Chapter Twenty Eight- Pull Over

So this was it.

This was how things were going to go.

The racers were all lined up in their marks, ready for the players to come but their hearts were still racing, minds worried about what other 'changes' they would face.

"Pssst!"

Taffyta's ears burned, looking over to Nougetsia who was next to her, Candlehead's place once again empty on the marks.

"Taff!"

"Nougie, not now." The strawberry racer hissed back, her eyes darting back and forth to the clock that hung outside the screen, the massive thing ominous as its arms ticked loudly.

"Where's Candlehead?"

It had been days since the cake-themed girl had been on the tracks and if she hadn't shown up now-?

The strawberry racer's brows furrowed, trying everything to quell both her anger and her worry. She had to say something though, even though she too wondered where Candlehead had gotten off to.

"She'll be back…." Taffyta responded to the older popsicle girl "Just give her more time."

"At this rate, she's gonna wind up missin' like Vanellope did." Taffyta heard Gloyd growl behind her, in a snap feeling angry at the boy's comment but as she turned around, tongue ready to give him a sound lashing she too saw that he was upset.

The big pumpkin boy gripped the steering wheel, it being a matter to wonder who was angrier at the moment, he or Taffyta. Taffyta made a scan, seeing the collective looks of all of the racer around her. Ever since the 'news' that had dropped upon all of them, every single one of them were looking worse than before. From sadness to worry to anger, they had never looked so bad before.

Drained, colorless, drawn and tired; this is what Taffyta saw when she looked at her friends. They had looked bad before with the entire year they had spent under Snake's 'careful eye' but she had never seem them this bad before.

And then she looked down at herself.

And saw that she was the same.

The glitter on her dress was muddled, no longer shining the way that it had. The whites of her gloves were dingy but not from dirt or any other substance. She then looked into the mirror to see herself, the light cream of her hair faded and even her skin, usually so bright and sunny looked pale and sickly.

And that's when Vanellope rolled up.

The difference between the candy President and the others could not have been missed for a mile. It seemed that Vanellope had taken in all the energy, all the color as she rolled in with her hodge-podge of a kart, it beaming as bright as ever while everyone else?

It was as if they had become placeholders, their presence in the game fading to draw the eye to Vanellope and Vanellope only.

Silence greeted Vanellope, the girl feeling the pressure of the other racers around her but even if she could tell their eyes were giving her sideway glances…

None of them wanted to speak to her.

She was aware of how they had reacted when she gave them the news of the 'rules' she had made but she would be lying to herself if she could not admit she was scared by what she was seeing. There was a tiny part of her that had expected them to be upset but their reactions would be held back, not showing her the great vitriol that was boring in her skin like hot-pokers.

That tiny part of her was also telling her that what she had done was a massive mistake.

But would she listen to that part?

"W-Well…." The vanilla racer began, getting herself ready "Have a feelin' we're gonna have a full house!"

No reply.

"W-We're gonna be rushin', aren't we?"

Silence.

Taffyta wanted nothing more than to leap out of her kart and KICK the 'confusion' off of Vanellope's face, several times. How could anyone be so obtuse to what was going on, especially someone who gleefully rode the claim at how they were the 'greatest racer of all time'? Vanellope couldn't have been this stupid, couldn't have been this clueless to what she had brought upon herself and yet Taffyta knew it best to keep her words mum.

Just get it over with.

And then you can finally get away from the GLITCH.

"I hope thingsssss go ssssswimingly?"

The racers, Vanellope and Taffyta excluded, all jolted in their seats as they heard the greasy tone of their 'neighbor' slithering closer to them. Vanellope tried to muster up a smile but it felt that even her body was working against her.

"W-What was that, Snakey?"

"I hope your firssst place counter returnssss to normal, today." Snake cooed, patting Vanellope on the head as if she were an infant "Now that you have cleaned thingssss up, everything sssshall return to normal. Of coursssse, my boysssss will sssssee to it that nothing sssslips through the cracksssss."

Taffyta felt the anger rising again. It had to be some sort of collective gang-up in the arcade that someone like Snake could get away with so much without someone else giving so much as a care to the harm and damage he was doing to Sugar Rush. She wanted to know why no one was doing anything, even when Snake made his actions out in clear sight of others.

And Vanellope?

Of course she was taking it, the spoiled little trollop that she was. Not saying a word against someone who obviously wanted to hurt the racers. Taffyta knew it; Vanellope had and had always been an accident waiting to happen and there was no one in the arcade who gave a care to how far it was going to go.

Snake smirked at the other racers, enjoying the sight of seeing many of them duck down in fear in his presence but he didn't say anything this time, instead giving the group a smile and a wave before slithering off to his own game. Vanellope felt as if she were about to fall through the seat of her kart, something terribly wrong with the way she was feeling.

Now it was her heart that was racing, her breath that she could not keep. She felt as if she were on the urge of panicking, that she wanted to pull the seat belts off her and run screaming back to the castle she was so terrified.

DING DING!

But it was too late now.

The arcade had opened and the gamers flooded in, Sugar Rush of course being the first game to develop a que. The kids bickered back and forth over who got what turn and after a while, mostly thanks to Litwak stepping in to calm the wily bunch, the races had begun!

Vanellope!

Vs-

Gloyd!

The races began like any other only this time Vanellope found herself under the control of an inexperienced racer. She was being pulled back and forth, the glitch being used at the wrong time and instead landing her stuck between walls.

"Aurgh, NO!"

The other racers zoomed by, Taffyta taking a short glance back before putting her focus back on the road.

"Where ya belong, Von Cheatz."

Gloyd on the other hand was having a better time. Though he was not in first, his player was definitely better at handling the road than Vanellope's. He continued to let her control him and even if he were not the one fully in control over the race there was something wonderful coming over him.

It was just knowing that he had been picked.

The boy had done a well enough job of covering it up, but he too had been feeling horrible with Snake's words, the continued mantra of how none of the player liked him or wouldn't choose him when VANELLOPE was always there chewing through him like ants to a sugar factory. He may have gotten on the others' cases, telling them to stop their bellyaching in front of him but it was a feeling he shared with them all.

So to know that someone had wanted him, that someone was having fun with him?

It was the greatest feeling he could have.

He wouldn't abandon Sugar Rush for anything else in the world.

"C'mom, c'mon! Almost got it!" the boy heard his player, a little girl, growl. She gripped the wheel harder, pushed the gas down and before anyone had anticipated it-

VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

With a massive roar and a sharp turn, Gloyd had taken the lead!

"ALRIGHT!" the girl cheered, her own pumpkin hair-clippy dangling and bouncing happily "Show 'em what tha Pum'kin King is made of!"

Pum'Kin King.

It had been a long time since Gloyd had had this much fun.

"Hey, hold up chica!" laughed Vanellope's player, still having trouble getting out of her spot.

Vanellope had no control over herself, waiting for the player to do so but as she glitched and twitched, she heard laughing.

"PFFFFT-! HAHAHAHAHA!"

She turned back, expecting to see the laughing coming from the other players, expecting that they were bullying her player but instead what met her eyes…

"Betty, what's up?"

It was HER player who was laughing.

"I-! I can't-!" the girl called Betty continued to laugh "C'mon, get outta there!"

Betty was so humored by Vanellope's glitch-mistake that she had no time to be angry, given that Vanellope was positioned UPSIDE DOWN in her stuck condition but either way, Vanellope didn't know how to feel. Betty was laughing and soon a few other children began laughing as well but this wasn't a laughter Vanellope felt she was sharing.

It instead felt like she was being laughed AT.

It echoed loudly throughout the game, hitting every nook and cranny and bouncing off of the girl's ears. It wouldn't stop, reminding her of those terrible years under Turbo's rule, when the racers had all being his little bon-bons but now?

It was what Turbo had told Ralph a year ago was true.

That the players would think that something was wrong.

That they would hate her.

That they would laugh at her.

Even with the long list of winnings she had under her belt, being stuck in such a vulnerable position had paralyzed the girl. She felt trapped, weak, scared and humiliated as it felt as if the entire arcade were now mocking her.

"N-No!" she wept to herself "No! NO! NO STOP! STOP! STOOOOOP!

But it kept going.

They kept laughing.

They were laughing at her inability to drive.

They were laughing at her glitch.

They were laughing at her.

"Betty, hurry up and get going." Said another player "My turn is next so stop playing around."

"Okay, okay. I'm just having fun." Said Betty, finally figuring out how to get Vanellope unstuck "Ah! There we go."

Once more Vanellope felt the power of the player over her and she was back in the race though she was woefully in last place. She felt dizzy, sick to her stomach and wanting nothing to bail on the race but she couldn't at this point. Even if she was in last place she had to keep going to keep the game running.

After all, Ralph had almost DIED to get her here.

What type of person would she be to throw away what he had done for her?

A user, that's what.

Suddenly seeing Ralph's warm smile struck her like a bolt of lightning. There was power, there was energy and there was PURPOSE.

She wasn't just racing for herself.

She was racing for him as well.

And with that thought, she got back into the game, her mind suddenly feeling as if she had sent a surge through the kart right through the steering wheel of the player and something MUST have happened because 'Betty' had gotten back into the game.

"Dang, still far back!" the girl said as she looked at the glitch meter.

"Then use that!"

"Uh-uh, bad position, not enough juice…." The girl said, obviously knowing her stuff "Plus, too tight. I might end up stuck again."

Now it felt like a tandem, Vanellope and Betty racing along to capture the first place spot from Gloyd and outside the two girls were playing neck-and-neck.

"Not gonna take this one from me!"

"We'll see 'bout that!"

Vanellope passed up many of the stragglers but she needed to pass the first four before her.

Of course Gloyd was the one to beat…

But Rancis…

Snowanna…

And TAFFYTA.

Taffyta was in second place to Gloyd, her quick moves preventing her from skidding out against the player but Vanellope knew she was gunning HARD for a win.

"Let's show Muttonflub!" Vanellope growled to herself but in the back of her head…

Something didn't feel right.

She had heard Snake and others, even RALPH, called Taffyta Muttonflub to her back and even to her face a few times but when it rolled out of her mouth…

It felt so bitter.

It felt wrong.

She knew it wasn't right.

She knew she shouldn't have said that name.

Taffyta quickly looked back, seeing that Vanellope had caught back up with the crowd.

"With a glitch or with a player…" the strawberry racer said "The only way she can actually race by herself."

Taffyta hit the gas hard and accelerated, hitting the Seeker before her.

SWISS MISSILES!

A hot-chocolate canon appeared on Taffyta's kart and without waiting a heartbeat she began laying out the attack on the other racers. Rancis was hit, knocked back to fifth and Snowanna hit a blowout, out for the turn!

"Just one more…."

Vanellope knew that Taffyta was going to be saving the biggest, and most painful, attack for her, wishing she could signal to her player to use her glitch.

"Um, this could save me from a burnin' death, ya know kid!"

"THERE!"

The player hit the horn, allowing Vanellope to glitch in a split second but only just, the girl feeling the HOT chocolate melting the side of her door.

She then imagined the door….as her FACE.

"Yeah, Taffyta's mad. YUP."

Taffyta knew she had only one hit left, but the position wasn't good enough. She wouldn't be able to hit Vanellope the way she wanted.

"Darn it, not gonna waste it." The racer hissed to herself "I'll loose speed myself an'-!"

"WATCH OUT, GIRLS!"

The two girls looked ahead, Gloyd grinning at them in a way they knew trouble was coming.

SWEET SEEKER!

JELLO JAIL!

"Aw, crumbs." Gulped Vanellope.

"Dang it…" moaned Taffyta.

Now it was Gloyd's turn for a little power play.

The second that his kart had been equipped did Gloyd, or better yet his player, shoot out a massive jelly cube, the first hitting Taffyta and trapping her still in her spot in Jello-O.

"An' another bites tha Jell-O dust!" Gloyd cackled, taking his aim for Vanellope.

"Another glitch! I need another glitch!"

Gloyd shot at the girl, her player making the great timing of hitting the horn and glitching her out of the way but she had gone backwards, losing even more ground to Gloyd.

"Tha heck is she doin'!?" Vanellope said to herself, now feeling anger towards her player for making her lose place among the other racers. Gloyd continued to shoot, hitting Jubileena and Swizzle but his eyes were still set on Vanellope.

"Got on shot left." Gloyd's player snickered "An' I think this one has Vanellope's name aaaaaall over it!"

Indeed it did. Vanellope was starting to feel sick again from the overuse of her glitch, knowing that if she were to use it again she could return to that horrible spot that had befallen her only a week before and even then, what little power she had wouldn't take her far forwards or backwards.

From every angle of it, Gloyd had the race in the bag.

And he was about to let his player lay all over Vanellope.

The girl gulped, knowing that there was a lot of anger stored up in the boy, that he was always willing and ready to let someone have it once his lines had been crossed and given what the boy had to take for a YEAR under Vanellope's rule-?

This was going to be PAINFUL.

"Three, two, o-!"

WOOOO WOOOO WOOOOOO-!

The two racers looked, seeing what appeared to be police cars rushing down the lane.

"Duncy an' Wynch?" Gloyd said to himself as he tried to get a better look, Vanellope looking in her mirrors only to see-

"Wait, who are they?!"

The police vehicles rushed up the lane but they passed Vanellope and instead went up to Gloyd, boxing him in.

"What the-?!" cried the pumpkin player outside the game "Who tha heck are these guys?!"

Even Vanellope didn't know, only seeing the blur of them going past as Gloyd screamed for control to return to him.

"We're in tha middle of a race! What's happenin'?!"

"RACE VIOLATION!"

"What?!" the boy cried back at the unfamiliar voice.

These definitely were not doughnut cops; who were they?

"You can pass now, President!" said the other voice as it drove closer to the girl.

"But-!"

"You better go now or you'll lose the race!"

What was happening?

"Um, this is new…." Said Vanellope's player, her opponent going from confused to angry.

"They're-! They're ARRESTING Gloyd!"

Everyone moved in closer, seeing that Gloyd had indeed been pulled over and no matter what his player tried to do, she could not regain control over him. It was if everything stopped once Gloyd was PULLED out of his kart-

"OOF-!"

Which was indeed what had happened, the boy finding himself yanked from his kart in a violent fashion and thrown against a caramel tunnel perfectly out of view from the player.

"Where did he go?"

"S-Stop!" he growled, pushing back with his strength to free himself "What tha heck ya think you're doin' ya ditzy doughtnuts?! We have a race goin' on an' NOW of all times you're tryin' ta-?!"

"Shut up, Placeholder!"

Placeholder?

It couldn't have been.

Gloyd looked up, seeing the smirking mouths underneath the visors of their helmets. They weren't anyone from the game, instead turning out to be-!

Snake's flunkies.

"Figured you'd attract players as bad as you." Said the first, shoving Gloyd hard in the shoulder "What do ya think ya were doin'?"

"Tryin' ta win an' let my player, duh, PLAY ya morons!" the boy roared, only to get another push as he was sent down to the ground, the duo laughing.

"Not today, BOY."

"I guess your brain didn't hold in what the President said." Said the leader of the two, looking down at the fallen racer "There's some new rules. Best not break 'em, less YA wanna get broken instead!"

Gloyd could only look on in horror, coming to the realization of just what these new rules now meant.

Meanwhile Vanellope finally crossed the finish line, taking another first prize trophy but her escort had disappeared. What had happened? One moment the game was running as usual but the next?

Things go crazy once again.

The players were just as confused as she was, the lot of them asking each other what the game had thrown at them this time but given the line that was set up, there was no time for questions, the group INSNANTLY put back into formation as the next set of players were lined up.

But it only continued.

Whenever Vanellope was in play, whenever it looked as if she would lose her chance at a first place, they would show up. The new 'police' who would come in and stop anyone from gaining a lead and it didn't just stop at Gloyd.

Snowanna was pulled over when she got a Seeker they felt 'rightfully belonged' to Vanellope.

Citrusella was stopped when she had 'bumped Vanellope too hard in the back'.

Crumbellina nearly crashed then they boxed her in for 'needlessly blocking Vanellope's view.

And it went on.

And on.

And on.

AND ON.

For the entire day, anyone who played the other racers found themselves hounded in-game by this mysterious group but for the characters inside it was no secret. They knew they were Snake's cronies, the ones without homes and ones with plenty of time to spare hanging around Sugar Rush all day. But due to the game being so busy, no one had a chance to say or do anything about it, Vanellope included.

But that didn't mean that no one else saw what was going on.

Inside both Hero's Duty and Fix-it-Felix Jr., the crowds saw what was taking place…and they did not like it.

"Okay, this is goin' TOO FAR." Calhoun growled before shooting a Cybug in the face, knowing that because of her suspension she would be unable to do any investigating herself. Snake knew what he was doing, trapping her within her own home to watch as he made his way with Sugar Rush, almost as if he wanted to taunt the Marine for her powerless position.

"Damn it."

"Sarge?"

The woman turned, Markowski looking at her nervously "Um, everythin' alright?"

The loud drone of the Game Over horn called, another game lost as the player put the gun down. No one else was lined up so Calhoun found her chance, letting out a heavy sigh as she walked off screen.

"Need ta get outta here…"

"Scuse me, Sarge?"

"Marky, call up Mouse."

"Mouse? What do want with her?"

"Tell her she's getting' a special assignment, an outta-game one. She'll be excited for that, I know."


"What….did I just watch?" Ralph said, shaking his head from his demo-position, people walking past the game.

"I didn't think things could get so…heated in Sugar Rush." Felix gulped, he too standing in demo-position. Ralph growled, trying his best to hold up but just like Calhoun he wanted to rush out of the game and demand to know what was going on.

"Those no-good-! Block-headed-!"

He was having trouble finding the words, let alone keeping them low enough to keep the players from hearing.

"What do they think they're doin'!? They're-! It's almost like they're game-jumpin'! How could they treat those kids like-!"

Stop.

What was he thinking?

Ralph stopped his words from coming out, his brain taking note in how he had mentioned the KIDS rather than just VANELLOPE this time.

Something had hit given in previous incidents Ralph wouldn't have given any thought to what the other racers were being pushed into doing, not when he had Vanellope to worry about. In fact, shouldn't he have been CELEBRATING just how much Vanellope had won over the others this day? They were still hours away from closing and Vanellope had set a record, taking in all the wins for that day.

But Ralph knew it wasn't right.

No matter how much he tried to convince himself that this was what he wanted, that this was what Vanellope wanted and this is what the racers had DESERVED-

No, this still wasn't right.

Watching game by game, the others getting stopped by people he did not know, taking not only them out of the race but their players as well. This had gone beyond protecting Vanellope; now gamers were being affected.

But as angry as he felt, he still did not know why.

"Well….I know where I'm headin' once things are done."

The afternoon lull hit the arcade, the establishment emptying out just enough for the games to take a break but once Vanellope rolled up at the finish line again….

"Ho boy…."

The racers who were there meet her with a mixture of grief and annoyance, the song of her victory still playing in the background even as she pulled up.

This was not good.

"U-uh, hey guys!" the Vanilla racer meeped, the others saying nothing. From the crowd, Swizzle pushed his way through, looking worried.

"Where's Minty?"

"Minty?"

"I saw those guys bust her!" the boy said, looking around in such a frantic state that Vanellope only saw when…

Yeah, when something happened to "HER".

The vanilla racer quickly turned around, hunching down so no one would see the obvious and loud blush on her cheeks, the girl's mind playing every moment both he and Minty were together. It was embarrassing but it was only made worse given that she knew how much he cared for her, even with female racer's hard and curiously strong demeanor.

"I think I see her!" called Sticky, joining Swizzle as they heard a loud crunching sound coming up the lane.

SKRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUUNCH-!

"AAAURGH! Never mind! I HEAR HER!"

"WHAT?! DEER FUR?!" called Swizzle, holding his fingers in his ears "Since when did Minty wear that?!"

Everyone nearby was thrown into a fit of ear-ripping pain as Minty dragged her kart down the final stretch of the course, her strength aiding her in lurching the heavy monstrosity behind her. Swizzle managed to take one look…

And he knew he was going to be in for an ear-full, at least even more than what he was already being subjected to.

Stomp, stomp, STOMP, Minty marched her way to the finish line but aside from the look of fury on her face, something anyone with half a pixel in their skull would know to avoid, what shocked everyone the most was that all four wheels on the girl's kart were missing.

"I guess that explains the noise…" Rancis shuddered, his fingers digging into his ears.

"Don't….even ask." Growled the girl.

"She'll begin blasting in three, two, one…." Counted Snowanna.

"MUTHER-BLUBBERS STOPPED ME IN THA MIDDLE OF A RACE AN' TOOK MY WHEELS SO I COULDN'T GO ANYWHERE FART BRAIN DRAIN BREATH SCUM BUCKET BURNT CRISPED-!"

"Yeah, there we go."

"They took your wheels?!" Gasped Swizzle as he ran towards the girl, Minty letting her kart drop like a rock on the ground "Why-?!"

"Their words? I was goin' too fast or some bulls-eyes."

"Too fast? For what?!" shouted Taffyta "They do know this is a racing game, right?"

Minty noticed Vanellope not too far away, her face going even sourer than it already was.

This wasn't going to be good.

"What's up with this, Von Schweetz?"

Vanellope stammered, glitching wildly as Minty stomped over towards her, looking and feeling even larger than Ralph.

"Hey, hey, hey! What are ya gettin' all upset at me for?!"

"This part of your new rules or somethin'?" the minty girl continued, crossing her arms against her chest "I thought tha worst of it would be those butt-buddies of yours followin' us around even more than they normally do. Didn't think ya had that much faith in us ya don't think we can even race without 'em tailin' us."

Vanellope's brows furrowed as she tried to stand up to the girl but she knew to keep a slight distance away, knowing that the power Minty held in her curiously strong hands could break a jawbreaker Ralph struggled with.

"Look, I made those rules for a reason-!"

"What reason? To seal even more wins in your favor?"

Vanellope looked over, Taffyta making her stance as the other racers lined up behind her as if to once again show just how things were weighted against the Vanilla 'leader'.

"It was one thing to mock our driving…." The strawberry racer began "It was one thing to tell us we're cheating over and over again but really, Von Cheatz. You'll go THIS far to keep all tha wins to yourself?"

Vanellope was turning red in anger, her bile held down at Taffyta's snarky tone and attitude. She was surprised that the pink racer was acting as calm as she was, expecting her to go into full tantrum mode but somehow, she had managed to keep herself about, looking down upon Vanellope with such a vindictive glare.

It wasn't going to stop anytime soon.

The vanilla racer found herself unable to respond as she wanted to, the eyes of the other racers upon them and as she remembered how the first half of the day had gone it wasn't as if they had no reason to be angry. Throughout the entire day, something had happened to them all. Whenever a race looked like it would be in their hands, one of Snake's partners would roll up, doing something to pull them back, to allow Vanellope to take the prize instead and it wasn't as if they were stopped and that was it.

Just as shown with Minty's kart, their vehicles were messed with and an excuse given, ones that contradicted every reason for their being and why they were meant to race.

But it was something they now HAD to follow given as Vanellope was the one who put it to law.

She had her hands in this as well, no matter how much she tried to deny it or play it off.

But there was no way she was going to return to that state again, not after everything she had gotten to.

"Don't tell me you're jealous, Muttonfudge." Vanellope tried to play back, the back part of her brain cursing what she had just said "I mean, if you can't keep up with the glitch then-!"

"If I were JEALOUS…." Taffyta began, her voice calm but not at all sweet "I wouldn't be the one pulling out all stops to prevent the rest of us from winning."

Vanellope went silent, looking right at the girl.

"You can say whatever you want about the rest of us, Von Cheatz…." Taffyta continued "But you know what? Even when Turbo was here, we raced with our own talents, our own skills, our own drive. Not once did any of us need to use some an unfair advantage to prove ourselves, to brag about how we're the best racer ever."

Vanellope could feel her throat tightening, wanting to glitch and knock the girl to the ground but part of her knew….

Part of her felt…

She was right….

"No, I'm not jealous of you, Von Cheatz." Taffyta continued, her voice coming out in a growl "Why should I be jealous of a little snot who can't do a single thing by herself or has the worst people in the arcade to call friends."

Vanellope snapped to, instantly thinking of Ralph at the moment "Take that back! My friends-!"

"Have hurt us." Taffyta interrupted, pushing Vanellope back "They've mocked us, they've pushed us, they've beat us up. And you've done nothing, LEADER."

The eyes of the other racers narrowed at Vanellope, the darkness surrounding them looking as if it were growing.

"And this is just more proof."

"O-Of what?"

"You're not different than Turbo." Taffyta snarled "The only thing you've ever wanted is to have your fun at someone else's expense. You both did!"

"I-! I'm not like Turbo!" Vanellope shrieked, getting angrier and angrier at the accusations "An-! An' what room ya gotta say I'm like him! At least I didn't follow up, Tur-Brat!"

Taffyta pretended to yawn "And yet you did nothing to stop him either. Stop acting like you knew the whole time and gave a care about us. All you did was wanted to get your ugly karts across the finish line."

"An' why should I have cared about ya back then?! All ya did was bully me!"

"And why should we care about you NOW?! All you do is bully US!"

There was silence between the girls, neither of them going to let the other win but Rancis stepped forward, taking Taffyta's hand gently and pulling her back.

"Luv."

The girl shot him a sharp glare, Rancis sweating a tad but he gripped her hand harder.

"No. We still have races. The day isn't over yet."

"I guess you're right." Taffyta said, pulling back as she straighten up her hat "I mean, unless that's what Miss President wants."

"If you're talkin' 'bout the guys, that's all up ta ya." Vanellope snorted back "Just don't do anythin' stupid an' they won't mess with ya."

"My, myyyyyy Von Cheatz." Taffyta retorted back "Sounds like something someone would say ta ignore the bully kicking 'em. What a great leader you are."

"You'd know about bullyin'…." Vanellope muttered under her breath as the others prepared themselves for the next race but as she left the group on their own, she couldn't help but wonder what was going on herself.

The racers may have acted as if she were in on it but had they known everything, they would have realized that Vanellope was just as clueless as they were and just as upset. Vanellope knew what she had told Snake, what she had told them and the nexus for the rules she put out.

She had hoped that in doing so she could keep her friends safe, that she could keep Ralph safe but everything that had happened in the previous line of races? It had come out left field, it was all things that she had never once considered in her wildest dreams.

Pulling over racers?

Dismantling their karts while in-game?

Telling them how fast or slow they could go?

This wasn't part of her plans.

This wasn't even near close to anything she wanted…but it was what she had gotten.

And she knew very well who had done it.

"I gotta find him…." Vanellope said, knowing she was going a slim chance given that they were still on the clock and people could come to the game at any moment "This is gettin' crazy an'-!"

"Pressssident!"

Vanellope let out a shout as she came to a halt, nearly toppling over on the ground and as she looked up-

There he was.

"Why are you not getting ready to racccce?"

It was the mid-day lull after all, so it was no surprised that Snake would leave his game to check upon Vanellope but in that moment, seeing his face beaming down at her Vanellope locked up, feeling embarrassed to even be seen by him.

"Ah…ehehe, h-hiya, Snakey."

"Ooooh, wha a day it hasssss been!" Snake said in a rather cheerful manner, picking Vanellope up by his tail and putting her down "Your wining sssstreak is fantassssitc!"

"Um, Snake?"

"I've never been prouder of you, Presssssident! Ssssseeing you sssssmoke those PLACEHOLDERSssss? Ha! I or the resssst of the bad guysssss around here couldn't assssk for anything better!"

Bad guys?

Why was Snake lumping in all bad guys into this?

The snake chuckled to himself, making it feel as if he had no idea what was really happening once the races began "Hopefully it sssshall carry on like thisssss. The raccccessss are going to be more exciting than-!"

"Snake, pull it back a bit."

The big baddie looked down, Vanellope giving him a cross look.

"Missss Pressssident?"

"What is goin' on?" Vanellope sighed, tapping her foot on the ground "I know we talked about makin' sure that no one would get hurt 'round here but what tha ho-ho was up with that?"

"With what, Pressssident?"

"Oh, c'mon, don't act as if ya don't know!" Vanellope moaned, rolling her eyes "THa whole thing with your buddies comin' up in tha races ta slow us down! What was all'a this about?!"

"Oh, yes." Snake said, still smiling with a proud look about his face "You ssssee, Presssident-!"

"Just….just, Vanellope. Okay?"

"Presssssident Vanellope…." Snake went on "I knew that we couldn't trusssst thossssse worthlessssss Placeholdersssss even with the new rulessss that we ssssset up ssssso a few of usssss decided to go an extra sssstep to keep an eye on them during the racesssss."

"We have cameras for that." Vanellope said, arching a brow "An'….an' why would ya send those guys on tha tracks durin' an in-game session? Ya know how dangerous that is!"

"Consssssider thossssse who volunteered to be a bit rougher and tougher."

ROUGH was a good way of putting it.

"They can manage." Snake went on "And more importantly, it givessss them ssssomething to do."

Vanellope froze, her skin prickling over with goose-bumps "Somethin' ta do?"

Snake looked down sadly, putting a hand under his chin as he peered away from the young canyd girl "Yessss, it issss sssso sssssad. They don't have anywhere elsssse to go right now. I mean, the effortssss that you and Ralph have done for bad guyssss like usssss have been grand but-"

Now Vanellope was starting to feel nervous, remembering that there were still a lot of bad guys in the arcade who had not benefited from the fruits that either character had gained since the take down in Sugar Rush a year ago.

"We all need to feel like we have a place." Snake hissed, his voice so calm and smooth but as Vanellope looked up she could see the sadness on his face.

A 'sadness' that didn't sit right with her.

"Huh. All good n' plenty." The girl said, putting her hands to her side, regaining herself "But don't ya think this is kinda much? 'Specially when ya look into how they could get hurt an' then? Well, ya know."

"If anyone sssshould get hurt, I can only guessss it would be because of thosssse rotten Placeholderssss…" Snake hissed again, letting out a huff "They did put up quite the fight when they were pulled over-"

"An' that's because no one is supposed to be pulled over, 'specially durin' gameplay!" Vanellope broke in, her feet tapping once more "Snake, I know what I said an' what I wanted an' this ain' it! It's dangerous!"

"But what about your winssss, Pressssident?"

"I can earn those on my own!" Vanellope shouted, going in much stronger than she had anticipated, mostly due to what she remembered Tffyta had said about her skills "I don't need help winnin'! I can do things on my own!"

"I am aware of that." Snake answered "But don't you want to help bad guyssss?"

"Y-yes, yeah! I do!" Vanellope said, her voice starting to crack "But-!"

"But what would they do without thissss opportunity? They'd have no other place to be themsssslvessss! To help out the greater arcade!"

"Th-there are better ways to-!"

"Pressssident, I know it issss none of my bussssinesss…." Snake said, dropping down and putting an arm around the girl "But pleassse undersssstand. My friendssss and myssself? We jusssst want to feel the love and adoration that you have. To know that you have come through ssssso much, Ralph included, we jusssst want to ssssshow our worth."

Vanellope felt as if her stomach was sinking, Snake's words going through her ears and straight to her code. She knew what she and Ralph had done for bad guys and what she wanted to continue to do but as Snake was putting it, had she done enough? Had she shown enough love for bad guys, extended her hands to those in need? And were her gripes towards Snake, the one who had given her so much in the past year, wrong as well?

He always said he wanted the best for her and Ralph.

But there were times that even she thought he was going too far.

And the way Calhoun and Felix had addressed some of the issues as well.

But-!

But….

"Vanellope…" Snake went on, his voice lulling the girl closer into his hold "Your sssstory issss sssso tragic, the thingssss that people have done to you. The way thosssse otherssss have treated you."

Those others?

Perhaps a softer term for Placeholder in this case.

"I'm jusssst ssssetting thingsssss right." The Snake said, his voice filled with what sounded like passion to protect his 'friend' "I may be jusssst one bad guy but I want to do sssssomething for thissss arcade that ssssshowssss that I can be asssss good assss any hero. That I can protect thosssse who need it the mosssst."

"That's…that's all good, Snakey…." Vanellope breathed out, not sure what this strange feeling was coming over her as her head felt like it were spinning "B-but-"

"You wouldn't want anything to happen to usssss?" the Snake asked "I mean, I would never allow the ssssame to happen to you. That'ssss why I've done so much for you. That'sssss why my friendssss have done so much assss well, even though they do know the rissssk they put themsssselves in by going in game and acting like thisssss."

Vanellope was really in a bind now. While on one hand she knew what Snake had done was dangerous and not at all what she had planned in the slightest, she felt like she still owed him. After all, he had done so much for her and with his other homeless buddies picking up the work too?

If people were to find out she had kicked them out, what would they say?

They wouldn't view Vanellope as the misfit who rose to power.

They would see her just like all those other people who hated bad guys.

She didn't want to be that person.

She wanted to be more.

She knew she had to be more.

But there was something still wrong, something that didn't sit well with her.

In all the time she and Snake had been in each other's company she had noticed the way the game was starting to fade around her, how the other racers who had once made their own promise to treat her better had all but faded from sight. She, as well as Ralph, had told herself that the racers had just gone back to 'their old ways', that they had always been programmed to be bullies while she on the other hand?

She was Vanellope Von Schweetz.

She was special.

She was different.

Everyone else was below her.

That's what Snake had said.

But maybe things weren't like this and it had slowly come to Vanellope in ways that she did not like.

Lumi.

That boy.

He was making the racers act in ways she had never seen or experienced whenever she was around, and in those cases it was HAPPINESS.

The racers were starting to show happiness again.

But she couldn't take credit for it.

She couldn't take credit in any of the discoveries that had popped up.

Sure, Lumi had some hands in it, the boy running his mouth about the this and that of whatever the missing stories and sections of the game were but if anyone were to be the ones with credit to the discoveries?

It was the racers themselves.

They were the ones who did it, each time as Vanellope had remembered. They were the ones who had gotten their hands dirty, who followed their gut feelings that something had been off, that something had been wrong and in the end a part of them had been repaired, returned to the game as it should have been proper. Vanellope had nothing to do with it, she could not take credit and maybe that was part of the reason why she was feeling so bad.

Was she feeling her own set of jealously?

After nearly an entire year of others praising her for the tiniest thing, seeing the other racers celebrating something so large, something that she had no clue about….

Yes, it was getting to her.

But deep down she knew it was wrong.

Not that the racers had things she did not. That she was even feeling this way just by seeing them smile and celebrate with each other.

But Snake on the other hand?

"Pressssident, give us a chance. We are doing thissss to make Sssssugar Russsh the mossst sssssuccessssful game here."

"I-It's nice ta know that we're popular…." Vanellope said, her voice quieter "But c'mon. This arcade is like one big neighborhood. I don't want anyone else ta feel-!"

She stopped, finding the words hard to get out of her chest, Snake beaming down at her.

"Just…just be careful." She said, her voice rattling in nervousness "Some of tha guys are getting' too close an' soon? A player might get too suspicious."

Squeeeak

Snake felt his scales curl at the sound, looking over to see something in yellow quickly turn around the corner. He scowled, seeing the glittering butter-colored figure duck but the anger he had quickly turned back to smiles as he looked upon Vanellope.

"Do not worry about a thing, Pressssident." Snake said "I'll inform my boyssss to keep is careful thissss time."

"Th-thanks, Snakey." Vanellope said, a small smile forming on her face "An' I appreciate what you're doin'. Just…."

"Yesssss?"

"Just….just tone it down."

Not too far away the butter-colored person ducked to her knees.

Torvald.

She rushed to the others, hoping she had managed to get away before Snake spied her.

"Guys!"

"What is it now, Tori?" Minty grumped to her youngest sister, both she and Swizzle trying to repair her kart.

"S-Snake!" the girl panted "It was all Snake's idea!"

"For what?"

"Tha cops!" the youngest of the Mint trio shouted, catching her breath "It was all a set up! Vanellope had nothin' ta do with tha whole thing! Snake was the one who sent his goons after us!"

The group of racers let out a gasp, talking amongst themselves in worry.

"Well, that should come to no surprise at all." Moaned Rancis, putting a hand to his chest "I'm just glad that Vanellope wouldn't have gone so far to agree to such a thing."

"Don't lay her out as if she's innocent, Rancy." Taffyta growled, the other kids turning their attention towards her.

"Taffyta, cut her some slack."

"We've cut Vanellope some slack for a year and see where that's gotten us." Taffyta snarled back "Branded as cheaters, blacklisted out of some games, and if this were the case she cudda put a stop to it!"

"But Taffyta-!"

"Tell me Tori." The strawberry racer said, focusing her attention on the youngest triplet "From what you were able to get, did Von Cheatz actually tell Snake to stop?"

Torvald blushed, her eyes widening and in such a way that the others could tell the answer just from her movements.

No.

No, she had not.

"It doesn't feel like she's in control…." Torvald said sadly, her head hanging down "I know I was angry at Vanellope before because of all the things she said, how she kept letting people in who hate us."

"So?"

"But when she was talking with Snake…." The butter-themed racer went on "She seemed scared."

"And I should give a care WHY?" Taffyta replied callously.

Rancis scowled, stepping in front of the pink girl "Taffyta, have a heart for once!"

"I DO have a heart." Taffyta said "And I've already had it broken enough times to count so SORR-REE that I'm not ready to hand it out to someone I know who doesn't care about us!"

"That's just it, Taff!" Torvald shouted "I got this feeling. This bad, bad feeling that maybe Vanellope isn't making all the choices around here."

"So on top of being a crumby racer, she can't even run her own kingdom?" the strawberry racer scoffed, rolling her eyes "Figures. And of course she'd try to act that us being able to take care of ourselves while she can't is OUR fault and we should feel bad for her failures."

Torvald felt that no matter what she would say, Taffyta wouldn't listen. She remembered how Taffyta had acted in the past, even when Turbo was in charge, but this was a new side she had never seen from her before. Even at her sharpest, Taffyta had never being this cruel, never been this hateful even towards Vanellope but given how she had been treated, the way she had been humiliated and hurt…

Taffyta felt no one deserved her sympathy anymore nor her actions.

For over a year she had heard nothing but Vanellope's struggles, how the girl had risen up against everything but from her point of view things were quite different. As of late, Vanellope's 'rise' had only come at the expense of others, people being forced to drop what made them THEM and what they loved all for the sake of making Vanellope feel special and important. Like the others she was ready and willing to make up for lost time but as that time had gone on she watched as the racers and various others had been pushed back and pushed down, all for the sake of making Vanellope feel more important than she deserved.

And it wasn't just her humiliation that had done it for her.

When Snake had injured Candlehead so badly, when she watched her friend get hurt in the massive crowd and no one had done anything to help, to hear Snake cackle and laugh as the girl lay bleeding that was when Taffyta knew.

Nothing in Litwak's had changed, at least the way others had made it out.

Turbo was gone but another horrible leader had taken his place.

Vanellope Von Schweetz.

Taffyta was more determined than ever to out Vanellope as the, as she believed, sole reason so much was still wrong with Sugar Rush. What other reason could it be especially with Vanellope's weird behavior whenever the group found something. A caring leader wouldn't have been so antsy, so nervous whenever it was revealed that the other racers found a part of their home, a part of their history.

But it had happened every time, Vanellope slunking in the back and making everything so awkward and weird.

Taffyta had convinced herself she had only done so to draw more attention to herself, taking the focus off what was needed and to make it out as if somehow the appearance of something that didn't belong to her was somehow wrong. That's what made Taffyta so mad, knowing that she and the others could not even enjoy their own things without Vanellope turning it into a show for herself.

"Been there, done that…." The girl growled, another 'infamous' racer coming to her mind once more.

"Guys, please." Swizzle said, shaking his head as he continued to work on Minty's kart "We still have a long way to go before the day ends. I need all the brain cells I can save up."

If things were grey on the tracks they were even worse elsewhere, Rat still in charge of watching the injured Lumi. Throughout the entire ordeal, the busted boy had walled himself up in the corner, Rat far too nervous to approach him once more, not after what he had been told by both his 'boss' and the boy himself. Every so often he'd look over, seeing the boy shivering or sniffing to himself but all urges to help were kept back and not because Rat didn't want to.

Rat knew he SHOULD do something but like Vanellope he felt horribly conflicted, unsure where his trust and loyalty was now aligned with.

Should he follow Snake? After all, Snake was the reason he was living it up as well as he was but he did not agree with how the reptile boss had been going about, the way he had been treating not just the racers but several others throughout the entire arcade. He could recall the pain that he often felt when he was pushed aside, when he was looked at in fear for his role but this was something he never dreamed of or wanted because as he was sitting with Lumi he realized something.

There was still so much fear.

The racers were still terrified of him and in their terror he was still a bad guy but anytime he tried to explain this to Snake, his words were hushed, his concerns shoved off into the corner.

This was wrong. Everything was wrong.

And as strong as he was, he felt helpless to stop it.

*knock knock knock!*

Rat looked over, his ears perking up "H'lo?"

"C-Can I come in?"

The baddie's brain was trying to remember whose voice he heard, rushing over to the door only to find Candlehead standing worried on the other side.

"OH-!" he gasped, his mind slipping from him "Hey-! Um….young…lady!"

Candlehead looked just as worn as the other racers but before her was held a brightly colored basket, filled with sweets and other treats. Rat looked at the object before him curiously, left to wonder what exactly he was looking at.

"Errr…"

"I…I brought this in case ya guys were hungry." The little racer meeped, almost as if she were ashamed to be seen with the baddie "I didn't know if Mr. Snake-Oil made ya a lunch so…I-I just wanted ta do somethin' right for a change."

The rodent felt as if someone had clutched his heart, the pit of his stomach twisting into knots. Even after the way Snake had treated her he was certain that the girl would have a hatred for all bad guys but despite that, despite what had been done to her she had actually found the time to make snacks for him and the wayward racer.

Now knowing what Snake had done to Lumi only made the baddie feel worse.

"I-I'm allowed ta see Lumi, right?" Candlehead asked, making little peeks into the room, Rat still blocking the way with his body.

This wasn't right. He couldn't do this to the kids no matter what Snake had told him.

If there was one good thing he was going to do that day….

"Kid." Rat said, stooping down just a tad to look Candlehead in her eyes "Take him."

Candlehead moved back a bit, nervous "W-Who?"

"That boy." Rat said, pointing to Lumi in the corner "Please! He needs help!"

"Needs help? What happened?"

"Please! Take him to a hospital! He's hurt!"

Candlehead looked terrified, Rat seeing her eyes widen before him before she rushed in, the girl letting out a gasp and a scream once she got a full view of Lumi, Rat's inner pixels crumbling even more.

This was the game that Snake was making.

And no matter how much he tried to deny it, his hands were in the mess as well.

"Lumi!" Candlehead shouted, tears once again going down her cheeks "What-?! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!"

Lumi was still in a lot of pain, his head hunched down but Candlehead could see it all; the cuts, the bruises and especially the marks around his neck. They were far too big to be that of the rat which could mean only one thing.

"Please, get him some help!"

Candlehead huddled in fear once she saw Rat approaching her, convinced that he too would do the same to her as Snake had done to Lumi but to her surprise, the Rat lifted her up, putting her back on her feet.

"I don't want Snake ta find ya here!" he pleaded again "Just get out before he comes back!"

The girl blinked, holding up Lumi as best she could "But…?"

Rat blinked, wondering why the girl was stalling.

"Wh-what about ya?" she panted "What if Mr. Snake-Oil finds out ya-?"

"Don't worry 'bout me." The rat interrupted, gently pushing the kids out of the door "I'm a big boy an' I know I can take care'a myself with tha big doof!"

Candlehead wasn't so sure, giving the rat one last look. He smiled at her, looking as if he were filled with so much confidence but had she known she would have realized that he was as terrified as SHE was. Without another word, and hearing Lumi moan in pain again, Candlehead took off and looked back not once towards the baddie and the little room. Once the two were out of sight, Rat breathed out, his puffed-out chest sinking down into his gut.

"Please, get there okay."


The players started to come in again, the racers going to their marks though unaware their players' eyes were not the only ones on them.

"So what do ya want us ta do this time, Snakey?" asked one of the down-time baddies "We did all we could during the last round. I'm not sure we can keep it up before the players get wise on it."

"That's not the point." Snake whispered to his cohort "And bessssidessss. If they sssstop putting quarterssss in, we can alwayssss come up with sssssomething new. The whole point isssss to keep that cavity ssssated for the moment. Sssso long assss ssssshe'ssss comfrortable, sssso are our livesssss."

"But what about those kids?"

Snake growled, spying one in particular as she entered her kart, the reptile scowling as she adjusted the butter-colored bow atop her helmet.

"They're a sssstubborn bunch." Snake hissed as a devious smile curled upon his lips "But like any cheap piece of candy, they're easssssy to break."