A/N: To my Loud House readers, have no fear…I've got plenty more ideas for stories and I am just expanding my writing scope a little, trying out writing in another fandom.

To my Wreck-It Ralph readers, the rest is directed to you. I recently published my first WIR story, 'To Light a Candle' and despite the lower reception it received compared to all my other stories, if you read it, I'm as happy as a clam…a happy clam that is. And if you didn't like it, you still took time out of your day to give it a read and I sincerely thank you. The story below is a follow-up for 'To Light a Candle' and not exactly a sequel, though the events of the former do take place before it. I am thinking of writing a true sequel sometime later, involving both Candlehead and Rancis, and possibly a few others like Taffyta, Adorabeezle, and Swizzle. Rancis still needs to fulfill that promise of taking Candlehead to all the places Vanellope took him to find parts for his RV1. So that'll come sometime.

Honestly, coming into writing for this film series, I expected low views right from the start; it can't be easy for a 'fandom' to develop when your source material is just 2 movies with a huge gap of time in between. But regardless, I find the whole concept of the WIR universe so captivating and fascinating all in itself. And hey, this is Disney. Not too much gets forgotten if it's made by Disney. So, fingers crossed that we might get something new in the future.

Candlehead is quickly becoming my favourite character and it's such a shame that she and all the other racers are so underused. That's where fanfiction shines best, I suppose.

With that out of the way, let's get on with it.

Braver Than You Think

May 26, 2019 – May 27, 2019

In his shack near the dump of Fix-It Felix Jr, Wreck-It Ralph got up from his couch and picked up his copy of To Kill a Pixelbird, preparing to head over to the train station to attend Zangief's Wednesday night book club over in Pac Man, when the doorbell rang. That surprised the wrecker; people didn't usually come out of their way to visit him. Not wanting to keep them waiting, he lumbered over to the door and opened it. As usual, he looked down; odds were that whoever it was was smaller than him. But what was unusual was that his visitor was someone who had never come to visit him before: a little girl with green hair, wearing a pink racing jacket and cupcake wrapper skirt similar to Vanellope's. There was a glowing candle on her hat and a big wide smile on her face. Despite having rarely spoken to her one-on-one before, Ralph smiled down at her in return.

"Oh hey, Sugar Rush kid! Uh, which one are you again?"

Ralph had never really hung out with the other Sugar Rush racers like he did with Vanellope, and now that she was absent from the arcade, he had only just started to get to know each of them thanks to the Friday night parties and the fact that they were Felix and Calhoun's children by adoption. But hey, there were ten kids and four recolours. Not very easy to remember who was who. However, this time, Ralph's poor memory for names might have been rather ridiculous. Given that this particular racer's name was probably the easiest to remember out of all them thanks to the little candle burning on top of her head, the girl had every reason to be impatient and annoyed with Ralph, but she was different. She always seemed to smile and the moment at present was no exception.

"I'm Candlehead! See?" she said cheerfully as she pointed proudly to said candle on her head.

Ralph opened his mouth, then closed it, feeling a little silly. "Oh, right. Yeah, I should have remembered. Or at least gotten a hint from that." He moved inside a little to give her room to walk in. "So, what brings you here, kid?"

The girl's smile faded a little. She fumbled with her fingers and looked down at the ground, all of a sudden looking nervous for some reason. At last, she spoke. "I…I was wondering if I could use your phone. The one with the moving pictures of Vanellope."

Ralph looked at her for a moment. Then he understood. She wanted to speak with Vanellope. He kneeled down so he wasn't so tall compared to her. "You miss her too, huh?"

The birthday-themed racer looked up at him and nodded shyly, tugging at one of her stubby pigtails. There was hope in her eyes, almost desperation.

The wrecker was rather protective of his BuzzzyAccount device, which contained the BuzzzFace app, the only means of communication with his best friend. However, he had made an important pact with himself to be less clingy and possessive with Vanellope, something he had learned in a very harsh way when he had caused the entire internet to crash last month. And that meant sharing Vanellope with those who missed her just as much. Besides, the reformed behaviors and attitudes of the Sugar Rush kids had proven their higher sense of responsibility and growing maturity. So, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the phone.

"Tell you what, kid. I'm off to Zangief's book club over in Pac Man. If you stay here in this house, you can use the phone until I come back in about an hour. Sound good?"

The elation and excitement on Candlehead's face was more than enough to tell Ralph that this was more than 'good'. Her whole face lit up brighter than the candle on her hat. She jumped up and down with squeals of delight and ended the whole show by hugging his massive leg. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mr. Ralph!" she squealed. Ralph laughed and patted her tiny back.

"You're welcome," he chuckled as he handed her the phone, which she took with jittering hands and eyes as big as jawbreakers, as if she were being handed the world's largest diamond. "Now be careful with that. It's precious to me, so make sure it stays inside the house. You can make yourself at home while I'm gone, there's burnt pie in the fridge if you want some. You can use the TV too…it's all in 8-bit format though."

Candlehead beamed. "Thanks, Mr. Ralph. You're so nice! Have fun at the Packing the book Man!"

He laughed, confusing her ditziness for a joke. "Well, you have fun with Vanellope! Tell her I said 'hi'!" And with a wave of his giant hand, Ralph tucked his book under his arm and was gone, leaving the little girl on her own in his house.

Maybe that wouldn't have been such a good idea, seeing as how the young racers had destroyed Felix's apartment in less than a night when he and Calhoun had taken them in for adoption. However, there was only one of them this time and Ralph had a feeling that this little racer wouldn't trash his house. There was something about her that radiated gentleness and peace. Besides, she had come to him to talk to Vanellope, which he felt would occupy her for long enough. If anything, he could just ask Felix to repair any damage he found when he came home.

Once she was alone, Candlehead took a moment to look around the place, having never been here before. The house was gigantic to her, though perfect for someone the size of Wreck-It Ralph. Though Ralph had constructed it, Felix had reinforced all the bricks with a few taps of his magic hammer, making all the walls and the roof sturdy and structurally sound. There weren't too many pieces of furniture, maybe a bed, the couch, fireplace, and a chair or two, but the important thing was that it was a home, and not a dirty dump anymore. Candlehead had to make a considerably large jump in order to reach the seating area of Ralph's massive couch, which was really a carefully-organized stack of bricks laden with the pillows that he had borrowed from Gene to build a 'pigloo' for Vanellope and had forgotten to return. After a bit of struggling, she managed to sit down.

Once she was comfy, she looked at the phone Ralph had entrusted her with. "How does this work?" she wondered out loud, having never used a phone in her life, let alone a fancy one like this. Everyone in Sugar Rush used the Gingersnap Postal Service to send messages. Even the phone in her Dad's apartment confused her, and that one had a strange spinning wheel with numbers and a separate ear piece. Candlehead wasn't the best with numbers.

The little cupcake girl opened up the flipping piece and stared at the blank screen and tiny buttons. The buttons on her Ice Screamer's dashboard had different colours (and she had added labels in icing to help her remember during racing) but these all looked the same. She tapped her finger on the screen and was surprised when it lit up. Okay, she was getting somewhere. Scanning the screen, Candlehead grinned when she saw a round picture of Vanellope's smiling face on it. But what now? She looked at the bottom screen, which hadn't lit up. Well, if tapping the first screen got her a picture of Vanellope, maybe tapping the other screen would get her closer to success.

CALLING appeared under Vanellope's picture once Candlehead had tapped the second screen. She held her breath. It said 'calling' but she couldn't hear the phone calling out to anyone. She waited for another second or two, but still nothing. Maybe the phone was broken. Or maybe Vanellope was busy. Or maybe – Candlehead gasped in horror – maybe Vanellope didn't want to be friends with her anymore! But before the girl could enter panic mode, a loud ZAP was heard and she was instantly overcome by a mixed feeling of shock, relief, and excitement when the upper torso of her good friend and former president appeared out of the phone's top screen in a blue holographic beam.

"Hiya, Stinkbrain! What's up…wait…Candlehead?! Is that you?"

Candlehead couldn't contain her joy. "Oh my gosh, HI VANELLOPE! Yeah, it's me! It's really me!" She started bouncing up and down in her seat like one of Gloyd's cherry bombs before the detonation was complete, and the hologram bounced up and down with her. She grinned eagerly at Vanellope and the former grinned back.

"Oh wow, it's so awesome to see you, girl! How are ya?" the internet racer asked her.

"I'm good! I just really wanted to see your face again. It's been forever and I've missed you so much!"

While this wasn't exactly true, as Vanellope had been living in the internet for a little less than a month now, there was good reasoning for Candlehead's longing desire to see her again. Aside from Ralph, Vanellope had left all her friends in the arcade without a proper goodbye. It had been quite a rough time for everyone when Ralph had returned from the internet router alone and revealed to them that she had decided to stay in the internet. Truth be told, the news had been harder on some than others. Candlehead was on that list, alongside Taffyta, Rancis, Felix, and Calhoun.

The blue hologram of Vanellope smiled at her friend apologetically; she must have been thinking this very thing. "Yeah…look I'm sorry about leaving without saying goodbye, Candlehead. I've missed you too."

Candlehead's lip quivered a bit. She sighed and tried her hardest to keep a straight face, recalling Rancis' words to her from before. "No, no, it's fine. You're happy where you are and that means I should be happy for you! It's just that…oh, I just really want to hug you so badly right now!"

This made Vanellope smile even more and she put a hand to her heart. Candlehead had always been a huggy person. She always welcomed cheery hugs from the bubbly girl; even the heart of grouchy Taffyta seemed to melt a little when she received one.

"I feel the same way, Candi. But anywho, what's new with the gang in Sugar Rush?"

For nearly an hour, the girls chatted. They shared the news. They talked about girl junk. They had a splendid time. To Candlehead, it was as if Vanellope was right there in Ralph's living room with her; she felt positively overjoyed to see her friend's smiling face and to hear her peppy voice once more. It was just in the way that she held the smile on her face or the traces of giggling that sprinkled her voice that said this loud and clear.

Vanellope told her all about her adventures in Slaughter Race, most of which Candlehead found very scary and she couldn't stop blurting out her fears for her friend's safety. And each time, the glitchy girl would patiently assure the candle gal that she was fine and could regenerate anytime needed.

Candlehead filled Vanellope in on all the business going on in the arcade, from her happy new life as part of a large family with Felix and Calhoun as her Dad and Mom to Swizzle showing off his new daredevil kart stunts at Sour Patch Gulch.

"Did Rancis really sell all his stuff just to buy a new kart?" Candlehead was asking the hologram. Vanellope nodded with a giggle.

"He sure did. You should have seen his face. I had never seen Rancis so miserable before."

A flashback suddenly raced through Candlehead's mind as Vanellope said this. It was a picture of her peanut butter-themed friend standing with her on the penthouse balcony in the middle of the night several days ago, reduced to tears as he became overcome with guilt and sadness for failing to make sure Candlehead didn't get out of Sugar Rush before it was unplugged. Though she hadn't seen his sorrow when he had smashed his fancy kart, somehow Candlehead could sense that the intense sadness he had felt when they were on the balcony together was far greater.

That night had been quite the turning point for the bond that they shared together, one she would never forget.

Vanellope's voice broke her thoughts. "…but luckily ol' Fluggerfingers swallowed his pride to build a new one from scratch. He even built himself a whole bookshelf just to hold his new cup. I'm still so proud of that peanut head!"

Candlehead giggled. "He's so clever. He just puts his mind to something and BOOM, it's done!"

Then Vanellope smiled mischievously. "Speaking of which…how is Rancis?"

"Oh, he's good! He races really fast and he always asks me how my day has been. He's so nice. And he misses you too."

Her smile grew and her eyes narrowed. "No, I meant how are you and him doing?"

Candlehead cocked her head, feeling quite puzzled. "Me and him? What do you mean?"

"Got any progress to report, fire-girl?"

The 'fire-girl' now just looked more confused. "Report? Oh, I didn't know we had to write a report...what's it on again?"

Vanellope rolled her eyes. Meh, Candlehead would figure it out sooner or later…hopefully. "Oh, never mind…"

Just then, Candlehead heard a second voice coming from the phone, this one fainter. She watched as Vanellope turned her head to the left.

"Yo, V. We have another player coming up. Let's show them what we're made of!"

"I'll be right there, Shank!" she called to whoever offscreen was named 'Shank'. She turned back to Candlehead. "Guess I better get back to work. Those players aren't going to get crushed by themselves, you know!"

Candlehead's shoulders sagged with disappointment. "Aww, do you really have to go?" she whined. Her heart suddenly felt very heavy.

Vanellope smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm so sorry. Internet duties are even more demanding than quarter alerts. These players never sleep! But call me whenever you want; I always want to talk to you and the rest of the gang! Tell Taffy and the others that I said 'hi', okay?" Vanellope's smile wavered when she saw that her friend now had downcast eyes and a sad frown. She leaned forward slightly, bringing the hologram closer to Candlehead's face. "Hey," she said gently, prompting her to look up at her. "It's alright, Candi. I know we're far apart, but I'm still with you. Always. You just need to be brave. Do you think you can do that for me?"

Brave? Candlehead wasn't so sure she could be brave. She had always been the frightened, timid sort of girl when trouble brewed. But she trusted Vanellope. If she told her that she had to be brave, she would give it her very best shot.

"Okay…I'll try to be brave," she promised in a small, but determined voice. "I can be brave…for you." She then reached a hand out and tentatively touched the hovering strands of blue light that outlined the very edge of the Vanellope hologram. Vanellope did the same. Their hands touched, and although they could feel nothing physical, they still felt each other like there was no separation of a million data cubics between them. They were in the same room together even when they weren't.

"I love you, Van," whispered Candlehead, tears in her eyes.

"Love you too, Candi. Forever and always," Vanellope said softly.

Candlehead wasn't sure who hung up first; maybe it was Vanellope, or maybe she pressed the screen by mistake. Whoever it was, the hologram was gone and so was Vanellope.

She laid the phone on the pillow beside her and stared at the floor down below her feet. She sighed longingly as she wiped the tears from her eyes, only to feel more welling up to her dismay. She certainly didn't feel very brave. Not at all. More than anything, she wanted to prove to Vanellope that she could fulfill her promise, but how could she do that when she felt so miserable? Being brave was going to be tough.

The sound of the door opening caught her attention. Ralph lumbered in and spotted the girl sitting on his couch.

"Hey, kid! How was…" He stopped when he saw how sad she looked. But Ralph instantly understood exactly what she was going through. He walked silently over to the couch and sat down beside her, comically bouncing Candlehead up a few inches into the air and then back down as the pillows adjusted to the new weight.

"I know how it feels, kid. To miss a good friend…it hurts. I should know, because I feel it every day."

Candlehead looked up at him. "I just…I just wish she was here," she mumbled.

"I know, kid, I know. But I also know she's happy at Slaughter Race, and more importantly, that she's still our friend, even if we don't get to hang out with her like we used to. True friendship works like that. Trust me, I learned this in a really scary way. I almost died because of it!"

The young racer wondered what he meant by that last point, but there was a nagging question currently filling her mind that she desperately wanted to find an answer to. "Mr. Ralph, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, kid, what's up?"

"Vanellope told me that I have to be brave. But how can I be brave if I feel so sad?"

Ralph paused for a moment, thinking carefully of what to say. Though he could be quite the scaredy-cat himself at times, his adventures with Vanellope had taught him a lot about his own bravery. Several times, he had come to her aid, as well as the aid of others, putting his own life behind everyone else's as he selflessly summoned all his inner bravery to save his friends from dangers in the arcade and the internet. But this was a different kind of brave. No one was in danger, but instead an ongoing issue of missing a good friend was causing Candlehead to slow down.

He gently laid a giant finger down on her tiny shoulder as he collected his thoughts. "Let me tell you something, Candlehead. Being brave isn't about not being sad. It's about moving on, even when you do feel sad. Sure, Vanellope isn't here with us anymore, but that doesn't mean she's gone. She's far away, but she's still around and she's still our friend. And we can carry on, knowing just that. I think that's what being brave really means here."

Candlehead listened to Ralph's words, letting them sink in. They seemed to make sense to her. Vanellope was still her friend. And despite missing her very much, she still had her other friends. She had her new family. She had Sugar Rush. And she could still talk to Vanellope whenever she wanted. Candlehead looked up at the wrecker and smiled.

"You're right, Mr. Ralph. I think maybe I can be brave after all. Thank you."

With a quick, swift hop, she leapt onto Ralph's shoulder, hugging him as best as she could. Ralph smiled and hugged her tiny body. For a moment, he was struck with a brief pang of sadness, for it had a long time since he had hugged someone of this small size, the last time being when he had bid an emotional farewell to Vanellope at the entrance to Slaughter Race; it almost felt as if it was Vanellope clinging on to his shoulder right now. Ralph began to feel his own tears beginning to form. But he had to be brave too. Not just for Vanellope, but also for Candlehead.

He slowly pulled Candlehead back, holding her within his giant hands, just as he had done after he and Vanellope had shared their first hug over six years ago. He studied her face: she was no longer crying, rather she was smiling in a sad sort of way. It mirrored the smile that was on his own face. "I know it's hard, kid. It's hard for all of us. But if we can stick together and let it feel hard together, it doesn't have to hurt so badly. You're braver than you think."

Candlehead smiled wider and wiped the last of the tears from her eyes. "You know Mr. Ralph, you may be a bad guy in your game, but I don't think you're bad at all. In fact, you're a really good guy!"

Ralph beamed. He had waited for 30 years to hear this from his peers. Especially from the children of Sugar Rush, who had for a while feared him due to his extreme protectiveness over Vanellope and their past mistreatment of her. You couldn't really blame them for thinking this way about Ralph. He was pretty intimidating looking, with a known fiery temper, status as a building destroyer, and the fact that he was almost three times their height. Having a track record of bullying his best friend for much of their lives certainly pinned a target on their tiny foreheads. But Ralph had proven himself to be a true good guy all the way through. And right now, Candlehead saw his as just that. A true good guy all the way through.

"Thanks, Candlehead. And hey, don't call me Mr. Ralph. It's just Ralph."

The girl giggled as he set her back down on the couch beside him. "Okay, Mr…I mean…Ralph. And thanks for letting me use your phone."

Ralph smiled. "No problem, kiddo."

Though Ralph didn't know all that much about each of the racer's individual personalities, usually just classifying them collectively as once bratty and obnoxious to now friendly and well-behaved, he somehow had the feeling that the racer sitting next to him had been nice even from the start. He got the impression that this wasn't a personality design embedded purely by her code; it seemed too natural for that. Candlehead just seemed to give off such a positive aura that could not be ignored. He liked it.

"Hey, kid, I have an idea. Let's play some I Spy…Vanellope always liked playing that.

Candlehead quickly became excited. She loved games. "Okay!" she said happily.

Ralph scanned his house's interior. "Ooh, I got one! Alright, check this out. I spy with my little eye something…red…with sharp corners."

She looked around intently with eagerness in her eye to get it right the first time. "Is it…bricks?"

"Aw, crumbs, you got it!" Ralph exclaimed before laughing. Candlehead joined him, clapping her hands rapidly and feeling ever so pleased with herself.

"Okay, my turn, my turn! I spy with my little eye something…red…and rectangular...and there's a whole lot of them in this room!"

Ralph paused for a moment, tapping his chin. "Is it…bricks?"

"Yes!"

THE END