((New chapter up and ready to be read. Last chapter, Vanellope made a shocking (mind the pun) discovery about King Candy's secret. Here, she and Swizzle will learn another secret...
Sorry if this chapter is a bit slow and messy. Been busy with my studies. *sweatdrops*))
Chapter 21
Swizzle was shackled to the wall opposite of Vanellope. After he was arrested, he decided that he no longer cared how long he stayed in the Fungeon, because he would never race again after what he had done to Vanellope. He also deeply regretted that he caused her death until he saw the Oreo guards bringing a familiar dirty-haired girl in a hoodie. He almost thought he was dreaming until he saw her moving and speaking; that's when he knew that his beloved friend is actually alive. Arrested, but alive and kicking.
"Vanellope!" he cried happily, running to her but the chains prevented him from going so far.
"Swizzle! Am I glad to see you..."
Vanellope was about to run to him as well but she stopped dead in her tracks. While she's happy to see Swizzle, she still couldn't bring herself to forgive him. She crossed her arms and turned away from him.
"Wait, no-I'm not," she said sternly.
"You're still angry at me, huh?" Swizzle asked, looking guilty. "Look, I didn't mean to betray you like that. I only did it because I was trying to save your skin."
"Yeah, right!" she angrily retorted. "You SOLD me out, and allowed Taffyta and the others to destroy my kart! Not to mention, they chased me through a dangerous canyon and I fell into a river. Because of that, my kart is in bad shape and my engine is busted! And now, I got thrown in jail! I hope you're happy, Swizzle..."
Swizzle sighed; Vanellope has the right to be furious at him and he doesn't hate her for it. He removed the broken halves of Vanellope's heart cookie and let her see them in his hands. He saw her a flash of pain move in her eyes, but her angry expression didn't changed.
"No, I'm not happy," he said. "I thought I was doing the right thing. I should have trusted in you... instead I listened to King Candy and I ended up hurting you. I was an idiot."
"And?" Vanellope asked, raising an eyebrow.
"And a real crumbskull," Swizzled added.
"And...?"
"A selfish jerkbreaker."
"Aaannnd...?" she was slowly smiling. Swizzle couldn't help but smile as well.
"... And a cavity-butt?"
"The rottenest cavity-butt ever," Vanellope beamed and walked over to him. Since the glitch-proof chain wouldn't let her move any further, her hands could only touch his' but they didn't mind. They were a team again.
Vanellope then filled in Swizzle's questions and told him about the tapestry and interrogation with Sour Bill which lead to her discovery of the hidden Code room. Swizzle hung on to every word she said, and his mouth dropped in shock.
"Let me get this straight," he began slowly after Vanellope finished. "King Candy made you into a glitch because he couldn't delete your code, he locked up all OUR memories... and if you cross the finish line, you'll be a real racer?"
"I'm already a real racer," Vanellope said as she sat on the floor. "I know this is all weird and difficult to believe, but..."
"It makes perfect sense," Swizzle said. "It's no wonder he doesn't want anyone to leave the game! He'll think someone might discover you're a real character and that he's been lying to everyone since the very beginning. I'll bet you ten gold coins that there's even an image of you on the game console!"
"But it doesn't make any sense," Vanellope shook her head. "I mean, why is he doing this to me, and to our game? Why would he single me out of all the other popular racers? There's nothing even special about me!"
"Of course you're special. You're spunky, smart, and resourceful... that's some to be proud of," Swizzle told her, smiling a little. Then he looked around the Fungeon. "I don't know what King Candy got against you, but we can't stay in this Fungeon. The 15th Anniversary race is tomorrow and it's our only chance to be there!"
Swizzle tried pulling his shackles, hoping they will break apart but nothing happened. Vanellope was smarter; she checked her pockets and ran her fingers through her candy-covered hair, looking a for something that will help her unlock her chain. She soon found a piece of of Red Hots candy in the back of her hair, and a small cherry Twizzlers string from her hoodie pocket.
"Okay, here me out, Swizz," she spoke up. There was something devilish about her smirk. "I think I got an idea how I might escape... I'm going to make an improvised dynamite."
"... You're kidding, right?" Swizzle asked. "Tell me you're kidding. How would making an explosive out of Twizzlers and Red Hots actually work?"
"Obviously, you've forgotten what Cherry Bomb is made of," Vanellope rolled her eyes.
"Look, I once hung out with Jubileena," Swizzle explained, "and I should let you know that not all cherries of this game are inflammable. I doubt even a cherry-flavored candy can light up."
"There's no hurt in trying!"
Vanellope looked around the glitch-proof chain and the found the lock. She inserted the Twizzlers into the lock, and then scratched one of the Red Hots against the cell wall. The candy sparked and then a small flame is made; the kids can smell the cinnamon burning. Vanellope was about to lit the Twizzlers string when...
"Wait, stop! What if you accidentally blow yourself up?!" Swizzle screamed.
"Too late!" Vanellope grinned.
She lit the Twizzlers with the burning Red Hots candy, and the string began to make a fizzing, spark-like sound as it burn it up. The spark continued burning to the end of the candy inside the lock, and it exploded with a small blast. Swizzle screamed but saw the chain around Vanellope loosen and it fell to the floor.
"Yes, I'm free! I knew it would work!" Vanellope bounced and danced with glee. She was unharmed from the improvised explosive.
Swizzle couldn't agree any more and he high-fives her. "Okay, now and try and get me out of these shackles."
"Um... I don't have any more of that," she chuckled nervously. "But don't worry, I'll get us out of this Fungeon before the race starts..."
They become silent when they hear a distant door opening with a clang, followed footsteps approaching their cell. Vanellope quickly put the chain around her waist again, pretending that it was still locked, and hurried back to her corner.
The cell door open and King Candy stepped in. He threw a dirty look at Vanellope.
"So you're finally awake, glitch," he said. He smiled haughtily. "You know, for a clever criminal who can evade me and the police, you made a dumb choice coming to my castle and getting yourself captured, hoo-hoo!"
"I'm not a criminal, Candy!" Vanelloped retorted.
"You are a threat to my game!" King Candy told her. "To an order I have maintained, and if there is ONE thing I can't abide, it's ANYTHING OUT OF ORDER! ... I take no joy of this." Then he burst into small laughter. "MmhahaHA! Hahaha! A little joy, it's small! But it is my sacred duty- Hoohoohoo!" He hastily composed himself. "So what we're going to do is keep you locked here in my Fungeon for the rest of forever. How's that sound, glitch?"
Vanellope narrowed her hazel eyes, but she said nothing. King Candy then turned to Swizzle, who was glaring venomously at him. The racer finally saw the king's true colors: he's a madman.
"Come now, my boy don't give me that look," King Candy said. "I only did what I had to do."
"By trying to delete Vanellope's code and making her a glitch?!" Swizzle asked. "She's actually part of the game, ain't she?"
King Candy coldly stared at him. Behind him, Vanellope quietly and slowly loosened the chain around her.
"You don't know if she's actually meant to be played or not, Swizzle," King Candy said. "The reason why I made her into a glitch because her code is actually a virus, and if I let it be, she will corrupt the entire game... I only want to keep you and everyone safe..."
"Stop it," Swizzle growled. "You lied to us..."
"Who are you going to believe, me or a glitch?"
Swizzle didn't reply but his expression was obvious.
"It's too bad," King Candy sighed, shaking his huge head. "I thought I could persuade you, make you understand... The arcade will open in several hours, and I need you to enter the race because you're important to this game. You could have continued racing, win future trophies, and have gamers playing you. Are you willing to give up all those things just for a silly friendship?"
"Yes," the beanie-wearing racer smirked.
"Then I'm afraid you are stuck here forever too-AAAH!"
Vanellope pounced on King Candy from behind, and both of them are rolling all over the floor. Vanellope keeps grabbing and punching him while the king kept trying to push her off him. Swizzle was cheering for her.
"This is for zapping me from behind like a coward!" Vanellope struck his nose with her fist.
"Unhand me, you filthy glitch!" King Candy screamed, slapping her head.
In her anger, she began choking him, her hands grabbing tight around his neck while she glitch. But as she did, King Candy began to glitch too. His appearance flickered in flashes of red and white... and then finally transformed into his original form: a small man with deathly gray skin, wearing a white racing tracksuit. He also had a racing helmet with a red letter T on it.
Swizzle recognized him immediately since he had seen that face before on the graffiti walls of Game Central Station.
"TURBO?!" he gasped in shock. "No... that's impossible!"
Vanellope squeaked and crawled backwards, her body against Swizzle. "W-Who are you?!" she asked in a terrified voice.
"I am Turbo, the greatest racer ever!" the racer called Turbo declared. His appearance kept glitching back between his original form and King Candy's disguise. "I did not reprogram this world just to let couple of meddling brats like you to take it away from me!"
Then he made a quick dash towards the door. Vanellope regain her focus and tried to stop him but Turbo slam the cell door into her face, locking both kids inside.
"You will never leave this Fungeon and ruin everything I worked for!" Turbo cackled behind the door. "Turbo-Tastic!"
"Come back here and fight like a man, you creep!" Vanellope yelled. Turbo didn't answer back because he had just left. She turned to Swizzle, her expression wild with confusion and disbelief. "I heard you mentioning his name. Do you know him, Swizzle?"
Swizzle stared at Vanellope. He was still in shock, trying to process what he just saw.
"That was Turbo," he mumbled. "I've heard of him, but... I thought he was supposed to be dead when his game had been unplugged."
Meanwhile, Turbo hurried back to the throne room while his body slowly switched back to his disguise as King Candy. He didn't expect the glitch to touch him and reverted him back to his original form. Now his secret has been found out; luckily, there was only two witnesses but he must find a way to dispose both of them immediately. He secretly believe that they will blab it to someone, in some way or another, and he will soon have the entire game after him. He would NOT let all his hard work go to waste.
He collapsed on the white go-kart, which wasn't originally his to begin with, and began to think. He remembered the first day he entered Sugar Rush; he was actually invited by one of the racers because they learned that they had lots of things in common. That very same racer also showed him the passageway to the secret Code room, but Turbo betrayed that racer's trust and took over the game. Then he made sure no one knew what he did, and he manipulated everyone to believe Vanellope is dangerous while he forbade everyone to leave the game because of outside dangers.
With the help of a cheat code password he obtained years ago, Turbo had to do a lot hacking to reprogram the world; since only fifteen characters are allowed to race, he had to knock one of them out-Vanellope-and put himself on the list, with a disguise he managed to create with some difficulty. To make sure Vanellope wouldn't dare enter the Random Roster Race, he created a system where racers can pay a certain fee from a race they won or get on the top nine roster list. However, he expected their money chest to be unlimited but he recently discovered that thanks to his years of messing with the game's program, the chests have stopped applying coins due to the bad luck and losing streak of certain racers.
He cursed these unfortunate turn of events and began blaming Vanellope, Swizzle, Roadblasters for ruining his old game and reputation... blaming everything and everyone but himself.
"No matter," he said to himself. "After the anniversary race tomorrow, I will get rid of those two brats and they'll be out of my hair forever. ... But how?"
He think harder, rubbing his chin; he wanted to take them outside of Sugar Rush so he can kill them since they can't respawn outside their game. Except Vanellope cannot leave the game since she was a glitch, and if he dare stepped outside, his disguise will be removed thanks to the invisible barrier and everyone will see what he truly is. Plus, that darn Surge Protector might find him...
"How would you permanently kill off a character or a glitch who are still in their own game?" he asked himself out loud. Then a bulb light up in his head and a nasty, twisted grin formed in his face. "Of course, why didn't I see this before...? Turbo, you are brilliant as ever! Hahaha, Turbo-Tastic!"
He rang the bell for his assistant. Sour Bill came into the throne room, morose as ever. "Yes, Your Majesty?" he asked slowly.
"Sour Bill," Turbo spoke in his King Candy's impression. "I want you do something important for me, as well as Wynchell and Duncan when you find them. You might require their help for this... Have you ever heard of a game called Tapper?"
((Yikes, looks like the KitKat is out of the wrapper! What does Turbo want something from Tapper? Will Vanellope and Swizzle ever escape from the Fungeon just in time for the biggest race?))