Now that Graham and Crumbelina had finally connected, let us see what the other new friendships and new couples were up to.
Not much with Bitalo and Torvald, they were just dating as usual. Torvald also got into learning how to be a beekeeper, having always liked honey. Their relationship was sweet, though not without it's snarky side.
Adamec and Sticky were also dating as usual, and Sticky was still swept away by Adamec's passion. Adamec in turn was on fire around Sticky. It was easy to see that those two had a permanent flame going on in their hearts.
Also Adamec and Swizzle were still like brothers, and were still best friends with Bodhivian.
Bodhivian and Adorabeezle grew closer each day, bonded by their love of snowboarding along with both kinds of skiing. They also got so used to each other's slang (Adorabeezle sometimes used skier slang, though not that often) that they didn't need anything translated anymore.
Pepsino and Snowanna were still dancing partners and romantic partners, and every time they went through town together their walk seemed like a dance of it's own.
Matlow and Candlehead felt their friendship becoming stronger each day. The days when he found her annoying had become nothing but a hazy memory, and now he couldn't imagine a life without her. Matlow also developed better social skills thanks to his friendship with Candlehead, and this was a good thing. Before her friendship he often sounded obnoxious without meaning too, especially when he shared a bit of information. But now he merely stated facts and info without sounding superior.
Nougestia and Charleston were just as close as ever, and very grateful for their friendship. They had introduced each other to so many wonderful things, and shared lots of laughs and great times together.
Mazie and Henreesa also continued to grow closer, and became closer to Madison and Applelo as well. Henreesa and Applelo especially, due to their shared lack of interest in feminine things. Madison's friends Ayda, Skyler, and Kerri also became part of the group despite not being that close to Applelo, Mazie, or Henreesa.
But it was Applelo and Madison who were really becoming close. They had been hanging out enjoying nature and farming and horseback riding so much that they were almost inseparable. Which made it doubly good that Mazie found a friend in Henreesa, Applelo had started to spend a little more time with Madison than with her. Mazie didn't resent him for it though, she already knew that moving to a new area would give him lots of new friends and so had prepared herself to expect him to not have as much time for her as he used to. Now she was just glad that she also had Henreesa to hang out with. Besides, the four of them hung out together most of the time anyway.
Then one day the group had decided to take a horseback ride (Henreesa had also learned how thanks to Mazie) to a tall hill to watch the sunset. During the sunset Applelo glanced at Madison and thought about how beautiful her yellow hair looked in the light of the sunset. He also thought about how her eyes were like the sky...and then snapped out of it. He was surprised that he had those thoughts, until he realized that he had fallen in love with Madison. He just smiled and went back to enjoying the sunset, planning to tell her his feelings just after dropping her off outside the exit. He wasn't scared or anything because he had never felt this way about anyone before. In fact before meeting Madison he hadn't even been interested in dating before. So, his having fallen in love with her had to mean something special.
Madison, after Applelo had turned back to the sunset, looked at him for a moment. She had already started to realize that she was developing feelings for him in the past and so was wondering about her feelings. Could Applelo be the one, or was her feelings just a reaction to his having shown her true nature before? She decided to ignore the nature detail and think about his personality. After realizing that she loved his lack of prejudism and how he was always kind and helpful she also realized that she loved him for real. Now there was just one thing left worrying her: her parents.
At the end of the day, Applelo dropped Madison off at the exit. Well kinda, he didn't drive her or anything. But he did see her to the exit with them both on horseback. Applelo was on Pielan of course, while Madison was on her strawberry-roan again. She had grown so fond of the mare that she had saved her money and bought her, though she still had to stay in Sugar Rush. Fortunately Applelo's parents didn't mind keeping her on their farm, so things worked out. Madison had named her mare Smoothie.
After stopping Smoothie and Pielan, Applelo and Madison said their goodbyes and Madison dismounted.
"Madison I...there's somethin' I have to tell you." He said.
"What is it?" Madison asked.
Applelo dismounted.
"Before comin' here I had never been interested in datin' at all...but then I met you." Applelo rubbed the back of his head. "I had never met anyone like you before. You're fun, kind, and love nature so much...plus you're not all frilly like some other girls. What I'm tryin' to say is...I love you."
Madison hesitated for a moment.
"Applelo I...I love you too but..." She hesitated again.
"Your parents." Applelo said knowingly.
"Exactly." Madison nodded weakly. "I've been loving Sugar Rush more than my own game, so much so that...that I want to move here. I'm just part of the scenery in my game anyway, but there are still problems. How my parents will react, and the fact that I can't regenerate in Sugar Rush... I'm so scared...what if my wanting to be in Sugar Rush...my wanting to be with you...makes them disappointed in me. What if they...hate me? And even if they don't I'll never be able to convince them to move..."
"True parents never hate their children no matter what." Applelo shook his head. "I know they don't like nature, but I'm sure they love you more. Just try talkin' to them, see how they react. If they react positively then we'll talk to Vanellope about makin' you part of the game. If they react negatively...well, we'll just see how things go from there."
"I guess you're right...thank you." Madison smiled.
Madison had to kneel down slightly - her game was a little more realistic when compared to Sugar Rush, so she had the typical height of a preteen instead of a chibi look - but she and Applelo still had their first kiss. 8-bit hearts surrounded them.
Back in her game, she confided in her city friends about her new feelings for Applelo and her fears about her parents and not being able to regenerate in Sugar Rush. Her friends loved the idea of her having Applelo for a boyfriend, so their only problem was the fact that Madison can't regenerate in Sugar Rush. And in that case it was just because they were scared of losing her. As for her parents...Ayda and Skyler weren't sure what to do about that. Kerri however, having known Madison since kindergarten, gave her blunt advice:
"Tell them the truth, including why you never told them about Sugar Rush before, and add that nothing will make you stop loving Applelo."
"Are you sure?" Madison asked.
"Madison, your parents may hate nature but they could never hate a nature lover." Kerri put a hand on her shoulder. "Have you forgotten that despite never letting you have a pet they still let me bring Jimmy over to play?"
"That is true...we just never brought Maria Lopez over because she hates traveling." Ayda nodded.
Maria Lopez was Ayda and Skyler's pet cat. She was an interesting cat too, due to having been raised by both Ayda and Skyler she had been influenced by both of them as well. Thanks to Skyler's upbringing Maria Lopez liked wearing fashionable collars, and thanks to Ayda's upbringing she liked to fetch.
"Well..." Madison hesitated at first but then remembered how much she loves Sugar Rush and Applelo. "Okay, I'll give it a try."
"You can do it." Skyler smiled.
Once she got home, she went to her parents Mr. and Mrs. Moore. They were on the couch watching the news.
"Mom, dad, we need to have a talk." She said.
"Sure dear, what is it?" Mrs. Moore turned off the TV.
Madison went over and sat down in a chair next to the couch.
"I'm not the girl you think I am." She said. "I...I love nature."
Her parents dropped their mouths open.
"My whole life I've loved nature, ever since I saw those documentaries on TV." Madison continued. "When I got older and had Kerri, Ayda, and Skyler for friends I started going to places like the zoo and arboretum, trying to get in as much nature experience as possible. Also I...I hate the city. I don't want to live here anymore."
Her parents froze for a moment.
"Why...why didn't you tell us this before?" Mr. Moore asked.
"Because...I was afraid that you'd be disappointed in me." Madison hung her head a little. "That...that you'd hate me."
"We could never hate you Madison." Mrs. Moore said. "We are surprised that you like nature, but we're not disappointed in you. I am disappointed...but in us, for making you feel that you had to hide who you are to make us like you."
"Same here." Mr. Moore said. "Still can't understand why you like nature though..."
"Look, you two have been remembering the bad parts for so long that you've forgotten the good." Madison frowned. "Don't you remember what it was like to smell a flower? To hear birds sing? To watch squirrels romp and play? To look through a forest and see all the beauty it had to offer?"
Her parents looked down slightly.
"I...I did kinda forget..." Mrs. Moore admitted.
"So..." Mr. Moore hesitated. "Why did you decide to tell us the truth now? What changed?"
"I...I've fallen in love with a farmer named Applelo." Madison smiled, blushing a little. "He's from Sugar Rush...where I've been going the last three months or so. Sugar Rush is so beautiful, and Applelo is so kind and helpful. He's been helping me experience nature more, he even taught me how to ride a horse!" She now grinned but then looked sad. "And...and I want to move into his game. I want to be closer to him."
"Well, I'm afraid we can't approve of this." Mrs. Moore shook her head.
Madison opened her mouth to protest-
"But it's not because this Applelo fellow is a farmer." Mr. Moore cut in. "It's because he's from a different game. You know you can't regenerate in other games and...and we don't want to lose you."
Madison closed her mouth. She knew her parents had a point.
"But if there was a way to allow me to regenerate in the game...?" She asked hopefully.
"Then we'll consider moving into Sugar Rush." Mrs. Moore smiled. "We do owe you for having unintentionally deprived you of something you love, and if you truly love Applelo then you should be with him. However since you are still a minor you can't be without your parents. So if you can find a way for all three of us to be able to regenerate in Sugar Rush then I think we can handle moving there."
"We still would like to see the place though, but as long as we're surrounded mostly by buildings I think we'll be fine." Mr. Moore added.
"Thank you thank you!" Madison went over and hugged her parents. "This means so much to me...tomorrow I'll ask President Vanellope - she's the ruler of Sugar Rush - about becoming part of her game. Maybe she can think of something."
"Very well, and we'll go with you to see what this game is like." Mrs. Moore smiled.
"It's not like we're important members of this game anyway." Mr. Moore chuckled.
So the next day, after the arcade closed, Madison and her parents went to see President Vanellope near the race track.
"Well, always glad to have new citizens here but you're right the regeneration thing is a problem..." She thought it over and then remembered something. "Hold on...Ralph and Felix added Q*Bert and his friends into their game and they seem to be able to regenerate...I never did ask them about that..."
At that moment Ralph and Felix showed up.
"Oh good, perfect timing." Vanellope smiled and went over to them; she kissed Ralph before asking: "How did you guys make Q*Bert and his friends part of your game? Madison here wants to join Sugar Rush."
"It was Q*Bert mostly." Felix explained. "It turns out your code can compact and become part of you when you take it out of the Code Room. Q*Bert and his friends did that with their codes not long before their original game was unplugged, having learned how to safely do so from Surge Protector. Then when Ralph invited them to be part of our game Q*Bert instructed me on how to safely install his code and his friends' codes into our Code Room. Once you enter a Code Room the codes come back full size."
"Surge Protector couldn't because he can't enter games." Ralph added. "He has to stay in Game Central Station in case any problems occur."
"You mean...?" Madison beamed.
Ralph and Felix nodded, smiling. Madison was really happy, and so was Applelo, having been there at the time.
Mr. and Mrs. Moore were then given a slight tour of Sugar Rush. They both had to admit that the place was beautiful, and after they talked to Applelo for a while they ended up liking him a lot. They decided to move in, much to Madison and Applelo's delight.
They then left to see Q*Bert, who agreed to help them unplug and replug codes safely. Felix of course had to translate, but Madison and her parents managed to remove their codes without any problems. Then once the codes were removed and taken out of Sweet Scavenge's Code Room they shrank down and became part of their owners. After plugging them into Sugar Rush, Vanellope left with Madison and her parents to see about getting a home built for them. Luckily with Felix around it didn't take too long, so Madison and her parents were able to move in the same day. Kerri, Skyler, and Ayda were going to miss having Madison nearby, but were happy for her and knew that she had made the right choice. Besides, they could still visit Sugar Rush a lot.
Applelo and Madison weren't the only couple to realize their feelings and admit them in a short time either. Bodhivian and Adorabeezle had become so close that they too had started to fall in love. Between middle September and the end of September they had realized their feelings enough to know that they had to tell the other. Especially since their feelings were strong.
"Adora?" Bodhivian said as they headed for the ice cream mountains. "Can we stop for a sec?"
"What is it Bodhi?" Adorabeezle smiled.
"I...I'm fambo for you." Bodhivian admitted.
"Fambo?" Adorabeezle had never heard that word before.
"It...it means 'crazy in love'." Bodhivian explained.
Adorabeezle went back to smiling.
"I'm fambo for you too." She said.
Bodhivian now smiled, and they hugged.
"This is unbelievable...I mean a skier and a surfer...in love." Adorabeezle chuckled. "Talk about 'opposites attract'."
"Well, skier or not you are a radical friend and cool and sweet...not to mention a bodacious doe." He smiled.
Adorabeezle blushed, flattered.
"You're a bodacious stag yourself." She smiled back. "Plus you're also cool and very kind."
Bodhivian now blushed a little.
They continued smiling at each other until...they kissed. 8-bit hearts surrounded them. Later on Stormberry, Nougestia, Swizzle, and Adamec found out and were very happy for them.
Now, you're probably wondering how things were progressing with Sourward and Citrusella, and how things were going with Graham's new outfit.
Well, with Sourward and Citrusella things were going slow. Citrusella was still scared but Sourward was helping her. He started her off by making her a passenger in a two-seater kart - which he had made specifically for this purpose - and then driving slowly. Then when she got comfortable and was no longer afraid with that speed he would speed the kart a little. This progressed until Citrusella was comfortable being a passenger in a racing kart.
After succeeding with that step Sourward moved onto the next one: having Citrusella get behind the wheel herself. They first begun with parked, until it looked as if Citrusella was longing to race again. Sourward then had her start the kart, and once she was comfortable with that he gently encouraged her to slowly increase her speed. She was still really scared every time she went a little faster, but as time went by her love of racing started to overcome her fear of crashing.
All this took the entire month too, and during that month Citrusella noticed a change in Sourward. He was using all his concentration for helping her overcome her fear, and seemed to have forgotten about his pain. Because of this Citrusella slowly started to see the real Sourward: a kind, generous, and helpful guy who was capable of strong love and of being more gentle than a fawn. She also realized that his name, Sourward, had been an ironic name instead of one that fit him. She felt even more sorry for him, knowing that his heart had been broken enough to destroy that side of him. She now was really grateful that she had been able to help him enough to repair that side of him, to bring it back enough for him to show it. And she found herself falling in love with that side.
She wasn't happy about it either. After all it wasn't like Sourward was going to recover enough to ever start dating again. This meant that her love would forever be unrequited. She would have to spend the rest of her life pining for his love even though she would never get it. And she couldn't stop herself from loving him either, his kindness and gentleness captured her heart and she couldn't get it back. She did try to fight it, but only succeeding at hiding it. Just when she thought she had gotten over her feelings Sourward would speak kindly or gently touch her, and her heart would skip a beat and then beat rapidly all over again.
Of course she didn't know that he actually did love her back. No one did. In fact Sourward hadn't even told Bitalo...and it was the first time he had ever kept a secret from Bitalo (not counting his family's recipes of course).
And as Bodhivian and Adorabeezle ended up together, Madison solved her problems, and Sourward helped Citrusella Crumbelina finished up Graham's new outfit.
Graham was annoyed with the changes, but he had to admit the outfit wasn't too bad. His pants were pure-white with a pine green stitch, his shirt was a long-sleeved red dress shirt, and his vest was a deep green. His new fedora wasn't bad either, it was red with an emerald brim and cream-white band.
"Now that's my high-class beau." Crumbelina smiled as he looked himself over in the mirror.
"Hm...it is not bad...I still wish you hadn't spent this much money on me." Graham shook his head. "This outfit must've been very coûteux."
"Oh I didn't pay more than I usually pay for my materials." Crumbelina shrugged.
"Material-" Graham's eyes widened. "Attendre...you mean...you mean you made this outfit yourself...just for moi?"
"Well yeah." Crumbelina shrugged modestly. "It was nothing really, I never had a chance to make clothes for boys before so I was glad for an opportunity-"
Graham suddenly hugged her. He then pulled away and Crumbelina saw how touched he was.
"This is now my favori équipement." He smiled. "I love it even more than my old outfit, because the beauté I love more than life itself made it for me."
Crumeblina blushed a little and smiled back.
"Oh wait, almost forgot...take off your shirt." Crumbelina pulled away.
"Huh...oh right." Graham remembered.
He gently took off his vest and then his shirt. He gave the shirt to Crumbelina who got to work embroidering the swirled pine tree design onto it in white.
"Merveilleux." Graham smiled once she was done.
He then put his shirt and vest back on and hugged himself.
"I feel as though you had stitched loved into this outfit." He sighed.
"Well, in a way I had." Crumbelina smiled. "I did make this outfit out of love for you after all."
Graham smiled back, and they kissed passionately.