Chapter Five- Get Well Soon
Taffyta woke up with a start, looking up at the bright blue ceiling tiles of the hospital room. She gasped, sitting up but as she did so, she was met by a sharp pain in her arm. She groaned in agony, grabbing her arm and looking down; it was in a cast. She looked all over, finding that her right leg was also in a cast and upon further investigation she found that her head was wrapped in bandages.
"H-How bad was that crash?!"
"TAFFYTA! TAFFYTA!" cried a familiar voice. The strawberry racer looked towards the door, seeing Candlehead running in, tears streaming down her face.
"Candlehead?"
"Oh my GOOOOOOBS! Are ya okay, Taffy?!" asked the Candleheaded racer who was crying buckets. Taffyta looked up, finding the other racers filing in one after another and carrying gifts.
"We saw the entire thing! It was HORRIBLE!" said Sticky, placing the gift to Taffyta's side.
Taffyta forced a weak smile, reaching for the small box "G-Gee, thanks guys but frankly, I don't remember that much!"
"If I were in the same crash as you, I wouldn't want to remember it either!" quipped Gloyd "I mean, ya almost DIED back there!"
"Considering I would have respawned if I did, I think I would have rather done that…."
"DON'T SAY THAT!" cried Rancis "That's crazy talk!"
"S-sorry…." Taffyta said softly "I'm just…Urgh, a lil sore, ya know!"
The others nodded; maybe it was better to leave Taffyta to rest. She had a lot to do before she got back on the track. After some hugs, kisses and goodbyes, the others left leaving Taffyta alone in her hospital room. She looked around, seeing the piles and piles of gifts from fans and friends alike. The sight made her smile but as she looked to the table next to her, a small gift caught her eye.
It was wrapped in old candy paper, a crude bow affixed on top of it.
"What is this?" the racer asked, picking it up and looking at the tag.
From Vanellope.
Taffyta's eyes widened as she quickly opened up the box. The first thing she saw was a note.
~Hey Taffy, I hope ya find this since I know you're going to get lots of packages. Mine is so small, I just hope it means something to you. XOXO Vanellope.~
The racer looked in the box, finding a small strawberry pin inside.
It was such a cute trinket. It was so…Vanellope!
Taffyta couldn't help but smile as she looked down at the adorable little thing, clutching it tightly.
"Heh, I know JUST where ta put ya too!"
Taffyta reached out and grabbed her coat that was sitting at the foot of her bed. She then affixed the pin over the area where her heart would be if she put the jacket on.
"Now everyone can see it!" she said brightly.
"Thaffyta!"
"King Candy!" the racer shouted in surprise, the monarch dragging a wagon load of gift behind him, looking concerned "Hello sir! I'm so happy to see you!"
"I'm just glad to thee you ALIVE, my dear!" the man blubbered, tears running down his rosy cheeks "T-t-to THEE a crash like that?! I've never seen anythin' so HORRIBLE in my life!" he wept, grabbing onto the girl and hugging her a tad TOO tightly.
"URF! I'm glad for your concern, but I'm gonna be fine!"
The king sniffed, wiping a tear from his eye "I-I know that! You're a throng girl, Thaffy!"
Taffyta couldn't help but beam with pride at the compliment!
"Why thank you sir! As your number one racer, I always pride myself in making this game look good…." She laughed nervously "Even from the hospital bed…."
"Yes, yes, yes…" the ruler said, his face turning a bit grim "But…..but there's thumin' else I want to discuss with you."
"An' what would that be?" asked a curious Taffyta.
"When we were pullin' ya car inta tha garage ta see what had happened….we…..we found thum things." The monarch said, hanging his head low.
"What do you mean 'found some things'?
"What I mean isth…." The man stopped, putting a hand over his heart "It would be best if YOU came to thee this yourself. I would rather discuss it in tha privacy of tha castle instead of here."
"Okaaaay…." The girl said nervously.
"I'll arrange for a charter to come an' get you later, my dear!" the man said "But until then, rest up!"
And with that, the King waved a goodbye and began to make his way out of the hospital. As he exited the building he looked around, a funny feeling coming over him.
"I know you're there, GLITCH." The man hissed angrily.
A rustle from a nearby bush hit the man's ears.
"Ya better count yourself lucky that I didn't thee ya gettin' close ta ANY of tha racers, otherwise it would be the FUNGEON for ya!" the man growled, hopping into his cart and taking off. As soon as he was gone, a tiny raven-haired racer popped her head from the bushes, a look of fear on her face.
"Th-that was close!" she gulped. Vanellope turned towards the hospital, looking up towards the window where Taffyta's room was "Oh, I hope ya get well soon, Taff."
"So what did he say?!" asked Vanellope, hopping up and down in excitement.
"He…" Taffyta hesitated for a second, rubbing her arm nervously "J-just a buncha junk! The guy is clearly delusional!"
"If ya say it like that, then why are ya plannin' ta go back tomorrow?" Vanellope asked, her hands on her hips.
Taffyta smiled, winking at the girl "Hey, who knows when he could spill the jelly beans! I mean, he's bound to slip up sooner or later!"
"Yeeeah, I guess…" the raven haired racer grumbled, putting her hands in her pocket "But really? This all sounds too fishy to me! I mean, Turbo doesn't seem like the type of person who just suddenly tells all, especially for NOTHING!"
The raven haired racer awaited a snark from her friend but instead got nothing. Taffyta just stood still, her back turned towards her friend.
"Vanellope?" the strawberry racer asked.
"Yeah?" Vanellope answered.
Taffyta didn't move from her spot, her head tilting a bit "Do you think it's fair?"
"Do I think WHAT'S fair?"
"Do you think it's fair that some people are never given a chance to change, even when they really want to?"
The raven-haired racer blushed a bit at the question though she was a little confused, and a tad concerned, over who Taffyta was speaking of. Was she talking about herself….or TURBO?
"If this PERSON knew that they had done horrible things an'…an' were truly dedicated to makin' things better, then yeah. It WOULD be unfair to say that they can't become a better person an' then question why they HAVEN'T changed."
"I'm starting to think…we got lucky."
"What do ya mean, Taffy?"
"What do I mean?" the girl said, turning towards Vanellope "The others an' I are lucky because if some people had their way, we'd never be seen as people after what we did to you! No one would trust us! We'd still be BULLIES an' that it!"
"Heeey, if people still think that, that's THEIR problem!" Vanellope said with a smile, putting her hand on Taffyta's shoulder "I mean, before Turbo came in an' ruined everything, I KNOW what we were ALL like and its WASN'T what Turbo influenced ya ta be!"
Taffyta just sighed, her eyes still averted from her friend.
"C'mon, don't start this again!" Vanellope laughed "Ralph, Felix, and the others trust you guys and know you're good people but…but in the end, you shouldn't let the negative thoughts of ONE person rule ya like that! You'll just end up bein' miserable!"
"I-I guess you're right….but part of me is havin' a hard time belivin' that, mostly because so many things are playin' in my head."
Vanellope's brows began to furrow as she looked at her friend; something was bothering her and she knew it had to be Turbo. Vanellope KNEW this was a bad idea from the get go!
"Taff…if ya don't wanna go back to talk to Turbo, you don't have to! No one is makin' ya!"
Taffyta shook her head, "No, I HAVE to do this. We deserve an answer to WHY he took us over and seein' as I'm the only one he wants to talk to-!"
"I think Turbo is doin' more than talkin' ta ya!" Vanellope growled "Seriously, he's up to no good and-!"
"AND, even if he is….I can see through his lies!" Taffyta cut in, surprising Vanellope a bit. The little ruler wasn't so sure; ever since Taffyta had returned from her first meeting with Turbo, she had been acting strange. Sure, she had expected Taffyta to be a little miffed or even shocked to seeing Turbo again after so long but the strawberry racer seemed drained, almost as if seeing him had actually affected her so much that it HURT.
Vanellope HATED seeing Taffyta like this but she knew she couldn't stop her; once Taffyta had her mind set on something, she wasn't going to stop. The only thing Vanellope could do at this point was give her some reassurance.
"Just don't let your guard down…" Vanellope warned "Tha last things this arcade needs is somethin' ta happen to give Turbo some sort of leverage against us!"
Taffyta looked at her friend, a serious look on her face "Nelly, I would never, EVER let that happen! No matter how much Turbo tries to convince me, I won't let that man use me as his puppet again!"
Such strong words, but Taffyta knew otherwise. She was breaking and she knew it would only be a matter of time before she would be nothing more than jagged pieces of her former self.
Turbo sat on his cot, his mind once again preoccupied with the magazine he was reading.
"I hafta thay, these new models are getting' more an' more sleek! Rawr!"
"Excuse me…" Calhoun called, her voice harsh "But someone is here ta see ya!"
Turbo looked at the woman for a moment before returning his attention to his book "If it's another reporter or somethin', thell them I don't-"
"Aw, drop it Turbo!" Taffyta said "Ya know good an' well I've been tha only authorized visitor here!"
Try as he might, Turbo couldn't hide the smile that was starting to form on his face as he turned his back towards the two characters. It appeared that the man was happy that Taffyta had returned but the racer hoped that was the ONLY intention to his smile.
"I see ya got thumthin' in your hands, kid…." The racer said "Care package?"
"Ya can call it that." Taffyta said as she held the box in front of her "I just brought ya your favorite."
Turbo's favorite? The man turned, walking over to Taffyta and taking the pink box from her hands. As he opened it up, he was surprised to find several cupcakes inside, each and every one his favorite flavors. The man was a little confused; what was this for? Was it out of honest kindness or did Taffyta have something else in mind? The former racer decided to play coy for a while, taking a cupcake from the box and eating it in a taunting manner in front of both Calhoun and Taffyta.
"They're a lil dry…."
"Heh, figured you'd start pouting…." Taffyta laughed, shaking her head.
"I gotta get ta work, but I have Mouse posted if ya need anythin'" Calhoun said, placing a hand on the girl's head.
"Don't worry, Sarge. I can take care of MYSELF, even with HIM around."
"Oooh, that was rather cold…" Turbo snickered.
Once Calhoun left, Taffyta turned her focus back on the racer, the man still eating the boxful of pastries.
"I've given it some thought Turbo…an' I will admit, ya got me curious."
"Oh, about WHAT?"
"About what you said on Vanellope. How she wouldn't understand the plight you put YOURSELF in after you got your game unplugged."
"Right. THAT." Turbo huffed "Well, kiddo. It just depends on whether or not ya can handle any negative words about your BEST friend. I mean, ya made it clear yesther-day that ya can't even handle ONE accusation thrown towards her!"
Turbo pushed the box away, leaning on his cot as he put his hands behind his head "Aw, who am I foolin'? If someone said somethin' bad 'bout tha twins, I would get upset too. It's just natural!"
"The past, TURBO. Tell me what happened."
Turbo glared at Taffyta but he knew he couldn't hold back his story any longer. He sighed, sitting up.
"Kid, I just want ya ta know…you're not gonna like any of this."
"I don't like this entire situation but oops! Here I am right now!" the girl scowled "Now get on it before I get Mouse in here!"
"Fine, fine, fine…." The man said as he rolled his eyes "But don't blame me when you get upset."
The man sat back, his head lowered but his eyes still focused on the girl before him "I did thay that even with tha terrible things that I did, I was tryin' ta make up for it."
"Right?"
"I was tryin' ta make up for Sugar Rush, for Road Blasters, for my own game…because it was tha right thing ta do. I wanted ta be a ruler that Vanellope never was, one that actually treated her fellow characters like family instead of justh add-ons for her own purpose."
Taffyta knew this was a load of bull, but she would let Turbo have his way if only to entertain him.
"The guyths back in my game? Yeah, we might have been a bit rough on tha edges but we always thicked ta'gether! That's just who we were…an' I guess it was that drive that kinda made me loopy when Road Blasters came in. Everyone thays I just attacked 'em because of ME, but in truth…I attacked because I didn't want my guys ta get ignored an' be forgotten."
"So you're tellin' me ya attacked Road Blasters for EVERYONE in your game?"
Turbo nodded "Yeah….it was stupid but hey, I was stupid back then…."
"But what does this have ta do with Sugar Rush? Why come to our game an-!?"
"Believe me when I say this! I only came ta Sugar Rush for sanctuary! I knew it was unorthodox at the time, but I didn't want ta live alone anymore! So the moment your game was plugged in, I couldn't resist! But-!"
"But what?" Taffyta pressed, moving closer to the cell.
"I…" Turbo was struggling just to say what was on his mind, as if the 'truth' was just too painful "I knew it was a mistake the moment I came in but…but I went to Vanellope!"
"Y-You did?"
"Yes! I knew she was designated to be the main character so if anyone could help me, it was her but when I asked for help she-!"
Turbo held his hands together tightly, his anger rising "When I came for help, she turned me away but it wasn't the refusal that got me…it was what she thaid. I will always remember that moment! Tha moment your PRINCESS treated me like dirt for who I was! She mocked me before I was an older game character, she mocked me because I was homeless, she mocked me because I had lost everyone! She-!"
Taffyta growled, shaking the bars of the cell "You expect me to SWALLOW this load?!"
"I told ya, ya wouldn't like what I had to thay!" Turbo shouted, his face turning red in anger "But I assure you on my very being, my very code! I'm thellin' ya tha truth!"
"Right, an' I'm actually related ta Amy Rose!" Taffyta scowled "Ya might try to convince yourself otherwise but I know Vanellope! She would NEVER have done that to a character, even one as greasy as YOU!"
"How can you be so sure of that?" Turbo asked, his eyes widening "Just how in the world do you know that for certain?"
"Because now she-!"
"No. No, not NOW." The man said, his hands held out before him "Think about things from the past. Before all this misery came into play. How are ya sure that Vanellope wouldn't hide somethin' from ya, especially tha way she would treat other people!"
"I-it's…it's just not HER!" Taffyta growled "It's not in her nature! Sure, Nelly can be a bit ROUGH but she has never been cruel!"
Turbo just stood before Taffyta, a look of pity on his face but not for himself.
He was in pity for Taffyta.
"Kid….ya don't know thum of tha things I've seen."
"An' what were these THINGS that ya claim to have seen?" asked Taffyta, her arms crossed.
"There is a lot of protection from behind closed doors…" the man started "You can get away with so many things. Even before I went to ask Vanellope for help, I saw an' heard what she thought of ya an' tha rest of tha kids an' perhaps bein' isolated for fifteen years had humbled her but…but it still doesn't hide tha way she was in tha past."
Taffya couldn't resist; she had to know what Turbo was talking about.
"It really grinds me when main characters look so low on those they share their game with. I know that happened to your buddy Ralph but I find it ironic that of all people, Vanellope would get with him when she was guilty of the same thing! As I made my way across your game, I heard her talk. I heard her say HORRIBLE things about ya an' the other kids. How ya were inferior, how your only purpose was ta fill in space that rightfully belonged to her, how she hated ta lose….ESPECIALLY ta ya!"
The strawberry racer knew better to get herself roped in by Turbo's words but the man was doing such a convincing job in retelling his point of view. He really did look hurt and sorry.
Bu that still didn't excuse his actions!
But what if he was right? What if Vanellope had said all of these things?
Did that mean that she was just as guilty for bringing on everything that happened to Sugar Rush? Had her own arrogance brought upon the reign of King Candy?
"O-Okay, so Nelly hurt your feelin's apparently but why take us over? Why not tell someone in the arcade who would listen?"
"Do you really think anyone in this arcade would have listened to a homeless wash-out like me?" Turbo snickered though it was obvious he did so painfully "I don't think ya know just how bad some of tha homeless characters were treated here. We were always looked down upon an' we were never given tha time of day. We were just invisible…an' havin' ta go through tha injustice of listenin' ta Vanellope tell me how PATHETIC I was over an' over again an' know she felt tha same about ya? It just drew me over tha edge!"
The former racer got to his feet as he turned back towards the wall, his hands behind his back.
"I had already gotten tha info on tha Konami code…but I guess I was so angry by that point, I knew I had ta use it. I don't know why an' I know if I were given a second chance, I would think it over but ya have ta understand. I was ANGRY. I was full of hate an' pain from lo-thin' everythin' an' seeing someone abuse their position as they were! So….so I went in…."
"An' that when you used your cheat to break into the code room…" Taffyta finished.
Turbo nodded his head, looking back at the girl "R-right…"
"But WHY!? Why do that to us?!"
"I wanted ta give Vanellope a taste of her own medicine! I wanted ta let her know just how it felt ta be treated in such a way an' at first, I will admit, I liked it. Ta be back on top, ta see someone who was lyin' get their just desserts but…"
"What?! WHAT?!" Taffyta asked, pressing harder on the bars.
"But after a while it hit me…I had become a monster but I couldn't just confeth an' let everyone know what was going on. If word got out, then everyone would blame me! M-Maybe though….that would have been the braver option but as ya know, I took the cowards way out but….I really did think that if I was a kinder, ni-ther ruler than Vanellope, I could make up for all the mistakes I made. I justh kept tellin' myself that."
Taffyta was shaken by what the man was telling her; so all this time, Turbo's want and reason for taking over her home had changed. His first intentions had actually caused so much guilt that he had convinced himself that he could make it better, all the while making things worse.
This was eating away at the girl horribly. Turbo's methods of love included condition her to hate her best friend and to lead the others into treating her like dirt but it was all for a reason? To teach Vanellope a lesson in her own actions? The girl thought back as far as she could and she kept coming back to the same images.
Those images before Turbo, the ones of everyone being friends like they always had been.
But according to Turbo, those were lies as well.
Vanellope didn't like them?
Vanellope thought they were a waste of space?
Her love towards them, it was all a lie?
And Turbo….
Was she to believe that his own actions of love towards herself and the other racers were TRUE, real feelings unlike that of the actual ruler of the game?
Taffyta's chest began to tighten and her head began to hurt the more she thought. This couldn't be possible! Turbo was lying!
But he was so certain of it!
It was all another façade! He just wanted to work his way into her mind again!
But what if this were all true?
Taffyta remembered the words she had asked Vanellope; was it fair to judge Turbo right now? He wanted to change, at least he made it seem like he did. If he wanted to change and show that he was a better person, she had to allow him that chance, less she be a hypocrite.
Taffyta and the racers were given a chance and they proved that they were good people.
As much as it hurt, Taffyta was going to have to do the same to Turbo.
The man returned to his spot on the cot, looking sadly at the ground "Tha more I think about this, tha more it hits me ta realize how much pain I put ya in. I shouldn't have done those things ta ya guys, even if Vanellope had treated me badly."
The man stopped, flinching a bit.
"I….I'm sorry."
"W-what?"
"I'm sorry." The man repeated, his eyes looking right at the girl and full of grief "I'm sorry for what I did. I've caused so much pain but….but I did it because I was scared. Scared that I would be forgotten and scared that someone else would be mistreated as well."
"An-an what about the party?" the racer asked, an eyebrow acrhing "Are ya blaming THAt on fear as well?"
"Y-yes…I was desperate when I sought those two out! I was angry that so many people had only known me as a monster by that point that I thought if I controlled them AS a monster then-!"
Turbo punched the side of the wall, letting out a frustrated cry "Why can't I do anything right?! I just…I just wanted to enjoy life with everyone! I never wanted this to happen!"
Taffyta looked down at the former racer, her conscious weighing on her. Just like before, Taffyta didn't see the same man she thought she knew in front of her but instead of viewing him as a threat, it seemed like the girl now viewed him as a victim.
But who was the real victim in this story? Turbo or the citizens of Sugar Rush?
The former champ made his case very convincing, presenting the girl a story of a man who's own fear and jealousy had caused him to strike but in his moment of realization, he tried to make up for it, only to have that taken away from him as well without having a single soul to hear him.
But it couldn't have been true, it just couldn't have been.
Turbo was being a protector the entire time? And even if he was right in his accusations that Vanellope was just as bad as him, there was the fact that after so long she had changed as well, IF he were telling the truth.
It was on wonder Turbo had chosen Taffyta to talk to. The girl couldn't imagine the man telling his story and breaking down like this in front of anyone else.