Vanellope's Bug Problem
Chapter Twelve

I had brought Turbo to the throne room, where I had laid out supplies for building a King Candy statue. I had gathered materials according to what I remembered as part of his appearance. Gumdrops, silk doilies, fruit snacks, marshmallows, etc.

"So, what exactly are we doing by building a statue of my father, Turbo?"

"I'm hoping to get an idea of what I should strive to achieve in re-texturing myself as King Candy. If I've done everything correctly, I should come out looking just like him."

"You know, the game can function just fine as programmed, and there are 14 other racers in the game to serve as company."

"As I said, I'm trying to make up for my own past mistakes. I'm fully aware that this game is perfectly stable for now, but I'm here to ensure that nobody falls victim to their own ego as being part of a popular game so that if the worst happens, and gamers start playing this game less and less, they won't end up going Turbo over it. Trust me, I never once thought I'd become so thirsty for attention that I'd be driven mad by another game stealing my spotlight."

"How many games have come and gone from this arcade since you trashed RoadBlasters? And how many of them were succeeded by better games? And how many characters have gone Turbo?"

"Kid, I can't follow up on every little thing that happens in the arcade, especially when everyone thinks I'm dead and would prefer that that be the truth, and would ensure I was dead if they found out I was still alive."

"Which is why I trust you as much as that Ralph guy from that fixing game you mentioned before."

"How do you mean?"

"The way you painted him, he seems like the kind of guy who breaks anything he touches, just like you. In fact, I trust him more, because he was programmed to break things."

"I'd be drawing a lot of suspicions detectives on my trail if I was going around crashing every racing game that came into this arcade. I almost didn't make it out of RoadBlasters before it got unplugged, and I most likely wouldn't be so lucky if I tried that again on another game."

"So, what exactly do you plan to do once you re-texture yourself as King Candy?"

"I'll keep watch over the track during the races and award the winning racers with their prizes. When the arcade closes and all the racers are done for the day, we'll go about with the regular routine."

"Like the Random Roster Race."

"What's that?"

"After the arcade closes, all the racers get together for a race to decide who will be player avatars the following day. The first nine racers to cross the finish line will be playable the next day."

"Is that what all the ruckus on the racetrack was all about when I got here?"

"Yeah, all the racers have their own unique abilities when racing, which are unlocked with power-ups, or made for use with the scenery on the track."

"And it isn't too dangerous a course to run through in spite of all that?"

"That's what the marshmallow fairies are for. To follow the racers and get them back in the game if they fall into a hazard."

"I see. Quite a competitive game this is."

That's when Sour Bill came in. "Pardon me, Princess."

"Oh, hello, Sour Bill."

He looked up at the visitor. "And who might you be?"

"This is Turbo. He's from an older game from the arcade."

Turbo gave Sour Bill a wave. "Salutations."

"What brings you here?"

"I'm here to help the fine folks of this game get acclimated to the arcade environment."

Sour Bill looked at me. "He hasn't given you any trouble, has he, Princess?"

"Not yet. If he does, I'll let you know."

He gave a suspicious look at the statue we were building. "If you say so. Just be sure to get your rest before the arcade opens."

"I will."

As soon as Sour Bill had left, Turbo looked over the work we had completed at that point. "Alright, how about you work on the head, and I can work on the rest of the body?"

"Are you sure?"

"You'll have a much easier time describing the wardrobe and physique than the face."

"Fair point."

"Right. So, the sooner we get started, the sooner we can finish."

"You can't rush art."

"Agreed."

We got the sculpture made before too long.

"Looks good enough to eat."

"TURBO-TASTIC if I do say so myself."

"Yeah, I think we nailed it."

"Shall we head to the code room and see how we did, mademoiselle?"

"Lead the way, my little doggie chew toy."

"Alright. But first, we're going to need a spotter to pull us out when we're done."

"I'm on it."