He's Not Worth It – Chapter 8
Hi all. I took a bit longer to get this chapter done because I was 75% done before, and my computer automatically restarted, and it didn't give me the option to save it, AND it didn't autosave, so everything got deleted and I am SUPER upset right now and I feel bad to keep you guy waiting because this will interfere with my school work, so I can either write with whatever time I have during the week, or just spend all of my good time writing during the weekend. But it's sad to say this will be the last chapter of this story :( it probably won't be as good because now I have to write it from memory, but better than nothing.
ANYHOOZLES!
Enough with the sad stuff! I want to get into the chapter as much as you do, but before I begin, I want to just take this moment to recognize all my reviewers, but most importantly:
PresidentTaffyta
Tigress-is-Awesome (you really are ;0)
Pinksakura271
If it weren't for you guys, I would've ended at Chapter 4 XD but you guys motivate me to keep moving forward, and you expand my imagination to levels I never knew it could go to. For that, you all get a virtual hug \o/ thank you! There will be Vanilla Butter in this chapter :D
Disclaimer: Knock Knock!
Who's there?
I.
I who?
I don't own Wreck-it Ralph/Ralph Breaks the Internet.
Enjoy :)
Ralph and Vanellope had just defeated the giant Ralph virus, and everything was coming back to normal. They were sitting on a bench, exchanging quite rather interesting observations about the internet, slowly restoring their friendship in the process.
"You know what I just realized? The sun never sets or rises because everything is always on!" Ralph pointed out.
"Well isn't that an astute observation," Vanellope said.
"I know right? Y'know other than Knowsmore, I'm probably the smartest guy in the internet," Ralph said confidently, making Vanellope chuckle.
"Yo V!" Shank and her crew approached the two. "We're about to come back online, you ready?"
"Be right there!"
"And hey, Ralph," Shank continued, "don't be a stranger."
"Well I can't be much stranger than you, Shank!" Ralph replied but dumbfounded. The crew behind her snickered.
"That's a good bad joke, Ralph!" with that, they turned back to their game, Ralph making the opposite direction to his home. Vanellope stopped him before he could continue further.
"Hey, don't forget, Shank added my code and everything so I'll be able to regenerate. I'm gonna be totally safe!" she assured.
"I know," he responded. "You're gonna be great! You found your dream game!"
"Yeah I did!" she paused for a moment. I did… "I-I guess I should probably head in there, y'know, I ca-"
"Wait, before you go," Ralph said, "I wanted to give you this." He pulled out what revealed to be half of the cookie medal. Vanellope instantly regret what she did earlier.
"I'm so sorry I broke it, Ralph…" she said as her voice broke, but he waved her off.
"No, no, it's okay, now we can both have a half! See?" he said revealing the other half of the medal.
"Yeah…!" silence filled the air for a few moments before Vanellope jumped up and gave Ralph the biggest hug her tiny arms could offer, which startled him, but did the same, doing his best to not crush her.
"I love you so much." She whispered, tearing up. "I'm gonna miss you."
"I'm gonna miss you too, kid. I really am…" this was a moment they did not want to end. The hug felt like it lasted forever, the two half medals briefly connecting.
"Alright, you're gettin' a little clingy on me here," Ralph slightly chuckled, setting the girl down and wiping a tear off her face. "Go on, get outta here. The world's waiting for ya, kid." She complied and started towards Slaughter Race. They exchanged a few waves, until Vanellope was completely out of sight. He finally turned around and made way to Game Central Station.
In Slaughter Race,
So, this is it, Vanellope thought. This is my new life. It all starts here… she took in the environment surrounding her. Everything gave off a yellowish hue. Slaughter Race… She was used to everything being pink, sweet and sugary around her, everything and anything in the shape of a square or rectangle, occasionally hearing cybugs hiss in a distance, and the environment being dark and foggy, metal clanking under her feet, and the buzzing sound of only mod knows how many characters roaming around GCS. Honestly, she never wanted it to become a once in a lifetime feeling. If not racing, that feeling gave her life.
Oh right, the characters.
Vanellope spent most of these 6 years around Ralph. As close as they were, she also liked hanging out with Felix, Calhoun, and sometimes the Sugar Rush citizens. The Fix-it couple were usually found around her if they and Ralph were watching her in the Random Roster Race, or they were talking to Ralph in general. Otherwise, they would usually pretend Vanellope was their 'child' to practice parenting, and it was always blast. The Sugar Rush racers. Now, they still were on shaky terms, but she was doing her best to get to know them. She was closest with Rancis, due to the fact they built a kart together, and she helped him win his first 1st place cup. An indescribable feeling hit her. She often felt as she could be more than friends with him. But that wasn't important. That was her life before, and this is her new life. She had then remembered what Red had said to her.
"If an online game begins to gradually decrease in popularity, it will shut down. Forever."
Vanellope was still astonished by this fact. Yeah, video games and characters won't live forever, and the same thing will eventually happen to Sugar Rush, but she didn't want to end up like Red, all alone, if the same thing that happened to him would happen to her! The internet is a world that seems to go on forever and ever, but in GCS, she at least knew where she was going. She was snapped back into reality when several people from Shank's crew passed her. She took a look around the environment, and the characters, once more.
What am I doing?
This game was rated M! Sugar Rush was rated E! She didn't fit in at all! She was a bright and colorful character, while everything else was just bland and moody! What were the players going to think when they see a small, chibi nine-year-old girl in a game like this? Shank and her crew were NPCs! Their mission was to prevent the character from achieving a goal, while in Sugar Rush, the racers were to help them! Plus, Vanellope loved nothing more than to feel the sweet (no pun intended) sensation of a gamer controlling her every move. She could sit back and relax.
"Look, wise guy, I know I'm a racer, I can feel it in my code!" Vanellope recalled to the first time she met Ralph.
"Please, I just wanna race like you guys!" she remembered crying when the racers were wrecking her Likkety Split. It was at that moment Vanellope realized, she had already achieved her dream.
She became a racer.
Probably the most professional child racer in the arcade, thanks to Ralph and her original home. What if Slaughter Race wasn't everything she wanted? She only spent a good 10-15 minutes in the game. The atmosphere in the game often made her throat itch, due to the sugar in her code being vaporized.
I can't.
She just wasn't ready to leave everyone behind. She wanted to break the news to Shank, but it would've made her sound ungrateful, and she wouldn't be so happy, but then she remembered…
"All friendships change, but the good ones get stronger."
Her train of thought was interrupted again when Shank approached once more.
"Hey V!" she greeted. Vanellope quickly hid her agitated expression, replacing it with a fake, toothy smile. Shank noticed the act she was pulling. "Is everything okay?"
"Y-yeah," she said. "I just wanna go check out the internet some more. I gotta get a hang of the area, y-y'know?" But she knew she was doing the exact opposite.
"Me, Pyro and Felony can show you around!" Shank offered. "We know the place pretty well."
"Nah, it's fine, Yesss already offered." Shank was skeptical, but she trusted the girl. "Alright, I know you wouldn't go anywhere behind my back." Vanellope's heart sank. "But anyway, go crazy," Shank continued. "We go online in 30 minutes." They ended their conversation with a fist bump and took off. Once Vanellope was sure Shank was out of sight, she made a beeline for the exit, to find Ralph.
In the internet,
Vanellope made it to the Hub, and with her luck, Ralph was just entering the portal that lead to Game Central Station.
"RALPH!" she shouted, getting the giant's attention. He was taken aback to see Vanellope outside Slaughter Race.
"Vanellope, what are doing?! I thought Slaughter Race was about to go online!"
"I don't want Slaughter Race!" Vanellope quickly said, taking Ralph by surprise, after everything they've been through just to get to this point, just for her to decline it again. "I want to be with you! Felix, Calhoun! Rancis, Taffyta, Candlehead, everyone! I want SUGAR RUSH!"
"But you sai-"
"FORGET WHAT I SAID!" Vanellope interrupted. "Everything I've been working for, I can't just throw it away! Sugar Rush is and always will be my home! So what if the game's too easy? I can still make the best out of it! It is my job, no matter how long it takes for me to accept it!" Ralph couldn't help at smile at what the little girl was saying. Man, I taught the kid well, he thought.
"That's great you know, but don't you want something new and exciting to happen to your game?"
"NOPE!"
Ralph smirked. "Really? Well, agree to disagree." Vanellope picked up on what Ralph was going at. "Wait, I don't wanna disagree!"
"No, no, it's just a fancy way of saying we don't have to argue about it," Ralph said smugly.
"We're arguing?! I don't wanna argue!" Vanellope cried playfully.
"Relax! Stop making it a thing! Now, hop on, kid." Vanellope gladly accepted his offer and glitched onto his shoulder, making way to Game Central Station. Vanellope took out her BuzzzPhone and called Yesss.
"Vanellope, my favorite little popup! How's everything?"
"Great. Tell Shank I won't be back for a while. I'm sure she'll understand."
"Why? What's going on?" Ralph and Vanellope exchanged smirks.
"I'm going home."
In Fix-it Felix Jr.,
The arcade opens in 1 hour. Felix and Calhoun were sitting atop of the Niceland apartment watching their kids from the screen doing a roster race for the first time since their game got plugged back in. They were relieved there was more space to breathe, but it did get quiet, and the children's company was often entertaining to them. As much as they wanted to go with their children, it just didn't feel right without Vanellope racing or Ralph cheering her on as well, louder than they were. Unbeknownst to the couple, two figures, one small and the other large, were silently approaching them.
"Did you miss us?" Vanellope walked up to them and whispered in both their ear, startling them, almost making them fall off the apartment.
"Ralph? Vanellope?!" the couple said in unison.
"We're back!" Vanellope said in a sing-song voice. Felix and Calhoun pulled their child into a deep embrace. It was a warm, loving embrace that Vanellope never wanted to escape. Eventually Ralph picked the 3, still bunched up in a hug, and formed a large family embrace. They broke apart for Felix to speak.
"We're so glad you two are okay!" Felix exclaimed. "We thought you two could've gotten lost! Or held hostage! Or worse, die and never regenerate!"
"Psh, me and Vanellope?" Ralph snickered. "I think you got the wrong characters, pal." Ralph looked up at the large screen that separated the four and the humans. His expression perked up into a wider smile when he saw Sugar Rush was lively and up in running.
"AW, YEAH!" Vanellope shouted in victory, making the three adults slightly cringe. "Mr. Litwak put on the new steering wheel! Sugar Rush is saved!"
"Yeah, thanks to you two knuckleheads," Calhoun said while ruffling the child's candy-filled hair. "We're both proud that you considered not only you, but the safety of your game. That's the behavior of a true soldier." "So does that mean I get to be a soldier just like you and Kohut?!" she asked while bouncing up and down. Ralph and Felix grimaced at that idea. "We'll have to think about it," Calhoun simply responded, clearly already knowing the answer to that question, but not wanting to bring the girl's spirits down. The core four went silent for a moment, then another question hit Vanellope and broke the silence.
"Where's Sour Bill and the other racers?"
"They're doing a roster race right now," Felix responded.
"Awwww, without me?!" she whined, making the adults chuckle.
"It's dedicated to you, pipsqueak," the Sarge added, "and they also thought of doing a 'Just-For-Fun race if – when you come back." Vanellope smiled a mischievous smile. "Well, what're you waiting for, come on, let's go!" Vanellope ran to the edge of the building and made a cannon-ball to, well, her doom, is what the adults thought, making their faces pale, until they heard an audible voop. They looked over the edge and figured that Vanellope used her glitch to land safely on the ground. "Come on, you slow pokes, times a wastin'!" the girl shouted again. Vanellope will be the death of me, the adults all thought.
Once they had reached the ground, Ralph stopped the couple to give the two souvenirs. It was two BuzzzPhones. "What's this for, Wreck-it?" Calhoun asked. "Oh, it's just for, y'know, if we're separated and far apart, we can just call and check up on each other!" the wrecker explained. "You have me, Vanellope and the racers." Ralph got out his own BuzzzPhone and called Vanellope for demonstration. He was utterly startled by her shrill voice.
"GET YOUR MOLASSES IN GAME CENTRAL STATION!" she shrieked and ended the conversation. Afraid of what would happen next, the adults made a beeline for Game Central Station.
In Sugar Rush,
The first Random Roster Race since Sugar Rush got unplugged was taking place. Rancis had just crossed the finish line in first place, with Taffyta behind in second, Snowanna in third place, Candlehead in fourth place, Swizzle in fifth, Nougetsia in sixth, Jubileena in seventh, Sticky in eight, and Citrusella in ninth, making up the roster for the next day. The crowd went wild!
"Gosh," Rancis said. "I'm sorry you didn't win the race, Taffyta!" "Don't be silly!" Taffyta waved off. "Our friendship means way more to me than winning!" Felix and Calhoun were already in the audience, applauding the child's act of courtesy, while the Surge Protector sat there dumbfounded. "Losing builds character!" Felix shouted. "Everyone's a winner!" Calhoun shouted, referring to their conversation they had earlier. Eventually the remaining racers crossed the finish line, and congratulated each other, saying how well they did in the race even if they were near, or were in last place. With the exception of Rancis, the racers went over to their parents to ask about Ralph and Vanellope, but mostly Vanellope.
(Behind the stands)
"Man, oh man, this is gonna be so exciting!" Vanellope exclaimed. "I can't wait to see the look on everyone's face when they see I'm here!" Her expression faltered. "But… I'm nervous. What if they would be perfectly fine without me? What do you think Ralph – Ralph?" She turned around to see him crawling away. "What are you doing?"
"I dunno kid," Ralph sighed, "the last time I interacted with the racers, it wasn't so pretty. Maybe you should go out there without me. I'll be waiting in the wings for ya." He continued to crawl away, but Vanellope held him back, even though it had no effect, but he stopped anyway when he felt that light tug. "You're not going anywhere!" she demanded. "It's either all of us, or none of us! Is not a duty as a hero?" She couldn't be serious whenever that word came out of hers or anyone's mouth. Ralph groaned in response and complied.
(Back at the winner's circle)
Rancis took a look at his trusty RV1, the one he and Vanellope made together, which is why it was so special. Though it was mixed with a variety of ingredients, it had hints of a vanilla aroma, identical to her scent, so he would often kiss the vanilla-scented parts. He reflected back to the time the kart was first made.
"Check out the RV – for Rancis and Vanellope. I couldn't have done this without you!" he admitted.
"That's PRESIDENT Vanellope… but I'll let it slide this time."
He blushed every time he thought of that moment, still fresh in his memory, never letting it go away.
"Vanellope…" he whispered aloud.
"Rancis?" said a voice. He was taken aback to see Vanellope standing right in front of him, with a shy smile and rosy cheeks.
"Vanellope?!" he repeated, now audible to the rest of the characters. The racers whipped their heads around at the mention of the name.
"VANELLOPE?!"
"Yes, Vanellope von Schweetz!" she said with an exasperated tone. "The one and onl-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" she was startled when Rancis embraced her, and the rest of the racers following suit, tackling them into a large group hug. The crowd erupted in cheers. Once they broke apart, Vanellope finally got to speak.
"So I take it that you guys missed me," she said smugly. "OF COURSE!" the racers said simultaneously, making her grimace.
"We can't imagine what Sugar Rush is without you!" Candlehead cried.
"You hold all of us together!" Adorabeezle said.
"Yeah, we love you, Vanellope!" Jubileena said.
"Aw, shucks, guys," Vanellope said, slightly blushing, on the verge of tears.
"You missed out on all the fun!" Gloyd teased. "We got to spend time with Felix and Sarge all day yesterday, and we did all kinds of stuff!" The racers started blurting out the numerous activities they did.
"We played board games!"
"We played musical chairs!"
"We washed dishes!"
"We managed to deal with that one channel."
"We fixed stuff!"
Hearing all the things the racers did with Felix and Calhoun made her feel sort of left out, which wasn't their intention, but she was still happy they had fun.
"Candlehead and Swizzle are a thing!" Torvald said. All the characters turned the attention to the two racers standing side by side. Once the awkwardness was tense enough, Candlehead couldn't take it anymore. "Why I oughtta-!" She pulled Swizzle into a fierce kiss, 8-but hearts forming around them. 'Ooh's and 'ah's filled the air. Vanellope was used to that sight at this point. As much as she hated to admit it, she wanted to experience that feeling with someone else.
"Did I miss anything else?" Vanellope asked to break the two apart, after a good 15 seconds passed.
"Oh, right!" Minty said. "We're getting an update as soon as the arcade opens! We get 10 new tracks!" Apparently, this news was new to the other characters from all the loud murmurs, but Vanellope was doing her little happy dance.
"Can this day get any better?!"
"Yes it can, girl! We were gonna do a 'Just-For-Fun' race once you would back here," Snowanna answered.
"AW YEAH!" she whooped with her fists in the air. "Where's my kart?!" The racers' bubbly expressions faltered.
"Well… your kart wasn't exactly programmed into the game, so it disappeared when the game was unplugged," Rancis explained. "We searched the whole game!" Vanellope was now devastated. Many things kept her going in life, her racing kart being one of them, the one she and Ralph made together. It was gone. Forever. It was almost like a part of her was missing. A void in her heart that couldn't be filled.
"What am I gonna race with…?"
"With THIS!" Vanellope directed her attention to the recolors, all surrounding a cloak with a weird-looking figure underneath. They pulled it off to reveal a kart – an Ice Cream Kart! The crowd gasped. It was neater, and followed her color scheme more. The wheels were painted mint green and chocolate brown. The rear was large mint chocolate ice cream scoop covered with Hershey's chocolate syrup and sprinkles. The nose of the kart was filled with chocolate [if you couldn't tell by now, i love chocolate c:], and the base was a plain vanilla waffle cone with a mint green "V" engraved on the hood. The seat was a devil dog. Vanellope's mouth was agape. Yes, it was extraordinary, but her old lopsided kart had more value and love.
[A/N if you want a visual rep of the kart, check my bio!]
"We made it for you," Crumbelina said. "We put so much thought, effort and heart into it. We made sure it was part of the game this time. I'm sure the developers will notice it and add it, but we hope you like it!" The racers all hung their heads for an answer.
"I…" Vanellope took a good look at her new kart. She scrunched up her face.
"I LOVE it!" She ran over to hug as many of the racers as she could. The racers themselves were even envious of the kart. Even Felix and Calhoun were! "This day can't get any better!"
"Oh, but it can," Jubileena said. "Not until we start that race!" The children and the NPCs all cheered.
"WAIT!" Taffyta screamed. The cheering immediately stopped. "Vanellope, didn't Ralph come back with you?" The vanilla-themed racer nodded slowly.
"Where is he?" the racers started asking.
"Right here." The racers whipped their heads around to see the wrecker slowly approaching them.
"RALPH!" They shrieked. They made a beeline for the giant and immediately surrounded him, begging and pleading for his forgiveness, some crying, some furious, some confused (cough, Candlehead, cough). Ralph couldn't help but find it amusing. "Alright, alright, one at a time, it's okay, it's okay!"
"Ralph, we know you mean a lot to Vanellope, so you can come here anytime, e-even if you wreck something a-and something goes wrong!" Swizzle said shaking in his boots.
"Kid-"
"You can have all the candy you want!" Minty said. "You can eat our houses, our karts and everything!"
"I would never-"
"You can throw us in the mud as many times as you can!" Adorabeezle said. "Just pleeeeeeaaaassee forgive us!"
"CAN IT, ALL OF YOU!" Ralph demanded, making the racers clamp their mouths shut. "I'm doing any of that! I forgive all of you!"
"You forgive us?" Gloyd scoffed. "What the fudge is with you and Vanellope and forgiving people so easily?!"
"You want me to hold a grudge...?"
"Yes!" Taffyta responded. "We deserve it!"
"Nobody deserves punishment!" Ralph yelled. "If it's anyone. I-it's me." the racers all hung their heads low in guilt. "I'm the one who started this mess. You wouldn't have to be going through any of this if it weren't for me." "But Ralph!" Candlehead interrupted. "We wouldn't be together if weren't for you!" "That's sweet," Ralph continued, "but...I feel like I get in the way of everything you all do, so... if you're thinking of kicking me out, do it. I completely understand." No one spoke up as he turned the opposite direction towards the exit, because they figured there was nothing they could say to change his mind. Felix, Calhoun and Surge saw and heard everything, feeling sorrow for the big guy.
"Now wait just a minute."
Everyone directed their gaze to the president, who showed no expression but confidence and smug. "First of all, you're not going anywhere. Second of all, I determine who stays, and who goes." Ralph cocked an eyebrow, both in confusion and curiosity. He awaited an answer from the president. She facepalmed.
"Well, obviously you're staying, g'doi!" The characters all cheered, and the racers jumped up to hug Ralph, their supposedly uncle. He gave his little friend a mischievous smile, which she returned.
"But you will have one punishment." The characters once again turned their attention to the kid president. "You have to chug 2 whole bottles of chocolate milk! Tonight at Tapper's!" Everyone in the game grimaced at the punishment, knowing Ralph – well, he was adjusting to chocolate, but he still wasn't as fond of it.
"Deal." he said, shaking the child's hand.
"Now get your molasses in the audience, we got a race!" The children obliged by running to their karts and getting in start position. Before she could proceed to her kart, she was startled when she felt a hand on her shoulder, which was from none other than Rancis.
"Hey."
"Hi."
"So, the internet, huh?"
"Yup."
"L-look, Vanellope, I never thought I'd get a chance to tell you this but I…"
"Uh-huh…"
"I…"
"Uh-huh…"
"L-l-llll-"
"Spit it out, Fluggerbutt!"
Once he couldn't take the pressure anymore, he gave in and gave her a hard peck on the cheek. Vanellope was taken aback and face as red as Jubileena's hair.
"I like you."
It had taken a few moments for Vanellope to process what just happened, until she returned the peck.
"I like you too."
This made him blush bright red, smiling from ear to ear. However, he remembered he was standing right in front of his crush, so he succeeded at containing his excitement, clearing his throat.
"That's cool," he said with a smug look, making Vanellope giggle. She started to lean in, and Rancis followed suit, and then-!
"Ahem." [Seriously, Calhoun?]
Ralph, Calhoun and Felix gave the two children a death glare, while the candy NPCs cooed at the sight. Thankfully, the racers paid no mind to them. Sweet mother of monkey milk, when will those three ever leave me alone? She thought with an exasperated look, but Rancis was slightly amused.
"SARGE, IS THAT A CYBUG BEHIND YOU?!" she shouted to temporarily distract them.
Calhoun's soldier instincts immediately kicked in. "WHERE?!" she whipped her head around, Felix and Ralph doing the same, while the audience looked around with horror and/or confusion in their eyes. The two looked back at each other and giggled, before he cupped both his hands on her face and pulled her in for a good 5-second kiss. She melted in the sweet taste of his peanut butter lips. This time, the racers noticed and cheered for them.
"I didn't see any cybug!" Calhoun scowled.
"False alarm, I guess," Vanellope said snickering, fist bumping Rancis.
"That is no laughing matter soldier!"
Before the conversation could continue, the NPCs started chanting "RACE! RACE! RACE! RACE!" Vanellope and Rancis made a beeline for their karts, blowing each other a kiss before they parted. Vanellope's kart was in the middle up front, between Taffyta and Jubileena. The countdown started.
"3…"
"Vanellope, I hope we can all make good friends with Ralph," Taffyta said.
"2…"
"Heh, ol' Stinkbrain will be one of the best pals you'll ever get know because…"
"1…"
"He's worth it."
"GO!"
Hope you enjoyed the story guys! If you're a little disappointed with the Vanilla Butter part, I'm sorry T-T I'm not that good at "spicing things up" XD but I'll learn! I'm definitely considering making a story where the Fix-it Family visit Vanellope! So stay tuned for that! R&R and see you next time!