Chapter Thirty Eight – Our Future

"So everythin' is clean?" aske Calhoun. Mouse was scanning the entire area for viruses, her meter showing an all clear.

"Yup!" the cadet smile "Man! I know this is nuts but I kinda wish we cudda been in there ta see how those kid took out that ol' nasty."

"Don't." Calhoun said rather bluntly "That thing caused enough damage AN" character loss for THREE arcades."

"I get ya, Sarge….." Mouse nodded, looking down at Sugar Rush "But wow…..I….I can't believe how beautiful this place really looks."

"I think I know what happened though."

"What?"

"Ralph might have blown King Candy away and pushed Vanellope over the finish line but there was still so much all tha racers had ta do in order to get their home back. Those kids fought for their home an' their memories an' lookin' at this place now? I'm GLAD they can finally have their game back tha way it was MEANT ta be."

Of course, once news got out of what had happened the game was flooded by more characters than ever before, people wanting to take a look at the newly refurbished castle in all its glory.

"Can we please see it?" said a little mouse avatar "I wanna see tha new throne!"

"I wanna see tha new kitchen!"

"Guys, guys! Slow down." Vanellope laughed "Don't wreck tha place before I've had a chance ta look at it myself!"

"'Sides, wreckin' is MY job!" Ralph said proudly.

"We just wanna see where the royal family lived!"

Vanellope felt a little odd at the request, blushing deeply "Um, well…."

"Yeah, where did you practice your driving?"

"Who was your teacher?"

"Did ya invite tha others over?"

Vanellope looked own sadly, sighing "Um, fellas?"

"Yeah?"

"Maybe we can hold this tour some other time? I-I have other things ta take care of."

The crowd let out a groan, disappointment all about.

"But hey, why don't ya look at tha shops? Or go see the Zaki Inn or Snowanna's new studio?" Vanellope suggested "Those places are cool an'-!"

"But those guys are just….they aren't Presidential!" said someone.

"W-Well no but-!"

"Are their homes really that exciting?"

"J-Just give 'em a chance, guys." Vanellope said "There is more ta Sugar Rush than just tha castle ya know. There are so many racers, so many stories, so many-!"

"But their stories aren't as important as YOURS! You're the Princess. Um, President?"

It seemed that some things weren't going to change.

"Guys?"

The crowd soon quickly got the message, the lot of them walking out the front doors.

"Kid, what's wrong?" Ralph asked as he followed Vanellope down the hall "Usually, ya would have just taken them ta see the others an'-!"

"Ralph…..I'm happy we got our memories back but….."

"Yeah?"

Vanellope looked at the massive throne room, feeling very alone and cold.

"Even with those memories, I can't block out that….that I was by myself."

"What?"

"Ralph…." Vanellope said, sitting on the floor next to the grand throne "Would ya think any different of me if I told ya in my story I was a bully? That I used to hate 'BAD GUYS'? Nearly just as bad as a lotta other people here?"

The big wrecker could see the worry on his friend's face, sitting next to her and pulling her close.

"Backstories don't matter. It's who ya are outside of your role that matters."

"Ya say that….but ya know people out there don't care." Vanellope said "If they did, they wouldn't have gotten on tha guys so much when I told 'em ta leave 'em alone LONG ago. An' more than that, 'member when Beta made everyone turn on Taffyta when they told them her parents were 'bad'?"

How could Ralph forget?

"They say backstories don't matter…..but they're still usin' 'em ta make tha guys feel less than they are. An' when I think back ta my own story….I remember how alone I was."

"Ya were alone?"

Vanellope nodded "An' not because tha other kids bullied me or my parents forbid me ta play with 'em….I remember it all. I used ta make fun of THEM. I used ta make fun of THEM for not bein' Royals or not bein' good enough. An' when mom told me about tha Muttonfudges, about what Taffyta's father had done in tha past with Candicus…..I bullied HER because of that."

Vanellope drew her knees to her face.

"Taffyta used to make fun of me for being a glitch an' I can never forget that. But tha moment my story popped back into my head, I remember when I used to do tha same. I called her a MUTT. I called her a BAD GUY. She had Turbo behind her, I had my mom."

Vanellope was shaking at this point, recalling EVERY bitter exchange that she had Taffyta had had, both in story and out. Even if her own actions were just part of the 'plan' it didn't make Vanellope hurt any less, if only because she could see herself, HEAR herself, feel herself saying those things.

She could be President Von Schweetz but it could never fully erase her history nor could she forget it.

"That's why daddy wanted me ta race. It wasn't ta celebrate ME just because I was Princess. He wanted me ta see tha other kids as more than just outsiders an' he wanted ta show me that it wasn't right."

"That WHAT wasn't right?"

"That it wasn't right ta bully 'em or ta isolate myself from them." The girl moaned, putting her hands on her head "Tha entire point of our story WASN'T ta bully with me an' Taff takin' certain stage but Turbo comes in an' messes it up an' when he leaves, people still wanna mess with everyone! An' what makes it stink tha most is that its just repeatin' tha reason why no one wanted ta be my friend in tha game!"

Vanellope shivered at the thought.

"Why can't I do anythin', Ralph? I just…I just wanna have friends again! I want tha others ta be happy an' NOT have ta be weighed down by backstories or Turbo or whatever."

The girl looked up, looking at the massive stained glass window before her. It too had been reset to its proper place, showing the crest of all the Sugar Rush families before her, the rainbow of light beaming down on her and Ralph.

"I forgive 'em…." Vanellope said "I forgive 'em but I don't think anyone else will. An' that is tha thing that makes me see that I really can't use my glitch ta solve everythin'. They won't be able ta so anything' about it. I have you…I have Calhoun an' Felix….but whe someone messes with 'em, when someone tells them they're nothin', that they can't be anythin' other than Turbo's bully-squad they don't have their families ta come back ta. That's all Taffyta wanted an' I understand her now. She wanted what WE have an' after seein' what Beta had done, what people were sayin' about EVERYONE…..they do need someone."

"They have you." Ralph said "An'….an' I trust 'em too so if anythin' happens, I will help."

Vanellope smiled, wiping her nose on her sleeve "I-I guess that does help….but I wanna do somethin' more. I wanna make sure that…that from now on, someone will-!"

Ralph felt just as upset as his friend; he wanted to cheer her up but what could he possibly do to brighten a mood that had been so thoroughly taken over by gloom.

And idea!

"Kid?"

"Yeah?"

Ralph bent over, whispering something in Vanellope's ear…..

"What did you want to bring me here for?" asked Taffyta, Vanellope leading her down the halls.

"Heh, trust me on this Taffy-Butt." The vanilla racer smirked "You're lil secret mission gave me-!"

"AHEM!"

Both girls looked up, Ralph pouting towards himself.

"Ah, RALPH an idea."

"And what is that?"

"Lemme have your hand…." Vanellope said. Taffyta looked at the girl skeptically.

"You're not gonna do tha 'cuppa fart prank' are ya?"

"EW!" Vanellope cried in disgust "Who do ya think I am? GLOYD?!"

"Nelly, just tell me what's up." Taffyta scoffed, putting her hands on her hips "I don't have all day to-"

A key.

Vanellope dangled a golden key before the girl.

"What is this?"

"It's yours."

"Okay…." Taffyta said "But where does IT go to?"

Vanellope, that playful grin still on her face, turned towards the gran library of the castle. She swung the doors open, walking inside with the other two following her.

"Ya know, none of this would have started if it weren't for ya."

"You mean all the trouble?"

"Hey, I don't remember ya INVITIN' Beta on tha scene." Vanellope snickered "What I mean is, I don't think all of this would have been restore had ya not jumped in first."

"I just…."

Now Taffyta was blushing, trying her best to appear as cocky as possible.

"YOU did your thing to make your mark here, I…I just felt the need to do the same. People are still gonna act like I was trying to cheat though."

"I know ya weren't." said Vanellope "I know ya too well, Taffy and Muttonfudges never cheat. They're SCARY, I do remember that but they don't cheat."

Taffyta slid closer to Vanellope "…..Do you NOT remember the Di Carmellos?"

"Okay, second-place scary. Ya gotta admit, your mom is kinda….MALVA-ISH."

"VANELLOPE."

"Taffyta Muttonfudge!" Vanellope began with pride "As PRESIDENT of Sugar Rush I give you the OFFICIAL role of keeper of books, keeper of memory, an' all around person who knows all tha deep, munchy-crunchy coco crispity cool stuff about this game."

Taffyta's eyes widened, shocked at what she had heard.

"Y-You mean-?"

"This library? It's under your care. After all ya did to find everythin', ta put it back inta place it kinda showed me how much this really means ta ya an' there is no other friend here that I trust with keepin' it….than ya Taffyta."

Friend?

"Do….do you really mean that?"

"Yes." Nodded Vanellope "Yes I do."

The strawberry racer just didn't know what to say. She looked around the vast room, books towering and towering over her.

And she loved it.

"We got it back…."

"Huh?"

Taffyta laughed softly, wiping a tear from her eyes "We got out game back Vanellope."

"An' ya know what THAT means?" Vanellope said.

"What?"

"TIME TA GET TA THA KARTS!" Vanellope shouted, glitching out of the room.

"HEY!"

"Haha, catch me if ya can Mutton-Butt!" said Vanellope but Taffyta scowled, bending down and JUMPING with all her might before landing before Vanellope.

"WHOA!"

The pink girl rubbed her nails against her dress "Say, Vanellope. Do you remember those other moves my mama taught me?"

The strawberry racer waggled her finger.

"Looks like you're gonna have ta be faster than that now…."

"O-Oh, yeah? Did your mama also teach ya ta….ta have a big butt!? LIKE HER BUTT?!"

"Did your mama teach ya how to look even more like a dork in those terrible dresses?"

"I'm gonna burn those!"

"They'll come back, they'll always come back"

"Oh, BOOTY! I'll have Sakura make me better ones!"

"She's gonna be too busy makin' stuff for MEEEEEEEEE!"

Ralph stood at the end of the hall, watching the two girls go off together to the track. He remember when he came to Sugar Rush for the first time, how awful it had been but now?

Now Sugar Rush felt like a real home.

And finally, everyone felt welcomed in that home.