There’s something in the stars who we look up to as marble sports fans. What makes them so special to write about?
Soft rains swept across the runway as the commercial jetliner passed over the coast of Sunspot Beach, descending one hundred meters to gently touch down on the runway of Meteorine International. As most of the passengers on the plane clapped, Sulfur noticed Orbit leaning against the cabin, glancing out the window as they passed red and green lights directing aircraft between gates.
“You okay?”
Orbit sighed. “No.” The roster of invited teams to Marbula One Season 4 had been leaked days prior and, despite their Marble ManiaX championship, the Purple Rockets had not been invited. Eleven other teams would also be left out of the tournament and, without a Showdown-level equivalent, would not appear in a JMR event until Marble League 2023.
“But I’ll try to forget about it while we’re here. I’ll just keep my phone on airplane mode.”
Waiting at the terminal gate, Blaze and Ember tried to keep to themselves, pairing casual streetwear with cool hats as makeshift disguises. But being the only major sports team in the city, any member of the Solar Flares had become pretty recognizable, especially since their debut in Jelle’s Marble Runs.
One marble slowly approached the duo as they were getting coffee. “Hey, I know you’re trying not to be seen, but I’m such a big fan… you two should be proud of what you’ve done to represent us. I’m sorry the rest of your team is holding you back.”
Ember faked a smile, curtly responding, “Thanks.”
Blaze sighed as the “fan” rolled away. “I don’t know how you handle that so well. And I don’t know why fans think they have the right to endlessly smack-talk us, even when we have been underperforming.”
“Good teams get smack-talked too, but it’s easier for fans to target teams with records like ours,” responded Ember. “We have to take it in stride and keep telling ourselves that one day we will prove them wrong.”
After spending weeks together at the Solar Flares’ training facility, the Fire House, the Purple Rockets had more than settled in, and dreaded having to leave Meteorine as Season 4 of Marbula One was wrapping up. With Marble League 2023 practice done for the day, Saucer watched Scorch prepare a signature meat stew for dinner as their other team members sat in the living room, focusing on a tense game of Pokémarb against the Flares. “Should we have tried to restart the Classic this year?”
“Royal Stardust would have never let us,” insisted Scorch. “They would rather see a space-themed team win an international championship than compete regionally. Even if that led to the Classic going on hiatus like it did this year.”
“That’s nice of you to say,” admitted Saucer. “I just…get the feeling we could be so much more. And yet, I feel like the most attention we get from fans is in the press. It’s ‘our lore,’ they all say.”
Scorch laughed. “The fact that 1600 more fans have read our RetRollSpective than are fans of us will never not be funny. And depressing. But I’m sure someone besides me will find it funny.”
“But that’s just it,” replied Saucer. “We usually don’t even get a chance to prove ourselves. It’s so easy to get stuck in tournaments that are valued less than something like the League or M1 or even the Rally. And don’t get me started on MX.”
Scorch cringed. “I’d rather not.”
Saucer opted to turn on the television instead of getting more triggered. What they saw would change everything.
Weeks earlier, the residents of Bright Hyu City had been largely unaware of the Indigo Stars’ plans. Team management had been able to negotiate with city officials peacefully and quietly, securing the funding and permits required to host the city’s first marble sports tournament, the Stars’ first outside of those they competed in that Jelle’s Marble Runs had managed.
In a television appearance on the day of the announcement, captain Indie fearlessly led the team’s CMM interview. “We want to prove to Marblearth how much potential exists within those athletes and teams who may be overlooked by marble sports officials and fans. So we’re hosting our own tournament this offseason – may our stars shine bright over those who join us in Starbula One.”
With Season 4 of Marbula One ending earlier in the month, the city buzzed with excitement as press officials flooded transportation hubs, exceeding expectations for capacity. Residents of the city were both ecstatic and overwhelmed with marbles lining up outside their businesses for goods and traffic building outside of the blocked roads. Local newscasters adjusted their expectations, anticipating the tournament week would be one of the largest boosts to the Bright Hyu economy in history.
The Bright Hyu Bubble exceeded its maximum capacity less than two hours after its box office opened, with fans traveling across Marblearth for the first event of Starbula One. Consisting of five events: a traditional Grand Prix, street circuit, tag-team rally, obstacle course, and nighttime elimination race, the scoring system would be linear among all twelve teams, with the champion of the tournament earning the coveted Gold Star.
Despite repping all twelve teams, fans sat in sections not divided by their fanbases but mixed, hotly debating their teams’ accomplishments and collectively crying over their downturns. The Indigo Stars watched fans pack the stands shortly before Coach Ringo called their attention.
“This is the most important tournament of our lives. When we start rolling out there, we have to prove not just our potential but the potential of other teams to compete with us. And if we don’t succeed, we’ll have to own it. We’ll have to own that we’re not ‘good enough’ for something as competitive as Marbula One.”
“What if that’s true, even if we do well? What if—no, I don’t need to try to solve that. I don’t need to give in to that thought…” Gogo trailed off, taking a deep breath as they progressively calmed down.
Coach Ringo turned to Indie. “You ready for this?”
“Of course. Meds taken, I hydrated, I’m pretty convinced there’s no chance I’ll experience an episode during the race.”
“Then you’re on.”
Indie rolled out to the arena’s overwhelming applause, greeting their fellow marble athletes with a quick bump as they ascended the elevator to the starting gate.
“There’s something in the air tonight, and it’s not just the stars – it’s the thrill of racing! It is my absolute pleasure to be here with all of you to kick off Starbula One…I’m Sugar, and our twelve competitors are excited to begin racing, but first, they must qualify…19 turns on the Starbula One Circuit, that ‘Little Star’ sector is going to be the most interesting feature…”
Knowing they needed one of the six fastest laps to qualify for Q2, Indie executed a time of 21.79 seconds to open the tournament, crossing the finish line as Skip began their qualifying run. At the end of Q1, their time fell outside of the top six, leaving Indie in P8 on the starting grid for the Starbula One GP. They watched with Rojo Dos as Wuspy, Yellow, Minty Flav, Skip, Snowy, and Dash – all having competed in Marbula One before – rolled back to the starting gate for Q2.
“It’s been a while since I was out there, but qualifiers don’t mean everything. I’ve raced in Grands Prix where I was able to recover spots and others tumbled down the order,” Dos commented. “We’re bound to see position changes.”
With Yellow snagging pole position ahead of Snowy and Dash as they took the inside line of the S-split, Rojo Dos smiled and turned to Indie. “You posed a formidable challenge to Uno during that Practice Race – I expect you’ll do the same here. May the best marble win.”
“And that’s Yellow’s second pole in circuit racing history!” exclaimed Sugar. “They have to be happy about that, but we know Snowy and Wuspy are looking for some success too…and how about that star section? We saw Minty Flav and Skip rush too hard into it and lose momentum, we’ll have to see how athletes can recover during the main race.”
It was then that Indie remembered what Red Eye had told them two years prior, “It’s when you battle for the lead that you have to race like no one else is watching.” Today, I think I will, thought Indie as they slotted into the starting gate among their competitors, watching the race lights above them boot up.
“Lights are on at the Starbula One Circuit…and we are rolling!” The starting gate lifted, and all 12 racers rounded the turn. “Rolling! And we have a big burst of speed from the midpack – Yellow and Snowy are holding on – but watch for Indie, who’s just risen two spots!”
Throughout the race, Yellow and Snowy battled neck-and-neck for the lead that Snowy would eventually usurp on Lap 10, nailing the inside line throughout the star sector to amass clear distance. As other athletes tried to cheat the Little Star and lose positions, athletes in the midpack took their time and steadily gained positions.
True to the Coach’s words, Indie had been ready for this, and they concluded with a bronze.
“I knew if anyone could do it, it’d be you,” Ringo said from beside them. They’d immediately come to congratulate the Star on the first race of the tournament.
“Don’t congratulate me too quickly,” Indie swiftly dismissed, “We still have four more events.”
“You can do it, I know you can,” Ringo spoke with a tone of utmost confidence. “Go out there and make me proud.”
Two more athletes had something to be proud of for this race as well.
“Oh, it feels SO good to be on a track again!” Snowy exclaimed while rolling around excitedly. “I guess I still have it in me. I was afraid I’d lost it.”
“You gotta be kidding me Snowy, you’re one of the best out there. It’s an honor to get second to you.” Yellow spoke with a slight grin. “Something does feel good about racing.”
“It’s the thrill of the race, the feeling of the wind, I could go on.” Snowy pondered their reasoning in their head for a bit. “But most of all, I think it’s the feeling of all the fans’ love for you. And it feels like that here. It feels like home.”
“Yeah. I get that. You’ve explained it better than I ever could.” Yellow replied with a glance to the stands and happiness in their heart.
The second race of the tournament would lead racers through the streets of Bright Hyu City with the fans overlooking the circuit from every building open to them. Everything was in place with the streets closed off from regular city traffic.
“How’d you get all this arranged?” Minty Drizzel asked Bingo, who was beside them.
“It took a lot of negotiation with the city officials, but they were happy to let us host. Maybe one day we’ll host a real Marbula race!” They replied.
Once the chatter had died, the racers were off down the streets, streaking through Bright Hyu Boulevard. The pack was close at first but spread out through various twists and turns. The street race was much tighter than a normal Marbula One race, thus every decision could make or break a run. Wospy shot right off the gate, shouldering their way past other marbles. Snowstorm and Crush weren’t far behind, and Limelime, Radiance, and Rojo Cuatro trailed behind them.
“And they’re off!” Sugar, formally of the Jawbreakers, announced. “A brilliant pass by Sea, they’ve jumped up four positions! Leap jumps forward as well, but can’t hold it! Sea is near the front now, and what’s this, they’re neck-in-neck with Wospy!”
The turns continued to allow some racers to continue forward and push others behind. Finally, they came over the finish line one by one and waited for the results with bated breath.
“It’s a photo finish! Let’s see here… Reviewing the footage, it looks like Sea finished a hundredth of a second ahead of Wospy, and here comes Snowstorm with the bronze!”
Having finished fourth, Crush gave Sea a celebratory bump. “Great job getting ahead early on!”
Sea laughed. “I had to – you kept the temperature high up and down the boulevard.” The racers rolled off amid cheers from the fans.
The third event was a much more straightforward course, but a tag-team relay featuring all five competitors. Teams lined up alongside one another but would race one by one to try and make the best time.
“Welcome to the Five-Star Relay!” Sugar’s voice piped up once again. “And starting us off in reverse championship order will be the Minty Maniacs!”
After a first run by the Maniacs, each rolled down the course one by one and each handoff was smoother than the last. After every team’s run, deafening cheers could be heard from each fan stand. The Solar Flares were next, followed by the Jungle Jumpers. When Rojo Cinco crossed the line for the Rojo Rollers, thunderous applause could be heard. They had set the best time yet.
The relay went on, each team watching the others try and mentally comb through the various strategies. The Limers came soon after the Rollers and managed to set a time just under theirs. More teams came racing down, but it was the Indigo Stars themselves whose teamwork paid off the best.
“Gogo sprints down the anchor leg – and that’s the best time yet! The Indigo Stars have done it!”
Sugar kept talking, but the screaming of the home fans’ chants of “Go Go Indigo!” And “Indigo Stars Best Team!” drowned out what they were saying. Down on the course, the Stars grabbed each other in a big group hug as tears of joy rolled down their faces.
“This next event is one of the most interesting…” Sugar narrated, “Welcome to the Asteroid Field! Here you’ll see many obstacles and special features to traverse! May the best marble win!”
A hush fell over the crowd.
“But, ah, I should probably clarify that there are no fidget spinners involved.”
The crowd and racers breathed a sigh of relief as the racers took off. Hop sailed through the course with ease, tearing down the giant funnel at the end in record time. “Let’s just say I know a marble,” they quipped once crossing the line, bumping one of their technical directors on the way to the sideline.
Back on the field, Flare got caught up on a bumper that was right in their racing line. As they slowed to a crawl, Saucer sped ahead, approaching the final to Sugar’s shock.
“And Saucer has blasted right through the wall obstacles! Wow, what a run – good enough for silver, but Hop is still in the lead!” said Sugar, punctuating the run by the Purple Rocket as Goolime, representing the Limers, slammed into the first barrier and sprinted forward.
“Getting caught up on the wall at first hit – Wow! That’s the best race we’ve seen all day!” Sugar gasped as Goolime found a nearly dead-on path through every obstacle, from the curtain hurdles and beam splitters to the Plinko board. “Making up for a sour start, Goolime has pulled through! You would need a miracle of a run to beat that!”
No such miracle was to be had, as lesser results from Montoya, Yellah, and Rojo Uno locked in the Limer’s position. Once all was said and done, Goolime stood and bathed in the cheers of “Go Lime!”
“Believe in the Limers prophecy!” roared Goolime, their fans cheering even louder. “It’s an odd year, which means that it’s OUR year!”
The sun had set enough to reveal stars glimmering above; below, Sugar was preparing. Their commentary career after the Jawbreakers disbanded sent them around regional circuits. But now, in their booth and in front of cameras streaming to Marblearth, they felt the heat.
“Action… drama… the event to decide the biggest star is on!” broadcasted Sugar. “In this inaugural Starbula One Championship, we saw veterans and rookies battle in every race in this five-event tournament. But it is this moment, tonight’s Indigo Gauntlet, that decides who deserves the highest glory…
“In this series of elimination races, twelve racers start but whoever ends up crossing the line last leaves the stage. We will keep going, round by round, until the top two battle for the win.
“But every round matters for our top four overall, with just three points between them all. The permutations are straightforward: an early elimination for any of the top four teams could be a title lost…”
Each team’s racer, seven of them captains, was at a gate two turns from Bright Hyu Boulevard. This elimination race had no obstacles or contraptions like in the Marble League. But as soon as the gate opened, it was chaos: each racer pushing for position against one another.
“And we are rolling in this first round, where it’s just about making it down Bright Hyu Boulevard—But one second, it looks like Yellup is gone!” announced Sugar. “Well, gone off the track, as they lost their grip after contact and bumped a light post on the corner! Some medics are there to double-check, but it looks like Mellow Yellow is out.”
“Whoa, wait a second,” said Rojo Tres to Diego of the Stars after that round. “Is that a legal move or not? I thought y’all would put barriers around those corners.”
With a sheepish laugh, Diego replied: “Sorry, this is part of the plan! We thought the last race should be a bit more intense.”
Those words were locked in Rojo Tres’s mind in the next round of the gauntlet. They and the Oceanics’ Aqua were side by side in the last group when the Rojo Roller slowed down before the turn. Aqua accelerated for the overtake, only for Rojo Tres to bump them from the back and send Aqua straight into the wall.
Aqua screeched to a halt in time, but only so Sugar could commentate: “Another hard racing move from Rojo Tres, and it looks like Aqua will be the last to finish! The first of the four top teams, the Oceanics, is out of the race!”
The race’s first rounds rewarded strategy and timing over the racers’ raw talent. Those who knew how to avoid contact early could break away with the lead. The twists in each round’s results reflected as much. In Round 3, Lemonlime of the Limers, trying to roll back onto the main road after a wide turn, made contact with and transferred all their momentum to Diego coming around the corner. Diego claimed second-to-last and the Limers last, knocking another top-four team out.
“It’s everything or nothing now for the Midnight Wisps and the Snowballs,” said Sugar. “But how about the Solar Flares that round? Blaze opened up a lead right away to win that round for their struggling team.”
Like in the Marble League, each round moved back the opening gate further to extend the course. By Round 6, the track snaked from the city’s central plaza through streets and alleys. That round eliminated Jump of the Jungle Jumpers, though the action was on the group of Blaze, Wispy, and Diego, who kept the lead back and forth between them.
At the finish line, out of respect, Wispy tried saying to Diego, “I didn’t know how good you are.” But even as they belted it out, they couldn’t get Diego’s attention while they soaked in the cheering from home fans crowded in the stands.
On the other side, Snowy had some laughs with Blaze and Orbit. “I have to admit, I don’t know where Meteorine is on the map,” said Snowy. “But I know I’ll train with your team after this… maybe relay some of my Marbula One knowledge.”
“Well, we wouldn’t mind you relaying some now!” said Orbit.
“Let’s not go too far,” said Snowy. “I still have a championship to win.”
By Round 8 of the Indigo Gauntlet, only five racers remained: Diego, Snowy, Wispy, Orbit, and Blaze. Every elimination from then happened in its own dramatic way.
Wispy placed fifth after a failed overtake attempt on Blaze in the Bright Hyu Plaza, instead getting blocked right in front by the Solar Flare the entire second half. “What an amazing defensive effort from Blaze, that has an Indigo home crowd cheering!” announced Sugar at the finish. With a quick bow to their opponent and a “good luck,” Wispy hurried out the track and into the horizon.
Diego of the Indigo Stars, who was already gasping for air two rounds ago, fell behind racing pace early on in Round 9. “Silence is falling on Bright Hyu, as the fans come to terms with Diego’s elimination,” announced Sugar. “But I hear another round of applause, growing louder and louder as Diego reaches the finish! There are still permutations where the Stars end with a podium, in third place.”
Round 10 began, and Orbit of the Purple Rockets sped down a course that began in one of the new botanical gardens sponsored by the Stars, towards the opposite end of Bright Hyu Boulevard. Suddenly, they noticed Blaze was nowhere to be found, and Snowy of the Snowballs was many lengths ahead. The Purple Rocket could hear echoes of the commentator’s booth up ahead:
“What a stunner! Blaze, right out the gate, is gassed and veered off the track! And as long as they make it to the final round, the Snowballs have won Starbula One! The Northern North Lights are shining tonight for the Snowballs, their first marble sports tournament win in three years!”
Orbit rolled in too late to see Snowy celebrating with the team members at the finish line. The two of them rolled up to the start, with every surrounding cheer making Orbit feel a little smaller to the Marbula legend at their side. After a silent ascent, the Purple Rocket suddenly heard Snowy talking to them:
“Hey… there’s still a gold medal on the line, right? I’m going to give it my all. It’s no fun if you don’t do the same. It’s time to write your own lore.”
“And off we go with the final head-to-head matchup of the tournament!” said Sugar. “And right at the start, it’s Orbit and Snowy side by side out of the Bright Hyu Parkway! There’s no collisions, no tricky business, just clean racing at a pace faster than anything yet!”
They weaved back and forth around each other going through Downtown Bright Hyu, as cheering around them just droned on against the heat of competition. They both slowed into the final tight corners into Bright Hyu Boulevard. As they reached the final stretch of the Indigo Gauntlet, Orbit felt the world fade away: all they could think of was accelerating and hearing the wind blow around them.
Then, the world exploded into noise. Orbit opened their eyes and saw a feed of Sugar on the Jumbotron: “In one of the greatest photo finishes I’ve seen, Orbit just pipped the lead from Snowy in a photo finish! By two-thousandths of a millisecond!” Now Orbit noticed that the Stars fans were throwing confetti onto them.
Back to Sugar: “And this gold means the Purple Rockets claim third place in Starbula One – by one point!” Orbit noticed their teammates squeezing through the crowds, rolling toward them with the widest grins.
Time seemed to stand still as the boats drew across Lavender Bay, painting a rippling canvas of colorful stars in the sea’s reflection. The symphony of the sounds of sports fans blended with the light breeze, fading as they approached the lush tropical reserve of Isle Hyu. The crown jewel of untouched natural beauty, reaching towards the bay with its low-hanging palms, glowed tonight with a faint yet familiar blue light to those who approached.
“They’re here too?” asked Wispy. “I thought Willow Wisps were native to Helarve.”
Coach Ringo looked puzzled as they rolled off the boat, then they gasped. Sure enough, they could spot a face forming in the blue light as it grew closer, smiling upon the Midnight Wisps donning their silver stars. “We’ve never seen them here before – there’s so much about this island that we don’t know about.”
Wuspy spun around to the delight of the Willow Wisps, which smiled and copied their movement before rushing into the forest. Coach Ringo followed, beckoning other Starbula One athletes to join them.
Similar to their hikes through Midnight Hollow National Park, the forest was dimly lit by a neon blue light – dubbed by Harvans as the “Wisps’ Way” of guiding travelers. The Way faded as a bright orange light flared in the distance – a campfire, carefully (and legally) distanced away from the forest’s flora on one of the park’s signature features, Rainbeau Coast.
Four marbles were huddled around the campfire, donning marble racing uniforms of different palettes. “Right on time,” said Momo. “Congratulations on a successful showing out there.”
“Oh, and surprise,” added Aryp.
Outside, the stars shone over thickets of indigo daisies and honeysuckle. Aryp and Momo, joined by Frost and Royal, looked out to see more marbles emerging from the shadows. One donned the same cerulean blue as Royal, and two were in orange. One with red vanes peeked from the shadows as the one joining them had a streak of yellow cutting through maroon.
For a moment rarely found in marble sports, marbles mingled without tension in the open air, sharing stories from home and anecdotes from their competition, exchanging contact info and memes, and even taking selfies together.
Hours felt like minutes as the colorful stars began fading, giving way to a massive ball of flame peeking over the ocean’s horizon. Just before daybreak, coaches rounded up their marble athletes to begin their voyage back to the city. A small group of athletes elected to stay behind, promising they would follow just after sunrise.
The athletes listened to nature stir from its slumber for some time before one of them spoke up. “You know, you don’t need to hear this from me…but I think you’ll do fine in Marbula One when you finally get invited.”
“I appreciate the gesture, but you’re right – we didn’t need to hear that from you because that’s not why we hosted this tournament. And you knew that already, Speedy.”
Speedy opened their mouth as if to say something, then paused. Indie continued, “It’s not just the fans, media attention, or race officials that overlook our potential, and what hurts the most is when it’s our fellow athletes. All of our careers, we’ve had to realize our own narratives. When all you do is win in all the events that get all the attention, I can see why it might be hard for you to understand.”
Waves crashed along the shore. Speedy exhaled deeply. “In all of the years I’ve competed… no one has ever put my feelings into better words than you did.”
Indie gazed back at the Marbula One Champion, speechless.
“This isn’t the time or place to share my story. It’s yours. But you’re right – you shouldn’t need to prove yourself to others to be able to do that. I hope you know you deserve as much love as any other marble sports athlete. You, your team, and your fanbase are entitled to that love and so much more.”
Speedy rolled off without another word, leaving those who remained on the beach, now being kissed with a sierra hue from the sunrise.
Indie turned, light refracting from their uniform into the sand next to Blaze and Orbit. “You okay?”
“We will be,” Orbit replied.
“Thanks,” Blaze answered softly. “For all of this.”
“No. Thank you.”
Credits
- Writers: Fouc, PippinPlover, Stynth
- Editor: Smacg13
- Artists: Jack Ironhide, JoViridian, Thinkdoodler, Toffeeshop
- Graphic Designers: Emmun_Isaac, Laurent Rollon, Novawolf, Spex, Stynth, Tim Ritz
- Photographers: Jelle’s Marble Runs, PippinPlover
- Release: 21/07/2023
Here’s to the next 100 articles…
Thanks for reading, and as always, keep on rolling!
Project Marblearth 