Amongst the void, Mary remained.
"You should be thanking me for making you who you are today!"
Her father's voice came in from every direction.
"You were meant to stand above everyone else!"
"No mistakes. Not from you. Not from someone of absolute superiority!"
Then, the darkness closed in further.
Shrouding everything with the same suffocating sensation she always knew.
The presence of her father.
"You're pathetic, Mary. How can you lose yourself over something as trivial as it is... You're meant to be better than anyone else. Better than anyone in this world! AND YOU DISGUST me!" and her father's voice continued.
And Mary flinched.
"I... I'm... sorry..." she uttered.
"NO... you're not meant to say THAT WORD!"
And Mary flinched again, curling slightly into herself.
"You are meant to be perfection!"
"MY PERFECTION!"
"You are the proof against those who doubted me!"
"You are the answer to every insult thrown at my name!"
"You are my creation—my perfect Umamusume!"
"AND you're supposed to be the perfection itself!"
"But now... look at you..."
"Squirming on the floor like a worm you are..."
"Please, father... forgive me..." Mary uttered again as she curled deeper into herself.
"You, Mary Jane—!"
"YOU ARE—!"
"A—!"
Suddenly—
"...My friend!" The tone shifted, or perhaps... a different one.
Another voice seemingly broke through her mind.
"You're meant to be my friend, Mary-chan!" the voice repeated.
"Wha—" and her father's voice startled.
But before her father's voice resumed, the voice continued, "It's a promise, remember?"
And Mary's eyes trembled slightly, stirring awake from her curled-up body.
Lightened up slightly from it.
"…U…Urara…?" she whispered.
And then—
The darkness shifted again as light seeped in.
The void faded as something else emerged within.
And it was something bright.
Something warm.
And there, in the distance.
A figure with pink hair appeared, waving both hands high in the air.
Shouting brightly at her.
"Mary-chan!"
"Let's continue where we left off last time!"
"…U…Urara…?" and Mary whispered again, blinked, "Wha... what're you doing here...?"
Then, before she could find the answer to it, the fragment of Urara's silhouette ran toward her, smiling.
"Mary-chan! Let's hang out again sometime!" and she hollered once more.
"No..." Mary uttered, "I... I can't..."
Then, the voice got closer.
"Mary-chan! Let us have some fun together again!"
"No... Urara... I—"
"Mary-chan! Let's forget about everything and start over!"
Closer still.
"But—!"
"Mary-chan! Let's go out—"
"Mary-chan—!"
"Mary...!"
"…chan!"
The voice repeated, again.
And again.
And again.
Fading...
Returning...
Calling...
And then—
Then—
THEN...
...
...
...
Mary's eyes fluttered, and light slipped through her lids.
Her vision was blurry as she blinked.
Once.
Twice.
And adjusted back to the world once again.
Then—
"Mar...!"
Far from her, a voice.
"Mary...!"
A breathless voice.
"…Mary-chan!"
A breathless, desperate voice.
"Mary… Mary-chan!" It called after her.
And Mary's gaze shifted upward.
There, far from where she lay, a figure was approaching.
A figure that was running toward her.
"Mary… Mary-chan!" and the figure called again.
"…U…Urara…?" and Mary uttered as her vision slowly came into focus.
Then, with a gentle push, she lifted her body slightly upward.
Exerting with everything she had.
There, her hands pressed hard against the ground, with her fingers dug deep into the turf.
And her arms shook as she was slightly off the surface.
"I… I…!" she muttered, trying to rise.
"Mary-chan!" Urara called again, closer again.
And her footsteps were real now.
"I… must—!" Mary persisted, pushing herself upward with everything she had.
But her body strained.
Muscles screamed.
Then—
"Mary—!"
Just a few more steps.
Just a little more.
"Ma—!"
Mary's knees lifted, barely.
"—!"
One last push.
Just one—
She could do it—
She...
…
…
…
The footsteps stopped.
Right in front of her.
And a shadow fell over her.
"Ma… Mary… Mary-chan…?" Urara's voice quivered, breathless from the run.
But—
Mary's body remained where it was.
Collapsed back onto the floor.
And she never got up.
There, Urara's worry grew, and she stepped closer.
Her hand slowly reached out—
"…Mary-chan…"
But before she did...
"STAY AWAY!" Mary blurted out.
And Urara flinched.
Mary trembled as she forced herself slightly upright again, her arms barely holding her weight.
"What are you doing here, Urara…?!" she gritted, her voice shaking with strain.
"Why did you stop?!"
"B—But… Mary-chan looks hurt…" Urara stammered, her hands fidgeting. "I—I just want to help—"
"And throw everything away because of that?!" Mary snapped, cutting her off.
Breathing unevenly on the spot.
"Stop being so naive, Urara! Get a grip!" she added.
She then lowered her gaze, her voice faltering despite her words.
"Look at me…"
Her fingers dug into the turf.
"I'm not going anywhere like this…"
Then, she lifted her eyes again.
"But you…"
"You still do."
"You still have a long way to go..."
"And you can still finish what you started…!"
And Urara flinched again.
"So what are you waiting for, Urara?" Mary pressed on.
"Start running!"
"Don't stop...!"
"After all… I'm not your god damn finish line!"
She then forced her arm forward, pointing ahead.
Toward the track, toward the finish line that loomed far away.
"Yours… is all the way there!"
With that, Urara's hands curled into fists tightly.
And she hesitated.
She was caught between two paths.
Either run past the one who gave her a reason to run.
Or fulfill the promise she had sworn.
Even if she wished to outrun Mary...
But never like this...
"I…" she stuttered. "But I…"
"Run, Urara…" Mary whispered, her fingers digging deeper into the grass beneath her.
A breath.
Then—
"…Run, damn it... Urara...!"
"RUN!"
Instantly, Urara's eyes widened.
Then—
She lowered her gaze with her fists tightened once more.
And without another word...
She turned and ran.
Toward the finish line, she went.
Further and further.
Away from Mary.
Away from the place she wanted to stay.
Meanwhile, Mary lingered, her breath exhaled softly.
"…That's right…"
A faint smile touched her lips.
"…Run… Urara."
"Run…"
"Outrun me so you can fulfill our promise…" she added as her gaze followed the small figure growing distant.
"And defeat…"
Her lips parted.
"…the one and only…"
"…perfect—"
She quickly stopped, and the word caught in her throat.
Mary exhaled slowly, her eyes lowering for a brief moment before she shook her head.
"…No."
Her gaze drifted upward again, fixing onto Urara's fading back.
"…your friend, Mary Jane..."
She then paused before continuing.
"After all…"
"…you've always been…"
Her eyes softened.
"…ahead of me…"
"…Urara…"
...
...
...
Meanwhile, in the stands...
Urara's mother gasped, her hand instinctively rising to her lips.
"Is… is that Mary-chan?!"
"Who…?" her husband asked, blinking as he leaned forward, clearly lost.
She let out a small sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"The one whose house we visited, remember?"
"…Hmm…" he muttered, rubbing his chin as he tried to recall. "House…?"
Then—
"Oh!" he snapped his fingers. "The one with the big house!"
"Yes…" she replied softly, nodding.
His expression shifted as he looked back at the track.
"…From the looks of it… that's not good…"
"I know…" she whispered, her gaze heavy with concern. "It's heartbreaking… Mary-chan has always been such a hardworking girl…"
"…What a tragedy…"
And then—
Something caught her eye.
A figure.
Seated not far from them.
A woman, alone, perhaps in her thirties.
And her eyes were somehow wide, settled on the track, onto Mary.
Her hands clasped tightly over her mouth, as if holding something back...
...A breaking heart.
Urara's mother then narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Honey… That woman…"
She tilted her head, searching her memory.
"…Why does she look so familiar…?"
...
...
Then, back on the track...
Urara ran on.
Her eyes were ahead, yet her thoughts stayed behind.
"…Mary-chan…" she whispered under her breath.
"Why… why is this happening…?"
"I thought we promised to race together…"
"But why... Why… isn't she running…?"
With that, she turned.
Just for a moment to check on her.
To reassure the happening.
And there, she saw her.
Mary Jane.
She was being lifted gently onto a stretcher and slowly before carefully carried away.
Away from the track.
Away from the race.
Away from her journey.
But
Mary's gaze remained on her.
And their eyes met.
For a brief, fleeting moment...
Her lips moved, but no sound reached her.
Yet... Urara understood.
"Finish it for us…"
"…Haru Urara…"
Then—
Urara's eyes widened.
Recalling her promise with Mary.
Her promise to outrun her.
Her promise to be friends with her.
Her promise to continue where they left off last time.
Her promise...
...to win!
With that, she turned forward once more and smiled
"…Right...!" she declared under her breath.
"I, Urara, still have a promise to fulfill with Mary-chan!"
Then, her stride found strength again.
"I must finish this race…!"
"So, Mary-chan and I can continue where we left off!"
"So, Mary-chan and I can finally become friends!"
Her fists then clenched tighter.
"So…"
"I must—"
Her eyes shone.
"I must finish this race…"
"…for both of us!"