At the halfway point of the final race, Ghost Plasma and Slimer were locked in a battle for 7th position; a battle with such great championship implications, for these two contenders were tied on points going into the final. Ghost Plasma saw Slimer go slightly wide at one of the wider left-handers and seized the opportunity; diving on the inside to get ahead. Ghost Plasma was now provisionally a two-time Marble Rally champion.
Right behind them in 8th, Slimer knew they had to make up that spot no matter what. Lunging around the outside, they closed right up on their title rival, but Plasma’s blocking game was famously second-to-none. Slimer grew anxious as it seemed like the championship was slipping away and not for the first time.
Only in the next few turns, the championship was turned completely on its head again. As Crazy Cat’s Eye veered off the course, Ghost Plasma simultaneously lost control, overshooting their turn a moment later. Millions of voices around Marblearth gasped as the marble that was looking so dominant for most of the season had lost it all in a matter of seconds.
Slimer, similarly shocked by Plasma’s DNF, honed in their cat-like reflexes to barely avoid ploughing through the sand as well and to keep themselves rolling. Suddenly, the championship was wide open for their taking; the top two were out and Ducktape, the closest marble in points, was nowhere to be seen.
As they rolled down the course, Slimer could feel the championship within reach, getting closer and closer with every second. They continued to gain whatever ground they could — Amethyst still had an outside shot ahead of them and Ducktape, they noticed, was creeping up as Ducktape typically does.
With one straight to go, Silver Bolt had gotten by for 3rd place. As they saw Lollipop’s charge on Grasshopper for the win, Slimer sprinted forward, willing themselves back on the podium for one final time. Vindication for 2017 had been achieved — six years later, Slimer was a Marble Rally champion at long last.
Grasshopper at the bottom was still in awe at the sheer speed Lollipop displayed to overtake them at the line; despite losing out on what would’ve been their first win, Grasshopper was graceful nonetheless. Lollipop knew they had to do whatever it took to finally emerge into the top half of the standings — fuelled by that desire, they were able to hit the speed boost perfectly to capture their first and only win of the season.
As the rest of the field reached the bottom of the course, the marbles lifted Slimer in the air in celebration of their championship. Everyone knew that this redemptive win meant the world to them, but perhaps the marble that knew it most of all, Ducktape, was beaming the widest.
“I told you,” said Ducktape, as Slimer was brought down to the sand. “I told you that you didn’t need to worry today. You truly were the best racer out there.”
Slimer thought back to their hike with Ducktape in Tapai earlier that week, realising that their friend was indeed right. The pair of them had climbed to the peak of the mountain that day, and today they had completed their climb to the peak of the Marble Rally. “Look at us, top two in the standings!” Slimer exclaimed.
As they stood on the final race podium to receive their medals, Lollipop and Grasshopper were jubilant, but Slimer was looking around in search of two marbles in particular. They knew just how dejected Superball and Ghost Plasma must have been feeling — losing the title with a DNF reminded Slimer in every way of what happened in 2017.
Unfortunately, neither Superball nor Ghost Plasma were anywhere to be seen. Slimer’s smile waned in the slightest bit, but as their bronze medal was handed to them, thoughts of their spectacular season came back and their spirit lifted once more.
Credits
- Writer: Ramen Powder
- Photographer: Jelle’s Marble Runs
- Reference: Marble Rally S6 – Race 10 (FINAL) | Jelle’s Marble Runs
- Release: 14/04/2023
Project Marblearth 