Alright, this is a new project I've been thinking of for a couple of weeks now. I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if there was a Sugar Rush world in OUAT, and the potential was so thrilling that I made up an entire storyline in my head before I knew it. So, let's give it a try? ^^ It's not a shipping story, btw. Henry and Vanellope will be great friends, but things won't get romantic.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. "Once Upon A Time" belongs to ABC studios, and "Wreck-It Ralph" belongs to Disney.

Storybrooke, summer 2014

It was another peaceful evening in Storybrooke, like it was the norm for a few months now. Emma Swan, the Savior, had won the Final Battle, and life took its normal course. No more enemies to fight, no happy endings to protect as those already were safe. The big family of heroes (and former villains) was now concerned about doing their jobs, loving their spouses, taking care of their kids… in short, simply living their lives.

The nearly fourteen years old Henry was sitting at his desk, looking at his priceless treasure that was his fairy tale book. The boy got a brief longing smile. As happy as he was that all the bad things were over and that nothing was hurting his family anymore, he had to admit that in a way, he missed the magical adventures. It just felt odd to know that the book had ended. Of course, it was the end of the book, not of their story, but… being the Author, Henry couldn't help but think that even though life was peaceful in his place, it wasn't the case everywhere. Somewhere out there, there might be a perilous story going on, that would be worthy to be written down. Henry wished he could witness something like this, then seal the story on paper for it to be shared with others. A new story that wasn't known by anybody yet. But being stuck in Storybrooke, would he even have such a chance someday? The teenager wished he understood his duties and possibilities better sometimes.

"Did I ever even make a difference?" - he couldn't help but wonder. It's a question Henry asked himself every once in a while. Of course, his mothers - Emma and Regina - always told him that he did, that it was thanks to him that their lives took a turn for the better. And yet, whenever Henry had offered his help during the many adventures, it was often declined. He understood that his family did so in his best interests, but it still made him feel shadowed by his great and powerful mothers. And Henry wanted his Author role to be useful, to do good for those in need, like real heroes do.

With a sigh, Henry turned off the desk lamp, then he crawled under the covers of his bed. He decided to not think too much about it. Maybe his time just hasn't come yet. And patience was a virtue. "Maybe someday..." It was his last thought before drifting to sleep.

Unbeknownst to him, the book magically opened by itself, the pages flipping despite the lack of any kind of wind in the room. When the flipping was over, it stopped at a totally blank page.

The first of many new blank pages that definitely weren't there before.

...

Henry had a strange awakening the next morning, to say the least. Because when he did, he was sitting at the side of his bed, his magic pen in hand and the fairy tale book on his lap. Which was opened on a page that Henry's never seen before. He's read his book one hundred times, and knew it by heart. This page in front of him… was totally new. Which explained his waking up posture and the pen in his hand. The phenomenon wasn't exactly unfamiliar to him, as it had happened to him before. He just didn't expect it to happen again anytime soon. Henry had been in his Author trance and just wrote new story pages! As the boy processed this, he couldn't help but smile. So he sat with his back against his pillow, and started reading what he just wrote. He was excited to discover this new story.

"Somewhere in the width of the candy cane trees forest, was running a small hooded figure in the direction of her hideout. Stopping for a brief moment, the figure paused in her run and looked around her with a wary look and listened attentively for any sound of engines. Nobody was following her, which made the hooded child relax. With a relieved sight, the kid removed the green hood, revealing the face of a young girl and black hair, which was decorated with various candy and pulled up in a ponytail. "Good, they're not after me." - said the girl, whose name was Vanellope. She resumed her walk to her hideout, not without jumping up a bit every once in a while, out of a feeling of victory. Today, she managed to steal some other parts, which would allow her to repair an old car she stole months ago and thus achieve her biggest dream; become a racer. Very soon, the old little car would be as good as new, and then she'd enter the upcoming race, no matter what the king had to say on the matter. She was a citizen of the Sugar Rush kingdom, and it was her right as much as the others' to participate in the trimestrial race…"

Henry kept reading, getting more and more amazed to discover just a little more about this Vanellope girl, about the kingdom she was living in. Apparently, it was pretty much a candy land, in which cars and races existed! That was new. Usually, in any fairy tale location Henry got to read about, technologies were inexistant. But apparently in Sugar Rush, things were just a little different…

Henry was a little disappointed when he reached the end of what his pen wrote, but he took the time to admire the illustration on the back of the page. It represented well what was going on, Vanellope walking alone across a forest of candy cane trees. The girl's green hoodie contrasted nicely the mostly red and white landscape. And she was certainly a little cutie. After having processed what just happened, Henry then closed his book and hurried to dress up for the day. He had to show this to his moms!

As Henry was descending the stairs, he saw to his pleasant surprise that his mom Emma came to his house to talk with his other mom. Good, he could explain this to them both directly. Emma and Regina looked up the stairs to see their son, holding his precious book.

"Hey, kid. I see you're in a good mood today?" - Emma noted - "As I had free time this morning, I decided to come by so we could decide about our vaca-"

"Moms, you'll never believe what just happened!" - Henry cut her off in his excitement - "When I woke up, a new story wrote itself! Well, rather its start."

"What?" - Emma blurted out.

"A new story? What do you mean?" - Regina asked on her turn.

Henry opened his book at the newest pages, showed it to his moms and explained to them more precisely what happened. He allowed Emma to read some of it, then he took a deep breath and decided to express what he had in mind.

"I think… I think we should go there."

Both Emma and Regina gave their son a shocked look. They didn't expect Henry to suggest this, after all the crazy trips to the other worlds they've already experienced. The post-curse Enchanted Forest, Neverland, Camelot, the Underworld,... Every time, they've dangerously flirted with death, and it wasn't something they were thrilled to repeat. And they certainly didn't expect it was something that Henry wanted to repeat. He's always wanted for everyone to just live happily. So why would he suggest going to an unknown land?

"I know what you're thinking." - Henry started, seeing the looks on his mothers' faces - "That it's dangerous and that we don't know what exactly awaits us there, but…"

"But how does that concern us?" - Regina asked - "We're here, while the story takes place in some far away land… and an unheard one."

"It concerns me because I wrote this story with my Author powers, in my fairy tale book." - Henry remarked - "Which means something is starting somewhere, and this girl is clearly a person who needs help. Isn't it the heroes' duty to help those in need?"

"You said it yourself, Henry. Something's starting somewhere." - Emma pointed out - "There's always something going on in the… many worlds, that's unavoidable, that's life's natural course. Yes, we are heroes. But does it really mean we must burden ourselves with all the world's misery?"

"What matters is that we do our best where we can, and this already makes a big difference." - Regina added on her turn.

"But if the story wrote itself, that must be a sign!" - Henry protested - "I feel like it's a call for me to go out there, to see the story, so I can record it properly and… possibly help? I can't have been made Author for nothing!"

"Of course not. But you can always record the ongoing story… from here." - Emma said gently, trying to reason with her son - "Your magic pen allows you to do just that, you don't need to be out there to write a good story."

"Besides, we know that altering the story has drastic consequences." - Regina reminded him a little more sternly.

"Other Authors have travelled across lands to write down the stories we know today… and I don't want to do anything foolish, I just… want to witness it myself. To be there and get to know the heroine more personally." - Henry explained, yet he had a feeling his intentions weren't truly understood - "So... you're not with me on this?"

"Henry, we're not against you or your ideas…" - Emma sighed with a sorry look - "All we want is your safety. Don't run recklessly into danger, enjoy life while it's still simple."

"It's what you've always wanted for all of us, didn't you?" - Regina asked her son.

Henry nodded a little (almost in defeat), as it was true.

"See? So don't burden yourself with something that can be solved on their own. You're the Author, but the story you're writing has its own hero. And heroes wouldn't be ones if they couldn't handle their problems and villains by themselves." - Regina pointed out.

"...I guess you do have a point, Mom…" - Henry sighed.

"Good!" - Emma said with relief and a little too much energy - "Now that this is settled, how about we talk about our little vacation plan? We still haven't picked a city we're going to."

"Sorry, I… I'm not in the mood for that, right now." - Henry said, then proceeded to go towards the door - "I'm going out for a little while."

"Henry, I…" - Emma started.

"I get it, Mom. You both want the best for me. I'm not mad at you, I just want some alone time to think." - the teenage boy then opened the door - "See you later, Moms."

With those words, Henry went outside, leaving his mothers a little baffled. Regina and Emma both sighed. It wasn't easy to understand Henry's wants anymore. He was growing up, longing for independence… but was this the way? No, what he wanted was too dangerous, too reckless. And yet, Emma couldn't help but feel a little bad for having crushed Henry's excitement.

"You think we were a bit harsh? Maybe we shouldn't have-" - she started, only to be cut off by Regina.

"Don't be ridiculous, Emma." - said the former queen with an incredulous expression - "You know very well we couldn't have granted him what he asked for."

"I know… But do we really understand what it means to be him? To be an Author?" - Emma questioned, to which the two women just went silent.

...

While Henry was walking in the streets of Storybrooke, he replayed his moms' words in his head. And he asked himself the same thing they asked him a few minutes ago. Why did he want to go to a potentially dangerous place while he could finally live a calm and peaceful life, indeed? Henry never wanted his moms, or anyone else of his family, to go through this crazy rollercoaster again. There's always been something wrong in their lives, always some new threat to show up whenever they thought it was all over. Henry's biggest wish back then was for his family to just live normal happy lives. It was the case now, they all were happy in ways that satisfied them. Henry didn't want this to ever change. He'd never disturb their peace, but now it wasn't about them. It was about himself. On one hand, he knew that Emma and Regina probably knew best, that they were just doing their parenting job. On another hand, Henry also knew they didn't truly understand his Author's role and powers. Heck, he was still figuring it out himself! But one thing was certain; there was a call from within him that told him to go to that kingdom called Sugar Rush, to assist the story with his own eyes. Henry couldn't really explain it. He also knew that his predecessor, Isaac, had actually witnessed the stories he wrote throughout the years. Granted, Isaac wasn't an example of a "good Author", since he had violated too many rules, but Henry knew that travelling was a normal part of the job. So why couldn't he do the same? "I believe to be the best judge of whether I should go or not." - he thought - "I am the Author, and writing down stories is my duty. So isn't it up to me how I do my job?" With those thoughts, Henry's resolve set up. He would go to Sugar Rush. The inner call was too strong to ignore.

And so, the teenage boy walked in a precise direction; towards the graveyard and his adoptive mother's crypt. As far as he knew, Regina kept a newly harvested pod of magic beans in there.

...

After he arrived at Regina's crypt and searched throughout her magic stuff for a little while, Henry's guess got proven right. A little smile played on his face when he took the pod in his hand. Opening it carefully, Henry saw it contained three magic glass-like beans. It was just enough for a round-trip, with an extra just in case. Now that he found his portal, and having his magic pen secured in his pocket, he knew he was ready to go. But then he paused. Yes, he was ready, but should he go? He knew it was wrong to make his mothers' worry and leave without their permission, and he hated the idea of doing so. But he had to do this. It was more than time for him to understand what it truly meant to be an Author. He needed to explain this to his moms somehow. Then, he got an idea. He took a piece of paper and started to write a note for his moms to find.

"Moms, I'm really sorry for doing this. I hate to make you sad or worried, and I can't properly explain this myself, but I just know I must go out there. Maybe going to Sugar Rush and seeing the ongoing story myself will help me understand my Author role better. To better understand who I am. Again, I'm very sorry for upsetting you, but please try to understand. But if you can't, I won't blame you, because I don't fully comprehend it myself. I promise I'll be careful, and I do have my way back to Storybrooke. Love you."

After rereading his note once more, Henry nodded. It was good enough. He then gently laid the paper on the table and went to the exit. Once outside, he took one magic bean in his hand and made sure to properly secure the other ones in the inside pocket of his jacket. That way, the beans couldn't be easily lost or stolen. Taking one deep breath, the teenage boy threw the magic bean he's been holding on the ground. Within seconds, a tornado-like portal opened itself in front of him.

All Henry needed to do now was to make the jump.

...

Not very long after Henry had left the house, Regina and Emma had decided to go look for him so they could talk again and try coming to a better understanding. After having checked a few places where they thought he'd go, and not finding him, they grew a little frustrated.

"Where else didn't we check?" - Emma asked her friend.

"...My crypt." - Regina said with a look of realization - "Of course, how haven't I thought of that sooner? Henry can get very stubborn when he has an idea in mind, and he left after we told him we wouldn't go explore that sugary kingdom."

"No…" - Emma's eyes widened - "You… You don't think he'd..?"

"I don't know, but we better not take any chances." - Regina replied as she and Emma went back into the car and drove in the direction of the graveyard.

It took them only a few minutes to make it to their destination, and then they ran across the field of tombstones, praying they'd find their son still here rather than gone to the unknown world. They had to convince him that staying in Storybrooke was the best option for him. The grey stony crypt was soon in their sight… and so was Henry.

"Henry!" - the two mothers cried at once.

The boy turned his head towards them and appeared to look somewhat nervous, and it was at that moment when both Regina and Emma noticed the glow at their son's feet. He had opened a portal.

"Henry, no!" - Regina screamed.

"Don't cross that portal!" - Emma yelled on her turn.

There was a very brief silence, just a few seconds long, then the boy spoke up with a sorry yet resolved expression.

"I'm sorry, Moms. But I have to do this."

With those words, Henry turned his head back to the portal and then, before Emma or Regina got the chance to rush at his side and grab him, he jumped into the portal. His mothers' call of his name was the last thing Henry heard while he was falling across the interdimensional tunnel.

Sugar Rush

A few moments later, Henry landed on the ground at the other side. As he got up and brushed the dirt off his clothes, he noticed that said "dirt" actually had a familiar smell and texture, which he quickly identified as cocoa. Henry looked around and his expression quickly turned into one of wonder. He was surrounded by candy cane trees from all around him, the same ones as in his new book page. At a distance, he could distinguish mountains in the shape of chocolates (which it was likely made of), as well as what resembled a volcano. "I really did it…" - Henry thought to himself as he started to walk in a kind of twirling motion, taking in the surrounding scenery - "I did it! I'm actually in Sugar Rush!" The boy's excited thoughts were soon interrupted by a young voice.

"Hello!"

Henry froze and turned around towards where he believed the voice came from. To his surprise, a pre-teen girl was sitting on a branch of one of the nearest trees. She was wearing a green hoodie, a double-layered brown skirt reminiscent of a cupcake wrapping, mismatching striped leggings, and small black boots. She had hazel eyes and raven-black hair that was covered by sprinkles and tied up in a ponytail by a red licorice.

The young Author immediately recognized her being the heroine of the new story. It was her, the aspiring racer Vanellope! Shocked to see her for real, Henry was speechless. Vanellope was looking at him with curiosity, mildly swinging her feet, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

"You're not from here, are you?"

A/N: I'm sorry if Henry turned out to be a little OOC here. But I thought that he's at the age to seek for his own self now, and an important yet vague duty would add up to that. I honestly think his Author role should've played a bigger role in the show that it had, so if you wished the same thing, then this is the story for you. ;)

Also, there was very little of Emma and Regina here, but I can guarantee there will be more of them in the next chapter, which should be longer than this one (whenever it comes out). They'll play a much bigger role, stay assured. Henry will have a bigger developement though, as his friendship with Vanellope will be one of the central aspects.