Some hours late they were in Dragon's Hunters. Vanellope was relieved they had survived the cross thought GCS without incidents. She also was amazed with the world in front of her. It was so beautiful that was almost possible forget all the destruction outside.
She turned to ask Sticky about Clarion when she noticed Sticky wasn't with the group and Gloyd wasn't there also. What happened with the two?
As they entered the castle, Vanellope sneaked away from the group to search for them, something was going really wrong there.
She randomly walked around the castle, wishing no one was already there to miss her, hiding every time someone was around.
She suddenly heard voices coming near, most specifically James' voice.
"...Why mom? Why it have to happen?"
"If I had another choice dear, believe me, I would do it. But I haven't, it's our only hope. I know it's hard to you, it's hard to me too, but we have to be strong on this dark times."
"I understand. But how about Clar?"
"It's how everyone is calling her now? Well, she is a free soul, like your father, I can't blame her. You can support this but to she, nothing is most important than be free. She live her life for the fun, it's just what she understand."
"But how about what she was searching?" The boy asked hopeful.
"It's a hopeless fight, it's what I think. If have a hope for us I think someone would have found it already."
"I think if someone can find a solution to all our problems this someone is my sister."
Vanellope was confuse by now. Was Clarion a menace or the Arcade's only hope?
So she heard footsteps and walked slowly back, 'till she felt her back against a glass surface.
It was a door, and through it she could see Sticky at the garden. She tried the door but it was locket up.
She was searching for something to break the glass when she saw someone else joining Sticky.
It was the dark figure that just runned away from the laboratory.
The figure was a little taller as Sticky, a black cat mask covering the face, and the figure was using a black jacket with a hood to cover the head, a black jumpsuit, black gloves and boots.
"So, what was you and Vanellope doing at the lab?" The figure asked and Vanellope recognized Clarion's voice.
"She is somehow strange today, I thought she had changed back into her normal self." Sticky replied.
"We can't just suppose things and trust anyone while this situation is going on." Clarion warned.
"But, what if she's saying the truth?" Sticky asked.
"Yeah, Roxas reported me the situation, but without a prove we can't trust. It's Vanellope, she is under King Candy's orders. Tomorrow I and the guys will be back to the fortress to a new search in there. Report me any change and keep an eye on her."
"But Clar, you already searched, at the lab, the fortress and..."
"Almost every devastated game on this Arcade, missing just one or another with the lowest chances to we to survive into. But we will search again, and again, 'till we get some answers."
"All right Clar. See you later so."
The two walked away, each one to a different direction, letting behind a shocked Vanellope. So Sticky was Clarion's spy on King Candy and on her, Clarion seemed to think King Candy was bad, but was he? Or was she the true menace?And what was the fortress and who was Roxas? Waht kind of person was the Vanellope that people seemed to know? What should her do?
But before she could even think about it she felt a hand on her shoulder and a voice calling.
"Vannie!"
"Oh, James, you surprised me. What's doin' here? You shouldn't be at your party?"
"I should, and you too, but I need to talk to you in private."
"Well, we're alone by now."
"It's about all what's going on the last weeks. I know if you was back to your normal self I wouldn't need to say it, but please, hear me. I know the Vanellope I knew wouldn't want it, the Vanellope friend of a full on criminal, the Vanellope of the rebel forces, she would fight against it. What he did with you that made you forget?"
Vanellope supposed this 'he' was King Candy, but why would James think King Candy made something to her and King Candy think Clarion did?
"Look, I really can't understand it by now." Vanellope sighed.
"I understand. I just thought I have a hope."
"And you have, just I'm not it."
"You're acting so strange today, are you really fine?"
"I could be better."
"Well, the dinner will be in a few minutes, better we go now." James told her.
A little time later, Vanellope was sat down totally bored while mostly of the others invited for the party where dinning.
Vanellope's eyes located Sergeant Calhoun at one table not so distant from where she was, but wasn't her who called Vanellope's attention, it was the blonde boy sat down with her. He seemed alert for something, made a sign for Sticky, who whispered something to Gloyd, who quickly leave the room. Sticky made a sign for the boy who quickly but discretely took something off his pocket and threw by one near window. A time later Vanellope saw Clarion sneaking out of the castle.
Vanellope looked to see if someone was going to miss her and just to be sure muttered something about 'go to the bathroom', before sneaking out too.
She followed Clarion cautiously by what seemed a never ending ravine, 'till they arrived the top of a cliff, near a forest. Clarion wasn't alone, so Vanellope hide herself behind some trees.
They were seven. Two of them weren't humans and Vanellope recognized them as two little Kopas. Other of Clarion's companions Vanellope also recognized by his hat as being Gloy. But in her place she couldn't see the others enough to recognize them.
"So, you did?" One of the Kopas asked.
"No. Sticky asked a wait." Clarion replied, taking off her mask and hood.
"Why she did it?"
"Has something wrong with Vanellope and she want to know more about this."
"And why she and Roxas not joined us?" Asked someone Vanellope not recognized.
"To keep appearances. Sticky to Vanellope and Roxas to his mother."
"At least he still have one." Vanellope recognized that voice as belonging to Ralph, but seemed somehow younger.
"Oh, c'mon guys, don't worry. We will find a way to fix all this. I promised you and I never break my promises." Clarion assured they.
"So don't make promises you can't fulfill." The unknown person replied to her. All Vanellope could say it was another boy. "We already searched this whole Arcade, we almost died a lot of times. Accept it, it's all lost."
"No, it isn't. All is lost when the hope is lost. But we still have hope, right boys?"
"It's hard to have hope when all seems darker and darker around you." Muttered Gloyd.
"I know it's hard, but we have to stay strong, stay calm and stay together, so I'm right we will manage to do whatever we want to."
"We're just here because we still trust you." Another of the Kopas told her. "You know no one want us around."
"Mostly of us at least." Ralph added.
"Yeah." Clarion agreed. "I sometimes ask myself what are you still with us, Felix. It isn't just because of your father, is it?"
"You all are my friends for years, what more I can do instead help?"
"Years ago." Clarion sighed. "You, Sticky and Vanellope, the three most improbably kids to befriend the worst group of troublemakers of the whole Arcade."
Three bad guys, a prankster, a rebel racer and so was Ralph, who haven't found a place to him, but was still one of us. After the incident come Roxas. Even being who he was, he chooses help us."
"So thing turned worst and we turned more than just friends. We are the only family each one still have." Felix added sadly.
"Just Rox still have something." Clarion said.
"You can't say it, Clar." The boy Vanellope don't knew replied. "You still have a family."
"But one I don't feel right with. I wasn't born to be a princess."
"It's why you called us to meet you here instead we go to the party?" Felix asked.
"Not exactly. I thought King Candy was going to be on the party, and he's a lot suspicious we did something to Vanellope."
"And we did?" Ralph asked.
"Not since that disastrous prank last week." The girl told them.
"Oh, talking about the party, I almost forgot one thing." Felix exclaimed.
"We brough something to you." Gloyd added.
"Why?" Clarion asked suspicious.
"Well, it's your birthday too, you forgot?" Asked Felix.
"In fact, I forgot. Since all this mess begun I rarely remember dates, principally the supposed-to-be-happy ones."
"But we're here to remember you." Sticky appeared with a cake.
"You really did it for me?"
"We would do something better in a better time, probably a big party just for us in one of our hideouts." Gloyd commented.
"We will have a chance next year guys, to a big party."
Clarion stood up, cleaning the dust of her clothes. Suddenly she froze up and looked at the trees, directly where Vanellope was hidden.
Vanellope felt she was in big troubles. She turned away to run, but suddenly Clarion was in front of her.
"Well, well, well, seems we found a little candy rat in our place guys." She crossed her arms smirking.
"Don't hurt her!" Both, Sticky and Felix, asked.
"I will not hurt her. In the name of our good times I will go easy on her this time. But if I catch you spying on us again, you will really regret it."
Vanellope don't knew what happened after that, her mind got heavy and she suddenly fainted.