Rara's New Life

The next morning, Mike and Rara were driven to Nashville International Airport by Mike's brother, John. As they began passing the airport's parameter, Rara took notice of the airplanes throughout the airport. She saw how big these machines were and that sent a feeling of unease through her body. She also noticed that they varied in color and had strange symbols on their backs. It reminded Rara of the cutie marks ponies had, since they were also symbols. Rara also noticed how all of the airplanes had writing on their fronts. Some of them read; 'United', some read; 'Delta', some read; 'American', and one read; 'British Airways'. However, Rara saw that most of the airplanes were blue with a red and yellow stripe design on their backs and the word, 'Southwest', written on their fronts.

After entering a freeway that goes into the airport, John suddenly asked Mike a question which pulled Rara out of her trance. "You said you're going on American, right?"

"Yeah, American Airlines," replied Mike.

As they pulled into the terminal's curbside, Rara saw many people and ponies hugging their loved ones goodbye. She even saw some humans and ponies doing the same thing, which reassured her that she and Mike were not the only human/pony couple. After John pulled over, they all got out and Mike and Rara grabbed their respective suitcases. Mike also brought his laptop and laptop case, since he and Rara were going to return to Equestria once they were done in Indy.

"Alright, thanks John," said Mike as he hugged his older brother. "We'll see you at Daytona next month."

"Sure," replied John. "And it was nice meeting you Rara."

Rara smiled. "Bye John. And it was nice meeting you too," she replied.

And with that, John got back in his car and drove away. Mike and Rara then walked inside the terminal and towards the check-in area. Rara saw 4 names bearing airlines; Southwest, American, Allegiant, and Alaska. She noticed they were walking towards the one that read, 'American', behind the counter. When they got up at the counter, the person behind it checked their suitcases and gave them their boarding passes.

After making their way towards security, Rara noticed just how strict air travel was. At the security checkpoint, she saw many strange structures and contraptions scanning people and ponies as well as their luggage. Rara felt a little uneasy as the people who were running the checkpoint seemed rather intimidating. The people in question wore blue uniforms with the letters 'TSA' on their sleeves. They looked like government officers as on their sleeves was an emblem which read, 'United States Dept. of Homeland Security'. She looked at Mike and asked, "Uhh... Mike, what does TSA stand for?"

"Transportation Security Administration," replied Mike. "Their job is to make sure nobody and nopony brings any hazardous items or weapons onto a plane."

Rara was surprised. These people were basically protecting other passengers of other planes. It reminded her of the royal guard in Canterlot. After waiting in line for a few more minutes, they finally reached the checkpoint itself. Mike put his suitcase and laptop case into the X-ray machine, while Rara did the same with her suitcase. Mike then took off his shoes, much to Rara's surprise.

"Why are you taking your shoes off?"

"It's standard procedure."

Rara was confused, but if that's true, then she wasn't going to question it further, as it would just drive her insane. Once they're suitcases and Mike's laptop case began going through the X-ray machine, Mike and Rara finally went through the strange structural contraption. When Mike went through, Rara finally realized what it was; a metal detector. And it's job is to see if anyone had lose things in their pockets.

"Next," said the TSA officer.

Rara went through the detector. Nothing happened. She looked at the TSA officer who just signaled her to keep walking through. 'That's it? Huh. That was one of the most simplest things in human technology I've ever seen so far.'

Mike grabbed his suitcase and laptop case and put his shoes back on, while Rara grabbed her own suitcase after it went through the X-ray machine. Now with security done, they headed towards they're gate.

After walking a short distance, they made it to their gate and sat down on some chairs in the gate lounge facing the ramp. Rara looked out and saw the airplanes moving around the airport. Unlike the car, the airport actually gave her a much more clearer view of what they looked like. As if on cue, a loud whining noise was heard outside. Rara followed the sound to see one of the planes taking off into the air. The plane was a rather big machine. It had large wings with strange objects underneath them. Unlike pegasus wings, the airplane's wings weren't flapping. Instead, they stayed stretched out and the same can be said for all of the other airplanes on the ground. In fact, now that Rara was looking at them, none of the airplanes wings retract. They stayed stretched out. Rara also looked at the plane that they were flying on. It was one of the planes she saw while in John's car. Specifically, one of the planes that had the writing, 'American', on the front. The plane itself had a gray color for most of it's body. At the back, however, there was a red, white, and blue pattern, supposedly based on the American flag. Rara also noticed that in front of the 'American' writing, there was a symbol. It looked like a pair of wings, only the top part was blue, and the bottom was red. The airplane itself looked like a beautiful machine. 'Man, how would that thing fly?,' Rara thought in amazement.

"Attention passengers, American Airlines flight 2276 to Charlotte is now ready for boarding at gate T16."

"Come on," said Mike. "That's us."

Rara and Mike stood up from their chairs and followed all of the other passengers towards the jetway. After standing in line in the jetway to wait for the line itself to move, Mike and Rara finally got on the plane. Rara looked around the interior. There were two rows of three seats that go all the way down to the back of the plane with an aisle in the middle. It was just like the trains in Equestria, only everything looked more cramped. There were also many large bins over the seats. Rara saw many people and ponies putting their suitcases and larger items inside of them. After walking down the aisle, Mike and Rara finally made it to their seats, which were on the left side of the plane. Mike began putting his suitcase in the overhead bin.

"Hey, shall I put your suitcase in the overhead bin?" Mike asked Rara.

"Sure," smiled Rara as Mike grabbed Rara's suitcase and put it in the overhead bin near his. He then put his laptop case inside and closed the bin as Rara began to make her way to their seats.

"Hey, do you mind if I take the window seat?" asked Rara.

"Are you kidding me," Mike replied. "You're gonna make me sit in the middle seat?"

"Uh, huh."

"I'm like twice your size."

"Not really."

"Alright fine."

Mike and Rara took their seats just as the PA system suddenly came to life.

"Good morning, everyone. Welcome aboard American Airlines flight 2276 with service to Charlotte. For your safety, please fasten your seat belts, as we begin to pull away from the gate. Thank you."

15 minutes later, the plane was finally pushed back from the gate and began taxiing towards the runway. As it did so, the PA system suddenly came on again. "Ladies and gentleman, your safety is our number 1 priority. So please pay attention to the following safety video regarding this Boeing 737-800 aircraft."

The TV screens suddenly came to life as the safety video played.

After the safety video ended, one final announcement was made over the PA system. Although this time, it was a male voice. "Flight attendants, prepare for takeoff."

After a few more minutes of taxiing, the plane finally lined up on the runway. Rara looked out the window as she suddenly heard the sound of the plane's engines powering up, then the plane began accelerating down the runway.

"Whoa!" Rara said as she felt her seat shake from the plane's increasing speed. How fast did these things need to go for takeoff? Her questioned was suddenly answered as the plane lifted off the runway. Rara watched out the window in amazement as the plane lifted off into the sky. The higher the plane went, the smaller and more toy-like the city began to appear.

"Oh!" Rara suddenly felt her ears getting clogged as the plane continued to go higher. She tried to dig into them, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get her ears cleared.

"That's just the air pressure," said Mike. Somehow Rara was still able to hear him. "It'll clear when we begin arriving in Charlotte."

Rara was relieved that she wasn't going deaf, but she would have still appreciate it if Mike told her everything about air travel before they even got to the airport.

After a 2-hour flight, the plane finally began descending into Charlotte. As the plane grew lower and lower, the small, toy-like cities became real again and Rara felt her ears unclog themselves. While they were some stuff that she thought couldn't have been addressed to her, she actually enjoyed her first time on an airplane. What makes it even better is that she and Mike were gonna do it again tomorrow when they go to Indianapolis. Rara also enjoyed the snack selection they had onboard. Since it was a very short flight, there were only 2 options; a biscoff cookie, or a bag of pretzels. Rara chose the pretzels.

The plane touchdown at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. When it did, Rara felt a very frightening bump, followed by the sensations of her body being pulled forward as the plane slowed down.

As the plane pulled off the runway and began taxiing to the gate, the PA system came on for the final time. "Welcome to Charlotte. The local time is 11:30am. Please remain seated with your seatbelts fastened until the seatbelt sign is turned off. And keep the aisles clear of all carry-on items. Please take a moment to check your seatback pocket for personal items such as tablets and cell phones. When you open the overhead compartments please be careful as items may have shifted in flight. You may now use your cell phone. American Airlines and our Oneworld partners would like to thank you for flying with us today. On behalf of our crew, it has been a pleasure serving you all today. We hope to see you again really soon."

As soon as the plane pulled into the gate and the seatbelt sign was turned off, Mike and Rara stood up from their seats and grabbed their personal items from the overhead bin. After making their way towards the front, they finally got off. As they walked through the terminal, Rara looked around. She saw that the airport terminal at Charlotte was very different than the one in Nashville. It was bigger, cleaner, and more busier. Mike and Rara made their way through baggage claim, and the arrivals area before ultimately standing at the curbside. After waiting for a few minutes, a shuttle bus pulled up. Mike began climbing aboard and beckoned Rara to follow. Rara was confused about what was going on, but decided to play along.

"Where are we going now?" asked Rara.

"To rent a car," Mike replied. "You don't expect us to be walking around Charlotte, were you?"

Rara saw Mike's point. Of course they weren't going to walk around the city. Especially when the places they're going to are far away from each other. The bus pulled into the airport's rental car center and Mike, Rara, and all the other passengers got out. They walked into a multi-story building with lots of counters inside. Rara looked around and saw many people and ponies happily walking out with what appeared to be keys. Mike suddenly stopped and walked up to a counter with a logo that read, 'Avis', behind it. After talking to the person behind the counter for a few minutes, Mike got his own key and beckoned for Rara to follow him. The two were then escorted to a parking garage, where the car rentals are usually handed out. After waiting for a few minutes, a silver car, a Chevy Equinox, was driven up to the couple. Mike thanked the person who then handed the car keys to him. He then looked at Rara.

"Well, what are you wait for? Come on in," Mike said as he opened the passenger door for Rara.

Rara blushed at the gentleman attitude Mike was giving her. "Sorry, it's just... well... this car is a bit bigger compared to your other car in Nashville."

"That's because it can carry more passengers. Now come on. There's some other people I want you to meet."

Rara got on the passenger seat, Mike got an the driver seat, and after starting the engine, they rolled away.

They drove for 20 minutes before arriving at a hotel, where they'll be staying for the night, as they will be heading back to the airport for a flight to Indianapolis first thing in the morning. After putting they're stuff away in the hotel room, they headed back out. As they drove, Rara noticed they were driving away from Charlotte itself and into one of it's many suburbs. They turned onto a private road and Rara noticed a sign on the right side of the road.

WELCOME TO WELCOME, NORTH CAROLINA
POPULATION: 4,162
STATE LINE

Rara couldn't help but chuckle at the absolutely ludicrous name of the town. "They actually named a town after a word you say to greet someone?" she chuckled.

"Hey, you ponies use horse puns to name your cities and towns," Mike retorted.

Rara suddenly felt offended. "HEY!!! You know the word 'horse' is offensive towards us ponies," she sneered.

Mike looked guiltily at Rara, who had a pretty offended and angry look on her face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that."

"It's alright," Rara sighed. "Just... be careful with what you say."

After a few more minutes of driving, with awkward silence. They finally pulled into their destination. A two-story rectangular building with a rounded front entrance on the left side. Right in front of the front entrance, were 3 flags. The first was the US flag, the second was the North Carolina flag, and the third was a flag containing some sort of logo; a strange, golden bowtie with the word 'Chevrolet' written under it. On the right side of the building, were the golden bowtie and the word 'Chevrolet'. Only this time, instead of being under the golden bowtie, the word 'Chevrolet' was written right next to it. On the rounded front entrance, right above the doors, was another logo. It was a checkered flag pattern with the letters 'RCR' written in red next to it.

Mike parked the car in the parking lot and he and Rara got out. As they walked towards the building, Rara looked at Mike. "So, is this one of your race teams?" she asked.

"Yes," Mike replied. "Specifically, this is my NASCAR team; Richard Childress Racing."

They walked up ton the front entrance, but before Mike opened the door, he looked back at Rara and smiled. "You introduced me to your colleagues. So why not I introduce you to mine." And with that, he opened the door. They walked up to a counter with a woman behind it. The woman looked up at the couple as they stood at the front desk.

"Can I help you?" The woman asked.

"Yes," Mike replied. "Mike Rogers, I'm here for the press conference that was scheduled for 1:00pm."

"Oh, alright," the woman said. "I'll bring Richard here to let you know you have arrived." The woman then stepped out from behind the desk and walked away.

Rara began looking around the lobby. She saw many pictures of historical drivers. One of which caught her eye. It was a picture of a man who appeared to be in his late 40s in front of a black car with a number 3 on the side. Rara walked towards the picture for a closer look. "Hey, who's this?" she asked.

Mike walked towards the picture and saw it. He sighed. "That's Dale Earnhardt," he replied. "One of NASCAR's all-time greats. One of only 3 drivers to win 7 championships. And by far, the greatest driver in the team's history."

"What happened to him?"

"He... died."

"What! How?"

"He suffered fatal head injuries in a crash on the final lap of the Daytona 500 in 2001. I was 5 years old at the time, so I really didn't know the full story. Fortunately, his legacy lived on with his son, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Who continued racing after his father's death until he eventually retired in 2017."

"Where's his son now?" Rara asked.

"He's a color commentator for NBC, one of NASCAR's broadcasters. He also races a few times a year in late models and Xfinity races," Mike explained.

Just then, the door behind the lobby opened and the woman from the counter stepped out with a very old looking man. "There he is, sir," the woman said as she got back behind the desk.

"Mike, you're right on time."

"Hey Richard, it's been a while," Mike said as he gave Richard a handshake. Richard then took notice of Rara.

"Well lookie here. An Equestrian," said Richard. "It's been a while since one set foot, or hoof in this case, in my shops."

Rara smiled timidly at the man's kind words.

"I think we should get introductions out of the way before we move on," said Mike. "Richard, remember when I told you about a singing contest I performed in, and that I'll be touring and performing with a pony?"

"Oh yeah, I remember," Richard replied before his eyes suddenly widened in realization. "Wait, YOU WON?!"

Mike smiled, "Yes I did. And this is the very pony I'll be touring with," Mike said as he wrapped an arm around Rara before letting go. "This is Coloratura."

"Coloratura, well that has a nice ring to it," Richard said.

"Oh please. Just call me Rara," Rara said as the growing number of compliments started to make her blush. "Any friend of Mike's is also a friend of mine."

"Uhhh... we just met," Richard said in confusion. "Why are you already referring to me as a friend?"

"Because it's the right thing to do," Rara replied.

Mike stepped in front of Rara. "Okay before things get awkward, Rara, this is the team's owner; Richard Childress."

Rara eyes widened. "Wait, you're the team's owner?"

"That's right," Richard said confidently. "And I'm proud of everything everyone in this team has done."

"Wow, must be a pretty tough business," said Rara.

"Oh, it is," said Richard. "But racing has been in my life. Well, we spent enough time standing around here so come on. We got a press conference to start."

The three made their way past the door and towards the shops area. Rara gazed in amazement as she saw many mechanics working on many different car parts. She then saw two rows of cars. One row had a car numbered 3 and the other had a car numbered 8. They then stopped in front of an unpainted car.

"Your car is underneath a car cover at the press area," said Richard. "But we still need you to perform your seat fitting before you can step behind the wheel."

"Right," Mike said as he began climbing in the black unmarked race car. Rara watched in complete confusion as Mike simply climbed in instead of opening the door like the cars out on the streets.

"Aren't you gonna use the door?" Rara asked as Mike was now behind the wheel.

"Cute Rara," Mike remarked. "You are very cute. But the fact of the matter is stock cars don't have doors."

"Why not?"

"For safety. If a stock car has functioning doors and gets into a really bad accident, the door would fly off and become an even bigger problem on the track."

"Oh," said Rara. "Wait, stock cars?"

"NASCAR stands for National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing," explained Mike. "This car is called a stock car and it's called that because on the outside, it looks like a normal car you see out on the streets. But on the inside, it's a completely different story." Mike then showed the inside of the car as Rara peeked in. "There's no air conditioner and no radio. Just the essential gauges, which will pop up on this digital dashboard when the car is turned on. The steering wheel, the gear shifter, the three pedals; the clutch pedal, the gas pedal, and the brake pedal. And one seat for the driver."

"What's with the cage looking thing on the inside," Rara asked as she pointed out the strange looking metal bars that go all over the inside of the car.

"This is a roll cage. It's purpose is to protect the driver in a horrible accident," explained Mike. "Alright Richard, I think this seat is perfectly fine for me."

"You think so?"

"Yes, I can grab the wheel well, and more importantly, I feel safe in this."

"Well, alright."

Mike climbed out of the car. Just then, another man, who appeared to be in his early 30s, walked up to them. "Hey Grandpa, the press conference is ready," he said as another man, this time appearing to be in his late 30s, walked up beside him.

"Yeah, the NASCAR media and every single NASCAR journalist is waiting for the announcement and car reveal. They barely can't contain they're excitement."

"Alright," said Richard. "Let's go."

"Hey you two," said Mike. "Excited to race with me in your team?"

"Oh, you know it," said the younger man. "Maybe this time we'll actually be able to keep the top 2 positions in the Daytona 500 if it goes to overtime."

"Maybe with the extra help, we won't take ourselves out like we did last year when the race went into overtime after Daniel Suarez spun," said the older man.

"Ahh teammates," Mike sighed. "They always fight or argue about who is to blame. And if the Martinsville Xfinity race this past fall taught us anything, it's that this team has a history of it."

"Hey is that one of those ponies from that other world?" asked the younger man.

"Oh, yes," Mike replied. "This is Coloratura. Although, she prefers to be called Rara."

"What kind of a nickname is that?" asked the older man.

"It's a nickname my childhood friend gave me when we were at a summer camp when we were kids," Rara explained. "I found my own name to fancy for me, so she shortened, Colora-tu-ra, to Rara. And it stuck."

"Well either way, you are one pretty looking mare, you got that?"

"Careful Rowdy," Mike said pointing to the older man. "You don't wanna disappoint your own wife."

"Oh, come now Mike. I'm a happily married man. And I love Samantha more than any other thing in the world."

"Same here," said the younger man.

"Mike, who are these 2 people?" asked Rara.

"These are my two NASCAR teammates," Mike replied as he then pointed to the younger man. "This is Austin Dillon, driver of the number 3." He then pointed to the older man. "And Kyle Busch, driver of the number 8."

"It's a pleasure," said Rara as she offered her hand for a handshake.

"The pleasure is all ours," said Kyle as he and Austin gave their handshakes.

"We better get going, we don't wanna keep the audience waiting for much longer," said Austin.

"Right, let's go," said Mike as the 4 of them went to the media center.

About 20 minutes later, the press conference was well underway. The NASCAR press and social media teams, as well as NASCAR journalists were sitting on front of a stage, cameras were flashing, and video cameras were recording livestreams. Rara was sitting among the crowd on the front row. Up on the stage, Richard Childress was sitting on the left side with Mike beside him, Austin Dillon beside Mike, and Kyle Busch beside Austin. Beside the stage, a car was covered. No doubt this would be Mike's stock car for the 2024 season.

"And without further ado, it's time for our announcement," Richard announced on the microphone as several RCR mechanics came to the covered car and very carefully took the cover off. The audience clapped and cheered as a pink and white stock car was revealed. The car had a number 32 on both sides, Mike's last name on the top of the driver side of the windshield, and T-Mobile 5G logos on the hood, sides, and back. "We're very proud to announce that Mike Rogers, one of the most loveable characters in the garage, will be behind the wheel of the number 32 T-Mobile 5G Camaro for 13 Cup Series races in 2024."

Richard looked over at Mike and beckoned him to start his own speech. Mike took his own mic and said, "Thank you for the opportunity."

Mike then looked at the audience and especially at Rara, who was smiling proudly at him. "Well, uh. For me, I've been just desperate to get back in a race car since the offseason began. But I wanted to drive a car for a more competitive team and drive for more races. For the past few years I've been driving for a lot of underfunded teams, I drove in fewer races, and I haven't raced in top equipment since my time in the Xfinity Series with JR Motorsports. So I want to thank Richard Childress here for the opportunity. This is by far the best opportunity I've ever had and it makes it even better that I'm driving in more races," Mike continued on his microphone.

After the press conference, Mike and Rara were in their hotel room getting ready to call it a night. Mike laid down on the bed next to Rara. The two looked at each other, smiling.

"Well, let's get some sleep," said Mike. "We have to wake up early again tomorrow."

"Alright, goodnight," said Rara.

"Goodnight."

Mike looked at Rara as she laid her head on her pillow and soon dozed off. Mike couldn't stop himself. He leaned over gave Rara a kiss on her cheek, and another one on her forehead. After that, he laid his head down on his own pillow and dozed off himself.

To Be Continued.