Chapter 18: Growth Spurt
The next day, the sun rose over the virtual kingdom of Sugar Rush, casting its honey glow over the confectionary landscape. And the first place the light struck was the tall, white chocolate towers of the royal castle, including the one where Vanellope's bedroom lay. A large room decorated in chocolate browns and bubblegum pinks, it held all the average accoutrements of such a room, from the tall wardrobe to the vanity table to the four poster bed. Beneath the bed's thick blankets, Vanellope stirred before sitting upright as she yawned and stretched her arms above her head.
As Vanellope sat in her bed, her mind replayed the events of the night before. When she got to the part where she kissed Dash, a blush and a smile formed on Vanellope's face as she absentmindedly ran a hand through her loose hair. As she did, a brief look of confusion passed over her features as she noticed her hair seemed to be longer than she remembered it being. Shrugging it off as having not fully woken up yet, Vanellope threw off her blankets and rolled to her feet.
As she rose into a standing position, Vanellope was briefly unable to gain her balance, requiring her to grab hold of one of the posters of her bed until she managed to steady herself. Blinking in confusion, Vanellope glanced around, noticing that her view of her room was different than it had been the night before. As she looked around, Vanellope's eyes fell on a full-length mirror that stood across the room from her. As her reflection looked back at her, Vanellope's eyes went wide in shock.
The scream that followed could be heard through the entirety of Sugar Rush.
Later,
"But baby it's cold outside," Elsa sang softly to herself as she made her way down the halls of the Arendelle royal castle with a clear skip in her step, dressed in a long white skirt, blue tank top and white cardigan with her hair in a loose ponytail. Walking through a door, Elsa found herself in the dining hall, a long room occupied by an almost equally long wooden table, with large, bay windows running down the wall opposite the door looking out over the castle grounds and a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
Glancing around, Elsa spotted Anna sitting nearby, gingerly eating a plate of scrambled eggs, resting an elbow on the table so that she could prop up her head with her hand. Anna was currently dressed in grey sweatpants and a red t-shirt with the words "Fork This" written in black block letters on the front along with the image of a fork. Her strawberry blond hair hung loose and looked as though Anna hadn't combed it yet.
"Good morning, Anna!" Elsa greeted with a sunny smile as she approached her sister.
"Oh wow, could you be a tad bit quieter," Anna requested as she hissed in pain while squinting her eyes, "Also, has it always been so bright in this room?"
"I'm guessing all that eggnog from last night is catching up with you," Elsa observed with a wry smile as she sat down next to Anna.
"A little bit," Anna admitted as she looked at Elsa, "You're certainly looking cheery today."
"Well, last night was a very enjoyable evening," Elsa observed with a dreamy smile.
"Yeah, but it wasn't that enjoyable," Anna countered as she speared another piece of egg with her fork before popping it into her mouth, "You act like you-"
Anna cut herself off as her eyes widened in realization. Dropping her fork onto her plate, Anna spun to face Elsa, and started to say something, only to begin choking on the eggs that she had been eating. As Anna descended into a coughing fit, Elsa could only roll her eyes while patting her sister on the back in an effort to help her.
"Are you alright?" Elsa questioned after Anna's coughing had subsided.
"You kissed Ralph!" Anna replied while giving Elsa an accusatory look.
"I'm going to take that to mean you're alright," Elsa stated with a wry smirk.
"You said you were going to come talk to me about it if it happened," Anna pouted.
"Anna, you were passed out," Elsa countered, "I hardly believe you would have wanted me to wake you up to talk about this."
"Well, I guess we'll never know now," Anna huffed while turning away from Elsa.
"Do you want me to tell you what happened or not?" Elsa asked as she rolled her eyes at her sister's antics.
"Yes, please," Anna replied as she brightened up and gave Elsa her full attention.
Before Elsa could say anything, one of the castle servants opened the door and stepped into the room, bowing as he spotted the royal sisters.
"Your Majesty," the servant said as he straightened up, "Forgive the intrusion, but there is some here requesting your presence in the entrance hall. A Mr. Fix-It?"
"Felix?" Anna questioned in confusion.
"I wonder what he could want?" Elsa asked, a look of anxiety coming over her features, "Do you think Ralph is alright?"
"I'm sure Ralph is fine," Anna reassured him, "But we should probably see what Felix wants all the same."
"Right," Elsa agreed before she and Anna rose from their seats and began making their way towards the entrance hall. A short while later, the sisters entered the hall, where they found Felix waiting for them, hat in hand.
"Oh, hello, Your Majesties," Felix greeted as he turned towards the sisters and bowed, "I know we haven't met before but I'm-"
"Fix-It Felix Junior," Elsa interrupted with a warm smile, "We may not have met before, Mr. Fix-It, but I assure you, Ralph has told me all about you."
"I guess I should have known he was talkin' about me behind my back," Felix observed with a chuckle.
"Only good things, I promise," Elsa reassured him.
"So, what brings you by so early in the morning?" Anna inquired.
"Well, to be honest, we need y'all's help," Felix answered with a nervous expression.
"What do you need our help with?" Elsa asked as her brow furrowed.
"To tell the truth, I don't rightly know," Felix admitted, "All I know is that it has to do with Vanellope."
"Vanellope?" Elsa questioned, her expression quickly growing concerned, "What's wrong? Is she alright?"
"I don't know, Your Majesty," Felix replied with a shake of his head, "From what I understand, Vanellope woke up screamin' today and refused to come out. Some of the others from Sugar Rush came to get Ralph, but she's refusin' to talk to anyone except for the two of you."
Blinking in surprise, Elsa and Anna looked at each other before an expression of determination crossed the queen's features and she turned her attention to Felix again.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Elsa questioned as she looked back at Felix, "Lead the way."
A short time later, Elsa and Anna sat with Felix on the trolley that traveled down the tunnel to Sugar Rush.
"You could have warned me," Anna grumbled as she pulled her hair back into a messy bun before wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
"I told you the digitizer was going to be strange," Elsa replied.
"You didn't tell me it was going to make me throw up," Anna grumbled.
"I think we both know that wasn't the digitizer," Elsa observed as she gave Anna a pointed look.
Anna looked like she was ready to argue, but was distracted by a light appearing at the end of the tunnel. Turning their attention towards it, Elsa and Anna saw that the tunnel ended with a mouth that looked out on a teal sky with pink clouds. As the trolley came to a stop, the three exited, allowing them to see that connected to the mouth of the tunnel was a long, rainbow bridge encrusted in crystalized sugar. As they stepped up to the bridge, the sisters gasped in surprise as they took in the sight of Sugar Rush.
"Are those ice cream mountains!?" Anna questioned as she pointed off into the distance while the three of them made their way across the bridge.
"It sure is," Felix confirmed with an amused chuckle.
"And is that a candy cane forest!?" Anna asked excitedly as she rushed to the other side of the bridge, pointing again.
"Yep," Felix answered with a slightly annoyed tone.
"And is that-" Anna began to shout while running across the bridge again.
"A chocolate swamp, yes," Felix said with a strained voice while Elsa pinched the bridge of her nose.
"I hope you all realize that I'm going to jump into that at some point," Anna stated as she smirked at the others.
"Yes, well you can worry about that after we help Vanellope," Elsa stated as she looked over her shoulder at Anna, "The thing we came here to do, remember?"
"Right, sorry," Anna apologized as she scratched the back of her neck, "The whole "world made of candy" thing got me excited."
"Well, while it is fascinating, I think we should worry about the task at hand first," Elsa replied.
After a short while, the trio reached the gates to Vanellope's castle, where Felix knocked on the large front door. A moment later, the door opened, revealing what could only be described as a green gumball with hands, feet and a face on the other side. He regarded the trio with a dour expression.
"Oh my gosh, the people are made of candy too," Anna whispered to Elsa as she regarded the gumball man with wide eyes.
"Sour Bill," Felix greeted with a smile as he gestured at Elsa and Anna, "I've brought the people Vanellope asked for."
"Your Majesties," the candy man, Sour Bill, greeted with a bow, his voice matching his expression, "The President was very eager to speak with you. Please follow me."
As the trio followed Sour Bill into the castle, Anna continued to stare in amazement.
"Vanellope's majordomo is a little candy man with a pun name," Anna said with a hushed voice, "I love this place."
"Anna, please," Elsa muttered with an annoyed tone as they followed Sour Bill up a spiraling staircase, "We need to focus on helping Vanellope."
"Right, sorry," Anna apologised.
A few moments later, the group reached the top of the staircase, which terminated in a hallway that led to a single, double doorway. Standing outside the closed door was Ralph dressed in his usual attire with a concerned expression on his face.
"Come on, kid," Ralph pleaded, "Talk to me."
"Go away, Ralph!" Vanellope's muffled voice came through the door, "I don't want to talk to you about this!"
"Ralph!" Elsa called as the group reached the end of the hall.
"Oh, sweet Mother Hubbard," Ralph said with a sigh of relief as he turned to face them, "I can't tell you how happy I am to see you, Elsa."
"I'll admit, after last night, I was hoping to get that reaction from you today," Elsa replied with a grin, "But I imagine this wasn't the circumstances either of us were expecting."
"I'll say," Ralph agreed with a shake of his head, "I literally have no idea what's wrong with Vanellope. She won't tell me anything."
"Well, since Felix here told us she's willing to talk to us, I'm guessing it's a girl problem," Anna replied with an awkward smile, "Kind of outside your jurisdiction."
"I'm goin' to have to agree with the princess on this one, brother," Felix added with a nod, "I think we're out of our depth here."
"Alright," Ralph said with a sigh before he smiled at Elsa, "Normally, I'd ask you to take care of her, but I don't think Vanellope could be in better hands."
Elsa said nothing in reply to this, smiling and blushing as the comment flattered her in a way she didn't fully understand.
"Seriously though, you two can make googoo eyes at each other later," Anna spoke up as she made shooing motions at Ralph, Felix and Sour Bill, "We've got lady issues to discuss."
"Okay, okay," Ralph replied as he held up his hands in mock surrender before he left and the others made their way back down the hall.
Once the men were gone, Anna looked over at Elsa and nudged her playfully with her shoulder.
"What?" Elsa asked with an amused tone.
"Nothing," Anna replied with a shake of her head, "Just noticing how adorable the two of you are, and reminding you that you still owe me the details from last night."
"There will be time for all that later, Anna," Elsa said as she shook her own head, "We should see how we can help Vanellope."
"Right, right," Anna agreed with a nod before the two of them turned towards the door to Vanellope's bedroom.
"Vanellope?" Anna called as she knocked on the door and leaned her ear against it, "You in there?"
"Anna?" Vanellope's voice asked from the other side, a hopeful tone to it, "Is that you? Is Elsa with you?"
"I'm here, Vanellope," Elsa replied as she pressed against the door as well, "Can we come in?"
"Y-Yeah, sure," Vanellope answered before the door knob moved and the door slowly swung open, "Come on in."
Stepping through the door, Elsa and Anna glanced around at Vanellope's bedroom before they heard the door close behind them. Turning around, the sisters found Vanellope standing behind them and froze in shock.
Vanellope stood with her back resting against the door, and while still recognizable as herself, she had completely changed from how she appeared the day before. Instead of a small child, Vanellope looked like she was in her late teens, standing roughly as tall as Anna and Elsa, with more regular proportions instead of the cartoonishly large head she had possessed before. Vanellope's outfit was the same as what she usually wore, though changed to fit her increased height, with her mint green sweatshirt now clinging slightly to her new curves. Vanellope's face was devoid of baby fat, and while she wore her hair in its usual style, it was long enough now that her ponytail hung between her shoulder blades.
"Vanellope?" Elsa questioned, finally breaking the silence.
"Uh, y-yeah," Vanellope replied, her voice a slightly lower pitch that the sisters were used to, "It's me."
"...Wow," Anna said, clearly trying to make sense of what she was looking at, "Did you, uh, do something with your hair?"
"No, I didn't do something with my hair!" Vanellope snapped as she gestured at herself, "Look at me!"
"What happened?" Elsa asked as she slowly began to approach Vanellope.
"I-I don't know," Vanellope replied as she ran her hands through her hair, her voice teetering on the verge of panic, "I just woke up like this!"
"Hey, it's okay," Elsa said as she stepped up to Vanellope and rested a comforting hand on her cheek, "We're going to figure this out."
Vanellope silently stared at Elsa for a moment, tears welling up in her eyes before she surged forward and hugged the blonde. Elsa blinked in surprise for a moment before gently returning the embrace.
"Okay, so there has to be a reason this happened, right?" Anna spoke up, drawing Elsa and Vanellope's attention to her, "I mean, I know there's all sorts of crazy magic in this place, but it all has rules, doesn't it?"
"I suppose," Vanellope confirmed as she wiped her eyes, "I mean, I've seen other people transform before. Loki does it all the time. Heck, he's turned me into a duck and a penguin before."
"He turned you into a duck and a penguin?" Elsa repeated as she looked at Vanellope in confusion, "Do you think he's the one who did this?"
"Nah, this doesn't seem his style," Anna replied with a shake of her head, "Besides, if it had been him, he would have already shown up to gloat about it by now."
"Do you think he could help us then?" Elsa inquired.
"Probably," Vanellope answered with a defeated expression as she sat on the edge of her bed, "But I have no idea how to contact him."
A hush fell over the room as the women thought over their predicament before realization struck Vanellope like a thunderbolt.
"But I do know how to reach Turbo!" Vanellope declared with a broad grin.
"How's Turbo going to help?" Anna asked in confusion.
"He can transform into King Candy and that big bug monster," Vanellope explained, "Maybe he would know something that would help me out."
"It's worth a shot," Anna agreed with a shrug.
"Do you know where Turbo is?" Elsa questioned.
"He usually hangs over by Bald Mountain with the other villains," Vanellope answered, "It's the big scary looking mountain, you can't miss it."
"Okay, I'll go there and see if I can't find Turbo," Elsa said with a nod before she pointed at Anna, "You stay here with Vanellope."
"You go it," Anna agreed as she walked over to Vanellope's bed and sat next to the brunette.
"Elsa, thank you for doing this," Vanellope said as she looked at the blonde warmly, "I knew I could count on you."
Elsa's only reply was to give Vanellope a smile that was both heartfelt and embarrassed before she nodded in reply and exited the room.
"So, now that we're alone, I should probably tell you that Ralph and Elsa totally kissed last night," Anna whispered conspiratorially as she leaned closer to Vanellope.
"Really!?" Vanellope asked excitedly.
Later,
A short while later, Elsa found herself walking down a disused path that traveled through a dark forest that seemed to consist of nothing but black skeletal trees and twisting patches of bramble covered in thorns. Dark clouds rolled above head, and looming on the horizon was the shadowed peak of Bald Mountain.
As Elsa hurried down the path, the sound of something moving through the dark woods caught her attention. Coming to a stop, Elsa glanced around, but couldn't make out anything moving through the murky shadows of the surrounding trees, though she continued to hear rustling in the surrounding undergrowth.
"Hello?" Elsa called wearily, her eyes darting about for any sign of what she was hearing, "Is someone there?"
Elsa received no reply but the sound of rustling in the underbrush continued, growing closer by the moment.
"I warn you now," Elsa declared as she raised her hands and flexed her fingers, causing a few snowflakes to form and drift to the ground, "I'm not afraid to defend myself."
Elsa again received no reply as whatever was in the undergrowth drew ever closer. A moment later, a raven emerged from the brush, fluttering its wings as it hopped into view. As Elsa blinked in surprise, the raven cocked its head to one side as it regarded her and quarked loudly.
"Well, well," a voice suddenly said from behind Elsa, causing the queen to start in surprise, "What an interesting bauble Diablo has found this time."
Spinning around, Elsa's eyes widened in surprise as she found Maleficent standing a short distance away, the raven flying into view a moment later and settling onto the dark fairy's shoulder.
"It seems we meet again, little Snow Queen," Maleficent observed as she sneered at Elsa, "Do tell, what brings you to my wood?"
"I was on my way to Bald Mountain," Elsa answered as she looked at Maleficent wearily, "I'm looking for Turbo."
"Ah, yes," Maleficent commented as she began walking around Elsa like a predator circling its prey, "He is one of your little friends, isn't he? So, what do you need of the little pest?"
"I really don't see how that's any of your concern," Elsa replied evenly, glancing over her shoulder as Maleficent walked behind her.
"These are my woods, little girl," Maleficent retorted coldly, pausing just behind Elsa's shoulder as she spoke, "All things within them are my concern, whether you like it or not."
"Fine," Elsa said as she turned and locked eyes with Maleficent, her icy blue gaze boring into the fey's piercing green, "I need Turbo's aid in helping a friend of mine. She….there's something wrong with her."
"Your sister?" Maleficent inquired before shaking her head as she observed Elsa's expression, "No, the little princess of the candy land. What could possibly ail her? Cavities?"
"If you must know, she's gone through some kind of….transformation," Elsa explained as she glanced away with uncertainty.
"Transformed into what?" Maleficent pressed with an arched brow, "A gingerbread man?"
"She got older," Elsa answered, "She went to bed a girl and woke up a young woman."
"Oh, that," Maleficent replied with a roll of her eyes.
"What do you mean 'that'?" Elsa inquired as her brow furrowed.
"This place has a strange magic all its own," Maleficent answered as she gestured vaguely at their surroundings, "It can cause changes when you least expect it. Usually from moments that spike high emotions."
"Like, a first kiss perhaps?" Elsa asked as her expression turned thoughtful.
"Perhaps," Maleficent agreed with a shrug.
"Is there any way to undo this?" Elsa questioned hopefully.
"Undo?" Maleficent questioned with a snort, "No. But her child self is not lost, if that's your concern."
"So, you're saying she could turn back," Elsa surmised with wide eyes.
"If that is something she desires," Maleficent answered, "There are many people in the Magic Kingdom who can perform such transformations."
"Like you," Elsa observed, "Ralph told me you can turn into a dragon."
"Vast magical powers and all anyone remembers is the dragon," Maleficent muttered with an annoyed expression, "Yes, I know how to transform."
"Well, then maybe you could come and teach Vanellope how to do it," Elsa suggested hopefully, "I'm sure she'd be very eager to learn how to transform back into her old self."
"I'm sure she would, but I have better things to do with my time than teach some sugar plum princess how to transform," Maleficent said as she gave Elsa a withering glare, "Find someone else."
"It's kind of an emergency," Elsa said as she ran a hand through her hair in frustration, "Please, this is important."
"As is my time," Maleficent replied, "I see no reason to waste it on your problems."
"Fine then, I don't know, teach me how to do it," Elsa suggested as she glared at Maleficent.
"And you think that would take less of my time?" Maleficent questioned with an amused smirk.
"I know how to do magic," Elsa argued, "I can learn more."
"You know a magic," Maleficent corrected, "Whether you have it in you to be a sorceress has yet to be proven."
"I can do this," Elsa pressed, "Just give me a chance."
"Even if I did, the spell you're asking about is for changing between forms," Maleficent explained, "And as far as I am aware, you do not have another form which to change into."
"Maybe I do," Elsa replied as a pensive expression came over her face, "I have some friends who have seen the film I come from and they said it starts out by showing me as a child. If what you say is true, then I should be able to change into that form."
"My, you are a quick study," Maleficent observed with an amused smile, "You are correct. Perhaps this won't be a complete waste of my time."
"Just tell me what I have to do," Elsa stated with annoyance.
"It's quite simple really," Maleficent replied, "Clear your mind of all other thoughts except the image of that which you want to change into. Once you have that fixed, it's as easy as willing yourself into that form."
"Willing myself into a completely different form?" Elsa questioned skeptically.
"In the same way you will ice to take shape," Maleficent explained as she held out a hand and curled it into a fist, "You need only command it."
Elsa's brow furrowed at this but asked no further questions, closing her eyes and taking a calming breath. Following Maleficent's instructions, Elsa emptied her mind of all thoughts except for the image of how she remembered herself as a child and willed herself to take that form. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen, and Elsa began to wonder if she was wasting her time. Then, suddenly, Elsa felt a rush of energy surge through her before she was overcome by the sensation of her body changing. A moment later, the sensation stopped and Elsa opened her eyes to discover her whole view point had changed.
Elsa's appearance had transformed from a young woman to a girl no older than ten. Elsa's outfit had changed with her, fitting her now much smaller form, and her slightly shorter hair was pulled back into the same loose ponytail. Her blue eyes wide, Elsa looked up at Maleficent, who now towered over her.
"Well, well," Maleficent said with an impressed smirk, "Perhaps you have a better grasp of magic than I gave you credit for."
"It worked!" Elsa exclaimed in wonder, her voice higher pitched than it had been a moment before.
"Of course," Maleficent replied matter-of-factly, "Why wouldn't it have worked?"
"Part of me was worried that you were trying to trick me," Elsa answered with a look of embarrassment.
"Please," Maleficent sighed with an annoyed tone, "I have better things to do than engage in petty betrayal."
"Well, I'm sorry for doubting you," Elsa apologized with a formal tone while giving Maleficent a mall bow, "And I thank you for your assistance."
"Yes, yes," Maleficent replied with a dismissive wave of her hand, "Now, didn't you have a princess to save or some other nonsense?"
"Yes, of course," Elsa answered with a nod before she turned to go, "Good day, Maleficent."
Maleficent said nothing in reply as she watched Elsa leave, a pensive expression on her face.
"Snow Queen!" Maleficent called, causing Elsa to pause and look back at the fairy in confusion, "Come find me on the morrow."
"What for?" Elsa asked uncertainly.
"You don't think you've mastered magic after one lesson, do you?" Maleficent questioned with an amused smirk, "You have much left to learn."
With that, Maleficent turned away and disappeared into the darkened woods, leaving a bewildered Elsa in her wake.
Later,
"Look, they've been locked in there all day!" Ralph shouted as he marched down the upper hallway of the Sugar Rush royal castle, Sour Bill following in his tracks, "I have to know what's going on!"
"But the president left explicit instructions!" Sour Bill argued as he hustled to keep up with Ralph's longer strides.
"I don't care!" Ralph fired back as he approached the door to Vanellope's bedroom, "The kid will understand that I'm just worried about her."
Reaching the door, Ralph barged through it and took a few steps into the bedroom before he stopped with a shocked expression on his face. Before Ralph, a small table had been set up, on which a toy tea set sat. Vanellope, now back in her child form, sat at a chair with a tea cup in her hands. She was flanked by a child Elsa and an equally young looking Anna, who each had tea cups of their own.
"Hey, what's the big idea!?" Vanellope demanded angrily as the girls all turned to look at Ralph.
"Ralph, you're not allowed to be here," Elsa said as she gave Ralph a pointed look, "This is girl's only."
"Yeah, so beat it!" Anna shouted as she hoped to her feet and marched over to Ralph. Before Ralph could figure out what was going on, Anna had reached him and began shoving the wrecker towards the door. While Anna was far too small to physically move Ralph, the wrecker was so caught off guard by everything that he willingly let the girl push him back towards the door.
"And stay out!" Anna declared once Ralph was through the door, before she slammed it in the wrecker's face. As a round of muffled giggles came through the door, Ralph blinked in surprise before he looked down at Sour Bill in confusion.
"I tried to warn you," Sour Bill said with a helpless shrug before he turned and began walking away, leaving a still baffled Ralph behind.
A/N: I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Hope you all liked it as well. As always, feedback and critiques are always welcome, so please review! Later!