-Spoke rims were black with silver trim. The rear of the vehicle was a shade of dark green, with a wide red stripe with an accompanying narrow white stripe separating the Silver from Red diagonally.

"I can't lie..." Tia slowly said, an excited smile appearing on her face. "This looks... really good..."

"Indeed it does..." Luna agreed. "This vehicle is a century old?"

"Perform your own spell on it."

Luna did just that. "But, how?"

"I don't know. But it seems to be a form of a kart."

"It is rather big for a kart."

"Hm. Anyways... wait, sister?"

Luna looked down at Tia, which felt a little weird. "What?"

"How about you change into your younger form?"

"Why?"

"So we can sit in the Kart together. Or the 'Porsche'."

Luna rolled her eyes as her horn lit up. Within a second, she had changed from her dark blue and regal self to a smaller, purple, juvenile form with light blue hair.

"Now. Let's see what's inside, Lulu."

Tia walked to the left side of the Porsche and opened the door. She wasted no time sitting in the driver's seat. She unlocked the right door so Lulu could get in, to which Lulu did. They simultaneously shut both doors.

THUNK!

"Ohh... look at all this," Tia remarked, feeling out the interior. "For being a century old, it is quite immaculate."

"Perhaps the container had some sort of technology to keep it in this condition."

"No. The lack of moisture within the container must have kept it in this state. No magic was needed. It merely needed to be airtight."

Tia eyed the analog gauges sitting behind the steering wheel, wondering what they could be for. After a moment, she sat back in the seat and rested her hooves on the steering wheel. She took a deep breath in, held it, and exhaled slowly.

Her eyes glanced down at yet another keyhole next to the steering wheel. Her eyes darted to the key she had put on the dashboard. She grabbed the key with her mouth and reached around the steering wheel.

"What are you doing?" Lulu asked.

"Ith' another keyhole," Tia replied as she inserted the key. She turned it hard.

KRRR-CHUNKA-CHUNKA-CHUNKA-CHUNKA-VroooOOOOOOOOoooooommmmmmm

The sisters screamed as a sound erupted from the Porsche and the gauges began lighting up. Tia reeled back in her seat, leaving the key in the keyhole. Both sisters looked around frantically to find out what the sound had come from. After a few seconds, they realized the sound was coming from directly behind them. They could feel the Porsche very faintly vibrating.

"What the..." Lulu tried to say. She noted the large white letters spelling out SAMURAI on what appeared to be a compartment of sorts. "Samurai? Last I checked, that word came from Kirin warriors of old. Perhaps this vehicle is a Kirin-made contraption?"

"I don't know... but... oh... that sounds nice..."

"THAT is what you are thinking about?"

"Listen to it! Oh what's this... huh. Look at these gauges."

"What about them?"

Tia pointed at one particular gauge that risen from the bottom to a little above the number 1. The numbers went counterclockwise. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. Just above the 7 lay a red line. "See? That wasn't like that before."

"Hm. Interesting. But why did everything light up?"

"Perhaps that is this machine's way of letting us know it's on. Look. The headlights even turned on."

"Hm..." Lulu curiously opened the compartment, slightly wincing as it dropped like a rock. Out came a small paperback book, along with what seemed like a... gun?

Lulu simply stared at the gun before shoving it back into the compartment. She closed it and picked up the book, reading the cover out loud.

"One Thousand Nine Hundred and Seventy Seven Porsche Nine Hundred and Thirty Turbo Two Owners Manual. Everything to know about owning and driving your One Thousand Nine Hundred and Seventy Seven Porsche Nine Hundred and Thirty Turbo Two. That is quite the name."

"I believe it is pronounced Nineteen Seventy Seven and Nine Thirty." Tia corrected.

"So 'Porsche' is a manufacturer?"

"Maybe. Though, I wonder what 1977 stands for."

As Lulu flipped it open, Tia felt a pedal underneath her hoof. She looked down to see that that was the case, and curiously pressed on it.

vrooommmm

The sisters winced at the sudden change of the sound's pitch.

"What was that?" Lulu asked.

"I just... pressed this pedal." Tia experimentally pressed it again.

vroooommmm

A smile crept up her face as she pressed a little harder, noticing a needle on the 1-7 gauge rising and falling.

vroooommmm-vrooooomm-vroooOOOOOoooooooommmmm

"Oh... oh my... that sounds beautiful..."

Lulu bit her lip, wholeheartedly agreeing with her sister's claim. "Is it too late to take back what I said about you having the container's contents?"

Tia giggled. "Of course it's far too late. This 1977 Porsche 930 Turbo is mine."

vrooommm vrooooOOOOOOO-BRBRBBROOOooommmmmm

Tia yelped as the Porsche made a rattly noise. She quickly let off the pedal and let the needle drop down.

"I guess that is what happens when I take that needle up to the red zone." She remarked. "Hm... RPM X1000?"

"Revolutions Per Minute?" Lulu suggested.

"Sounds about right. As good as this Porsche sounds, I wonder what that sound is for."

"Hm. Let me see... how to start." Lulu looked at a page in the owner's manual. "To start moving forward in your 1977 Porsche 930 Turbo, or 930 for short, put the clutch in and shift into first gear, slowly pressing on the throttle. Wait..."

Tia gasped. "This runs under its own power..."

"Pardon?"

"This... Porsche... it runs under its own power. It does not require somepony to push or pull it..."

vroooommmmm-vroooOOOOOooooommmmm

"That is the most beautiful sound I have ever heard... it's so smooth..."

"I have to agree."

"So." Tia looked down at the three pedals that lay in the hoofwell. "Clutch, you said?"

"Wait, you would like to start moving now?"

Tia looked at Lulu. "Why not? I have had a hard week. Why not have some fun?"

"By driving a vehicle you have never driven before? You may be good at Kart Racing but this Porsche is something else. I just know it."

"I won't be too hard. Maybe. At least not immediately. Now let me see." She looked back down at the pedals. "Which one is the clutch?"

Lulu looked back at the book. Well, it is not like we would get severely injured should we crash. We are Alicorns after all. "The clutch is... the left pedal."

Tia moved her hoof onto the leftmost pedal and depressed it. "Ok. What now?"

"Move your gear selector into first gear. I believe that is this stick."

Tia moved her right forehoof onto what she assumed was the gear selector, then looked at each slot.

R 1 3
| | |
+-+-+
| |
2 4

"Ok. Seems simple enough."

She moved the gear stick into the slot labeled '1'. "Now what?"

"Slowly let off the clutch, while simultaneously depressing the throttle."

"Throttle?"

"Possibly the thing you were pressing earlier. The thing that made this machine increase in pitch."

"Ah. Of course."

The sisters braced themselves as Tia tentatively depressed the throttle while simultaneously letting off the clutch, causing the engine to slightly rise. Suddenly, the 930 began to move.

"Oh gosh..." Lulu whimpered as Tia rested her hooves on the steering wheel.

Tia bit her lip as she guided the 930 along the concrete path, fully releasing the clutch and throttle. They cruised along at a very slow speed. A little more than a trot.

"Sister, look. At that gauge." Lulu pointed.

Tia looked at the gauge Lulu pointed at, seeing more numbers going clockwise from 30 to 240 in increments of 30. At the bottom read 'M.P.H', and just above that read 172077.

"MPH... Miles Per Hour!" Tia stated as she steered right to head for the ramp that lead out of the garden. "This must be a speed gauge that tells us how fast we are going in Miles Per Hour. It's a good thing that is my preferred unit of speed."

"What are you doing?" Lulu asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we are exiting the gardens. If we continue, ponies will see us."

"Oh. Right. Um, how do I stop?"

Lulu flipped to the next page. "Hmmm... to bring your 930 to a stop, depress the clutch and bring it out of first gear, then let off the clutch and depress the brake."

Tia did just that. She correctly assumed the middle pedal to be the brake, and within two seconds, they stopped.

"That was gentle," Lulu remarked.

"Thank you. Now I that know how to stop, shall we continue?"

Lulu was surprised. "You want to leave the gardens?"

"Um... a little. Whatever this vehicle is, it can clearly go faster than running. And this Speedometer suggests it can do..." She trailed off as she realized what the speedometer suggested. No way it would go all the way up to 180 Miles Per Hour if the 930 couldn't achieve that speed. "This 930 can achieve 180 Miles Per Hour..."

"What? No way." Lulu said in disbelief. "Even the fastest trains can hardly achieve seventy miles per hour."

"This is not a train. It is lighter."

Lulu scoffed as she flipped to a page that the Table of Contents told her had the 930's specifications.

"2664 Pounds," She began. "296... Horsepower? What does that mean?"

Tia gasped. "T-T-T-... 296... H-Horsepower?"

Lulu stared, confused.

"Horsepower is measured for experimental Internal Combustion Engines. Right now, the one with the highest output is..." She gulped. "twelve..."

Tia looked at the Dashboard as Lulu gasped. "This... Porsche... everything about it is just... increasingly confusing. The materials it uses predate Equestria's by at least a decade. The body is made of aluminum, which was only discovered 90 years ago. Even the rubber and synthetics used in the tires were only discovered individually 40 years back, and nopony thought to combine them until just fifteen years ago."

"And the internal combustion engine..." she continued. "That is what this Porsche has. That is the sound. Internal combustion engines were invented less than a few years ago..."

The sisters stared into nothingness as they wondered where this vehicle could have possibly come from. Almost nothing about it made sense. It used materials that predated their discovery, it appeared seemingly out of nowhere, it had 24 times more horsepower than the most powerful internal combustion engine, and it did not seem to be of Discords doing. They would know.

"Perhaps we should alert Twilight about this enigma?" Lulu suggested.

"Hmm... well, she is due in at the train station within ten minutes-" Tia stopped suddenly. After a second, she slowly turned her head to look behind her and Lulu's seats, spotting a rear bench seat able to easily fit three fully grown mares. "How about... we go meet her there?"

Lulu reached for the door handle. "I was thinking the same thi-" She was cut off when Tia stopped her hoof with magic.

"No. I mean, how about we go pick her up? In this 930?"

Lulu looked at her. "You wish to drive through Canterlot in full view of everypony? The night is still very young, sister. There will still be ponies milling about."

"I am sure my little ponies have seen more oddities."

"..."

"So?"

Lulu sighed. "You always say that being in our younger forms does not change our personalities, but you seem to always act much more playful."

Tia giggled. "Is that a yes, sister?"

"I guess so. But just know, we may get a following."

Clunk

Tia put the clutch in and shifted into first gear, then slowly let the clutch out while simultaneously pressing on the accelerator.

The engine revved quietly as they accelerated and left the garden. Tia gently steered around the concrete pathways that easily took the Porsche's weight while Lulu read through the owner's manual.

"Engine... A Three Point Three Liter Flat Six. Interesting."

"Flat SIX?"

"That is what this says."

Tia was nothing short of surprised. "Three Point Three Liter... Flat Six? How the..."

"Why is that surprising? Truth be told, I have not followed the Internal Combustion Engine Development."

"Because the current highest power prototype is a Two-Liter flat two. And it only makes Twelve Horsepower, as I said before."

Lulu was surprised. "But if that is the case, why does this flat-six have so much more power?"

"Keep reading. Maybe you can find out."

As Lulu continued reading, Tia guided the Porsche through the gardens. There was a sense of giddiness riveting throughout her body. That 'oooo I'm doing something I probably shouldn't be doing but I love it!' kind of feeling. Most should know it.

They slowly approached a lone couple sitting on a bench. The couple stared as they went past. Tia noticed and politely waved.

"The Porsche 930's 296 Horsepower is achieved by a..." Lulu trailed. "Dee... Oh... H... Cee? DOHC?" She cleared her throat. "A Turbocharged DOHC Flat Six engine... Turbocharged?"

"Odd. I've heard of superchargers, they are used to promote airflow in blast furnaces. But I don't think I've heard of a Turbocharger."

"Perhaps that is where the 'Turbo' comes in. Porsche 930 Turbo."

"Perhaps... uh oh."

"What is it?"

"What if the guard stops us?"

"Really, sister?"

"Look at us! They won't recognize us!"

Lulu scoffed. "Just keep driving. If memory serves, the Lunar Guard will be on break at this time."

"...oh."

Lulu smiled. It is like she truly is a child. I wonder how she would do if one were to turn her into a filly?

Pretty soon, they had exited the gardens with zero hassle and were now driving down a ramp and away from the castle, hopefully towards the train station. Lulu hadn't found anything too helpful on why this Porsche made so much power other than the Turbocharger ramming more air into the cylinders, which didn't make sense. Why would more air help the Porsche to make more power?

Suddenly, Tia stopped. Slowly, of course.

"What is it?" Lulu asked.

"Look ahead."

Lulu did just that and saw nothing to note other than a long straight concrete pathway about a quarter-mile in length before it curved. One with not too many ponies blocking it.

"It is only main street," Lulu stated.

"Yeah. But... I want to see how good 296 Horsepower is."

Lulu's eyes widened as she looked at her sister. "You cannot be serious. Can we at least go someplace where not many ponies will see us?"

"But... where else are we going to find a straightaway as good as this?" Tia's breathing was heavier than usual, and she stared ahead with an almost fearful look.

Lulu looked at Tia, then the pathway ahead.

That same sense of giddiness Tia was feeling washed over her as she realized just how badly she wanted to see the true power of this machine. Having driven a Canterlot Derby Kart herself, she liked the acceleration, but she wanted more. She wanted to be pushed back in the seat.

vrooommmmrrroOOOOoommmmm

Tia lightly revved the engine. She wanted to do it. She wanted to shove it into first gear and press the accelerator to the floor. She really did. But at the same time, she was scared to do so. Just that weird fear of actually doing it. A fear she hadn't experienced in centuries. She wasn't sure if she had ever experienced it after she had sent Luna to the moon.

Her hooves slightly jittered atop the steering wheel. Should she do it? Should she find out what true power this Porsche had?

Poof!

A rolled up parchment suddenly popped into the Porsche, landing in Tia's lap. She stared at the message for a moment before tentatively gripping it with her magic and unrolling it, reading it off.

"What does it say?" Lulu asked after a moment.

Tia let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Twilight's train has been delayed."

"...oh" Lulu sighed. "Perhaps this is a sign that we should try this at a different time?"

Tia remained silent for a few seconds before speaking. "Yeah... yeah, maybe..."

"Let us travel back to the castle. I believe I know where we can store this in secret."

Tia said nothing as she depressed the clutch and slowly accelerated from a standstill. She let off the clutch and the accelerator and then turned around, heading back for the castle.

"Sister, are you alright?" Lulu asked.

"It's just..." Tia took in a breath. "I feel so... scared..."

"Yes, that much is obvious."

"No. I mean, truly scared. I can't explain it. I don't even know why I was scared to just... press a pedal. I... I don't think I've ever felt my body so scared before... What kind of a princess am I, to be scared of a pedal..."

Lulu placed her left hoof on Tia's right hoof, which was on the steering wheel. "Sister, it is ok. We can look into doing it another time. Someplace safer."

Tia smiled. "Thank you."

Later, the sisters woke up in a large ethereal plane of existence. Mystical white fog floated about the light blue dreamscape, a slow breeze blowing around them.

"Odd." Luna, now in her normal form, said. "I did not bring us into this place."

"Really?" Celestia, also back in her normal form, asked.

Luna shook her head.

Suddenly, the sisters could feel a new magical presence. It was the same presence they had felt within the Porsche mere hours before.

"Sister, is that feeling your doing?" Celestia asked.

"No. It is not. I wonder what is... causing..." She trailed off as her eyes caught something.

"What?"

"S-S... Sister?"

Celestia looked at where Luna was looking and gasped.

Before them, several feet away, stood a pony. An average-sized unicorn stallion. He was silver in design with dark green hair, a large red stripe down the middle of his hair with a narrow white stripe next to that. His yellow eyes stared gently into the sisters, a smile on his face. His cutie mark was the same as the symbol on the Porsche's keychain. A police-like badge with red and black lines in the top right and bottom left parts of the badge.

What they were surprised about, were the wings furled to the stallion's sides that simply screamed speed. And judging by his general design, it didn't take a scientist to know who, or what the sisters were looking at.

They simply stared at each other for a moment. After that moment, the stallion tilted his head. Then, he shook it, chuckling.

"You know, it's been pretty funny seeing how you two reacted to a car. Particularly one that came fifth place in the Car Of The Century Awards. Especially you, Tia~"