So strong.
That was the one thought that dominated Oguri's mind when she first saw Light run. The confidence in her strides, the overwhelming aura she carried even outside the track, the visceral tremors she left behind when she began accelerating—they elicited a deep, instinctual wariness within her.
If she tried to race against Light, even at her peak–
She would lose.
She knew Roppei thought the same, even if he never spoke it. It was the way his brows furrowed, the way his scowl looked a little deeper than usual; the difference between Belno and Light was like night and day, and he was surely wondering how different things were in Light's world.
Oguri wondered the same, though she wasn't sure if that was possible. But if she could traverse to Light's world, then she would love to race against everyone. Light was already incredibly strong, and she'd freely admitted that she was still weak compared to the version of her in that other world.
"Another me…" Oguri whispered, frowning slightly as she stared out at the river she'd found her way to.
Another Oguri Cap. An Oguri Cap who'd gone to Central together with Kitahara, Belno, and another umamusume called Blossom Star. An Oguri Cap that won all three races of the Triple Crown. An Oguri Cap who'd won last year's [Japan Cup], and had done so with a severe disadvantage. An Oguri Cap whose win streak still continued from her days in Kasamatsu.
"What is she like?" She wondered aloud.
She couldn't help but think about it. That version of her sounded so…perfect. An Oguri Cap who had encountered all the things she had failed, and came out victorious. Would that Oguri be just like her? Did she also like running like she did? Or was she completely different–?
"No." A familiar voice then said. "We're the same."
Oguri paused, and her eyes went wide as she turned to her left and saw another Oguri standing next to her, staring out towards the river as she leaned on the railing.
It was undoubtedly herself. The same grey hair, the same blue eyes, the same blue band around her right ear. The same G1 outfit, though with her hair tied into a ponytail instead.
But she was also different. Those blue eyes carried a deep profundity, and it almost felt as if this other Oguri could stare directly into her soul. She seemed a little older as well, at least older than Light, who was supposed to be her age. And though it could simply be a trick of the light, the blue of her eyes seemed to turn into pale silver as she stared out into the river's waters.
"You're…" Oguri whispered, too stunned to think of anything else.
"Oguri Cap." The other Oguri introduced, smiling faintly. "I come from another world, one that diverged from this one 200 years before."
Oguri blinked. "200 years…?"
The other Oguri hummed, before she shook her head. "Not important." She gently placed a fist over the golden star on her chest. "For now, you can call me Ogurin so that we don't get confused." She paused for a moment. "Or call me Luna, if you're still confused."
"Luna." Oguri said immediately.
Luna nodded back. "Oguri, when did my Belno appear here?"
"Two days ago."
"Where is she now?"
"Tracen."
"Anyone else?"
Oguri was about to say 'no', but she then recalled the heated phone call Roppei had this morning. "Ah, I think Kitahara's here too…?"
Luna paused, closed her eyes, and then hummed. "You're right. He's in Kasamatsu right now."
Oguri blinked. "How did you…?" Luna shrugged, either unwilling or incapable of explaining. Seeing that, Oguri decided to ask, "Then, do you know why they're here?"
Luna was quiet for some time, before she slowly nodded. "A…malignant force pulled them from my world. Tried to expunge them." Her eyes narrowed, her hand still holding tight to the four-pointed star on her chest. "The future was freed. The only avenue was going back."
Oguri stared blankly. She'd tried her best to understand Luna's explanation, but everything had gone over her head. An evil force? The future was 'freed'? What did that even mean?
Luna shook her head. "It's okay. It isn't anything important."
Then, Luna slowly pulled her hand away from the yellow star on her chest, and Oguri's eyes went wide as she saw a surge of pale silver flowing out of the star. Luna narrowed her eyes as she held her palm in front of her, and the streams of pale silver eventually coalesced into another four-pointed star, this one glowing with a silver that glowed brighter than moonlight.
"Here." Luna said as the glowing star floated over her palm. "Take this."
"Take…?" She whispered. She was about to ask how she'd even do that, but before she could speak, the star suddenly moved from Luna's hand and into her own. And the moment it touched her palm, the glow surrounding it faded to a faint glimmer, and suddenly the magical star hardly looked magical in the slightest. "How…?"
"My Kitahara will reach Tracen in the afternoon." Luna said, her gaze knowing. "Once he and my Belno Light are together, break this star. It'll create a way for them to go back home."
Oguri blinked, and then blinked again as she realized what Luna was implying. "You're not meeting them?"
Luna shook her head. "They must not. I'm…not from the same time. It's better that we don't meet."
Oguri's ears drooped. "Really…?" She quickly began explaining. "But everyone wants to meet you! Roppei-san's super curious about you, and Belno really wants to meet you, and I'm sure Kitahara would be really happy when he sees you!"
Luna shook her head once more. "I know, but–"
"Come on, you don't need to be that cautious~" Someone else then said, their voice playful yet fond. "Besides, we're already here, right? We can treat it as our little vacation!"
Oguri tried looking around to see where that voice was coming from, but she couldn't find anyone. Only she and Luna were in this riverside path she'd unconsciously found herself in.
On the other hand, Luna's brows furrowed for a moment. "But we're already on vacation…?"
A chuckle. "Well, no one says we can't have a vacation from a vacation."
Then, Oguri held her head and winced as she saw reality break. Space seemed to warp, collapsing into a single point as the environment around her began losing its color. All sounds faded for a moment, before an ear-shattering implosion sounded across the air as a giant wormhole formed in the air.
And out from the wormhole came another umamusume, their hair as white as snow, with eyes brighter than the morning sky. She too was dressed in what Oguri assumed to be her G1 outfit—a heroic outfit, fitted with bronze pauldrons and a blue cape that fluttered behind her.
She gently floated down towards the ground, and the moment her feet touched the concrete pathway, the wormhole behind her vanished. The distorted colors returned to normal, time seemed to resume, and the pounding headache Oguri was feeling abruptly vanished.
The umamusume's smile turned a little awkward as she turned to Oguri. "Uh-, oops. Sorry about that, Oguri-chibi. Kinda didn't think about what'd you feel like if you saw that."
"I-It's fine." Oguri immediately apologized. Strangely, she felt incapable of ever feeling angry at the unknown umamusume. "I just…" The rest of her words trailed off. She couldn't help but continue staring at the umamusume, as if her soul was being drawn in.
The umamusume didn't look convinced. "She'll be fine, right?" She asked Luna, her expression growing more panicked by the second as Oguri continued to silently stare. "I didn't cause her brain damage, did I!?"
Luna hummed before she gently tapped her shoulder. Oguri suddenly blinked back to awareness, and Luna gave the umamusume a thumbs up. "She's fine."
The umamusume sighed in relief. "Oh, that's good." She cleared her throat before she grinned. "Anyway, I guess I should introduce myself." She took a small breath, and suddenly her entire presence changed. It became sharper, heavier—as if the world itself was bowing to her. "My name is Blossom Star." She smiled kindly. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Oguri Cap."
Oguri stared, jaw slightly agape. "It's…nice to meet you too." She said, feeling her heart thumping against her chest.
Star's smile deepened. "Though our time together may be short, I hope this could be a moment we would remember."
Oguri was sure she would. There was something about Star that was just so…dazzling. Oguri could scarcely find the strength to pull her gaze away, nor did she ever want to. If she was forced to do one thing for the rest of her life, then she would be happy just being here with–
Bonk.
"Ouch!" Star winced at the sudden bonk she received to her head.
"Star, bad." Luna said, pouting slightly. "Stop it."
"Sorry, sorry~" She grinned. "Just couldn't help myself, you know? I mean-, it's you after all!"
Luna shook her head, though there was a small smile on her lips. And Star returned it with a soft smile of her own.
…
A strange fluttering heat blossomed in her chest when she realized that Star already had an Oguri of her own, and she couldn't help but silently clench her fists.
.
.
.
AN: I am sorry that this IF chapter took so long to come out, but as you've read, I was keeping this back for the sake of spoilers. I know that it was minimal at best, but I wanted to make sure nothing got spoiled.