A/N: If you followed my last story, 'Extreme Hearts', then you would have known all about the coming of this next big project. But for all you newbies, I'll give you a quick introduction:
Hey! You! You still alive? Or have all the Wreck-It Ralph fans officially packed up and left for a more active fandom? Can't say I blame you; this one is only built upon a couple of movies after all. No spin-off, no TV series, and ironically, no internet sensation. I really missed out on the fanfiction activity that sprung up after the first movie, and only caught the tail end of it when it briefly spiked again in 2018. But regardless if you're not here anymore, I sure am! The world of WiR continues to captivate my creative exploits with its diverse and unique world of possibilities and extravagance. And by channeling all the motivation to contribute something new for this grand universe, I spent the last 7 months drawing up a new story. This ended up being WAY longer than originally planned. Can you believe it was only meant to be like 2 chapters long? But the more time I spent writing, the more I realized how much bigger this could be and how deeper of a story it could stand for. Fanfiction is like that. Sometimes your little chopping-board idea can grow into a BIG idea. If you have a story you want to tell, the story itself may not only tell you what it wants, but also what more it could be.
This is a continuation of 'Violin's Song', the WiR story I wrote in February 2020, and I'm not going to just bring back Gloyd and Crumbelina, but everyone else too. Character relationships will be explored, emotions challenged, and the universe expanded. Timeline-wise, it all picks up about a month after the events of 'Violin's Song' and a year after 'Ralph Breaks the Internet'.
I have LOTS to say about the making of this story and a bit on WiR in general, but to spare you the droning of my mindless wanderings, I'll save it all for the second author's note at the end of this chapter. Happy reading! As always, reviews are welcomed; feel free to let me know what you like and don't like, or just ramble your overall thoughts on the story as it progresses. I read everything you send me and try to answer any questions fired my way.
Chapter 1 – Taffyta's Phone Call
May 30, 2020 – January 7, 2021
Vanellope von Schweetz closed her Buzzz phone, having just finished a conversation with Taffyta Muttonfudge. Normally, chats with her friends from the arcade were fun and light-hearted, filled with laughter, playful trash talk and banter, and the occasional heart-to-hearts whenever any one of them was overwhelmed by that longing feeling to see their far-away friend again.
But this time was different. Very different. Her recent conversation had not been like the others at all. For one thing, ending her chats did not leave a horror-struck expression upon her rosy face. And for another, they had never left her feeling absolutely sick in the stomach.
Presently, she was standing in the familiar shadowy garage where Shank's hotrod convertible was sheltered and hidden from the millions of online gamers outside. This pristine and spotless king of the road purred like a sleeping lion, yet ripped the road with the striking force of a lightning bolt, much like Sonic whenever the blue hedgehog went about his day, collecting rings in a rapid frenzy. Despite their everyday battles and missions, which consistently involved exploding helicopters and wayward grenades, this car still gave off the glossy factory finish of a model that had just rolled off the assembly line. It stood out magnificently among the dirty barrels and heaps of scrap metal that were scattered about, and was little wonder why a human would be willing to pay $40,000 for it.
Living in Slaughter Race for just over a year now had visibly made its mark on Vanellope's outer wear. Though she still wore her default clothing, she had accessorized herself with a shining spiked bracelet, a pair of indigo racing gloves, and an orange mud-stained headband fashioned out of a torn sleeve once belonging to the avatar of last week's unlucky player. Ironically, that player's username had been Unlucky_Tug.
But most notable of all was the slick leather jacket that she wore overtop her familiar mint-green hoodie. Of all her souvenirs, this was what really made her feel like a part of this game. It was jet-black aside from the numerous colourful patches and shapes sewn on to its material, reminiscent to those found back in Sugar Rush. They seemed to suit her. Just like the candy decals on the sides of her own car and the pieces of candy that she still wore in her hair. Though she had made Slaughter Race her new home, there was still much of that Sugar Rush spirit running in her coded blood. Perhaps it was because her code still existed in her old arcade game's motherboard. Even after a full year and one month of residing in the Internet, she still continued to maintain close ties with her former game back in the arcade.
And after receiving some alarming news less than a minute ago, she was feeling those same ties tighten like never before. But not in the good way.
"We have an emergency."
Those had been the exact words that Taffyta Muttonfudge had delivered to her in the phone call. Looking back, they bore a striking resemblance to what she had said as Vanellope and Ralph giggled away in the chocolate bog after the former had finished spinning out on the wrecker's exciting new track that he had built just for her. "We have a situation" had been what Taffyta had hissed at her with an angry glare and icy tone before they all witnessed Mr. Litwak accidentally breaking the cabinet's steering wheel, and subsequently deciding to pull their plug for good. Upon reflection, that horrific event did not seem to sum up fully together by the term 'situation' alone. 'Emergency' definitely seemed more appropriate. But now, that belief was reverted. This was worse. It was, without a doubt, more than worthy of bearing the term 'emergency'.
The walls of the dingy garage seemed to close in on Vanellope as she slowly began to experience a rising sensation gripping at her insides, leaving her lungs feeling hollow and gasping for virtual air. Staggering slightly as her mind weighed her options, she sat down upon an old busted tire, pondering on the matter going on at Sugar Rush. What she had only just learned had apparently been going on for hours. So nervous she was, she instinctively reached up, plucked a peppermint from her black hair, and started sucking on it. Eating things when they were nervous was sort of a habit among the Sugar Rush racers.
Feeling a drive of determination kick in from her sugar intake, Vanellope made up her mind. "I gotta get back there," she said, jumping to her feet.
The sounds of heavy-duty boots clomping upon the oil-splattered floor echoed off the walls as Shank walked in and immediately noticed the pale face of her newest team member. "Yo, V. Is everything all right?" she asked in a voice of concern.
Vanellope looked up at the tall woman and swallowed the peppermint whole. "N-No. Everything's not all right," she replied shakily. There was no point in hiding it.
Shank knelt down closer to her level. "What's the matter, little sister?" she asked kindly.
Vanellope's little feet were already making their way to the door as if they had minds of their own. Luckily, her tongue was still in check. "One of my friends back in Sugar Rush got hurt in an accident somehow," she told the game boss. "I…I need to see her for myself and make sure she's okay. Would it be cool with you and the guys if I…?"
"Go," answered Shank without even batting an eye. "Take as long as you need. We will cover for you."
The young racer smiled gratefully. "Shank you, Shank," she said gratefully as she turned on her heel and glitched herself ZOOP out of the garage. She instantly materialized outside on the sidewalk lining one of the many littered streets of Slaughter Race. Without looking both ways for bouncing grenades or rampaging dump trucks, she broke into a run as she crossed the street. The advantage of being an NPC allowed her to roam free whenever she wanted…something she still thought about due to the fact that she had left Sugar Rush as not just a playable avatar, but the star of the game. Over the past year, Taffyta had told her that the players did take notice, but thankfully did not cease to play. It didn't mean that they weren't disappointed though…
But never mind that right now. She had a bigger issue to worry about.
As Vanellope dashed towards the game's exit tunnel, she quickly pulled out her phone again. Even as she speed-dialed, she already knew what she was going to say to Ralph, Taffyta, or whoever it was that picked up.
"Hang on guys, I'm on my way."
With the little flame of her candle flickering nervously, Candlehead bit her lip and tugged at her stubby green pigtails. She kept exchanging glances: first up the taffy staircase leading to the second floor, and then down the long hallway to the stained sugar-glass double doors. Unable to bear it any longer, she finally broke the silence with a desperate voice. "Is Vanellope here yet?"
Taffyta Muttonfudge, who was sitting next to her, groaned lightly as she ran a gloved hand over her own face. "For the fiftieth time, Candi…no, she's not here yet."
Another day had passed and Litwak's Family Fun Centre had long been closed. Mr. Litwak himself had retired home and was probably fast asleep by this late hour. In his arcade, the numerous game consoles remained on to retain the long-standing high scores of his regular customers. The lights and sounds of those cabinets flashed and binged about for all 24 hours of a day, yet that was all one could see from the outside. Within those screens and cute little graphics, there lay an entire world that the humans were completely oblivious to.
Altogether, there were 18 characters scattered in the grand throne room of Vanellope's shimmering sugar-glazed castle. Standing tall and proud atop a landscape of giant powdered truffles, the castle offered the best view of Sugar Rush you could possibly get within the kingdom. Especially after the game's recent update, which included a spectacular game-changer night mode for glow-in-the-dark racing fun, you could stand on any of the balconies or on the rooftop of the castle's west tower and admire the inky-blue sky dotted with shiny Starbursts of every colour and a beautiful marshmallow moon. But tonight, no one was doing that.
The interior looked a lot different since the days of King Candy, but that was not due to the update. It had been redecorated by Vanellope seven years ago when the rightfully reinstated leader of Sugar Rush had reclaimed this place as her home, because to quote the girl's own words, she 'hated pink'. No offense to Taffyta or Candlehead, of course, but there was no way she could live in a place like this. So, she had invited Ralph and all her other new friends here for a redecoration party to completely transform this fairytale princess castle into a more suitable home for the likes of a speed-demon 10-year old girl with a wild taste for life on the fast lane. Handing them tubes of coloured frosting, paint cans of food dye, and over 700 barrels of sprinkles, Vanellope had ordered everyone to go nuts. Long story short, all the fancy lollipop chandeliers had been replaced with gleaming sugar-plated disco balls, and every inch of pink glaze was now masked with a crazy rainbow-unicorn icing splash of racing stripes and super flames. Snowanna Rainbeau and Swizzle Malarkey in particular had played a huge role in choosing the fresh new designs, while the millions of sprinkles had been courtesy of Candlehead. An entire wall on the castle's east side was completely smothered with glazed cherry syrup after Vanellope had finger-painted an image of King Candy with buttercream, and instructed Ralph to hurl an entire tank of the sticky red stuff on it for good measure. As for the ceiling, it had been Gloyd Orangeboar's idea to load Sweet Seeker cannons with the food dye to cover those hard-to-reach areas (as well as a plausible excuse to set off some awesome explosions. The prankster had always had a love for blowing up things).
There wasn't a bare spot of wall or floor that had not been mercilessly assaulted with their boisterous creativity. It was perfect. Plus, the castle was somehow a lot more special to everyone since it now had a contribution from each of them, including a truly ridiculous, yet thoughtful finishing touch from Candlehead: a misshapen, disproportional, crumbly statue of their new president carved completely from marble cake. The final representation looked like a badly-mutated Vanellope had grown an arm out of her back and was attempting to do the Electric Slide with an upset stomach. Nonetheless, it was now displayed in one of the newly painted hallways. Even to this day, Candlehead just couldn't be prouder.
As an early thank-you present, Vanellope had let everyone take home whatever they wanted from the castle before they tore everything down to redecorate. This was why an intricately crafted lollipop chandelier now hung in Crumbelina DiCaramello's mansion and the solid chocolate chains that once linked the Glitch-Proof shackle in the Fungeon were now the latest additions to Minty Zaki's basement training gym.
At this present moment, Ralph stood in his spot near the throne, rocking on his bare heels with uncertainty. Half of a heart-shaped cookie medal hung around his neck. His game partner and good friend Fix-It Felix was there too, along with his wife, Sergeant Tamora Calhoun, who was heavily equipped with full body armour and concealed weapons secured to her utility belt. The only tool on Felix was his trusty golden hammer, which he was rubbing with nervous gloved-fingers while Calhoun had one hand resting on her hip and a stern look on her face, cold eyes staring out to barren space. But both Ralph and Felix knew that beneath this grim expression lay an equivalent feeling of uncertainty and nervousness.
Off to the side, Sour Bill, the gloomy green sour ball and former assistant to President Vanellope, was standing perfectly still and mute, which was no real effort for him. Maybe he just needed time to think. Or maybe he was scared. It was impossible to tell.
The rest of the crowd consisted of Sugar Rush's official racers, who were also the adopted children of Felix and Calhoun. Young and tiny in size, but big in hearts and minds, they were clever little drivers with their own candy themes and unique roles in the community. True to their programming, they were highly competitive, but The Great Unplugging (as it had come to be known as in their circles) had been a very humbling experience for them all. After a year of teachings from Felix and Calhoun, as well as warming up to their fellow-arcade neighbours, the racers were now much sweeter and properly mannered.
The game had ten primary racers, and there were also the four lesser-known recolours, affectionately nicknamed as the Palette Swaps. No one was really sure of how the game mechanics revolved around Citrusella Flugpucker, Torvald Batterbutter, Sticky Wipplesnit, and Nougetsia Brumblestain, but the widely-accepted theory was that they were added in last minute by the developers just to bump up the number of racers for players to select from or compete against. They did not have official candy themes to call their own, no admirable stats or special racing abilities, and made inconsistent appearances outside of gameplay. Nevertheless, they were all still very much part of the group when they did come around, and both Felix and Calhoun had been quick to welcome them into their already massive family. And hey, Sugar Rush's new company had been generous enough to carry over their codes in the new update.
And finally, there was one more racer in the throne room tonight who did not fit into either category: clad in a raspberry-pink kimono with Pocky sticks and candied raspberries accessorizing her lush green bunned hair was the mysterious Minty Sakura, whose appearances and identity were even lesser known than the Palette Swaps. It had been years since anyone had seen this racer, some like Vanellope having never even met her before. A secret avatar waiting to be unlocked? An extra file in the code that had been overlooked? No one could be sure.
But perhaps something about tonight's events had summoned these obscure racers from the shadows. After all, everyone was here…except for one. Even with their unexpected return, there was one racer missing. Only nine of the primary racers were currently present in the throne room, the tenth of whom was the reason why everyone had gathered here. She was the reason why Vanellope was on her way right now.
Unlike Sour Bill and the grown-ups, the kids weren't even trying to hide their growing anxiety.
A heavy uneasy breath escaped Ralph's nostrils as he heard Candlehead ask that same question for what indeed seemed to be the fiftieth time. But honestly, he was starting to really worry now too.
"But it's been so long," the candle-topped girl whined to Taffyta. "She promised she would be here. Ralph said so!"
Hearing his name, Ralph looked over to the two girls. "Don't worry, Candlehead," he said with a weak smile, hoping to boost their low spirits. "Vanellope would never break a promise. She'll definitely get here! She's just…running a little late."
Felix approached his adoptive daughter and put a hand down on her quivering shoulder. "And it is a long way from the Internet, sweetie," he told her kindly. "Vanellope's probably stuck in traffic. After all, from what she's told us during our fun-chats, the Internet is always swirling with players from around the world. We just have to be patient. What's that song we sing again?"
Candlehead tapped her chin, trying to remember. "Um…'Don't get too excited, just try staying calm. Thinking for a minute saves you so much harm'?" she recited.
The repair man smiled. "You got it!"
Candlehead beamed. Taffyta, on the other hand, huffed audibly. "It's hard to stay calm when something like this happens," she muttered, hugging her knees to her chest.
Nearby, Rancis Fluggerbutter was sitting on the royal throne, which used to be where the imposter King Candy parked his kart, but now had been replaced with a tall stack of squashy pillows from the Nicelander Apartment penthouse set between the intricate white chocolate armrests. Looped around his neck was the blue scarf that Candlehead had crocheted for him some time ago. Normally confident and full of ideas, Rancis was looking anything but that.
"I don't know how more of this I can take," he voiced out in a shaky tone. "There's gotta be something else we can do."
"But Rancis, we did everything we could already," Jubileena Bing-Bing reminded her friend, though she too looked very worried. Like the boy, she was also wearing a scarf, hers being cherry-red. Her eyes, clearly still recovering from an onslaught of tears, were swollen and bloodshot as she and Adorabeezle Winterpop lay on their backs head-to-head, sprawled out upon the sparkly Fruit Roll-Ups carpet that stretched across the throne room and the entire length of the foyer. "We can only wait and hope Vanellope's got some ideas. But…oh, time's running out," she fretted, seemingly forgetting her own sense of assurance within an instant. "The arcade won't be closed forever. I wish she would hurry."
Rancis didn't answer her. Gripping the armrest, his fingers started to jitter uncontrollably until they finally broke off a chunk of white chocolate, which he shoved into his mouth in a nervous chewing frenzy.
At the staircase, Minty Zaki was gnawing subconsciously on the wafer railing.
Swizzle Malarkey broke a sugar cube tile off the floor and bit into it aggressively.
And Gloyd Orangeboar was pacing about so much, that he was starting to wear down a narrow trench in the floor with his feet. A small cloud of glittery sugar particles was kicking up around him.
Watching her restless kids slowly dismantling the castle, Calhoun huffed grimly. "Lil' Schweetz-Cakes better get here soon," she murmured to Felix when he rejoined her. "Otherwise, these stressed soldiers will chow this palace down faster than a starved cougar locked in a hotel of demoralized squirrels."
Felix gulped, knowing that she was right. This had been going on ever since the accident. At first, he had been kept very busy, repairing all the damage that his children had done to the castle. But after they had continued to nibble away nonstop at anything that they could find to provide them some comfort in their extreme anxiousness, he finally gave it up and decided to wait until this was all over before fixing the bitemarks in the walls and chewed up furniture.
At least he hoped that it would be all over.
Leaning against one of the tall pillars, Citrusella looked down at Sour Bill. "At least you're managing to keep calm, Bill," she said to him with a weak smile.
"I'm screaming inside," he explained in his usual groaning tone.
The only one who truly seemed calm aside from Sour Bill was Minty Sakura, who stood near-motionless out on one of the many small balconies with her hands neatly folded within the oversized sleeves of her kimono, just watching the long wafer bridge that snaked up to the front doors. Her bright green eyes widened and she rushed back inside to face the throne room.
"Kanojo ga kuru no ga mieru!"
Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at her. Ralph spoke for the room. "Huh?" he replied.
Minty frowned before speaking in English. "I can see her coming."
In a flash, everyone had jumped up and was dashing down the foyer towards the doors. Having the biggest feet, Ralph got there first. Before he could yank the doors open, there was a familiar electronic ZOOP of blue and white pixels that quickly materialized into Vanellope von Schweetz, former president of Sugar Rush and the newest NPC of Slaughter Race. The whole room echoed with excited cheers and chatter as they all swarmed around her. "Vanellope!" "You're finally here!" "Woah, cool costume!"
"Hey guys," she said with a breathless smile. She pulled the dirty headband off her head and tossed it aside.
With a huge radiant grin filling his face, Ralph immediately scooped her up for a long-overdue hug.
"Hey, kid! It's so good to see you!" he boomed joyously. "Did you miss me?"
Vanellope giggled as she sprawled her arms across his massive shoulder. "Ah Ralphie, why would I miss a smelly, brick-stomping, oversized diaper-baby like you?" she jeered.
"Oh, I dunno," Ralph chuckled, relishing in their playful trash talk immensely. "Probably for the same reason I missed an adorable, bossy-boots, fart-face brat like you." The exchange just prompted them to hug even tighter.
Had it not been for the tense situation currently blanketing them and the wailing racers, who were practically clawing at his legs so they too could each have a turn to hug their visiting friend, Ralph would have held on to the hug forever. But he let her go so the kids could tackle her next. Felix and Calhoun smiled as they patiently waited for their chance to greet Vanellope.
After everyone had given their friend a hug (with the exceptions of Sour Bill greeting her with a simple, yet genuine 'hello' and Minty Sakura bowing her head politely), they backed off to give her some space, though Candlehead refused to let go of her arm. Knowing that that had a very serious issue to deal with, Vanellope quickly got down to business. "All right, guys, it's really great to see you all again, but happy reunions have obviously gotta wait. Um, Candi, I can't feel my arm, could you not squeeze it so hard? Thanks."
Candlehead blushed, but smiled. She kept a firm grip on her friend.
Vanellope turned to the racers again. As if she had instantly become their leader again, she gave out one simple order. "Tell me what happened right from the beginning."
The foyer was instantly filled with noise once more, as many of the racers wanted to give their input and personal recount of the day's tragic events. Piecing together everyone's side of the story, the whole gnarly tale unfolded…starting at that night's Random Roster Race.
A/N: Worry not, I won't be ranting a super long author's note at the beginning and end of every chapter. Just this one because I feel there are some things I want to reveal.
Even though I published 'Go See the World' first, this was written long before that, thus is my very first fic that involves all the racers and the core four characters together in one setting. This was tons of fun to play with, and just like the actual creators of the film, I found it challenging to manage so many characters in one go. But unlike what they did in the sequel, I gave everyone something to do. They may not hold central roles to the story, but everything that everyone does here is in line with who I want them to be, so each character does play a role. As a warning, this story will become heavier and maybe even a bit angsty, but rest assured that everything will be resolved in the end. The main thing to keep in mind when reading this story is that it's not about the action. Or the mysteries. It's the characters. Yes, the events that happen are major components, but the way the characters choose to act towards each other, deliver their voices, and the emotions they draw from one another when put in difficult situations are undoubtedly the key driving factors of this story. We will explore the minds of select characters, for they are what will define the strength of 'Devastated'.
I've posted several sketches pertaining to this story up on Deviantart that you can check out. In particular, there's a coloured piece featuring Vanellope and the Sugar Rush racers that I made to showcase all the established headcanons that I've thought up for them. Under the title 'Children of the Candy Corn', search it up to read what I have to say about each racer because you'll be seeing their personalities being put to good and full use in this story. Remember, on DA, I go by MinionStuart2.
This story has been one of my proudest accomplishments, and I really went full-out during its development. I always like to stuff my fics with boatloads of details, Easter Eggs, and little hidden references that only readers with keen eyes can spot and pick out. But in this fic, many instances ranging from actions to dialogue hold significance in several parts of the story numerous times. Some minor, but others more major call-backs, foreshadows, and reflections. This is another reason why writing this was so much fun. Nearly every detail is essentially connected with another in some way, and it may take a few rereads to catch 'em all.
Let's talk about 'Ralph Breaks the Internet' for a quick moment. No matter how many times I look back on it, I always end with the same conclusion of how majorly flawed it indeed is to the WiR universe set up by the original film. They just don't correlate together. One feels like a true story from the heart and the other just sticks out as a giant advertisement. The sequel is clever, witty, and has a ton of hilarious gags. But it feels more like a product than a cohesive film. The underlining problem is that it's the canon continuation of 'Wreck-It Ralph'. If it was a completely original film all on its own, meaning its own stand-alone movie of a fresh creation, I would probably not have a problem with it whatsoever.
But it's the sequel, and got basically everything established in the first film wrong, ignoring its rules and all of its major defining plot points. It is utterly a huge disappointment that it exists. My first time viewing the sequel was during my flight to Hawaii in 2019. I liked the sequel…because I watched it BEFORE the first one. Big mistake, let me tell you. I thought the intentional gimmick of their friendship was that Ralph was this giant wimpy kid while Vanellope kept him in line like an older sister. That's the absolute opposite of what the first movie was going for, but I had no idea until I watched 'Wreck-It Ralph' for the first time on the return flight home and after much thinking, realized how badly I had been thrown off.
If you like the sequel, more power to you. But there are just too many glaring problems embedded in its core to work for me.
But a wise fan and fellow-author once stated that instead of wallowing about in frustration, disappointed fans like me should channel those intense emotions into motivational energy to create what we would like to see, and produce fanart to our hearts' content. And so that's what I've been doing ever since I kicked my WiR drive into high gear. I've written stories, both single and multi-chapter, and have several pieces up on my DA.
'Devastated' was originally not meant to address this issue, but I found a subtle way of weaving in a little solution to one of the biggest things they messed up so badly in a way that can let me accept the movie.
Finally, I want to give my thanks to the many authors out there who inspired me with their own unique styles of writing, personal take on the characters, and interpretations of how this universe operates, including, but not limited to, jbwarner86, Pixlexic-President, and snoodlebutter. Thanks again to darthsand2005 for recommending my stuff on TV Tropes. Credits to Alisi Thorndyke, whose story served as the very first spark of inspiration to this tale. Hope you folks don't mind my little shout-out. Check them out guys, they are exceptionally talented, as are all of you.
See you in the next chapter.