A/N: QUICK APOLOGY ABOUT BEING LATE I HAD 3 BIRTHDAYS IN THE FAMILY LAST WEEK INCLUDING MY OWN SO I WAS VERY BUSY SORRY HAVE A NEW CHAPTER I DIDN'T DIE Dx
Sorry if this chapter seems a bit filler-ish, but, to be honest, this chapter holds a WHOLE lot of heart and memory for me. Remember that small animated short I did of Vanellope and Tessa? (if not, it's on my Youtube titled 'Wreck It Ralph Fanfiction Animation Reel')
Not only did this animation take me about a month to make, while making it, I promised myself that one day I would add it into my sequel where I envisioned it going. It's SO weird coming full circle with this, and it's cool now knowing that a part of my fan fiction is (and has been) animated! I also animated a scene from Ralph's and Vanellope's wedding, but that is a lot shorter (and on my deviantART) - anyways, I really hope you guys enjoy as you come full circle with me! It definitely is a huge thing for me, that I kept the promise to myself. I can't believe how far I've come! Tears everywhere lol
*Chapter 10*
The four self programmed gamers slowly moseyed into Sugar Rush's calm, evening air. Tessa had the beach bag, with everyone's towels and snacks, lugged over her shoulder. She heaved a soft puff of air and felt her eyes grow wide, they stepped out from underneath Sugar Rush's massive waffle cone entrance. The dark but welcoming sky was painted a heavenly dark purple with stabs of hot, orange citrus clouds that etched their way into the night sky. The falling sun set the sky ablaze, as if the game was trying it's hardest to hold onto the Spring time warmth. Tessa's eyes slowly fell with the scenery, each gum drop mountain in the distance was hidden only slightly by the creeping, night time powder fog. As her sibling and two cousins chattered on, their quiet yet distinctive murmurs softly hazed into the back of her mind as she let her thoughts wander to game jumping with Zane; her heart jumped at the idea.
She gently bit her lip and aimlessly let her gaze trail with the sugary rainbow road undertow. As the four finally came to the sloping end of said road, they began to trail towards the castle. Large, fresh smelling candy trees hung over them. Almost all of them were crowned with springtime blooms. Soft, chocolate dirt was gently kicked up by the small group, Tessa kept her eyes trained to the ground. She furrowed her eyebrows and wondered just how she was going to get away with such a crazy plan. She knew, for certain, someone would tattle on her. Her eyes immediately dart to her younger brother, though she kept her head down to avoid being obvious. She squinted her eyes just barely before letting her annoyed gaze relax back down to the ground. Her eyes then idly shot to Penny and then Tammy. She knew Penny could keep a secret, though she was certain Tammy would pull a Calhoun and put her in her place. Her eyes jumped to the castle they were finally approaching, though they had one more stretch of candy trees to get through. The Loft could see peeking over the tree tops. Just as Tessa was about to begin plotting the success of her game jump, Oliver's voice was casted in her direction.
"Yeah, and then Tessa ran off with Zane all day," Oliver said loudly, as if to get Tessa's attention. Tessa's ears pricked at the sound of her name, though she largely glared at her brother.
"I hardly get to see him," Tessa quickly retorted, as if she had been listening all along, "He IS my best friend, after all."
"What about me?" Penny asked in a sad, innocent tone; Tessa softened her expressions and gave her cousin a casual eye roll.
"Penny, we're cousins," Tessa said through a sigh and a smile, "We were born best friends."
"Darn tootin'," Penny said in the most annoyed tone her sweet demeanor could muster.
"Zane was working all day," Tammy started as she crossed her arms. Tessa lugged the bag over her shoulder to readjust it and gazed far ahead of herself, as if to brace herself for Tammy's dominant and nosey personality; Tammy pressed on, "Surely he's not that interesting."
"Will you guys cut it out?" Tessa bursted.
"Maybe you should invite Zane to Sugar Rush," Penny chimed with an eager smile, Tessa looked up in contemplation.
"User knows Uncle Ralph and Aunt Vanellope wouldn't let you go to HIS game unattended," Tammy eased dully.
"Dead Zed?" Penny wondered, "Why not?"
"Because mom and dad don't want us to have any fun," Oliver said dully.
"There's more to it than just that," Tammy muttered, she cringed at the thought of when Tessa was merely a code box in the intruder's hands.
"Maybe one day," Tessa said firmly, though quietly.
"I've been to Dead Zed," Tammy said, though she suspiciously eyed Tessa, "It's gorgeous."
"What kind of a game is it?" Penny asked.
"It's a racing game," Tammy chuckled at the irony, Oliver averted his calm but eager attention to his oldest cousin, "Dirt bikes."
"Are the courses as good as Sugar Rush's?" Oliver ventured.
"Dare I say, better," Tammy hissed as she scrunched her shoulders, as if she were degrading Sugar Rush, "The game is newer. Lots more courses and room to sprawl. The game is mainly set in the heart of it's jungle."
"It has a jungle?" Penny asked with wide eyes, though Tessa scoffed.
"Penny, Sugar Rush has a jungle," Tessa said in a dull tone, though Penny furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.
"Where?" She prod, Tessa rolled her eyes.
"Eons away from here," Tessa said through a raspy grumble, "Eons away from where we'll EVER be able to go."
"Stop making your mom and dad out to be fun destroyers," Tammy barked, Tessa glared at her older cousin through tired eyes, "Once upon a time, they got into all sorts of trouble."
"What, a brisk jog around the castle?" Tessa said with a largely sarcastic gasp, though she waved her hand out in front of her as if to disregard any sense of positivity, "Yeah right. Ralph and Vanellope… FUN?"
"Believe it or not," Tammy spat, she gave Tessa a glare in return, "I was around long before you were, I'll have you know."
"Yeah, don't remind me," Tessa growled.
"Uhg," Oliver said loudly as him and Penny continued on, though Tessa gently slowed, as if to separate herself for some space. Tammy caught sight of Tessa being left behind and stopped to turn around.
"What are you doing?" Tammy wondered loudly as she waited for Tessa to catch up.
"Removing myself from the conversation," Tessa said plainly.
"Why?" Tammy pressed, though Tessa's glare deepened.
"Do I need a reason?" Tessa growled.
"Potentially," Tammy said dully as Tessa finally caught up to her, though Tammy remained still.
"Man, Dead Zed is starting to look nicer and nicer by the second," Tessa mumbled, though Tammy largely furrowed her eyebrows and began to march over to Tessa.
"You're not thinking of game jumping, are you?" Tammy said loudly, Penny and Oliver briefly looked over their shoulders from a few yards down the path they were on. Tessa' scrunched her shoulders and clenched her larger fists.
"No, your highness," Tessa muttered a fib through clenched teeth.
"I should really be calling you that," Tammy snapped, her piercing blue eyes were occasionally a calm, smooth sea; her demeanor often mocked Felix's, though Tessa knew her dark and dangerous side easily held true to the big, bad Calhoun.
"Leave me alone," Tessa barked, though Tammy took a daring step in front of Tessa and stopped her in her tracks; Tessa huffed an annoyed breath and scrunched her shoulders.
"If you game jump, I'm not jumping in after you to save your sorry hide," Tammy spat, Tessa clenched her fists harder and brought them to her sides in a tight formation, the wrecking signature she wasn't even aware she was programmed with.
"Good!" Tessa bursted, she side stepped to get around Tammy, though she was quickly stopped yet again by Tammy's agile footwork. Tessa exhaled a hard noise of frustration.
"Tessa, if you die outside your game, you don't-"
"REGENERATE," Tessa hollered, she leaned her upper body forward to get in Tammy's face, "Gee, how many times have I heard THAT one?"
"You really think game jumping is wise?" Tammy urged as well, though she tried to hold her ground against Tessa. Though she was younger, Tammy knew that Tessa held far more strength than she ever would wield.
"You do it all the time!" Tessa threw her hands and arms up and outward.
"I go after arcade hours and I always make sure I'm with Emery!" Tammy matched, "The only games I've ever visited was Dead Zed and EZ Living, and I always make sure to go with someone trustworthy!"
"I can take care of myself," Tessa spat as she shoved Tammy out of her way and began to march towards Oliver and Penny, who had now stopped to watch the show in nervous stillness.
"You really think losing the only life you have is worth the friendship of that beach slob? Th-that, that… Hobo?!" Tammy urged with her arms out, though she largely flinched as Tessa whirled around and grappled the collar of her button down shirt. Tammy gasped as Tessa yanked her forward, their foreheads slumped together.
"Get off my back," Tessa growled into her face, though she quickly tossed her cousin aside and began to head in the opposite direction of the castle. Tammy wobbled to the side and caught her footing. She dusted herself off briefly before her hands angrily met her hips, her annoyed gaze could do nothing but watch her younger cousin, the one she had always wanted, slip away from any sort of repairing words she could potentially muster.
After a few minutes of silent walking, and incoherent mutterings to herself, Tessa trudged through the thickening branches of the candy tree forest. Dottings of very small cinnamon fire flies began to speckle the thin forest's surroundings as nightfall was slowly approaching. The air was still and cool, though the ground was just now releasing the warmth from the daytime sun. Tessa furrowed her eyebrows and could feel tears sting her eyes. Before she could trudge deeper into the nothingness of the forest, a small fleck of bark suddenly fell to the ground before her. She jolted to a stop before, in a slow swooping motion, her eyes followed the cheerfully striped candy tree bark all the way to a lower hanging branch. She jolted and felt her nerve endings prick as to who was lying in wait above her.
"Mom?" Tessa wondered, she raised her eyebrows in hidden, delightful surprise.
"Picking on Tammy, I see," Vanellope chimed in a sarcastic way as she motioned in the direction Tessa had trudged from. Tessa largely slumped her shoulders and gaped a little.
"ME? Pick on HER?" Tessa urged as she gestured to herself, and then in the direction of her older cousin.
"Tessa," Vanellope hummed in a mildly annoyed tone as she sat up on the branch she was perched on; her legs dangled. She was dressed in her usual racing attire, though she lacked shoes.
"You can't possibly be serious," Tessa said in the dullest tone she could muster as she slumped her large arms and hands to herself. She eagerly watched as her mother gracefully jumped down from the sturdy branch she was perched on. She dusted herself off before she gently strolled up to her daughter. Tessa's eyes eagerly pierced her mother's, Vanellope stared back in dewed concern as Tessa continued, "Why am I always viewed as a bully? Is it my hands?"
"Your hands are fine," Vanellope's voice was as soft as silk, her gentle hands gripped her daughter's larger ones with no hesitation. She gazed at Tessa for a small while, it was clear she was desperate to avoid eye contact. Vanellope bent down a little and caught eyes with her daughter, she gave a smile that was hard to resist, "Stinkbug."
"I hate being a wrecker… I don't fit in," Tessa said in a near pleading tone with a facial expression to match. Vanellope slumped her shoulders and looked away.
"Tessa… I understand things are rough," Vanellope eased, though she jolted once Tessa softly ripped her presence away from her mother's, she turned her back and put her hands on her hips in a fit of uncertainty. Vanellope furrowed her eyebrows inward and looked to the ground, though she pressed on, "But… Confronting your problems with force is wrong."
Vanellope looked up to continue gazing at the back of Tessa's head, though she jumped at the sight before her. Tessa had taken a few long strides forward and, in a fit of frustration and anger, she sent her larger, wrecking fist into a nearby candy tree. The thin shrub nearly imploded upon impact; a nearby, low hanging branch of an unfortunate candy tree was graced with Tessa's wrath as well. Candy shards flew in all directions as Tessa growled in pain and anger, though she finally settled and held her clenched fists near her sides. She panted and gazed hard at the stump she had just destroyed, what once was a proudly growing candy tree. Vanellope blinked a few times in surprise before she finally rolled her eyes in a knowing way and moseyed over to her wrecker of a daughter. Vanellope easily slid her hand onto Tessa's left shoulder and gripped it, as if to beg her to get ahold of herself. After a few moments, she turned her around in her grip.
"You need to show that you're on the high ground," Vanellope said softly, though her words were of urgency; her smile suggested pride in her daughter as she gazed into her teary eyes. She shrugged lightly and wrinkled her nose as she continued, "But… Can still remain calm."
Vanellope's tender hands gripped both of Tessa's shoulders as they faced each other. She knew Tessa had a world of growing up to do, and she wondered just how quickly it could happen before Academy. She slowly slumped her shoulders and let her thumbs stroke the tops of Tessa's collar bones. Her whole exterior was a shell, fragile and defeated, though Vanellope knew Tessa was a strong individual. Giving up and giving in wasn't apart of Tessa's coding. She let her right hand tenderly grace Tessa's warm cheek as Tessa kept her head hung down.
"I know you get your temper from your father, but you can't forget to show kindness," Vanellope's soft voice kindly begged as she cupped Tessa's cheek. She tenderly pushed her jaw up to look into her eyes as she continued, "Even in the face of rage."
Tessa pleadingly gazed into her mother's eyes, as if to hope to receive every single question she had billowing inside her confused existence. She long blinked a few tears down her cheeks, though she softly jolted once Vanellope quietly removed herself from Tessa's presence. Vanellope slowly pushed past Tessa and, as quickly as she arrived, she silently vanished into the thin veil of the candy tree's sanctuary. Tessa flinched as she could see faint strands of her mother's circuitry and glitch lines past the trunks as she glitched in the direction of the other side of the candy tree forest.
Tessa gazed longingly in the direction her mother had vanished in, though she finally slumped her shoulders and exhaled a hard sigh as she came to the realization of her mistake. She shut her eyes briefly before gently looking over her shoulder, in the direction she had stumbled from. Through the thin brackets of the trees, she could see her oldest cousin from afar, seemingly waiting for Tessa to get over her temper tantrum and return back to her. Tessa raised her eyebrows in slight surprise, though she couldn't help but roll her eyes at the sight of Tammy softly shining her glorious, golden fixing hammer. With a hard sigh, and a few seconds to determine what she had to do, she finally lugged herself in the direction of her fix-it cousin, the epitome of opposition in their coding somehow pulled them closer together like magnets.
side A/N: LEAVE A REVIEW if you would like a sketch from either Wrecking Limits or Defying Code! I have about 6 or 7 sketches already, and will be doing a sketch dump on my deviantART sometime soon! If there's something (ANYTHING) you'd like seen, let me know and I'll sketch it up and add it to my deviantART! :D Thanks guys!