Vanellope bid Sour Bill g'night and set out on her kart, figuring a midnight drive would do her some good. It had only been a single week since Turbo had been outed, removed from power and (as far as any of them knew) destroyed. A single seven days back in power, everything set right and already it felt like things were spiraling out of control.
What will the gamers think come game day? Another new racer? My appearance was already a crazy shock to them!
It was true, at first, all the other racers grew nervous while the confused gamer children looked for King Candy, but after shrugging it off and choosing Vanellope as their character of choice, the other gamers were soon having a blast. No one cared about a lost King Candy when you had a brand new teleporting racer princess at the wheel. It wasn't like it was unheard of for games to go under strange new changes in the arcade and this applied to Ralph's game, Fix-It Felix, Jr. A brand new bonus game a had appeared seemingly overnight, but any veteran players didn't seem too shocked to see it and were far more excited over the whole thing. Explanations weren't needed, but the appearance of the mystery racer might just raise enough eyebrows to cause a problem. Maybe, she thought while drumming her fingers on the steering wheel.
The princess had stopped somewhere random where the road split into several other options. A wooden sign had several places inscribed on it, pointing from left to right.
Diet Cola Mountain ==
Game Exit ==
Race Entry ==
Sweet Tooth Village ==
Of all the places, the village had to be the least familiar to her. When under Turbo's rule, she was never allowed to even get close to the village. Not that she was a welcome sight to anyone. Shrugging some, she shifted back into drive and made a hard right after pushing on the gas. She wasn't really sure where she wanted to go, but after getting used to her new (or would it be old?) role in the game, she had been too busy to really explore. To see the places that the despicable King Candy hadn't wanted her to see.
Feeling a bit excited and a tad nervous, she pushed along, watching building after building come into view. "Time to see what I've been missing out on!"
From her car, she could just make out some lights, sounds, and music. A party? she surmised. The buildings got closer and closer and eventually, she was able to confirm that, yes, the other racers were holding a celebration. "Sweet! I better get down there!"
Excitement coursed through her veins while she smiled away. "Oh, this is gonna be good. Pres Vanellope joins the party!"
Glitch!
Almost immediately she pounded her foot on the brakes, her car coming to a screeching halt. Doubt began to cloud her vision.
Oh no! I gl-gl-gl-glitched, too!
She closed her eyes, imagining Jubileena Bing-Bing destroying her cart.
You will never be a racer, because you're a glitch, and that's all you'll ever be!
Her eyes started to feel puffy and her fingers trembled over the steering wheel. "I- it's in the past. They- they didn't mean it, girl," she tried to assure herself.
I told you, you're an accident waiting to happen!
Say I'm you, I'm in my weird little car, and I'm driving and I actually feel kind of cool for once, and then all of a sudden, Oh-No G-g-g-g-g-g-g-g -GLITCHING!
Long past the point of holding it in, the girl began to sniffle. She felt so angry with how they had treated her. Were they even her friends to begin with?
The vanilla racer wiped her tears on her sleeve and sighed. "I said I forgave them, right?"
Filled with doubt, she pulled up just outside the village and felt content to watch the party from the sidelines. Not like I was invited anyway…
Sweet Tooth Village was quite the sight to behold. Gingerbread buildings, two-story apartment complexes decorate with every candy known to the arcade. Candy cane signposts and crystal rock candy street lights string up all around. One might mistake the place for a Santa Claus village with all the ice cream snow that littered the streets, not that anyone seemed to mind.
It's so beautiful.
The other racers were all gathered together under a single roof, a sort of dance club mixed in with a bar if she wasn't mistaken. They giggled, laughed, smiled and talked. Just like friends would. For a second, a split second but a second nonetheless, Vanellope almost felt like joining them. She was their president, their leader, so why shouldn't she?
She thought back for the fifteen years of being under King Candy's rule and slowly she got her answer. They're not my friends. Friends hang out, they get to know each other. They like each other. Just like Ralph.
Just thinking about the big lug brought her spirits back up and soaring higher than she ever thought possible. He filled her with hope and so many warm and pleasant thoughts that she couldn't help but smile. Still, something nagged her about their little party. Not being invited felt like a low blow; hadn't they done enough to her already?
Pouting a bit, she turned her kart around and started to slowly drive away, though something stopped her. There, perched on a lonely mountain was a small lit up cottage, one decorated in all manner of strawberry and taffy flavored candies and treats. Confused, the racer looked back and noted that not a single place in the village was lit up except the little dance club. The sole exception being a small little two-story house, one she suspected to belong to Taffyta.
"Why was she in tears earlier?"
Hesitating and feeling like she was going crazy, Vanellope slowly inched over to the mountain and parked before shutting her kart off. "I've gotta be crazy for doing this. Nuttier than Pac-Man on a cherry binge."
She took a few hesitant steps, making footprints in the ice cream snow. The closer she got to the strange looking cottage, the worse off she felt. "This is gonna be so stupid," she murmured, but her mind was made up.
Before she could chicken out the raven-haired racer forced her hands to give a few audible knocks on the door. Here we go, no backing out now.
"Go away, Crumbelina! I told you already, I don't want to party! Now get!"
Didn't expect that. "Uh, it's me, Vanellope," she called out and waited.
The first thing she heard was someone falling and a loud audible "oof" coming from Taffyta. She winced and waited for the racer to scramble downstairs. Then there was a quick pause and the door slowly creaked open, but Taffyta had left it at that.
"Uh, h- hi?" Taffyta stuttered in confusion.
Someone hasn't been sleeping, Vanellope noted. Taffyta gave her a tired stare and waited for a reply.
Vanellope waved. "'Sup? You been okay, Taffyta?"
The unsure and skeptical stare turned into a scowl. "Did they put you up to this? Coming to check on me?" she asked rather defensively.
"What?! No! I didn't even talk to them," she argued, though Taffyta merely stood with her arms on her hips, unimpressed. Vanellope took a deep breath and continued. "I just wanted to see if you were alright, okay?"
The pink racer scowled and even pouted.
"I am fine, just like I told them. Now go enjoy that stupid party or something, I have other things to do," but before she could slam the door, Vanellope's foot stopped her.
"First off, I wasn't invited," she said. Taffyta raised an eyebrow to that. "Second off, you don't seem fine, taffy brain. Y- you were crying on the track. I saw you."
That, she suddenly decided, was exactly the wrong thing to say.
Taffyta slowly opened the door and started to march forward. "You listen to me, pixel girl!" she exclaimed, poking Vanellope in the chest, causing her to glitch in several places. "I am fine, I was NOT crying and I don't want to talk. I don- don't care if you're our princess or president or whatever you are! Leave, now!"
The irate racer spun around and started marching back to her house. Vanellope clutched her fists in anger but held it back. Easy girl. She's upset over something, find out what.
"I was just checking if you were okay…"
Taffyta scoffed and glanced behind her. "I'm fine and I'll be even better when everyone stops checking up on me like I'm some sort of baby. Got me?!"
Shaking in fear, Vanellope could only think to nod in understanding. "Yeah, I got you…"
"Good," was all she said and turned around.
She wasn't sure what possessed her to say anything after that, but Vanellope felt it was her duty to act. "You know," she started and Taffyta stopped in place as she clenched her fist in anger. "If… if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm always open." She had to resist the urge to yell out a nickname or say a quip.
Not like anyone but Ralph talks to me after hours, anyway. The thought filled her with utter depression, but she had to shake it off. Things had only been back to "normal" for around a week. They'll come around...
Taffyta exhaled and simply gave a stiff nod before shutting her front door. Vanellope stuck her hands in her jacket and walked off in a huff. The princess gave one last longing look at the party before driving back to the castle, feeling even lonelier than when King Candy had ruled the place.
Sleep hadn't come easily to the young princess and when she finally did, her dreams were filled with strange visions of the mystery racer and a bizarre mixture of Taffyta. She barely remembered any of it when her eyes cracked open that morning. "Gameday…" she moaned.
It was strange, waking up in the castle and riding out to a real arcade game day should have excited her, but her mind was too busy putting puzzle pieces together. Why was Taffyta so upset? And what would the other gamers think of the new mystery racer… for that matter, would she even show up during a live game?
Time seemed to blur that morning and before she knew it, Vanellope and the other racers were on the track. She blinked, not seeing the mystery racer there despite her winning. Weird…
QUARTER ALERT! QUARTER ALERT!
Selecting other racers was always a strange occurrence, the first time Vanellope got to be part of it she felt strange. Almost like she wasn't in control of her body, though she could still choose to act on her own.
The players would rotate the steering wheel, sorting through all the available players for the day. With each selection, a camera would be floated over to focus on them while the potentially selected player showed off their stuff. The girl who sat down to play tried to focus on her selections, but then she gave a confuses stare.
"What's this?"
Vanellope froze, her eyes widening while she tried to not sweat bullets. What's what?! Something can't be wrong with the game! Please don't tell me something is…
"Hit the brake pedal to unlock the Mystery Racer?! The hay?!"
Her curiosity piqued the small girl did just that while the other racers gave each other nervous glances.
The camera and the candy person holding it almost looked confused for a moment since there wasn't anyone to focus on, that was until everyone heard the telltale sound of the racer's strange vehicle contraption. The racer sped up to the starting line as the camera zoomed in on her. Just like before, she was fully clothed in black and had a helmet which blocked her face and hair.
The girl who chose her started bouncing in her seat. "Cool! Let's do this!" she exclaimed, pushing down on the gas.
MYSTERY RACER CHOSEN! LET'S SUGAR RUSH!
The other racers shook off their confusion and shrugged. If the player didn't care, then it wasn't worth their time worrying over. Granted, Vanellope still felt quite nervous over the whole ordeal. Still, all of them got into their karts while the mystery girl pushed her two-wheeled kart to the starting line.
3
2
1
SUGAR RUSH!
The race was not the horrible nightmare they all expected it to be. With another player, a child no less, in charge of the mystery kid's actions, things seemed far calmer. At first. The kid was still getting a feel for the controls on the new character and finished in fourth.
"So hard to turn! Hmm… I gotta try again!" the child said and entered another quarter.
They all went through the same motions, only this time the kid instantly picked the mystery racer. With a bit better control, the child was able to steer the racer avatar into a power-up block. That's when the trouble started.
"Huh? Where's my power up thingy?"
The kid squinted its eyes and slowed the vehicle down, trying to make heads or tales of the strange icon on the screen: a mirror with a skeleton icon just under it.
Inside Sugar Rush, Vanellope would occasionally glance back at the black racer, watching the player make random moves here and there, but she knew she had to focus or the other players might think something was wrong with the machine. That was the last thing they needed.
The child player shrugged and hit one of the power-up buttons, waiting for something to happen.
DOPPELGANGER MIRROR ACTIVATED!
The mystery vehicle and the racer started to glow a bright blue-ish hue while the player looked on in awe. A few other gamers in the arcade had even gathered to watch. When it finished, the black licorice themed vehicle had shifted into an exact copy of Vanellope's kart, gummy wheels and all. The black helmet which covered the racer's face remained, but her clothing had undergone a significant alteration in the form of a familiar looking mint green jacket. Running a pure code instinct, the mystery girl flashed the camera a wave and glitched ahead in the race before giving back full control to the player.
"No way! She can change into other racers?! That's so cool!"
"Hey, I call next game!"
"Yeah, me too!"
Vanellope felt far too shocked to even think, her mind going blank. She drove along on pure instinct as she watched a copy of herself pass by. What the hay is going on?!
Even the players didn't fully understand, but they were all far too excited to let up. The second race went by in a blur and soon an older teenager was placing a quarter in.
"Guys, I've got an idea…"
They all booed him for picking one of the other racers at random, but he held up a hand. "Just trust me… something's up with this new racer. We gotta watch, observe."
The third race of that day started up, this time the mystery girl in full control of her own actions and that's when all hell broke loose. She was the first out, her tiny vehicle being the quickest to accelerate. Now in total control, she glanced back and tried to focus on the player character which happened to one Candlehead. Her kart was chocolate cake and mint ice cream themed, but it was her special ability that really set her apart. An ability that the mystery racer very much wanted for her own.
The teen in charge tried to catch the lead, watching the mystery racer as closely as possible. Suddenly the black racer stopped her vehicle and slowly positioned it backward, confusing everyone. Her gloved hands gripped the handlebars of her vehicle and she pulled on the gas over and over but stayed put.
"What she doing?" one of the player kids asked. The teen shrugged but kept going full speed, hoping to ram her or to do something interesting.
Then the girl released her break and popped a wheelie only inches away from the player. Everyone could only watch in confusion when the crazed racer reached out with its hand and grabbed onto Candlehead's body. A sudden bright blue glitch overtook both bodies just before the girl pushed the player backward, propelling herself forward and back into the race. She landed dead center on a powerup and inwardly smirked.
DOPPELGANGER MIRROR ACTIVATED!
The teen and the other gamers could only watch in awe while the new player transformed into an exact copy of Candlehead while she drove up the spiraling hill, lighting it up with sparks from her car. Every cherry along the pathway was lit aflame not unlike a stick of dynamite.
UH OH! CHERRY BOMB!
"Just like I thought," the teen player said, shaking his head in bewilderment. His Candlehead avatar crashed into the whipped cream avalanche along with a few other racers that hadn't made it far enough yet. "She's like a hard mode or something. This is awesome!"
Some of the other players didn't find it as "awesome" though it was a heated debate while more and more players played her. Some tried to argue that she was the greatest character yet since she could change into anyone and seemed to have the fastest vehicle to boot. Others felt she was like a cheater, but one thing was for sure: Sugar Rush had never been as popular with quarter after quarter forced into the machine throughout the day.
Races were won, powers were copied, cars were cloned and absolute mayhem ensued at the hands of the mystery racer. So many karts had crashed that it was a wonder how anyone was even left to drive. By the end of the night, the other racers (Vanellope included) were beyond exhaustion. They could only watch in anger as the mystery racer drove off into the night once the words "quittin' time" were uttered. It had certainly been a heck of a day for the other racers.
Shaking her head in exhaustion, Vanellope stopped off at the garage. Looking around, she spotted Taffyta speaking to one of the local mechanics before running off. The other racers were mingling and chatting each other up, almost in a good mood despite what happened on the track, but Taffyta left in a huff.
What's her deal? the princess thought.
Figuring it wasn't worth getting into, she walked over to one of the mechanics, a short looking man that only came up about twice as tall when compared to the Sugar Rush racers. He poked his shoulder and spoke up, "What's the damage on the karts?"
"Goodness, you scared me, princess. And, to answer that, not looking good," he muttered. Looking behind him, Vanellope spotted a few of the racers had lagged behind like Candlehead, Minty, and Jubileena. Each pouting and looking none too pleased. "Candlehead's will need a complete re-working of her engine. Minty needs some new tires and thanks to the little stunt that crazy new girl pulled, Jubillena's kart is totaled!"
Upon hearing this, the cherry themed racer burst out into tears while the other two tried to console her with pats on the back and a few hugs.
"Hmm…" Vanellope mumbled to herself. While she couldn't help but glance at Jubileena with mistrust, being one of the first to destroy her handmade kart, she still looked on with a bit of pity.
Kart racing always held a risk, whether it be a live game with quarters or practicing for the day. As was evident when the dreaded psybug infested their machine, no object in Sugar Rush magically regenerates when destroyed; it was only with the help of Vanellope's new friend, Felix and his magic hammer, that they were able to restore things to normal. Though a full game reset did fix the other problems. But even during live games, the only thing that comes back unscathed from the races would be the player's chosen kart.
Behind the scenes, where gamers couldn't see, karts had to be re-built and underwent real physical maintenance from new parts to washes and the occasional complete and total rebuild. It was the rebuild part that was not cheap in the slightest. The currency of choice for Sugar Rush being golden coins, earnable during races. Among other things.
No matter how much they wished it, using the kart bakery to craft a new kart meant forking over some form of coinage.
Be the bigger girl. You forgave them.
Putting on a brave face and a smile, Vanellope presented herself to the three racers. "Cheer up, girls. Here," she muttered and dug around in her kart before finding her prize, three golden coins. "This should be more than enough to fix your karts," she exclaimed then tossed them to each of the racers.
The cherry girl sniffled and smiled. "W- wow. Thank you, prin- erm, president Vanellope."
"Just Vanellope's fine," she said with a wink. "Now, go fix your kart, cherry girl!"
She wiped away a few tears and then actually leaped onto Vanellope for a quick hug before skipping off. "Thanks again!"
Vanellope hugged back, a warm feeling making its way into her body. Why couldn't you be this sweet when Turbo was around?
"N- no problem!"
"Vanellope," the remaining racers said. "What are we gonna do about that menace on the track? Where did she even come from?!"
"Candlehead, I don't really know…" she admitted with a shrug. "She… doesn't seem very polite, huh?"
Minty scoffed while shaking her head. "Polite?! She landed on poor Jubil's car and smashed the thing to pieces with that… that whatever the hay she drives! You have to, I dunno, arrest her or something!"
Vanellope backed up a bit, waving her hands in the air. "Woah, Woah. Why me?"
"You're our leader, no?"
Apparently, that's all I am to you lot… Vanellope thought and scowled in Minty's direction.
"Yes, I am but I don't even know where she gets off to. We don't even know her name. The only thing I know about her is king butthead likely disabled her during his "reign"," she said, though it came out a bit more sour than she would have liked. The other girls winced. Even bringing up the word king was always a sensitive topic among the girls.
Candlehead pouted. "Yeah, well, maybe it was for a g- good reason," she stuttered nervously. "I- I don't like what Turbo did to us all, but I can't imagine why such a racer needs to be in our game!"
Vanellope started to walk off with a shrug. "Who knows. Maybe we all just need to get good? So she's a better racer and a little coo-coo in the brain doesn't mean we can't beat her!"
The two girls shared a nervous glance, watching their leader as she left.
Things began to quickly spiral out of control from there. For the entire week, the mystery racer tore up the track from both player and herself alike. By the end of that week, she had copied every Sugar Rush character, one by one. Taking their powers and vehicles for her own gain. After each race, Vanellope would check the code room for any strange occurrences, but the only change was one added wire going from the mystery racer to any character she dared copy. By the end of that week, she was connected to each and everyone in some small way, but the locks on her code remained just that: locked.
It was Saturday night and the arcade was closing, which meant a day off for everyone with the place closed on Sundays. Despite this, Vanellope and the other racers were in a particularly foul mood. They all watched as the mystery girl shifted back into her true form and raced off into the sunset, not even bothering to look back at the mess which she had made.
Vanellope could barely muster the strength to walk her kart into one of the garages. "So tired…"
"Two coins?! It's gonna cost two lousy coins to fix this mess?!"
That was Taffyta and a screaming Taffy girl usually spelled bad news.
"My Kart, it's ruined!" another racer yelled, Vanellope feeling far too exhausted to find out who.
C'mon, be a big girl and see the damage. You're their leader," Vanellope reminded herself. Taking a deep breath, she slowly walked over to the other garages and gasped.
The Sugar Rush kids were all bickering and fighting. They seemed about one nasty word away from an all-out brawl.
"If you hadn't made that sharp turn, none of us would be in this mess, Crumbelina!"
"What?! You've got some nerve, Rancis! I didn't see you even coming close to taking her down. Hmmph!"
The two butted heads while another few fights began to break out among the crew.
"H-hey hey! Break it up, break it up!" Vanellope yelled while clapping her hands. The group gathered around her, still giving one another angry stares. "Look, I'll… uh, I'll get Felix here to fix up all your carts, good as new! And it won't even cost you any coins! Sound good!?"
They all grudgingly nodded in agreement, though Taffyta was hanging off to the side looking quite nervous.
I've seen that kind of look before like she's feeling guilty, she thought. Vanellope glanced at her for but a moment before continuing.
"Everyone! Take a break and I'll get Felix here lickety-split! Take the night off. Party or something, I dunno what you all do," she exclaimed and sighed. "I'll just be right back." The girl gave a rather big yawn while the racers slowly dispersed, everyone, muttering about the crazy mystery racer that ruined their week on the tracks.
The president felt so exhausted, she actually took a small break on her way out of Sugar Rush. She found a random jawbreaker to rest on, which gave her time to think.
Things are getting out of hand. What do I do? Just ask Felix to stop by daily? The thought had crossed her mind a few times, but she knew it was only a band-aid for the whole problem. If she was gonna get anywhere, she had to talk to the mystery racer. "Easier said than done…" she muttered. No one knew where she lived, what she looked like, her name or really anything about her beyond her skill and abilities on the road. It was frustrating, to say the least.
Off in the distance, Vanellope spotted someone walking toward the rainbow bridge, leading to the exit of the game. Squinting her eyes, she could just barely make out a tad bit of pink. "Taffyta?"
Vanellope glitched off of her seat and started walking at the bridge, but whoever it actually was seemed to be quite fast on her feet. By the time she reached the little trolley station to the exit, the figure was gone. "Weird…"
The trip to Fix-It Felix, Jr. went by rather uneventfully. Game Central Station was alive and bustling with activity, being a Saturday night and all, that made sense. "Glad we live across from each other, I can barely walk. Aching feet…"
Ralph's game had a smaller trolley that wasn't nearly as flashy as her own, though she did find the smaller seats oddly cozy. "Need to find Felix…" she muttered. It took her a full thirty seconds before she even realized that the trolley had stopped. "Oops."
She jumped down and hurried into the Nicelanders apartment complex.
It took the little racer several knocks before she found his place. "Knock, knock, knock! Felllliiix, are you home?"
There was the sound of a man tripping on something as he yelped. "Jimminy, Vanellope. Is that you?"
The door creaked open and the girl glitched inside. "I need your help, Felix. And- oh, uh… um… oops?"
Vanellope had "caught" Felix with his loving wife, Sergeant Calhoun. A spunky woman from one of the arcade's toughest games: Hero's Duty. The sarge gave the little runt a raised eyebrow, egging her to go on.
"S- sorry, um, we just have a little emergency back in Sugar Rush and I need Felix to help fix it. Sorry," she repeated, her body glitching in a few places.
Calhoun stepped forward and shook her head. "Kid, relax. If it's something that needs fixin', I'm sure ol' Felix can handle it. Right, hon?"
The sergeant gave Felix a wink and nudged him over toward the glitching kid.
"Uh but, I…" He turned around and the nervous smile the little princess gave him seemed to warm his heart. He slowly picked up his golden hammer, giving her a thumbs up. Their plans could wait.
Vanellope hugged him and started pulling him out of his apartment, talking a mile a minute while trying to explain the situation.
"And then she kept wrecking our karts and I have no idea how we can afford all of this! I may be a princess, but coins don't just appear out of thin air!
They had exited back into Game Central while she talked. "Jeepers. New character? An- and you suspect Turbo had her turned off?"
"Well, I have a hunch that he did. It would definitely fit with his "MO"," she said with quotes. "Turbo liked hogging the spotlight and so does she."
He nodded. "Makes sense, b-but I didn't even know you could completely turn a character off. Maybe delete them," he started, making her shudder in fear. "Or, well… do what he did to ya," he noted, though he said that in a quieter manner, trying not to upset her too much.
The girl shrugged. "I'm just glad that creep is gone for good. Anyway, thanks for doing this. I- I'm sorry you had to cancel your plans," she mumbled while nervous toying with her hands.
"Vanellope, it's fine. I can see my wife any day."
"Jumpin' Jiminy, the new girl caused all of this," Felix started. He surveyed the destroyed karts in the garage as he blinked in astonishment. "Um, you sure Ralph didn't come through here?"
Vanellope snorted. "Haha, no it was all her. It's like… I dunno, she's a villain or something!"
Felix started to hammer away at the least damaged karts, knowing they'd be the easier to fix. As if by magic, the dents and holes mended themselves. "Villain? You mean like your game's "bad girl"? Wouldn't you all know about her if she was?" he pointed out.
The president blinked, tilting her head in confusion. Would they?
"Why, when we were first plugged in, we all knew our roles in the game. Ralph was the bad guy and I was the "hero". It was in our code!"
Vanellope started to toy with her hands. "He's not a bad guy, you know."
Felix chuckled while hammering away. "That's not what I meant, young lady. Ralph is one of the nicest guys I know. My point is if this mystery racer was meant to be the game's villain, why wouldn't any of you remember after the memory reset?"
Vanellope huffed. "I- I don't know! Turbo had control of this place… well, I- I guess I don't remember when he took control," she admitted shamefully.
Felix stayed quiet upon hearing this for a good while before speaking. "I suppose it goes without saying that he had complete control of your game, Vanellope. He could have done anything he wanted and-"
"Except get rid of me," she pointed out then blew a lock of her hair out of her face.
"Right. We still don't know all of what he changed. The game may have reset, but maybe trying to hide that racer messed with how your base code sees her as? When we were plugged in, we knew our roles, but maybe none of you realize what her role is?"
Vanellope blinked. Was that even possible? Well, doy you lame brain. Turbo made it so no one saw you as their princess, of course, it is! "B- but, he's gone! All of his stupid changes should be gone too, right?"
Felix started hammering on her own kart, making sure to be gentle with some of the more delicate parts. "Were you always able to glitch like that?"
There it was, the question that tore through her like a knife to butter. She hated thinking about that, but she very much doubted the programmer's original intention for a racer was to glitch teleport everywhere. "I guess not," she admitted with a sigh. "He turned me into a glitch and that's just who I am… always a stupid glitch," she mumbled, resting her head on hands.
Felix stopped working and walked over to her, placing his hands on her back as he rubbed it in tiny circles. "Hey, it's the greatest superpower ever. Remember? Who cares if you're part "glitch", little lady. We all like ya that way, now buck up."
She gave a hesitant smile and nodded. "T- thanks, Felix. I guess I needed that before I get all mushy on ya," she said with a slight gag.
"Mushy's not all bad, you know," he called back from the garage. She could only roll her eyes at this.
After a while, the little princess re-entered the massive garage structure, watching in awe as he fixed everything in a manner only fitting Fix-It Felix. "So, how's Ralph been? I haven't seen him all week."
Felix glanced over, noticing the little one was nervously twisting her hands back and forth. He couldn't help but smile. "He's doing great! Talks about ya a lot, you know."
Her whole body glitched. "R- really?" she squeaked. Felix just had to giggle at her reaction though it didn't go unnoticed by the pouting princess. "Hey, what's so funny?"
"Sorry, you're just so cute when you're blushing," he noted, though he could swear she mumbled something along the lines of "Nah cute". "And of course he talks about ya. He thinks of ya like a best friend, maybe even a little sister, if I'm not being too bold to say."
Sister?! Vanellope wasn't entirely sure what feelings came up when he mentioned this, but shock had to be in there somewhere. Not that it sounded like a bad thing to be. They enjoyed hanging out for the little time she had been doing, so far. Was it that much of a stretch?
"So, how have the other racers been treatin' ya? Making any headway there?"
Vanellope groaned, not wanting to think about that at a time like this. "No."
"About halfway done," he said, glancing back at her. The girl was again nervously toying with her hands with a heavy frown. "Well, have you tried talking with them though?"
"...Yes. I…" she started but could only sigh as she thought back to how Taffyta had reacted and it wasn't pretty. Vanellope delved into the story starting out with how Taffyta was seen crying on the tracks and confronting her. She left out details of the party, though. I don't need help making friends and Felix has enough problems on his plate.
"Holy Sega. Why did she get so heated at ya? You were just trying to help."
She scoffed and nodded. "Good question. I could have sworn I saw her leave the game when I was on my way to grab ya. Where the hay would she even go?"
Felix began hammering away on Taffyta's car with a few grunts. "If I had to guess? Tappers. It's where Ralph and I go when we're feeling down. Does she leave the game often- no. I wanna help ya anyway I can, kiddo. But not if it means spying on others."
The princess scoffed. "I'm not spyin' on her, Felix. I just happened to see her."
The repairman nodded while finishing up the final kart. "Whelp, that should just about do it. Anything else ya need?"
Vanellope brushed her fingers alongside her own car, admiring his handiwork on how clean it all seemed. "Got a harpoon and a net in your bag of tricks? Could use it to capture ol' wreckin' girl."
"No mam, I certainly do not. But if she's causin' ya that much trouble, why not talk to her?"
Vanellope shrugged. "As I said on the way here, no one knows where she goes after a race. Unless we start spying on her," she said with a sly smirk.
Felix literally put his foot down and shook his head in an exasperated manner. "I'll help ya repair karts, it's what friends do, but I will not participate in anything like that."
"Worth a shot." She hopped onto her feet and surveyed all of the repaired karts. "You're really something special, you know that?"
There was no quips or jokes or rude barfing sounds, it was just Vanellope sounding sincere. His cheeks glowed a bright red while he waved his arms. "Ah shucks, just doin' my job. Ask me anytime!"
Anytime? Just like a friend...
"Hmm, I'd feel bad if I just kept dragging you back he-"
"Ah, ah. I said it's what friends do. Though I'll have to have a talk with my honey bunch if I'm gonna come down here so much."
Her eyes widened in shock. There was no way in heck she was gonna just use Felix like that. Not on her watch. "No. That would be a cheap band-aid to this mess. Why don't we all meet up tomorrow night at Tappers or somewhere and make up a plan for the mystery menace," she exclaimed. "You, me, Calhoun and ol' Barf Brain!"
"Who?"
"Ralph," she clarified. "I- I'm not gonna use you like that and my mind is made up," she said when he tried to talk over her. "We need a plan, a real plan. Alright?" she asked while holding out her tiny hands for him to shake.
Hesitantly, he smiled and shook them. Felix donned his hammer and started to walk off. "You'll make a great leader, kid."
"Thanks! Now," she said and glitched onto his back without warning. Her hands reached around his shoulders while wrapping her legs and locking them into his stomach. "Onward!"
That, he decided, was far more like the Vanellope he knew and loved. "Onward where?"
"Back to your game so you can enjoy your night, silly! I just wanna ride over to Tappers because I'm tired," she argued.
Piggyback rides are awesome! she thought, not that she'd admit it out loud.
"Well, I suppose. Why ya headin' there?"
They walked off while gently shutting the garage doors. "Need to see if little miss taffy butt is alright."
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