Chapter Two

"Yeah! We're going, we're going, we're going, we're going!" Vanellope began to glitch, disappearing, her code flashing for just a second, and ending up five feet in the air. Ralph was trying, unsuccessfully, to catch her. The two had packed for their big trip, and Ralph had changed into a new set of clothing (his first one had gotten mud splattered on it, just like they did every day) and he had gone the extra mile, packing some clean clothes, a toothbrush and a packet of toothpaste. Technically, all characters were programmed to have extra shiny teeth and always smell good, since nobody wants to play as somebody with rotten teeth and dirty hair (unless you were playing as a pirate, of course), but Ralph had wanted to be prepared, just in case. Felix had wished him well, and now the day had finally passed and it was time to leave.

His mind wandered back to just moments before, when he departed his game.

"Hey, Felix, you okay?" Felix had been pacing around the entrance of the portal to Hero's Duty, and even though he was five minutes late, he felt he should approach him and see what's wrong. Felix didn't respond. Ralph gently tapped Felix's shoulder, and his giant finger rubbed against his neck. Felix jumped six feet in the air.

"AHH!" he screamed. Quickly, regaining his cool, he sighed in relief. "Oh, Ralph, it's you!" his eyes were wide with surprise. "I'm sorry. I didn't see you there. I'm just waiting for Tammy." He was wearing something besides his repairman outfit, sporting a blinding white shirt and jeans. It was a surprisingly casual look for Felix, but he had his cap tucked in his back pocket, and his trusty golden hammer, just in case of an emergency. He reluctantly smiled.

"Are you okay?" Ralph asked.

"Of course I am!" he slapped his friend's back. "My dynamite gal is just a little busy, y'know, killing monstrous cy-bugs and stuff." It was kind of weird, hearing Felix act so normal, what with his wife shooting murderous robots for her occupation.

"You didn't see me walk in, did you?"

Felix spun around, and Ralph felt a jolt run down his spine. Sergeant Tamora Jean Calhoun was as intimidating as ever, but Felix didn't seem scared. Tamora was wearing her uniform, but she had a suitcase in her hand instead of a machine gun. She had a revolver cleverly concealed inside of a chink in her armor, though. Her short platinum blond hair was streaked with…blood. But either Felix didn't see any of that, or he didn't care. He gushed over his wife. "Tammy- I mean, Tamora, you're…wow, I mean-"

"Would you stop sputtering like that? We've got a vacation to attend to." The way her tone sounded, one would have assumed she was talking about a funeral and not a Christmas break. Ralph just nodded his head and said his goodbyes. Felix seemed a little out of it, but Sgt. Calhoun spoke for both of them. "Good luck with Vanellope, Wreck-It." He nodded, and took off; knowing that if he ran any slower the tiny teaser would kill him for being late.

By the time he was inside Sugar Rush, it was too late. Vanellope tapped her foot impatiently. Immediately, she scolded him. "And where were you, Stink Brain?" she snapped, upset that her guardian hadn't arrived any sooner. "I've been waiting here for about…" she tapped her chin. "Oh yeah! Seven minutes and twenty nine, thirty, thirty one, thirty two…well, whatever! The point is I've been waiting for you!"

"Well, I'm sorry, Princess Hissy Fit," that caused Vanellope to snarl in displeasure. "But I was saying goodbye to Felix and Tamora. Now, are you ready to leave?" Vanellope was back to her lovable, childish, fun-loving self in no time.

"Yep! I packed extra clothes, my toothbrush, and marshmallow paste, booger-head." She grinned, pointing to her suitcase, which Ralph hadn't noticed before. It was made of gingerbread, with a bright cherry red licorice handle. Ralph rolled his eyes.

"As if this planet doesn't have enough candy." He muttered. "And what do you need toothpaste for? You eat candy every day, and you still have teeth as bright as the sun, Miss Bobble Head." He turned to face Vanellope, and found she wasn't there. A much panicked Ralph looked around, and noticed the young racer high up in a candy tree, on her stomach, her tongue on a branch. "Hello, midget? Let's go!" Vanellope looked up. Realizing it was time to go, she frowned.

"Oh, okay." She tore off a piece of the tree. Closing her eyes, she glitched down to the ground effortlessly. "Well…" she chuckled weakly. "This is it." Ralph took a few steps, and then realized that Vanellope wasn't moving.

"Hey, are you okay?" for the first time, Ralph saw that Vanellope was frozen in place with fear.

"I-I'm fine." She wasn't moving. She was shaking. "It's just..." she paused, her voice now as shaky as she was. "W-What if…it doesn't work? What if I'm still a glitch? What if-" there were tears in her eyes, real tears. "What if I can't get out?" It was the question everybody wanted answered. Ever since she had become the president, Vanellope hadn't stepped foot outside of her game. "I mean, I still glitch out sometimes." She was on the verge of tears.

"Vanellope." Ralph placed a soft hand on her shoulder. "You'll be okay. Sour Bill said that you still glitch because you were a glitch for so long that it became a permanent part of your program, whether or not you're still a glitch. You'll be fine." She nodded, her face white with fear.

"Okay." A confident smile was forced on her lips. "Yeah, I'll do it." She started to walk.

"Come on, you can do it." He encouraged gently. Vanellope was still walking, and soon she was directly in front of the gate, taking deep breaths. Ralph was trailing behind her. "Come on. Just one tiny step." He said. "It's the moment of truth." Vanellope stepped forward. Ralph held his breath, and his face turned as red as the cherries he loved to eat. Nothing happened. She moved her body through what used to be the barrier separating her from Game Central Station. She gasped. She made it. Ralph was grinning knowingly, and watched her jump around.

"I did it! I did it! I finally did it! I'm free." She jumped up and hugged Ralph. Her candy tree branch was on the ground, forgotten. Ralph laughed as she turned to face him, a huge smile on her face. "I did it." Her voice was at a whisper, as if she still couldn't believe it.

"You did it." He smiled, feeling compassion for the little sister he never had, and never wanted, for that matter.

It had never felt so good to hug her back.