Chapter 2: Bittersweet Candy

Rancis excitedly awaited the end of the day. The moment the last light went out in Litwak's he ran excitedly to the volcano and the two lollipops. This was it! The big date...

However, trouble was on the way for Rancis...

After the game ended, Taffyta felt a dark urge come over her...

"Oh no, oh no! I'm late!" Vanellope wanted to get a little something for Rancis's and her big date. As she ran to her kart and started it up she left her home in the palace, speeding to the lollipops.

"Vanellope?" Rancis called, wandering around. Just then, Taffyta stepped out, a mean little smirk on her face.

Rancis knew this look and panicked, looking around for Vanellope. If she didn't come soon...

"She's not showing, Rancis. She doesn't date poor losers like you."

"Y-you don't know that! S-she d-doesn't care about that! She's just running late!"

Taffyta grabbed Rancis and began dragging him up a hill.

"No, Taffyta, please, stop!"

She grinned.

"I'm going to leave her a reallly nice present...you just...hanging there."

She wedgied him 'til he screamed, then hung him on a large pop.

She whistled and every other racer came in, laughing.

"Such a loser..." Taffyta sneered, and called for Candlehead to come get him down.

"Ok, where is he-aaah!"

Candlehead was shoved into the pop, which sparked.

"That's a bomb pop, Taffyta!"

"I know..."

As Vanellope came to a stop at the finish line, she heard yelling and laughing. She looked all around and found the other racers on a hill... and Rancis... was crying.

"Woah! What's going on her-Taffyta? What are you doing?"

Her eyes met Rancis' and she felt pain.

"What are you doing? Let him go!"

"Oh, but I will! Right about...now!"

An explosion sent Rancis flying across the track...towards the gumball machines.

"Turbo-tastic!" Taffyta cackled with yellow eyes and a voice not quite her own.

Rancis saw the machines. He felt them shatter, felt glass fill his hair. He landed on the track, with gumballs ready to crush him.

"Hang on there, kid. You're safe."

At the best possible second, Wreck-It Ralph had arrived.

"Jiminy jaminy, what happened?" asked Felix, who'd tagged along, fixing up both the track and Rancis with his hammer.

"Taffyta! How could... you..."

Vanellope thought to herself. 'Turbo-tastic? No... No, that can't be...'

Vanellope ran to her kart and tried to find where ever he went.

"I have to find him... please Rancis, please be okay..."

Rancis got up, crying.

"Taffyta...Taffyta did this...everybody laughed when she humiliated me and tried to blow me up...she's right...I don't fit here. I'm just a poor, worthless racer."

He pushed Felix aside and headed for the exit.

"I'm going away. Forever. Tell Vanellope I loved her, even if I wasn't right for her. I'm going to pay a visit to Shao Kahn...see what he can do for me."

Ralph gasped.

"Felix, damage control here. I need to go get Vanellope...and Kano."

Vanellope ran into Ralph as she was trying to find where Rancis landed.

"Oh Ralph, I'm so glad I found you! What happened to Rancis?"

"Vanellope, you have to hurry. Rancis... left. He's going to find Shao Kahn. You have to help him. What got into Taffyta anyway?"

"I don't know, Ralph... but... she said… Turbo-tastic. TURBO-TASTIC, RALPH. Why did she say that? Didn't you guys take care of him?"

Sour Bill walked up to Vanellope.

"Dead code, Vanellope. Turbo stuck his presence in as King Candy. Thing is, King Candy never existed...except in development. He was going to be a secret racer on the volcano track. But, that never came to pass, 'til he took over. And all racers record "ghosts"-replays of victories. Turbo loved watching his...and saved them. Normally, they get deleted. All but one was deleted, and so...his ghost is going around possessing people, it would seem."

Within minutes, a cyborg walked up to them.

"My man Ralph got the word out. I know a guy or two who can help, but we've got no time to lose. We have to get to Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 now. Shao Kahn might not be a bad guy off hours, but he does love a fight, and he doesn't know his own strength. If Rancis challenges him...well, Fatality."

Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 was probably as far removed from Sugar Rush as you could get. It was cold and dark, and fires were the only warmth. Except in Hell. But that wasn't where Rancis was. Rancis was walking down the street looking for a certain someone...

"Shao Kahn?" he called.

"Shao Kahn, come on, I'm ready to die!"

Just then, someone grabbed him and dragged him into an alley.

"Are you completely mental, kid?"

A figure in a gas mask looked at him through dark lenses.

"Wh-who are you?" Rancis asked.

"My name is Kabal. I know Kano. And trust me; I have to keep you safe. I won't let you get killed."

"Why? Nobody likes me."

"That's where you're wrong." Kabal replied.

"W-wrong? How? Taffyta just got everyone laughing at me...Vanellope...she didn't even show."

"Something's very wrong with Taffyta. Because I've talked with Kano. This isn't like her."

"W-wrong?"

"Yeah. Very wrong." Kano strolled in, arms swinging.

"There's a girl back home that misses you, kid. But first we gotta save Taffyta, now that we've saved you. Kabal, you're one of the men I need for the job. Where's Shang Tsung?"

A flash of green, and a ponytail-sporting sorcerer appeared.

"You called, Kano?"

Kano nodded.

"Alright, guys, we've got a situation. Taffyta is possessed. Her eyes look like she's gotten a spirit taking over her."

"I can remove it." volunteered Shang Tsung.

"Who is it?" asked Kabal.

"Turbo, we think." said Kano.

"Oh, by the Emperor, why him?" asked Shang Tsung. "He'll possess me too!"

"That's where Kabal comes in. You suck out Turbo, and Kabal will scare him out of you."

"Two Fatalities...but they'll only remove Turbo..."

"So we can delete him." Kano finished.

Within minutes, they'd returned to Sugar Rush, where Ralph was barely able to hold back Taffyta.

"Tubo-tastic! Turbo-tastic!"

Shang Tsung ran in, and grabbed Taffyta's head.

"Your soul is mine!"

A yellow ghost like figure came out, and dove into Shang Tsung.

"Turbo-tastic..." the sorcerer growled, throwing skulls everywhere.

Kano cannonballed into the sorcerer, knocking him backwards, while Kabal removed his mask and screamed, scaring Turbo out.

There he stood, a ghost of data and hate, screaming only his catchphrase.

"TURBO-TASTIC!"

Rancis' abandoned cart was soon overtaken by the evil data-ghost and began to chase Vanellope.

"Turbo-tastic!"

Vanellope screamed. It was like being hunted. Taffyta would only have hurt her feelings...Turbo wanted her to die screaming...

Just then, a rush of exhaust filled the room. Sgt. Tamora Calhoun descended on her hoverboard.

"Alright, ladies, where's Turbo-tool? I'm going to rewrite his data and enjoy every second of it!"

She cocked her rifle and blew away Turbo's kart, leaving him futilely chasing Vanellope on foot.

Ralph leaped in and scooped up Vanellope, as Sour Bill led the party to the palace.

Sour Bill punched in the Konami code, opening the vault of code. This time, however, he meant no ill will to Vanellope.

Calhoun floated in.

"Show me the target."

-
Sour Bill led Calhoun and Felix to the data.

"TURBO REPLAY" it read, but the connections to "DELETE DATA" were broken.

Calhoun filled the replay data full of holes...and just in time, too...

"Turbo-tastic" it snarled, as its hands reached for Vanellope's throat.

She screamed. "Get back, you fashion-challenged phantom!"

"Turbo-tas-" it said, flickering and vanishing.

Turbo's ghost was no more.

Felix tapped the code with his hammer, and the deletion of replays resumed.

Kano and his fellow Kombatants nodded.

"Our work here is done. It's not long before opening. Let's get back before Shao Kahn decides to lecture us on Kombat Training." Kano muttered.

They left for their own game, leaving Rancis sitting outside the palace.

Taffyta walked up to him.

"Go away..." Rancis sighed, tears in his eyes.

"I...I'm...worthless." Taffyta cried. "So...I just wanted to apologize. I'm sorry I keep calling you poor, I'm sorry I laugh at you for losing. Take these winnings...they're all from races where I laughed at you. I don't deserve them."

Six coins were added to Rancis' count.

Vanellope left Ralph's hands and ran over to Rancis.

"Rancis...I'm so sorry I was late..."

"You mean...you really were coming?"

She stared in disbelief.

"You chowderhead, of course I was coming! I might be president, but I know what it's like to be rejected! I'd never do it to you! I love you!"

She planted a big kiss on him, and he shivered with delight and embarrassment.

Sometime later, she called all the other racers together.

"Listen up. I don't know if it was Turbo's influence or not, but if I catch ANY of you laughing at or tormenting another racer, especially if he or she's been bullied before, I swear, I WILL lock you up in the Fungeon."

The other racers nodded.

Calhoun and Felix waved goodbye as they flew off...Ralph followed.

That left Rancis and Vanellope together-Taffyta had decided not to race and instead would go sit in Bad-Anon while Pac-Man was undergoing maintenance. Clyde would know what to say.

"So, uh...Miss Vanellope..." Rancis struggled to speak.

Whatever else he might have said was cut off by Vanellope kissing him again.

"Aw, Rancis, you don't need to say a thing." she said, once she'd finished.

Rancis' eyes brightened.

"I want to, though. I love you..." he said.

"Good enough for me."