A/N: Thank you for all the reviews! And sorry for the late update, here's the new chapter.
Hope you'll like it. Enjoy.
Vanellope stared at the smoggy sky as she lay in her hammock outside her garage, unable to sleep. It was kinda hard to believe the huge, sudden change that had just occurred had affected so much. A moment ago she was having the time of her life in her dream game as if there was nothing more she would ever want, the same game now felt so awkward. Every time she thought about racing, the thought of her former bullies being in the same game came into her mind. The thought had gone so far that it had even distracted her during the race.
"Good thing your little friends saved the day." She cringed at recalling Shank's words from that day. Her 'friends' had to save the day for her, the same 'friends' that had made her life a living nightmare for 15 years. She remembered when Taffyta smirked at her in her old mocking way, just like when she used torment her, and also the same one she had seen in her dream.
"I can't believe it's just been like a week, and I'm already so sick of this." She muttered to herself. "Guess I gotta do something."
Vanellope then remembered Taffyta's words; she is not the president or a princess anymore and therefore has no power over them, there's nothing she can do about them being here than to accept it. She could talk to Shank but then she thought about Ralph. No, she couldn't disappoint him, all he wanted was her to befriend the racers… which was most likely impossible. He was certainly asking for too much. If she never got along with them in 6 years, how in the name of monkey milk is she supposed to do it now? Especially when they probably don't like her abandoning Sugar Rush and causing it to shut down again.
Her mind raced faster, what was there she could do then? How about she run away? No, that's ridiculous, there was no way she could jump ship again, she was not betraying Shank. Then… get them leave somehow? Checked, it was impossible. She wished she could just get rid of Taffyta, so that her dream paradise could be perfect again.
Vanellope's eyes widened as she realized her last thought. She shook her head hard; sure, she hated Taffyta with whole heart, but wishing her dead was just wrong…wasn't it? Knowing there's nothing better than just forgetting everything, she sighed and moved to her side, closing her eyes and trying to force herself into a sleep. But as soon as she closed her eyes, words rang in her mind.
'You'll never be a racer, because you're a glitch, and that's all you'll ever be.'
'I told you, you're just an accident waiting to happen.'
'Aww…hey, it's not your fault you're worthless and was never meant to exist, or is it?'
'Nothing but a waste of coding. When will you let us live in peace?'
'…Just a worthless GLITCH.'
Vanellope woke up, panting. Her mind definitely wasn't gonna let her sleep. She groaned as she hopped off her hammock, stuffing her hands in her pockets and walking away. She often used some driving to clear her mind whenever she had trouble sleeping, but since her car was still under maintenance, she decided to just go out for a walk. As she passed through a garage, she heard some laughs and cheers. Curious, she opened the shutter and peeked in to see her fellow racers partying, which they often did; only, the candy racers were there as well.
"Oh, hey look! It's little V!" Pyro who was woozy upon his last drink exclaimed. Vanellope was about to sneak out but realized she was seen, so she gave them an awkward wave.
"Wanna join us, kiddo? Come on, there's enough for you too." Felony offered. Vanellope shook her head.
"I'm…I'm afraid not. Thanks for asking, but Ralph wouldn't like me drinking that stuff." She replied, stepping back before Jubileena and Crumbelina dragged her back in.
"Oh, come on, Vanny. I know we haven't gotten along much, but since we're gonna live here together why don't we actually try and get to know each other better?" Jubileena suggested.
"Uh, yeah sure. But-"
"Now, you should try the milkshake Candlehead made, it's really amazing." Felony said. Candlehead giggled. "Pyro, will you get one for the kid?"
Pyro grinned and walked back to the table, still woozy. Vanellope noticed that Taffyta and Shank weren't present there and wondered where they were.
"Look, Vanellope, we are not mad that you left Sugar Rush in case you think that." Rancis said. "It is okay if you wanted to follow your dreams, we respect your decision."
"Yeah, we wouldn't have gotten to come into this awesome game if it wasn't for you." Candlehead added as she tugged Vanellope's sleeve. Vanellope gave a small awkward smile and nodded.
"Now there's no princess-president stuff here, we could actually be friends, right Vanny?"
"Yeah, of course." Vanellope replied, still trying to figure out if they actually mean it or are just pretending. Pyro handed her a glass of strawberry milkshake.
"Thanks, guys." She replied, actually starting to feel warm. But still, she was sure if Taffyta was here she would've surely said otherwise. Letting go of the thought, Vanellope decided to live the moment and drank her milkshake in just one gulp, letting out a burp.
"Wow, that was a cool one." Little Debbie commented, Vanellope giggled.
"Still not half as close as Ralph's though. He has the biggest record."
"Wanna have some more?" she gave her some more milkshake, that too Vanellope finished in no time. After 4 glasses, her stomach was finally full.
Vanellope muttered, "Ok, I think I broke my own burp record."
"Looks like you liked it." Candlehead said. Suddenly, Vanellope started to feel weird, she thought it was because her tummy was full until she started to feel lightheaded and dizzy. Vanellope put a hand on her forehead and groaned. "What's wrong?"
"N…Nothing, I'm fine. It's just…my head hurts." She muttered. "I kinda…feel like puking."
"What?"
"What was in that milkshake?!"" Vanellope asked, annoyed as she grabbed her spinning head. Everyone looked at Candlehead.
"Nothing, it's just a normal strawberry milkshake." She replied.
"Wait," Felony said before slapping Pyro who had fallen asleep back to his senses. "Pyro! You didn't mix the wine into the milkshake, did you?"
"What? No…I, uh, don't remember." Pyro mumbled, confused. "Did I do something wrong?" Felony slapped herself.
"Oh no, Vanellope, are you feeling okay?" Rancis asked, placing a hand on her shoulder as she dazed her head around awkwardly.
"Why does that matter to you?!" Vanellope asked, still annoyed by the extreme headache and the weird feeling she was having. "I'm not a diaper baby, GA-DOY!"
"Hey, I'm just trying to be nice."
Vanellope stood up. "Oh, yeah, of course, you're 'tryin' to be nice'. How 'bout this? You guys are just pretending t'be nice, after all that's all you have ever done so far!" Everyone stared at her, startled. "You know wha'? I know, everythin' ya' guys just proclaimed was no truth! You guys are just tryin' to do nothin' but look innocent in front of everyone in this game like you did with those two dorks you consider your parents! Do you think I don't know you, but I know you all still just see me as nothing but a worthless glitch!" With rage visible in her eyes, she started to glitch uncontrollably as she spoke the last part.
Everyone was startled at her words. "What are you even talking about?"
"Lemme explain," Vanellope glitched up on the table, struggling to keep herself from falling due to the dizziness as she continued with her speech. "Ya' guys pretended to be my friends for 6 years in Sugar Rush just cuz' I was in power back then! And now you're are showing me sympathy cuz' I'm not da president anymore. Well, guess what? President or not, I still don't need you guys' sympathy! I never got any in 15 years and I never need it! And now I'm the one being called selfish for finding happiness in my life." With that Vanellope lost her balance and seated herself down on the table, glitching. "And I also know Taffyta is the one who persuaded you all with that." Everyone just stared at her, startled by the outburst she just had.
Felony spoke up. "V, I suggest you need some rest. You're feeling sick cuz' of the drink, let me take you to your-"
"Nope!" Vanellope stretched out a hand and got back to her feet. "I gotta have a talk with miss Muttonfudge. She'll pay for everything!" With that she glitched out of the room.
Everyone stayed silent until Swizzle pointed at Rancis. "All your fault."
"Hey! I didn't do anything! I just asked if she was okay!" Rancis defended.
"You pushed her, man. Why were you questioning her so much when you knew she was drunk?"
"Well, it was Candles' milkshake!"
"Hey!" Candlehead exclaimed. "I didn't put that drinking stuff into her milkshake, Pyro did!"
Pyro gulped. "I wasn't in my senses, okay? I didn't do it on purpose!" Pyro said. "Butcher Boy gave me too much to drink, it's not my fault." Butcher Boy folded his arms and gave him a stern look.
"Dude, seriously, that's no good. You know, accusing someone for your own mistake." Butcher Boy replied offended but politely. "I just offered you a drink, I didn't ask you to gulp the whole bottle. Learn to accept your mistakes, Pyro."
"Can we stop fighting and do something about V? She just marched out like that, we gotta do something." Felony pointed out.
Snowanna folded her arms. "To be honest, after everything she just said I don't really wanna help her anymore." She said, getting nods from the other candy racers as well.
"How can you say that? She went up to Taffyta doozy and all, I'm afraid it's not gonna be good." Candlehead denied.
"You know, I'd say we better just leave it to Shank." Butcher Boy spoke up. "V is pretty close with her, she'll handle it better."
"Yeah, I think that's right."
Candlehead stood up. "Fine with you all then, but I'll go see Taffyta. She's my friend." They all watched Candlehead rush outside.
"What's up with her?" Asked Felony.
"Taffyta's sidekick." Muttered Swizzle, sitting back down.
Taffyta was out in the ground with Shank, practicing in the new car she had gotten. It was a pure pink car with white lollipop designs, similar to her old cart in Sugar Rush.
"Great, now you shift it again like that and there you go, that's how it works." Shank instructed as Taffyta followed it, memorizing every step as Shank was teaching her a new move. "See? You're on it."
"Wow, that's pretty cool." Taffyta commented as she followed her instructions. "Gotta say this car is real cool, way cooler than even my old Pink Lightning."
"Yeah." Shank replied. "I must say you're a fast-learner, Taff. V keeps on missing that step."
Taffyta smirked. "Oh, so there's something miss former fancy princess-president can fail to do in racing as well? Well, other than glitching her butt out of the race track of course."
Shank raised an eyebrow. "You enjoy mocking her, don't you? That's the reason you two can't get along."
Taffyta shrugged. "Who knows? I'd say she's way too arrogant to realize her own mistakes. You saw what happened yesterday." Shank rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Never mind. I think I'm gonna do this one more time to see if I got it." Taffyta pushed the accelerator, as soon as the car began running, she noticed a small figure in front of her car. She quickly stomped the brakes, the car stopping inches away from the person that was revealed to be Vanellope, staring at her sternly.
Taffyta panted. "What's wrong with you, glitch? You wanna die or what?"
"We need to talk, Muttonfudge." She replied.
"Can't you see I'm busy here? I don't have time to spare with you." Taffyta scoffed.
Vanellope glitched upon the hood of the car, glaring down at her. "I said we need to talk, so we talk." Taffyta glared back.
"I said I'm not interested in talking to you right now, you're no boss of me. Now get your feet off my car, Miss. Self-Important Grump." Vanellope pulled out a gun. Taffyta's eyes widened.
"Call me that again."
"Woah! Hey, are you crazy?! Put that thing down, Vanellope!" Taffyta shrieked in panic and realized that Vanellope was acting weird.
"Then talk."
"O-okay! But where'd you get that thing?!" Taffyta got off the car and so did Vanellope.
"It's for a part of my role in the game. Pretty cool, huh? Now enough with the yackety-yak, you really think you've achieved anything by persuading everyone against me?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh, don't act all innocent. I know everyone is just pretending to be nice in front of Shank and her Gang to show how innocent you guys are, the same thing you've done with Felix and Calhoun. I know you well, you can't fool me, you guys really haven't changed a bit."
Taffyta glared back at her. "Like you're the one to talk! It's not my fault everyone hates you for betraying Sugar Rush and going Turbo!" Vanellope shot her gun in the air. Taffyta jumped back and recoiled.
"Did you just call me Turbo?" Vanellope narrowed her eyes coldly. "Did you, Taffyta?" Taffyta shook her head. "You know you die outside your game you don't regenerate, right?"
"Why are you doing this? What've I even done to you?"
"What have you done? Like all the torment and torture I've suffered in the early 15 years was done by somebody else?" Vanellope asked as she glitched.
"But…that was a long time ago, I thought you forgave us for that, Vanellope." Taffyta whispered.
"Forgave you? The only reason I didn't kill you was for the game's sake. But now I wish I'd executed you for good when I was in power." Vanellope said. "Slaughter Race is my real home, it's what makes me feel like myself, and it doesn't need you so get the fudge outta here."
"Nobody's getting out of anywhere." Came a voice. Vanellope and Taffyta turned to see Shank standing by with her arms folded. "V, Slaughter Race may be your home, but now it's their home as well, you have to accept it."
"Can't ya see we're having a talk right here, Shank? Mind your own business."
"Talk? Are you crazy or what? Why are you acting like that?"
Vanellope turned back to Taffyta. "You wanna know what it means to go Turbo? You want me to do what Turbo did to me? You're lucky I'm not him because I wouldn't have hesitated in snapping every single wire outta' yer little, candy-coated miserable code."
Taffyta felt tears forming. "I can't believe you can be that much of a jerk."
"At least I'm not a cry baby like you, cuz' that's all you'll ever be. And there's no place for crybabies in this game."
"Vanellope, stop this instant." Shank said sternly and picked up the kid. Vanellope glitched as she struggled to escape. Candlehead arrived at the scene and saw this.
"Let go of me, Shank!"
It was becoming difficult for Shank to hold on her as she kept on glitching furiously. "No, you're not well! Come on with me right now!"
Vanellope managed to glitch out of her grip. "I'm not gonna leave Taffyta for what she has done to me!" Vanellope fired her gun.
"Taffyta!" Candlehead leapt on Taffyta and shoving them both behind her car as the black-haired racer kept on firing.
"Candlehead?" Taffyta asked, surprised.
"Get outta the way, Candlehead, it's time she pays for her mistakes!" Vanellope warned. Shank finally managed to snatch the weapon from the kid. "Hand it over, Shank, stop butting in!"
"If you don't stop this instant, I'll have you sent back to the arcade!" Shank warned. Vanellope's rage settled down as her eyes widened.
"You w-what?"
"I know this place feels like home to you, but if you are not willing to share it with anyone who feels the same, you're not worth it!" The adult racer stroke back. "We treat everyone like family here. So either learn to behave yourself unless you want me to send you back to your old arcade forever!"
Vanellope took a few steps back. "You…you can't do that…you can't choose her over me." She pointed to the blond-haired racer who was peeking from behind her car along with the candle-headed girl.
"I'm the one who invited you to stay, but if you can't compromise to follow the one rule we have here, I can ask you to leave as well." Shank could sense the pain in the kid's eyes; she hated to say that, Vanellope was a little sister to her but this was not what she wanted her little sister to be. The adult woman kept on a cold look. "Not everything is always supposed to be your way, kid. So, learn to accept the changes."
Vanellope glitched several time with a look of hurt on her face until her hurtful look changed into a glare. "Oh, I got it why you're saying that, Shank. She changed your mind as well. You like hanging out with her, don't you?" she asked, Shank looked at her, surprised. She started to get concerned as Vanellope's glitches started to become more violent. "Tha-a-a-t-t's why y-you chose he-e-r over me while I-I thought yo-o-u-u wer-r-re my fri-i-i-i-e-e-nd." She spoke between glitches. Shank widened her eyes as Vanellope shrieked as she glitched hard before she felt a sharp pain in her head and collapsed.
"Vanellope!"
Vanellope woke up from her deep snooze and looked around. Everything seemed blur and she was still feeling a bit woozy. "Ugh…" she groaned as she sat up and rubbed her eyes, seeing that she was in a small room.
"Oh, you're awake. You are feeling okay, Vanny?" Vanellope turned to see Candlehead next to her.
"W…what happened? Why does my head hurt so bad?"
"You got tipsy over some root beer milkshake last night and started acting and glitching all crazy until you passed out. Do you remember anything?" Candlehead asked. Vanellope shook her head. "Well, of course you don't, you weren't in your senses at all."
"Is she awake, Candlehead?" Shank asked as she entered.
"Yeah, she's up."
"Okay, thanks for taking care of her." Shank said with courtesy as the girl walked out of the room. "You doing okay there, V?" she asked with concern as she took a seat next to the candy racer and took her hand. Vanellope replied with a nod. "You had us all worried sick last night. Do you remember anything?"
Vanellope rubbed her forehead and groaned as she thought. "All I remember is that I couldn't sleep and so I went for a walk, and everyone invited me to their party…and then I drank a buttload of milkshake or something, I don't know what it had in it…then I don't remember." Shank hummed and nodded. "Candlehead said I was acting all tipsy or something, did I do something wrong, Shank?"
Shank breathed out. "The kids told me that you started yelling out everything that was in your head and then you angrily marched up to Taffyta and tried to attack her," she took out the gun and showed her, Vanellope gasped.
"No, that can't be true." Vanellope whispered, unable to believe that she actually threatened Taffyta, she started glitching again.
"You could've killed her." Shank said in a stern voice. Vanellope looked down with her eyes shut. "You have weaponry for stopping players, not actually killing people. You know if something happens to them here, they won't regenerate, right?"
"I know, I didn't do anything on purpose, okay?"
"That's not the point, all this happened because you have these stuff in your mind, because you can't keep yourself from despising their presence. You need to have a control on your temper. Just think how Ralph will react if he gets to know about this." Vanellope looked up at her with worry. "Look, I'm not scolding you, it's for your own good, little sister. This all won't be resolved until you let go of this hatred and accept the fact."
Vanellope looked back down. "Yeah, I know. I'm sorry, okay?"
"You don't have to apologize to me, you should go and apologize to Taffyta and everyone else for your behavior."
Vanellope looked at with uncertainty. "But Shank-"
"Look, I'm not telling you what to do, kid. You're wise enough to take your own decisions." She stood up. "Just like you took the decision of leaving your game and got it unplugged." She mumbled as she started to walk away and stopped at the door. "We'll be online in a while; and your car is finished with the maintenance. Get it ready and be there on time." Vanellope nodded as Shank started to walk out.
"Um, Shank?" she called again.
"Yeah?" The adult racer looked back at her.
"Don't let Ralph know about all this. Please, I don't want him to get worried." She pleaded with concern. Shank raised an eyebrow.
"I won't. But only if you promise you'll behave yourself and treat the racers better. At least if you don't want them to let Ralph know." She claimed. Vanellope sighed and nodded in agreement, knowing she had no other choice. "Alright then." With that she left.
Vanellope sighed to herself. She had never seen Shank this disappointed before, she couldn't stand seeing her like this; and there was no way she was gonna have Ralph disappointed as well. "Maybe it's better I just do what she wants."
A/N: Sorry for any grammar glitches.
Don't forget to leave reviews… even if it's bashing me for getting Vanellope drunk T~T