Hi, this is my Secret Santa gift to eponine-in-the-rain! I'm putting it here because tumblr doesn't work on my computer. :(
I'm calling it Let It Go for two reasons. The first is because both eponine-in-the-rain and I absolutely LOVE Frozen, and second is because it really is about letting go of the past.
Rancis sat at the top of Vanillamint Mountain, idly kicking at some stray peppermint pebbles down the ice cream slope. Although it had been almost three months since their game was restored back to its pre-Turbo days, the chocolate themed racer couldn't stop thinking about what had happened that night.
To all the citizens of Sugar Rush, Vanellope the Glitch became Vanellope the princess turned president, just like magic. But to Rancis, the change was so much more. Gone was the monster they were told that would sneak into unlocked garages and demolish their karts. Gone was the mass of botched programming that only looked like a girl. And gone was the tragic tale of a character corrupted by a virus pre-production, who now only wanted to force them into suffering the same fate.
Instead, she was replaced by Vanellope Von Schweetz, their overthrown leader, who didn't know who she really was, and only wanted to race. A dream that they, under the guidance of a washed-up has-been of a racer, crushed again and again. By people who, according to long overridden and hidden backstory, were supposed to be her subjects, her people… her friends.
Rancis kicked another pebble for that, even harder this time. They were all supposed to be her friends, people that she could rely on more than anyone else, and they all betrayed her. Even if they didn't realize it at the time, they were all still guilty of it. It didn't matter that they didn't know, it didn't matter that Turbo reprogrammed their code to show only loyalty to him, it didn't even matter that she forgave them all long ago.
Rancis kicked the ground again, only to pick up snow, having kicked all the pebbles in the surrounding area down already. It didn't matter, they'd regenerate in a few minutes anyway.
Vanellope forgave them all just as soon as she found out about it, brushing off all the years of turmoil and despair like the snow that had fallen on his shoulders. She was probably with Taffyta and Candlehead right now, rekindling a friendship that had been utterly demolished by a tyrant.
Rancis didn't want to bother them, so he didn't. He left Vanellope and all her friends- so, everybody, essentially- alone. He wanted the best for all of them, and that just didn't include him. Sure, he got a bit lonely at times, but he didn't care. Really, he just wanted to be alone with his thoughts right now. And possibly forever.
Of course, he didn't exactly have forever, because just then Vanellope came trudging up the mountains, clearly unused to walking on the ice cream terrain. Rancis stared at her, as if she was this utterly alien and entrancing being, the likes of which he had never seen.
And that was the part of it he tried to deny, mostly to himself. Because if he acknowledged that Vanellope, the monster, the glitch, the poor misunderstood girl that he hurt over and over again, was the same girl that he had had a crush on for years according to backstory, he would likely jump off this mountain and hope he didn't regenerate.
Vanellope, however, had no idea about this- at least, Rancis hoped not. Otherwise, the cliff was looking very tempting…- and so she stomped over, hopefully from the snow on the ground rather than any actual anger.
Actually though, Rancis wished it was anger that was shown on her face rather than that soft, sad understanding, making her face look so much more sweet and gentle than usual as she stood in front of him, little snowflakes dotting her hair with the rest of her candy. "Rancis…"
"Hello, Vanellope." Rancis fought to keep his voice cool and controlled. He had no idea what she was doing here, but he didn't want to embarrass himself any more than he had already.
"Rancis… you know you don't have to hide up here all the time." She said softly, almost shyly, and Rancis hated the way it made his heart trade places with his stomach. "I understand."
"You do?" How could she? Out of all of them, she was the only one that was truly innocent.
"Yeah," Vanellope shrugged, an easygoing gesture that didn't seem to fit at all with the almost formal tone she had before. "I mean, I get it, there's a lot of hard feelings left over after… well, everything."
"It is a complete change around." Rancis admitted, rubbing the back of his head.
"Tell me about it," Vanellope snorted, and that was just so like Vanellope that Rancis had to smile, just a little bit. "I mean, you're probably not the only one who feels this way, just the only one obvious about it."
"Really? I've never thought about that," Rancis said. "I kind of assumed I was the only one."
"Well, they probably did too." Vanellope shrugged again. "I mean, obviously if they feel that way they aren't going to tell me, so… yeah, you're probably not alone there."
"I'm probably not," Rancis sighed. The idea was somewhat bittersweet. It would be nice to know that he wasn't alone in still regretting what was done to Vanellope, but he didn't want any of his friends feeling as torn up inside as he did.
It seemed like Vanellope didn't notice this as she continued. "And, hey, elections are coming up, so if you got enough support, you and everybody else who doesn't like me can vote somebody else in."
That snapped Rancis straight back to attention. "What?"
Vanellope shrugged again, this time looking a little insecure. "Well, that's what a democracy is all about. Uh, g'doy? You can vote out the person in charge if you don't like them."
"You think I don't like you?" Rancis's voice went higher than he would have liked, but he was too distracted by such a ridiculous idea to care.
"Well, yeah." A glitch went across Vanellope as she spoke, making Rancis think that maybe he wasn't the only one who was losing control. "I mean, I take over and you literally head for the hills, what am I supposed to think?"
"Vanellope, I-" Rancis was stopped by Vanellope putting her hand up towards his face.
"Hey, it's okay. I get it." Vanellope's sweet, sad smile broke his heart. "I've been the glitch for fifteen years, and now you're supposed to like me? That's a tall order, isn't it?"
She turned around, starting to walk away from the other racer. "I mean, I'm not like Turbo. You guys don't have to like me, just to listen to me until I get voted out of office."
It was the surety in her voice, the way she seemed convinced that they'd be enough people there that would hate her enough to reject her from her rightful position that broke Rancis out of his trance. "Vanellope, wait!"
She turned around to face him, clearly confused as he ran as best he could on the snow. "Okay, I'm waiting."
Rancis stopped right in front of her, his hands bunched into fists so tight that his knuckles were bone white. He couldn't look her in the eye, but he spoke. "Vanellope, look… I'm sorry. I really should have said that before, but I was too much of a coward. I'm sorry for everything that happened under Kin- under Turbo and I'm sorry I made you think I hated you. I swear, nothing could be further from the truth and I-"
He was interrupted by Vanellope gently touching his chin and pulling his face up so she was looking right into her eyes. "Didn't I already forgive everybody for that?"
"Well… yes." Rancis admitted. "I just… I just didn't forgive myself…"
"And so you pretty much banished yourself to Vanillamint Mountain because of it?" Vanellope raised an eyebrow at him, and he looked away.
"I didn't want to get away without, well, any punishment." Rancis mumbled, hoping that Vanellope wouldn't hear him.
But she did hear him, and responded in her best regal voice. "Very well then. Rancis Fluggerbutter, by royal decree you are sentenced to a lifetime of not blaming yourself over things that are not your fault."
Rancis smiled, despite himself. "I thought you were a president now."
Vanellope rolled her eyes. "Presidential decree, then. Either way, you're sentenced now. Stick with that."
"Ma'am yes ma'am!" Rancis even threw in a joking salute. It did make him feel better, even if she was joking around about punishing him. Now, he knew that Vanellope cared about him, even if it wasn't the way he felt about her. And even if he couldn't forgive himself for what he did to her, he could at least be by her side now.