In the Licorice Wicket...
"It's really kinda nice here," Mint smiled nervously. "In a dark, spooky, wish I was home in bed sorta way. You know, I wish this shortcut was a strawberry shortcut."
"Same here." Pupcake added.
"When do you think we'll get out of here?" Jib whispered.
"Oh, anytime now," Mint replied before stopping as he saw someone working with what looked like a cauldron. "Look!"
"Who's that?" Patch asked as he was about to walk up to the person.
"Shh! That's Lord Licorice..." Mint whispered to him, holding him back the best that he could. "I wonder what he's up to?"
"Uh-oh." Jolly frowned once he saw and heard someone coming this way.
"Quick, hide." Custard told them as she hid.
They soon rushed to hide as the Licorice Bites rushed over with Princess Lolly's scepter and also had kidnapped a certain young tomboy princess.
"Vanellope!" Patch gasped.
"Yes, mine!" Lord Licorice beamed as he took the scepter. "At last, now it's time for my plan to begin, and also with the princess of Sugar Rush, as my hostage, who-" he then glared towards Vanellope before looking to her like he was seeing an old familiar face for the first time in years.
"What?" Vanellope asked.
"You?" Lord Licorice asked. "You're the princess of Sugar Rush Speedway?"
"Yeah?" Vanellope replied.
"Interesting... Very interesting..." Lord Licorice replied.
"Am I missin' somethin'?" Vanellope asked.
"Oh... It's just... You look like my sister." Lord Licorice said to her.
"Your sister?" Vanellope asked.
"Yes..." Lord Licorice replied. "I haven't seen her in many years..."
"Um... What was she like?" Vanellope wondered.
"She was always the more adventurous and outgoing one between us," Lord Licorice replied. "She often wandered throughout Candy Land, and not just in our home in the Licorice Wicket. She found herself interested in the king's younger brother. They had a forbidden friendship, which later led to a relationship... I never saw her again after that."
"That's interesting." Vanellope said.
"That was a very long time ago..." Lord Licorice said. "No matter... With you as my hostage, Candy Land will have to give into me, especially with Princess Lolly's scepter in my hand!"
"But why are you even doing this?!" Vanellope glared at him.
"I deserve to rule over Candy Land!" Lord Licorice told her. "It would be a much better place if I was in charge instead of that nitwit, King Kandy, or his daughters, Lolly and Frostine! And with you as my leverage, they'll have no choice but to surrender!" he then put the scepter inside of his cauldron before splatting some black goo against the wall near her. "Here! Have some licorice vines!" And where out came some licorice-like vines.
"You won't get away with this!" Vanellope glared. "Why can't you just respect the way the king and his daughters rule?!"
"Oh, but my dear, it's more fun this way for everyone, don't you think?" Lord Licorice smirked.
"If my parents were here, I bet they'd totally teach you a thing or two!" Vanellope glared.
"Interesting... You don't know where your parents are?" Lord Licorice asked.
"...No... I don't, actually..." Vanellope said softly. "All I know is that they disappeared..."
"Hmm... Interesting..." Lord Licorice replied. "It would be interesting if I had my own heiress to my new throne."
Vanellope simply backed away from him slightly.
"Join me, child..." Lord Licorice said as he grabbed her arm.
"Get off of me!" Vanellope cried out.
Vanellpe soon yelped as some licorice vines tied her up high in the air while Lord Licorice and his Bites celebrated. "I bet if your sister was here, she would be shocked to know that you're doing this during the celebration!" she then glared at Lord Licorice.
"Oh, what do you know?" Lord Licorice glared back at Vanellope.
"I know that your sister wouldn't want you to do this; she would want you to stop before it's too late." Vanellope told him.
No," Lord Licorice told her. "You're just a child."
"I am more than that!" Vanellope glared. "Look, pal, I know what it's like to be pushed to the side! Before everyone found out I was their long-lost princess, they used to bully me just because I was a glitch, and King Candy in Sugar Rush was just a jealous game character who tried to destroy my code!"
"Oh, boo-hoo." Lord Licorice huffed.
"Why are you being so mean?!" Vanellope shouted.
That one question soon echoed through his mind as a different voice was heard asking the same question. Lord Licorice looked at her as he seemed to be reminded of something like upon their first meeting with each other which wasn't that long ago, even though he felt like he had seen her somewhere before, though this was their first time seeing each other.
A flashback was soon shown of a younger Lord Licorice and a young girl.
"Pretty soon, this will no longer be Candy Land, it shall be known as... Licorice Land!" Lord Licorice told the girl who was with him.
"No, this land is perfect just the way it is." The girl told him.
"We're born into the Licorice family, not the Candy family," Lord Licorice told his younger sister. "Lyra, don't you see? We have to overthrow the King and Queen to get what we deserve. Don't you want your own land instead of living in the bright and colorful world we live in when it can be dark and bitter just like we are?"
"But that's so mean, why are you being so mean?!" Lyra shouted.
"I'm not mean, I just want us both to be happy." Lord Licorice told her.
"Richard, I don't know what happened to you, but you've changed..." Lyra told her older brother.
"I'm not mean, I just want us both to be happy." Lord Licorice told her.
"Richard, I don't know what happened to you, but you've changed, and I don't like it..." Lyra told her older brother.
"Maybe you've changed..." Lord Licorice told his younger sister. "You've been sneaking out of the wicket a lot lately."
"Because I've wanted to see more than just the wicket." Lyra told him.
"What's wrong with the wicket?" Lord Licorice asked.
"Because being in the same place all the time is boring!" Lyra replied. "I just wanted to explore, and Candy Land is a very beautiful place!"
"It's too colorful." Lord Licorice replied.
"Well... Yes... It's colorful, but... It's nice..." Lyra said. "Um... Can I get you anything from up town?"
"Why?" Lord Licorice asked suspiciously.
"Well, you've asked me to go into town for you for a while..." Lyra smiled nervously. "I thought I'd pick up some food."
"You seem a bit nervous all of a sudden." Lord Licorice said.
"No, no," Lyra replied. "Listen, I need some air, I'll see you later."
Lord Licorice glanced over to his sister as she soon left their home before he made some Licorice Bites follow her since he grew suspicious of her behavior change. Lyra began to go through Candy Land as she was going to be meeting up with someone. Little did she know, some Licorice Bites were following her to see what she was up to. The someone soon wore a hood with a cloak so that no one would recognize him as he came out to see Lyra.
And where the two of them soon met up in a candy cane forest. They soon came up to each other. The cloaked figure smiled to Lyra and lowered his hood to show his face to her, and he seemed to have curly black hair.
"Oh, my prince has come." Lyra smiled back.
"I would never miss a chance to seeing you, my princess." The prince smiled back.
Lyra giggled to that, blushing a bit. "Oh, Vanilliam~"
"I just hate that we have to meet in secretly." Vanilliam said.
"I know..." Lyra sighed. "None of our families would approve... I live in the Licorice Wicket, and you're the younger brother of King Kandy... Sometimes I wish we could just run away somewhere together... Somewhere no one would think to find us, and we can have the family we've always wanted..."
"I have heard of a place far from here." Vanilliam said.
"Is that right?" Lyra asked him.
"Yeah, and it has some kind of road." Vanilliam said.
"What is this place?" Lyra wondered.
"They call it... Sugar Rush..." Vanilliam told his beloved. "We should run away there together. Just you and me, and any children we may have."
"That sounds like a fairy tale." Lyra smiled.
"I was hoping you would say that." Vanilliam smiled back, bashfully.
"So then when we're older, we'll start a family and we'll live in Sugar Rush." Lyra smiled back.
Vanilliam smiled as he hoped she would like that. They then shared a hug before kissing each other happily, not knowing that they were being spied on. The Licorice Bites looked to each other as they saw King Kandy's younger brother with Lord Licorice's younger sister as they had more than just a forbidden friendship. They had a forbidden romance. And where the Licorice Bites knew they would have to tell Lord Licorice.
The two soon went to a hill together to share a picnic as they looked all over Candy Land.
"It's so lovely here." Lyra smiled.
"It is a nice place... Even if the others would frown upon seeing us together." Vanilliam agreed.
"It's just unfair," Lyra frowned. "If only they would just get along like how we do."
"I know..." Vanilliam agreed. "It's tough sometimes... This is such a great place too..."
They soon heard humming and looked nervous at first, but then smiled as they saw it was the one person who knew their secret: Granma Nutt.
"I thought I heard you kids out here." Granma Nutt giggled to the young prince and lady.
"Oh, it's just you, Granma." Lyra smiled.
"You two feeling all right?" Granma Nutt asked them.
"...Well... We were just thinking about things..." Vanilliam said to the kind old woman.
"Yeah." Lyra nodded.
"Would you like to come over?" Granma Nutt offered to them. "Nothing cheers me up more than having visitors in Peanut Acres."
Lyra and Vanilliam smiled to that before going with her to her home. Along the way, their feet got slightly stuck.
"Ooh, sorry about that, you can't help it though." Granma Nutt giggled to them on the way to her home.
"Yeah, guess not." Vanilliam smiled.
Granma Nutt smiled to them as she brought them into her home to relax for a bit, she also saw them together one evening, and decided to keep their secret safe from everyone else in Candy Land which made them very happy that she would and did. It seemed almost perfect for them to be together, even if no one else would really understand.
Soon enough, it was time for them to go back to their homes.
"I'll see you again soon." Vanilliam smiled.
"I will see you too, good night." Lyra smiled back.
"Good night." Vanilliam nodded to her.
The two shared a kiss with each other and soon walked off back to their respective homes. Lyra began to make her way through the Licorice Wicket. Lord Licorice was waiting back home for her as she had a dreamy smile on her face after seeing Prince Vanilliam yet again.
"You seemed to have had a good time." Lord Licorice told his sister.
"Oh, uh, yes," Lyra replied. "A good walk always clears my head, dear brother."
"Oh, and I'm sure meeting up with your boyfriend was also a great thing." Lord Licorice smirked.
"Huh?!" Lyra gasped.
The Licorice Bites soon came out with evil grins to Lyra as they exposed her secret.
"Why, you little snitches!" Lyra glared.
The Licorice Bites snickered.
"Okay, yes! I was with the king's younger brother!" Lyra told her brother. "He makes me happy!"
"Aren't you happy here?" Lord Licorice asked, referring to the wicket.
"I don't wanna be here all day everyday," Lyra told him. "I want to explore... I want to make friends... I want more than this provincial life."
"I will never understand you." Lord Licorice sighed.
"You never did..." Lyra said. "That's why I'm glad I met Vanilliam... He's the greatest guy I have ever met... I might even... Love him."
And where Lord Licorice was shocked to hear that. "You LOVE him?!"
"I... I do... I love him..." Lyra said. "You won't stop me, Richard! I love Vanilliam, and we're going to have our own happily ever after far away from Licorice Wicket!"
The flashback soon ended from there.
"And that was the last time I saw her..." Lord Licorice sighed about his long-lost sister. "I suspect she left while I was sleeping, and ran off with Prince Vanilliam before he became the king of their new land and she became his queen."
"You're not gonna start singing now are you?" Vanellope asked.
"You're a little sassy mouth, aren't you?" Lord Licorice replied.
"I'm known for my sass," Vanellope smirked to that. She soon heard music being played, telling her there was going to be a song. "Of course..." she then sighed to herself, resting one of her hands against her cheek.
"There's a place in Candy Land, for everyone but me~," Lord Licorice began to sing to her. "For licorice is all but banned, When loved is what it should be~"
"I should have known this was gonna come up." Vanellope sighed to herself.
"This place is run by every sweets. I find it awfully strange,~" Lord Licorice continued to sing. "But don't you pout. You'll soon see it's all about to change.~"
The Licorice Bites cheered to this as that sounded like great news to them.
"Quiet!" Lord Licorice shouted at them.
The Licorice Bites soon obeyed as they stayed silent.
"As all who know me might suppose, I've hatched a tasty plot;~" Lord Licorice sang. "A Licorice that grows and grows, until there more then a lot~"
"You're nuts!" Vanellope glared.
"Correction, I'm licorice," Lord Licorice smirked before he went back to his song. "I'll place it in the Circle Sweet, and watch it quickly rise, And soon my chewy, sticky goo will reach into the sky~"
"Seriously, you're still singing?!" Vanellope complained before groaning.
"Licorice here, Licorice there,~" Lord Licorice continued singing as the Licorice Bites joined in. "As far as you can see..~"
'I'm gonna be stuck here until they're done with the song.' Vanellope thought to herself.
"Yep!" Lord Licorice told her as he continued.
"Sour Bill sings better than you do!" Vanellope continued to rant.
"The smell of licorice in the air~" Lord Licorice sang.
"Yummy, yummy, yummy!" The Licorice Bites chorused.
"Slickery licorice everywhere! Soon they'll understand,~" Lord Licorice sang. "Life will be so great, so grand, here in Licorice Land~"
The Licorice Bites then began to chant out of excitement.
"SILENCE!" Lord Licorice told them. "Chocolate pops and strawberry shakes will be against the law, Only licorice birthday cakes! Ho-ho, hee-hee, ha-ha!"
"Make it stop." Vanellope groaned as she tugged on her hair ribbon which she now realized resembled a red licorice rope.
"Never!" Lord Licorice told her before continuing to sing. "Licorice treats will fill the streets, A glorious display. The world will seem a licorice dream~"
"And we will sing HOORAY~" The Licorice Bites sang.
"Licorice there, Licorice here, Far as you can see~" Lord Licorice continued. "The smell of licorice in the air~"
"Yummy, yummy, yummy!" The Licorice Bites chorused.
"Slickery licorice everywhere!, Soon they'll understand~" Lord Licorice beamed as he invaded Candy Land. "Life will be so great, so grand, Here in Licorice Land~"
A slideshow was soon shown of what was going to happen after his plan would succeed. Vanellope looked annoyed, but soon looked over as she had no other choice.
"I will rule from a castle with a pool," Lord Licorice told her and his Bites. "I'll look great on my own licorice estate, Have a throne of my own, A licorice crown upon my head, I'll even wear it to bed!"
'Thankfully, this song is almost over,' Vanellope thought to herself. 'Or at least I hope it is.'
"Licorice here, Licorice there, Far as you can see~" Lord Licorice continued to sing as he felt so excited about his future victory. "The smell of licorice in the air!~"
"Yucky, yucky, yucky!" Vanellope smirked which got her a glare from the villain.
"Yummy, yummy, yummy!~" The Licorice Bites sang.
"Slickery licorice everywhere!" Lord Licorice continued his song. "Soon, they'll understand, Things have been so blah~"
"So bland!" A Licorice Bite piped up.
"Life will be utterly grand, Here in Licorice Land~" Lord Licorice grinned darkly.
"You'll never get away with this!" Vanellope glared.
"You may be the princess of Sugar Rush, but I hate to break this to you," Lord Licorice glared back. "You can't tell me what to do, and Candy Land will bow down to me, and you shall become my heiress unless you want your own kingdom to also be taken over by licorice!"
"You are heartless!" Vanellope glared before eating her way free from the vines.
"What are you doing?!" Lord Licorice glared.
"Ugh... This stuff stinks, but I gotta get out of here." Vanellope groaned before she continued.
"That's right, Vanellope, eat your way out." Patch whispered.
Vanellope seemed to hate the taste of licorice, but she managed to eat her way out of the trap she was in.
"He's going to take over Candy Land!" Jib panicked over Lord Licorice.
"This is horrible! A disaster!" Mint added. "What do we do? What do we do?!"
"What do you think? We have to warn the king." Custard told him.
"But how do we get out of here?" Mint asked. "It's really dark!"
A Licorice Bite soon came out and noticed them before putting on a helmet wit a siren on it, and where it went off, informing the others that the Licorice Bite found some intruders.
"Wuh-oh." Patch muttered.
"Let's make like bananas and split!" Mint told the others.
"Don't gotta tell me twice!" Pupcake replied.
They soon rushed off out of the wicket.
"Spies!" Lord Licorice glared. "Get those snooping sweets! Get them!"
The Licorice Bites then ran after the group who ran away to capture them. Lord Licorice almost fell in his cauldron from that, but then yelped as the flames touched him before he sat in his mop bucket to cool himself off.
"Wow." Vanellope smirked before running out.
"You get back here!" Lord Licorice glared.
"Adios, Major Body Odor!" Vanellope saluted before running off.
"That little sneak." Lord Licorice glared.
"You okay, Vanellope?" Patch asked the princess of Sugar Rush.
"I'm fine, but that licorice stuff really reeks!" Vanellope replied. "Especially the black stuff! It tastes like misery!"
"That's what Cherry says." Patch agreed with her on that.
"So what do we do about the Licorice Bites that are chasing us?" Pupcake asked.
Jolly soon turned into a bird and began to fly.
"Well, good for you, but what about us?!" Vanellope glared.
"Faster! They're gaining on us!" Mint told the others. "Do something!"
"Jib, quick, do what you did before!" Patch told the gingerbread boy.
"You mean with my icing?!" Jib asked him.
"It's the only way to stop them." Patch told him.
"Um, all right, I'll try it!" Jib replied as he took out his icing and soon squirted it on the ground.
The Licorice Bites kept chasing after them until they soon got stuck in the icing.
"I knew that would work!" Patch smiled until he soon saw how much left of Jib's icing there was now.
"Jib, you saved us!" Mint smiled. "Run, run, run as fast as you can from Jib, he's the Gingerbread Man!"
Jolly also smiled as he morphed back to normal.
"Oh, dear! This is horrible!" Jib frowned as he looked to his icing. "If we don't tell the King, the sweet trees will become licorice trees, the Peppermint Forest will become Licorice Forest, and Gumdrop Pass will become, well, you get the picture!"
"Licorice Forest?" Mint frowned about that.
"And not to mention you're almost out of icing." Pupcake frowned at Jib.
"Soon, I won't have any left for the ceremony." Jib frowned back before putting the tube in his backpack.
"Jib, Jib, Jib, Jib, you worry too much," Mint replied. "Everything will work out!"
"We better hurry to the castle." Vanellope said.
They soon went back on the road.
"We're going to need help." Jib said.
"Maybe we should get a grown-up?" Mint suggested.
"Uh, aren't you a grown-up?" Custard asked him.
"Oh... Yeah, I am!" Mint chuckled. "I meant a grown-up grown-up."
Vanellope rolled her eyes to that as she followed them down the path.