Chapter Text
Tracen Academy was a place umamusume attended to make their racing dreams come true. There, umamusume would train to become the best in the world as they competed on the race track.
Admire Vega, or Ayabe as her friends would call her, stares up at the school building. She could not believe that she had made it. Some time had passed since she had begun attending, but it still felt like a dream to her.
She hadn't thought someone like her would be able to make it, but she had been scouted out. She had been given a chance and she took it. It was a choice she didn't regret, and she would use it to achieve her dreams.
"Ayabe! Quit daydreaming! We have classes to attend!" The cheerful voice of her sister calls out to her.
"I'm coming, Amane. Stop rushing around so much." Ayabe rolls her eyes.
"You should be moving faster than me! I'm only an assistant to trainer!" Amane giggles.
"I still don't understand why you didn't want to try to continue racing." Ayabe says as she catches up to Amane.
"I tried... I still want to race, but it doesn't look like I will be able to. Coming dead last for my debut was not a good look..." Amane laughs. "I doubt that was impressive to any of the trainers watching."
"You still have a chance." Ayabe says.
"Nope! I was not a good runner, so trainers wouldn't choose me." Amane says.
"You mean you fell flat on your face the moment you stepped out of the gate and then lost." Ayabe shakes her head. She takes out her phone. "I kept a picture of that because it was funny."
"Huh?! You promised you deleted that!" Amane whines.
"Well I lied. See you in class." Ayabe runs ahead of her.
"Ayabe! Delete it!" Amane cries out as she runs after her.
Ayabe smiles to herself. This was where she wanted to be. Here, she could run as much as she wanted to. Here, she was able to spend time with her sister and make many friends. Here, she was happy and felt like she belonged. This was what she wanted.
She would achieve not just her own dream, but her sister's as well.
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Tracen Academy was the place umamusume went to make their dreams come true. Not many were able to achieve them, but that did not stop any of them from trying. After all, umamusume were born to run.
For TM Opera O, running was one of the things she was good at. She was ready to take to the stage of racing and dazzle them with her own performance. When she had first proposed the idea to her family, they had been hesitant and asked if it was really what she wanted to do. Of course she had insisted on it, and that was how she ended up at Tracen Academy.
But things were not as she dreamed.
When she began competing in races, she had failed her debut. Yet, she had still been given a chance. Originally, different umas would talk to her and spend time with her. She was a bright presence that drew others in.
But it all changed when she began winning more and more races. Slowly, all of those umas began distancing themselves.
She felt their glares as she walked through the halls, and she heard their whispers of disdain. She noticed the way they would look at her when she approached their tables at the cafeteria and how they would move things to fill the empty space. She understood what they were trying to say, so she kept her distance.
If they were going to look at her like she was the villain, then she would continue to play the role of the lonely villain in their performance. She dimmed her light to stay in the shadows, just as the villains of many stories would do.
She stares up at the sky as she sits up in a tree in the courtyard. How she wished things would be different, but she was living the unfortunate truth that it was impossible. She looks down when she hears footsteps approaching and spots a cheerful face staring up at her with a radiant smile.
"Yay! I found you! Come on! Lets play together! I want to do something fun!"
Opera allows a small smile to cross her face. "Okay. I'll be right down."
At least there was one person who didn't look at her like she was a monster. Instead, this person would look at her with genuine admiration and adoration while ignoring the scrutinizing looks of those around them.
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"Ayabe! Amane! Hurry hurry! We need to go to the cafeteria!" Curren Chan calls out.
"Curren Chan, we don't need to rush!" Narita Top Road laughs.
"But what if they run out of food before we get there?!" Curren Chan whines.
"Mhm! I want lots of carrots..." Meisho Doto nods.
"See?! Doto gets it!" Curren Chan says.
"Wow! You're all as energetic as always!" Amane laughs.
"Didn't Urara want to introduce us to her friend today?" Ayabe asks.
Top Road pauses and taps her chin. "She did say she wanted to... King Halo said we should make sure we get a table."
"Mhm! Urara wants all of us to meet her friend." Curren Chan nods.
"I hope this friend of hers isn't scary..." Doto says quietly.
"Come on, I doubt she would be scary." Top Road shakes her head.
"But Urara would befriend anyone!" Doto squeaks.
"She does do that..." Amane mutters.
"Cheer up! I'm sure Urara's friend is nice! If Urara befriended her, then she has to be nice!" Curren Chan giggles.
Ayabe frowns. It was impossible to think of a friend Urara would have that could be mean or scary. Urara was too sweet and kind to ever have any kind of cruel friend. It was unlikely that Urara's mysterious friend could be a terrible person.
But then again, Urara was always an unpredictable uma. She was far more cheerful than the average uma despite losing most of her races. Ayabe did not understand how she could still be so positive about it all.
"I feel bad for Urara, she did lose her race again..." Amane sighs.
"But she didn't seem upset about it." Top Road points out.
"That's true..." Amane frowns. "How about all of you?"
"Huh? Why are you asking that?" Top Road asks.
"Come on! Top Road, you were in races recently! Doto and Ayabe too! But all of you lost the races." Curren Chan says.
"Oh..." Doto droops a little. "I am sad I lost..."
"It is disappointing I lost, but not everyone can win a race..." Top Road says quietly.
Ayabe nods in agreement. "We can only try to do better."
"But didn't you all lose to the same uma? I'm surprised she went into races so close to one another." Amane says.
"She must be crazy strong to be able to do that, like a monster!" Curren Chan muses.
"Calling someone a monster is a little too far!" Top Road scolds.
"But it could be true! Oguri and Brian were monsters on the track!" Amane points out.
"We shouldn't talk about our senpais like that..." Top Road mutters.
Ayabe frowns, tuning out everyone else as they talk. The more she thought of it, the more she wondered. It was as Amane had said, the other uma had joined the races scheduled so close to each other. And she still was able to run despite how most others would take breaks between races. How could such an umamusume exist if they weren't a monster themselves?
"Ah! there's Urara!" Doto's voice pulls her out of her thoughts.
Ayabe looks up to see Urara waiting for them outside the cafeteria doors, rocking back and forth on her heels. The pink haired uma seems to light up when she notices them, waving enthusiastically.
"Hi everyone!" Urara calls out.
"Hello Urara! Is King, Sky, El, Grass, and Spe joining us today too?" Top Road smiles.
"Mhm! I told them I was going to bring my friend!" Urara nods.
"Are they already here?" Amane asks.
"They went to line up for food! Spe eats a lot, so she wants to make sure she gets enough!" Urara says.
"So where is this friend of yours?" Curren Chan asks as they all get into the line.
"She is waiting at the table!" Urara says.
Ayabe frowns. That was not something she expected to hear. Had this friend already come here before all of them? But wouldn't that mean she had already started eating?
"Did she already start eating? Have you gotten food yet?" Top Road asks with concern.
"Hm? No. She is waiting for all of us, but she got the food already! And I left my food at the table!" Urara says happily.
"O-Oh! That makes sense." Doto nods.
Ayabe wanted to argue that it did not make sense, but she keeps quiet. It was hard to question Urara's logic, so she learned to just accept it and go along with it. After all, she didn't want to do anything to make Urara cry. Urara was a good person with a kind heart, and Ayabe liked that about her.
Once she grabs her food, Ayabe follows Urara to the table. Their friends follow behind while Urara skips ahead of them. Ayabe frowns when she spots King Halo, Seiun Sky, El Condor Pasa, Grass Wonder, and Special Week just standing a little away from the table Urara is taking them to. Was there something bothering them?
"Are you guys alright?" Top Road asks as she approaches.
King Halo looks their way. "Ah. You are... all here."
"Uh... this is going to be awkward." Seiun Sky glances towards them, then back at the table.
"I don't think it will be that bad!" El Condor Pasa says next.
"Don't worry about it. It will be fine." Grass Wonder smiles.
"She took the carrot steak I wanted..." Special Week whines.
With the mixed responses, Ayabe decides to just push past them to see what had them all hesitating. Then she freezes as she locks eyes with a familiar orange haired uma. Top Road and Doto, who had followed after her, also freeze.
"Oh..." Curren Chan says quietly.
But Urara, completely oblivious to everyone's surprise, skips over to the table. She throws her arms around the other umamusume and climbs onto her back. "Okay! Everyone, meet my friend!"
Ayabe does not know how she should be feeling as she stares at the orange haired uma.
"This is Ope!" Urara says cheerfully. "Ope, these are my friends!"
"Uh... it is... nice to meet you, Urara's friends." The orange haired uma says. "I am TM Opera O."