An umamusume was born to run.
It wasn't a universal truth by any means, but it was close enough that everyone treated it like one. An umamusume's body was far stronger than an average human, but their body was especially built to run. Even if an umamusume didn't become a racer, many still chose jobs that involved a lot of physical exercise.
And so what would that mean for an umamusume who couldn't run? Losing the ability to run was no different than having a part of themselves be severed—a portion of their souls forever taken away. And even if they recovered, the many months spent in recovery would inevitably leave a mark that couldn't be taken away.
And if that was so--
"Ah, good afternoon, Rudolf." Blossom Star said, grinning lazily as she slowly made her way to the table she was sitting on. "Didn't think I'd catch you in the cafeteria. Getting a little snack or something?"
"Indeed. I have missed lunch I'm afraid, and so I must make it up in some way or another." She explained, subtly wincing with every loud clack created by Star's crutches. "And you? It is rare to find you here, especially without Oguri Cap by your side."
Star smirked. "Oh, trying to imply somethin', pres?" She huffed as she sat down on the opposite side of the table, sighing as she leaned her crutches on the table's edge. "But Oguri's a little busy right now. She has a doctor's appointment she has to go to, and there's no way of not attending this time."
Rudolf frowned slightly. "And you did not go with her?" Star raised an eyebrow, subtly tilting her head towards her crutches. "Ah." Rudolf winced, before her expression twisted with mild embarrassment. "I…apologize."
"It's fine, it's fine~" She rested her head on the table, smooshing her cheek onto the surface. "She ain't like me, y'know? Gotta exercise those legs even if she can't run."
…It was strange, wasn't it?
An injury to an umamusume's legs was already terrible, but for it to happen during the height of one's racing career? Such a blow had broken the spirits of many. She would know. Her own legs could no longer run like they used to.
Yet Blossom Star looked entirely unbothered by her own injuries. No-, not just unbothered, but completely serene. She couldn't remember a time when Star had ever looked so relaxed before. It was if her career-ending injury had instead granted her some kind of reprieve.
She spoke before she could stop herself.
"How?"
Star blinked. "How what?"
She paused for a moment, unsure whether this was something she could say. But the words forced themselves past her lips. "How are you so calm?" She asked. "You would be unable to run for a couple months, and who knows how long you must spend for rehabilitation." She frowned deeply. "Are you not concerned for your career?"
Star stared for a moment, before she smiled fondly. "Heh, you sounded a little just like Kitahara there."
"Star, this is no joking-"
"But I'm not afraid, Rudolf." Star said, her eyes startlingly clear. "I might be injured, but I am alive. My heart still pumps with blood. Isn't that enough?"
Her expression turned serious, and beneath the shadows cast by the clouds, her eyes took on an eerie glow. "There's not many things that scare me anymore." She smiled mysteriously. "Compared to what I've seen, tearing some muscles in my legs isn't much of an issue. Barely an inconvenience, even."
Her smile turned soft. "And besides, there's really only one reason that I run."
Rudolf smiled wryly. "It's Oguri, I assume?"
Star chuckled shyly, her tail wagging slightly. "Haha, that's kinda obvious, huh?" Her expression became gentle. "It's-, look, I don't really care about running. I never really vibed with it, y'know?" She grinned. "But I feel like I've kinda absorbed some of Oguri's enthusiasm through osmosis. If it's for her, then I don't mind running. If she's happy, then I'm happy too."
…
How envious.
When was the last time she herself had said something like that? When was the last time she believed in that?
It was different now. Japan had regaled her as the 'Emperor'—a needless crown of thorns that had only served to alienate her. Her fans was both her support and the shackles that forced her to remain where she was.
It hadn't always been that way. Back then, she too had raced with another. Had promised and vowed to continue running, even if it meant racing in races that no one had ever heard of. Turf, dirt, sand—as long as it was with her, then she could run even across the skies.
But she couldn't go back to that. That promise she once shared had only turned into a poison that hurt them both.
And now Mr. C.B. was gone; their relationship soured to the point that they were both practically enemies, even if C.B. pretended they weren't. There was a reason why she was never here in Tracen Central, despite being one of the members of the student council.
Not even an Emperor's Divine Might could bring back the one she had once shared her life with.
"Why the long face?" Star asked, tilting her head slightly.
"Ah, apologies." She whispered, forcefully pushing away her own thoughts. How rude of her, to think of another despite having Star right in front of her. "I seem to be more tired than I initially thought."
Star stared at her for a good while, before she sighed. "I'm no psychic, but I don't think that expression appears just because you're tired, Rudolf."
She pursed her lips. "Blossom-san…"
"Why don't we play a game then?" She suddenly said, smiling lazily. "If you're feeling like it's too much, I can share something about myself first. Play a game of exchange and all."
"Blossom-san, there's no need-"
"I almost took my own life once."
"...!"
Star seemed entirely too casual after what she'd just said. "It wasn't anything dramatic, y'know? It's just-, one day I realized that I didn't really feel like there was any point in staying alive." She smiled nostalgically. "That's why I used to bury myself in my diary. It was both a way to make a friend for myself, and a way to leave something behind once I'm gone."
"But then an Oguri-shaped truck came crashing into my life, and things just kinda derailed from there." She chuckled. "It's interesting what having a friend does to you, doesn't it?"
"...it is, indeed."
"Well, that's it for me. What about you, Rudolf?" Star smiled softly, encouragingly. "What secrets are you sharing with little ol' me this time?"
She stared at her half-eaten meal for a moment before she took a deep breath. That painful twisting in her gut was still there, but perhaps after hearing something so shocking, she found it a little easier to ignore this time. "I have-, had a friend. A rival. Someone I promised I would run with regardless of what happened."
Her smile twisted with regret. "I failed her. I broke our promise." Beneath the table, she clenched her fists. "We have grown apart since then. And it-, it hurts."
And it did. By the Goddesses it did. Now that she had said it out loud, the ache in her chest was so painful that she began feeling faint. It was a wound she'd let fester for all these years, and it'd now grown into a rotting, cancerous mess.
Ha. Haha. How could she have ever thought that it would've been better for them to be apart? Aah, if only she could return to the past, she would strike her foolish self so hard that she could never run again. What did it matter that she held the title of Emperor if it meant sacrificing what had made her human?
Suddenly, she felt a gentle hand pat her head, and Rudolf looked to the side to see that Star had sat next to her at some point. She was smiling slightly as she patted her head, but was also using her slightly taller stature to hide Rudolf from the sparse crowd in the cafeteria. "Don't worry about it." She said, smiling softly. "Don't hold back. Cry if you need to."
Rudolf blinked, and only then realized that tears had built in her eyes without her knowing. She tried blinking them away, but before she could do so, she hiccuped as those crystalline tears began falling down her cheeks.
"Ah…" She whispered, voice shaky. "What have I done…?"
What a failure of an Emperor she was.
"Maybe you messed up." Star said gently. "But things aren't set in stone just yet. You can still make amends with whoever your friend is, and even if things won't go back to how it was, at least you would know that you tried, right?"
She hiccuped as she continued wiping her tears away. "But-, how? I-I…!"
"Because you're still here, Rudolf." She said, her voice soft. "Because you're still alive. And as long as you're both still in this world, your story has yet to end."
"I…I don't know if she'll even want to…"
"But you need to try." She gently reminded. "Maybe they'll refuse you still, but if you don't try at all, then things won't change."
Rudolf didn't say anything else after that, and neither did Star. They remained there in silence as Rudolf did her hardest to dry her tears. She was infinitely thankful that Star was hiding her from the crowd's gaze, and she resolved herself to thank her for doing so, especially since it should've been the other way around.
But more than anything,
"I-I must go." She said after her tears had dried. Her hands still shook from lingering fear, but there was a new determination in her eyes. "Thank you, Blossom-san."
Star winked. "Go on, pres."
Rudolf nodded lightly, and with a small breath, she immediately headed back to her office, intent on calling a number she'd resolved to never call again.
.
.
.
Just a minute after Rudolf left, Blossom Star groaned as she stretched her arms. "Jeez, I didn't think it was that bad."
Someone suddenly sat next to her, followed by a soft sigh. "This couldn't go on any longer." Maruzensky said, her eyes downcast. "If Rudolf-chan continues running away, then things will only get worse."
Star raised an eyebrow. "She didn't listen to you?"
Maruzensky shook her head. "She's always been stubborn." Her eyes shone with gratitude. "Which is why I need to thank you, Star-chan. You were the only one who could do it."
Star shrugged. "Hey, everyone's already calling me for a consultation, might as well add the Emperor to my list of customers." She grinned. "Gotta expand my repertoire for when I finally retire, y'know?"
Maruzensky giggled. "Sure, sure~"