Wisp of Darkness was not known for their overwhelming cheer, but after two golds in a row, it was hard to be anything but happy. Across the finish line they were surrounded by the other B-League competitors, all of whom had seen the same standings WOD had – standings that guaranteed them a podium and even put them a point ahead of El Capitan.
H2 Blue, who had come second, rolled over to them, so full of cheer that they were almost bouncing. Overtaken with excitement, the two began to spin each other around. The sky and the sandhills melted into one as they did, and they kept going past becoming dizzy and until El Capitan arrested WOD’s momentum.
El Capitan looked unperturbed, but in a thin sort of way that seemed to mask discontent. WOD’s stomach faltered when their eyes locked.
“Mighty impressive out there. I suppose you’ve turned this shootout into a standoff,” said El Capitan. WOD winced internally – that hadn’t really been their plan, after all. Winning races came before winning overall.
“Uh, yeah. Hey, no hard feelings or anything,” replied WOD, unconsciously drawing a little closer to H2 Blue.
El Capitan smiled. “Of course not,” they added, before rolling away. WOD watched their departure with relief.
They turned to H2 Blue. “Even when they’re smiling, El Capitan can be so… imposing, you know?”
“Pssssh, it’ll be fine. Just show them the business next race, right?” chirped H2 Blue. “You’ll love being on the podium. It’s an amazing feeling – and I should know.”
–
Amethyst felt the tears well up as soon as they stepped off the podium, the marbles around them scattering towards press conferences and interviews that they too were soon required to attend. In the meantime, they began to dust themselves off, taking care to avoid getting sand on their new medal.
A nudge made Amethyst snap back to attention. “Sorry! I don’t mean to get in your way.”
“Relax, it’s just me.” Summer Sky drew up elegantly beside them. “Us third placers should stick together, right? Congratulations on the bronze. You deserve it.”
Amethyst blushed. “Thanks. It’s a shame about the rest of my season.”
“I was down in 15th in my second year,” Summer Sky reminded them. “Not to mention Ghost Plasma. I knew someone of your racing caliber would have overcome it eventually.”
The blush turned into a pout. “Why couldn’t you tell me that earlier? I could have really used it.”
The older marble contemplated their answer for a second. “I didn’t want you to base your self-esteem off of the encouragement of others,” they said finally. “Trust me, it’s not a good idea. You fought through every struggle and earned this –” they indicated Amethyst’s bronze. “– because of you.”
Amethyst’s heart fluttered from the praise. “I… thank you.”
“No, really! I’m glad you’ve taken to the Marble Rally so well, given how late you joined. You should be impressed with yourself.”
“Cool Moody joined late,” Amethyst pointed out, before envisioning the sunglasses-clad marble sauntering across the dunes in their debut. “Okay, Cool Moody is different.”
Summer Sky stifled a laugh. “Hey, after the interviews, do you want to wander around town? A night out with just the two of us.”
Amethyst practically sparkled with anticipation. “I’d love that.”
–
A little bit of decompression time after a race was always good. Usually Lollipop spent it working on paintings or updating their social media; this time, they were rewatching their race, paying the sort of close attention to it they hadn’t when they’d been running it hours earlier. At times racing itself could be instinctual rather than calculated, based on a cultivated familiarity with the sand underneath and the shape of the track. Seeing themself from a bird’s-eye view finally made it clear exactly where things had gone so very right. Smooth racing, aggressive overtaking, control on the parts of the course that had caught marbles out before and would do so again – it all came together in parts, like a painting unfolding onto the canvas.
Of course it hadn’t been perfect – a little more and they’d have been in first. But that felt a little much to ask for after a midseason of relentless disappointment. Now they were looking at a potential autoqualification – but how potential?
As the Lollipop on the screen came to rest in the catch basin, their phone buzzed beside them. They already knew it was a text from Superball. They had never been able to apply their brain to the art of math and equations like them, and so they’d asked Superball to run their odds. And there they were, on the screen – 14.5% to podium, 41.7% to autoqualify in fourth.
It wasn’t Blue Moon odds, but they liked them all the same.
Speaking of Blue Moon – where were they? For the most likely incoming champion, they sure liked to evade the cameras…
Credits
- Writers: Millim, Toffeeshop
- Copyeditors/Editors: Evolution
- Photo Credits: Jelle’s Marble Runs
- Reference: Marble Rally Season 7 Round 9 | Jelle’s Marble Runs
- Release: 07/08/2024
Project Marblearth 