Are you sure you want to do this?
I have to do this. For the fans. For my family. For myself.
But do you want to? Why do you feel like you have to prove something?
It doesn’t matter what I want. And I don’t have to prove anything. I just want to make the right choice. And I believe that this is that.
It’s going to take some time. But I’ll feel better. I’ll race better. Without anyone worrying if it’s fair or if I’m “not a marble.” I’ll be free.
And what if it hinders you? It could change the way you race forever and for no reason. You proved you don’t have a material advantage.
It’s not enough. I just want it to be enough. All I want to do is race. Not fend off rumors. Not get chased by the press. Not feel like I’m who I never wanted to be.
It’s going to be enough.
“You need to stop being so hard on yourself. Everyone keeps saying that.”
“And what good is that going to do? Everyone keeps telling me, ‘Stop caring about it. You did the best you could.’ Except I didn’t. This is the worst I’ve raced since I was a kid.”
“No one thinks that but you.”
“And that’s what’s wrong! No one sees this the way I do. I failed myself. I failed my family. I failed my fans.”
“You don’t always win in sports. Some days you’re successful, and other days you aren’t. Sports aren’t about failure. And neither is your life.”
“How do you know that, Blue?”
Perched atop Dopersduin Bregtdorp, Red Number 3 sobbed, letting tears stain their old “Legend” hoodie as Blue Number 2 sifted through their satchel and pulled out a thick manila envelope. They held the envelope out to their sibling. “Take one.”
Red sniffled, wiping away their tears before they reached into the envelope, pulling out a photograph they remembered all too well of their Marble Rally 2018 championship.
“Yeah. Pretty much the best thing ever. Too bad I couldn’t do that this year,” Red scoffed, shoving the Polaroid back into the envelope.
“Red, your life has been defined by success. But what if you defined yourself by something else? And not by something you’re chasing?”
“I don’t know how to be happy. And before you say last season I was fine, it’s because I was. I still won a race. And I got to see my friends win too. This year, I couldn’t even podium. My friends all got a moment that I couldn’t relate to. And the fans acted like I’ve been terrible for my entire career. I didn’t do enough. How can I be happy about making the right choice when it’s leading to the implosion of everything I have built?”
Blue Number 2 didn’t know how to respond, looking at Red Number 3 blankly. Moments later, Red pulled off their sweatshirt, tossing it into the branches of the tree behind them as they pushed off, barrelling down a short sprint of track outlining a stout sandy hill. Ignoring the sharp hairpin before the dirt, Red sped over the wall and beached, letting out a deep, shaky sigh as they rested.
A series of fast-paced breaths of frustration slowed as Red looked up at the sky, watching a comet streak toward the mountains. They remembered a discussion with the marble of the same name during Season 5.
“It’s nice that we’ve been able to race this season. And I think everyone deserves that enjoyment no matter who wins,” Red Number 3 said. “After all, it won’t be me this season.”
Comet rolled backward, nearly slipping down the stairs at SnowWorld. “You really think that? You’re better than all of us here. You’re probably the reason we are here.”
Red laughed. “Everything I’ve accomplished does not make me better than all of you. And you know the reason we’re here. It’s you.”
A few minutes later, the starting gate lifted, and Red Number 3 careened off the course not even three seconds into the race. Comet, racing just behind Red before they went out of bounds, darted around Summer Sky to take the lead. They would lose Race 8 to Blizzard Blaster, who proudly earned the gold in their “home race.”
Meeting with Comet after the race, Red Number 3 posed for a picture taken by Blue Number 2, reportedly shrugging after the camera flash. With a silver medal draped around themself, Comet was beaming with pride.
“Yeah. That felt about as good as I remember.”
Red Number 3 looked back towards Dopersduin Bregtdorp, remembering their first race on a course used for sand rallies in the shadows of Numerun’s Pico de Manatial. Their shocking success during a Surculo trial run led to their move to Numerun to train for their professional sports debut in the same league, where Red rose to local, then international stardom. The choices to leave their family behind in Bifornya, quit their career in sports medicine, and follow their dreams brought immediate success but constant uncertainty when each starting gate got lifted.
Blue Number 2 continued sifting through old photographs as Red ascended the hill, nonchalantly approaching their sibling. “You feeling better?” they asked Red.
“No. I made the hard call, and what is my reward? The collapse of my career, the destruction of my legacy, and humiliation in front of my friends. The name “Red Number 3” once meant something – Excellence, Champion, Victory. But what now? What is the point of racing if I can no longer roll among giants? I feel my life spiraling out of control and can’t help but feel it is all my fault.”
Those last few words caught in Red’s throat as slow, silent tears once again rolled down their sand-coated exterior. “Have I been consumed by the need to win? Has my passion for racing burnt out?”
Silence hung in the air as Blue stared at their oldest and closest friend, wondering how to rescue their sibling trapped in a maelstrom of doubt and despair. Without thinking, Blue rolled to their sibling, embracing them as hard as they could, their tears mixing with Red’s as they joined their sibling in the ocean of uncertainty.
After what seemed like an eternity, the two siblings let go of each other and lay down, staring up into the vast sky above them. Red and Blue sat silently, drifting together as the skies changed from deep blue to burnt orange before the inky blackness of night swept in, pushed back by thousands of twinkling stars.
“I know you don’t see it yet, but you will get through this, and I’m here for you every step of the journey, no matter where it goes or what it takes,” whispered Blue. Red continued to stare into the deep darkness of space as the winds of an uncertain future blew around them.
In the reflection of Red’s glassy eyes, Blue saw the streak of another comet, this time exiting the mountain range and falling behind the hill on the horizon. In such a short moment, Blue whipped out their camera, set focus, and took a magnificent shot, perfectly capturing the pin-prick of light on its journey through an ocean of darkness.
When Blue turned back to Red, they could sense something was different. “Let’s go home,” whispered Red as they rolled forward into the darkness of night.
Credits
- Writers: Smacg13, Stynth
- Artist: Phoenix
- Graphic Designer: MSPN
- Photographer: Jelle’s Marble Runs
- Release: 04/10/2023
Project Marblearth 