"How could we have allowed ourselves to be fooled so easily?" Willow asked as the children stood inside Santa's empty room. The window was open, and there were several footprints leading to it.
"Oh, come on, Willow, we didn't know the Frostbites were planning on something like that," Wynter replied.
"Yeah, but they could have taken Santa anywhere by now," Taffyta said. "They're probably going to make a Frostbite Santa and then turn him into an ice statue like the rest of them."
"He probably deserves it."
The racers turned around. Candlehead was sitting on Santa's gigantic bed, her arms folded across her chest. She had a crude grimace she rarely ever possessed.
"Candles, if is this about Mrs. Claus whacking Fannar upside the head and Mr. Claus not doing anything about it, we have more pressing matters to deal with," Taffyta said.
"He IS the pressing matter," Candlehead said. "He kept me alive out there with those things, and now we have to repay him by beating up those elves."
"How will that solve anything?" Wynter asked.
Candlehead stroked her chin in deep thought before shrugging and muttering, "I don't know. But it'll make me feel better."
"FINE!" Willow shouted unexpectedly. "We'll beat up the elves and then free Fannar. Those guys were getting on my nerves anyways."
Candlehead's eyes lit up. "Hooray!" She shouted. "Then we can stop Frostbite Willow!"
At that moment, the door flew open, causing all eight children to jump in panic. Standing in front of the door was Mr. Short, a cold glare in his icy blue eyes and his stubby hands on his hips.
"Mr. Short?" Willow squeaked, suddenly losing her confidence. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in the basement with the other elves!"
"I was, until I heard the sound of screaming and somebody banging on the door," He explained with a snobbish tone.
Frostbite Candlehead, Willow thought bitterly.
"So I came here to investigate, and guess what I see?" Mr. Short continued. Willow and Wynter shrugged.
"I see a broken door and icy spikes across the hall, and eight peculiar children standing at the scene of the crime talking about Santa getting kidnapped," He revealed with a raised eyebrow.
Oh crap, All eight children thought in unison.
"What is this I hear about you planning to beat us up and free Fannar?" He asked with a sneer. "If I didn't know better I would think you were planning to help him doom this peaceful game."
"This game is ANYTHING but peaceful," Witchy shot back. "And besides, you got everything mixed up. Fannar isn't trying to harm you, the Frostbites are loose and now they're going to-"
"Blah, blah, blah," Mr. Short mocked. "I've seen and heard way too much for excuses. Everything's coming together now."
"It is?" Candlehead asked. "Wait, the arcade is connecting?"
Mr. Short face palmed. "No, you little idiot," He sneered with disdain. "I've figured out that it is you all who have come together to help Fannar take down the beautiful game and wreak havoc."
"What are you talking about?!" Vanellope asked frantically.
"It was when Candlehead arrived that a blizzard suddenly came," Mr. Short inquired, twiddling his gray mustache.
"But Candlehead was the one who suffered from that one," Licorice mentioned, but Mr. Short took no notice.
"That, and when your friends arrived you were rather violent to Tom and Pointy, slapping them around and kicking them from what I heard," Mr. Short continued.
"We're always like that," Witchy said. Unfortunately, that may not have been the best choice of words.
"So you admit to being bad icicles," Mr. Short accused, grinning evilly. Witchy narrowed her eyes at him, but he ignored her.
"The thing is, it was only when an injured Vanellope arrived that the blizzard intensified and started to destroy the place," Mr. Short said. "I must say, that doesn't seem like evidence to support you."
Willow bit her own hand to keep from screaming. Mr. Short had over analysed everything and got it all wrong. And yet, he kept going.
"But the most incriminating testimony, is that you were all with Fannar when we found you!" He shouted, aiming his finger at them and raising his voice to a furious bellow. "That was why you didn't talk! You didn't want to admit to being his devilish followers!"
He stamped his foot on the ground angrily, swinging his arms around like he was having a seizure. "Well, you vile miscreants, I shall not allow you to disrupt this game, on my watch!" He shouted.
Spinning to the door, he made a run for it. However, Vanellope simply glitched towards him and grabbed his collar, yanking him backwards. Unfortunately, she pulled with a bit more force than she would of wanted and he went flying into the wall so hard he made a dent.
Mr. Short gasped in shock and he held the back of his head. A large purple bump was forming at his temple. Vanellope covered her mouth in shock.
"I am so very sorry," She whispered in a pitiful attempt to avoid his inevitable wrath. Alas, it would not be.
TOM! POINTY! ALL OF YOU, COME HERE RIGHT NOW!" Mr. Short bellowed. Instantly, a herd of elves entered the rooms and gasped in horror when they saw the giant bump on his temple and the bruise on his forehead.
Aiming a stubby finger at the eight children, he shouted, "They did this! They're helping Fannar destroy this game. Get them!"
Without a second thought, the elves advanced towards the eight kids. "Witchy, what are we going to do?" Licorice asked, tugging on her arm. Witchy responded not with words, but actions.
She hoisted Santa's king-sized bed into the air and slammed it down right on top of the elves. The eight kids could hear their muffled shouting from beneath the bed.
"Why would you do that?" Vanellope berated. "Now they'll think we're evil."
"Vanellope, they already do," Witchy pointed. "Okay, you have a point," Vanellope admitted and the children walked over the bed and towards the door.
"You won't get away with this!" Mr. Short shouted. "And how are you going to stop us?" Taffyta challenged. She instantly regretted her choice of words when Mr. Short whipped out a walkie-talking and shouted into it.
"Mrs. Claus!" He screeched. "We have eight renegades. It's Vanellope, Taffyta, Rancis, Candlehead, Witchy, Licorice, Willow and Wynter! They're on Fannar's side! Release all security on them IMMEDIATELY!"
All eight children stared at Mr. Short in shock, their mouths hanging open. Only Taffyta could regain her composure long enough to say two words: "Oh, frostbite."