Torture One- Candlehead

"You empty headed LOUT!" the first guard said, pushing the small girl roughly on the ground "Did you really think things were going to be EASY for you? Just because you're STUPID?!"

Candlehead lay on the ground, her clothing in tatters and her eyes filled with tears.

Stupid.

How she hated that word.

She knew she could be quiet the scatter-brain at times but…but that was something she could not help.

She hated to be called stupid. It wasn't the first time. Even outside the game, she heard the whispers, the teasing.

Isn't that that one racer?

Which one?

Ya know, the one who can't even string two and two together!

Haha, what a dope!

Teasing Vanellope had made her feel better. In the eyes of the King, he told her it was the right thing to do, the SMART thing. She felt that by doing those things for Candy, she was actually smart, that she wasn't as dumb as everyone said she was.

But here things were, turned horribly.

She had trusted King Candy; trusted him like a father.

But it was all lies. Painful, controlled lies.

But she had trusted Vanellope as well.

She had been told that everything was a joke, that no one was to be executed.

Tortured?

Either way, it was something the racer didn't want to go through.

She looked around, around for any sort of escape, any sort of light but she found none. That didn't stop her from trying though.

"L-LEMME GO!"

"GET HER!" cried a large Bear Claw guard, sending a few of his smaller doughnut hole minions after her. Candlehead nearly made it to the door but the latch was too heavy. She couldn't lift.

"HELP! HELP!" she cried, her tears spilling from her eyes "ANYONE! PLEASE! STOP THIS! PLEA-!"

*BAM!*

The girl felt a heavy hand smacking the back of her head, her hat falling off.

"Cry all ya want…." The first doughnut hole said "But no one can hear ya now…"

"Why would ANYONE want to hear YOU after all? You're just a bully! Just a creep who tormented our princess!"

It was true; Candlehead had known what she had done and it hurt her. She remembered the times when Vanellope and her and all the other racers were friends.

Before CANDY.

Before TURBO.

But no one cared to listen to that tale; all the knew were that the racers had wronged Vanellope and the deserved all the punishment they could get.

Another strike hit the child, his time knocking her out halfway. She could still see the light, she could still hear the cackles but she could not move. She could not move as she was carried to the table.

"This is gonna be good…."

"Let's CUT the cake."

Cut the cake?

That WAS Candlehead's theme, ice cream and sweet birthday cake, but what did they mean by CUT the cake?

Her senses coming back to her, Candlehead saw the large knife atop the cell's ceiling.

She was smart enough to know what THAT meant! Fear rushed through her brain, she tried to escape but she found herself chained down to the table, the brittle bars too thick and tough for her to break.

"PLEASE! NO!" the girl screamed again, tears steaming down her face "WHY WON'T YOU BELIEVE THAT I AM SORRY!? WHY!?"

"Because…" cackled a voice over the intercom "Sorry doesn't cut it. But I'm sure YOU will!"

Vanellope.

To hear that voice, to hear the enjoyment of it, sparked a new feeling within Candlehead.

One of trust being broken, one of friendship turning sour.

She wanted to make good, she wanted things to change.

But Vanellope didn't care.

She didn't care like everyone else.

She was just like them; the people who laughed at her, who called her stupid.

And yet…and yet, Vanellope was free to do this?

Free to hurt her because of what Turbo had led.

"Stop cryin, ya lil mornon." laughed the guard, bringing out his own knife.

With a SLASH, he brought the cold, sharp blade down upon a small portion of Candlehead's leg, her polka-dot tights RIPPING. She screamed, feeling the sting but there was more to come.

"Gotta TEST it first…"

One more, then another, then another.

One cut on the leg. Then to the arm. Then to the knee.

"Well, she doesn't have cream filling!"

Candlehead twisted and thrashed but there was no escape, the pain going throughout her entire body. She wanted them to stop but the more she cried, the more they cut.

"More cake! MORE CAKE!"

"NO!"

"Is this side chocolate or vanilla?"

"STOP!"

It continued, going on and on for what felt like hours but as Candlehead lay exhausted on the table, her body shivering with cold, she realized that the worst was yet to come.

Right above her was the BIG blade, the metal so sleek and clean she could see her reflection upon it.

But it wouldn't be clean for long.

"Boys?" the main guard said "Bring it down!"

There was a loud CLANK and a few deep BOOMS but the blade slowly began to make its way down towards the girl, aimed at Candlehead's middle.

"Don't fret, kiddo…this is what regeneration is for!"

The cackling continued, the laughing filling the entire cell. Candlehead looked up, the blade slowly coming down upon her close and closer.

"N-no…."

On the floor, the broken remains of her candle sparked.

"Ha, what was that STUPID?"

Candlehead felt something forming within her tummy, something hot.

"N-NO!"

Another spark rose from the wick of the candle, the thing burning bright and sparks flying everywhere.

A guard looked down, noticing that the candle was now burning without a host….

But…but how could that be?

"Um….boss?"

"Not now! I want to-!"

"NO!"

"BOSS?!"

Candlehead suddenly remembered the teasing, she remembered the yelling. It began to swirl within her, mixed together with the torture and the knives. It angered her.

Candlehead rarely felt anger…and she had never felt an anger such as this.

"NO…" she growled "STOP THIS!"

"Boss, LOOK!"

The doughnut guards looked over to the side, noticing the restraints around Candlehead's wrist beginning to smolder.

But there was no light.

No fire.

Or…was there?

The glowing in Candlehead's middle began to spread, a low hum starting to fill the room.

"I-Is it getting' hot or-?"

"STOP THIS!"

All eyes went to the little candle-headed racer, her fist clenched but a horrid look of anger on her face.

"I'M NOT STUPID!" she bellowed, an unnaturally greenish glow in her mouth "STOP CALLIN' ME STUPID!"

The heat in the cell began to rise, the cuffs around Candlehead glowing the same color of green that soon surrounded her.

"D-don't just stand there you idiots!" shouted the bear claw "DO SOMETHIN'! HOLD HER DOWN! COOL HER DOWN!"

The small doughnut holes looked at each other in worry but they couldn't disobey an order. They rushed in but they hadn't even gotten a FOOT from the girl when they stopped, crying out as they HEAT hit them in the face.

"GOOD GOBS!" shouted one "What in the ARCADE is th-?!"

Candlehead let out an anger growl, forcing her hands UPWARDS and out of the cuffs, the remains falling to the ground before melting into a pile of burnt sugar.

"No way…." Whimpered one of the guards "I-it can't be-! THIS CAN'T-!"

"I'M!-"

Candlehead sat up, her eyes now glowing, waves of flames forming on her hands.

"NOT-!"

"Yeah, this is bad…"

"STUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUPID!"

In a great rush of fire and flames, the entire cell was ENGULFED, Candlehead sending out a torrent of fire throughout the area. The doughnut torturers didn't stand a chance in the melee, their screams accompanied by the sizzling sound of their burning flesh all before they crumpled to the ground, nothing but bubbling piles of sugar and ashes left of what was once there.

And then….

The flames died down.

Candlehead sat on the table, looking quite shocked at what had happened. She felt no more pain, no heat, no chills.

She looked above; the large blade had been scorched, the sharp end BENT BACK by the blast of heat, making it useless for cutting anything softer than butter.

Finally realizing what she had done, the girl let out a gasp, looking at her hands.

"W-what did I-?!"

The remains of the doughnut people lay around her. She shook her head franticly, backing off the table until she fell off.

"AAH!" she cried in pain but as her body hit the floor, another spark of flames came off of her. She looked down at her hands.

Fire.

Beautiful, green fire.

The same color as her hair.

It danced and whirled slowly around her hands in a near hypnotizing manner.

"D-Did I do this?" the girl whispered to herself, still unable to believe that she had any sort of power to cause such damage, let alone hurt people.

She waved a hand, the flames following.

A finger snap?

*SNAP!*

The flames sparked brightly, some pink and other colors showing up.

She looked up at the blade again, seeing her reflection on it once more.

There she was; her clothes were in tatters, some parts burned…

But the glow.

A beautiful, green glow.

It was all over her.

Her hands, her feet, her tummy….

Her eyes.

She reached out towards the blade, the thing glowing as her heat began to meld it once more. She pulled away, panting.

"C-Can I stop i-?"

*Phwwwwiiiiish….*

Coolness.

Silence.

The flames had died down. She reached out for the blade again.

It did not bend, it did not glow.

Could she touch people? Could she hug her friends?

She didn't know.

But there was one person she wanted to see.

The very thought of her made Candlehead angry once more, the flames starting to build again.

Her legs still swaying, Candlehead walked her way towards the door. She held out a hand.

The handle began to glow, it began to melt and with a large clank.

Off it came.

The door fell forward, Candlehead walking out into the light.

And every step she took, a little burn mark was left.

Had anyone been around, they would have seen how lifeless and dull Candlehead's eyes were.

The friendly racer, the one with the silly mind was gone.

Now, the only thing that remained was anger.

Anger…and fire.