Rara's New Life

Rara woke up with a start as the American Airlines 737-800 touched down at Indianapolis International Airport. Earlier that morning, Mike woke her up, they got dressed, returned they're car rental at Charlotte Douglas Airport, and then hopped on a flight to Indianapolis. Rara fell asleep just shortly after the plane reached cruising altitude. Now that they have landed, Rara knew that they've reached they're final stop before they're return to Equestria.

The plane pulled off the runway and began taxiing to the gate. "Welcome to Indianapolis. The local time is 11:38am. Please remain seated with your seatbelts fastened until the seatbelt sign is turned off and please check your seatback pockets for small personal devices. When opening your overhead compartment 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 and we hope to see you again really soon."

The plane soon pulled into the gate. Mike and Rara grabbed their personal belongings, stepped off the plane, walked through the jetway and terminal, and finally stepped outside at the curbside. Just like in Charlotte, they stepped on a bus, were taken to a rental car center, and rented a car. However, this time they didn't go to a hotel room. They were planning to go straight to Equestria by the time they were done in Indy.

After driving out of the main city and into the suburbs, they made it to their destination; a two story building with a glass entrance and white walls. The building's entrance was on the left corner. On top of the entrance, was a logo. It was a red shield with blue sides and a white triangle in the middle. Beside the shield, was the word, 'ANDRETTI'. After pulling into the parking lot, Mike and Rara stepped out of the car and walked toward the building.

"This is my IndyCar team," Mike said to Rara. "It used to be called Andretti Autosport, but now they are rebranding to Andretti Global. This is because they are reaching out to other forms of motorsports. IndyCar, Formula E, IMSA, and Formula 1. Recently, they have been rumored to be going to NASCAR."

"Whoa, how can a team be able to compete in that many sports leagues?" asked Rara.

"Simple. Sponsorship, partnership, and funding."

Rara looked confused at Mike.

"The Formula E team is sponsored by a company called Avalanche, the IMSA team is operated in partnership with Wayne Taylor Racing, and the Formula 1 team, which is waiting for final approvals, is receiving funding from both General Motors, and the big man himself, who owns the team," explained Mike.

"And who is that?" Rara asked.

"You'll see," said Mike as they entered the building.

"Hello sir, can I help you?" asked a man behind the counter.

"Yeah. Mike Rogers, I'm here for the press conference that was scheduled for 1:30pm."

"Alright, I'll get Michael to come down here to get you."

Rara looked around the lobby. Unlike RCR's headquarters in Charlotte, there were no photos of past drivers, but behind the counter, there were many old race cars. They were completely different from the stock cars she saw in Charlotte. They didn't have fenders, they had open driver seats, and looked far more dangerous than the stock cars.

"Uhhh... Mike," Rara said shakily. "Why are these cars so... different?"

Mike quickly caught on to what Rara was asking about. "Oh, this team does not run stock cars, they run what are known as, 'open-wheelers'," Mike explained. "These cars are much faster than the NASCAR stock cars, and judging by their looks, they can also be far more dangerous, buuuut......-"

"-they are far more safer now, than they were 10 years ago," came a voice.

Rara and Mike looked toward the source of the voice, and saw a man in usual streetwear, walking towards them with a smile. "Hey Mike, long time no see," said the man as he then noticed Rara. "And I see you brought one of those Equestrian ponies along."

"Rara, this is the big man himself who owns the team, Michael Andretti, son of legendary race car driver, Mario Andretti," Mike introduced.

"Wow, the son of a legend," said Rara. "It's a pleasure."

"Rara, well that sounds kind of cute," said Michael Andretti. Rara blushed. "Well, my real name is Coloratura. But I prefer being called Rara."

"Hmm, alright then." Michael Andretti then looked at Mike. "So, you ready?"

"Yeah," replied Mike. "Let's go."

As the three of them were making their way through the shops, Rara saw some cars that the mechanics were working on. They looked far more modern than the cars she saw behind the counter. However, the biggest difference is that their driver seats are covered and shielded.

"Hey, what's with those shielded driver seats?" asked Rara. "They weren't on the cars that we saw at the front, behind the counter."

"Well, that's what I meant by the cars being much safer now than they were 10 years ago," said Michael Andretti.

"Those shields are called Aeroscreens," explained Mike. "And they serve the same purpose as the roll cages in the stock cars; to protect the driver."

Rara was surprised. For a second, she thought the drivers of these cars would have to endure high speeds at full force without these 'Aeroscreens'. And no doubt be unsafe if a piece of metal from the track could hit the driver in the face. That realization caused a sharp chill to go up Rara's spine. "Umm.... how did these..... Aeroscreens came to be?"

Michael Andretti had a sad look on his face, as he remembered one person so well. And sighed sadly and said, "In 2015, while racing at the Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania, one of my drivers, Justin Wilson, was killed in an accident after another driver, Sage Karam, lost control of his car and hit the wall. The impact caused debris to fly through the air, one of those pieces of debris hit Justin Wilson, right in the face. That put him in a coma, which he never woke up from. He died in the hospital the next day."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," said Rara sympathetically. "Although, his death sounded a bit... gruesome."

Michael Andretti sighed and said, "Yeah, but at least he went peacefully."

"After that accident, IndyCar began studying the possibilities of protecting their drivers even more," explained Mike. "In 2018, the halo was introduced to Formula 1, and it was put to the test at that year's Belgian Grand Prix, where Fernando Alonso had a very scary crash with Charles Leclerc. The halo did it's job as Leclerc was hit an angle that could have been fatal. Had the halo not been introduced, Charles Leclerc... would not still be here today. IndyCar saw how well the halo did it's job in that accident, and wanted to make a system of their own. So in 2020, they introduced the aeroscreen, and like the halos in F1, they have done they're job of protecting drivers perfectly."

Rara was impressed. Whoever was in charge of these leagues, they knew that safety always comes first. And since Mike was protected by these Aeroscreens, she felt all the tension she had instatnly go away.

"Well, I suppose we should keep going," said Michael Andretti. "We don't wanna keep the press waiting."

"Right," said Mike.

As they made their way to the press conference, 3 men walked up to them. All of them appeared to be in the same age demographic.

"Hey," one of the men said. "It's about time you showed up."

"Now, now Colton," said Michael Andretti. "We're on time."

"But they're done getting everything set up," said another of the men. "They barely can get they're hands off of the car cover."

"Umm, I'm sorry," Rara said suddenly. "But who are you three?"

The three men looked at Rara with surprise. "Well, this is a first. We've never had any of those Equestrian ponies in our shop," said the last of the men, although unlike the first two, the third man had an accent. Most specifically, a Swedish accent.

"Rara, these are my 3 IndyCar teammates," said Mike. "Colton Herta, Kyle Kirkwood, and Marcus Ericsson."

"Sup," said Colton. "So Mike, who is this Pony?"

"Oh right. This is Coloratura."

Kyle Kirkwood gasped and his eyes went wide. "Coloratura? As in... COUNTESS COLORATURA?"

"You know me?" Rara asked in surprise.

"Well of course I do," replied Kyle Kirkwood. "Your song, 'The Magic Inside', is one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard."

Rara was flattered. Her songs were sold on Earth too? How did AJ not tell her that? "Why, thank you."

"The pleasure is all mine," Kyle Kirkwood said as he took Rara's hand, brought it up, and kissed it, causing Rara to become even more flattered.

"Ooh, such a gentleman, I appreciate that," she said.

Kyle Kirkwood let go of Rara's hand just as Mike wrapped arm around her, surprising her.

"Now now, Kyle," Mike said sternly. "She's mine." Rara blushed and smiled shyly as Mike declared her as his out loud.

Everyone was surprised. "Wait, are you two dating or something?" asked Marcus Ericsson in his Swedish accent.

Rara blushed deeper and looked away while Mike smirked. "Heh, you could say that," he replied.

"Oh, my," said Kirkwood.

"Well, Mike, you have our congratulations," Michael Andretti smiled. "Now, come on. We don't wanna keep the media waiting."

"Right," said Mike as the 6 of them walked away to the press conference.

Not much difference happened between the press conference at RCR and this one. Michael Andretti just gave out the same speech that Richard Childress said in his. "We're very proud to announce that Mike Rogers will be behind the wheel of the number 29 NAPA Auto Parts Honda for 11 races in 2024," he announced as the mechanics carefully took off the car cover, revealing a blue and yellow open-wheeler. The audience clapped and cheered as it was revealed.

Mike was surprised when he saw it as it looked very similar to the NAPA car that Alexander Rossi ran in 2020. The only difference being the car number as Rossi, who now races at Arrow McLaren, raced the 27, which is now run by Kyle Kirkwood, while Mike will race the number 29. He cleared his throat and began his own speech.

"Thank you, Michael for the opportunity," Mike said as he looked down at Rara, who was sitting at the front row, smiling. "Well, uh. I want to thank Michael and everyone at NAPA Auto Parts for making this deal possible. I'm very excited to work with such accomplished drivers such as Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood, not to mention Marcus Ericsson, who need I remind you, is a former F1 driver." The audience chuckled. "And I'm also very proud to work with such a legend like the Andretti Family. And I once again like to thank him for allowing me to run almost half the schedule, which includes my hometown race." The audience clapped at Mike's words.

After the press conference, Mike and Rara grabbed some lunch at a local pizza place. As they were eating, Rara couldn't help but notice all of the meat toppings the other pizzas had. Of course, being a pony meant that she was a herbivore, so she opted for a plain cheese pizza. Ironically, Mike also chose a plain cheese pizza as he apparently doesn't like toppings on pizza. As Rara put the pizza in her mouth, she immediately flinched and dropped it on her plate and rubbed her hands.

"Hot?" asked Mike.

"Yeah, hot," Rara said as she tried to cool herself. She then blew her pizza to cool it down. Once it did, she was finally able to take a bite. When she did, she was immediately impressed with the taste. It wasn't like Equestria's pizzas, but it was still very tasty. After swallowing the first bite, she noticed that Mike was looking at her.

Mike chuckled. "What? It's not we're having a date or anything."

Rara blushed. "Well, I can't stop thinking about what Marcus asked about us dating and you saying that 'they could say that', it basically implies that we are," she replied.

Now, it was Mike's turn to blush. "Hehe, well you are kind of right about that." Just then, Mike's cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket to see who it was. "Chip Ganassi?" he asked in surprise. He then answered. "Hello?"

"Chip. What's up?"

"Wait, you wanna tell me something?"

"Alright, I'm eating lunch right now, so I'll be there when I'm done."

"Alright, see ya." Mike then hung up the phone and sat back down.

"Who was that?" asked Rara.

"My IMSA team owner," replied Mike. "He has something to tell me when we get to his shops. I wonder what it could be."

After they finished eating, they headed out to their final stop before heading back home. After a 20 minute drive, they made it to their destination; a building with a glass front, but unlike the previous 2 race shops, this one didn't have any logos. The only way to tell that it is a race shop is by a sign at the front of the parking lot which read, 'Chip Ganassi Racing'. Mike parked his car and he and Rara walked inside.

After meeting with the person at the front counter, he went of to get Chip Ganassi. Rara looked around the lobby.

"This team runs in IndyCar too?" she asked.

"Yes, they run in IMSA, IndyCar, and the FIA World Endurance Championship or WEC for short" explained Mike. "They used to run other series, like Formula E and NASCAR, but those teams have been sold off to new team owners."

"Well, it's tough to sell off something you've worked on for years," Rara said as she sighed sadly, remembering her own financial hole that she was in 6 months ago. "But you got to get whatever money you can because it could end up being helpful."

Mike looked at Rara, agreeing with what she just said. Just then, a man walked into the lobby. Rara looked at the man, no doubt this was Chip Ganassi.

"Hey Mike, so glad you came," he said.

"Sure thing, Chip," said Mike. "May we go inside and reveal that Cadillac GTP Hypercar we're gonna run?"

Chip Ganassi chuckled. "Yup, let's go."

As they walked through the shops, Rara saw lots of IndyCars. Surprisingly, none of the 'Hypercars' were around. 'Hmm, it's probably because they haven't unveiled it yet,' she thought to herself. Finally, they reached the area of the press conference. When they walked in, Chip Ganassi looked back at Mike and saw Rara.

"So, who's this Equestrian you brought along?" he asked.

But before Mike could introduce Rara, three other men walked in.

"Hey Mike, so glad you're here," the first man said in a French accent.

"Yeah, it's been a while," the second man said in a New Zealand accent.

"Let's hope he'll help us get more success in those endurance races," the third man said in a Dutch accent.

"Now, now guys," said Mike. "Anything can happen in endurance racing."

"He's right, you know," said Chip.

"Uh, Mike, who are these three guys?" asked Rara.

"These are my IMSA teammates, who I'll be sharing the car with in the 5 endurance races I'm running," Mike explained as he began introducing them. "This is Sebastien Bourdais," he said pointing to the Frenchman. "This is Scott Dixon," He said pointing to the New Zealander. "And this is Renger van der Zande," he said pointing to the Dutchman.

They all waved at Rara as Chip Ganassi once again asked, "So Mike, who is this Equestrian you brought along?" he asked again.

"Right, this is Coloratura," said Mike.

"Coloratura? COUNTESS COLORATURA!?" Scott Dixon asked in shock.

Rara was shocked. For the second time that day, a human knew her. "Y-yes, that's me," she said.

"Wow, it's an honor," Scott Dixon said as he shook Rara's hand. "My daughters love your songs. They always sing them whenever they play."

Rara felt flattered. The fact that children on Earth like listening to her songs and actually sing them while they're playing is something she never imagined. "I'm... happy to hear that," she replied. "And please just call me Rara, that was a childhood nickname my childhood friend gave me and it just stuck."

"Alright then," said Scott.

"So, shall we begin?" asked Mike.

"Actually Mike, there's something I need to tell you and it's what I hinted at when I called you on the phone," said Chip Ganassi.

"Oh, well, what is it? I'm all ears."

"Well, your actually going to drive in 7 endurance races, not 5."

"Come again?" Mike asked in surprise.

"You see, we're planning on entering Le Mans. And in order to qualify for that race, we need to run a WEC race before then. So I decided that like last year, we should also run the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. That way, we can qualify for Le Mans," explained Chip.

Mike was horrified. "You... want to race... at the 24 Hours at Le Mans? Chip, I know you always enter cars for that race, but that race is very grueling and demanding. And don't get me started on Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. Chip, do you have any idea how DANGEROUS that track is? Lot's of talented drivers have died there, many horrific accidents occur in it's tight corners, and the weather is absolutely horrific."

"I know," said Chip. "But if we need to prove ourselves to the automotive industry that Cadillac can race guys like Toyota and Ferrari, then we're gonna have to race in these grueling events."

Mike sighed. "I did not sign up for this, but Chip knows what he's doing. So I'm gonna have to go along with it."

"We're very proud to announce that Mike Rogers will join Sebastien Bourdais, Scott Dixon, and Renger van der Zande in the 01 Cadillac GTP in IMSA. We're also very proud to announce that Mike Rogers will also be joining Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and the 24 Hours of Le Mans," Chip Ganassi announced on his mic as mechanics carefully removed the car cover revealing the yellow and black Cadillac V-Series.R. Mike smiled when he saw it. It retained the same livery that it did last year.

The press conference went on like the previous two did. Mike thanked Chip for the opportunity and said that he was excited to work with accomplished drivers like Scott Dixon, who is a 6-time IndyCar champion.

After that, the visit to Earth was over. Mike and Rara hopped in their car, drove to Indianapolis International Airport, returned their car rental, grabbed their suitcases and Mike's laptop, and went inside the terminal. After they did, they cleared security and headed straight for the portals to Equestria. Despite not having a lot of international flights, Indianapolis did have a lot of portals to Equestria. These portals connected Indy with Canterlot, Ponyville, the Crystal Empire, Manehattan, Las Pegasus, and Fillydelphia. Mike and Rara stepped through the Manehattan portal and soon, they were back in Equestria.

After clearing Immigration, the two left Manehattan's Grand Central Station and walked back to Coco's apartment. By now, it was nearly nighttime. When they arrived, Coco was already there cooking dinner. When she saw them entering through the front door, she smiled.

"Welcome back you two," she said. "So, how did it go?"

"Hey Coco," said Rara. "It was really great. There were a lot of things to see and do, and the people that Mike introduced me to were very nice."

"That's good to hear," replied Coco. "Well, I'm cooking dinner right now, so you wanna talk more about it when we are at the table?"

"Sure," said Mike. "We could use a few bites."

Mike, Rara, and Coco were all sitting at the dining table. Mike had changed to his white v-neck shirt and dark blue shorts, while Rara had changed to her black sports bra and running shorts. As they were eating, they were conversing on everything that happened.

"Whoa, so not one, but two race car drivers knew you Rara?" asked Coco.

"I know, it was very mind-blowing," Rara replied. "Still though, I can't wait for more humans to know me when Mike and I begin our Earth portion of our multi-dimensional tour."

Coco smiled. "Seems like you two have finally hit it off haven't you?"

"You could say that," said Mike.

"Well, I'm sure AJ and her friends will be glad to hear it."

As the sun continued to descend into the horizon and the city's nightlife began to come to life, Mike and Rara continued they're story as they and Coco continued eating their dinner.

To Be Continued.