What is a racer?
The words echoed distantly in his head as he trundled along the local roads, a favorite song of his playing on the radio. The question had popped up about a week ago, but it stumped him every time he tried to formulate an answer. He was almost to the point where he would have enough bits saved up to afford something good, something with untapped performance that could be reached in a number of ways. He wanted to race, no doubt. But this one question was effectively like a spare tire going flat when it was already being used.
C'mon, Dawn, he thought to himself. You've solved problems that really made you sweat. Why are you letting four simple words trip you up?
The young bat pony pulled his nondescript Honda Accord sedan into his home's driveway and shut off the motor, pausing as the question echoed in his mind yet again, like a broken record.
What is a racer?
"... I hope this isn't a sign of me going crazy." Dawn muttered to himself as he stepped out of his car. He was only 19, but he knew more than a few things about cars. His tan fur bore not much contrast from his blonde mane and yellow eyes, though these colors contrast noticeably from his blue eyes, as well as the dark gray t-shirt and blue jeans he currently wore.
If he was a car, then he would likely be a sleeper, much like his brother. But cars didn't have miniature crises, like he was experiencing right now.
Sighing, Dawn entered his home, finding his brother busy with his laptop.
"'Sup bro?" Night said without looking up from whatever he was working on. Night was also a yellow-eyed bat pony, albeit brown with a black mane. Right now, he was wearing black shorts and a red tank top, due to the relative heat of the day. But at 6'1", Night stood roughly a full head taller than his younger brother.
"Not much." Dawn replied while tossing his car's keys into a small dish near the door. "What about you?"
"The class decided to start a list of potential upgrades for our newly-acquired Prelude." Night filled him in. "We want to turn it into a track toy that can still be driven on the street."
He paused as he looked something up, murmuring as he typed it down.
What is a racer?
Ugh, that question again.
Hmmm...
"Hey, do you know if Sil is available right now?" Dawn asked.
"He should be." Night responded while still keeping his eyes glued to the laptop's screen. "He's still dialing in his car's suspension settings since he got that 'charger bolted on. Why, you gonna pay him a visit?"
"Yeah." The younger sibling said. "There's been something on my mind lately, and I'm hoping that he'll be able to help me figure it out."
"Well shoot me a text if you need anything; I don't think I'll be leaving the house anytime soon today."
"Got it."
About ten minutes later, Dawn arrived at an abandoned lot. Formerly a construction site, when the build in question was cancelled, local racers started using it as an alternative to the racetrack; its wide space and lack of obstacles made it a great place to experiment with new settings or just learn the basics without having to worry about slamming into a wall if you messed up.
As usual, Sil wasn't the only one there, but his little convertible still stood out from the rest of the crowd. After parking, Dawn tracked down his fellow racer's father, Onyx. He differed from most in that he was a bat pony whose fur and mane were black, and that he owned a fifth-generation Porsche 911 Turbo, a fan favorite due in part to it being the last model generation to use an air-cooled motor. But, as always when Sil or his older brother were out racing, their father tagged along with supplies in a far tamer Volvo station wagon.
"Hey Onyx." The much younger driver said as he approached. "How's the tuning going?"
The fellow in question, who was currently wearing an orange t-shirt and blue shorts and silently staring at a computer screen, looked up from his work.
"It's going good so far Dawn, now that we've narrowed down the ideal ranges." He replied. "What brings you here?"
"I've just had something on my mind lately and I'm hoping Sil can help me figure it out."
Just as he finished speaking, a yellow Toyota MR2 Spyder rolled up, piloted by a familiar face.
"Hey, Dawn." A slightly older blue bat pony with a black mane, white tee, and camouflage cargo pants greeted while stepping out of the car. "What brings you by?"
"I'll explain when you've got a free moment."
"Just stiffen the shocks and springs by one increment while keeping the ride height static." Sil said to his father. "I think it's just slightly off by a few by this point."
Onyx nodded and, after lifting the little yellow convertible with a jack, got to work.
"Anyway, what's happening?"
"... Before I go on," Dawn said, "I need to ask you something first."
"What is it?" Sil asked.
"How can I put this... what is it that got you into racing to begin with?"
"... Well, I guess it was the countless hours Raven and I spent racing each other in games when we were kids. We'd often wondered what it would be like for real, then dad took us out for a few hot laps in his 911 when we were older, and that really sealed the deal."
"Makes sense, but I'm really wondering what it's like; out there behind the wheel, I mean."
Sil paused as he formulated an answer.
"It's one hell of an adrenaline rush, I can tell you that much." The blue bat pony eventually responded. "But what kind of rush really depends on what your driving."
He turned to his Toyota.
"When I picked up my MR2, I knew that I wouldn't be winning many drag races, but what I lost on the straights I could recover in the corners; that's why I started with autocross before I started juicing it up and moving on to higher speed racing. But with the supercharger, I can now start running as fast as more powerful cars."
He paused.
"But I don't know if I'll ever fully understand my motivation. Whenever I'm out there, all I want to do is push both myself and my ride; even if I don't win, I still feel proud as long as I gave it everything I had. Then of course, I figure out what caused me to lose and go about solving the issue."
"..."
What is a racer?
"You gonna be wheeling tonight?" Dawn asked.
"Sure am." Sil replied with a smile. "I'm gonna be doing cat-and-mouse sudden-death against a Mitsubishi Evo 9 over at the old dockyard. Why, you thinking of watching?"
"Actually... this is probably going to sound a bit strange, but I was hoping I could ride along with you."
The blue pony blinked.
"Well that came out of nowhere." He remarked. "What brought that on?"
"I'm going through a very confusing time, there's just this lingering question that feels like it's stopping me from getting out there myself, and I'm hoping that riding along with another racer would help me answer it."
"I've been there." Sil commented. "As soon as I finish getting the car set up, I can take you with me for a few laps to see if I'll need to make any more changes so it'll be ready for the race. What do you say?"
"Sounds good."
Eventually, nighttime fell over the city. Most areas quieted down, but one particular dockyard did the opposite.
Sil closed the engine cover of his little convertible after doing a quick check to make sure that everything was in proper condition, sliding into the car with Dawn in the passenger seat.
"I still don't know how you're able to daily drive a car this small." The latter commented.
"It's bigger and much faster than a Honda Beat." The former responded while buckling up.
"Even if your running cat-and-mouse, how do you expect to have a chance against an Evo 9?" Dawn pointed out. "It'll blow by you as soon as you end up on a long straightaway."
"I have a chance because I'm getting a head start." Sil explained. "With the difference in acceleration between us, the less powerful car starts first and the more powerful starts about five seconds after to keep things fair. It's kind of like Gran Turismo 4's 1 Lap Magic challenges only with a handicap that doesn't stack the odds against you."
The starter walked out of the crowd and stopped in between the two cars. He pointed at the Spyder, then brought his hand down. Sil dropped his little convertible into gear and floored it, charging off the line with speed that greatly belied the car's size. Five seconds later, the nearly stock white Lancer chirped its tires off the line as it began to give chase.
"Bring it on." Sil muttered as he went hurtling into the first corner, a right-left, at a speed that showed just how much time and money he had put into the Spyder's suspension, the Lancer following shortly after. Dawn could feel the g-forces, surprisingly high for something that clearly wasn't a race car nor a supercar, attempt to shove him sideways, only for him to be held in place by his seat. Upon exiting the corner, an audible whine sounded from behind the two as the 'charger did its job.
Geez, I knew a supercharger would get this thing to really get up and go, but I never imagined it would be this much of a push., the passenger thought to himself as he was pushed back into his seat. He glanced at the rear view mirror, seeing that the gap between them and the Lancer had definitely gotten smaller since the start. I just hope that Sil doesn't do something rash because of this driver following us so closely.
The blue bat pony followed a smooth line into the right-hand hairpin turn that ended a moderate straightaway, but Dawn's attention was directed behind them as the Lancer closed the gap to the point that it couldn't have been more than a foot away from the Spyder's rear bumper.
"This one knows how to handle that thing," Sil remarked after casting a brief glance behind him. "Not like a stereotypical novice racer who happens to drive a formidable car."
"What are you saying?" Dawn asked.
"I'm saying that it doesn't matter if you're driving one of the fastest performance cars in the world if you don't know how to handle it, and the same basic truth applies to cars like mine; if you're good enough, then you can clock some impressive times behind the wheel a car with not too impressive specs."
He paused to upshift on the long straightaway that followed before continuing.
"But when both racers know how to handle their rides properly, then the victory may depend largely on details; in this case, it's probably going to go to who uses their tires most effectively. That's another reason I chose this particular car; because it's so light and balanced, it can get a lot from a single set of rubber."
Dawn then noticed something strange about the Lancer as they sped down the straight.
"... Why aren't they making a move to pass us?" He asked.
"Probably because they're aware that ground I lose on the straights I can recover in the corners." Sil filled him in. "Because we've never raced each other before, they're probably also playing it safe so they can get an idea of my style before making a move. But I intend to stretch this into an endurance match, where my car's better balance and much lighter weight will give me a big advantage, and I don't think getting a grip on my style by following behind will be easy."
Dawn was about to ask why, but then noticed that the final corner, a long right with two apexes, was coming up fast.
"..."
Sil braked and calmly steered, the little Toyota following immediately and without the slightest hint of resistance. The gap between him and the Lancer had barely changed upon exiting the corner, yet the driver of the latter continued to hang back on the straight with the start/finish line, where it could easily have passed.
"Wait, why aren't we stopping?" Dawn asked when they raced across the line and kept going.
"I talked to the guy before the race and he wanted to make things more interesting by having us instead keep going without pausing if a winner hadn't emerged whenever we crossed the finish." Sil informed him. "I didn't see any harm in it, so I agreed. Besides, this isn't nearly as hard and dangerous as the Nürburgring, so we can safely run for quite awhile."
He slowed and downshifted for the first corner again.
"His car is faster in a straight line than mine, while I've got the edge in the corners. But only time will tell who will have better odds at winning as this thing drags on."
10 laps later, both cars were still going. At Sil's request, Dawn began informing him of his opponent's state on lap six.
"It looks like he's starting to wobble a bit." He noted as they entered the first corner on lap 12. "I think his car's tires are starting to give out."
"That's exactly what I was aiming for." Sil responded as the gap between the two opened up ever so slightly on the corner's exit. "This gives me a bigger advantage in the corners, but he's probably going to start using the straights to recover lost ground."
Sure enough, the Mitsubishi began accelerating at a much faster rate once it came out of the corner, rapidly closing the gap between it and the Spyder, only to be forced to brake noticeably earlier than normal to make the hairpin right at the end of the straight; the much lighter Toyota, meanwhile, only braked slightly earlier than normal and managed to widen the gap through the corner.
But the white Lancer quickly closed the distance on the following straightaway, moving to the left as it began to pass. Yet strangely, Sil looked unfazed.
"..."
Suddenly, the white sedan braked hard and fell behind once again, while the yellow convertible slowed a short distance later, still managing to clip both apexes of the final corner and widen the gap before the straight.
But the Lancer didn't go full tilt on the home stretch, instead flashing its high beams twice. At the starter's signal, the Spyder began to slow down, eventually pulling over to the side of the route.
"What's going on? What happened?" Dawn asked.
"He conceded the match." Sil said while unbuckling himself. "It was clear that we could've gone on longer but his tires just don't have enough life left in them for another run. Wouldn't be the first time this has happened."
While he stepped out, Dawn remained in the car, mulling over the experience.
"..."
... What is a racer?
"... I don't know." He muttered. Right now, he just wanted to go home, sleep, and take another shot at solving the question tomorrow.
Author's Notes: I decided to try something different and instead go with a slice of life story, albeit with my own take on it. Each chapter will have a theme that I feel reflects the character that Dawn interacts with, and each character will have their own preferred location to drive, as well as a car that reflects their character. The next song will be much different than this one.