There he was, flickering in and out of existence.
Brief flashes of light, glitching, codes and pain.
Oh the pain. Crippling and bounding, and yet reassuring, as it was the only reminder that shook him out of that non-existence brain numbing haze.
A deafening rumbling sound of static, dead emptying silence.
He appeared again for just a few seconds, enough time to stretch his arm, streaks of red statics running to the tip of his four fingers. He was crawling on an hard rocky chocolate floor. Brown sweet dust fluttering before him, filling his lungs. He was breathing heavily, scared, trying to grab anything with his gray pixellated hand, before his codes rippled,shaked and splitted once more.
How much time had passed? Hours? Days? Years? There was no way to tell.
Trapped in his mind, a pool of hate-drenched poison. He felt maybe it was better to be drunk in hate, rather than drowning in fear, so he was holding on, with every fiber of his code to this twisted sentiment.
He reappeared another few times, once in the candy cane forest. The never ending day-light of Sugar Rush hurt his eyes. It was cool, and a soft wind was blowing, bringing a fresh peppermint breeze that made his nose itch. He felt the need to scream, a low guttural sound came out of his throat, the audio of his voice artificial and distorted.
He swore and swore, countless times, he was going to get his revenge, he was going to end the people who had done this to him, who had stole his game and ruined all he had accomplished .
He wanted them to suffer, to have their game unplugged and know it was their fault. He knew that was the most unbearable feeling, he knew that all too well.
And after that he was going to be merciful, and kill them off, permanently.
All of them, but one.
The glitch.
He had other plans for her.
Next time he can see again it is the familiar pin- SALMON of his castle, he is in the throne room, it is empty and silent. Engines roaming in the distance. His heart feels heavy.
It was a clenching sense of helplessness, discomfort and nostalgia. But the greatest racer ever wasn't going to shed a tear, no matter how much he longed to be back on the track.
He opened his glowing yellow eyes, and before him an all too familiar old man clad in purple and gold, was staring at him concerned, smiling softly. Both floating surrounded only by darkness.
The man offers him his hand, he doesn't think twice and he clutches it. His grey hand is squeezed tightly, affectionately. Little red sparks generate from the touch. He clings on desperate, panicked and holds close to him.
His heart skipped. He felt as if he was falling. Just for a moment.
The next thing he remembers is waking up in a cave, a dim light warms the walls, a cola hot spring in the middle of it and Mentos stalagmites half hidden in the shadows on the ceiling. He was expecting to glitch away in a moment, but seconds passed and turned into minutes.
He doesn't dare to move from the spot where he is sitting, too afraid, too uncertain. He remembers, this is where he was killed, this is where they murdered him.
He feels pathetic. He feels angry.
He should have killed off Ralph the first time he saw him. He should have closed the entrance to Sugar Rush a long time ago. He should have kept Vanellope, that damned glitch, in his fungeon since the start, until he found a way to get rid of her.
It could have all been avoided, but no, the old man wouldn't allow him.
"Litthen" he used to say in a sheepish and worried tone, before showering him with reasons over reasons on why he shouldn't do this or that, on how his plan was going to fail and how the game would get unplugged if he was to distort it too much to fit his needs.
Somehow he had trusted him, he was the only person he trusted, but now he regretted it bitterly.
He should have shut his mouth a long time ago, he thinks to himself, he's not going to make that mistake again. If you want to succeed, trust no one but yourself.
His codes shakes, pixels float and glisten around him. It was too good to last, he lets out a trembly breath, resigned.
But he doesn't disappear, oh no.
His shape doubles, and takes form.
King Candy appears before him.
The old man gives him an uncertain look, his shoulders shiver a little as he turns around.
" Turbo?"
Turbo's yellow eyes widen and brighten in surprise, he doesn't let a sound and simply stares.
The King examines his hands, he pats lightly his chest and pants, as to make sure he is still there, and nothing is missing, his gaze travels back on the other character. He smiles, giggles and gesticulates briefly looking very pleased.
" Well, well, we should be fine now. No more glitching. It was quite distressing, wasn't it?" he looks away, then looks back at the little man on the floor, but doesn't let him time to answer.
"You can thank me later" he adds proudly, offering the racer a hand to help him stand to his feet.
The gray man slaps the other's hand away.
" I owe ya nothin' ..." he curses grimacing, raising from the ground on his own and looking away.
The King's smile vanishes leaving a frown, he crosses his arms over his chest, with a quite dramatic look on his features.
" Hey you, you listen to me, I brought us back. I brought YOU back. Could have you done that? no, no I don't think so! ohoho not without my help anyway."
Turbo backs away, looking for an exit, he wants to get away from him, he won't let him ruin his plans again.
" I just wanna talk " King Candy starts again, sounding less pretentious. He walks closer to the other character and follows him, holding his hands together, seeming honestly concerned. He laughs nervously and his shoulders shake again.
"... we can make things right again, we have a second chan-"
" You already did enough !" Turbo cuts him short, aggressively.
"Wait" the King pleads. He starts glitching, pixels rearranging. He grabs the other's arm.
Statics spread to the racer's body, as he attempts to back away.
The King giggles again, examining his hand. Then looks quite surprised and worried as both keep glitching.
" ohoh,ha, t-this wasn't supposed to happen..."
" I thought you said you had fixed it!" Turbo yells furious, clenching his fists.
Their sprites flicker, but instead of disappearing their pixels merge together.
Only one sprite is left, its image glitches briefly between that of the racer and the King, before settling on the second.