A.N. Candlehead's full name, Candela Puckerbatter, was a headcanon that - as I recall - I read off Tumblr.
Two of them were an arts and crafts show and a science fair. Candlehead of course was in the show and Matlow had something prepared for the science fair. They couldn't wait to invite the other to their own event...
"Hey Matlow!" Candlehead grinned, finding him coming out of his science class; her art class had just finished as well.
"Candlehead!" Matlow grinned back. "Good timing, I was going to go get you."
"Really?"
"Yeah, we've got a science fair coming up and I really want you to come."
"What a coincidence, I had come here to ask you to an event as well." Candlehead gave him a flyer. "My class is having an arts and crafts show."
Matlow read the flyer and his face fell.
"What's wrong?" Candlehead asked.
"Your arts and crafts show is the exact same date and time as the science fair." Matlow explained.
"What?" Candlehead looked very upset.
Matlow gave her the flyer for the science fair. She read it and was even more upset.
"Oh no...can't your class postpone the fair?" She asked.
"No, we need to have it in the gym so that there'll be room for all the projects and other classes want to use the gym later as well." Matlow shook his head. "That was the only day and time we could get. What about you guys, can't you have the show some other time?"
"No, some of my classmates are going to make delicate projects so they need to have the show as soon as possible to minimize the risk of them breaking before they can be judged."
"Well, then how about you skip the show and come to the fair?" Matlow suggested.
"I can't. Why don't you skip the fair and come to the show?"
"I can't either, my project is too important."
"Well so's mine."
"Candlehead your project is just arts and crafts, mine is science." Matlow frowned. "Science is more important."
"It is not!" Candlehead was offended. "I use my arts and crafts skills to help make good decorations and presents for parties!"
"Well science can help solve problems and answer questions, which is more important than any old party!"
"Hey! Parties are a way for people to have fun and make new friends!"
"Oh you and your fun, why don't you show more respect for education?"
"What education? You guys are just going to be making dumb stuff like fake volcanoes and seeing which plant grows the fastest!"
"We are not! Our projects are going to be better than a bunch of stupid stick figures!"
"Stick figures? You think we're in preschool or something?" Candlehead glared.
"Well you sure act like it!"
Candlehead gasped and drew back. Everyone else who was there, who had been watching the scene with interest, gasped as well. Candlehead started to shed tears as Matlow started to look regretful.
"Oh no...Candlehead I didn't mean...I was just..." He stammered.
"Oh shut up you bland old scientist!" Candlehead sobbed. "I don't want to ever see you again!"
Matlow now was hurt, especially since he had gained color ever since he and Candlehead became friends, and started to shed tears of his own.
"Fine!" He snapped.
They ran away from each other crying.
Candlehead and Matlow were no longer friends. They avoided each other as much as possible and never looked at each other again. They still worked on their projects, but now it was more out of pride than anything else.
Everyone caught on and tried to get them to swallow their pride and apologize to each other, but Candlehead and Matlow were stubborn. Vanellope especially tried to convince them, always hating to see her subjects upset, but not even Candlehead would listen to her.
"Candlehead you know friendship is more important than-" Vanellope tried to reason.
"Just leave me alone!" Candlehead snapped before storming off.
"I don't believe it, Candlehead always respected you before." Taffyta stared after her.
Vanellope watched Candlehead leave and shook her head sadly.
"I think Candlehead and Matlow lost more than friendship through that argument." She sighed.
"What else did they lose?" Rancis asked.
"Their ability to love." Vanellope shed a tear of sympathy. "They broke each other's hearts."
A short time passed and the day of both the arts and crafts show and the science fair came.
Candlehead just sat miserably by herself. She felt as though her project had been for nothing. She kept wondering why Matlow wouldn't leave his event to come to hers...and then she started to realize that she actually missed Matlow. She had gotten so used to having him around, having his friendship, that his not being there made her feel as if half of herself was missing. She started to feel bad for refusing to leave the show to come to the fair, especially since she didn't care about winning. However Matlow did care so much about science...and he could always see her project later... That was the real reason why she wanted him to come, she had made her project in honor of his friendship with her.
Close to the end of both the show and fair Candlehead realized that she had made a mistake. She should've just told Matlow that she had dedicated her project to him. She hadn't before because she didn't want to spoil the surprise, but if she had then maybe they wouldn't have lost their friendship. Maybe her heart wouldn't be broken right now.
She had to see him, she had to apologize. Leaving the show would disqualify her but she didn't care one bit, all she cared about was repairing her friendship with him. She now knew that Matlow would always be more important to her than any arts and crafts project.
"Mom, dad, I have to go." She said after rushing over to her parents Mr. and Mrs. Puckerbatter.
"But if you leave you'll be disqualified." Mrs. Puckerbatter pointed out.
"I don't care...I have to see Matlow." She admitted.
Mr. and Mrs. Puckerbatter smiled.
"Go ahead." Mr. Puckerbatter said.
Candlehead smiled slightly and left. She ran for the gym, pausing only at the doors to catch her breath. She then slowly opened the doors. Everyone was at the far end of the gym, applauding. Apparently the winner had just been announced. Candlehead headed for the group and tried to find Matlow...
Who it turns out was the winner. He was standing next to the judges, and his winning project was on the winner's table. There was a blue ribbon attached to Matlow's jacket. Candlehead put a hand to her mouth as she saw the title of his project: Why Sugar Rush Chocolate Does Not Stain Sugar Rush Clothing. Instantly her mind flashed back to when they had fallen into the chocolate puddle. To when...they had first become official friends.
"This is an astounding project my boy." One of the judges, who also was the principal, said proudly. "Not many students of your age had been able to do something like this."
"Thank you sir." Matlow said politely.
Those who weren't blinded by his amazing project and his win could instantly see that he didn't seem to be as proud as everyone else. Instead he seemed distant, hollow, as if a part of him was missing. Candlehead was the only one who saw this, and she realized that their argument had hurt him as much as it had hurt her.
"What inspired you to work on this particular subject?" Another judge, a visiting scientist, asked.
"An old friend." Matlow said almost sadly; no one noticed. "Back in my old hometown I didn't have any friends at all. I had been so into my studies that I never hung out with the other kids and didn't know how to have fun. But then when my parents and I visited Sugar Rush one person, a Racer, found out about my lack of friends and insisted on becoming my friend. She insisted on teaching me how to have fun. I found her annoying back then and so only let her teach me because I didn't know how to say no without hurting her feelings. Then one day we sledded and crashed into a chocolate puddle. I was so mad at first...but then I started laughing. I laughed and laughed and couldn't stop. I had finally learned how to let go and have fun, and I ended up seeing my new friend in a new light. She was no longer annoying, instead she was just very energetic. We left the puddle and I saw that the chocolate didn't stain our clothes at all. Anyway, we became best friends after that, so I made this project in honor of her. To thank her for teaching me how to have fun and for having been my friend. I do thank you for this honor, but I just wish she could be here right now."
Candlehead now felt even worse. No wonder he had wanted her to come so badly.
The judges and rest of the audience applauded again and started to leave. Now that the fair was over it was time to go home. The other students picked up their projects and started to leave with their parents. The judges left as well.
Matlow started to leave with his project, his parents following.
"We're so proud of you son." Mrs. Smartietz smiled.
"After seeing you make a project like that we know you're going to do big things in the future." Mr. Smartietz added. "You deserved to win."
"I didn't win." Matlow said sadly.
"Of course you did, you even got the blue ribbon." Mrs. Smartietz looked confused.
"This?" Matlow turned around and took the blue ribbon off. "This is just an empty victory. Sure I won at the science fair...but I failed at friendship."
He threw away his blue ribbon in a nearby trash can. His parents were very shocked.
"I made this project for Candlehead, to honor her friendship with me. Not to win or any other reason." He started to shed tears. "But now...now I've lost Candlehead's friendship forever." He started to sob. "She wanted me to come to her arts and crafts show, and I refused only because I was too scared of disappointing you guys. I got so scared that I ended up hurting her...I don't even deserve her friendship. I've finally learned what's really important and now it's too late..."
"It's not too late."
Startled, Matlow and his parents turned and saw Candlehead holding out his blue ribbon, which she had just taken out of the trash.
"Candlehead?" Matlow couldn't believe it. "You came?"
"Yes...because I realized almost too late that your friendship means more to me than any old arts and crafts project." Candlehead was close to tears as well. "You mean more to me than arts and crafts. I'm so sorry Matlow, I hadn't realized how much your project really meant to you. I should've come earlier, I mean could've shown you my project any time."
"I'm sorry too, especially for what I said." Matlow started to smile. "I never meant it, I just wasn't thinking."
"I didn't mean what I said either." Candlehead started to smile back.
"I should've never let my fear control me." Matlow wiped an eye.
"It's okay, I understand." Candlehead went a bit closer to him.
Matlow dropped his project, went closer to her, and they both hugged. They sobbed onto each other's shoulders, letting go of all the sadness and pain they had been feeling. Their hearts began to heal...and also started to form a connection to each other. Candlehead and Matlow didn't notice this, but they did notice that they felt complete in each other's arms.
"You hadn't lost my friendship, actually I'm really touched that you made it in honor of me." Candlehead smiled after they started to calm down; she then pinned the blue ribbon back onto Matlow. "You truly deserved to win."
"And I now finally feel like a winner." Matlow smiled back.
"Son?"
Matlow turned to his parents, who both looked as if they were feeling bad.
"We're sorry for having put so much pressure on you in the past." Mr. Smartietz apologized. "We hadn't realized how badly it's affected you. From now on we'll lay off."
"Really?" Matlow looked relieved.
"Yes." Mrs. Smartietz nodded. "We still want you to get good grades, but you don't have to get straight As anymore. And winning fairs and other things? It doesn't matter as long as you do your best."
Matlow went over and hugged his parents.
"Thank you...thank you so much." He said.
"You're welcome...and now go ahead and run along with Candlehead." Mr. Smartietz smiled. "We'll take your project home for you."
"Thank you..." Matlow said again before going back to Candlehead. "But what about your project?"
"Well, I'm sure I've been disqualified for leaving the room, but I don't care." Candlehead shrugged. "I never cared about winning, it just meant a lot to me for personal reasons."
"You..." Matlow was shocked and then touched that she had let herself be disqualified just for him. "What personal reasons?"
"Come on, I'll show you." Candlehead grinned, grabbing his hand.
Matlow felt a spark, but thought nothing of it. His mind was still on the fact that she let herself be disqualified just to see him.
Candlehead led him back to the arts and crafts show room. She then pointed to one project in particular.
Matlow dropped his mouth open. The project was of two hands joined together in friendship...and made out of Smarties. His candy theme.
"You...you made that in honor of our friendship didn't you?" He asked.
"Uh-huh...that's why I wanted you to come so badly...but I was wrong." Candlehead moved her hand to his shoulder. "I didn't care about winning at all, whereas you wanted to make your parents proud. Unlike your parents mine never cared whether I got perfect scores or not. They always just wanted me to do my best."
"It's too bad you were disqualified...you deserved to win." Matlow looked at her touched.
"It's okay, I feel like a winner anyway." She grinned. "After all we are friends again, and that's what's really important."
Matlow smiled...and then both he and Candlehead frowned with confusion upon hearing chuckling. They turned and saw Mr. and Mrs. Puckerbatter grinning.
"What's so funny?" Candlehead asked.
Mr. Puckerbatter just pointed to her project. Even more confused, Candlehead and Matlow went around the table...to see a blue ribbon on the other side of her project. She had won.
"What?" Candlehead gasped. "But I thought leaving the room disqualified me."
"It almost did...until your parents explained why you left." The judge smiled. "I made an exception this time because you proved the worth of your project by putting your friend before winning. You proved your strong friendship for the one you made your project in honor of. So, you won."
"I did...Matlow we both won." Candlehead grinned.
Matlow took her blue ribbon, which was in reach, and pinned it to her jacket.
"We both did...in more ways than one." He grinned back.
They hugged again, this time not sobbing.
Obviously everyone was relieved upon hearing that Candlehead and Matlow had repaired their friendship. Vanellope, Taffyta, and Rancis most of all. But Candlehead and Matlow had done more than repair their friendship, they had made it even stronger. And they never let anything harm their friendship ever again, though it was so strong now that almost nothing could harm it. In fact their friendship had become so strong that Candlehead had decided something...
"So Matlow, since we're best friends and all..." Candlehead said after he walked her back to her house. "So I think it's time I told you my real name."
"I thought Candlehead was your real name." Matlow was both surprised and confused.
"Nah it's a nickname, Vanellope and the other original Racers gave it to me when we were really little." Candlehead chuckled. "I kept it and decided to save my real name for my closest friends. The original Racers, my family, Ralph, Felix, and Tamora are the only ones at the moment who know my real name. Now it's your turn."
"I'm honored." Matlow smiled. "What is your real name?"
"Candela." Candlehead smiled.
"Candela...that's beautiful." Matlow grinned.
"Thanks." Candlehead blushed a little. "But again I save it for my closest friends so there are certain rules about calling me that."
"Let me guess: only when we're alone or near others who already know it?"
"You really are smart." Candlehead chuckled.
"And you are the funnest person I know." Matlow smiled.
Not long after that Matlow realized that he felt lonely at home. So, he decided to get a pet and Candlehead helped him pick one out. Matlow ended up getting a canary who was a really pretty singer. Matlow named her Melody and she ended up becoming a great source of company for him when he was reading or writing. Melody became attached to Matlow, and could only handle being away from him when she was in her cage. Otherwise whenever she flew out to explore she always stuck with Matlow. Even when they were outside she stayed on Matlow's shoulder or just flew near him.