Chapter 9: The Glitch Stitch

Even with Candlehead now all cleaned up as best as possible, the guilt inside Lumi was still eating him up more so than ants at a melted marshmallow mansion. Candlehead wasn't a pushover and she certainly didn't let anyone take advantage of her, if she realized it, but the way she was so sincere and calm about how both Lumi and Snake-Oil had dumped her welcome basket on her?

He still questioned how she could be so sweet about it. Wasn't she mad, even a LITTLE upset from being humiliated in such a way right before the grand candy castle?

The boy was still shaking from the shock of it all but he attempted to himself comfortable in Taffyta's cramped living room, an arduous task as it was.

"Tha Muttonfudges moved outta their place for this?" the boy thought to himself "There isn't enough room for us, let alone tha parents!"

"Sorry about the lack of space…" the strawberry girl piped in as she walked into the living room, flopping on the couch "I guess the designers of this place didn't think we deserved the lap of luxury like the Princess."

Taffyta rolled her eyes, placing a hand towards her lips as she feigned concerned.

"Oops, I meant PRESIDENT."

Lumi remained silent. He felt that something was off and he KNEW that something was off but given the events that had just taken place?

"'Member when King Candy said these were tha best he could do for us?" remarked Swizzle, snickering "Now that I look back at it, tha guy hailed himself as some top hacker yet he couldn't even mod a simple cottage? Pfft, who was tha one who was able ta make Gloyd's place NEON PINK for a week?"

There was that name again; King Candy. It was certainly a name Lumi kept hearing but it was someone he didn't KNOW. He had so many questions than answers that his head was spinning faster than a wheel on a kart.

"Uh, guys?"

The two racers peered at Lumi, the boy fidgeting nervously.

"I-I don't mean ta pry in an' all that but….?"

Lumi wanted his questions answered but the more and more he thought about it, the more nervous he became. Perhaps it was the way he had been 'welcomed' into the game that had done it but part of his thirst for answers was starting to dry, mostly due to his own worry if Taffyta even trusted him anymore. After all, it was partly his fault that Candlehead had ended up in such a mess.

The girl in pink looked at the boy, his head lowered and his hands clenched tightly together. It was clear he was very worried and given the events she already knew what of. She glanced at Swizzle, the boy giving her a pout as it was clear that in order for things to come together they would have to start at the beginning.

"I think ta get you up ta speed, ya need to know what year it is." Taffyta began, folding her arms against her chest. Lumi looked at her with hopeful eyes; perhaps this King Candy person had only taken over the game for a few months at least.

After all, how long could someone really hold over a game?

Taffyta ran her fingers through her hair gracefully "Hate ta break it to ya, but this ain't the nineties anymore."

"I-It's not?" stammered the new boy "Then what-?"

"Think….early twenty-thirteen." Swizz quipped, the boy giving him a confused look "As in two-thousand an' thirteen!"

Had Lumi not been sitting down he would have clearly ROCKETED through the roof. The make date of the game was etched into the very core of his code but had it really been that long? Lumi couldn't even correctly put the numbers together but he KNEW the time that had passed was ENORMOUS. Taffyta could see his eyes twitching, his body shaking, and his jaw slacked; he couldn't figure out what to say.

"Ya okay?"

"I-I've been in tha dump th-that long?!" the boy finally gasped, his voice raspy.

"I guess." Swizz shrugged "I mean, maybe Turbo had ya stored up in tha castle for a while before he took ya ta tha dump? Who knows? He never allowed ANY of us near a lotta places in tha castle, it was ALWAYS off limits!"

"B-But why?!" Lumi begged, looking over at Taffyta in desperation "I-! Ya told me I'm not a full asset or code or WHATEVER ya said I was but-! But why would he-?!"

Taffyta scrunched up in her little seat as her mind flashed back to the events in a more vivid manner.

"Knowin' him, he had his reasons." She growled "An' his name wasn't King Candy. At least not his PROGRAMED name anyway."

"Then?" gulped the gummie boy

"Turbo…" Taffyta responded, her voice coming out so low that it make Lumi's skin shiver.

"Excuse me?"

"His name was Turbo." Swizz picked up "Tha supposed 'Greatest Racer that Ever Lived' or somethin' like that. It was way before our time, like a bajillion years!"

"Wow, there were games a bajillion years ago?" Lumi asked.

"Yeah!" nodded Swizz "An' Turbo was with those old games!"

"But-! But what does this hafta do with US? YOU?" the boy in green corrected himself as he looked at Taffyta. The girl did not respond, her body still curled up as she glared angrily at nothing, her cheeks burning red.

Whatever had happened, it was only going to get worse.

"He just did a lotta bad things ta people, even before he came here." Swizz said "A lotta bad things that a lotta people still don't wanna talk about, even now."

Lumi could only imagine the horrors that this Turbo character could inflict on the residence of the arcade and if they were so terrible that even the toughest, biggest hero couldn't break through to speak about it what did that make of the others in the sugar-coated racing game.

A heavy darkness was shared between the three racers, each one having their own reasons and fear to go silent on the mentions of Turbo but, thankfully, there was a spark of brightness that broke through the cloud.

A bright pink tray with four LARGE cups of warm cocoa was placed upon the smaller coffee table, the one carrying them none other than Candlehead.

"Ta-dah!" she beamed, her smile powerful enough to charge the entire arcade.

The smells of her labor filled the room with a warmth that brought everyone to their senses. Lumi's mouth already began to water as he looked at the swirling mixture of pure, fine chocolate and cream with heaping piles of perfectly melted marshmallows and gently applied sprinkles on top.

"Four of tha finest Choco-Motivators in tha land!" the girl giggled to herself, clapping her hands "Fit for a King! I mean- Queen! I mean-!"

Swizz gave a chuckle as he patted the racer on the back and reached for his cup "It's fine C-butt, we get what ya mean."

Lumi smiled sheepishly, keeping his eyes upon Candlehead before taking a sip of the warm liquid. As soon as the substance touched his tongue he knew he had entered heaven, the sweetness of the coco instantly flinging him out of his grey mood and into a spot where he found he could not stop smiling.

For the first time since he had been activated, Lumi felt HAPPY.

"From what I know…" Taffyta continued, pausing to take a sip from the mug, "Turbo was always causin' trouble for a lot of people. Actin' like he ruled tha arcade an' pushed everyone around."

"Did ya see this yourselves?" asked Lumi, Candlehead shaking her head no.

"Nope, nope, nope! It was so long ago! We heard alla' this from Mr. Fix-it-Felix Jr. an' Mr. Wreck-it-Ralph!"

"Was that-? Was that tha guy who shook my hand?"

"Yeah, that was Mr. Felix." Said Swizz "He knew Turbo tha best back then but anythin' we've heard about him from Mr. Pink-Nose? He tries ta sugar-coat it but it's never been good."

"Wow…." Lumi said "An' he seems so nice. Even he couldn't say anythin' good about this Turbo guy?"

Taffyta's hands were shaking in anger as she put her mug down upon the table hard, the others jumping as they turned their focus on her.

"Would YOU have anythin' good ta say 'bout someone who HIJACKED a game?!"

"Hi-Hijacked?" gulped Lumi "So you're tellin' me he-!"

"Some dusty ol' game called Road Bombers or Road Smashers or-!"

"Roadblasters." Swizz corrected "Tha game was called ROADBLASTERS, Taff."

"Whatever it was called, Turbo game-jumps into that place an' messes it up! Tha whole game goes down an' everyone thinks that he bit tha dust!"

"Wait." Lumi said "Did this happen before all'a us?"

The three friends nodded their heads, Lumi feeling more confused than ever.

"Then…how did he get here? I mean, if this Roadblaster game was ruined an' taken out before we came in then how-?"

"We don't know…."

Lumi turned over to Candlehead, the girl's head lowered and the flame on her wick so small it had nearly gone out.

"C-Candles?"

"We…we just don't know." The girl continued, her voice thin and weak "Even after all tha stuff that Mrs Fix-it-Felix Jr. Sargent Tamera Jean-!"

"CANDLEHEAD."

"After everythin' tha Sargent lady did ta scan over this place, no one was able ta find out what happened. All we know is that…that…."

The room went silent again, Lumi seeing the three racers looking as if they were struggling to recollect everything that had happened but nothing could come up. It was almost as if they were in pain, memories still blocked by something they could not combat. It was a scary sight for the boy to see, three of his so-called fellow racers reacting as if something were burning and destroying their code from the very core.

"G-Guys?"

Taffyta pressed her hands against her temple, fighting to bring everything back, fighting with herself to remember.

"We just-! We just-!"

Lumi nearly lost the grip on his cup; was this what Turbo had done to the game?

"No one knows the story! We don't!" cried the girl in pink "We just-! We just remember comin' too!"

"F-from what?!"

"NOTHIN'!" Taffyta screamed "We just remember comin' too an' Vanellope was back an' we just remember we bullied her an'-!"

"STOOOOOP!"

Taffyta gasped, nearly falling onto the ground as she looked up, Lumi looking over at her with eyes as wide as dinner plates. He gulped back again, getting on wobbling legs.

"What….what does Vanellope hafta do with this? Did…did she did somethin' with this Turbo? An' what do ya mean ya BULLIED her?"

This was the moment of pure dread for all the racers, the moment they would have to face the truth in front of the boy they had brought to life. Of them all, Taffyta had feared it the most as she knew it meant she would have to confront her own past but if she wanted things to change, if she wanted to prove herself not only to Lumi bt to the entire arcade that she was not the brat that they WANTED her to be….

She would have to tell the truth.

"Pesto."

"Lumi."

"Lumi….if ya knew tha truth? Would ya hate us?"

"What do ya mean, Taff?"

"Things changed a LOT when Turbo got his hands on tha game's code." The girl continued "Whatever ya remember or whatever ya got runnin' through your head. None of that matters because if never existed."

"Huh?" the boy asked, hands nervously shaking "What do ya mean it doesn't matter? Of course it does! It's our stories! It's OUR-!"

"We never had a story!" Taffyta roared out "All we were-?! We were just King Candy's BRATS!"

"Wh-what?"

"Yeah, that's it!" Taffyta said angrily, her hand gripping onto the side of the seat "For years an' years, Turbo made us believe he was King Candy! He dotted on us, he told us that he LOVED us an' in return all we had ta do was keep THA GLITCH out!"

"Tha…tha glitch?"

"Vanellope." Taffyta said in a cold tone "Vanellope Von Schweetz."

Lumi felt himself going backwards, things slowly coming together.

"When Turbo snuck in here, he did some rewirin' ta tha whole place." Taffyta went on "Changed tha landscape, locked our memories up so all we could remember was HIM but most of all, he tried ta erase Vanellope so HE could be ruler."

"He-?! He did?!"

"Yup." Taffyta nodded "But I guess somethin' happened an' no matter what he did, he couldn't eraser but he did damage her code."

"That's because he had no full access ta tha main core itself." Swizz jumped in, going into full geek mode "He was an outside factor an' even though he was able ta play around with a few things, like makin' that suit outta who knew what, he had no access ta tha-!"

"Swizz, we get it! But no one cares about that!" shouted Taffyta "No one cares what Turbo did! All that matters is what WE did!"

"An' what did ya do?" Lumi asked again, Taffyta growling.

"Do I need ta repeat it?! We bullied Vanellope! We kept her off tha track like Turbo wanted us ta an-!"

The girl in pink had to stop, burying her face in her hands.

"That's all. That's all we did." She groaned "We can never forget it, no matter how much we want ta but that's all everyone reminds us of. That we bullied Vanellope, that we bullied Vanellope, THAT WE BULLIED VANELLOPE!"

Everyone in the room jumped back at how loud Taffyta had gotten, the girl clearly furious.

"They won't shut up! They won't stop! Ever since Perfect President Vanellope got back into power they won't stop!"

"W-Won't stop what?"

"They won't LEAVE US ALONE!" Taffyta shouted out again, using everything she had from tearing up the room "An' that Snake guy! HE-! UUUUUURGH!"

Lumi felt his heart skip a beat; Snake-Oil? From the sound of things, he was starting to sound just as bad as Turbo.

"Things felt like they were gonna get back ta normal…." Taffyta began, finally calming down if only a smidge "But once word of Vanellope's story got out more an' more people started ta flood tha game an' not for tha good of things."

"Yup." Swizz nodded "We all thought more people were comin' in ta watch us race an' for a while they did. It was cool havin' so many people from different games comin' in ta watch but then-"

"But then…"

"But then?"

"THEY started ta come in." Taffyta snorted "It was just like a trickle. Like when ya have a small hole in your honey pot an' at first it's not a big problem? But then ya have a WHOLE puddle of stick goo ya gotta clean up but in this case, no one wants ta clean this up! They only wanna add ta it!"

Lumi looked about nervously "But…but have ya told Vanellope about this? I mean, seein' as she's Princess or whatever she calls herself now, she'd-!"

The others glared at the boy, darkness in their eyes.

"Do ya really think-?" Taffyta said, sarcasm dancing on her tongue "Candlehead wudda ended up covered in cake-smash had Vanellope done somethin'?"

The boy in green bit his lip, his answer received in full.

"Those creeps just love ta come in here an' make us MISERABLE!" the girl said "Any place they can go, anywhere! They'll hunt us all down ta mess up somethin' we love, somethin' we do, or whatever!"

"Like tha time they went ta Crumbellina's tennis practice." Said Swizz "Snake brought over an entire army of people ta boo her an' throw stuff on tha court an' scare her fans away. By tha time they were done, Crumble had just walked off and Snake was laughin' tha whole time."

"Or when they spray painted Recolor Ree-Ree on Citrusella's kart!" Taffyta said "An' they act like sayin' GLITCH is a bad word! They didn't have trouble sprayin' THAT for everyone ta see!"

"Or when they said Gloyd was-!"

"Or when they told Snowanna she-!"

"Or when they gave Sakura a-!"

The more Lumi heard, the more horrified and DISGUSTED he became. While he had seen Snake's actions in full force he could not believe just how far so many people had taken their acts upon the other racers and had done nothing to combat it. While he could understand that the past actions of the racers were not right against Vanellope, the fact that she was doing NOTHING to stop even more destruction to happen within the game was mind-boggling.

The boy listened in as the other three continued to list off the events and actions that had been cast against them by Vanellope's new-found 'friends' each one sounding worse than the last. He was starting to wonder, had he actually been implemented would the same acts of revenge be thrown against him?

He didn't HAVE to think about that, given how Snake had treated him BEFORE he tried to take him under his coils.

Lumi turned, Candlehead having gone silent as she sat sadly close to him.

"C-Butt?"

"Do ya see now?" the girl sniffled.

"H-Huh?"

"Do ya see everythin' now?" the girl whimpered as she looked up at the boy "All tha things we did ta Vanellope. If ya had known that…would ya still be our friends? Would-? Would ya think we're good? Do ya think we could be good?"

Lumi again found that he could not speak, the effort made even harder with the look Candlehead was giving him.

The racers had told him the truth, had told him EVERYTHING, and he could not argue that what had happened was terrible but things felt so imbalanced, especially with his own encounters with Vanellope. Turbo seemed to be the root cause of everything that had happened and even if he were gone it felt as if those who followed the Princess were laying blame on ALL the events on the racers and the racers alone, as if they were trying to evade their own secrets, secrets that could connect them with the big man himself.

None of it felt right, even as much as it contradicted with his own memories that the others were incapable of sharing. Lumi was starting to understand what was going on but he dare not say it, his own fear holding him back. He looked at the trio, their figures grey, depressed, and all out drained from everything they had to put up with. Even if they had bullied Vanellope in the past, the idea of an entire arcade ganging up on them did not seem fair and the idea that Vanellope, the leader that he was supposed to look up to, seemed to be turning a blind eye to it all only made him ANGRIER.

There was no way in the code void that she could have been THIS oblivious to what was going on. There was no way she could not have known how Snake was treating the racers and the other candy citizens. She was the ruler of the game, her eyes were meant to be everywhere, to care for the citizens but as he remembered how full her trophy room was he began to suspect that there was only one thing on Vanellope's mind.

Winning.

Not the racers but winning.

Lumi could only imagine how Vanellope had been treated during the reign of the so-called king named Candy but he could not erase the moment that he was forced to partake in the utter humiliation of Candlehead. He looked at her again, the girl so weighed with guilt that her candle dropped over, the fire having long since died out.

"I know what I did ta Vanellope was bad." The cake-girl said "So maybe….maybe ya should go back with her."

Lumi was flabbergasted at the thought "Why?"

"Because she's better than us?" the girl sniffled "She can race better, she has a better home an' she has better friends. Tha game was made for her an' no one else. We're just…we're just placeholders."

At that moment it seemed that both Taffyta and Lumi's minds aligned, both children rocked to hear Candlehead say such low things about herself without hesitation. Had things really come to this, that one-by-one the racers were going to accept that they could not be anything BUT what Vanellope and her friends labeled them as?

Taffyta felt like turning into a Wrecker herself and destroying the entire candy castle with Vanellope's lot inside while Lumi-?

He still had other thoughts going in his head, thoughts free of snakes and other bad guys, thoughts he wanted to share with the other racers because….

Because….

"Nah, I'm stayin' here."

The trio looked up, surprised that the boy was now smiling.

"Ol' Von Sheet-Cake's too fakey-fancy for me. Plus her company gives me a rash." The boy chuckled as he looked at the others.

"But we're bullies remember?" Taffyta snorted, a little smirk appearing on her face "I don't think ya wanna hang out with us."

"Bullies?" Lumi smiled "Seen worse, been around worst."

"How so?" Taffyta asked "You've been in that box an'-?"

"I just saw a bully who took tha cake, okay?" Lumi replied "An' I would rather hang 'round people closer ta my speed if ya think that's okay."

"'Ey now. I'm all up for lettin' ya stay but it's not gonna be a permanent thing, okay?" Taffyta said, walking up to Lumi and giving him a hard poke on his nose "This is a cottage for one, not a hotel!"

"I get it, I get it!" the boy joked "Geeze, even if things have changed ya still got that Muttonfudge sass 'bout ya!"

The girl turned, folding a bit in shame "Don't you mean 'rottenness' or whatever?"

"Nope. Pure strawberry sass." Lumi grinned, his teeth gleaming "A sass that needs ta be restored here if ya ask me. It would sure make Snake an' his squad coil back, just tha thing they need!"

As strange as everything had become in the sweet racing game, the four racers were starting to feel at home but there was something odd about the exchange. Taffyta felt something resonate within her from Lumi's comment but she couldn't pin-point where it had come from. There was but a small bit, a small feeling of comfort in herself as she joked with the boy that she could never achieve when she was surrounded by Vanellope and her new entourage.

Around them, she felt that she could never be herself in fear of catching the wrath of someone who kept close around the vanilla racer and it was a shared feeling between all the racers. She may have given Lumi part of the cake but there was still so much she withheld, still so much he did not understand but as things were starting to settle in the little cottage Taffyta could feel some much needed calm surrounded them.

Everyone felt….HAPPY.

There was so much going on but for once they felt HAPPY, because they could actually talk with each other and not worry about being called bullies and being forced to accept it. Suddenly, Taffyta was HAPPY that she had gotten the box out of the junkyard if only to know that within it was someone who accepted her and the other racers for who they were, chips and all.

Night fell upon Sugar Rush, the four racers residing within Taffyta's cottage for slumber. Even if the lodgings were small Lumi felt some comfort being surrounded by other racers, satisfied that he had made the choice to stay with them rather than in the candy castle.

"This isn't the studio though. An' tha café? Where is it? I gotta good look at the place when I was being chased by that Snake-faced creep but I didn't see any of it! Was this what Swizz was talkin' 'bout when he said that King Candy doof had changed everythin'?"

Lumi's mind continued to ask questions right up to the moment where he fell asleep. He didn't know how long he had dozed off but the sound of sugar-laced chirping filled his ears.

"Mmm?"

"Oh, how long did we sleep?"

Sleep still in his eyes, Lumi looked over to see the others getting ready, the trio helping each other roll up the blankets and put the pillows away.

"We got an hours." Swizz said as he looked at the clock on the wall "Think ya can whip us up somethin' ta eat, Candlehead?"

"On it!" the girl beamed as she bounced off to the kitchen.

"H-Hey, what's goin' on?" Lumi yawned.

"Race day." Taffyta said, putting a hand on the boy's head "We all got on tha roster so we're on call."

"Oh, NEAT!" the boy smiled "Think I can come with ya?"

Taffyta and Swizzle fell silent again, worry crossing their faces.

"Think that's a good idea, Taff?" asked Swizz, the girl pondering the thought.

It wasn't like Lumi had been seen by ALL of the racer so his appearance at the gate would be a big surprise for the rest of the gang; that was if Snake and his followers hadn't blabbered on about it beforehand. And who knew how Vanellope was going to react as well if she saw the boy again considering the two hadn't parted on friendly terms.

"Taffyta?"

"Ya know what?" the girl said "Come with us."

"Really?" Lumi said, his eyes brightening.

"I don't see why not." The pink girl huffed "We already know you're not gonna hurt us but ta keep things low, try not ta sit with tha candy crowds. Ya don't wanna get spotted by tha players."

Lumi nodded in agreement and after a quick and delicious breakfast, courtesy of Candlehead, the four made their way to the tracks, Lumi riding on the back of Candlehead's kart.

"Didn't she say she couldn't drive? She's handlein' tha road just fine ta me!"

"C-Butt, slow it down." Taffyta said, signaling the other three to turn the corner. In formation they drove behind one of the further placed garages, Taffyta scanning the area.

"What's up, Taffy?"

"We're lucky this is tha main game-play rather than a random roster race." She said "No outsiders, just our normal crew but we still need ta be cautious."

"Wait, I know where I can go!" Lumi said, the others looking at him once more "Near tha grand-stands opposite of tha jumbo-tron! There's a blind spot that ya can't see while drivin' but if ya sit there, ya can get a view of EVERYONE!"

Again the racers were astounded by how CORRECT the boy was. How did he know of the blind-spot? Before any more questions could be asked he took off, carefully making sure that no one spotted him.

"Lumi! WAIT!" Candlehead cried out but the boy gave her a wave.

"Don't worry about me! I'll see ya once tha games are over!"

Lumi had a lot of enthusiasm and hopefully it would help him should he get into trouble. Candlehead looked over to her friend, eyebrows creased in worry.

"Think he can handle it?"

Taffyta wasn't too sure herself but the way Lumi had darted away from them gave her a feeling that he knew EXACTLY where he was headed. Perhaps the boy had more connection the vast game than she had given him credit for. She was nervous but she knew she couldn't say much, not with the current heat of the kingdom anyway.

"Just keep your eyes peeled." She told Candlehead, ducking low as not to garner the attention of the others "Just…keep your eyes peeled."

By the time the trio had made it to the track everyone else was already showing up and raring to get into gear. The stragglers from the previous night's race had found themselves placed towards the rear end which, from the sour and steely looks of Crumbelina, was something she found unfathomable.

"I must keep my wits about me more. This is very unbecoming of me."

Fortunately it seemed that on Taffyta's end, that none of the other racers had seen or raised any suspicion as to who Lumi was, which could only mean the confrontation had yet to reach their ears.

"Hey Taffyta-!"

The strawberry racer looked back towards the voice to see Rancis standing by, trying his best to hold up his more formal pose in front of his fans.

"It's not like you or Candlehead to be cutting it this close." He mused in his usual posh but warm manner "Is everything okay?

From the way that Taffyta had looked, even after a fresh night of sleep, it was clear that something was backlogging her mind. After all, the candy combatants ALL knew of the events of the previous race, but the girl wasn't ready to be beaten today nor to tell them of the fireworks that had taken place AFTERWARDS.

"Me?" The girl coughed, throwing her head back and standing atll in pride, "Oh Rancis! Ya, should know that NOTHIN' keeps a Muttonfudge down! Not when there's a trophy to be won an' another chance to make Von Schweetz look like puddin'!"

Rancis was surprised at the sudden turn in attitude as everyone knew about the infamous rivalry between Von Schweetz and Muttonfudge, some saying that it was the aid of the outside avatars that were adding fuel to the fire. Today however Taffyta looked like she was ready to go sword to sword to claim the dominance, refusing to let anyone get in her way and ready to crush anyone who did!

The blond boy kept his lips sealed, watching on at the devious smile of the pink racer. If only he had known what was really going through her mind…

From the far corner end of the race track, Lumi finally managed to find a way in to the blind spot, his head turning every few seconds to ensure that he had not been followed.

"Ah! Here we go!"

It was a tough trek he was able to get himself standing comfortably, and hidden, from the cheering crowds, their gleeful shouts and cries making the smile forming on his face impossible to erase. He looked up, seeing and hearing the candy NPCs' tiny feet jumping on the floors of the stands. Without the rush of the outside crowd that came in once the arcade was closed, the entire area felt more at home, more peaceful and just as Lumi could remember.

"Funny seein' it from this point o' view though…." He snickered to himself, looking towards the track.

The view was breathless, every little detail from the starting line to the Y split and all the way beyond was crystal clear but none were as great as seeing the racers. From the starting podium he witnessed all the racers standing by, ready to partake in another grand race and show the crowd what it meant to be Sugar Rush.

His heart began to pump, his smile gleaming as he saw all the candy racers in their glory posing near their karts, their respective candies cheering for them. It served once more to bring back bits and pieces of images, something still hidden deep in his mind but even if he could not pin-point the origins of them he was just too happy to care. It took so much of his own self-control to keep him from leaping up and joining the candies in their cheering, remembering the promise he made to Taffyta to stay hidden.

And then it all began. A royal-sounding theme blared out from the Jumbo-tron as the screen blared into life.

"And now-!" called the announcer, his voice echoing across the game "Our beloved President! Vanellope Von Schweetz!"

As the song continued to play, the candies cheered as their leader came forth. Thankfully, Vanellope was unaware of the boy hiding away from her or she would have seen his eyes rolling.

"Oh, boy." The boy mocked, sticking out his tongue in boredom "Here come Miss Princess of course."

Vanellope got to her kart which was situated right between Taffyta and Candlehead. Lumi blinked, finally realizing that the heap of mixed candies and cookies was indeed the 'Royal Ride'.

"What tha heck happened?" the boy continued on his self-commentary "Looks like someone took tha Royal kart, ate it, an' than chucked it back up!"

Taffyta and the others may have informed the boy of some of the things that had happened during his slumber but they had left out the part about Vanellope's new ride, the boy trying his best not to burst into laughter at the sight of it. Just watching Vanellope dance around the thing was too much for him.

"Ya two ready ta go?" the raven-haired racer asked, the tone of voice clear she was trying to remove the darkness that happened between the two the night before.

"Of course we are." Taffyta said with a snide huff "Just a matter of seeing if YOU can keep up. I mean you're OTHER crew isn't here to cheer you on."

The vanilla racer felt a sting in her chest, watching Taffyta get into her kart and reeve it up loudly. She looked over at Candlehead and noticed how nervous she looked, the ditzy racer quickly retreating to her own vehicle.

Vanellope growled and scowled; she was being nice enough in trying to drop all the drama that had happened before but if Taffyta wasn't willing to take it?

Lumi, still hidden away in his hiding spot, watched as the racers readied themselves for the player's pick, the best part of the game.

"Just glad tha guys got inta tha pick…." He mumbled, starting to feel a little on edge once the herd of players flocked into the arcade.

He could hear them crying out for dibs on the game, his fingers crossed that his own choices were picked. The game's chime went off as both Vanellope and Taffyta were selected, Lumi hearing the cheers of both the NPCs and the players.

"So let's see how this goes…"

The countdown had begun-!

"THREE- TWO- ONE-!"

The starting alarm sounded as each and every racer took off from the starting line at blaring speeds with the exception of one, Adorabeezle finding herself stopped dead at the line for gunning the buzzer too soon. Lumi winced, the false-start buzzer making him cringe.

"Oooooh! Don't ya hate it when that happens?"

The others blasted past the boy in a haze of colored sugar, the boy's breath taken away as if this were his first ever viewing of a race thought considering the circumstances, it technically was.

"C'mon C-butt!" the gummie boy hopped and bounced in excitement, no longer caring if anyone heard him amongst the loud crowds "Ya gotta trounce those karp's back inta the waterhole!"

The boy wished he had brought some snacks with him because he knew he was in for a long and blood-pumping race.

Up the track things were beginning to heat up. The second Zaki triplet and Jubileena found themselves locked in a battle for the death at Gumball Gorge, trying their best to sway themselves away from the giant boulders but from out of nowhere-!

*KA-CHOOOM!*

A Sweet Seeker blasted them both apart, the crowds going nuts as Swizz made a break through the wreckage, causing Sakura to slam the brakes and spin hard to avoid being wiped out by a stray rocket.

"So close! SO CLOOOOOSE!" Lumi cried, fist clenched and eyes wide. He looked at the map, seeing the symbols of the remaining racers on the track.

Vanellope was again cast into the lime light, the Jumbo-Tron picking up every little move she made and the announcer fawning over her 'talent' as hard as the crowd. The boy growled, wanting to see more of the other racers and their progress.

"C'mon, guy! Ya can't just HAVE tha camera ALWAYS on her!" he grumped to himself, hoping to see a change on the board "Go back to Jubi! Or Gloyd or anyone! I wanna see what they-!"

Lumi wanted to see something? He GOT something.

*GLITCH!*

There was that familiar light, that familiar sparkle and in a blink of an eye Vanellope GLITCHED in front of the others, dodging some incoming molasses madness as the others tried with all their might to do so on their, no powers to their helms.

Lumi was stunned, he was shocked as he had never seen such a move before. Suddenly his mind began flashing back to all the Sweet Seekers he knew, some he had to guess, that could POSSIBLE hold such a power within their energized shells but none came to!

"But-! But how could she-?!"

"An' Von Schweetz takes the lead!" the announcer cried as the crowd cheered yet again, Lumi as confused as ever "As the President has said before, when in a Stich! Used a Glitch!"

A glitch?

And then it began to come back to the boy, the story that Taffyta and the others had told him. The strawberry racer had mentioned that Vanellope had been GLITCHED due to King Candy but he had never once in his mind considered the after-effects of such an act. Maybe Vanellope had been damaged but from the way she was tearing up the track it didn't seem like it.

Lumi looked back at the Jumbo-Tron watching as the other racers struggled to keep up, no Seekers to their aids and guided only by their own skills and yet Vanellope still gained ground over them, using the glitch twice more to move between them.

Any and all excitement Lumi had once held was now replaced by OUTRAGE, the boy watching as the other racers were kept in the back, all their moves unable to best the President.

He remembered what Taffyta had said about the outside avatars calling them cheaters, how the other racers had their records and talents put into question whenever they were able to capture a victory ahead of Vanellope. Things were starting to come together, and the more it flashed before the boy's eyes-

"Rotten Salmon!" he growled "How can they say tha others are CHEATIN'-?! When everyone cheers the BIGGEST CHEATER IN THA GAME?!"

Lumi wanted to rush up the grandstand and take Sour Bill into his hands, demand answers to everything that was going on but once more his self-control kept him at bay and safe.

"Cool it, Gumbettino. Blow your cover now-!"

And so the boy sat on, enduring every following race of the day that came with their highs and lows, each and every one of the racers having win or loss to their name, but one thing always kept bringing him back to anger: that Glitch.

"It shouldn't be allowed…" The boy said to himself once more "There was nothin' like that from OUR stories! Little Miss Princess had nothin' like so-!?"

As much as Lumi wanted to protest he kept his butt planted firming on the ground, left only to mumble to himself in anger. Before long the arcade had closed but that in no way meant that the races were over. The players may have been gone but the BIGGEST race was yet to start; The Roster Race!

Once more it was the Sweet Four of the game that was leading through; Candlehead, Rancis Flugbutters, Taffyta Muttonfudge and of course Vanellope Von Schweetz. Lumi was thankful for his starts that the others were able to even make in the roster as the way Vanellope had been going on with her glitch no one stood a chance.

The Roster Race started off heated, racers after racer falling off before Vanellope took first once again, Rancis this time taking second place. No matter what he did, he couldn't seem to lay a beat on Vanellope, her glitch seemingly impossible to beat. Once the races were over the crowds collected towards their selected racer, Lumi seeing the usual suspect of outsiders flocking to Vanellope.

He had seen all he wanted to and his conclusion made his heart sink.

Where was the fun anymore?

Once again the untold stories were flooding through his minds, seeing faced and hearing voices cheering out but compared to what he had witnessed there was one major factor that separated his apparent fantasies from real life.

The races were never this one sided, never this weighted into Vanellope's favor. Sure, she was a Princess and of course she had fancier things compared to the other candy contestants but he had never seen such actions take place on the track, or he could not REMEMBER them. He had hoped that Taffyta's words were just mere over-exaggerations on her part but now that he had seen it full-frontal it seemed that the Muttonfudge may have been onto something, as terrible as it seemed.

The whole game had turned into one big showing of Vanellope, the other races shoved into the side and rendered nothing more than-

"Placeholders…." Lumi managed to choke out "We….we really are placeholders now."

It made the boy's stomach ache to even think in such a way but there was no other way he could put it. The way everything was focused on Vanellope, how she was allowed to use this glitch power to gain advantages over the others while any actions they tried were called cheating. It all lay way to a game that had forgotten that there was more than one racer that it was a kingdom of many, and that EVERYONE could have fun.

The boy looked to his left then to his right, his hands shaking nervously as he tried to look for a way out. He needed to get back to Taffyta and Candlehead, to talk to them and get more answers for what was going on. Something didn't feel right, nothing felt right anymore and suddenly the boy was starting to fear being released from his box.

"I can't believe we didn't get a ssseat in time! All becaussse of those proxxxy candy pests, taking up our preccccious ssspace."

The boy gasped sharply and ducked off to the side as soon as heard the slippery and smooth tongue of a familiar serpent. He hid well enough but he still feared the great snake, seeing the reptile walking near the back with a rodent companion beside him.

"It's a bummer but at least he got a seat in." said the Rat character, his rough and deep voice not reflective of his outer pixels "Just gotta get here earlier I guess."

"No matter…." Snake sneered "We can alwayssss make up for the sssseatsssss by getting a sssssweet treat."

Lumi didn't like the way the creature had said 'Sweet Treat' and in his first correct guess he knew that Snake-Oil was planning to go after another racer. Rat eyed his partner, putting a hand behind his head.

"What, ya mean like ice cream or somethin'?"

"How about a sssssnow cone?" Snake-Oil cackled to himself "I am feeling a bit partial for a lil Sssssnowanna today. Make her sssssing if you know what I mean."

Lumi scowled, gripping onto the pole of the grandstand; of course he knew what he meant.

"That CREEP! He's goin' after SNOWY?!"

"It sssshould make up for lossssing that other kid lasssst night." Snake continued on, Lumi feeling his heart leap into his throat once he realized Snake was mentioning HIM.

"Whatever happened ta him?" asked the rat "I mean, he just up an-!"

"Who caressssss." Snapped the larger character "If he dissssappearssss from thissss game it isssss no worry to me. Jusssst another Placcccceholder, sssso not a big lossss!"

Lumi had known it since the moment he was pulled for the ride that Snake saw him as nothing more than a toy and his confession only confirmed it, bringing the anger out of him even more.

"But you had to ssssee the look on Dunderhead'ssss facccce when I sssmasssshed her pathetic bassssket on her head!" the creature laughed heartily "That Losssser brat or whatever hissss name wassss did help me with that ssssso I musssst give credit where it issss due!"

As if the boy didn't feel bad enough he HAD to be reminded of what had happened between himself and Candlehead, the images of the girl falling down with the broken basket on her head still fresh in his mind.

This didn't make any sense; why of all people was Vanellope covering for Snake if he were doing such terrible things and it wasn't as if Snake had the courtesy of keeping it hidden. He made his vice for the other racers WELL KNOWN and PUBLIC for everyone to see yet no one had the courage to give the snake a good smack on the head? Was this really the new norm in Sugar Rush under Vanellope's rule?

Lumi knew he had to get away from the creature and make his way back to Taffyta's cottage QUICK but in his haste of getting away his foot got snagged on the rope of one of the banners-

"OOPS!"

And he tripped over, pulling it down not only on top of himself but Snake and the rat as well!

"AUUUURGH!"

"WHOOOOA!"

The three struggled in the mess, Lumi hearing the slow and skin-crawling sound of the fabric being ripped with jagged claws; claws that belonged to Snake-Oil!

"What is thissss?!" the creature demanded, hissing angrily as Rat popped his head from one of the holes.

"Hey, don't they care about safety in this place?! This is a code violation!"

Snake's coils curled as he sensed something, looking over and seeing a moving lump from under the banner.

"DON'T MOVE!"

He reached over and flipped the remaining banner, revealing a frightened racer underneath.

"YOU!" Snake-Oil roared as he dove for Lumi, grasping him tightly around the collar of his jacket "How-?! HOW DID YOU GET HERE?!"

Lumi kicked and fought but was reminded once more of how strong the snake's grasp was "Th-tha stork brought me here! L-Least that's what my folks told me!"

"How long were you hiding?! ANSSSSWER ME, WELP!"

"AAAAAAAAAAURGH! HELP!" Lumi cried out as loudly as he could, finding now the best time if ever to let his presence be known "THIS SIDE-WINDER IS GONNA EAT ME!"

"Snake, put him down!" called the Rat, getting back on his feet "We're gonna get-!"

By now it was far too late to keep things hidden, those at the finish-line hearing the cries as they all turned.

"Is that-!? Is that Lumi?!" Candlehead gasped in worry, Taffyta gritting her teeth. She KNEW it was only a matter of time before something rotten should happen and given the mood of the game, Lumi could only scream THAT loud in the company of one person.

"C'mon!" Taffyta called to her friend but soon the others followed them, the crowd making their way towards the grandstand where Lumi was still being rough-handled by Snake.

"If you even THINK about tattling on ussssss-!"

"SNAKE-OIL!"

The trio turned and found they were in the presence of ASTONISHED company, Vanellope and the other arcade heroes standing at the forefront. Snake froze, caught with his hand in the candy jar as the crowd moved not an inch, already seeing Calhoun's brows furrowing in anger and her fingers reaching for her trigger.

He had to do something to recover.

"Snaky?!" Vanellope asked in utter surprise "What-?! What tha heck is goin' on here?!"

"He-!" Lumi choked out, trying to find his breath "He was-!"

"I-!"The snake quickly recovered as he flung Lumi to the front "Wasssss jusssst checking on thingssss back here and low and behold! Who sssshould I find but the VIRUSSSSS!"

At the very mention of the term, those who were not informed of the boy gasped in horror, some of the racers joining along.

"He's a VIRUS?!" cried Citrusella in fear as she grasped onto her twin.

"No, NO!" shouted Candlehead as she jumped before the group "He's not a virus, he's not!"

"Then what is he?!" asked Gloyd, the larger boy asked as stepped near Lumi "I sure don't 'member him bein' here!"

"Gloyd, wait!" Taffyta shouted as she pulled the jack-o-lantern racer back "Don't pull any of your bombs out now!"

"Yeah!" blurted Candlehead "We meant ta introduce ya guys ta him but I guess we got sleepy last night an'-!"

"C-BUTT!"

"Gumbo?" The President cried out, glitching onto Ralph's shoulder, the boy glowering at her as she performed the action.

"It's Gumbettino, Von CHEATZ."

Vanellope felt she was being nice enough when she came towards the boy but to hear THAT name coming from his lips?

"There can only be ONE reasssson why thisssss nothing issss back here." Snake slithered around, Lumi yelping. The snake then turned his attention towards Taffyta, an accusing finger going her way "It'ssss becausssse of her!"

"Me?!"

"Yesssss!" Snake-Oil smiled deviously "I bet you placccced a DUMMY around here to gain an advantage!"

"No, I didn't!" Taffyta shouted back.

"Placcce a few bombssss in the right placccce, a little trick here and there?" Snake continued, a hand resting on his chin "Yessssss, it makessss perfect ssssenssss now! Thissss one wasssss doing Muttonssssludge'ssss doing to CHEAT!"

"I wasn't cheating!" the girl roared from the top of her lungs "No one cheats, no one wants to cheat so will you STOP-?!"

"Heheh, little cheaterssssss!" Snake began to sing, a few of his cohorts starting to box the girl in "You know you can not harnessss the ssssskilssss of Vanellope ssssss you have to cheat!"

"NO!"

"Yessss, you did!"

"I DID NOT!" shouted Taffyta again, getting more and more enraged "SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP ALL OF YOU AND STOP CALLING ME A-!"

"Muttonssssludge is a CHEAT!" Snake chanted, getting the crowd riled up against not only the strawberry girl but the others as well, the so-called placeholder racers shrinking back "Muttonsssssludge is a-!"

"THAT IS QUITE ENOUGH, SIR!"

It sounded as if Snake-Oil had literally swallowed his words as another voice cut through his, eyes going to a furious looking man in blue.

"For GOODNESS sake, man! You're gettin' things riled up I bet tha next arcade over can hear us!"

The other racers looked up in surprise to see Felix once again stepping in as moderator between the battle, the man breathing out.

"Look, I'm sure there's a good reason for tha kid ta have been there but you're not gonna get tha answer by callin' out like a pit a'crazies!

"Felixxx..." The serpent cooed "Ya ssshouldnt meddle in affairsss ya don't underssstand. I am only doing what isssss besssst for Ssssugar Russssh. That sssshould be ssssomething you can underssstand."

"Oh, I do believe I understand." The repair-man said, his tone showing no ease for the reptilian "That's why I can't let ya continue on with this. Ya know how we take ta bullyin' here an'-!"

"Sssooo bullying Vanellope for the passssst fifteen yearssssss doesssssn't count?" the snake sneered, backing Felix down.

"So ya gonna add fifteen more years to it?" Calhoun said with a swagger, Snake's smug façade CRACKING in an instant as he shot her a glare.

He could see her giving a wink, just DARING him to make the wrong move so she could plug him full of holes.

"Maybe I didn't make it clear enough." Snake-Oil snorted "I jussst want to protect the Presssident that'ssss-!"

"Protect her?"

Everyone looked down, Lumi getting on his feet as he gave Snake an angered look.

"Seems ta me she's gots PLENTY'A protection 'round here!"

"Lumi, what are ya doin'?" Taffyta asked, her eyes darting back and forth but the boy wasn't stopping. He had to get it out.

"Y-yeah! As if I couldn't figure it out myself!" the boy continued "Her goon squad! People cheerin' her name as if she's tha greatest thing since Pong! Looks ta me like Von Cheatz here ain't got anything ta worry 'bout!"

"HEY!"

Vanellope glitched from Ralph's shoulder right in front of the boy, the two standing off.

"My NAME, Gumbo, is VON SCHWEETZ!"

"I think CHEATZ does fit ya better." Lumi huffed, arching a brow as he looked at the girl up and down "That lil flashin' thing dartin' ya from place ta place. Doesn't seem ta follow any rules I know so what's YOUR excuse?"

Vanellope stepped away, stunned that the boy was questioning her glitch in such a manner.

"Excuse me?! What do ya mean-!?"

"Only OFFICIAL Seekers can take a person that far an' even then, I remember they don't show up that much but YOU get ta jump everywhere ya want without anyone battin' an eye? An' everyone gets called a CHEAT when they use whatever they can find?"

As Lumi looked at the girl he knew he had cracked something on the surface, the smugness he had seen from her previously starting to weaken. He knew he was taken a mighty risk with letting his tongue get the better of him but he wanted answers. He wanted to know what was going on.

"I'm WAAAAAAITIN', Princess." The boy said, his arms crossed and his feet tapping on the ground "Can ya tell me WHY you're tha only one here allowed ta-!"

"KING CANDY TURNED ME INTO THIS!" Vanellope shouted, trying her best to hold back tears "YOU-! YOU THINK THIS IS SOME SPECIAL POWER OR-?!"

"Everyone treats it like one!" Lumi growled back, his heart beating faster and faster "Everyone treats it like its tha best thing ever so don't try turnin' on a sob story about how it's SOOOOOO bad for ya when ya let everyone else here get treated like-!"

"Okay, that's it!" Ralph roared as he reached down and plucked Lumi off the ground, the other racers shouting out in surprise.

"Urgh, lemme go!"

"Not till ya stop with this!" Ralph said, angry but his tone came out more like a scold, like a father talking to a child "Vanellope's done absolutely NOTHIN' ta ya so ya have no right ta-!"

"She's done nothin' ta us?" the boy said, Ralph seeing a sinister smile appearing on his face "Boy, this place really is messed up!"

"What do ya mean?" Ralph growled, Lumi's eyes going right to Vanellope, the girl glitching in fear.

"Ya mean ya don't remember it, PRINCESS? Why don't ya tell everyone here tha things YA used ta do ta us!"

"W-What?" Vanellope whimpered, taking steps back as the crowd now turned her focus towards HER "W-What do ya mean-?! I don't even remember ya so how could I-?!"

"Ya really don't remember, DO YA?" Lumi asked, finally able to free himself from Ralph and landing before Vanellope again, his angered eyes telling her that he held the key to something she dare not recall "Ya don't remember what ya called tha Bing-Bings? How ya treated Snowanna? What ya called TAFFYTA?!"

Vanellope glitched wildly in fear, memories of the King Candy enabled bullying returning to her. She had never seen such angered eyes looking back at her since those awful years when Taffyta bullied her but the girl was back in the crowd, looking as confused as she was.

Lumi panted, feeling exhausted as he stood over the girl but he quickly realized that no matter how much he wanted it, nothing was coming back to the girl. He was once again alone in his memories but perhaps that was for the better. Perhaps knowing something that everyone else seemed to be left out on was an advantage, much like Vanellope's glitch.

He looked at her eyes, something blank about them but he didn't care. Even if she were hurt by his words, the fact that he was not remembered by her hurt him.

"Ya really can't remember, can ya?" Lumi said, his voice cold as ice "Maybe we should go an' plug your memories back in. Then everyone can see just what kinda PRESIDENT they're cheerin' for!"

*WA-BAAAAAAAAM!*

Lumi felt a massive blow to his gut as his feet left the ground the last thing he saw being that of Vanellope's HORRIFIED face as he was pulled away from her.

"OOOOF!"

"LUMI!" came the voice of Candlehead, everyone watching as Lumi was struck by Snake-Oil's tail and thrown into a collection of bushes.

"WICKED, SSSSTUPID, USSSSSLESSSS CHILD!"

The wind had been knocked from the boy as he landed, his view spinning faster than a cotton-candy machine.

"Holy-!" shouted Felix as the others rushed beside him, Vanellope left in utter SHOCK at what had just happened before her.

She had wanted Lumi to stop, she had wanted him to go away but she had never anticipated things to take such a turn.

"Are you okay, Presssident?" Snake hissed, the girl kneeling on her hands and breathless, her very core shaken where she was too scared to reply "I couldn't bear to lissssten to that placeholder talk about you any longer!"

Calhoun was stunned, Ralph was stunned and Felix?

"Kids! Get outta tha way!"

He rushed to the boy, hammer in tow and ready to heal.

"Where is he?!"

Lumi had turned, huddled down into a quivering mass with his back turned against everyone. Just by the way he was moving Felix expected the absolute WORST, the hammer clenched in his hands.

"Okay, just one tap should do it an'-!"

"NO!"

Felix paused in placed, a little hand held out before him.

"D-D-Don't hit me!"

"What?"

"D-Don't-! Don't hit me!" Lumi murmured from under his coat, his entire body balled up and his back hunched. His voice sounded awful, as if it were hoarse and sore.

"Lumi, let Mr. Fix-it-Felix Jr heal ya!" begged Candlehead, near to tears "It'll make everythin' better an'-!"

One hand reached out for Candlehead and arm bumped against Taffyta.

"Hoooooome." The boy brayed "I wanna go hoooooome!"

"But you're hurt!" said Taffyta.

"Hoooooooom!" Lumi moaned again as he dragged the girls off "HOOOOOOOOOOME!"

Before either girls knew what was going on both were being led down the path towards Taffyta's cottage, both looking back at the crowd and shaking their heads as they had no control over where they were now going.

Back with the heroes Ralph picked Vanellope up, her cheeks red and her eyes puffy from the small amount of tears that she had cried.

"Kid are ya okay?!"

"I-I guess…." Vanellope managed to gulp out, still so confused over what had happened and why the new boy had lashed out on her so suddenly.

"Uuuurgh! FELIX!"

"Y-Yeah?!"

"Didn't I tell ya this was only gonna lead ta trouble?!" Ralph growled, rightfully upset at the exchange "These kids are only makin' things WORSE!"

"Oooooooh! OOOOOOOOOH!"

"He's sounding WORSE!" Candlehead blubbered as she and Taffyta finally made it back to the cottage "We gotta find a Sweet Heal! It's tha only thing that can help him now!"

"But ya know how rare those things pop up!" Taffyta said "Do ya have one in your collection?! Ya always got somethin'!"

Candlehead began to dig through her hat, tossing out various things from the endless void.

"I-I have one!" she said, holding the thing with nervous hands "Get it ta Lumi before-!"

"Oooooooheheheheheheh….."

The two girls looked, Lumi still hunched over but his tone had changed.

"Hehehehehehehe!"

"Aaaaaw, MAN!" Taffyta said nervously "I think that hit broke his brain! He's gone ma-!"

"Pffffft-HAHAHAHAHA!"

Both friends stepped back as Lumi stood tall, not a bit of him broken though perhaps a bit bruised.

"Thanks for playin' along, girls! I don't think we cudda made it had they saw me!"

"URG! LUMI!" Taffyta shouted as she jumped the boy, knocking him on the ground and shaking him "Do ya know how worried ya made us?! I thought Snake-Snot had busted open your skull or somethin'!"

"Gonna admit, he did give me a hit." Lumi grimaced, trying to push the girl off of him "Includin' tha hit you're now LEANIN' on! OW!"

"Ah, sorry! Sorry!"

Lumi breathed out and lifted up his shirt, a bad looking bruise forming on his stomach.

"He's fast…." He sighed "But I've had worse blights. One time, I was tryin' ta help dad bring a boat inta port but tha rope snapped an' SMACKED me on tha face so hard-!"

"GUMBETTINO!" Taffyta demanded, looking right at the boy in anger "What-?! What is goin' on?! What was all of that?! Do ya realize tha trouble we could be in right now! If anyone else finds out how ya talked ta Vanellope they're gonna-!"

Lumi reached out and took Taffyta's hand, placing an object in her palm.

"…Huh?"

"Look at it."

"What is it?"

"Just look at it."

Taffyta looked down at the rolled up object, a dusty and torn scroll it appeared. Being as gentle as she could she uncurled it, seeing the faded drawing on it and at first she was without a mind to what they were but the closer she looked….the more familiar they became.

"Wait….that's-! That's MY symbol!"

"Taffyta? Taffyta, what's goin' on?" asked Candlehead, trying to get in a view herself.

"The strawberries!" the girl in pink shouted "Those belong ta me! An' tha cake! That's yours an'-!"

The girl stopped, her eyes scanning over towards another symbol, one that she had never seen before.

"Fish?"

Lumi, the boy grinning more than ever, lifted the sides of his jacket, showing the girls that the same symbols were on his shirt. But could it have possibly meant?

"Snake's hit may have been a good thing…" the boy said, his smile still strong "Didn't think I would be so lucky ta find THAT once I landed!"